Chapter 11: 11

Chapter Text

Sky Haven is pretty damn awesome.

Svar, Serana, and I spent the last week or so wandering around the mountain fortress and still haven't explored it all. While the Sky Haven in the game could house a small advance force, this place was built to house the entire freaking army. It is massive.

We've explored a good portion of it, but it's like the Misty Mountain in that the complex spans the entire mountain. We've found several personnel quarters, quite a few training areas, armories full of rusted armor and weaponry that I could probably restore with my Blacksmith class, a few war rooms, supply rooms with long rotted food, and even a room with enchanting supplies and alchemy equipment which probably belonged to the one mage the Blades decided to keep around.

Still haven't managed to find a vault though. I want treasure dammit.

We did, however, happen across Alduin's wall. Whereas in the game it was roughly 20'x8', here it takes up an entire cave wall. It's easily 50'x30' and the people who made it would have had to use ladders to carve the entire upper half. I wasn't all that interested in it, given that I know everything it tells already, but it was still a cool find.

Another interesting find took place when I saw Mr. Rogers walk by with a katana in his mouth.

Dragonbane

Rare Item

Deals STR 20 Slashing/Piercing Damage per hit

Deals INT 20 Shock Damage per hit

When used against a dragon, Deals LVL x 2 extra Slashing/Piercing Damage per hit

While the extra damage is likely better than Ascalon's given I don't know Svar's WIS stat, it can't beat the buff Ascalon gives to the wielder's overall stats.

I still grabbed it from Mr. Rogers to shove in my inventory, and gave him a different blade from one of the armories in exchange.

We ended up playing fetch with that sword for around an hour. It was actually pretty fun to throw an ancient sword while a ghost dog catches it and brings it back. Who knew?

Something else I discovered while we were wandering around was that a major design flaw in the game isn't here either. The large, very visible outdoor training area just doesn't exist.

Always wondered how that made it into the game. This place has been hidden for years! Except from anyone who walked by on the road and just happened to look up at the beautifully scenic mountain, but let's not mention those people. There aren't that many people who want to appreciate nature's beauty anyways, so we don't have to worry.

I'm very glad our secret fortress is actually secret.

Svar found a way to seal the entrance back up as well. There was a lever in a room above the entrance, so we reset the traps and sealed the place back up everytime we left and came back. Serana also puts a simple illusion over the entrance whenever we're all inside.

The illusion is not perfect, Serana isn't really an illusionist, her dad just used his mountains of gold to buy her a tutor and called it parenting, but it does the job for anyone not looking for a secret fortress.

Speaking of Serana, we now have a mass of undead working to make Sky Haven livable again. She went back into the cave and raised the corpses of the Forsworn that the Thalmor killed. She then asked me for the Thalmor themselves, and raised them as well when I took them out of my inventory.

The warriors and mages, both Thalmor and Forsworn, are set up to guard the area, while all the weaker bodies are being used for manual labor. Moving things around, making the place more defensible, that kind of thing.

The only bodies Serana didn't raise were the kids. Seems the vampiress has got some lines she isn't comfortable crossing either.

With a pretty damn large workforce, the main areas were cleaned up relatively quickly. Anything we could salvage was kept, while the rest was dismantled for parts, or just outright thrown away if it wasn't useful. We were also able to take our undead horde and go through the Forsworn camp, grabbing everything that wasn't nailed down. This did a good job of replacing everything we had to get rid of, as well as giving us enough supplies to last for months.

While Svar and I weren't exactly cool with what the Thalmor did to the Forsworn, we weren't going to leave all their stuff to decay when we could use it. That would just be needlessly stupid.

Speaking of Svar and I, I guess I have a girlfriend? I don't really know what we are because we haven't talked about it. Whatever this is though, it's nice.

I really didn't expect this to happen, but I can't say I'm complaining. Now that I've gotten my head out of my ass it was pretty damn obvious.

I mean, I thought she was sleeping with me to conserve body heat. Truly, I am an unparalleled casanova.

Anyway, Svar's pretty great. The two of us have just kind of wandered around Sky Haven together in silence, just enjoying each other's company.

It was nice.

Now, just because we were exploring doesn't mean we were slacking in our training. Serana would still spend a couple hours every morning giving us lessons and helping us refine our magic.

I can now feel souls without even trying. That in combination with my Sixth Sense perk makes it really hard to get the drop on me. I was also able to figure out how to tweak my own soul a little bit. Apparently there's a wide variety of uses for that, from enhancing yourself in combat, to increasing your lifespan. Serana warned me it is incredibly dangerous if I fuck up though, and given that I don't have a Gamer's Soul skill, I've decided to take it slow. I'd rather be alive and curious, then dismantle my soul in the process of learning something cool.

In between everything else, I spent a little time cleaning up that mage's area. I made a stationary greenhouse, so I can grow ingredients without suspicion from anyone who doesn't know about my Inventory, and went over the enchanting equipment to make sure everything would still work.

