IMPORTANT AUTHOR NOTE AT THE BOTTOM.
I was awoken from my pain-induced nap by a particularly sharp turn Chloe pulled on the wagon, resulting in one of the supply chests in the cart to bonk me on the head. It wasn't heavy enough to induce pain, but it did wake me up.
"Hm, so you are still among the living," Olga started. "We are on our way to the human kingdom as you wished, although I suspect we may not reach it for another few hours," she continued as I slowly sat up, mentally noting that armor is not exactly comfortable to sleep in.
"That's a shame," I said, noting the dark evening sky and the rock wall we were riding along.
"How long was I out for?" I asked as I realized we were on a steep cliff-side. The Dark Elf Queen's gaze too ventured up to the firmament.
"Close to an hour."
Well, an hour is better than nothing. I raised my hand and tried to bring out that golden healing magic, but frowned when I failed to produce anything besides a golden fizzle.
"Are we being followed?" I raised myself to sit on the seat opposite Olga.
The Dark Elf nodded. "We are, although we are ahead of them for now, I suspect they will be on us soon." Her eyes went to Chloe. "While my retainer knows how to drive, she has had little practice in making the hard turns and corners required for our route."
The Half-Elf's ears drooped at what Olga had pointed out. "I am sorry, My Queen. When… If I ever get the chance, I swear I will learn how to drive properly," she said, glancing back at her master.
Discordia's face did not change; she simply nodded and closed her eyes, allowing herself to wander away in thought. Their moods were resigned, Olga's pride didn't let her run away, and Chloe was too stubborn to deny her unless an alternative was presented. As it stood right now, there was no escape for them.
... Actually, there is… they just won't take it.
"So why didn't you guys escape while I was out?" I asked. "You could have just dumped me on the side of the road and gotten away."
Olga opened her eyes and looked at me. "Because unlike you Humans, I have not forsaken my own dignity. As a Queen or as a prisoner, I refuse to shame myself by running from such inferior beings."
"Dignity?" I parroted. "Remind me again, who was it that empowered monsters and waged a pointless war with Humanity?"
Olga's gaze remained stern and cold. "While I take responsibility for the suffering caused, make no mistake: I never started a war with your kind."
I raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What do you mean?"
"My dark arts empowered the monsters from the north, an unintended outcome of the magic I cast, but I will not allow this… false narrative to be pushed any longer," she stated, her voice like ice. "Humanity isn't worth my hatred, nor my anger, let alone my attention."
I leaned forward onto my elbows. "If that were true, why didn't you mention this before, then?"
Olga straightened her back, keeping a regal posture even as the wagon we rode on shook and rocked. "This exact reason," she stated. "You do not believe me. Why should I waste my breath on the truth when it will fall on deaf ears?"
I opened my mouth to try and refute her, but found myself closing it slowly. If I tried to argue, I would only prove her point, but… Could I trust anything she says? I wanted to say no, but at the same time, a part of me wondered if her own pride would actually let her try to deceive me.
Maybe I should chance it. After all, what's the harm in hearing her out?
"Try me," I offered with a small smirk.
Now, I wouldn't go as far as saying she was shocked by what I had said, but it was clear on her face that it wasn't what she was expecting to hear.
"What?" She couldn't stop the single word from coming out of her mouth in disbelief.
"I'm not going to lie, it is hard to believe. That much is certain, but I am willing to wait for all the facts to make a judgment call." With a measured breath, I continued. "I've heard the Alliance's side of the story, but if anyone could be arrested on what one party claims, there would be a lot more people in dungeons and prisons than not." I gazed at Olga, mustering as much confidence as I could. "If you're telling me the truth, I promise to do everything I can to help you."
Olga studied my face, searching for any signs of deception. "While I have no reason to trust that you will not use this against me, you have proven to be more trustworthy than most of your species. I will tell you 'my side'..."
One of her ears flicked, and she turned her head to the road. "… Later… It appears they have finally caught up to us."
Almost as if on cue, I watched as the Black Dogs rounded a corner that we had before I woke up.
"THERE THEY ARE!" I heard them call out. "CAPTURE THOSE SLUTS!"
I groaned as I stood up. "And here I was getting bored," I muttered. "Now then, Your Majesty; if you don't mind, I've got to deal with our guests."
I drew my sword, and got ready to fight, but as I prepared to fight off anyone dumb enough to try and hop onto this wagon, I noticed there were only two in pursuit. Strangely, I expected more, but I wasn't about to complain about this.
The first opposing wagon approached, the men in the back all looking eager to jump, wielding maces, axes, and swords of their own. Olga remained seated and composed despite the situation, while Chloe grabbed her sword and held it out to dissuade anyone from jumping straight into the seat next to her.
That meant I got to try and keep the seven men in the other wagon at bay by myself. The first fool jumped and promptly cut as he jumped. He was still alive when he hit the road, but I don't believe he survived getting run over by the wagon behind us.
Two tried to follow suit, but while one managed to grab onto the side, the old wooden planks broke under his grip, and he promptly fell and was run over by the back wheels and the following wagon. Funnily enough, when we hit him and our wagon bounced, his compatriot lost his grip and fell too.
Number four was luckier than the others, managing to clear not only the gap, but also land into the wagon, only to realize that jumping without dealing with me first was a critical error. I simply grabbed him while he struggled to gain his balance, and tossed him off the side and down the hillside. He probably would survive, but I doubt he'll catch up anytime soon.
The last three on the wagon wisely decided to try and throw random stuff at me in an attempt to stop me from keeping them off, one of which was an axe that embedded itself into the side of the wagon. Since my magic was still acting strange, I had to resort to throwing things too. I grabbed it and threw it without thinking, or aiming.
I didn't realize how off my aiming was until I saw it had found a new home in the side of their driver's arm.
"ARGH!" he briefly cried out, letting go of his reigns.
I figured that would force them to slow down, which I shamelessly threw my hands up triumphantly to cry out "YES!".
Only for that triumphant feeling to turn sour as the other wagon began drifting and crashing into us.
"NO!" I corrected as our wagons crashed into each other.
As they collided, I was knocked off of my feet. Olga was shaken by the collision, and so was Chloe, but that wasn't the worst part. As the three mercenaries attempted to cross over, one of the wheels on our wagon had been loosened enough to fall off. I wasn't sure if that was because of Vault's poor maintenance on these, or the fact that our wagons hit each other. When I looked over the edge to confirm the loss of the wheel, I realized something…concerning.
I held onto the wagon for dear life as I realized that we were dangerously close to the edge of the road.
"Chloe! Get us back up!" I yelled at our driver, who was currently trying her best to avoid taking an a
"I'M TRYING!" she called back, only for us to hear a sudden and heart-stopping *CRASH*
That would be the prelude to a much worse situation.
On instinct, I reached out and grabbed Olga, who made a sound of surprise as I pulled her towards me. What surprised me most was that she didn't object as I expected her to when the wagon and horses were run off the road.
We were lucky; as the wagon tipped and we fell out, we managed to safely roll down the cliff, even as wagon and horses both began tumbling down roughly. The men followed, but they were not nearly as lucky as we were. During our fall, I caught glimpses of them as they also began tumbling and falling down.
One slammed his head into a rock and stopped moving. Another was crushed by the tumbling wagon. The driver landed neck-first and perished instantly. The last man was the most unfortunate, getting his leg stuck between the spokes of the wheel and having it shatter his leg. His screams echoed throughout the area, while me, Olga, and Chloe rolled to a peaceful stop.
... Kind of.
