Of Elder Scrolls and Huntsmen: Dragon Rose

by JessesanMan

Team RWBY finds themselves in a strange, new world where Grimm are nonexistent and magic is commonplace. They journey to find a way home, but along the way are caught up in several ancient prophecies and must save this world they find themselves in. As time goes on, they adapt to the dangerous land of Skyrim and fight against its foes be they small, large, or godly.

43. The White Rose's Thorns

"Bleh!" Yang complained as she sat down with a mug of mead. Inigo sat across from her with M'rissi next to him. S'ahara was currently talking with Keerava about their food, and Blake was somewhere in the Ratway talking with Brynjolf and Mercer about a mission. She wasn't sure on the details, but apparently they had figured out a little info concerning the person messing with their interests.

"Something is the matter?" M'rissi asked.

"Just this place." Yang shuddered. "Riften is so dank and smelly."

"True, but in a good way," Inigo defended the city. "Give it time."

"A good way?" Yang blew a raspberry at that. "You're crazy."

"Probably," he admitted. "You are not the first to suggest it." He leaned forward, giving Yang a look while waving his finger. "I may be crazy, but at least I'm not mad."

"You are as mad as a box of frogs," M'rissi playfully accused him while Yang merely smiled faintly, having grown fond of their antics.

"A box of frogs?" Quickly, he went from shocked to accepting. "That is pretty mad I guess. At least I'm not as mad as a trout in a tree. No matter how mad you get, there is always someone madder."

"Wallybally wah wah!" M'rissi suddenly began speaking in gibberish, causing Yang to look at the girl with bewildered eyes.

"Spoodly dowap! Prrrr! Hehe!" Inigo suddenly joined in, causing Yang to look at him in confused shock.

'What just happened?' she wondered while sighing. 'Blake, S'ahara, why am I the one left with the kids?'

"Woof! Woof!"

"Argh! Who let the dog out? Don't worry fleas; I will protect you!"

"Rooooooooooar!" M'rissi continued while playfully flexing her claws at him.

"You sound just like my mother! Hahaha!"

M'rissi's clawing motions turned into wiggling ones.

"You are now under her control," she slowly intoned.

"I am now under your control," Inigo slowly repeated.

Yang shook her head before taking a deep gulp of her drink, glad that the inn was fairly empty today, only some mage guy and Maven's husband bearing witness to the two Khajiits' craziness. Judging by the look he was giving her, the mage had no idea just what in Oblivion was going on. She gave him an awkward smile and shrug to compensate.

"Leave your body. Let your mind float through time and space," M'rissi continued to speak in a manner akin to a carnival fortune teller.

"I am floating. I feel as afloat as a boat on the seas of time and space."

"Can you hear anything?"

"I can hear laughter! Music! Death! Mumbled rude language."

"What do you see?"

"I see Blake, Yang, Ruby, and Weiss, all standing in poses through a portal of light. They are so small. I see hands on many buttons, controlling the portal. It changes, showing…words. A long list of words, describing the past, the present, and the future. No, not just showing the future. Creating the future. Changing it. The hands… The buttons… They are making the future."

At this, Yang was beginning to feel antsy and started leaning in. S'ahara had returned as well, and begun listening rather than speak up.

"What else is there?" M'rissi asked, her voice no longer playful.

"There is…more words. Different words. They came from the portal. Something is moving around, coloring the words and… The buttons are being pressed, and more words appear. It is as though…they are speaking through the portal.

"No, something else. I see…Blake. You and I are there, following her. Now, Ruby is there, walking around aimlessly. Weiss is there. They are all there, but never at once. The buttons are…moving them."

"Is there more? What can you see?"

"We are all like dolls, no, puppets. Mere playthings. The one watching is in control. I understand. I…"

"What is it?" Yang asked worriedly. "What do you understand?"

"I understand why trips go so fast. I understand the reason things happen just right at the right time. I understand that I… Fooled you!" M'rissi and Yang both jumped back in their chairs while S'ahara sat down clutching at her heart and gasping. "I am not hypnotized! Haha! I got you, didn't I? Hehe! You should all see the looks on your faces!"

"Damn, Bluebells, you just about gave me a heart attack," Yang groaned despite wearing a smile on her face. Inigo, meanwhile, continued to laugh.

---

"So, even though we haven't been able to find out who this is, specifically, you know about the "Gajul-Lei" person?" Blake asked as she walked alongside Mercer and Brynjolf.

"Yes. It's an old alias used by one of our contacts," Mercer explained. "Gulum-Ei. Slimy bastard."

"Argonian, I'm guessing."

"He's our inside man at the East Empire Company in Solitude," Brynjolf told her. "If he acted as the middleman for the selling of Goldenglow, then it's quite possible he can point us in the right direction to our adversary."

"Then we need to question him," Blake concluded.

"That's where you come in," Mercer continued. "Between your reputation and the fact you've talked people down before, you're practically perfect for the job. Go up to Solitude, shake him down, and see what you can come up with."

Brynjolf laughed a little. "Hard to picture him mixed into all of this. That lizard couldn't find his own tail with both hands." He waved his hands as they stopped at Mercer's desk. "Don't get me wrong, bastard could scam a beggar out of his last septim, but he's no mastermind."

"Anything I should worry about with him?"

"Not too much." Brynjolf shook his head. "He's just stubborn. You'll have your work cut out for you there."

"Any suggestions?"

Mercer pulled up a sheet of parchment. "He's likely done something you can use as leverage. Try to shadow him, see if you can find anything to use against him. You have some clout in Solitude, don't you?"

"I have a friend who's a Thane of the city." That she was the Dragonborn went unsaid.

"Good, then you can use that to hold over his neck should you find something good on him." Mercer nodded, then a weird look flashed across his face. "By the way, there's another job in Solitude we could use you for."

"Oh gods," Brynjolf groaned loudly, "did he send us that request again?"

"Yes, he did." He sounded exasperated. "It's about time we personally answer him, if only to shut him up."

"What's the situation?" Blake asked, curious as to what kind of job could cause Brynjolf to groan.

"An Argonian by the name of Jaree-Ra." Mercer waved his hand around as he began to explain. "Every once in a while he requests a little help with some…expenditures of his. Piracy related, normally. We sent him help some years ago, but never heard back from our guy, and he never offered an explanation. As you can imagine, that killed any chance of a future partnership, even with our situation at the time. But, as it stands, we now have an opportunity to capitalize on him. You're good at solving unforeseen problems, with one notable exception, so you can probably do the job and come back fine."

"You think he did something to a member of the Guild?" she asked as she ran over the possible situations in her head.

"There's nothing concrete," Brynjolf added. "For all we know, he just died somewhere on the road back. It was also a time when we were getting hit hard, and we couldn't risk losing any more of us. So we didn't bother dealing with him anymore. We just think you have the right skills to see if a working relationship is worth it or not."

"Okay. I'll look into it."

"Good then." Mercer nodded and spared her a smile, and Blake smiled back. "We're hoping to hear some good news from you soon, Belladonna."

---

As the group left Riften, Yang stretched in the morning sun and pulled loose her stiff muscles and joints. Blake had relayed to them what Mercer and Brynjolf had wanted to tell her. As it turned out, their lead happened to be in Solitude, along with a potential job Mercer tasked Blake with solving. From what the Faunus told her, the job may very well be piracy related, yet for a reason Yang couldn't fathom, Blake seemed willing to consider it. She chalked it up to wanting to atone for the botched Goldenglow mission. Besides, it was better to watch over them and mitigate the damage than let them run hog-wild.

