Chapter 23: 23

Chapter Text

The next morning the four of us gathered together to eat/drink breakfast. Well, the humanoids did. Mr. Rogers trotted off with his sword somewhere.

"What is our next move?" Valerica asks the table. "I am aware Svarline and Dusk wanted to deal with some individuals in Whiterun, but I believe it would be best to prepare for Potema's retaliation. She will not take this assault lying down."

"No, she won't." Serana agrees. "I don't know what allies she went to retrieve, but it would be safe to assume they are at least as capable as the ones we just defeated. Likely more so if she intended to escalate her attacks after failing to take Solitude."

"So what do we do?" I ask. "Aside from making a sea of undead, there's not much we can do to fortify this place. I've already set up a bunch of wards, and we're in a mountain. That's about as physically fortified as you can get."

Svar looks over at me. "Do you know of anything we could use to make this place safer? You knew where the Elder Scrolls and Staff of Magnus were, is there anything else we could use?"

I sit back in my chair to think.

Most notable items in Skyrim are Daedric Artifacts, and I want to avoid messing with those for obvious reasons. She mentioned the Staff, there is the Eye…

"Potentially, but I don't know how we'd move the damn thing, and it's going to bring a lot of attention down on us."

Serana looks intrigued. "What is it?"

I pull the Staff from my inventory and put it on the table. "This thing's older cousin. Not sure if any of you have heard of the Eye of Magnus, but it's essentially a giant ball of concentrated mana. Not sure what all we could use it for to be honest, the one guy I know of who messed with it didn't have much imagination. He made a sparkly shield, and was immune to magic while near it, but again, he wasn't exactly smart with how he used the thing."

Valerica picks up the Staff and stares into the orb atop it. "I have heard of the Eye, but I do not know what it is capable of either. While I would certainly like for us to retrieve it, a weapon we don't understand could be more deadly than having no weapon at all." She puts the Staff back down.

I shrug. "So long as the College mages aren't in the area, it shouldn't be too hard to retrieve it, but I'm of the same mind. I'd rather us have something we know how to use."

Svar turns to Valerica. "Ok, so what about that orb? You used it before we attacked the city, so you've obviously got some idea what to do with it. Can you do anything with the souls from Morthal?"

Valerica turns to her. "I'm sure there is something I could do, but I haven't found it yet. The orb has never had access to this many souls before, let alone souls of such power. We are currently working to make use of them."

The orb has never had this many souls. So we have no idea what it's capable of right now?

"Be careful with that thing." I caution. "If this is really the first time it's had this much power, it might decide it doesn't need you anymore."

Valerica nods seriously. "I have already taken that into account. Before I began to utilize its power, I bound it to myself using a few tricks I picked up in the Soul Cairn. As it was awed by my strength, it did not resist. It belongs to me now."

Ok, that is equal parts terrifying and badass. Don't fuck with mama vamp.

"So long as you've got a handle on it I'm happy." I turn back to the table. "Any other ideas?"

Serana looks at me. "What of your ability to retrieve items? We did just destroy a city, I would imagine that would grant you a number of uses."

I nod. "I've actually got seven at the moment. You think we should start with that?"

"I'd say yes." Svar answers. "There's not really a reason not to."

I shrug. She's right. Might as well.

Item Added

A Belt Buckle

Use this belt buckle to secure your belt

(Belt not included)

I hold up the simple square that might as well be scrap metal.

"What's that?" Svar asks.

"A belt buckle." I deadpan back.

Serana chuckles. "I suppose we could place it on the ground in the hopes that someone slips on it. We are already making progress in defending our home."

I turn to her, and see a good natured smile on her face.

"Might as well try it." I say. "There's nothing else this thing will be good for."

"One down." Svar says.

Taking the que, I use the second coin.

Item Added

The 'F' Key

This 'F' key was pulled off a keyboard. You will need to find a keyboard before you can make use of this 'F'

"Oh fuck you and the horse you rode in on." I say aloud as I throw the thing down on the table.

Serana reaches a hand out and picks the key up. "F?" She asks. "What is the significance of this? It's just a letter?"

I sigh and wace her off. "It's a joke from another universe. It was used to 'pay respects' or give condolences for something."

How am I supposed to explain a Modern Warfare meme that was inherited by the larger internet to a bunch of people who have never seen a calculator?

"It's not bad though?" Svar asks.

I chuckle. "No, it's not going to kill us. It's just a stupid joke."