While we did stop pleasantly enough, I let go of Olga for a brief moment, and she rolled to a stop just a few feet away from me. That did not stop Chloe from landing on me in the worst possible way.
"OOOHHOHHO!"
I let out a strangled cry of pain as her knee met my testicles, my hands quickly shoving off the Half-Elf to cradle my now bruised manhood. Chloe let out a light 'Oof' sound as she found her butt on the dirt, her hand reaching up to cradle her head.
"L...Lady Olga?" Chloe asked, in an odd tone. "Are… you… alright?"
The Dark Elf Queen slowly sat up, one of her hands went to her head. "
"Yes… I believe so." She shut her eyes and continued. "I am, however… profoundly disoriented."
"I apologize... Lady Olga..." Chloe shut her eyes tightly too. "I'm sorry to say I'm disoriented as well."
I sat up, one hand still trying to massage the pain from my groin. "I believe you crushed the family jewels..." I informed, groaning as I tried my hardest to heal them, despite my magic not working again yet.
"Good for you," Chloe said in a sarcastic tone. I am certain she would have rolled her eyes too if they weren't already closed. "Could you please silence that man before he draws every Aberrant here with those screams of his?"
With a sigh, I complied. I wasn't in the mood to look for my sword, so I decided to simply grab whatever I could find. Bending over, I wrapped my fingers around a heavy mace one of the other mercenaries had been carrying, and silenced the screaming man with a single swing.
"There. Consider that alarm snoozed."
They both turned their heads to me. "What?" Chloe asked with genuine confusion in her voice.
"It's… oh never mind." I waved my hand dismissively. "I'm not in the mood to explain it right now," I stated.
While I returned to the two Dark Elves, I halted, briefly glancing back up the hill and watching the other wagon stopping, with its passengers staring down at us.
"What are they doing?"
I was even more confused when they began turning around and going back…
"Hey, if they stopped chasing us, what would that mean?" I asked, turning back towards the two women. The Dark Queen's Vassal slowly opened her eyes to watch the Black Dogs leave.
"This cliff is too steep to come down normally. They're probably going to look for a safer way down, if I had to guess." She closed her eyes again. "How are you alright? You rolled just the same as we did."
...I wouldn't say that, my crotch was still buzzing with pain.
"Alright is a strong word. You came down on my pelvis with enough force that I am legitimately worried I may never have kids." The pain wasn't so bad now, really; but it still hurt a bit.
As I spoke, Discordia slowly began standing, and from my perspective, I managed to catch her nipple in my vision. It's not my fault that her… corset thing doesn't cover them completely.
"God-damn…" I muttered to myself as I turned my head towards Chloe. The thoughts of those breasts uncovered invaded my mind, and I was helpless to stop them.
So smooth, round, huge, and…
… I need a cold shower, I think. I shouldn't be staring at them like that. They're attractive, yes, but that doesn't give me the right to ogle them like they aren't people.
Unfortunately, looking at Chloe only made those naughty thoughts worse. She followed her master's actions, slowly pushing herself up, and sticking her rear towards me, which made my mind contemplate even more unclean thoughts.
Her ass was just so… perfectly shaped. Round, smooth, and-
"Is there anything salvageable from the wagons?"
Her words snapped me out of my imagination. I was somewhat thankful for it, because now was not the time to think about that kind of stuff. Their bodies were simply mesmerizing. It was hard not to think about that, even when I know I shouldn't be.
"Ah, let me check."
Two chests had fallen free from our wagon, and opening the first one was worthless: It was full of some asshole's dirty clothes. The smell hit me like a punch to the face, and when I noticed the unfolded pants had something crusty around the crotch area, I quickly shut it.
"Unless you want some crusty pants, that chest is worthless," I informed them.
Chloe made a gagging sound. "Damn humans."
You know, Chloe? I'm right there with you.
"What about the other one?"
I pulled it closer and tried to open it, only for it to be surprisingly uncooperative.
"It's locked."
The Dark Queen's Retainer scooted me out of the way, and began examining the lock. "Hmm…" she hummed as she inspected it. "Looks simple enough."
The Half-Elf reached into her corset thing and took out a…
...
...Wait a damn minute.
"Where did you get that from?" I asked as Chloe began working on the lock, a lockpick in one hand and a wooden… handle… thing in the other.
The blonde turned her head towards me with a raised eyebrow. "While I was moving through the tower, I found a lock-picking set," she stated. "I believed it might be helpful just in case-"
"No, I mean where were you keeping it. You don't have any pockets or anything!" I clarified. I didn't care how she got it, but that didn't fit inside her little outfit. "Unless you've got magic tits of holding, why didn't I see it before?"
The Half-Elf just rolled her eyes at me and continued her work… I wasn't going to get an answer today, was I?
It didn't look like it. With a single click, the top of the chest separated from the bottom, and she began looking inside. Chloe stared down into it, and for the first time since I met her, smiled.
"We are fortunate they were still moving supplies in. While I would prefer things untainted by man, these will serve us well."
She reached inside the chest and took out three bedrolls, which were going to be useful. Some wood plates and cutlery were also in there, which was a bit odd to me and the two Dark Elves. I watched Chloe's expression slowly morph in confusion.
"Who packed this chest? I don't understand their organization."
I gazed at the other chest. "I'm pretty sure there wasn't any. I traveled with them for a couple of days and I can say with certainty that these people aren't exactly the sharpest tools in the shed."
After all, you have to be lacking in brain cells to believe that a Sex Nation is a sound idea.
"Regardless, I believe these will serve us well." The Half-Elf began handing me the contents of the chest to put inside my satchel, simply because it was the only one that could be the designated pack mule.
Although I took my eyes off the half-elf for a second while I put the bedrolls into the satchel, I missed where she put her lock-picking set. It made me frown; this was a mystery I seriously wanted an answer to, and it bugged me to no end that I still have no idea where they put shit...
Oh well, I am sure there will be other chances to find out. It was time to get back on track.
"Alright, so… Without the wagon, it looks like we're walking." I pulled out the map I had stolen from Vault and unrolled it. "If Chloe was on the way to Feoh, then we need to continue west…" I said before realizing a problem: I don't have a compass.
"Why are we going to a fortress that is not the one the Alliance's leader resides in?" Olga asked. "I would rather avoid needlessly wasting time elsewhere."
Lowering the map, I glanced over at Olga. "Because the world outside your Citadel is dangerous. Unless you want us to try and march through a lot of wilderness, it's better to head to somewhere I know is safer than camping in the woods where all kinds of Monsters live." I reasoned, I wasn't sure what exactly lived in Eostia, but if I had to guess, there were a lot more creatures living here that were leagues worse than what I have dealt with.
Olga hummed. "Very well. Give me a moment however, there is something I must do," she conceded before she held her hands in front of her stomach and began silently speaking in a tongue that I could not understand. There was a light blue glow, with magical symbols surrounding her that formed into the crotch tattoo she wore in the series.
"While you have shown you are unlike many humans, I still do not trust you not to do anything stupid. And the fact that we are headed into a human fortress-city... I suspect others will try and take me by force."
I guess that's fair. After all, it's not like the local humans in general have proven to be anything other than bastards to them, with myself being the sole exception.
And Claudia's husband, but I haven't met him personally, so I can't actually speak for him. Once she finished her magic, my eyes widened as I was reminded of something else.
"Oh right, that reminds me!" I told her, reaching into my satchel to take out her staff. "Sorry, forgot to give this back to you earlier." Her eyes gave a strange semblance of acknowledgment as she took her staff back. "Figured it'd be safer in my hands than Vaults. So I kept it, and seeing as we are kind of stuck together, for now, I figured you'd probably want it back now."