"Has anyone noticed the lack of glares lately?" Inigo asked.

"I think that has to do with Blake fighting down a dragon," Yang offered. M'rissi looked skeptical.

"Did the dragon not attack because of Blake?" M'rissi asked.

"Last I heard, it was all of you."

"She did not realize that the dragon was supposed to be a friendly dragon," M'rissi objected. "Blake was the one told about all of those things."

"Don't pile all the blame on her shoulders," Yang told her with a shake of her head. "Besides, what's done is done. Let's just hope there isn't any dragon problems for a-"

"Dragon!" a few guards yelled as a massive, dark shape flew in from the direction of Autumnshade and sped over them and the city. For a moment, the four all paused in fear, then looked to where it'd headed.

"Was that who I think it was?" Yang asked in disbelief. The others merely nodded while sounds of panic ensued around them.

"He's heading towards the mountain!" Blake exclaimed before taking off, going around the wall of the city. Yang and the other two went after her, unable to catch up until Blake came to a dead stop near the back of the city. There, they saw the black dragon digging away at some loose stones higher up the mountain. Each of them paused to watch, Yang suddenly getting the idea to pull out her scroll and set it to record. Soon, Alduin seemed to find what he was looking for, and took back to the air. Wind began to blow and a funnel appeared where he had just been, right before he began speaking. It reminded them of Kynesgrove, only now they knew what was coming next.

"Faadheyvtu, ziil gro dovah ulse!" he growled out. "Slen Tiid Vo!"

As the Shout hit the earth, the people watching the spectacle could feel the world shaking around them. A dragon skeleton burst out from the stones and flesh began to appear around it. When the restoring flames cleared, the dragon, much smaller than the ones before, looked up at Alduin with awe. It was a dark blue with an amber belly, with thin stripes of red running along its back.

"Thuri, aarl mir fen wah aam! Dreh daar dovah hi uth?"

"Siiv hin Zeymah. Fun kolos nust. Mu lahvraan."

"Zu'u thaarn. Laan Dovahkiin?"

"Dovahkiin fen al ko tiid. Bo, tovitaani." The black dragon winged around and took off towards the east, disappearing across the Velothi mountains within moments. The smaller dragon watched him go, then shook his head before looking north.

"Thuri ni koraav tahrovin. Dovahkiin. Yah Nir Siiv!" With his Shout, a thick, misty line appeared before him, similar to the Clairvoyance spell effect. His eyes followed it as it trailed away. "Zu'u bo!" He outstretched his wings and then took off into the air, following the trail he made the moment he began heading forward. He quickly sped past the group and the city, seemingly picking up speed faster than Alduin had.

"Shou- What do we do?" Blake asked.

"I have no idea what they were saying, but I did catch something about Dovahkiin a few times," Yang explained as she attached the video to a message and sent it to both Ruby and Weiss' scrolls. "It means Dragonborn."

"They're after Ruby?" Inigo asked, concerned for his friend.

"I don't think so." Yang shook her head. "The way that little guy was saying it… I've seen all kinds of disobedience before, and that certainly looked like it. Come on. Let's go meet this Dawnguard guy and head up. Ruby and Weiss are going to stay at Kynesgrove or Vernim Wood until we meet up after their stuff."

"What about the dragon?" M'rissi asked.

"That thing was going fast." Yang looked down and shook her head. "If he's headed to Ruby, there's no way we're catching up with him before he gets there. She should be able to handle him." She looked back up, staring in the direction the dragon had disappeared to. "She has to be."

---

"Urgh!" Weiss groaned as she pulled her hood low, desperately trying to avoid the sunlight.

"I was totally fine with waiting for night," Ruby told her.

"No. It's all right," she waved away. "I needed to get out of there anyways."

"Was it Erevan?"

"Yes, it was Erevan!" She was incensed. "I don't know why I even bother with that lout! It's obvious he's going to drink himself into an early grave and nothing anyone says will convince him otherwise."

"Well, at least you tried," Ruby told her with a pat on the shoulder. "Some people just don't want to be helped. I bet he could be pulled up by his bootstraps by the right person, but a couple of random strangers probably aren't the right people."

"You could always ask Blake's blue friend," Lydia suggested.

"Huh, that might work," Ruby reckoned. "He was kinda in a similar rut from what he told us."

"Here's the thing, though," Weiss countered. "Inigo felt bad about something he actually did and tried to make amends, albeit in the wrong manner. Erevan had one thing go terribly wrong that wasn't his fault, and now refuses to so much as attempt to reclaim his honor."

"Well yeah, everyone's situation is unique, but they're in close enough…" Ruby paused and then took a few steps back. "Ah, I think it's over here!" She went off the road and then jogged over to where a hill was at, stopping in front of the mouth of a cave that was fairly well hidden.

"Thank the gods! I can get out of this blasted sunlight!" Weiss walked in and let her hood down with a sigh, Ruby and Lydia right behind her. The three continued down, going past broken planks of wood and what seemed to be shattered wooden stairs. They paused at the bottom, an area mostly flooded by water, wooden platforms built all around that had tents set up on them. Most were rather old looking, but each had the Imperial Sigil on them, denoting the place as having once been an Imperial camp. Two people stood at the center, brandishing their weapons when they saw the three incoming.

"Hi," Ruby tried to greet them in a friendly manner.

"Who in Oblivion are you?" a bear of a woman wielding a large axe asked threateningly.

"We're just looking for something some gods pointed us towards. We're pretty sure it's in this cave." Ruby's response caused the two soldiers to look at them skeptically.

"What kind of crackpots are you to come up with that kind of nonsense?" the smaller man asked in a thick Brettonic accent.

"Here, Ruby, let me handle this," Weiss suggested. "Both of you just move out of the entryway." Weiss walked toward the two, who braced themselves, readying for a fight. Weiss raised a hand to her mouth as she cleared her throat, and then looked up at both with glowing yellow eyes. As the two took in the unnerving sight, Weiss splayed out her arms then raised them up with her fingers curled, her cloak opening out from the movement. She opened her mouth wide, revealing her fangs as she let out a hiss. The man screamed and the woman yelled, then both took off and out of the cavern, screaming about vampires all the way. Weiss smirked as she wiped her lips and changed her eyes back to their light-blue color.

"Pfft! Weiss, you shoulda let me know!" Ruby cried as she laughed. "I would've recorded it or something!"

"I'd rather you didn't." The heiress looked around at the abandoned camp. "Hm, I'm not sure if the soldiers here left or were killed. Do you suppose the Skyshard is around here somewhere?"

"Um, I can feel something." Ruby looked around, trying to follow the psionic guide on its own. Empty bottles and old dishes were found, as well as a book titled Magic from the Sky, but nothing that could lead them to what they were searching for. When it didn't seem to be leading her enough on its own, she summoned up a Clairvoyance spell. The blue light then led them to one side of the camp and the mouth of a submerged tunnel. "Aw man!" she complained.

"Well, looks like we'll be testing out that clothes drying spell a little more," Weiss muttered.

"Just as long as it doesn't blow my shirt off again," Lydia warned with a small glare.

"That was completely unintentional," Weiss quickly said. "Besides, we were in a private setting, and we'll be in one next time, just in case."

