Chapter 13: 13

Chapter Text

"Dusk. Wake up."
I pop my eyes open and look towards the source of the soft voice.
"Morning." Svar says as she looks down at me. Her eyes crinkle slightly as she smiles.
"Hey." I say sitting up. "You're not with Paarthurnax yet?"
She shakes her head. "He's hunting right now, so we've got some time. Food?" She produces a thin strip of dried meat and holds it out to me.
I let the corner of my lip pull up. "Breakfast in bed? What did I do to deserve such pampering?"
She shrugs. "Not really breakfast. It's just after noon, but I let you sleep."
I take the offered meal and give her a wide grin. "Thanks a brunch!"
Her eyes shine. "You're welcome, I didn't want to wake you up because you seemed tired. When did you go to sleep anyway?"
I think for a second. "Probably around five or six in the morning? You could've woken me up though. I don't really need sleep anymore."
She pauses her chewing and raises an eyebrow. "You just developed the ability to not need sleep?"
I nod and turn to her curiously. "What? Can't you do that?"
She just stares at me for a second longer before letting out a long breath. "You are such bullshit."
I widen my eyes and let my jaw hang open. "Oh no! The dragonborn thinks my abilities aren't fair! No need to do anything drastic! Don't use your words!"
She chuckles and lightly punches me on the shoulder. She scoots closer to me and leans into my side. "Sorry we haven't really gotten a chance to be together lately. The thu'um is frustrating to learn."
I lean back into her. "Don't worry about it. I've been working on a lot too, so I get it."
We lapse back into silence as we finish off our 'breakfast'.
I guess this is as good a time as any.
"Svar?" I ask her.
She turns her head to look up at me. "Ya?"
I look at her seriously. "What are we?" I ask her.
Her eyebrows draw together when she hears me. "What do you mean?" She asks, confused.
I motion between the two of us. "This. Us. What are we? We've never really made anything clear, and I'm not all that experienced with relationships, so I don't want to read into something that isn't there."
She shuffles away from me so she can better face me. "I thought it was obvious. Why? What do you think we are?" She asks. Suddenly sounding vulnerable.
Crap. Am I doing this wrong? No, all I did was ask the question right? Or was I supposed to guess what she's thinking? How the fuck am I supposed to do that?!?
Ok, just be honest and open. I think that's how this is supposed to go right?
"I don't know." I say honestly. "That's why I'm asking. I like you, I like you a lot, but I don't want to push you too fast, or take things any further if you're not interested."
She frowns a little. "Have I not been acting interested?"
Fuck.
How the hell does she mean that?!? Like, 'have I not been acting interested enough', or 'have I been acting in a way that makes you think I'm interested'?
This is so fucking confusing. Just go for honesty.
I shrug. "Like I said. I'm bad at this, I've never really been in a serious relationship, so I can't tell if that's what you want, or if you just want a really good friend."
She looks at me through half lidded eyes as she gives me a deadpan stare. "I've kissed you. Repeatedly."
What does that mean?!?!? I don't know the customs in freaking Bruma!!!
"Ok, I'm even more confused than when I started this conversation, so I'm just going to be as blunt as possible. Fuck subtlety, it's obviously lost on me. Do you, Svarline, wish to pursue a serious romantic relationship with me, Dusk?"
She moves closer and presses her forehead against mine. "Yes. I do." She tilts her chin forwards and kisses me.
Her hands move up to my chest and push me onto my back so she can lie on top of me.
She pulls back and rests her hands on either side of my head as she looks down at me. "Was that blunt enough?" She asks amused.
I smile up at her. "I don't know, I might need a little more convincing."
She grins and leans back down.
Once we're both out of breath, a surprising feat given I need to breath half as much as a normal person, we lay side by side and stare at the ceiling.
"Sorry." Svar suddenly speaks up.
I roll my head to look over at her. "What?"
She meets my gaze. "I'm sorry I didn't make it clear. I'm new to this too, so I've just kind of been winging it. The whole dragonborn thing isn't doing me any favors in that regard either."
I tilt my head. "How so?"
She looks back at the ceiling and sighs. "You know how I said everything is more vivid?"
"Ya."
"Well it's essentially like I'm feeling everything twice as strongly as I did before, with a few exceptions. I've noticed greed, anger, and possessiveness have been increased by what feels like a factor of five." She chuckles wryly. "It's kind of sad really. Every day after I train with Paarthurnax I go down to the vault just to sit with the gold, and fiddle with that little black stick box thing you gave me. It serves no purpose, but I love to do it."
Little black stick box thing? Does she mean that Commodore controller?
Wow that feels like a year ago.
I scoot closer and pull her into a hug. "I may not know exactly what you're going through, but I can sympathize. I'm not going to leave you just because you're a little dragony. You haven't said why this is hard for you though. I would assume it's magnifying feelings like love as well right."
Svar swallows nervously but nods at me. "Yes, but that's not really all."
"What else is causing you trouble?" I try to ask gently.
She goes to respond, but stops as her eyes focus on a spot a little ways up the far wall.
I follow her gaze but I just see rock. "What's up?" I ask.
She snaps out of it and turns back to me. She lets out a soft sigh. "Paarthurnax is on his way back. I've got to go." She drags herself to her feet and reaches her arms high above her head to stretch.
That shirt is very form fitting…
"Enjoying the view?" She asks with an amused voice.
"Yes, I am." I say unashamed without looking away.
She brings her hands back down and grins at me. "Good." She leans over the bed and pulls me in for a kiss.
She presses against me and brings a hand to the back of my neck to pull me closer while our tongues duel.
Eventually needing to breath, she pulls away with a contented smile on her face. "Come up the mountain a little later in the evening. I've been wanting to spar with you, and Paarthurnax is pretty sure he'll be able to cover us, so we won't need to worry about giving away the temple's location."
"Will do." I say. "I've got some things I need to get done first, but I should be able to finish everything fairly quickly."
"Good." She gives me a quick peck on the lips and walks out of the room. "Kick your ass later!" She calls over her shoulder.
"Wait!" I call out.
Svar pokes her head back into the room. "Ya?"
I reach into my inventory and pull out the fake-ass Darth Maul lightsaber.
"Catch." I say and toss it to her.
She snags it out of the air and begins inspecting it with a shine in her eyes.
"You can keep that too. I haven't been able to make it do anything, but you might be able to figure something out." I say.
She looks back up at me with an expression on her face I can't quite decipher. She jogs over to the bed and pulls me up by my shirt to give me another long kiss.
"Thank you." She says as she releases me.
I smile. "You're welcome. Kick your ass later."
She snorts. "You'll try." She backs out of the room and heads up to meet with her mentor.
I shake my head to myself once she leaves.
Master Yoda has taught me well Svarline. Do, or do not. There is no try. Therefore, I will win! Mwahahahahaha!
I might have issues.
I shrug, and roll off the bed, stretching my legs out as I stand.
To-do list time.
Grinding, grinding, portal work, mountain spar.
Well that was quick.
I exit the room and start down the halls to the broom closet I've been entering my ID's from when a voice speaks out from the shadows.
"Good afternoon Dusk." Serana says as she appears.
I stop and study her for a moment.
She doesn't seem like she's going to attack me again, but one can never be too careful.
"Afternoon." I say. "Is there something I can help you with?"
She hums. "I would like to speak to you if that would be possible."
I bring one hand up and begin massaging the side of my face.
"As long as it doesn't take too long, and we skip the part where we threaten bodily harm upon one-another."
Her lips part into a smile. "Of course. Now, I wish to discuss our encounter last night. I will admit I got a little carried away, and would like to apologize for that."
I sigh and wave her off. "Don't bother. I get it, you're a millennia old vampire that passes the time by poking things with very sharp sticks. Keep it to a minimum, and don't actively try to harm Svar or myself, and we'll get along. Anything else, or can I get back to training?"