"I must say this is interesting." Valerica breaks in with a smile on her face. "I have never seen such a simple symbol elicit such a reaction before."

"Glad I could give the immortal vampiress a new experience. Let's hope the next thing's better."

Item Added

Belt of Beard Growth

The wearer of this belt shall grow a full beard by every new dawn.

I stare at the strip of leather in front of me through half lidded eyes.

Seriously? Can I get something useful please?

"Oh look!" Svar says. "We can use the belt buckle now! So, what does it do?"

"Anyone who wears it will grow a beard every morning." I say blandly.

There's a moment of silence as everyone comprehends that.

"That has to be one of the most useless enchantments I have ever seen." Serana says as she picks up the belt. "Does anyone have a use for this, or can I use it as a battery."

"Feel free." I say.

When no one else objects, she tucks it away into her robe, and I use the next coin.

Item Added

A Toe

This severed toe once belonged to a human. It now belongs to you.

I lightly slam my head down onto the table.

"What?" Svar asks. "What did you get?"

Without moving, I hold my hand up.

"Is that…"

"A severed toe?" I cut Serana off. "Yes. Yes it is."

I hear a chuckle, and turn to look at Svar. She holds my gaze for a moment, then bursts out laughing.

I let out a long sigh, and wait for her to get herself under control.

This is turning out to be a very fruitful endeavor. I'm so glad these things are quest rewards, there's absolutely nothing I could want more.

By the time Svar gets herself under control, both Serana and Valerica are also grinning widely at me.

Whatever, I've only got two left. Let's get this over with.

Item Added

Bag of Holding

This satchel opens into a pocket dimension that is 64 cubic feet. So long as something fits completely within the bag, the bag can hold it

Much better than a freaking toe, but also kind of useless because of my inventory.

"Anyone want a personal pocket dimension?" I ask, holding the bag up. "I already have one, and that's exactly what this is, except mine is much larger."

Valerica shakes her head. "I do not have many possessions, and thus have no use for it."

Serana nods. "I do not require it either." She turns to Svar. "Svarline?"

"Mine." She grabs it, and starts messing around with it.

She drops Ascalon in, then shoves her head inside to look. "Cool." She says. She pulls a Marry Poppins and shoves her entire arm into the small bag.

"Glad you like it, just don't trap yourself in there. It has very little air." I warn.

She nods, and I use the next coin.

Item Added

#2 Pencil

This graphite based #2 pencil is the standard testing implement used by students in the USA

Without a second's hesitation I snap the small yellow stick that appears in my hand.

Fuck these things. Seriously.

"Another joke?" Serana asks with a smile on her face.

"Yep." I don't elaborate.

Item Added

Blinded Sharingan

These eyes once belonged to an Uchiha who had unlocked their Mangekyou. They used their abilities too much however, and went blind. Rendering their eyes useless.

I look at the two blank orbs, and toss them in my inventory.

At this point, I'm not even mad. I expect shit like this. Besides, I might be able to use them in some sort of ritual.

"What were those?" Serana asks curiously.

"Blind eyeballs. They used to have powerful abilities tied to them, but the power got used up. We might be able to use them some other way." I reply.

"Nothing overly helpful then." Valerica concludes.

I shake my head. "It was a good idea, but sadly nothing came of it. I'm just glad we didn't get anything bad."

Svar raises an eyebrow. "You can get bad things?"

I shrug. "Probably. I got the Orb of Death after all. Even if Valerica's found a way to use it, it was still something I definitely didn't want. Any other ideas?"

There's a long pause, then Serana speaks. "What of the item the demon gave you?"

The mostly jovial mood cultivated by the bullshit gacha dissolves.

I pull out the cube and gingerly set it on the table next to the Staff, being very careful not to push any of the buttons.

"It's a Cubic Gate." I say while staring at the thing. "It opens a portal to any of six pre-coded planes, the buttons on each face are how you select each plane."

"Do you know where any of these will take us?" Serana asks as she stands to inspect the cube, but not touch it.

I gingerly pick it back up, and start rotating it around. "This," I point to the Imperial's symbol. "will bring us back here. This," I point to the two swords. "is a place I never want to go to. It's the home of a pissed off, insanely powerful God that spends his time killing other Gods. This," I point to the medallion. "will take us to O'Dimm's home, so let's not push that one just yet. The rest I have no idea about."

The tentacles can be anything from Cthulhu to a hentai universe, the boat can be literally anything with water, and the star can be anything with stars. Not much to go off of.