Overall, a pretty good use of time. I think it was a week, but it might have been a tad longer or shorter. It's hard to keep track of time when you spend so long underground. Plus, it's not like I have anything I urgently need to get done, so I'm not too concerned about losing time.

Right now Svar, Serana, and I are sitting around a table in one of the planning rooms. Mr. Rogers is off with his sword somewhere.

"This place would serve quite nicely as a headquarters if you intend to stay here." Serana speaks up as she takes a sip from a tall, thin glass. Turns out that little blood in place of wine cliche has some basis in fact.

"Ya." I say. "I'm kind of surprised it'll work as well as it will, but then again, I wasn't expecting an undead workforce to help clean it up."

Serana tilts her glass towards me, before taking another sip.

"I guess I'm just wondering what our next step is." Svar speaks up. "We've got an underground stronghold that would be very hard to take now. Hell, if an entire army came at us the three of us could fend them off with just this place's defences and the undead, not to mention our other powers."

Serana nods. "I will admit. This temple is very appealing to me for a variety of reasons. I would not be opposed to staying, if you would have me?"

I chuckle. "You can stay as long as you want. We'd still be sweeping the foyer if you weren't here, so I'd say you've earned your keep."

Svar nods in agreement. "So now that we have a home base, what do we do going forward?" She asks.

I lean forward and rest my arms on the table to think. "I'm not sure. There are a couple of problems which will come up sometime soon that we'll have to worry about, but for the time being we can just focus on preparing. I'm not in any rush to go anywhere, and since we have this place I'd like to use the time to get stronger. I'd prefer to not get caught flat footed by whatever happens to pop up next."

Serana hums. "In the interest of not being caught 'flat footed' as you say, would you care to share what these upcoming 'problems' would be. You have already mentioned my father will be an issue, but I would like to have more specific information, as well as learn of anything else I should be concerned about."

Svar scrunches her eyebrows in confusion, and turns to face me. "What about her father, and why didn't I hear about this?"

I look back at her to respond. "In order, her father is going to try to kill the sun, which is actually something that can be done by the way, and you didn't hear about it because we had the conversation while you were asleep, so Serana could threaten to kill me without you there to back me up."

"WHAT?!?!?!" Svar yells as she stands to glare towards Serana. Smoke begins to rise from her shoulders as she seethes.

Serana calmly takes another sip from her glass and looks up at the standing Svar. "Oh come now Svarline, you didn't expect me to blindly trust two people I had known for all of a week did you? There is a reason I kept my distance from you while we were staying in that accursed tomb. I was fairly certain you didn't intend anything nefarious towards me, scheming obviously isn't your style sweetheart, but I did not know whether or not Dusk had any plans for me. Therefore, I waited until you were out of the picture, and politely told him I would be most put out if he attempted to harm me or mine in any way." Serana smiles up at Svar, showing off her fangs.

Svar growls back at the vampiress but I stand and put a hand on her shoulder to calm her. "Honestly I'm surprised it took her that long." I say. "It was a perfectly valid concern, and besides, it's sorted out now. If she decides to eat me, it'll be because of something else."

Svar looks at me and relaxes. Her features harden and she turns back to Serana. "Threaten him again and I'll burn you Serana." Svar says coldly.

Serana tilts her head. "First I was to not be too friendly under threat of having my teeth pulled, and now I am to be friendly under threat of burning if I am not?" The vampiress smiles. "You must make up your mind girl. Do you want me to take your mate or not?"

Svar growls and moves to step forward, but I stop her.

I turn to Serana. "I would thank you not to play games with her."

Serana innocently sips at her wine glass.

I turn to Svar and force her to look me in the eyes. "I'm not going anywhere, you understand? You're stuck with me."

The literal smoke clears and Svar smiles at me. She leans into me and pulls me into a kiss.

She opens her mouth and our tongues meet for a time before she pulls away.

Svar looks from me to Serana with a predatory grin, but Serana simply continues to sip her drink.

"You're letting the dragon get the better of you girl." Serana chides, placing her glass on the table. "A very simple jest caused you to become predatory. You moved to show he was yours, and not mine the moment I spoke. Be more aware."

Svar glares for a moment longer, but eventually sighs and hangs her head. "I'll work on it."

Serana nods and turns back to face me. "Good. Now, back to the topic of these 'problems'. I would appreciate a rundown of the more important threats. I would assume the dragons are one of them?"

I nod and sit back down. "The dragons are likely the more pressing concern at the moment, especially given the fact that your father's plan won't work without several key pieces he doesn't possess."

Serana hums. "And those pieces would be….?"

I meet her eyes for a moment, then sigh. "How much do you want to know?"

Serana smiles politely. "As much as you are able to tell me of course."

I take a deep breath as I begin. "Well, you already know he wants to bring about the tyranny of the sun." The vampiress nods. "What I don't think you know is the how. Honestly, I'm not sure he knows the how, and I'm hesitant to tell you everything because then all he has to do is grab you and the job is essentially done."