Serana's smile turns into a frown. "You are not angry?"
I narrow my eyes. "About you threatening to kill me? No, I'm pissed, but attacking you over it isn't going to solve anything. I won't be able to change the way you act around Svar and I without some pretty serious nuclear options, and in the end, it's just not worth the effort. Be aware though, if you make it worth the effort, I won't give you any warning. You're stronger than me, so I'd have to use every advantage I could get to beat you. Don't fuck with us, and we won't fuck with you. Clear?"
One corner of her lip pulls upwards as she raises an eyebrow at me. "A little overconfident aren't you?"
I shrug. "Maybe, maybe not. You gonna pin me against a wall and find out?"
She chuckles. "I don't know… It could be fun don't you think? We could even get some chains if you're into that?" She says in a sultry voice.
I give her a deadpan look. "Sorry. I'm involved with someone else, as you damn well know. I appreciate the training, but I don't trust you anymore. I forgot our goals align only so long as you want them to. You reminded me of that last night, and I don't plan to forget it again. Now was that everything?"
She grips her chin with her hand, and slowly walks towards me. She stops two paces away, and leans her upper body closer so she can study me.
Her features go from contemplative, to mirthful as her red eyes meet my gaze.
"If you keep acting this way, I might just grow fond of you." She withdraws and takes a step back. "No, that was not all." She continues. "I merely wished to get the drama out of the way before we conducted our business."
I look up at the ceiling as I take a deep breath. "What business?" I ask as I look back down.
She motions for me to follow her, and begins leading me towards the portal room.
"I have been raising the various birds and other small animals that you kill while practicing your soul magic, so we would have some inconspicuous ground and aerial reconnaissance. I have been keeping them localized, but slowly increasing their reach with every new addition." She says as we walk.
"And I'm guessing they found something that we should worry about?" I ask.
If it's not one thing it's another. Seriously, can I catch a fucking break?
Serana nods. "While this time period is unfamiliar to me, I have noticed several oddities. There has been no traffic going east for quite some time, but there are a large number of people who have gone west."
I raise an eyebrow at her. "Maybe people are heading to Markarth because it'll be more defendable if the dragons decide to keep attacking cities."
She shakes her head. "From what you told me of Windhelm's fate, fortifications mean little when a dragon is involved. Besides, almost every person on the road has looked as if they did not prepare for the journey. Only one carried a knapsack, and it was small, and unladen."
I let out a sigh. "Meaning they weren't planning on leaving."
Serana nods. "It seems something is causing a mass exodus from the east."
We make it back to the portal room and sit down at a table in opposing seats, so we can face each other.
I lean my elbows against the wood and support my forehead with my hands
"Ok, so there was probably another dragon attack, and one of the cities got hit. How does that change our plans?" I ask her. "Even if we wanted to go after them, Svar's not ready, I'm not ready, and I'm pretty sure you don't really care about them so long as they leave you alone. There's also the fact that we've barely gotten the portal started, which you do care about." I lift my head up to look at her. "I don't know what you want me to do about this."
Serana grips her chin. "That is the thing, I do not believe it was a dragon attack."
I sit up straighter in my chair. "And you think this way because….?"
"For one thing," She begins. "a dragon would not have left so many alive unless they were attempting to send a message. I have seen over two hundred refugees walk past on the road. Some were in large groups, and some were on their own, but there were far too many to have lived through a serious dragon attack. For another, several of the larger groups were set upon by undead. Nothing for us to be concerned about mind you, there was nothing more threatening than a few strong draugr, but the attacks seemed coordinated."
I raise an eyebrow at her. "Undead are all over Skyrim. It's not too far-fetched to think that a couple of them were attracted to the very large, very undefended, people who just ran away from god knows what."
Serana shakes her head. "That is not what I mean. They were coordinated, and seemed to be following after them. Hunting them. As if they were the very reason the people ran in the first place."
I lean back against the table and start massaging my temples. "So what? We've got a cult of well equipped necromancers running around? Unless they find us here, I don't really see how that's our problem."
Serana shrugs at me. "Currently? It is not our problem, but I would rather be prepared for it, than be caught, as you say, 'flat footed'. With your knowledge, do you know of any necromantic organization that could take a well fortified city or town?"
I sit up straight. "I guess I see your point. As for knowing of any necromancers that could pull something like that off? Not off the top of my head. Miraak's cultists are mages, but I'm not sure how many of them specialize in necromancy. There's a group hanging out in a tomb with some powerful ghosts bound, but they're non-hostile unless you mess with them. There's another lady whose husband died. She got all pissed off because he went to fight in the war but ended up dead, and they cremated him before she could raise him. She's a non-issue though. She'll only target the Imperials and Stormcloaks, and that's if she amassed a large enough force."
I pause as I think it over. "Out of the entire group, none of them are coordinated enough, or powerful enough to take a city. If we're talking my best guess? I'd say it's probably Harkon's people. There's enough necromancers among his ranks that he could raise the army, and taking the city wouldn't be all that much trouble if his spawn are half as strong as you."
Serana shakes her head. "Most of them aren't. The last time I saw them, the only ones who could pose a threat to my mother and I were Harkon's inner court. All of whom were turned by him. Vampiric blood dilutes very quickly the closer you are to pure-blooded. Most of the wild vampires in Skyrim are likely a thousand generations removed from a Daughter of Coldharbour, which is why mortals are able to dispatch them easily."
Huh, interesting.
"Nice as that is to know, how likely do you think it is that Harkon had a hand in this? If we need to start prepping for him, I'd rather know now." I say to bring the conversation back on topic.
Serana looks down at the table and grabs her chin to think. "It doesn't fit with his usual methods, nor his wants. The only time he cared enough about mortals to get involved with them was only a century after my mother turned him. He created an empire to assert his superiority over them, but grew bored of their politics after only a few decades. Since then, he hasn't cared enough to take a mortal city. It would draw attention that would annoy him. I can't see him doing this. Are you sure there's no one else?" She looks back up at me.
I lean back in my chair and look at the ceiling as I think. That's all the necromancy dungeons right? I mean, I'm probably missing one or two minor ones, but those are all the ones with named quests attached to them.
I pull up a mental map of the province and look to the east.
"Morthal is the most likely target of this right?" I ask Serana.
"Given the direction they come from, I would say yes."
I shrug. "Could be Movarth."
Serana tilts her head. "Movarth?"
I meet her eyes. "Couple century old vampire from Cyrodiil. He started out as a vampire hunter, but got turned by his informant. For the last few decades he's been trying to take over Morthal. I don't know why he wants the city, but it could be his people that attacked it."
Serana hums. "It is possible, but if he is that young he will not have the necromantic gifts of Harkon's spawn. His blood will have been greatly diluted."
I shrug. "Maybe he turned a bunch of necromancers, I don't know. If you're able to get more information, let me know, but until then this is all just guess work." I stand up. "If that's everything I'm going to go train."
Serana nods and stands. "Yes thank you that is all. Ensure your training is productive."
I leave the room and head to my broom closet.
Mr. Rogers appears at my side with his katana in his mouth and growls playfully.
Time to grind.