She examined the smooth black metal of the shaft, carefully running her dainty hands over it. "Hmm…" she hummed. "I am unsure how much assistance I can provide, even with this staff. My powers have diminished over the many years I have lived on the surface."
I raised an eyebrow. What did she mean by that? Just because you live high up in a castle doesn't mean you're not on the surface anymore.
"Well, whatever you can provide safely, I'll take it." Once she accepted her staff back, I put the map away and began looting the bodies of the dead men.
Chloe gazed at me with a repulsed face. "Have you no respect for even your own dead?"
A shrug rolled off my shoulders. "Depends, a normal guy? Yes. These bastards? No," I answered, slowly pulling off a strange bottle wrapped in leather. I opened the cap and sniffed. It didn't smell like potions normally did, or any alcohol I know of.
"Hey, do you have any idea what this is?" I asked, tossing it up to the Half-Elf.
She took it and gave it a smell. She then looked at me like I was the dumbest person in the world. "Are you an imbecile? It's just water." She poured some out to prove it.
...Okay, that made me feel a little stupid, but can you blame me for presuming they exclusively drank alcohol?
"Depends on the day. I tend to go back and forth," I admitted easily. After all, not everyone can be a genius.
I resumed my search and found myself smiling as I found a compass and a knife on the first corpse. The other two yielded two more water skins, but besides a few extra knives and compasses… compie…
What's the plural of compass? But did we need more than one of each? I guess it couldn't hurt, so I handed one to Olga and one to Chloe, and managed to find some pocket change from them. Not a lot, but hey, 11 coins…
I dropped the coins into my satchel and looked at my new compass. After determining which direction west was, our journey began.
… Although… I could have done without the constant complaints.
"Are you certain you read that thing right?" Chloe pestered.
"Are we going the right way?"
"Why are we going through the forest?"
"Must you travel so far ahead?"
Honestly, it was annoying. So, during our trip, I might have started doing it back…
"Are you certain YOU went the right way?" I asked back sarcastically.
"Did you know which way we were going before?"
"Why did you crash on such a steep, unclimbable hill?"
"Why do you have to lag so far back?" ...Call me childish if you want, but she started it. The Dark Elf Queen, however, was clearly starting to get agitated.
"Must you two bicker like children?" She rubbed her head with her free hand. I felt a little sorry for her, she's the one who has to listen to the bites and barbs back and forth. It'd get on anyone's nerves, I would imagine.
Chloe looked down in shame, but I didn't. "Not my fault," I stated. "She wouldn't stop questioning every little decision I make." My defense made Chloe open her mouth in an attempt to respond, but Olga managed to beat her to it.
"I don't care who's at fault," she informed coldly. "However, what I do care about is the fact that you two are arguing like siblings, while we are being hunted by both beast and man alike. Now you will both be silent until we are either on the road or an emergency takes place. Am I understood?"
...Huh. Who knew Olga had her own 'Mom' mode.
"But he..." Discordia leveled a glare at the Half-Elf, who pouted childishly, but obeyed all the same. "Yes, Lady Olga," the Half-Elf complied as she crossed her arms and looked away from me. I wasn't sure if I was more surprised by the fact Olga could take it on while also keeping up her stern queen mask, or if I was more amused that Chloe was acting like a scolded child…
"Wow…" I muttered. "Can you teach me how to do that?" I asked jokingly, but the Dark Elf Queen simply rolled her eyes and kept on walking, with Chloe trailing close behind her.
Well… at least they aren't being too difficult.
I continued leading us west, coming across a fairly large hill, almost as steep as the one we fell off of, but scalable. I was the first to start climbing, making sure not to get too far ahead, so as to help them if they needed me to. Unfortunately, when we began climbing, an issue arose: Olga was wearing high heels.
I looked down at her feet, studying the shoes. "How did you get through most of the forest in those?" I asked curiously. I knew she was wearing them, but at the same time, since she never really made an issue about it, I never really thought about how she was moving on this terrain without any problems.
"Is that important right now?" she asked pointedly. I mean, it wasn't; I guess if she didn't have any issues with it, it was fine. But I'll admit, I was curious.
"Perhaps we can go around it?" Chloe suggested. "We still know West is that way." She pointed in the direction of the steep hill… Cliff might be more appropriate.
Olga shook her head. "This could go for miles in either direction." She glanced back into the forest. "And I would prefer we not remain down here if we can avoid it."
My eyes drifted back up to the top, then down at Olga. "Well, I could carry you up there," I suggested, hopping back down. "Just hop on my back and hold tight."
Chloe gave me an analyzing gaze. "You had better not try anything or I will kill you," she warned, but I just rolled my eyes.
"Yeah, 'cause I want to break what little trust you have in me now," I said sarcastically. "I know you hate my race, but I'm trying my hardest not to be your enemy. You could place a bit of trust in me, at least."
The Dark Queen's retainer narrowed her eyes at me. "Trust? My experience with humans is nothing but suffering and slavery since the moment I took my first steps." She raised her hand and held a single finger up. "There is only one reason I have not gutted you yet, and that is because Lady Olga has decided we're in your custody, for now." Her finger went down, turning her hand into a fist. "But take heed, if you cross her, then I will rend your head from your shoulders."
"Good luck with that. If I remember right, you lost our first fight," I reminded her smugly. The Half-Elf's face contorted into a snarl, teeth bared and ready to fight. Thankfully for us, Olga managed to stop her before she did something stupid.
"That is enough, both of you." The Dark Queen seemed upset at us both. "Regardless of your feelings of hostility towards each other, we have more pressing concerns at the moment, such as getting out of this forest and somewhere safe for the night."
Chloe and I glared at each other. I took a calming breath and decided to be the bigger person. "Look, I know you don't like me; but for now, let's try to work together to get you both away from Vault." I offered my hand. "Is that okay with you?"
Chloe stared down at it, then at Olga, who watched silently with a stern expression on her face. "For Lady Olga's sake… I will try." She reached for my hand, and we gave a small shake. Alright, only a bit of progress; but Rome wasn't built in a day, right?
"Well… I guess that's a start," I replied. "So, Your Highness, want to climb on?"
Olga nodded once and wrapped her arms around my neck, and her legs around my waist. Ah… if only I wasn't wearing an iron chest plate…
"I am ready," she confirmed. With that, we began climbing the steep surface, although Chloe was having a more difficult time with it than I was.
"Thanks for that, by the way," I said as I reached for another rock to grab a hold of. "I know you both hate my guts, but I can at least assure you that I'm leagues better than vault."
"Hmm…" Olga hummed in my ear. I don't believe she meant to do it, but it sent a shiver down my spine. "I don't hate you," she informed me. "There are few, if any, worth my hate. Humanity is not among them."
I raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Yes, though it would be more accurate to say I am indifferent toward your ilk," she clarified. "Humanity regards itself as the center of the world, thinking of themselves as more important than they truly are. I see you and yours as they are, and that is nothing."
"Nothing?"
"Yes, nothing. Do you care about every insect you notice? Have such a strong feeling towards it that it takes root in your mind as something warranting feelings of love or hate?" she questioned rhetorically.
I frowned. Was that how she saw us?
"Kind of crappy way to look at other people, isn't it?" I asked as I continued climbing. "I mean, sure, we might not have as many advantages as you do, but that doesn't mean we aren't still people."
Olga's face didn't change. "And yet, except for you, my experience with you 'people' has left me with the opinion that you are no different from the beasts that inhabit the north." She closed her eyes and took a slow breath. "Males, no matter the species, are the same. It makes me glad we Dark Elves do not have any."