"Regardless," I continue. "this thing won't help us against Potema." I place it and the Staff back in my inventory.

"We should have some time before she gets back right? We don't have to worry about this right this second." Svar says.

"That is true." Serana agrees. "I believe it would be best if we take some time to ourselves."

"What about the Eye?" I break in. "If we're going to grab that we should do it soon."

We don't know if the College is in Saarthal right now, so the longer we wait, the more likely they are to take it.

"Relax Dusk. We just destroyed a city. I believe we've earned a small reprieve." Serana says. "Ah, that reminds me." She reaches into her robe, and pulls out a book. "I recall you searching for something like this within Sky Haven's library, I was able to find this in that Wizard's home in Morthal while you were storing corpses." She holds the tome out to me.

I take it and observe it.

Golem Crafting

Grants the [Golem Crafter] Crafting Class.

I use the book immediately, and it turns to dust.

Golem Crafter

Create semi-sentient elemental guardians

Grants 1 INT, and 1 WIS per level

I haven't been able to find a crafting class for awhile.

"Thanks Serana." I say

"You're welcome."

Svar stands up, and stretches a bit. "I'm going to go talk to Paarthurnax and Durnheviir, let 'em know what happened and that we might have a pissed off Potema show up eventually."

"I, too, have work to do." Valerica says as she stands. "I will see if I am able to accomplish anything with the orb, if I am, I will inform you of my progress." She leaves the room.

I stand as well. "I don't have any items that can help us defend this place, but I did have a bit of a breakthrough after I drained Falion. I'm gonna play around with that to see if I can do anything fun with it."

Serana nods, and joins Svar and I in standing. "Then I suppose I shall get to work recreating our undead army. Could you give me a substantial number of the corpses you retrieved, Dusk?"

While Svar heads up to meet with the dragons, I give Serana well over two hundred bodies to play with. We killed a lot of people in Morthal.

She offered to help me with my necromancy, but I told her I wanted to try my other thing first. She said the offer was open, and got to work.

Meanwhile, I found an as yet unused room in Sky Haven and pulled a few bodies out of my inventory.

I pulled Yamato out next, and shoved it into the stone at an angle. I cut through the stone in a circle, and then pulled the cut up pieces of rock out and shoved them in my inventory because I lacked anything better to do with them. A large circular hole was left in the ground when I was done.

I think I'm doing this right…

I pull the corpses over, and cut them open even more than they already were. Collecting their blood into the hole in the stone. I keep pulling bodies from my inventory until the pit is full of blood, then shove them all back in my inventory.

Ok, now what?

I look over the ability to see if it'll give me any clues.

Spawn

Can create pools of blood to use in spawning various types of minions.

I guess I just think about creating something?

I hold my hand over the pool, and force some mana down into it.

The blood begins to bubble, and a shape begins to form from it.

Realizing I'm doing something right, I push more mana into the pool, and the shape becomes more pronounced.

I keep feeding mana into the blood, and a small creature emerges from the pool with a hiss.

It comes up to my thigh, and is a wild brown in coloring. It has two long bat-like ears, and two rows of jagged teeth. It's legs are stubby, and its arms have an overabundance of skin that falls into a shape that's almost winglike.

The creature stumbles around for a bit, before its eyes fall on me. It scurries over and bows at my feet.

Ok, this is either really cool, or really weird, and I can't tell which one it is.

I look over the small… thing, and take a look at the pool. Where before it was full, it's now slightly drained.

I guess it uses up blood whenever it makes one of these things. Is this all it can do?

I hold my hand over the pool once more, and channel a large amount of mana into it, this time thinking about something bigger.

What emerges this time is much larger, and the pool drains significantly.

The creature's head is three times the size of mine, and it is a cool grey in color. It's shoulders are large and hunched, and it has skin that is coarse and tough. Its arms are two long appendages that end in a clawed hand, and its legs are, while small, heavily muscled. The thing ends up looking like a mishaped gorilla that had a kid with a troll.

So this is really weird. Also really cool. I have no idea what to do with these guys.

I end up making two more variations once I figure out what I'm doing. One is just a carbon copy of the gargoyles from the game with the added ability to actually fly with their wings, and the second were a strange dire wolf vampire hybrid thing. They had sharp teeth, so that's good enough.

I drain a lot of the bodies left in my inventory to make a shit load more of each of them, and begin walking towards where I feel Serana's soul.

She turns as I enter the armory she's currently equipping undead in, and her eyes drift behind me.