"Well, here goes nothing." Ruby cast Candlelight before taking a deep breath and diving in. The other two swam after her, all three emerging into a half-flooded tunnel with broken pieces of wood and a torn banner floating about. Ruby looked at the debris and a crumbled platform in interest. As more theories on what happened in this place formulated in their minds, they continued on to a drier potion of the cave, where a sort of wooden structure stood next to a mostly collapsed bridge over a pit, only a little piece of its middle hanging off of a rope.

"Well, I suppose we were going to run into something broken down like this eventually. Can't believe it was one of the newer things," she muttered the last part.

"Ruby, we could easily get across there," Weiss pointed out, to which Ruby shook her head.

"Me and you can. Lydia needs a hand though." Ruby took her housecarl's right hand into her left and extended the other one to Weiss. The vampire took it cautiously with a curious look in her eyes.

"What exactly-"

Ruby jumped forward and activated her Semblance, carrying them all across the pit in a flurry of white, red, and dull yellow petals. Weiss stood at an awkward angle with a confused look while the other two recovered quickly.

"All right! I can carry two now!"

"Well done, my Thane."

"What just… Did you just use your Semblance on me?" Weiss shrieked, both indignant and impressed.

"Yeah. I've been working on that. After my trip-up with Penny I didn't want to have to save someone only to get wrecked by it."

"What trip-up?"

"Oh, it was just me and her. I'll tell you more later." Ruby looked over into the cave, but was momentarily distracted by an odd, blue lantern. She picked it up and looked it over. "Whoa! Is this a magic lantern?"

"Well, it looks like it." Weiss took it in her hands and looked it over. "Enchanted lanterns are a thing, and they're fairly long-lasting, but considered a luxury in comparison to normal oil lanterns. This doesn't seem normal either." Ruby hummed at that. She looked at it for a moment more, then back down the tunnel, where more shattered and flooded wood structures awaited.

"I'm starting to think this wasn't a normal Imperial camp." They continued forward, wading through the knee deep water. A few more of the magical lanterns were discovered among the broken structures, and then they came upon a steel gate at what looked like Nordic ruins. The three pushed it open and walked in, seeing the place partially flooded and with some wooden scaffolds built around the walls. A fire burned in the center on a stone, with seemingly no fuel to sustain it.

"I guess we know what they were doing," Weiss muttered as she walked forward. Ruby began looking around, drawn to the altar at the back by her psionic guide. "There don't seem to be any graves, which is odd. And the carvings are different than what we normally see. Wait, I smell-"

Suddenly the gate closed, causing them all to look back. Lydia immediately reached for it, but paused when she saw sparks racing along the ancient steel.

"We're trapped," she said.

"What? How did that… We didn't even trigger anything!"

"Oh crap!" Ruby rushed over and looked at the electrified gate. "Oh, I'm sorry guys."

Weiss sighed. "It's not your fault, Ruby. Come on, let's look around and see what we can find. I smell…something rotten up there." Weiss pointed up at a scaffold, and Ruby immediately jumped up to it.

"Uh, it's a Thalmor," she called down to them. "Or, he was."

"He's dead, isn't he?" Weiss asked with a sigh.

"Yeah, but it can't have been long. He hasn't started bloating yet."

"Well, that's fantastic. We have every stage of decay to look forward to."

"Wait, there's a note here." Ruby took the piece of paper pinned to the scaffolding by an elven dagger and hopped back down. She looked it over in the light of the strange fire and started reading it aloud.

"If you are reading this, I did not make it out alive. Should you be in the same predicament, dear reader, than I hope this information may be of some help in solving the deadly mystery. There appears to be no way to banish the seal on the door, magical or mundane. What we know about these temples is that the Anuic cults originated when the Nordic animism came into contact with the worship of the Divines. The temple of Trolhetta was used in burial rites where the dead were consecrated to the Orphans."

"So this is a temple for the Magne-Ge," Weiss muttered. "I suppose it makes sense then that this is where a Skyshard ended up."

"It's not here though," Lydia pointed out.

"There's more guys.

"According to animist traditions, the bodies of deceased worshippers were ceremonially incinerated, creating a spiritual gateway to a place sacred to the Orphans, much like how a modern era portal to Oblivion can be created through blood sacrifice. The priests would then enter this gateway by stepping through the funeral pyre. My sources are unreliable, but it is all I can give you. May the Stars guide your hands. Farewell.

"Celedan Starseeker."

Ruby looked up from the note and at the fire in the center. "Aw, geez!"

"We're going to throw his body in that, aren't we?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah. I mean, even if it doesn't work, we can't just let his dead body stink up the place with us in here. And, you know, at least this way we're, uh, putting his body… It's sort of a funeral, right?"

"I suppose."

"Okay. Help me get him over there."

The two took the body down from the scaffold, doing their best not to touch it directly. Weiss used a little telekinesis in the beginning, but she had a tendency to cause it to spin in the air. After the two carefully dragged him over and onto the raised stone in the center, they set him down next to the flames and caught their breath.

"I guess…we should say something?" Weiss looked back at Lydia, who shrugged, and then over to Ruby. The Dragonborn looked down at the dead High Elf and took a breath.

"Well, none of us knew Celedan, but we know that when everything fell apart, he decided to do what little he could to help anyone falling in his footsteps. Not anyone would just do that in the pits of despair. For that, we're grateful. Rest easy, Starseeker. May the gods grant you a good life in your next one." With that Ruby grabbed his sleeves while Weiss grabbed his booted feet, and both swung him over and into the fire. For a moment, they watched as the flames licked over his corpse, then saw it catch on fire and quickly burn up. The fire grew, causing them to take a step back and Weiss to nervously back away as far as she could on the stone. The flames then calmed and turned into a white as the body seemed to disappear entirely. Ruby looked back and then took a tentative step into the pyre. When the flames didn't burn her, Lydia immediately followed her. Weiss saw them beginning to fade away and took a breath before jumping in after them. She flinched, but the fire felt warm without burning her. However, everything went bright before cutting off to black.

Everything came back into focus a second later and the three were standing in a dimly lit cave.

"Okay, that actually worked," Weiss said in amazement. "I'm going to need to write that down." She took out her scroll and opened it. "Oh, I got a text from Yang. Video message."

Ruby looked at her scroll and nodded. "Huh, same. We'll look at it once we're done here." After quickly tapping down some notes, Weiss put her scroll away and followed Ruby as she headed down the new tunnel, this time blue braziers sitting to the sides of the path. Ruby looked at them in comparison to her newly acquired lantern while Weiss hummed as she observed them.

"This reminds me a lot of the Augur of Dunlain, but not as pure. Like imperfect versions."

"Any idea what that stuff is?"

"Not really. Not without a lot of research we don't have time for."

They continued on, coming up to a place in the subterranean ruins that was far below them. Ruby hopped down and began looking around the room that seemed to be an ancient dining room of some sort. Above them were two sets of chandeliers with blue crystals giving off illumination, with a third on the ground and broken. In the center of the room was a mummified corpse, a book sitting on the table next to it. Ruby picked up the book, finding it to be enchanted against the ravages of time, but still a little frayed and stiff. She flipped through a few pages before looking over at the body and noticing a key hanging from its side. Weiss hopped down as well and looked at the items her partner had just acquired.

"What's that?"

"I think it's a spellbook. Here." Ruby passed it over to her and Weiss leafed through a few pages.

"Yes, it definitely is, but what it's for is somewhat confusing." The heiress then looked around the room. "It seems the paths beyond this are blocked. Dead end."

"Maybe we should backtrack. I think I saw something." Ruby then walked over to the broken chandelier and circled it a few times while looking it over.