Serana frowns and her eyes narrow. "Are you implying that I would willingly be a part of his madness?" She says very carefully.

I shake my head. "No. It's just that it's much easier to darken the sun than one would think, and with you he would have most of the pieces he needs to get it done. After that, he'd just need to send someone to retrieve something for him and, all of a sudden, the plants stop growing."

Serana relaxes and tilts her head at me. "Do you believe me to be unable to evade my father? What is to stop him from capturing you, and taking this information from yourself?" She asks curiously.

Well, Gamer's Mind and Body make it a little hard to torture me, and he wouldn't be able to use any mind magic for the same reason, so I'm fairly safe in that regard.

"It's really hard to get information out of me." I say in response.

Serana hums, but doesn't question me. "Very well, but I ask you again. Do you believe me incapable of evading my father? Especially given that he does not know that I am awake?"

Huh. Honestly, with the head start she has, she could be just about anywhere in Tamriel by the time Harkon gets wise. So why don't I want to tell her this?

I don't want her to know about the Gamer, but she doesn't seem like she'll press me for information on that. I guess I just remember her going back to Harkon in the game, and am afraid of the same thing happening here.

I look up to meet her crimson eyes. "You said there's no love lost between you and your father, but if I tell you this, and you ever change your mind on that fact, the world ends. You're immortal, so you've got plenty of time to decide he's right, or that you miss him, or whatever other reason you come up with to justify siding with him. I guess I just don't trust that you'll never want to see your dad again."

Serana hums and holds my gaze. "An intelligent position I suppose, but I can assure you, that I will never return to my father."

"How can we be sure?" Svar speaks up, now sitting back down at my side. "Like he said, you're immortal. Eternity is a long time to hold a grudge, especially where family is concerned."

Serana regards Svar for a moment and smiles. "Do you know what a Daughter of Coldharbour is, Svarline?" She asks sweetly.

Svar scrunches her eyebrows and throws a quick glance at me before responding. "I'm guessing it's a title for very powerful female vampires."

Serana's smile widens. "While that is most assuredly true, it is not the full truth. How about you Dusk?" She says turning to look me in the eyes. "With all of your knowledge, you surely know how I came to be yes?"

I swallow a lump in my throat. I really did not expect this conversation to go here.

"Yes." I respond.

Serana nods her head. "Would you be so kind as to inform the dragonborn? She is missing context that you and I possess, and without that context, she will not understand what I mean to say."

"Daughters of Coldharbour," I begin. Speaking to Svar, but still holding Serana's gaze. "are the purest vampires in the world. That's why they are also among the most powerful. They are pure blooded vampires."

Svar raises an eyebrow at Serana. "Ok, so what? Her mom and dad were both vampires? That doesn't seem all that special. What does this have to do with us trusting her?"

Serana tuts as if addressing a child. Her eyes never stray from my own. "He hasn't finished explaining yet my dear. Do wait until you know the full story before drawing any conclusions please."

Svar looks back at me expectantly.

I take a deep breath and continue. "Vampirism, like most supernatural things, comes from a daedric prince. Where Hircine is the father of werewolves, Molag Bal is the father of vampires."

Svar's eyes widen. "Her father is fucking Molag Bal?!?!?"

Serana breaks eye contact with me as she laughs out loud. "Svarline, that was the most amusing thing to happen to me this century! Granted, I was in a stone box for 99 of those years, but it was still quite good. No girl, I am not that shit's daughter. Did you forget us talking about how my vampiric father wanted to kill the sun? While I'm sure Molag Bal would do that, out of boredom if nothing else, he is not my father. Now Svarline, please make no more interruptions. Dusk, please continue." She says with a smile as she wipes a tear out of her eye.

Vampires have functioning tear ducts. Aren't they undead? Figure it out later.

I start again. "Molag Bal is the father of vampires. He has a claim on their souls when they finally do die, and is the only one who can create pure blooded vampires." Serana's eyes find mine once more. "Being the daedric prince of domination, he's a fucked up dude. A tradition started a long long time ago, and has likely lasted all the way through to today. He would have his followers offer up women for him to bed."

Serana's cold voice cuts me off. "Rape." She says with her eyes still fixed on mine. "The word you are looking for, is rape."

I hold her gaze. "Women for him to rape. Almost every single woman who is offered to him dies. Mortals were not meant to be raped by a god, he is just far too powerful for people to survive. Of the hundreds of thousands who have been offered to him, I know of only three who survived. Each one of them emerged a pure blooded vampire. A Daughter of Coldharbour." I finished speaking.

Svar has gone pale as she looks towards Serana. Her mouth opens and closes as she tries to find something to say, but no words come out.

"I don't know how long we were there." Serana begins, still looking me in the eye. "My mother and I endured for what could have been weeks. It's impossible to tell time in a plane whose sky's alight with azure flames. I don't know how long we were there, but I do know that we survived together. Just the two of us, out of a group of hundreds. Only my mother and I were able to survive." She breaks eye contact and stands from her chair, turning to face the wall.