"Are you aware there are dozens of abominations following behind you?" She asks mirthfully.

"Yep, do you have any abilities like this, or is it just me?"

She walks up to one of the smaller ones, Imps I've decided to call them, and begins prodding it. The thing flinches away at her poking, then screeches at her, but she just stares at it. The thing shrivels in on itself, and then lets Serana inspect it.

She stands up, and walks back over to me. "I must say, I have never seen anything like them. It would appear you have discovered your first unique vampiric trait, and it seems to be a strong one."

I sigh. "So no help on the strange new vampiric ability front?"

She nods. "I am sorry I cannot be more help, but I cannot be more help."

I look back over my 'spawn' and cringe a little. They're all clawing, hissing at, and biting one another.

I really don't want to have to deal with this. I had fun making all of them, but now that they're all here, I'll need to constantly keep them in line, and that seems like a pain in the ass.

A cheery bark draws my attention as Mr. Rogers trots in.

I smile, and reach down to pet him. "Hey boy. How's my best doggy?"

He pants and tilts his head, offering up his ear so I can scratch it.

One of the second spawn I made, which I've decided to call Hunchbacks, walks up to Mr. Rogers, and stares down at him. It lets out a high pitched shriek right in his face, and I get ready to blast the thing to hell.

No one fucks with my dog!

It turns out, I don't have to. Mr. Rogers starts sparking and growls menacingly at the Hunchback. The larger creature staggers back, and shrinks in on itself.

Mr. Rogers looks over the rest of the group, and all the spawn turn in fear from his gaze. The gargoyles, Imps, Dire Wolves, and Hunchbacks all seem terrified of my ghost pup.

In that moment, I get a stupid idea that is so stupid it's almost smart.

"Hey Mr. Rogers." He looks up expectantly. "Do you want an army of scary monsters at your beck and call?"

He tilts his head as if thinking about it, then barks and bobs his head up and down.

Perfect! Now I don't have to deal with them.

I turn back to the monsters and say, "Mr. Rogers is now your commander. You will follow any order he gives you as if it was my own. Am I understood?" The grotesque things all nod fearfully.

Mr. Rogers barks loudly, and begins walking from the room. The spawn all start to lumber after him.

That takes care of that.

I turn back around and find Serana staring at me with barely contained amusement.

"What?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "You just gave command of never before seen vampiric demons to a dog, and the dog responded as if he was born to the role. It's just amusing."

I shrug. "What can I say? He really is the best dog. Anyway, now that I've figured that ability out, are you still willing to help me with necromancy?"

She nods, and the two of us dive into the unnatural art of manipulating death.

Interlude: A good boy

The lightning coated dog barks once more, and his soldiers do another push-up.

The dog's master will soon face the horrid wrong woman, and these soldiers will not be a weakness to be exploited.

The dog barks, and the monsters do another push-up.

The master's vampire mate seemed amused at the prospect of the lightning dog receiving control of this fighting force, but the lightning dog will prove to her that the master's trust was well placed.

The dog lets out several barks, and the monsters stand and begin to run in circles around the massive chamber.

The master will have his fighting force, and it will be the greatest that has ever been seen!

The dog barks loudly, and the monsters begin to run faster.

The dog idly wonders when the dragon mate and vampiric mate will make little masters, and if the little masters will need their own dogs.

The dog barks twice, and two Dire Wolves speed over while the rest of the spawn keep running around the large chamber.

The dog inspects the Dire Wolves, then nods at them. These two will do. The dog gathers the lightning granted to him by his master, and channels it directly into the two wolves in front of him.

The Dire Wolves mewl in pain, but endure the savage storm. Once the torrent stops, the Dire Wolves stand taller, and revel in the feeling of lightning coursing through their unnatural veins.

The ghost dog bobs his head up and down in approval. Yes, these two will do. The ghost dog begins making plans to train them, so they are ready when the little masters need them.

The ghost pup reaches behind him, and tosses two swords forward, one to each Dire Wolf. They will need to learn the art of the bite sword if they are to properly protect the little masters when they arrive.

The ghost dog looks back towards his lollygagging troops, and barks loudly.

The spawn double their pace, and continue to speed around the chamber.

The ghost dog hangs his head sadly. These soldiers have a long way to go, but the master is counting on the ghost dog, so the ghost dog will deliver.

The ghost dog continues to bark, and the spawn have to resist the urge to groan in protest as the orders get progressively harder.

The master will have his army.