"My Thane, please be careful," Lydia warned her from her elevated position.

"It'll be okay, Lyd. Don't be such a worry-" The moment Ruby touched the flickering light source, a burst of energy erupted from it, sending her flying into the air with a shout. Her back hit a beam and then she dropped to the floor, her face hitting the stones near where Lydia was standing.

"Ouch," she groaned out.

"My Thane!" Lydia cried out as she kneeled to Ruby's side.

"I'm okay," Ruby waved her off as she picked herself up. "The explosion wasn't that bad, and I put my Aura up to max once I was airborne." She saw Weiss jumping up with her glyphs and smiled nervously. "My bad."

"Ruby, what were you thinking?" Weiss admonished her.

"I thought they might be something like Welkynd or Varla stones. Besides, don't tell me you wouldn't have tried to pick them up if I hadn't."

Weiss made to argue, but stopped herself. "Okay, you might be right there."

"Anyways, let's see if we missed anything." Ruby looked back and started backtracking, stopping about halfway through the flooded lowest parts of the tunnel when she saw another branching hallway. They walked through and saw more branching paths. Weiss quickly went to one dead end and searched the chest there for valuables after ensuring it was safe. Ruby looked down the other paths and started down the one that led to a large double-door. Trying to open it revealed that it was locked, but she took one look at the cast iron key in her hands before using it on the lock. The doors then swung open, revealing a chamber with two more of the crystal chandeliers and a Skyshard, brighter than the one from before, sitting between them at the far end.

"Jackpot!" she declared before jumping off the ledge and walking over to it. She paused when she saw some sort of face carved on the wall behind it. Weiss caught up with her and began to look it over as well.

"That looks exactly like the face of the Marker."

"Weird," Ruby muttered. "Well, I'ma touch it." She reached over and placed her hand on the Skyshard, and then it exploded and imploded just like the one in the sea had. Ruby felt its power sinking into her, and she had to shake her head a moment.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah. Just got a buttload of Aetherial energy pumped into me. Nothing too new." Weiss put a hand to her forehead at that.

"This stuff shouldn't be affecting me, yet…"

"Uh, something just appeared," Lydia told the two while pointing back at the tunnel they'd come from. Now in the doorway was a luminous sphere of energy. Both were reminded of the portals that had taken them to Sanguine's realm a couple of months ago, only this one was calm and light blue, whereas those had been chaotic and dark violet.

"Oh dear," Ruby muttered. She gulped and looked over at her friends. "Guess they…want to meet."

"I really don't want another god to be pulling us to their world," Weiss told her.

"It's okay. I'm…pretty sure they want us on Nirn." Ruby took in a deep breath. "Okay, let's do this." She walked up to the sphere cautiously, Weiss and Lydia right behind her. For a moment, everything went bright.

"We are the voice of Aetherius. As Astetu we speak to you."

The kaleidoscopic crashing of sounds and colors all came together, until at last they could see, hear, and think correctly again. When they finally could, the image before them appeared to be that of planetary bodies, all circling around a luminescent being that was encircled by a ring of crystals. The three themselves were standing on one that was a green-blue color.

"We seek your aid, Dragonborn, mortal though you be."

"What…"

"Do not fear, Dragonborn," the featureless being said. "You will not be harmed. We watch over your world from beyond the spheres. We are the Magne-Ge."

"I, uh, guessed that much," Ruby said as her eyes were caught by a rocky planet floating by. "What I don't know is what you want me to do."

"From light, darkness. A force of destruction coalesced in our midst. Ilmaasi, Dark Archon, shattered the Anuic unity, sealing his own fate. But our voidal enemy scattered unto Nirn the seeds of its unmaking."

"Oh, so how do I help with that?"

"You are Dragonborn. Warrior of the Voice, Bringer of Tears. No other mortal could stop Ilmaasi. Fallen though he be, Magne-Ge he still is."

"Okay, so you want me to stop the…Dark Archon." Ruby stuck her tongue out a moment at the title. "Not the most creative name."

"Mortals are complex, chaotic, unpredictable. Magne-Ge are purity of mind, symmetry of purpose. As the brightest light, so the deepest shadow."

"Okay, that makes sense. But why don't you guys stop him?"

"Mundus is your world, not ours. Only indirectly can we lend aid."

"Why do the bad guys always get to break the rules?" she muttered. "Okay, I'll do it. I can't stop one world-ender just to let another destroy everything."

"Be strong. Be wise."

Everything seemed to pull away in every direction all at once, until at last things cleared away, leaving the three outside of the cave they had entered earlier. Lydia began gasping while clutching at her chest, while Weiss stumbled back and leaned against a boulder. Ruby looked at them both in concern.

"Hey! You guys okay?"

"I…think I forgot how to breathe," Lydia got out

"I couldn't figure out up from down," Weiss groaned. "And whenever that thing spoke I felt my organs all shaking and my ears were on the verge of rupturing."

"Was it really that bad?"

"Ruby, I think that between the Skyshards and dragon souls, you were the only one able to get through that unscathed. And I'm almost certain that Astetu had tuned it down for our sake." Weiss stood up and shook her head before straightening out her hair a little. "Okay, so, we know what they need now. It's both better and worse than I'd hoped. They just want to help us, but at the same time we need their help."

"Great, weight of the world all on my shoulders, again." Ruby let out a long sigh before looking towards the west. "I know I always wanted to be a hero, but I always thought about being a 'save the townsfolk' hero, not a 'save the whole world' hero."

"Sorry. Tell you what, if I can, I'll try to take one of these 'save the world' situations off your hands."

"You mean that?"

"Sure. I can't really kill a god or anything, but I can probably take on a powerful necromancer for you."

"I'll give you a call." Ruby looked back towards the setting sun and hummed. "Yeah, the guide changed again. I'm pretty sure it's aiming me at Seletar, back over in Haafingar."

"Oh for f-" A dragon's roar cut Weiss off and the three turned to see a blue dragon headed their way. "Gods' sake!"

The three drew their weapons, with Weiss readying a spell in her off-hand. Ruby laughed a little when the dragon came by, and the other two could sort of see why. It was small, perhaps about the length of Mirmulnir's head and neck. Still, they stood ready as it slowed itself and hovered.

"Dovahkiin, Faadheyvtu brings you death!"

"Better dovah have tried!" Ruby yelled as she readied herself for battle.

"Niid! For none are likened to me! You shall soon see."

"Bring it, pipsqueak!"

The dragon laughed then winged around before coming at them and taking a deep breath.

"Fo Krah Diin!" he Shouted, immediately coating the ground hit by his Shout with frost. The women dodged out of the way and Weiss unleashed a lightning bolt, only for the dragon to duck his head just right for it to miss. Ruby put Crescent Rose away and took out the bow she had begun using before launching arrows after him, only for most of those to miss as well. Lydia ducked behind a boulder to escape his fire breath and attempted to fire back, only for him to twist, smash the boulder with his tail, and knock it and Lydia away. Luckily, the rock took the worst of it and Lydia just rolled a little before getting back to her feet.

"He's really fast!" Ruby yelled when she tried throwing a fireball at him. Weiss had attempted several spells, but none of them could really land. She tried conjuring up a bound bow, but then the dragon turned to her with fire leaping from his mouth. The vampire screamed, but Ruby sped into her and took them both into her Semblance and out of the way of danger. Faadheyvtu quickly made what looked like a textbook Immelmann turn to Weiss, and prepared another breath, only for another roar to catch their attention.