Level up! x8
Gain 80 Stat Points!

Dusk the Master of the Storm
Level- 170
Class- Saber - LVL 71/100 [12%]
Crafting Class- N/A [0%]
Tier- Mortal
Alignment- ???
HP- 12160 [2432 per minute]
MP- 15520 [3104 per minute]
SP- 12160 [2432 per minute]
STR- 604
END- 608
DEX - 452
INT - 776
WIS - 776
CHA - 380
LUK - 384
MP Regen= WIS x 4
MP= INT x 20
SP/Health Regen= END x 4
SP/HP= END x 20

For reaching 600 STR you have gained a perk!
Feisty Cuffs
All unarmed damage you do is twice as strong
(Stacks with hard hitting)

For reaching 600 END you have gained a perk!
Adaptive
The more you take a certain type of damage, the less it damages you
(Caps at 30% resistance)

Well that perk really promotes masochism. Then again, I'm alright with that given how powerful it is.
I exit the ID with Mr. Rogers at my side.
It feels like it's been around six hours, so I should probably head up the mountain. Svar wanted to spar after all.
I begin my trek up the various staircases while Mr. Rogers trots off to wherever it is he's going.
I emerge out into the open air and take a look around. I'm pretty high up the mountain now, so I can see pretty far in pretty much every direction. It's overcast, and the sun is getting low, but it doesn't make it too difficult to see. The only major obstacles blocking my vision are other mountains. I also notice a distinct lack of Svar and Paarthurnax in the area around me.
Tapping into my soul sense, I begin feeling around for souls. I get a sense of something very old, and very powerful high above me. I look up between the clouds and see Paarthurnax flying so high, his entire body is about the size of my hand. There's a tiny black dot circling around him that I assume to be Svar.
The two fly around, through and around the clouds as they maneuver.
I let out a sigh.
Guess I'm waiting.
I take a seat and let my mind wander to the various things I have to prepare for.
The most pressing issue right now is obviously the dragons. The many battles we've had with them so far have proven them beatable, but they're still insanely tough. Cities without powerful mages in them are pretty much defenseless. That's probably why Windhelm fell so easily. The court wizard wasn't all that impressive in the game, and I'm willing to bet Ulfric wasn't there yet. It took me and Svar quite a bit to make it to Whiterun, and we had supplies from Gerdur. Ulfric had to go farther, without any support or supplies.
I wonder what his reaction was to seeing the place burned down when he finally got back?
I smile as I imagine the asshole with wide eyes and a gaping jaw.
Getting back on topic, of all the major cities, I'd wager that Solitude is probably the safest from the dragons. It has the Imperial Legion headquarters as well as its own guards. The legion probably brought some decent mages with them, and Solitude's court wizard is a vampire if I remember correctly. I guess Solitude would be the place to go if we need to purchase something for whatever reason. We can just hide behind the guards, and let them take care of everything.
Not exactly brave, but I don't pretend I'm Achilles. I'm not in this to save the world. I'm in this to not get dead, and get stronger along the way.
Next major threat would probably be Harkon, but with Serana's assurance that Morthal doesn't fit his MO, I'm not too worried about him at the moment. I have one of the scrolls he needs for the prophecy in my inventory, and I purposefully left Auriel's Bow's location out of the explanation I gave to Serana. He is effectively neutralized for the moment, and he probably doesn't even know Serana is awake yet. He can wait until later.
When he does start moving though, he'll be after Serana almost immediately. Once the Hall of the Vigilant falls, he'll send that Lovir guy to check her tomb.
That's not his name is it? Lohim? Loki? I don't care.
Point is, he'll figure out pretty quick that his daughter is already up and about. Which will probably send him into a rage, because he's an arrogant control freak. So we'll have his best trackers on us before too long.
I guess I should probably look into some ways to defeat vampires. There's probably something in the library, it's just a matter of finding it. Or I could just ask Serana, but that would be more than a little suspicious.
'Hey Serana! I want to know every weakness vampires have and how best to kill them! I won't attack you though! Promise!'
Thinking about it, it would be worse if I didn't tell her about it, and she found signs of my research in the library. That's guaranteed to piss her off.
I'm overthinking this too much. I'll worry about the vampires when the vampires need to be worried about.
Moving on, thirdly, and the one I currently have the least information about, is Miraak. As far as I'm aware, he is still stuck under the elder god cosplayer's thumb. I'm going to be hesitantly optimistic about him until I hear any bad news from Solstheim. I don't expect him to send Cultists here like in the game, but then again, religious fanatics are fucking crazy. They might show up anyway.