"Do you want to know the first thing my father did upon our return?" She asks over her shoulder. "Do you think he embraced us? That he wept for our pain? That he swore we would never suffer again? No. He forced my mother to turn him. Neither of us could stand, we could barely move at all, and all he saw when he looked upon us was a path to more accursed power. We weren't his wife and daughter, we weren't his family." She shoots a glare at Svar as she spits the word. "We were his tools. We've always been his tools."

She turns back around to face us. "My father, the man who helped bring me into this world, gave myself and my mother away to a god, in the hopes that we would make him powerful. He gave me away, to be raped, for the slightest chance it would grant him power. And when my mother and I emerged still alive, the first time in history two women survived the process together, and both were members of his family, what did he do? Did he help us home? Did he do anything for us? No. He left us there so he could bask in his newfound abilities. He forgot we even existed until we were able to drag ourselves back home."

Serana leans against the table and stares into my eyes. "That man, that thing? That is not my father. So when I tell you that I will never return to him, you had best believe me." She growls.

No one moves. Svar's mouth continues to hang open, and Serana and I hold each other's gaze without flinching.

I break the silence. "Auriel's bow. If you taint Auriel's Bow with arrows treated with the blood of a Daughter of Coldharbour, you can defeat the sun. You need three Elder Scrolls to learn the location of the bow. The one you have, the one I have, and one in your mother's possession, but it doesn't matter because I already know where the bow is, and what we would face retrieving it. I also know where your mother is."

Serana's eyes widen, before quickly narrowing. "Where?" She asks evenly.

"In the Soul Cairn." I say in the same tone she used. "The portal she took to get there is in your father's castle, it would be suicide to go before you're ready."

Serana speaks calmly. "Why did you wait until now to tell me this? Why not inform me soon after you woke me?"

I let out a small breath. "Because I didn't trust you. I still don't completely trust you, but now, I at least trust you not to stab me in the back for no reason."

Serana looks down at me and thinks for a moment. In the end, she retakes her seat and takes a sip out of her wine glass. "If I were to attempt to free her," She begins, swirling the liquid of her glass. "Would you help me?"

"Yes." Svar speaks up as soon as the words leave Serana's mouth. "You've helped us, I'd be more than willing to help you get your mother back."

Serana nods to her in thanks, before turning questioningly to me.

I nod. "Yes I would, but as I said, it would be suicide to attempt a rescue without proper preparation. I'm willing to bet your father probably controls the portal by now."

I won't make the same mistake here I've made everywhere else. Harkon is a living, thinking being, not a computer program designed to do things in a predetermined way. He will have checked the castle despite his arrogance. He might not have found Valerica's portal, but it's best to proceed thinking he has.

Serana hums. "Then we make another one." She motions around us. "We have the perfect facility with which to begin our work, and two Elder Scrolls to help us. It should be possible to recreate her work."

I grip my chin with my hand. "I don't know. You're an amazing mage, so with your help we might be able to pull it off, but the point might be mute. From what I've seen of the Soul Cairn, it's near infinite. The Ideal Masters control who appears where and for how long. It's a safe assumption to make that even if we manage to make a portal here, while it would take us to the Soul Cairn, it might not place us anywhere near your mother. I know the Ideal Masters have her trapped, unable to leave. They could do the same to us."

Serana hums. "I am willing to take that risk. My mother is the only one I have ever truly cared for, there is not much I wouldn't give up to have her back."

I take a deep breath and think.

I remember in the game not only was Valerica's castle sealed, but the Soul Cairn's entire map was surrounded by a wall of purple energy. In the game, that was just to keep the player inbounds. Here? It could be the Ideal Masters have lots of little pockets with various 'projects' stashed in each. There's no way to know if we'll be able to make it to Valerica's pocket by making a portal here. There's also no telling how long making a portal would take. There's also no telling what's actually in the Soul Cairn. What was there in the game might've been the lowest of the low as far as their fighters go. There's also no telling how Valerica will react even if we do manage to free her. She would've probably attacked you in the game if Serana and the barrier weren't there. Who's to say she'll leave us alive after we let her out?

I let out a long sigh and look over at Serana.

"If we make the portal here, and we go with you to free her, what kind of guarantee do I have that she won't kill Svar and I the second she sees us? I want to help, but I also want to live."

Serana scoffs. "My mother is rational, she will not harm you if you do not present a threat to her. She would be suspicious of you no doubt, but with me at your side you would be perfectly safe."

I let out another sigh. I really hope I'm not getting played here.

"Alright." I say. "But I'm still not sold on the portal idea. It likely took your mother centuries to create hers, and she's a master necromancer. How long do you think it will take for us to construct a portal here? What kinds of materials do we need? I don't want to embark on something that will take centuries to come to fruition, mainly because Svar and I will be long dead by then."