A bronze blur smacked into Faadheyvtu's side, sending him down into the dirt where he left a trench behind him. Vulgahrotru then turned around and hovered in place as the smaller dragon picked himself up.

"Gruth! Tahrovin! Hi krif fah Dovahkiin!"

"Niid, Zu'u krif fah hofkiini. Hi nos daar ko hofkiini. Bo nah gut! Graan uv oblaan!"

"You tell 'em, Vulgahrotru!" Ruby cheered.

"Ruth strun bah! Faadheyvtu fen kren hi!"

Fiery breath leapt from the grounded dragon's mouth and met the countering Frost Breath of Vulgahrotru. After the clash of Shouts, Vulgahrotru swooped down and tried to catch the smaller dragon in his claws, but Faadheyvtu managed to slink out of the way before leaping up and taking wing as well. The two split and then crossed, Vulgahrotru reaching to grasp him as well as Shouting to block Faadheyvtu's own Shout.

"Uh, should we…do something?" Weiss asked as she watched the battle unfolding along with Ruby. The Dragonborn looked at her with a confused expression.

"No? I mean, this is their tinvaak."

"What?"

"Their… It's sort of like they're arguing, but also fighting." She looked back at the battle, just in time to see Vulgahrotru use Whirlwind Sprint to smash Faadheyvtu back into the ground. "It's hard to explain, but right now this is between the two of them."

Vulgarotru landed and roared at the fallen dragon as he picked himself back up. Faadheyvtu looked at him with rage as he recovered, then opened his mouth to Shout.

"Gaan Lah Haas!"

"Feim!" Vulgahrotru called out before the blast could hit him. Faadheyvtu's angry expression morphed into despair when he saw his last gambit pass through Vulgahrotru's ghostly form. As he rematerialized, the bronze dragon took in another breath.

"Iiz Slen Nus!" A blast of cold hit the smaller dragon, nearly freezing him solid. As he struggled to break loose, Vulgahrotru charged forward and slammed his rhino-like horn into him. The blue dragon let out a low whimper before Vulgahrotru caught his neck in his jaws and pressed a wing. Faadheyvtu struggled a moment longer before the larger dragon quickly twisted his head while pulling. A crack resounded, and the blue dragon went limp. Vulgahrotru let him go and then backed away from the corpse, watching as it began to combust. Wisps and tendrils of energy began to leave the dead dragon, and Ruby flinched, but they instead went to the victor of the battle.

"Huh. So that's what it looks like," Ruby said as she took in the sight of the soul being absorbed. Once the lights had died back down, Vulgahrotru looked over at the three humans and nodded his head.

"Planning to use the road?"

---

After asking for directions, Yang and the others came to the place known as Dayspring Canyon. Despite the name, it had many of the hallmark features of a valley as well as a canyon. One amazing sight they caught upon entering was that of a pair of glacial waterfalls pouring into a lake where some fishermen were working. As they walked towards it, they came across a young man in plain clothes with an axe with an axe at his side. He noticed the others and smiled at them.

"Oh, hey there!" he greeted them. "You here to join the Dawnguard, too?"

"Actually, I'm here on behalf of the Companions," Yang explained. The Nord then noticed the wolf armor and gasped. She couldn't help but smile at the joyful recognition that plastered his face. "I have a buddy or two here, though. Enjoying the view?"

"Huh?" he looked back up from her armor, a slight blush on his cheeks.

"The lake?"

"Oh, uh, yes. Never saw water that looked so pure. It's like something out of a dream."

"It is very pretty," M'rissi agreed. "She bets it is full of lots of delicious fishies!"

"I'm sure it is." Yang smiled then turned back to the Nord. "Well, we're headed up. You coming?"

"Uh, if you don't mind. Truth is, I'm a little nervous. Never done anything like this before." The look on the man's face clearly showed his inexperience. He reminded her of Jaune somewhat. Back when he first came to Beacon and before Pyrrha got to him.

"Well, come on then," Inigo indicated as the group started back. "The worst that will happen is they'll say no. Unless you are a vampire, then much worse could happen."

"Thank you," the young man said as he followed along with them. "The name's Agmaer. So, if you're with the Companions, who's your Khajiit friends?"

"My friends, who are Khajiit," Yang mirthfully replied. Agmaer looked embarrassed and began to awkwardly rub the back of his head.

"Sorry, uh, I didn't mean anything by it. It's just that they're all-"

"Don't sweat it, Agmaer. I know what you mean." She smiled. "I'm Yang by the way. So, what're you joining up for?"

"Just...wanted to make a difference, I suppose. I know about the vampire threat rising up, and I wanted to help out."

As the group walked and talked while heading further into the canyon-valley, Fort Dawnguard came more and more into view. Past the second bend beyond the lake, they could see nearly the whole of it. It was a large stone castle, partially built into the nearby mountain, two stories high. Circular watchtowers lined the outer edges of the fortress, with one large tower in the castle center, overlooking the valley. Yang whistled at the sight, impressed at the design.

"That must be it. Fort Dawnguard…" Agmaer said in amazement. "Wow! Bigger than I expected."

"It's probably near the size of Dragonsreach, not counting those towers" Yang observed. "Looks well built, too. Wonder how old it is?"

"Stonework's different from normal," Blake added. "Looks like... Second Era, I think." Seeing Yang's expectant look, Blake sighed. "I picked up on it during my research. Found it interesting."

Soon they were going by groups of men and women in what seemed to be their uniform. There were a few people in regular, everyday clothes, but that group seemed split between general workers and refugees. A few armored soldiers, what she could only assume to be the actual Dawnguard, were currently tending to the refugees, providing food, drink, and clothes. A few Nords, Redguards, and Orcs were even teaching volunteers self-defense. The sight brought a faint smile to Yang's face.

"Well, well, seems you came after all," a deep voice said, catching Yang's attention.

"Hey, Durak. I'm guessing you're the reason I got sent here," she playfully accused the Orc.

"Just told Isran what I saw. He decided to ask for you specifically. Guess he was impressed. I know I was." Durak earnestly smiled.

Yang grinned at the praise. "Yeah, well, just doing my job. So, where's he at, anyways?"

"He'll be up in the fort. Just follow the path up to the main gate." He thrust his thumb over his shoulder at the large wooden gate in question, and Yang nodded.

"All right. You guys good?" she asked as she turned back to her companions.

"Sure," Blake said with a shrug. "I'd rather not get a recruiting pitch thrown at me. Just yell if you need me. I'll hear you." Yang nodded and walked away, Agmaer following her.

As Yang and Agmaer continued to walk up to the fort, she heard Durak talking to her partner. "Sure you don't want to join. I think we could use a few of you for night missions."

"Thanks, but no thanks. Got a lot on my plate at the moment. Maybe if I manage to get some things straightened out I can give you guys a hand, but not for free."

"Heh, mercenary type then? All right, I can understand where you're coming from."

'Well, they seem reasonable so far. Off to a good start, at least.' Yang thought to herself as she began to push open the hefty doors. Agmaer marveled at her strength, causing Yang to smirk in pride. Going inside, Yang saw two men, one a Nord in the robes of a Vigilant of Stendarr, the other a Redguard in Dawnguard uniform.

"Why are you here, Tolan?" the Redguard shot at the Nord, who had apparently only arrived a little before they had. "The Vigilants and I were finished with each other a long time ago."

"You know why I'm here," the Nord curtly replied. "The Vigilants are under attack everywhere. The vampires are much more dangerous than we believed."