"There are no Dark Elf Men?" I asked. This was news to me… though, now that I think about it, I never saw an Elf Male in the animation at all.
Olga shook her head. "No, there are not."
Huh… I wonder how they reproduce, then? I was tempted to ask, but I felt it was a bit of a private topic. "Well, you learn something new every day," I claimed, as I pulled myself up further. I glanced down at Chloe and noticed she was having some issues climbing: Poor footing, unable to get hold of any good places to grab and climb.
I figured we could wait for her once we got up, not like we're in any real danger right now.
My hand grabbed onto the ledge of the cliff, and I managed to pull us up without any issues. However, when I actually looked around when we got up, I was almost instantly on guard, as was Olga. A few meters away from us, was a massive creature, rolled over onto its side and sound asleep, but still very much alive.
Despite my desire to try and kill it in its sleep, I had doubts that I could do the deed with only a sword. And in the event that I could not, I didn't want to wake it up and piss it off. So I figured I'd let bygones be bygones and leave it be. It seemed asleep heavily enough that we shouldn't be in danger of waking it up.
"Alright, you can hop off now, but be quiet," I advised quietly as I stood up straight, allowing Olga to climb off of me. "Now, as soon as Chloe gets up here, we have to go. I don't want to stick around long enough for that thing to wake up."
Olga nodded in agreement and took a seat on a small stump of a tree. I glanced down at Chloe from over the side. She was making progress, but it was clear she didn't have the reach or luck she needed to get up as fast as I did. Some of the rocks she grabbed were loose and couldn't support her weight, or were just out of reach. I couldn't exactly climb down to help her, mainly because I didn't want to leave Olga alone up here in case the big guy woke up.
I sighed; it'd only take a minute or two for her to be up, but once you were aware of time, it always seemed to slow to a damn standstill. With that in mind, I decided I might as well take a minute to catch my breath while we waited.
After all, what was the harm in it? Our biggest threat is asleep right now, and I've been working my ass off to get us to safety. A small break is something I felt I deserved.
With a quick glance around, I spotted a rock covered in vines, leaves, and moss not too far from the cliff. I had figured it would be a good place to sit for a second and take a breather.
However, the instant my back made contact with the stone, a familiar feeling washed over me. My back was fastened to the stone with magic, and despite how hard I pulled, I couldn't free myself from it.
The Dark Elf Queen noticed instantly and was by my side faster than I had expected her to be. Not that she was trying to help, but was studying what was happening to me with an analytical eye.
I looked back at the stone, and realized that this… this was a stone like the one I saw before! If I had looked at it for any longer than a few moments, I would have noticed that!
Once it finished depositing its power into me, I had only just enough time to turn around and watch as a chaotic web of cracks began running up the stone, before finally reaching the top and breaking the stone apart. Olga watched with wide, surprised eyes as the blue sprite it housed suddenly rocketed into the sky.
In my peripheral vision, I noticed Chloe had managed to get her head over the side of the cliff, just in time to see the fireworks. "What have you done?!" she yelled out, but I ignored her in favor of watching the magic spark explode high above our heads into the new star.
*BOOM*
The Dark Queen's face remained glued to the blue nebula far above, and the bright new star that had just found itself a home inside it.
"It was you… wasn't it?" she asked quietly. "You sent that other star into the sky… am I correct?"
"Yeah… that was me," I said, as the situation slowly dawned on me. I turned around and watched as the large creature began to stir from its slumber. "We need to go, right now!" I advised them. This thing may be slow to wake up, but it's too big for us to fight right now.
Olga and Chloe noticed the giant creature rising, and wisely began running. I, however, was caught in awe by the size of this thing. Standing at least thirty feet, and towering over the trees, it glanced down and locked its gaze onto me.
"Oh fuck me…" I said quietly as it grabbed a fallen log to use as an impromptu club. I could only mutter the name of this creature as I realized what it was.
"Cyclops."
As it finished standing at full height, I finally had enough sense to turn my ass around and start following the fleeing Dark Elves.
With an almost deafening roar, it lifted the log above its head and brought it down much faster than it had any right to. I had only managed to jump to the side to get out of the way in time.
"We cannot kill this thing here!" Chloe so kindly provided. "I will not risk Lady Olga's safety!"
Good, that means we are on the same wavelength.
"Then find us somewhere it can't reach us!" I ordered, glancing back to see that the Cyclops was already giving chase, and I got to play 'Dodge the Club' with an angry (and probably horny) giant.
Thankfully, the heavy foliage meant that he couldn't take any horizontal swings; the trees and plants were too thick for him to get any decent swings like that. Instead, he used it as a more smashing tool, which I'm not sure is much better. I sidestepped another swing. As much as I hate to say it, we need to get out of the open. A cave wouldn't be much better, but I'd rather take my chances with that than this fucker, especially with my magic being uncooperative right now.
"Chloe, please tell me if you see a cave or something!" I called ahead of me, diving out of the way of another swing. Thankfully, the one-eyed beast got his club stuck in some trees, and I took the chance to run as fast as I could.
The Half-Elf looked back. "Are you mad?! We have no idea what could be in a cave!"
"Oh sorry, if you want to take your chances with tall, dark, and thirty feet tall, be my guest!" I retorted quickly, just in time to hear a tree being uprooted. I hazarded a glance back at our big friend and- HOLY SHIT!
I hit the deck as quickly as I could. And not a moment too soon, as a thrown tree crashed just ahead of me. If I had been standing, it would have hit me, no doubt.
Chloe slowed to a stop to see what had happened, and I heard her say quietly, "Point taken." She began running again, but this time I'm sure she knew why we had to find some form of shelter.
Needless to say, I was still in the back, having fun trying not to die. Thankfully, we had the advantage of the terrain. While the Cyclops was big and could move fast, the forest was dense, and he couldn't chase us as well as he could in a more open environment.
That didn't mean we were safe. He would pursue us relentlessly unless we got somewhere he couldn't reach.
"Lady Olga, in here!" Chloe called out to her master. She had found a cave to hide in on the side of another cliff, if you can believe it. The Dark Queen though, I realized, was slowing down… why was she slowing down?!
Discordia was slowing down and began breathing harder than I had ever seen her do before. I internally slapped myself. Of course, she wouldn't have the stamina for a long sprint, she had sat on her —admittedly fine— ass for centuries. At this rate, I'd end up passing her, and she would end up as a Cyclops' fleshlight. Chloe's eyes widened in alarm as she saw her master almost stop dead in her tracks.
Before she could run back for her Queen, I diverted my own course from the cave to Olga and picked her up in a bridal carry with little issue. She made a sound of surprise when I grabbed her.
"Complain about this later!" I told her as I began running with her in my arms. Wisely, she listened and simply allowed me to carry her the rest of the way.
When we reached the entrance, I set her down, and Chloe began ushering her inside. I turned my head around to look at the giant bastard. Damn it, he was getting closer! Hurry up!
Once Olga was inside; Chloe was next, and she managed to enter much quicker than her master did. I wasted no time following right on her heels, just barely squeezing into the small opening. It was small enough that I knew the big guy couldn't reach inside; and I was thankful for that as I slipped in, just barely fast enough to avoid being grabbed.
The Cyclops, however, was not pleased with this turn of events. He roared and began striking all around the cave's mouth. The tremors his hits caused were enough to put us all in on edge, and unfortunately, this might have proven to be our undoing. As the large monster struck the area around the cliff, I noticed the web of cracks forming along the roof and walls.
"Go, GO!" I ordered them deeper into the cave. Chloe began helping Olga through the narrow passage, myself following behind, and not a moment too soon either.