Serana hums and scrunches her eyebrows. "I am not sure how long it will take, but I do know we will need several different alchemical ingredients, although with your extra-dimensional space that should be a non-issue. I will use a few tricks my mother taught me to try and track her, and use that to connect the portal to where it needs to go. Finding her will be the most taxing part of the process, creating the portal itself will not be too difficult once we know where we need to connect it too. We will also need several living people to sacrifice."

Svar frowns. "What do you mean?" She asks.

Serana raises an eyebrow at her. "If we are to buy passage into the realm of the Ideal Masters, we will need payment. The only payment they will accept is the souls of mortals, so we need mortals to sacrifice."

Svar scrunches her eyebrows. "Is who it is important? Or will anyone do?"

Serana impatiently waves her hand. "So long as they are mortal and have a soul they will be sufficient. It matters not if they are braggards or kings, so feel free to obtain them however possible."

I ask my first question again. "How long will it take?"

Serana frowns and leans back in her chair. "I do not know. With the both of you helping me we should be able to create a portal fairly simply. As I said, the true difficulty is connecting it to the Soul Cairn. It will take time for me to attune the portal to the correct plane, and from there we will need even more time to ensure we do not arrive too far from my mother. Luckily, time we have in abundance within these walls. There is very little that could track us here."

"Alright." I say as I begin to rise. "We'll get to work on it in the morning. For now, I'm ready to go to sleep."

"Not yet." Serana says before I can fully leave my chair. "The third threat you mentioned. This conversation has gone long already, but I would prefer to hear about this now."

"Heh, forgot we still hadn't gone over that one." I say, settling back into my chair. "Have either of you heard of Miraak?"

Svar responded negatively, while Serana responded with a positive.

I turn to face Svar. "Miraak was the first dragonborn. Well, is the first dragonborn. He's currently trapped in a shitty deal with a knowledge loving daedric prince, but is making serious headway into freeing himself. We should have a while yet before he manages to break free, but when he does, he's going to try to take over the world. Because everyone wants to take over the world. No one ever just wants to build a cabin in the woods. That wouldn't be exciting enough apparently."

Serana chuckles at my joke, but Svar has a frown on her face.

"I thought I was dragonborn?" She asks.

Serana raises an eyebrow at her. "You are, but you are not the only one."

Svar turns to me. "How many have there been?"

I cringe slightly. "That depends on a lot of factors. Are you talking about just the ones blessed by Akatosh? Or are their children counted as well? Personally? I'd say around five including you. The rest weren't really that impressive."

"How can there be more than one of me? Is this Miraak like my brother?" Svar asks, confused.

That's right. I'm the only one who's ever talked to her about any of this dragonborn stuff. Great.

"There can be more than one dragonborn because being dragonborn means you were 'chosen' by Akatosh. Akatosh can choose more than one champion, and no. You are not Miraak's sister. The guy is a power hungry nutcase who enslaves people. You are not related to him."

Svar thinks for a moment. "How strong is he compared to me?"

"He's been trapped in a realm that contains almost all the knowledge on Nirn, and has been alive since the Merethic Era. Add on to that the fact that he's dragonborn, and has absorbed quite a few more dragons than you, and we figure he's pretty damn strong. Serana would get probably her ass kicked by him." I say.

Serana hums, but doesn't argue.

"So what do we do?" Svar asks. "If he's really that strong, how do we beat him?"

I give a dark chuckle. "I don't have a damn clue. I have a to do list, not a plan. I'm figuring it out as I go really."

"Well." Serana speaks up. "I do believe we have spoken enough tonight." She stands and drinks the last of her glass. "I will begin experimenting with the creation of the portal. It will take time, but I will inform you of any progress I manage to make." She walks to the door, but I stop her before she can leave.

"Wait." I say.

Serana turns back around to face me. "Yes?"

"Are you sure we'll be able to make a portal? I'm still not entirely sure it's even possible, let alone whether or not we'll be able to get it done this century."

Serana lets out a sigh. "Then what do you propose hmm? We have no way of knowing for sure until we try, and I will not leave my mother in that place on her own."

I go to respond, but stop myself as I go over what she just said.

I do have a way to know for sure don't I? This is a good question to ask, and since we'll be here awhile I'll be able to ask another one soon.

Serana more closely studies me when I don't respond. "Unless you do have a way to determine whether or not such an undertaking is possible?"

Svar looks between us. "What?" She asks.

I look up at both of them. "I have a way to figure it out, but I can only use it once per month, and phrasing is important."

I don't actually know if phrasing is important, but given that this ability was copy pasted from the fucking Deck of Many Things, I'm not willing to take any chances.

Svar snorts when I say 'phrasing', and Serana's eyes widen slightly.

"What are the limits of this ability?" Serana asks excitedly as she moves back to her chair, but doesn't sit.