"And now you want to come running to safety with the Dawnguard, is that it? I remember Carcette telling me repeatedly that Fort Dawnguard is a crumbling ruin, not worth the expense and manpower to repair. And now that you've stirred the vampires against you, you've come begging for my protection?"

"Isran, Carcette is dead," Tolan said lowly. "The Hall of the Vigilants… everyone… They're all dead. You were right, we were wrong. Isn't that enough for you?"

"Yes, well… I never wanted any of this to happen," Isran said in remorse. "I tried to warn all of you… I am sorry, you know." The man then looked past the Vigilant and saw Yang standing at the doorway. "So, you must be the one Durak spoke so highly of."

"Yep, that's me," Yang said as she walked in. Tolan seemed to look at her with a glint of hope while Isran nodded and rubbed his chin. "Yang Xiao Long. Kodlak got your letter about wanting to meet with me."

"Yes, I did. You were the one that got us the attention from the Companions, thanks to your work with Durak at Morthal. Good work there. You helped save countless lives."

"Would've done it with or without help, but help's much appreciated."

"It is, and help's what we're all going to need."

"Like with those guys?" Yang asked while indicating Tolan. "I went up and investigated the Hall's destruction. Got some expert opinions, too. They said these recent big attacks have been mostly done by the Volkihar clan, and I've gotten more evidence since then to corroborate the claim."

"Volkihar?" Tolan asked. "What difference does it make what kind of vampires are attacking?"

"A lot, if you had any idea," Isran said to him. "Court vampires, like in Morthal, are almost mundane. Volkihar are something else, especially the Vampire Lords. Last I heard, one attacked Whiterun, and then some werewolf came in and killed it. Likely territorial."

"My sister saw that," Yang admitted while trying to hide her knowing smirk. "She also killed a couple of the other vampires."

"Right, your sister. If I'm not mistaken, rumor has it she's the Dragonborn."

"Oh geez," Yang mumbled.

"Don't worry." He shook his head. "I didn't hear about that until after I asked you to come. You and your friends are getting famous, so don't be too surprised."

"I still don't understand this importance. A vampire is a vampire," Tolan declared, causing Isran to scoff. Before he could speak back up, Yang began to respond.

"I ran into another one of those Vampire Lords while searching near the Cyrodiil border. Trust me, there's a major difference in power." Yang nodded as she recalled the two monstrous beings. "It's a lot less like fighting an undead, and more like fighting a Daedra. Normal warriors won't cut it against them."

"Near the border? Bloodlet Throne?" At Yang's nod, Isran let out a huff of a laugh. "We can take that one off the list then. You certainly know your way around vampires."

"Learned from experience. It was do or die."

"The best teacher. Isran smiled and nodded. "Well then, if you don't mind giving us a hand, I have a task that needs doing, but I can't send anyone at the moment while we're getting the fort back into shape. Tolan was telling me about some cave the Vigilants were poking around in. Seemed to think it was related to the recent vampire attacks. Tolan, tell her about, what was it, Dimhollow?"

"Yes, that's it. Dimhollow Crypt. Brother Adalvald was sure it held some long-lost vampire artifact." He looked at Isran for a moment and then looked away in shame. "We didn't listen to him any more than we did Isran. He was at the Hall when it was attacked…"

"I see. So whatever the vampires want, we definitely don't want them to get." Yang nodded. "All right, I can check that out for you. Maybe beat the vampires to the punch."

"That would be ideal," Isran agreed. "If we're really lucky, they'll all still be there for you to take down. If you want, we've got some gear you can use." He pointed over to a crate with some supplies sitting on it, including a number of crossbows and quivers of bolts. "A crossbow will be perfect for taking them out at a distance. Of course, I know how good you are with your axes."

Yang walked over and picked one up, giving the loading mechanism a pull before looking it over. "Been a while since I used one of these, but it could come in handy."

"I'll meet you at Dimhollow," Tolan said as he began heading for the door. "It's the least I can do to avenge my fallen comrades."

"Tolan, I don't think that's a good idea," Isran objected , his voice sounding concerned. "You Vigilants were never trained for-"

"I know what you think of us!" Tolan accused as he spun around. "You think we're soft, that we're cowards! You think our deaths proved our weakness! Stendarr grant that you do not have to face the same test and be found wanting! I'm going to Dimhollow Crypt!" he directed back to Yang. "Perhaps I can be of some small assistance to you."

Isran sighed as he continued on, then looked over to spot Agmaer watching everything unfold from a corner. As he started speaking to the new recruit-hopeful, Yang went over to the angered Vigilant.

"Whoa, buddy! Let's take a moment to breathe. You're not doing anyone good charging halfway across the country angry."

"Then what good can I possibly be, oh powerful vampire slayer?" the Nord mocked, which Yang took in stride. He was hurting, so she had to play this carefully.

"Hey, even I had help killing the vampires I faced. I probably wouldn't have come out of Bloodlet half as good as I did without half a dozen people beside me. Just take a breath and think it through." Tolan held his jaw firm for a moment before doing as she asked, taking in a breath through his nose and letting it go out his mouth.

"You're right, I suppose. Gods' Grace though, it's hard." He sighed, and Yang patted his shoulder.

"I can't imagine how hard it must be. I heard there were other bases for the Vigilants, but the one in Skyrim was the central one?"

"Yes, it was the base of all Vigilant operations." His eyes became misty. "Most of us spend our lives as nomads, traveling from one Hall to the other, or one of our forts or camps, in our endless war against evil. I think that all we have left in Skyrim now is Stendarr's Beacon, and it's only safe thanks to the distance. I wish I could say how many we numbered, but only a privileged few knew that, and they're dead now."

"Well, that's something at least. Maybe we can get you guys regathered at some point," she suggested, to which Tolan nodded. Yang smiled then continued. "Right now though, what info can you give me on this Dimhollow Crypt? Mostly, where the heck is it?"

""My pa's axe"!" Isran suddenly declared at Agmaer's introduction. "Stendarr preserve us!"

---

After sleeping through the night under the safety of a dragon's watch, Ruby, Lydia, and Weiss decided to head back to Kynesgrove before diving into Mzulft, mostly to try and get a bit of a better understanding about such places and wait a little for the Synod group to come by. Weiss was a little miffed at having to be in the same building as the drunken former knight, as well as the arrogant son of the proprietors, but Ruby was able to talk her down from it.

"You do have to admit, though, the thing about the Ogre hermit was kinda nice."

"Ruby, the Ogre fed him raw goat," Weiss complained.

"Which was probably a really nice thing from the Ogre's point of view, considering he didn't know the common language, and maybe didn't know what a Dunmer was. I think if we start from there we can pick up his spirits just a little."

"It's not his spirits that need picking up. Can we talk about something else? I'd prefer to ignore him for the rest of our time there."

"Okay, well, I think I understand the Magne-Ge book a little better."

"Oh Gods…"

"No, look. See, I copied it down into a word file, then erased all the extraneous stuff, like that whole thing about the 'Blackblock Under Her Hood', or replaced terms too confusing with something general, like 'stuff' or 'places'." She took out her scroll and opened up the file. "See, the first part is kinda easy, you just have to stop and let it sink in before going any further. Master Redshift sounds like the first being who was able to traverse all the untimes, for some reason. As long as you don't get stuck on 'persisted enough with fitness' you can tell what 'to map the in-between heavens' is supposed to be."

"Okay, that makes sense," Weiss admitted.