Will they be that much of a threat though? In the game they were only hard to fight if you didn't have a good way to combat mages. Here, they should be relatively easy to take down, but I could be underestimating them…
Great, now I'm overthinking everything.
New plan, I'm going to assume the vampires are not active until proven otherwise, and the cultists are still building shrines to Miraak in their bedrooms. I'll focus on the dragons until I learn of anything else that needs my immediate attention.
Speaking of dragons…
Paarthurnax's large form swoops down and lands a fair distance from me. I look up and see Svar slowly drifting down as well.
I stand and go to meet her when she lands. Her cloak begins to knit itself back together.
"You know," I begin. "This place is supposed to be secret. Having a massive dragon constantly flying around is going to make people ask questions."
Svar snorts as she stretches her muscles. "There haven't been all that many people around, and those that have been can't see us. The thu'um can make some decent illusions if you know what you're doing. Which Paarthurnax certainly does."
I raise an eyebrow at her. "I take it you're getting along then?"
Svar smiles and looks over her shoulder at her teacher. "I suppose so, but I've got to be careful around him. He can really chew my ear off." She turns back to me with a grin.
I just stare at her. "Really?"
"Geh. She has been making the same joke for days now." Paarthurnax speaks up from a rock he lounges on. "Nothing I have tried has been able to stall her sense of humor."
Svar just cackles as she focuses back on me. "So, you ready to get your ass kicked?" She says with a hungry grin.
I make some over exaggerated stretches and say, "I guess I've got some time, so how are we doing this? Anything goes? Or are there special rules I need to know?"
Paarthurnax hmm's. "So long as you do not permanently harm one-another, use every avenue of nos available to you. I will step in if things get out of hand. I will also cover your krif in illusions so as to keep your home's location secret."
I nod to him and turn back to face Svar. "Ready when you are."
She grins, and her cloak begins to split itself down the middle. Her body starts to change the way I've come to associate with her metal form, but this time it's different. Instead of a solid silver plate color, she starts to turn midnight black. Her skin turns into a pattern of overlapped, black oval shapes. The pattern extends out over her cloak as well, changing her cloth wings into ones closely resembling those of the dragon behind her.
Holy shit, she's got scales.
She grins at me with sharper teeth. "What do you think?" She asks, her voice deeper than normal. "It took a while to figure this out, but I think it's worth it don't you?"
I let my eyes roam over her form. "You look badass."
She pouts at me and her shoulders droop slightly. "Just badass?"
I raise an eyebrow at her display. "I'm not going to lie and say I don't find you hot as hell, but I was keeping that to myself because we're not exactly alone." I nudge my head in Paarthurnax's direction.
Svar perks back up and waves me off. "Don't worry. Paarthurnax doesn't mind. We've already talked about the whole thing."
"Geh." The deep voice says from behind her. "I am too old to be made uncomfortable by mortal's displaying affection towards each other."
I look at him for a moment.
Eh, I guess it makes sense.
I shrug and turn back to Svar. "In that case, I find you very attractive, and almost regret the fact I have to beat the shit out of you now."
Svar leans forward and grins wide. "Try." With that, she leaps from the ground and takes to the sky, climbing higher and higher.
Looking up at her, I smile and shift into my lightning form. Bringing my own wings into existence in the process. I activate Godspeed as well, and feel the comforting rush of energy it provides me.
Svar comes to a stop high in the sky and looks challengingly down at me.
Sadly for her, I don't plan on playing fair.
I teleport to right above her and send a massive bolt directly into her back.
She gasps, having not expected an attack from that angle, and falls a good twenty feet before catching herself and turning to look up at me.
"Tag." I say down to her. "You're it."
She looks up at me and a predatory grin takes over her features.
"HORVUTAH!!" She shouts.
Not knowing what that word means, I try to dodge, but every part of me refuses to move. That should be all but impossible, I'm made of fricking energy right now.
Svar lazily drifts up and rests her hand against my unmoving electrical face. "You're it." She flies off and I'm free to move again.
I start after her at a cautious pace as she begins laughing once more. "RONAAZ!!" She shouts, and a forest green ethereal bow and quiver appear around her. She rolls over in mid air and begins firing her arrows at me.
That's a neat trick.
I experimentally let one hit my arm to see if the arrows will pass through my lightning form.