I shrug. "It's pretty open-ended. The only limitation is the one question per month deal. It gives me a true answer to any question I ask, as well as the wisdom needed to apply that knowledge."

Serana looks intrigued. "So you actually are a seer of sorts. I must say you grow more interesting with every passing day." She grabs her chin as she thinks. "That ability could completely remove our need to research and experiment with the portal. All that would be left would be its final construction, which I'm sure wouldn't take very long at all if we have an accurate guide of how to proceed. Now, how should we phrase the question?"

"Does it have to be a yes or no question?" Svar asks.

I look over the perk. "No." I say after a moment. "It just has to be a question that can be answered truthfully, so pretty much anything."

Svar looks at me. "Then why don't we just ask how to make a portal to Serana's mother?"

Serana shakes her head. "That is not specific enough. The portal could only last a moment, it could be the size of a coin, or it could open inside her and tear her apart. We need to be careful with our wording."

Svar snorts again, but stops herself when she goes to speak. She looks back over towards Serana and shrinks in on herself slightly.

"It would be safer to ask how to create a stable portal to where she resides within the Soul Cairn." Serana continues, either oblivious to Svar's actions, or choosing to ignore them. "We would have the ability to move at our own pace, and be able to return if things go wrong. We would also be able to control it from our end. Being able to close and reopen a portal to the Soul Cairn would be a major boon even once my mother is freed."

"So, something along the lines of, 'How can we create a stable portal, which can be used to travel to and from the Soul Cairn, that we have complete control over?' would be what we're thinking?" I say.

Serana hums. "Close, but we need to ensure it takes us relatively close to my mother. Otherwise we could spend longer searching for her, than we spent creating the portal."

Svar speaks up. "So something more like, 'How can we make a stable portal that will take us close to where Serana's mother resides in the Soul Cairn, and is under our complete control?'"

Serana shakes her head. "I would state passage to the Soul Cairn as the primary goal. Something more closely resembling, 'How can the three of us create a stable portal to the Soul Cairn that will both take us close to Valerica, and be under our complete control?' would be preferable in my mind."

I run it through my head a few times. "I don't see any glaring problems with it. Svar?"

She shakes her head. "Seems good to me."

I take a deep breath. "Ok, unless anyone objects, I'm going to ask the question."

Svar and Serana look at me expectantly.

I activate Vizier and ask, 'How can the three of us create a stable portal to the Soul Cairn that will both take us close to Valerica, and be under our complete control?'

I'm not sure why I was expecting a disembodied voice to give me the answer, D experience most likely, but instead I get a Matrix style brain download. A comprehensive step-by-step process for how to create a portal to the Soul Cairn that feels like it's straight out of an Ikea assembly manual.

"Got it." I say as I try to process everything.

"And?" Serana asks excitedly.

"We've got most of what we'll need already. There's a lot of required alchemy ingredients, dragon bone is needed for some reason, and you were right about the whole 'sacrificing mortal souls' bit. The only things we're missing are some powerful soul gems, some parts from a dead wispmother, and various organs from slain daedra. The portal itself is actually really easy to make, it's powering the damn thing up that's so freaking difficult, but it shouldn't take more than four months to get it operational if we all work nonstop. Closer to five if we keep up our training and actually remember to sleep."

Svar frowns. "So five months? That could be a lot worse I guess."

I shrug. "If we focus on this and nothing else? Five months will do it, but if we make any major expeditions out of Sky Haven for whatever reason, our timeframe will be more around seven months."

Serana, meanwhile, can't contain her grin. "Seven months is no time at all to an immortal. When you have a moment Dusk, I would like a written version of the guide you have in your head, but for now, we have talked enough, and I'm sure the both of you would like to rest. We will begin our work in the morning." She walks to the door's threshold, where she turns around to face us. "Thank you. Both of you." She leaves.

The two of us sit there for a moment, looking at the door through which Serana left.

"Sleep?" Svar asks as she turns to look at me.

I shrug. "Sounds good to me."

She smiles at me, and the two of us head back towards the room we claimed. It probably belonged to a high ranking officer because of its size. All of the amenities have rotted and decayed away, but Svar made a new bed with her magic. She used things we salvaged from the forsworn camp to make a new bed that was both comfortable, and large enough for the two of us.

We lay down and wrap our arms around one another.

"I'm tired." she says sleepily.

I shouldn't….

I smile. "Hi tired, I'm Dusk."

Svar acts confused. "No it's not. We've got a solid nine hours until Dusk. Oh! It just dawned on me! You mean your name is Dusk. My mistake." She grins up at me.

Svar cuddles up closer to me. "It's not Dusk yet." She says. "That means you're mine for now."

I chuckle and close my eyes to go to sleep.

"Dusk?" Svar speaks up timidly.

I open my eyes back up and look at her. "What's up?"

"Serana's been through a lot hasn't she?" She asks seriously.

I nod. "Ya, she has."

"I never knew my father, and I've always wondered what he was like." She chuckles darkly. "I thought I had one of the worst parents someone could have, but all he did was walk out on us. Serana's…. how can someone be that fucked up?"