"Here, let me try this one. Before the Breaking, Bare Bone was a Handmaiden of great Merid. Bare Bone's provinces were agriculture and the cultivation of the good soil. But then the Thermal-Talk came, bringing the War, its aftermath resulting in the taint of all Y. Bare Bone vanished just after the War ended, abandoning the surface worlds and going underground.

"Basically, Bare-Bone was kinda like Kynareth-Kyne or maybe like that Heartlander goddess that got taken to the Underworld. Thermal-Talk brought the war that messed up the Y Signs, and then Bare-Bone went underground. I'm still going through each one, but I'm pretty sure I can simplify them all to where they're much easier to understand."

"That was honestly much easier." Weiss stopped and tapped her chin in thought. "Now that I think about it, you should write it all out afterwards and see about having it canonized. You're technically a messianic figure to Nords, so they'll accept it at least."

"Oh…yeah, I am." Ruby looked uneasy, carefully looking around to see if anyone heard. No one did. "Um, I should probably be more careful about what I tell people, shouldn't I?"

"Ruby, you are, without a doubt, one of the most selfless, good-natured, kind-hearted people that I know. If this world could make a God out of an ambitious conqueror then I'm sure only good will come out of following your example."

"Well, if you think so." Ruby blushed with embarrassment from the praise.

The three left their mounts at the stable, though, once again, the stablehand was at a loss with what to do about Toggle. Luckily the one from before came to his rescue and they took the great boar around back where the inn had been throwing out their old food. As the girls headed into the Braidwood Inn, they saw a man in similar armor to Erevan standing before the Dunmer, who was sitting at a bench and leaned against a table.

"Knight-Commander, please!" the man begged. "I will do everything I can to exonerate you, but you must tell me what really happened that night!"

"Hiram, my boy," the drunk began, "have you ever wondered…"

"Yes, Knight-Commander?"

"Have you ever wondered how they coax the bees to make such delicious honey? This mead is rather delectable." And just like that, Weiss felt a vein in her temple throbbing. "You should stop being such a bore and try some. Inkeeper! Another round of mead for the Knight of Thorns!"

"I swear if he wasn't paying…" Ruby heard Kjeld mutter as he started filling a mug from the large keg.

"Knight-Commander, I know you do not wish to defy the Countess' decree, but you cannot sit here and perpetuate this injustice! You are an honorable knight, and the most gallant elf I have ever known."

Erevan looked away from the other knight and turned in his seat. "Leave me," he muttered. After a moment, he hummed, then began to sing, "~Oh there once was a lady as fair as an evening, in springtime in Old Stros M'kai~." The knight sighed, and then noticed Ruby and Weiss watching the debacle from the nearby corner.

"Sorry if the Knight-Commander has been a bother to you, strangers," he apologized.

"No, it's fine," Ruby brushed off. "He's not that bad."

"He's a bother to me!"

"Weiss!" Ruby whispered.

"I talked to him once, and then he solicits me on both of my visits to this place afterward. I didn't ask to hear about how he…" Weiss huffed and shook her head.

"Nevertheless, I assure you, the elf you see here is not the one I know. Erevan was a true knight, a paladin without peer."

"I'm sure he was. I've tried talking him out of his shell, and Weiss tried to bludgeon him out, but the way he talks about it we can both tell he really needs help to pick himself up." She looked over at the Dark Elf and saw him taking his new mug, but slower than normal, and not because of his drunkenness. "Maybe with you here he can make some real progress."

"Perhaps." The Breton sighed regretfully. "One can only hope. It would be a shame if he were forever known only as the Knight of Thorns, and not the White Rose of legend."

"Do you think you can prove his innocence about the Countess?" Weiss asked. Despite her feelings towards the drunkard, she still stung at the injustice of it all.

Hiram sighed at that. "It is unlikely I can do much of anything. Yet the Countess begged me to investigate this matter in secret, and to check on the Knight-Commander's well-being. It seems I will have dismal news to report on both fronts."

Suddenly, a man burst in from behind them and slammed the door, gaining all of the patrons' attention.

"Everyone, stay inside!" he yelled. "Those bloody knights are back again!"

"Huh?"

"Knights?" Hiram asked as he walked over. "What warrior sworn to service would do the townsfolk harm?"

"Pardon me, milord, I meant no offense. This group belongs to no Jarl or King. They're just a bunch of lowlifes calling themselves the Knights of the Eight. They go around from town to town trying to collect protection money." At that, Ruby and Weiss looked at each other, and then towards Lydia at the far side of the inn. "Meaning, if we don't pay, they're going to come back tonight and raid the village."

"What about the town guard? I saw a few patrols out when I entered."

"A handful of guards can't stand up to a couple dozen bandits, and the Jarl's men are stretched thin enough as it is."

"Wait, hold on," a High Elf sitting off to the side said. "What about that dragon what made a deal with the Jarl?"

"I'm afraid his stretch of land ends at the grove. Someone could probably go get him, but by the time we could, it would be too late, and the lowlifes will have slinked away."

"Then fortune favors this meeting. I am a member of the Order of the Rose, the personal guard of the Count of Cheydinhal. I will see to it that these brigands are brought to justice." Before anyone could say anything more, he was out the door running.

"Wait! Where are you-"

"Hold on!" Ruby objected as she charged after him. Weiss followed along with her and Lydia took off after them as well. Outside, two men and a woman in tattered leather armor were standing around, one of them looking down at a man by a cabbage-filled cart who now sported a bruised eye.

"Alright, citizens," one man addressed the small gathering crowd as he twirled a knife, "time to pay up! There's a lot of danger out there, and protection doesn't come cheap!"

"You know," the woman next to him began in a nasally voice, "just the other day I think I saw a group of rowdy bandits coming up the river. I can't be sure, but they were saying something about burning all your homes and raping all your women."

"Are you sure they were just bandits? Are you sure they weren't vampires too?"

"I think you're right! Some of them had fangs and such. Probably a whole clan of vampire bandits, coming to Kynesgrove to suck everyone's blood!"

"You heard the woman! Pay up unless you want to end up a bunch of homeless nightwalkers!"

"If you ruffians are through listing your demands, allow me to propose a counter offer," Hiram declared as he walked out from the crowd and grasped the hilt of his sword. He drew his steel blade and took a ready stance. "Remove your weapons and surrender yourselves to the guards, and I will refrain from removing your heads."

The lead man chuckled while sheathing his knife. "Looks like one of the bandits got here early. And do you know what the Knights of the Eight do to bandits?"

"Let's show him!" the woman said in excitement before pulling out an iron sword. The other man drew a scimitar while the leader backed up and readied a bow. As the woman came at the knight, only to have her strike blocked, Ruby dashed forward and brought up the Spear of Might, not having time to unfurl her scythe. The spear's blade parried a strike from the scimitar swinging Redguard, and put the bandit's attention square on her. As the archer readied an arrow, Weiss brought up a stone with a telekinetic pull and launched it at his face. The rock hit him, breaking his nose and eliciting a scream from the man. Ruby dodged away from a few expert swings from her opponent, then spun her spear around one of his strikes before jabbing up. The man shouted and backed away as the Fear enchantment took hold, then an ice spike hit his chest. Ruby looked back to see that it wasn't Weiss, but Dravynea that had fired the spell. She readied another, thinner spike, then launched it into the bandit's throat, felling him. The woman was quickly killed by Hiram, whose sword style was too much for the clumsy bandit to even hope to match, and then Roggi and Kjeld the Younger were both running at the dazed archer with their axes. He tried to fight them off, but before Lydia could even go to assist them, the two men had brought him down. The fight barely lasted more than a minute.