-150HP

That answers that question. I move at Godspeed enhanced speeds to avoid every other shot she sends my way.
I put some distance between us, and stop to look around.
Seeing the large gathering of dark grey clouds, I get an idea. I wouldn't normally do this, because of the whole 'secret base' bit, but since Paarthurnax said he's got us covered...
I stay still as I focus my magic, and Svar shoots one more arrow before staring at me confused.
I smile at her as the sky begins to rumble.
Comprehension shows on her face, and she immediately begins to dive back down towards the mountain.
I let out my own laugh as the darkened sky lights up electric blue. I use my magic to summon lightning from the sky to hary Svar. A massive electrical storm comes into existence in the area. Every single bolt fired from it homes in on Svar, but she's able to dodge quite effectively.
Svar's actually managed to dodge quite a few of the bolts, surprising me. Must be a combat awareness of some sort if she can dodge away from lightning. It doesn't last though, as the fifth bolt connects with her back.
She lets out a grunt as she's forced downward. She rolls so she is falling backwards and begins firing arrows at me even as she falls.
I swerve to dodge, and begin to follow after her, still raining bolts down towards her.
She rolls to avoid my strikes, and keeps sending arrow after arrow at me.
She stops firing arrows, and pours even more speed into her descent. When she's moments from hitting the ground, she lets out a loud yell.
"FEIM!!" Her scaled body becomes that of a ghost. Where typically everything she holds or carries becomes ethereal with her, her spectral bow stays as it is. She finds her footing on the ground, and starts shooting arrows at me once more.
She figured out a way to attack while she's effectively invulnerable. That's pretty fucking baddass.
Unluckily for her, I've been working on magic that doesn't attack you physically.
Confident in my new magic after practicing for nearly a month, I shape a bolt of violet energy with my hands, and send it down amongst the lighting.
She doesn't move, expecting it to pass through her as the lightning does. Insted, when it connects her ghostly body locks up.
I land in front of her and smile. "You're not the only one with new tricks."
I use my lightning magic to form an electric replica of Yamato and wait for her ethereal form to time out.
It does, and I release her from my spell.
She stares across at me as she pulls Ascalon from its sheath. "Soul magic?"
"Yep. Turns out it's a lot more varied than you'd expect. I guess it makes sense though. I mean, if you can control the thing that controls someone's body, why can't you control the body itself?" I brandish my lightning sword. "You ready?"
She charges in lieu of an answer. She's gotten faster, and stronger, but I easily deflect her attacks.
I've gained two new sword styles since she last saw me fight, I'm taking her apart without even attacking.
She pulls back and creates some distance to catch her breath. "When the hell did you get this good?"
I shrug. "You were working on the thu'um, I worked on soul magic and swordplay. It makes sense that I'd leave you behind."
I give her a playful smile, then disappear from her view. Moving at speeds her eyes are hard pressed to track.
Her eyes widen as she begins to look around. "KORAAV!!" She ducks the second the word leaves her mouth, barely dodging a strike coming at her from behind.
I exit Godspeed and stop in front of her. "We've never really fought each other before,so you've never realized how annoying it is to deal with my speed. I wonder how long you can keep up?"
A long groan emanates from behind me. "I understand this is no true krif, but you two are speaking too much. This is not the time for tiinvak."
"Shut up Paarthurnax!" Svar yells without looking away from me.
I shrug. "He's got a point. Get ready." I reactivate Godspeed and charge around her.
"PRODAH!!!" Svar yells.
Every time I come in for an attack, she's already moving to block it. Combat prediction is a bitch. She can't hope to match my speed, so she's moving before I start to. Guess I just have to do something that prediction won't help with.
I come to a stop about ten feet from her and gather my magic.
Her eyes widen and she tries to dodge, but the attack I desgined needs more than a little warning to flee from..
From the sky, dozens of violet lightning bolts begin to blanket the entire area.
Sweat covers Svar's forehead as she tries to predict the path of every bolt charging towards her, but it's obvious her prediction is overloaded. She knows she can't use Become Ethereal, because I've enhanced the bolts with soul magic. She has to dodge every one or she'll get frozen up again.
Seeing my chance, I Godspeed in and use Jigen-ryu to prepare a major strike.
Svar tries to dodge out of the way, but after dancing in and out of the bolts, she is too tired.
My blade connects with her stomach, and she is sent flying into a nearby boulder. The impact cracks the stone, and leaves Svar's scaled form in a heap on the ground.
I walk up to her, and see her trying to get to her feet.
Guess I still haven't won.
I Godspeed the rest of the way with a Chidori on my hand. I grab her by the neck with my other hand, and bring the Chidori in front of her face.
"Stab." I say.
Svar struggles for a moment, but ultimately relaxes. "You're going down next time."
The corner of my lip pulls up, and I let the Chidori fade. "Doubt it." I hold my hand out to her and help her up.
Her scales fade away and her cloak knits itself back together. She begins healing herself, and I pitch in.
A loud humming draws both of our attention. "You are improving quickly Dovahkiin, but you must be more creative in how you strike. The kro defeated you because of his unexpected attacks, and ability to adapt to your own methods. Mindol on this revelation for your next battle."
Svar gives the dragon a quick bow. "I will."
Paarthurnax turns to me. "You were creative, but you must vosaraan your attacks. Use your speed more effectively, and you will end the battle before your opponent is able to retaliate."
I nod towards him. "Thanks for the pointers."
The dragon nods back. "Well done both of you, but vulon is growing closer. Retire to rest. I will do the same."
With that, the dragon takes to the sky, and begins to fly the rest of the way up the mountain.
Svar throws an arm around my waist and leads me back into the temple. "Let's go to sleep." She says.
I enjoy the company as we walk back through the halls towards our room.
"Ah, good. I was looking for you."
I sigh.
Can I just go to sleep please?
"What's up Serana?" I ask.
"You wished to know if I learned anything about the situation in Morthal. I have discovered something." She answers and motions for us to follow her.
Svar looks up at me with a raised eyebrow as we follow after Serana. "What happened in Morthal?"
I shrug. "Don't have all the details, but apparently there was an undead attack somewhere in the general area. Serana's not sure whether it was in the city proper or not."
Svar's eyebrows scrunch together. "How does she know it happened at all?"
"I didn't know if it was in the city proper or not. I have learned the truth since we spoke earlier today, and I am aware of the situation because I am using small undead animals as scouts to ensure our safe haven remains secret." The vampiress responds as we all enter the mess hall we eat meals in.