"I don't know." I answer.

Svar shuffles so she can look up at me. "What are your parents like?"

I tense up.

I can't remember their names. I can see their faces, see the faces of my siblings, but I can't remember any of their names. I remember what they were like though. My dad was witty, but could be surprisingly serious. My mom screwed with me constantly, but she was one of the nicest people I know.

I smile sadly. "They were great." I say fondly.

Svar's breath catches. "I'm sorry."

I kiss her forehead gently. "Don't be, it's not your fault."

Svar takes a deep breath. "Guess all three of us have issues huh?"

I chuckle. "Yep. Three damaged idiots with an underground fortress, and an undead horde. The world is doomed."

Svar smiles and cuddles back up against me. "Goodnight Dusk."

"Goodnight."

(Interlude: Sybille Stentor)

I stand at Elisif's side as we wait at the open gates of Solitude.

The young woman has really surprised me the last few weeks. Not only has she grown a backbone, but she's handled the dragon threat marvellously. While there is definitely room for improvement, she has grown much from the broken shell that mourned her husband.

My enhanced eyes catch the first glimpse of the troops our scouts reported were advancing.

"They are almost here my lady." I say to the young woman.

"Thank you Sybille." The Jarl tries to say with dignity, but I catch the slight tremor in her voice.

I look over to her. "What's wrong my lady?"

She lets out a sigh and turns to me. "Am I doing the right thing Sybille? I'm placing my people in far greater danger than I would like, and I'm trusting a traitor to keep his word. Is this truly the best course of action?"

I chuckle wryly, causing the Jarl to glare slightly. "You've done splendidly." I say. "You were placed in a situation where the only options were to die, or to beg, and you created a third option. Nothing you do will be perfect, but as of yet, you haven't faltered. So hold your chin high, and even if you are unsure of yourself, project unfailing confidence."

The young girl I all but raised alongside her husband nods and lifts her chin. "Thank you Court Wizard. Please remain at my side while I address our guests."

I smile and nod. She's all grown up.

The heavily armoured entourage is within a hundred feet now. A tall bear of a man with dirty blonde hair in the lead. He raises his arm and the company halts while he continues forward to meet us.

"Elisif." Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak greets. "I must admit your message surprised me. If I wasn't sure ambushes weren't your style, I would not have come."

"Ulfric." Elisif calmly responds. "Let me be very clear. I don't like you. You killed my husband, and tore this province apart. With that said, however, I do respect your resolve, and your loyalty to your people. I would not have extended my invitation if I thought you to be treacherous, but do not attempt to use my hospitality against me. My aid comes with conditions." She says coldly.

I fight off a smile as a feeling of pride wells up in me.

Ulfric brings his right fist to his chest and speaks loud enough for his own people to hear. "On my honour, I will not betray your people's trust so long as my own people are treated fairly."

Elisif nods. "Good. Have your wounded and your children brought to The Temple of the Divines, we have already made preparations. Beds have been prepared for your warriors in Castle Dour as well. I would ask that you come with me. Due to your people's state, you are understandably the last to arrive. All of the other Jarls who will work with us have already gathered in the Blue Palace's war room."

Ulfric frowns. "'The Jarls who will work with us'? Who would refuse a cause this dire?"

The Stormcloaks ranks break as their wounded and children are brought in front of the heavily armed soldiers. Healers and other volunteers from Solitude come forth to aid their brethren.

Elisif begins to lead myself, Ulfric, and Ulfric's guard to a simple carriage which will carry us to the palace.

"Siddgeir." Elisif seethes the name. "He believes, and this is word for word, that 'Windhelm was obviously poking the beasts with a stick. If they had left them be, there would not have been an issue.' so his help is as unwanted as it is unoffered."

Ulfric's guard growls. "How dare he! We were attacked without warning! We did nothing to…"

"Galmar." Ulfric cuts in. "Now is not the time old friend. If Elisif believed this to be our fault, we would not be standing here."

Elisif nods to Ulfric, before adopting a more somber expression. "Idgrod is the only other monarch who will be missing."

Ulfric becomes confused. "From the interactions I have had with the woman, she would have been the first to answer your call. What has changed?"

"Morthal is lost." I speak up, drawing our visitors attention. "Not to a dragon attack, but to an army of the undead. We are unsure if any in the city were able to make it out alive."

Our visitors descend into silence as they process this.

We mount the carriage and it begins to move.

Ulfric finally speaks up. "One major threat to our home wasn't enough it seems. Do we know the number of undead? Their individual strength?"

Elisif motions to me. "Sybille would know best. I sent her to investigate when our runner returned with the news. The other Jarls have already heard her report, so it is important you are filled in on the issue."

Ulfric and the now named Galmar turn to look at me.