The Cyclops had struck the cliffside one final time, and with a terrible rumble, the ceiling caved in over the entrance.
We were trapped.
Olga had managed to create a small light for us, something small and tinted with the red gem of her staff, but enough to see.
"No, no, no, no, no, NO!" I tried moving the rocks, but it was no use, they were too heavy! "DAMMIT!" I cried out as I put more effort into moving the boulders that had sealed us inside.
"It's no use." Chloe stated, strangely calm. "The path is blocked. Unless you suddenly gain the power to move mountains, that rubble is not moving."
I looked back at her. "If we can't move it, then we're dead," I told her, before trying to refocus my efforts on moving the large rocks.
The Dark Queen said nothing, instead turning and continuing deeper into the cave. Chloe looked at her Master, and asked quietly, "Lady Olga? What is it?"
Queen Discordia stopped, and turned her head back to her subordinate. "This cave… It is unnatural," she stated, earning my attention. "Something made this place. Magic is thick in the air here… It is difficult to describe what, exactly, but it is unlike anything I have felt before."
I raised an eyebrow. She could sense magic?
"Are you sure? This place doesn't exactly look special," It looked like a normal cave to me.
The Dark Elf nodded. "Yes." She smelt the air. "I have studied magic all my life, learning everything I can about it. My research is so thorough that I have discovered how to identify the type of magic based on smell alone."
… What?
"This place reeks of magic… but it smells wrong. Like… Cheese?"
I shot a glance at Chloe, who was looking just as lost as I was. "What does it mean, my Lady?"
Olga didn't answer right away, taking a few moments to consider her words. "I… cannot say for certain. I have never encountered magic that smells so strongly of cheese," she informed us. "It is perplexing."
With a sigh, I fully turned towards them. "So, what're the odds this magic could help us get out of here?"
"I cannot say for sure. This is the first I have learned of this kind of magic, whatever it is." Olga looked further into the cave. "There is only one way to find out." She then turned her head towards me.
"However, before we begin investigating the source of that unnatural magic, I simply cannot allow what transpired before we came here to go unquestioned." Her voice took a hard edge.
Her expression remained still, and her gaze hard. "If this is about the whole magic rock thing… then I've got nothing for you. I'm still trying to figure it out myself, honestly," I admitted. However, Olga's face told me she wasn't convinced.
She took a few steps towards me and raised her staff close to my face. "That stone deposited magic within you. However, I was able to identify the type of it," she told me. "The energy it placed within you is the same type that I, myself, am able to cast."
Did it give me destruction magic? But I didn't feel any new knowledge in my head, at least not like a spell book usually gave me.
"I wrote your magic off as some kind of advancement of human studies into magic. Another attempt to imitate what they themselves do not possess. However, what I saw earlier contradicts that."
Chloe looked shocked. "What?" she asked, almost in alarm. "But if that isn't just an advancement in their attempt to copy magic… then what is it? Surely, they haven't started developing their own magical talents, have they?"
Olga shook her head. "No, I do not believe that is the case," she dismissed. "If that were true, then there would be more than just him to be like that, and it also leaves the events of the last ten minutes unexplained."
I frowned. Where was she going with this? "What are you asking me?"
The Dark Queen's gaze remained narrowed and inquisitive. "What I am asking is, how you are the only human with magic. Why that stone infused the magic of my people, the Dark Elves, into you. How you are able to instantly learn a spell just from a book you humans created. You are an enigma. Your very existence contradicts every known law of magic that I understood or discovered. Answer me: What are you?"
Despite my best efforts, I didn't have an answer for her. "I don't know," I answered, but the Dark Queen's eyes just narrowed at me. "I only discovered my new 'talents' a few days ago. I've had no explanation for them, and have bumbled into new powers and abilities by sheer accident."
I told them the truth; lying is no way to gain their trust. I want to be as straight as I can with them.
Olga looked at me with a scrutinizing gaze for a good long while, but relented. "I suppose that is all I can expect from this for now. I will not foolishly believe that you will provide me with the truth, at least for now." She turned her back to me. "Should I get the chance after my trial, assuming I am not executed or imprisoned for the rest of my life, I will discover the secret to your Magic."
However, she paused for a moment, taking a small breath of air. "And… Thank you for the assistance." Her voice was noticeably softer, but I wouldn't go as far as saying it was kind. Polite, and grateful, sure, but not kind.
I was a bit taken aback by her thanking me, and I wasn't the only one. Chloe's mouth was slightly agape at her master's words. It had come as a shock to the Half-Elf. She probably thought that never in her life would she ever hear her Queen thank a Human of all people.
She glanced over at me for a moment. Her mouth opened up, but she ended up shutting it, thinking against whatever words she was about to speak, and moved closer to Olga to guard her.
"You're welcome," I told her before taking the lead ahead of them. If there was anything ahead of us, I would be the first to encounter it, and I was putting trust in Chloe to not let anything surprise us from behind. After all, caves were like mazes in some regards, you never really know where another turn is or if there is some other pathway you missed.
While we walked, I noticed a distinct lack of… anything. No sounds besides the tapping of our shoes against the stone, no vile laughter, no nose burning smells. This cave was empty, as far as I could tell.
"What are the chances nothing lived here?" I asked.
"Not very good," Chloe replied. " Aberrants will make a home of any nook and cranny they can crawl into. To find one, especially a cave as this, empty is unheard of. And unsettling." Her keen eyes were scanning the walls and ceiling for any kind of opening for something to crawl out of, but thus far, the path had been weirdly straightforward… Almost artificially so.
"What is that?" Olga asked, pointing ahead of me.
When I looked to where she was indicating, there was a strange glow coming from a turn much further down the path. I wouldn't have noticed it until we had gotten closer, but her eyes were much better than my own. "Not sure, but it is a sign that we're not alone down here." I deduced. A light in a cave can only mean one of two things: Either someone else is down here, or an exit. And considering it looks more like the glow from a fire rather than from daylight —which would be odd, considering it is nighttime— I can only assume someone else is down here.
I slowly drew my sword and cursed silently, since the blade would be hitting the walls and ceiling nonstop if I tried to swing. Next time, I ought to get something smaller for situations like this; maybe a war axe, or a dagger. That was something I would need to get done later, however. Right now, I ought to focus on trying to avoid death instead of making plans for the future.
As we got closer to the luminescence, I noticed there was a distinct lack of… well, anything. No noises, which wasn't a change from before; but it was odd, considering there must be a fire close by. I slowly approached the corner, and took a quick peek around it to see what we might be dealing with…
My sword fell slack in my hand as I stared in surprise and confusion at what was creating the light.
"A door?"
Chloe sounded confused, and she had every right to be. There, just beyond the corner, were two large black metal doors, with two lit torches sitting on both sides of it. But that wasn't what made me drop my sword. It was what I saw resting close by.
There was a corpse, dead for a few days from what I could tell. Strangely, it looked like he had been frozen, or at least frostbitten. What could have done this to him?
There was a note stained red next to him, so I carefully approached and opened it slowly, reading what was written in this man's last moments…
To the unlucky bastard who finds this: Beware…
There is nothing to be found in this cave except death and madness.
We found this place a few days ago… We thought it was a safe spot to set up.
But by the Goddess, this place wasn't safe. This place is cursed!
I don't know if any of the others survived, but that… THING is not a normal monster.
It… It broke the boss… I thought only Elf bitches could do Magic… But that…
The Boss was driven insane by it. He was so hysterical, the boys and I had to put him down!