We all take a seat around a small round table.
Please don't be Harkon.
"What'd you figure out?" I ask.
She turns to face me. "I have confirmed that the city was not only attacked, but taken, and there were several vampires present. However, none were strong enough to have been sired by Harkon."
Svar's eyes widen. "You're saying a group of vampires took an entire city? And they weren't the ones we expected to do so? Great. The dragons weren't enough excitement apparently. What are the chances they move this way and cause us problems?"
Serana hums. "From what I have seen, the odds of them causing us trouble are minimal to non-existent. The vampires are very disciplined, and seem to be following someone's orders to not leave the city. The only reason I have seen undead on the roads is because they were sent on their own."
I lean against the table. "So this is probably Movarth then? Did you see any necromancers in the city?"
Serana places a hand on her chin and thinks. "There were quite a few necromancers, and the evidence does suggest that your Movarth is the leader."
Svar looks between us. "Ok, that's great and all, we know there's a guy named Movarth who has Morthal, but why do we care? Unless he's trying to destroy the world, I couldn't care less. So long as his actions don't screw with us, I'm fine with leaving him be."
I nod at her. "I'm of the same mind, but it's better to gather information on him, and be ready if he does attack us, then to be unprepared when he does."
Svar shrugs. "I get it. I just don't want to get involved in things that aren't our problem."
Serana studies Svar. "That is not the attitude the fated savior of Nirn should have Svarline."
Svar raises an eyebrow at the vampiress. "What's Nirn ever done for me? Why the hell should I get myself killed fighting other people's battles for them? I'll probably go after Alduin eventually, but that's just because she'll come to me if I don't. If Miraak and your sperm donor don't fuck with me, I'll leave them alone."
Serana hums. "Good. You and Dusk both have an attitude that will not only keep you alive, but make you strong. I think the three of us could grow to be wonderful friends."
I deadpan stare at her. "So long as you don't go tearing our throats out anyway."
She bares her fangs at me in a smile. "But that's an important part of our relationship's development!"
Svar growls. "What did she do?"
I wave her off. "It's handled. Just keep an eye on her, her mood changes with the breeze."
Serana feigns hurt. "You are very harsh Dusk! I merely wanted to see what you would do if I placed you in a compromising position. I had already tested Svarline, and while she was inexperienced at the time, she handled herself admirably."
I narrow my eyes at the vampiress. "When exactly did you 'test' Svar?"
She hums. "Before we left my prison for our journey here. Do not worry yourself Dusk, had I been unimpressed with her, I would have killed her." She says matter of factly. "She has grown much even in the brief time we have spent here, and while Paarthurnax is assuredly a great teacher, Svarline had already become able to control herself. She still has much ground to cover before she truly masters her nature, but she is making impressive progress."
I don't look away. "I can't help but realize you glossed over the fact that you would have killed her. Do we still need to watch out for that? Or in your infinite wisdom have you judged us worthy of continuing to persist in your presence?"
Serana chuckles. "I already told you Dusk. I find the both of you interesting. I will not act against you unless you do something I simply cannot tolerate, which I feel is highly unlikely. If I partake of your blood, it will be for reasons other than killing you." She says calmly.
Svar slowly stands, and glares at the vampiress. "He's mine. Keep your fangs and claws to yourself bitch."
Serana leans back in her chair and looks to the ceiling, unperturbed by Svar's display. "You can rest easy, Svarline. I do not seek to steal your mate. I just find him interesting, a quality I find in yourself as well." She meets Svar's eyes as she finishes.
They're doing the posturing thing again aren't they?
Svar nods sharply. "Good. If you don't care about him, then you'll have no problem leaving him to me."
Yep, they're doing the posturing thing again.
Serana tilts her head as she studies Svar. "As I said Svarline, you have no reason to worry. I will not steal away your mate. However, I might be interested in sharing."
Svar's eyes narrow and she growls. "Dusk. Is. Mine."
And Serana's prodding around with her bear poking stick again. Fucking fantastic.
I sigh. "She's playing mind games again Svar. Trying to see what buttons she can poke to set off your dragon side. Just ignore her."
Serana looks with a straight face. "I am being quite serious Dusk. If in time the two of you continue to interest me, I would not be opposed to sharing both of you."
I raise an eyebrow at her. "Sorry, but gotta say no. That's not really fair to Svar."
Svar grins at Serana. "Welp, looks like he's not interested. I'm sure you'll find someone else Serana, there's plenty of fish in the sea after all."
Serana throws her head back and sighs. "The two of you are laughably inexperienced in these matters aren't you? Very well, if I must be blunt, I will be blunt." She stands, and walks around the table to Svar.
I get ready to activate Godspeed. The last time she played games I ended up inside a wall, and I'm not willing to get caught off guard like that again.
Svar doesn't back down as Serana comes to a stop a pace away from her. "What is this supposed to mean?" Svar asks her.
Serana reaches her arms out and pulls Svar forward.
I activate Godspeed and move to defend her. I stop upon seeing something that I would never have even thought could happen.
It seems I've been caught off guard again.
Serana has pressed herself up against a wide eyed Svarline and is making out with her.
What?
Serana pulls away, and walks towards me.
Svar and I are still trying to wrap our heads around what the fuck just happened when I feel a pair of lips press against mine.
Holy shit Serana is a good kisser.
She pulls back and steps a few paces away.
"Now that I have clarified my statement, I would like to make a few other things clear." Serana speaks while Svar and I are too stunned to move. "By a vampire's metric, it has not been very long at all since I awoke from my forced sleep. I thank you both for freeing me, and for aiding me in the liberation of my mother, but I am currently not interested in any serious romantic entanglements. If, when I have adjusted to this new time and place, I am still interested in you both, and you are not opposed to the arrangement, I would be open to trying it." She pauses for a moment as she looks between us. "Now, I'm sure you have much to think about, so I will allow you to rest as I continue my work on the portal. Goodnight Svarline, Dusk."
She glides from the room without another word.
What in the literal fuck just happened?
"What in the literal fuck just happened?" Svar asks.
Oh good. It's not just me.
"I don't have a fucking clue." I say back to her.
Svar violently shakes her head to get herself back under control. "I vote we go to sleep and forget this happened until morning for the sake of our sanity."
I nod. Even with Gamer's Mind I'm having trouble processing this.
"Agreed." I say.
The two of us walk back to our room, and collapse into the bed.
"Goodnight Svar."
"Goodnight Dusk."