"I was able to teleport just outside the city and look over it's walls from atop a nearby hill. There are a large number of weaker undead. Skeletons, weaker draugr and the like." I begin. "Whoever is behind this attack must either be a powerful necromancer, or be the ally of one."

Galmar grunts. "I fail to see how a horde of skeletons could take a city as fortified as Morthal. Nords know well how to deal with the undead. There must be something else."

I nod. "There is. The reason I was not able to get a more perfect picture of the overall threat these undead pose, was due to several very powerful vampires noticing my presence and chasing me away. These were not the weak newly turned creatures that we typically deal with, but vampires who have been slowly growing in power for decades at least. I'm unsure as to why they have chosen to come out of hiding now, but whatever their reason, it spells ill for us."

While the few I faced were not as old as myself, they were no fledglings. Whoever sired them must be both old, and powerful. I fled because I did not have enough information. I am not sure if I could defeat the one who sired them, or the necromancer commanding the forces. It has been many long years since I have faced a challenge such as this, it is quite exciting.

Ulfric sighs. "If they are truly as old as you say, we will need to take special preparations to combat them. Our traditional methods will simply not be enough, and this threat presents itself at the same time the dragons return. We can't fight this battle on two fronts, Elisif. At this rate, we'll be hard pressed to defend what cities remain standing."

Elisif nods. "I am aware of the severity of the situation we find ourselves in, that is why cooperation is of the utmost importance. We will be destroyed if we continue to fight amongst ourselves while the world burns around us."

Ulric grunts his agreement as the carriage comes to a stop in front of the Blue Palace.

"After you." Elisif motions Ulfric forward.

We all exit the carriage and proceed inside, led by one of the serving girls.

We are brought to the castle's war room, where the Jarls of every hold who answered our call, as well as their stewards, are sitting around a large circular table. There are also a number of representatives from the College of Winterhold, and the Companions. The dragons affect them as well after all.

Ah, they're all arguing. This is why I worked so hard to entrench myself into politics, the bickering amuses me.

It will be quite fun to watch Elisif tear them all apart. My influence no doubt.

"Peace!" Elisif calls out to the room, causing the quarreling to cease. "We need to bring Jarl Ulfric up to speed, and from there we must decide our next course of action."

She and the Stormcloak take their seats and the posturing begins.

I wonder if they'll be able to get anything done today?

(Interlude: Sam Guevenne)

"And then!!!!! He jumped, but forgot to fly!!! And so he died!!!!!" My silver haired companion let's another insanity ridden laugh loose as he completes his 'story',

I take a quick swig from my bottle and throw an arm over his shoulder. "Sheo my friend, we really need to do this more often! Why, the last time we got together, you were someone else!"

Sheo nods his head up and down. "Yep! But now I'm not! That me got stabbed! BY ME!!!!! So now I'm the me to be stabbed by me!!!!!"

I nod my head in understanding. "Very true. Now, what was it that brought you here again? I didn't mean to interrupt you, but meetings with old friends are always better with large amounts of booze."

Sheo waves off my apology. "It's obekabie. I was lookin for the me who's not me, but from the same place as me, who's travelling with a later version of me from sooner than now."

I tilt my head. "I cannot say I've seen them, but I'll keep an eye out."

Sheo grins from ear to ear. I do that sometimes too. It really freaks the mortals out. "Thanks Sammy boy!!!! It's not too urgent though, so don't go outta your way. I just wanna see someone else from 'ol Terra. Then we can play DEATHMATCH together!!!!! I've been playing with bots for centuries, and it's JUST. GOTTEN. SO. BORING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But, like I said, it's not too pressing."

I smile. "Well if you've got the time anyways…. What do you say to a little game between us?"

The mad man's eyes light up. "I love games!!!!!!! What're we playin' for?"

I scratch my chin while he straightens out his suit. "How about this," I say. "if I win, I get to ride Indigo."

My friend strokes his beard thoughtfully. "Fine, but if I win, I get to shoot Old Yeller!!!!"

Do I have anything called Old Yeller? Eh, if I don't remember, it's obviously not important.

"You have a deal my friend!" I say and reach out to shake his hand. "So what are we playing?"

"Why dance of the starlings of course!!!! Keep up!!!" He leaps from his stool and bolts from the bar with a hearty laugh.

I slowly stand and look at the barmaid who had been serving us. She, along with the rest of the bar's patrons, are staring at me with a mixture of awe and fear.

Oh, if only I had time to stay and play….

Alas, I can't let Sheo beat me at whatever it is we're doing. I'd never be able to live it down.

"Thank you for the drinks madam." I say with a bow as I drop a coin purse on the counter and turn to leave. "Treat yourself to something nice! Oh, and ditch that boyfriend of yours. He's dreadfully vanilla."

I smile upon hearing the indignant squawk from behind me.

I close the inn's door and leisurely walk after my friend. It's not too difficult to find him. Just follow the trail of rampant destruction and deranged screaming.

I breathe deep of the night air and let loose my own mirth filled laugh. What fun this is turning out to be!