And then… then it came for us. If only we were smart enough to get out while we could… and
now, I'm sitting here… I've got a bad fever, and I can't… I'm hearing things… I'm dying and my
mind is leaving me for madness…
If you find this, then do yourself a favor. Run. Leave this monster to its slumber, and go.
Leave it alone. Turn back, and never come here again.
I studied what he had written. "What do you make of this, Your Highness?" I asked, holding the note up for her to read.
She took it carefully and examined it. "I've never heard of a monster that can spread ice and insanity. Perhaps whatever is the source of this is also the source of the stench that lingers in this place."
I frowned at that. Unfortunately, that's what I was thinking, too.
Chloe was handed the note, and read it quickly. "Regardless," she dropped it next to the corpse, "we have no other options but pressing forward. Whatever is within this place, I will not allow it to bring any harm to Lady Olga."
Maybe, but something about this whole thing rubbed me the wrong way, kind of like a tickling feeling in the back of my mind. Anticipation and fear sent chills down my spine as I slowly pushed open the large metal doors, cringing as I heard the metal scraped against the stone. What an awful sound.
Thankfully, the room beyond was lit up. Not perfectly, but we could see, and that was the most important thing. The hall itself was wider than the cave we entered was, the walls spaced apart, with plenty of room in between.
As we slowly advanced into this place, I noticed the bodies of other men. Some were charred corpses, others were frozen up to their legs, and some looked like they were smashed by something with a large and blunt tool. Whatever lives here was definitely something I want to avoid fighting for now.
I searched the bodies we came across, finding nothing of real value besides an occasional coin. With a frown, I couldn't help but wonder why these bandits or treasure hunters had so little on them. Something about this place wasn't right, like it didn't belong, and the reason was right on the tip of my mind, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out why it was familiar to me.
As we traveled deeper, I spotted another bandit on the ground, his hand reaching for a small spell book. Unlike the others I had found, this was an Alteration book, simply titled Candlelight. I took it from the body of the would-be mage and pocketed it for later.
I didn't want to use it until I was certain my magic was back to normal. No point in making it worse right now, especially when there were torches still giving off plenty of light.
"What's this place?" Chloe asked, taking in the surrounding stonework.
It was… well, ancient. Dust and cobwebs remained even after whatever battle took place here, and seemed to have remained undisturbed for an eternity, despite dozens of people losing their lives for whatever beast lies within the center of this tomb.
"I am unsure," stated Olga. "I admit that I have never seen architecture like this in my life. This must have been created before my time, or perhaps coinciding with it." She ran her delicate finger along one of the iron shelves, gathering the heavy layer of dust on her finger. "The air here has been undisturbed for a long time. Whatever creature lives here, this must be the first time it's been awoken since it was sealed inside this place."
With a frown, I pressed forward. "Well, whatever it is, we probably should avoid pissing it off if we can." I advised. "If it can take down an entire clan of bandits on its own, it's obviously very dangerous. And if it can use magic, then that's even worse."
"I agree," Chloe said, surprisingly. "While I cannot attest to the combative power of a bunch of Human scum, if this monster has somehow figured out how to cast spells, then that alone elevates it to a league above the common beasts that roam the lands." The Half-Elf placed a hand on her chin. "I wouldn't expect Humans to be able to fight something like that without severe losses."
"Yeah, even just a few beginner spells are remarkably deadly. If this thing figured out more advanced ones or made its own? That's not something we want to fuck with if we can avoid it," I said, approaching two large wooden doors. Against them was another corpse, but this one was different from the others.
I crouched down beside them and lifted their head up, almost recoiling at the sight of the rotting wound. Across his face was a large cleave, going from his left eye, across his nose, and down to the right side of his mouth. The expression he wore was one of horror and terror, most likely from before whatever killed him, but that begs the question.
What killed him? It was clearly a weapon, but all the other corpses had signs of magical-induced deaths. Why was this guy different? The blood had dried, and the body was atrophied, making it all the more difficult to examine his corpse.
"What is it?" I heard Chloe ask over my shoulder.
"This guy wasn't killed by magic," I pointed out, but something was bothering me about the wound. "If I had to guess, this was the boss that the note we found had mentioned." I deduced.
It must have been. After all, everyone else had been killed by arcane means. Why was this guy the exception otherwise, if not the one these bandits had to kill?
Chloe inspected it too. "Hmm," she hummed. "You may be right, but fail to see how that's so important. He looks just like another corpse to me."
I didn't answer her as I began rifling through his pockets for anything within them. I didn't find much, but there was a new axe just behind him, steel and in decent condition, as far as I could tell.
"Well, I was hoping there might have been some clue to what we are dealing with down here, but it doesn't look like he's got anything for us," I said as I slipped the axe into my belt.
I moved on from the body and began to open the massive doors. They were heavy, no doubt; but a few good pushes, and it was open wide enough for the three of us to enter. The chamber behind the doors was large, with a few steps leading down to a lower area decorated with large stone braziers and statues depicting something I could not identify. At the far end of the room was a large block of smooth stone with a single word carved into it.
But that was not the strangest part, because as we entered the large chamber, I began hearing voices. Whispers were coming from the slab on the wall.
"Do you hear that?" I asked as I slowly advanced on the wall. My feet were moving on instinct towards it, drawn to it inexplicably now that I was so close…
"I do not hear anything," Olga stated, scanning the room carefully. "The magic is strongest here. Stay focused, whatever lives in this tomb has its nest here," she warned.
As I walked closer to the wall, the voices got louder, faster; but I still couldn't make out what they were saying just yet. I was feet away from the wall when a sudden noise broke me out of the trance I was in. It was the sound of stone scraping across the stone, a horrible scratching noise, followed by a large slab of stone dropping from somewhere above us.
"What in the Giant's name is that?!" Chloe exclaimed, pointing her sword at something above the wall. I took several steps backward until I was by Chloe and Olga before I saw what had caused their alarm.
My mouth hung agape, voice lost in my throat as I beheld the creature she was referring to. Just above the wall, a coffin had opened. I hadn't even noticed it was there when I came in, doing so only now, as the creature inside made itself known.
I watched in slowly dawning terror as a hand rose out of the coffin, its movements slow and unnatural for the mummified flesh. It reached and grasped the outer edges of the stone casket and sat up. The brown wooden mask it wore snapped in my direction, and despite the fact that its face was covered, I instinctually knew the creature was staring at me with undeniable hatred. Chloe and Olga both backed up, and despite their best efforts to hide it, they were obviously sharing the same dread and repulsion I felt from watching the creature's unnatural movements.
I was so dumbstruck by the sight that my mind could only tell me a single thing.
"It can't be…"
I knew what this creature was.
The undead raised itself up, levitating just above its tomb, summoning a staff to its hand from the coffin. With a single wave of the hand, it conjured a huge humanoid figure made entirely of ice that towered over the three of us.
"Oh, shit…" I barely managed to get out before it raised its clubbed arm and brought it down on us.
I pushed Olga out of the way of the strike and dived out of the way myself. Chloe sidestepped it and rushed to get Olga away from the golem of ice. Thankfully, it was more focused on me than them, and began swinging its massive arms in an attempt to bludgeon me or stab me.
"Keep cover!" I ordered. "Don't let the Dragon Priest see you!" I tried to call forth flames into my hand, but unfortunately couldn't produce anything other than a few embers.
When was this shit going to end?!
I took a few swipes at the Frost Atronach, chipping away at the ice that made its body. "Olga!" I called out. "Can you get a fire going?!" I asked as I dodged out of the way of another swing. "The Frost Atronach is weak to fire!" I supplied. Thankfully, this thing was slow… ish. It would stab with
its bladed arm, and try to cut me with it, but its size betrayed its speed.