(Interlude: The Crone)

I hope they kill me.
That's the only thing I can bring myself to think as I'm led by heavily armed guards to where I will meet with the Jarls.
They really pulled out all the stops to deal with me. The guards all carry weapons infused with silver, and their armor is also lined with it. At least one of them is a devout worshipper of one of the divines. I can sense them, but given how close together we're all standing, it's impossible to tell who it is.
Good. If I'm forced to attack them, I want to lose.
I'm brought to a large room in the Blue Palace. Sitting against the far wall, are all of the Jarls with the exception of the weasel.
And myself I guess.
It's quite a sight seeing Ulfric sat at Elisif's side. Never would've thought that could work, even if they had a thousand years to get over their bickering.
Standing between the Jarls and myself is a small advance force worth of guards. Standing behind them, are a number of wizards, some of whom I recognize from my dealings with the College.
I catch a strange scent, and turn to my right. Standing with Archmage Savos Aren, is Harbinger Kodlak Whitemane of the Companions. He smells like a wolf.
"Idgrod." A voice pulls me from my thoughts. "I wish I could say you are welcome within these walls, but under the current circumstances, I would ask you to say what you came to say and leave." Elisif says with iron in her voice.
She's grown a lot. Good, she might realize the threat I pose and end me.
"That is no longer my name." The compulsion Bitch put on me forces me to say. "I am the Crone now. I have no words, only a letter written by my Lady."
I pull the letter from my robe as quickly as possible. The warriors all tense, but not one of them strikes me.
I am forced to internalize my frustration at their restraint while one of them steps forward to snatch the paper from my hand.
"Who is 'your Lady'?" Ulfric speaks up.
I turn to him. "The letter explains all." I reply. Because of course Bitch doesn't want me talking about her.
"Archmage." Korir speaks up quickly. "Would you please ensure there are no magical traps within that parchment?"
Savos nods with a smile and calmly walks forward. He takes the letter from the guard, and casts a few spells.
He turns to Korir. "If there are any malicious enchantments, they are beyond my ability to detect."
In other words, if they exist, they're fucked anyway. Great.
Elisif stands and walks forward to take the paper from the wizard.
She tears it open and quickly reads through it. Her features grow more and more distraught the further she reads.
The room waits in tense silence for her to speak.
Once finished, Elisif looks up at me with pity in her eyes. "I am so sorry my old friend."
If you're sorry then fucking kill me girl!
"What do you mean? What does it say?" Laila practically screams.
Elisif ignores her, instead turning to Savos. "This stone," She holds up a glowing turquoise rock.
Huh, so that's why there was a bulge in the letter.
"I need you to identify it." Elisif finishes.
"What was in the letter?" Ulfric says, now on his feet.
She turns to the Jarls. "I will not spread unnecessary panic until it's accuracy is verified." She turns back to Savos and holds out the stone.
"That bad huh?" Skald says in a defeated tone as he leans back in his chair.
Savos takes the rock, and casts the same spells from before.
Huh, never seen a dark elf pale before. That's actually a pretty interesting sight.
"Mirabelle." Savos says with gravity. "I need a second opinion."
The woman walks forward and takes the stone from him. She too casts several spells and goes pale.
"How?!" The female wizard yells as she turns to me. "How is she back?"
"The letter explains all." I'm forced to say.
Igmund stands. "Will someone please enlighten the rest of the room as to the gravity of the situation?!?!"
Savos goes to speak, but Elisif cuts him off.
"No. All guards are to leave immediately. I will not have this information spread before we devise a strategy for dealing with it." She says coldly.
"Are you mad?!?" Igmund cries. "The traitor is a vampire. She'll attempt to kill us if we are undefended!"
Elisif shakes her head. "Idgrod will not attack us, and if she does, we will have the Harbinger of the Companions, the Archmage of the College, my court wizard, and Jarl Ulfric to defeat her. Any newly turned vampire would be hard pressed to defeat two of those opponents, let alone all of them. All. Guards. Leave." She orders.
"Do as she says." The calm voice of Ulfric Stormcloak calls out to the assembled warriors.
When in Oblivion did these two start working together?
My best chance at assisted suicide slowly files out of the room, until only the Jarls, the representatives from the Companions and College, and Elisif's court wizard remain.
My eyes catch on the last one, who is intently focused on me. The court wizard is a vampire. I didn't notice before, because she was in the back, but I can see her now.
"There. Our guards are gone, now tell us what was in that Oblivion damned letter!" Igmund yells out.
Elisif turns to face the Jarls. "The Wolf Queen Potema has returned from the dead, and controls an army of vampires, and various other forms of undead."
There is nothing but silence for a long while.
"How certain of this are we?" Ulfric asks her.
Elisif turns to the Archmage.
Savos meets her gaze. "There is no way this stone was faked. Each mage's magic can have a unique signature if the mage is strong enough. She was practically screaming at us that this is her. She wants us to know that not only is she back, but she has already taken Morthal."
"What happened to Idgrod?" Laila asks looking at me. We were good friends once.
Elisif shakes her head. "The letter says, 'she is under my full control, but her mind is still her own. She will tear your throat out without hesitation, but she will scream and rage at herself to stop even as she does so. Isn't that beautiful?' We need to find a way to free her."
No, you need to kill me girl! I've lived long enough already, kill me before she orders me to kill you all!
"You can't free her." Elisif's court wizard says from her position.
Elisif's head snaps to her. "Why not?"
"She has been blood bound. I don't know how Potema was able to accomplish the feat, or even where she was able to learn of it. I only know about it because I found an ancient tome written by an even more ancient vampire. The only way to free the Jarl is to kill her."
Yes! Someone talking sense!
"What is a blood bond?" Kodlak asks her.
She turns to face him. "Something I did not truly believe to exist, but it is apparent to me that is what has been done to her. It takes an extremely powerful vampiric sire to achieve. If Potema was her sire, then the power requirement was most likely met. It binds the sired to the Sire's will for all time. So long as they both have blood, she will never be free."
"How do you know of this? Where is this 'tome' you speak of?" Skald asks her coldly.
"I believe her." Kodlak says to the man while he and the court wizard share a knowing look. "I would appreciate it if we could move on to how we will react to this news."
"We need to know how Potema acquired an army of vampires in the first place." Ulfric says. "We have determined they are all old, so either she has been back for quite some time, or the vampires have been lying in wait for her."
"What vampire would be old enough to be waiting for her? We have hunted them all down at great cost." Laila says somberly.
They don't know about Movarth. Of course they don't know about Movarth! I didn't know about Movarth, and he was practically in my backyard!
I try to say his name, but Bitch is stopping me somehow. Can she see through me? No, the other vampire would have already killed me if that was the case. It must be something else.
I need to tell them about Movarth.
I get an idea and quickly say, "Immortal Bloo…" interrupting whatever Igmund was saying.
My voice forcefully cut itself off before I could finish speaking. I try to speak up again, but the same restriction on Movarth's name has been placed on the book.
"What did she just say?" Mirabelle asks.
Elisif turns to me. "Can you repeat that Idgrod?"
I stare straight ahead and don't move.
"She said, 'Immortal Bloo' and is now unable to speak. I would wager that whatever that means, it is of great import." Kodlak speaks up.
The court wizard looks at me. "Immortal Blood. It is a book about Movarth Piquine, a vampire hunter turned vampire. It is believed he was killed years ago, but if he was able to fake his death, it would explain Potema's vampiric soldiers."
Elisif's eyes light up as she turns to me. "Is there anything else you can tell us Idgrod? Anything at all?"
Before I can even think about answering, I feel Bitch's control take hold, and fight to keep my mouth closed. It does no good.
"My Lady calls me back to her side. I must be going now. Will I be given an escort or shall I show myself out?" I say.
Elisif's face falls, but hardens quickly. "Sybille? Please show her out, and ensure she doesn't go anywhere she shouldn't."
The vampiric wizard nods and begins forward and motions for me to follow her.
She leads me out of the palace, and back through the streets. Townspeople flee from my sight, and guards tense as I pass.
It hurts to see them react to me this way, but I can understand. I'm not Idgrod anymore. Bitch turned me into The Crone.
Before too long, we come to the gates. The large palisade is pulled up so I may walk through.
"Best of luck Idgrod." The court wizard says genuinely. "But be warned, should I face The Crone in battle, I will hold nothing back."
You should just kill me now you stupid wizard.
My body moves on it's own as I start under the gate. My arm brushes up against the wall and….

I drop the drained child onto the ground and continue walking forward.
Warriors and mages throw themselves at me, they do everything they can to stop me, but it's not enough. I open my mouth wide and let out joyous laughter as I tear them all to pieces.
They thought they could defeat me? I am The Crone. I have only one equal.
I wade through the bodies around me, ripping them apart with my claws, with my teeth, with my hemomancy, with each other.
I make my way towards the keep, my love is surely waiting for me.
As I continue on my way, slaughtering every defender in my path, I see a large shape flying over the city and allow myself a grin.
The dracolich was definitely worth the effort. It is beautiful.
Finally at the keep, I throw a fist forward and break in through the wall.
It's pathetic I once thought these places safe.
Even more faceless blood bags throw themselves into my path, and are torn apart for their effort.
I calmly make my way up the stairs, and hear a defiant voice speak out.
"You haven't won. All of Tamriel will come for you now!" A woman's voice speaks with iron.
"I know! Isn't it wonderful? Soon, the entire world will belong to two people! Shame you won't be around to see it." My love proclaims, bringing another blood stained smile to my face.
I hear a growl as I move closer.
"You're insane! I hope Molag Bal obliterates your soul bitch!" The same woman snarls.
I let out my own snarl in response and use my vampiric speed to appear in front of the woman in the blink of an eye.
I grasp her throat in my hand and lift her up.
She lets out a low moan of protest, but she is far too weak to resist.
I lean in close to her. "Only I can call her that." I growl.
I form a fist and completely collapse her throat, crushing bone and flesh as easily as if it were paper.
The corpse falls away in two pieces, everything from the neck down falling with a wet thud, and the head falling with a *plunk* before it rolls away.
I hear an affectionate sigh from behind me, and feel two arms wrap themselves around my stomach.
"You are too protective of me Crone. I can take care of myself you know?" My love says as she rests her head on my shoulder.
I spin around in her arms and pull her close. "Without me watching after you, you're likely to be killed a second time. That is something I will not allow. You. Are. Mine."
She chuckles and rests her forehead against mine. "I am yours." She says. Her eyes shine with a rarely seen intensity. "And you, You. Are. Mine."
I smile. "I am yours, Bitch."
She smiles hungrily and pulls me in for a long kiss.
This is what I was born for, covered in gore, standing amongst the ruins of a city filled with corpses, with my bloodsoaked lover in my arms.
This is perfect.

I stumble as the vision abruptly ends.
Even under Bitch's control, that was enough to physically move me.
I have never had a vision that vivid.
I feel a steely resolve worm it's way into my stomach.
I will not become her Crone. I will not let that vision come to pass.
I am not The Crone.
I am Idgrod Ravencrone, and I will kill Potema.

(Interlude: Sam Guevenne)

I scratch my head as a small fish swims by over my shoulder.
I've looked everywhere, but I Just. Can't. Find it.
"Are you sure it's down here Sheo? It seems a little too convenient." I gurgle towards my friend.
He offers me a manic smile. "That's the thing about madness Sammy Boyo! EVERYTHING ALWAYS WORKS OUT!!!! Unless it doesn't of course, but if you don't think about it, that won't happen!" His words undistorted by the water around us.
I shrug. I can't fault his logic, so there must be wisdom in what he says.
I continue walking around the ocean floor as I search for the item that will win me this match.
It's not that I would despise losing to my friend, but the bragging rights! Those are what make parties so glorious! If he beats me, then he gets the bragging rights. Debauchery is my pastime, not my friend's.
As such, I must endeavor to always be the center of the party. Thus, I must win the bragging rights.
A manically gleeful laugh draws my attention back to my friend.
"Look Sammy! LOOK! I found a Dinglehopper!!" He proudly presents a small fork for me to study.
"Hmm. Yes I suppose you have. Does that count for anything? I seem to have forgotten our scoring system."
He bobs his head up and down, causing bubbles to rise from his beard. "Yeperoonie!! It counts at negative twelve-thousand-four-hundred-seventy-two."
I sigh. "I guess that means the only way for me to win now is to find the big one."
Things are looking quite poor for my chances.
My friend continues to nod enthusiastically. "Yep Yep Yep Yep YEP!!! I'm gonna win Sammy! And then I'll lose the winning!!!!"
I harden my resolve. "I'm not out of this yet Sheo. I will not lose."
I double my efforts as I continue across the ocean floor. Intently scanning for a singular item.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a flash of green. I snap my head in that direction, and lunge out to grab it.
I let out a cheerful laugh.
"I've done it!" I call out to my friend.
He appears from nowhere at my side and scratches his chin as he verifies my findings.
"Well fiddlesticks!!! Nice job Sammy!!!"
I smile as I gently caress the beautiful seaweed that has won me the game. "It's a miracle we were able to find any down here."
My friend nods sagely. "Yes, very fortunate. Who puts seaweed in the sea? The absolute sanity." He says with disgust.
I nod once more and turn to face him. "It's all tied up again at 289 to 289. What's our next game?" I ask with thinly veiled excitement.
"Canter Loping!!! Follow me!!!" He begins running straight upwards and I follow him.
A thought occurs to me and I turn my head to look at my friend while we run. "Don't you have to go look for the yous soon? Do you have time for another game?"
My friend stops running, but keeps pace with me as he stands there. "We've got plenty of time!!! Besides, this is the most fun I've never had!!!"
I smile at my friend. "I must admit Sheo, I'm having a ball!"
The two of us laugh together as we continue to rise.
Coming to the mortal realm was the greatest idea I've had in centuries! To think, having fun with other Princes required leaving Oblivion!
Truly, only a madman would think of it.
The two of us continue running and standing to the surface, excited for our next game.