Olga and Chloe looked at me from the other side of the room questioningly, but the Dark Queen complied regardless, concentrating flames through her staff to burn the summoned creature. It let out a noise of pain, turning to face the Dark Elf and her subordinate. Chloe was immediately ready to fight it, but I knew that it wouldn't stop at that. Unless I killed the summoner, he could just spawn in another one once that one died.
I peeked out to watch as the Dragon Priest slowly floated down to our level to fight us, the mask locked onto where I was. I barely managed to pull my head back into cover by the time it shot a fireball at the statue I was hiding behind. When it struck, I was not exactly ready for the following explosion. I stumbled from the force, but saw this as a good time to rush him before he could get another out.
Unfortunately for me, that wasn't his only means of attack. He shot at me as I tried to rush him, ice spears launching from his free hand. I managed to avoid the first two, and the third only grazed me, but that didn't mean I didn't feel the effect of the spell. My arm felt like it had been locked in a freezer for an hour, the temperature of my appendage suddenly taking a massive spike downwards.
Cold is the best word to describe it, but the kind of cold that you know is dangerous, like your-blood-is-freezing level. But I managed to close the distance before it got another spike out, and began swinging my sword at him. The steel bounced off the armored parts of his robe, but nicked the atrophied and mummified flesh underneath it. I was surprised when he began fighting me with the staff itself, using it to block, and swinging it at me in an attempt to bash me away while he slowly drifted backward and away.
While we fought, I heard a battle cry behind me and when I looked back, fearing the worst, I was pleasantly surprised by the sight of a victorious Chloe and Olga.
However, my pleasant surprise turned into a damning realization when I refocused back on the Dragon Priest and felt a wave of cold envelop and push me away. Like a blizzard localized into a small whirlwind, I could feel my core temperature dropping drastically, and for a moment thought I was about to freeze to death.
As the undead approached to deliver a final blow, a lightning bolt struck the side of his head, and diverted his attention. I couldn't help but be relieved by the Dark Elves' intervention. I had half a mind to think that they might have waited until I was a goner to intervene, or perhaps tried to escape while the Dragon Priest finished me off. When they began attacking it, taking turns doing so, I hid myself behind a brazier. I needed to warm up, I needed to warm up now. I raised my hands and began trying to bring out my flames spells.
"Come on… Come on!" I pleaded with the power inside me, I needed this now, or else none of us may live to see tomorrow.
I concentrated as much as I could, and slowly, the embers became sparks, those sparks then blossoming into flames within my palms. I let out a sigh of grateful relief and pressed the fire close, warming my core as much as possible, while using a healing spell to try to undo the damage I had taken. The flames did their job warming me back up, as did the magic healing in repairing the wounds. Although something I noticed was that it felt… easier, I suppose, to use the basic fire spell.
"AAUGH!" I heard Chloe cry out before the sound of metal clattering onto the ground echoed around the chamber.
Damn it, what happened?!
Pulling myself up, I got ready to return and assist them. Without a shield, I chose to use the only defense I could create against magic. The Lesser Ward spell came to life in my hand as I charged back out. As I came out of my hiding place, I noticed Chloe and Olga were concealing themselves. The Half-Elf had taken an ice spear through the thigh, and the Dark Queen looked exhausted, with the Dragon Priest slowly advancing on them.
While it was distracted, I charged out, closing the distance as fast as I could and holding the ward up for when it turned and shot a fireball out of its staff at me. It hit me dead center, but thankfully the damage it did wasn't as bad as it could have been had I not used the protective spell. I still felt the heat and force, but it was reduced a good deal. While the undead charged up another spell, I launched myself at the priest, one hand grabbing a hold of the staff and my other stabbing right into its shoulder.
From this position, I got a good look at the mask it was wearing, and I wasn't sure if I was relieved or worried that it didn't actually belong to any known Dragon Priest. It wore the Wooden Mask from the Sanctuary in Skyrim.
While I was staring at the mask, it began trying to shake me off with gusto, attempting to swing its staff at me. But my grip on it was too strong for it to be able to get to an angle where it could shoot me easily. As for its other hand, I let go of my sword and grabbed the Priest by the wrist, since I had to make sure it couldn't angle its palm at me. So long as it couldn't aim its magic at me, I was sort of safe.
The main issue was that now, we were both kind of unable to attack each other; and my companions were out of commission for the moment, so I had to improvise. I thought for a moment, pulling my boots up to press against its chest, releasing the staff to grab its other hand with both of mine… and began pulling.
I had already cut a lot of the connective tissue when I stabbed its shoulder, I just needed to tear the rest. I thought about just using my sword, but that would leave its hand open to attack me. Being so close, it wouldn't risk blasting me with the staff… or at least that was my theory.
However, I had neglected one single problem: It didn't need to be able to point at me to summon another Frost Atronach. While I pulled, I watched as the icy blue magic morphed into that accursed purple; and with a single flick of its wrist, created another frozen golem. I watched in slowly mounting horror as it began lumbering its way to the two Dark Elves.
However, it hadn't gotten three feet in their direction before a sickening sound traveled through the air and to my ears. The shoulder tissue had finally snapped, and I separated the undead's arm from his body. It let out a cry of pain as I fell to the ground with a still-moving arm, which freaked me out a little when it made its own attempts to grab at me. I tossed it away quickly, and while it was writhing in pain from losing its limb, I knew I had to kill it fast.
The Atronach was thankfully slow, but I knew I wouldn't be able to kill it and keep the Dark Elves safe from the pissed-off Priest. Thankfully, killing the latter would solve all my issues right now. I took the axe from my belt and leaped forward again. This time, though, I held the axe high and brought it down on the neck of the priest. Unfortunately, mummified flesh was difficult to cut into; so I chopped and chopped, again and again, over and over. It let out sounds of pain and anger, and all the while, the Frost Golem was getting closer to the defenseless elves.
"RRAGGH!" I roared out as I raised the axe higher than any other time and brought it down with as much power as I could muster.
As the weapon finally cleaved deep into the undead's neck, it finally stopped floating and fell to its knees. But I wasn't through with it just yet. I planted my hands on either side of its nearly headless body, and with one final, powerful jolt, I took its head from its shoulders.
As it died, its mummified flesh began to disintegrate, turning to dust and falling into a small pile. The armor, mask, and staff were the only remaining traces of the ancient undead's existence, its hood and mask falling free from my hands as the head turned to ashes.
With it dead, my gaze turned to the golem it summoned, and I was relieved. The Frost Atronach stopped dead in its tracks, its arm raised to kill the two Elves. Without its master, the creature simply faded away, back to Oblivion where it came from.
"Are you two alright?!" I asked, jogging over to their side. Chloe was still nursing her leg, and Olga was barely standing. I checked my satchel for any more healing potions for Chloe, but frowned as my hand came up empty.
"Lady Olga…" Chloe grunted out. "Are you alright?" she asked, but the other Dark Elf was breathing too heavily to answer. I reached into my satchel again and pulled up a few minor stamina potions.
"Here, this might help a bit," I offered, handing the green vial to her. She took it and downed it, her face twisting at the sour taste of the potion. I wasn't sure it would help, but I figured anything at all was better than nothing. While the potion took effect in Olga, I knelt by Chloe and began inspecting the wound. It was a hole through her upper thigh.
"I hope this works," I muttered as I brought out my Healing spell and Flames.
"What are you doing?!" Chloe barked at me, but I ignored her. My hands began pressing against her thigh, and I slowly poured magic into the curative spell, while holding Flames close. I hadn't used Healing on someone other than myself, so this was a bit of a gamble.
Thankfully, it worked how I had hoped, slowly mending the hole closed. The fire spell was doing its job warming up the cold flesh too. I got the impression that Chloe wasn't happy about this, but she didn't protest once my magic began to work. While I focused on healing Chloe's leg, Olga had recovered enough to talk to us.
"I have never, in all my life, seen such a creature before." Her eyes narrowed at me. "You called it a 'Dragon Priest'… How did you know what it was?" Olga asked, suspicion in her tone. Which was reasonable in this case, I guess.
"If I told you, you'd either think I am crazy or wouldn't believe me," I told her.
While she might have been more concerned with how I knew what it was, I was more concerned with what it was doing here.
I know this place is not Skyrim, or even on Tamriel, so why was a Dragon Priest here? I didn't understand this at all.
"Answer the question," Chloe demanded, making me sigh. What could I tell them?
"It's from a… story from my homeland," I answered vaguely. "They worship Dragons, and are masters of arcane arts."
I intentionally kept my answer obscured. I couldn't tell them the truth without coming off as a madman or liar, could I? How would I even begin to tell them the truth? I wasn't sure I could.
"Tell me more," pressed Olga.
I stood up, finished with Chloe, and returned to the last remnants of the priest's existence. It was no more than a simple pile of ashes when I got back, but the mask and hood remained strangely clean and in pristine condition. I plucked the mask from the ground and examined it.
"Their knowledge and power were bestowed upon them by their Dragon masters. These masks were enchanted to be a symbol of their masters' favor. Each one grew so powerful that they could even defy death itself to serve their gods."
I told them what I could remember from Skyrim. Unfortunately, I wasn't positive it was correct, given that one priest found himself here of all places… Why was it here?
Olga bent over to pick up the staff the Priest used, and I averted my eyes. As much as I would like to admire the sight, Chloe was giving me the stink eye.
"Strange…" she muttered, as she lifted the staff and held it next to her own. "It has its own magical power, independent of my own." She claimed, which was in line with how it worked in-game.
I carefully examined the Wooden Mask. I was in the middle of tracing the details in my hand before the whispers in my mind began tickling the back of my head again. Refocusing my attention on the wall after depositing the mask into my satchel, I slowly approached the single glowing word written on it. I heard Chloe and Olga both attempt to gain my attention, but I was too focused to pay them any mind.
The closer I got, the louder the words sounded to me. I could almost make them out… and then I finally touched the word; feeling a new, unknown power flow into my body, my mind, my voice.
HET NOK FaaL VahLOK
DeiNMaaR DO DOVahGOLZ
ahRK aaN FUS DO UNSLaaD
RahGOL ahRK VULOM
I dropped to my knees as the power flowed inside me. My eyes were wide, my lungs were empty and breathless, and my mind was racing a mile a minute. A single thought was running a circle over and over in my head, and it was one that I didn't want to believe, but knew all the same to be true.
'Zu'u los Dovahkiin.'
My head hit the stone, barely able to comprehend what just happened, and raising so many more questions that I didn't even know where to start…
How is this possible? Is this a dream? A nightmare?
"Human…?"
Maybe I've died, and this is the last bit of my imagination blending my memories and fantasy together?
"Human?"
This can't be real… None of this makes any sense!
"James."
I was snapped out of my crisis when I felt a soft hand wrap around my bicep and lightly tug me away from the wall. Olga was gazing down at me with an unreadable expression.
"What was that?" she asked in a soft voice.
I swallowed hard. "Is it okay if I tell you later?" I asked, turning around to sit against the Word Wall. "I… I need a bit of time to process what exactly happened."
To my surprise, both nodded. "Very well, but I will not wait forever," Olga said, turning to Chloe. "Go look around for an exit, Chloe."
The Dark Queen's retainer appeared unsure, but complied nonetheless. It was just me and Olga in the room now. The Dark Queen stood above me and let out a slow and steady breath. "It seems the longer I am around you, the more questions you create," she said slowly. "When Chloe returns, I believe it would be wise to set up camp here now that the danger has passed. And I do believe we have some things to discuss when she returns."
Yeah… I suppose we do.
"I'll start laying everything out soon," I said, leaning back and staring at the ceiling.
I needed some time to sort everything out in my head anyway.
Special thanks to LittleWhiteMouse for his help with the chapter. I really appreciate it.
This fic would be nothing without his continued support.
AN: 500 Favorites, and over 650 follows…. Holy Shit…. I don't know if I can properly convey how much I appreciate all the support. I am truly humbled by all of you. I cannot express that enough. So with all my heart, thank you.
Now… I am going to say this once, I am sorry this is a little late, I got distracted. I got a new game and it just kinda grabbed me and wouldn't let go. That's on me. I feel like I ended up rushing this chapter a bit, cause it got late again.
Okay, so… Where to start? Let's get the biggest issues out of the way first, alright?
Those of you that have read the chapter all the way to the end have probably got a lot of questions, I'll try to answer them here, or in PMs, if you have one that I didn't address.
So first things first: I want to clarify how this is a Skyrim Crossover for full transparency. This is primarily a Kuroinu fic, but elements of Skyrim (The Game, and Lore) are being added into the narrative. Since some things are only available in Skyrim that I would like to appear here, but I don't want to just hand James powerful weapons and artifacts. So I am lifting some things from Skyrim into this fic so James can get them without them being just… handed to him, you know? That includes Dragon Priests, their masks, and other things that I haven't actually gotten to yet.
And since I want to avoid having Sheogorath pop in to explain why all this is here. (Cause I doubt anyone likes turning a God of Madness into an info dump.) I'll just say it here. Most of the Skyrim stuff that is in the world is his doing.
Next is how James is going to increase his power. As I am sure you've noticed, James finds "Perk Stones" which act as perks for him to collect, (Since James isn't a natural Dragonborn, he gets these to speed up his growth in the same way perks do in the Game.) Now that we are out of the starting chapters and James is on his own (Kind of) they will be more frequent, from here on out.
James doesn't naturally know how to shout. He knows the words, but that is only one part of the equation. What he needs is the knowledge to call them out, hence more Word Walls will be found later.
Now as for this fic from a Lore standpoint for The Elder Scrolls series… Full disclosure, I played Oblivion when I was a kid, and Skyrim is the only one I actually invested any time into. So if you are hoping for completely accurate to elder scrolls lore then I have to apologize because I do not know it to an extent where I could confidently write with it. I hope you understand this because at this point I am too deep to correct every mistake with Elder Scrolls lore I have made.
Again, I am sorry for this.
If you guys have any questions about it, I will be glad to answer them myself, send me a PM. I check that very often, and I will be able to respond as fast as I can.
Okay, I think that covers everything about that.
Next on Olga and Chloe, I got a lot of people telling me that I might have put too much emphasis on their primary traits, so much so it made them seem stupid. I can understand why, so in this chapter, I tried to tone it down a bit, but am unsure if I made it better or worse. I wonder if I should have someone else go over my dialogue, help me get them right without making them seem horrible? Anyways tell me if I did better or worse this time around.
Okay… I think I got everything covered? If you have any questions for me feel free to drop me a PM… I think I said that already but I figured I'll repeat it for emphasis.
Leave a Favorite, a Follow, a Review, and if you got any tips to help me improve this story I would absolutely love to hear them. So long as you actually have a tip that is. Telling me I suck without explaining why or giving a way to improve really doesn't help anyone.
The next chapter is a bit less fighty, and more focused on talking, so anyone with any tips for writing Dialogue would be very appreciated.
I'll see you guys next chapter, hopefully, Metroid Dread won't distract me from completing that one.