"Thank you for your assistance," Hiram aimed at Ruby as his stance relaxed. "Your skill in battle is praiseworthy. However, we are not alone," he said while indicating the folk who had joined in the defense. "As you can see the townsfolk are ready to defend Kynesgrove. They simply require someone to lead them. It is for that reason I risked taking on three bandits, knowing that mortals are inherently virtuous, and reinforcements would soon arrive."

"Something tells me if you knew a bit more about her you wouldn't have been worried," Roggi said to him as Ruby started flicking the spear to get off the blood, then took out a handkerchief to clean it.

"Even then, I would have believed in you all to stand for what's right."

"Maybe, but now we've got another problem," Ruby said as she put the Spear of Might to her back. "If these guys don't show up, their friends are going to come looking. I've fought outnumbered before, but I don't know how many they have with them."

"You're right, of course. We'll need to prepare. Luckily, I know how to prepare a village for imminent attack. But we'll need every able warrior we can get. Maybe this will be the spark that relights the fire in the Knight-Commander. At least, I hope so." Hiram said the last part with uncertainty.

Ruby looked towards the inn and hummed. "I'll try to convince him."

"Ruby…" Weiss sighed.

"He's in just as much danger as everyone else. If nothing else, we can get him to try out of self-preservation. Maybe that'll jog his memory."

"If you could do so, I would be eternally grateful. I fear my presence only serves to remind him of what he's lost."

"Anything you can tell us that might be able to help?"

"I'm not sure what could get him out of this pit, but I suppose I could tell you a little about what I know."

"Sure, anything works."

"Hearing it from an untainted source would be nice, for once," Weiss agreed.

"They called him the White Rose," the knight began wistfully. "In the order, there are those who have flawless technique, and those who simply get results. With the Knight-Commander, it was more than just his skill with the blade. It was the elegance with which he wielded it. Every movement was poetry, like a dance of swords. Not only that, but it carried over into everything he did. His clothes were spotless. His manners were pristine, and he spoke with a dictation that would make nobles sound like paupers. He was more than just our leader, and he was more than just a knight. He was immaculate. Divine."

"This the same Erevan we know?" Kjeld the Younger muttered over to Roggi.

"I'm afraid the events of that night may have destroyed him. Still, I can't help but hope the Knight-Commander I once knew is still in there." Hiram sighed then straightened himself. "Well, that's enough dilly-dallying. We need to get ready." With that, he went to get the townspeople organized while Ruby turned to look at her companions.

"Lydia, try to help Sir Hiram with whatever he needs."

"Your will be done." She started to go, but paused a moment to look at her Thane. "Ruby, just don't be hard on yourself if you can't convince him. You can't save everyone."

"It'll be okay, Lydia. We've got this." Ruby and Weiss walked into the inn, seeing Erevan still at his spot at the table.

"I don't think this will work," Weiss admitted.

"We have to try, Weiss. I don't understand how hard it hit him, but if we can get him out of his funk, we should."

"Ruby, you can't pick someone up if they won't even offer their hand."

"You can if you lift just right." They walked over to the former knight, who looked up from his mug and groaned.

"What is it now? What would you ask of the Knight of Thorns? Murder? Theft? Fornication? I'll have you know that I'm no ordinary scoundrel, but a master of all three."

Before Weiss could explode with anger, Ruby patted her shoulder and began.

"Erevan, I ask that you help us to save this village."

"Save," his words were interrupted by a deep hiccup, "the village? The Knight of Thorns does not save villages! You've clearly had too much to drink, and I clearly haven't had enough." He hiccupped again. "Why are you hoarding the liquor, soldier? As your superior officer I demand that you pour me another!"

"Damn it," Weiss muttered before shaking her head. "Would you stop feeling sorry for yourself and start acting like a knight?!"

At those words, Erevan went somber with a sigh. "Acting, yes. That's what the Steward said. It was all an act. What a jarring moment, to be told that everything you are was but a creation of your own imagination." Weiss' enraged expression then melted away, replaced by a horrified recognition. "What I am doing now is getting acquainted with that person. Getting to know the real me. This knight you speak of is a farce. Leave him be."

"Once I realized I was capable of fighting, there was no longer a question of what I would do with my life. It was my duty."

"You're an heiress, not a Huntress. Stop this farce immediately and just accept it."

Ruby looked saddened, but kept her gaze on the Dumer a moment longer. "Sir Hiram and I still believe in you." As the two began to leave, Erevan sat up straight in his seat.

"When I was a child, they said my bones were too brittle to be a knight. I was afflicted with an illness that left me a dry, wilted rose." The two turned back to him, but the former knight just stared straight ahead at the wall. "They said the only way I could survive was if I was perfect. If I could somehow manage to parry every blow. They were right. I am broken. And all it took was a single mistake."

Ruby's lip began to tremble, but Weiss put her hand on her shoulder and led her back out. Hiram was watching over the efforts of the townsfolk as they prepared themselves, but turned to them when he heard them step out and shut the door behind them.

"No luck, I see," he observed before sighing and brushing back some of his hair. "I am still hopeful that the Knight-Commander will join us, but for now, we need to prepare without him."

"Well, let's go over what we have planned," Weiss said as they stepped down the stairs. "Can we set up barricades along the main road?"

"We can, though they'll be the rudimentary sort. Only good for funneling the enemy."

"Does someone have a bunch of bear traps?" Ruby asked.

"We'll have to check, but I can't imagine no one will. A good idea. Every leg caught should be one less bandit to worry over."

For a short while, the three talked over defensive plans and how to set themselves up for when the bandits finally came, pointing out places for the builders and workers to prepare. A few guardsmen had been pulled from their patrols, thanks to Weiss' authority as a Thane, and were helping them get ready as well as lending their spare weapons to those that needed them.

"Dravynea," Hiram called over to the woman, "how goes the Alteration on those walls?"

"Kynesgrove has never had walls this strong before. It'll take a mammoth to topple them now."

"Good. Then at least we've limited them to two openings."

"That seems to be about all we can do for now," Hiram said to the other two. "Everything just needs some time."

"What about the Knight of Thorns?" they heard from the inn's porch. The three then turned around and saw Erevan standing there, looking the most sober the two girls had ever seen him. "Surely you can find some use for one who knows the mind of his enemy."

"Knight-Commander!" Hiram declared with joy. "I always believed that virtue would win out in the end!"

"You are mistaken. I am not who you think I am." The Dunmer walked down the stairs, grunting with each step. "It is possible I never was. Still, even a broken elf could be of some use. My fallen corpse could trip a bandit or two as they march upon this village."

"Of course, Knight-Commander," Hiram said with a smile. "You will have your place on the front lines, as always."

"Thank you, Hiram."

"All right, everyone, you have your orders." The knight turned towards the Huntresses. "As for you two, I suggest a little rest. We need all of our warriors well-rested and focused on the battle."

"You sure?" Ruby asked.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure everyone and everything is prepared."

"Go ahead and take whatever bed you want," Iddra called over to them. "I'll worry about money after I make sure we're going to survive."

"We will, don't you guys worry." As Ruby headed up the stairs, Weiss looked over at Erevan.

"If you want, I know a potion for hangovers."

"That would be lovely, actually."

---

The Ilunibi Sixth House base was nearly cleared. He had fought past several undead abominations and Daedra to get here. He was tired, but he pressed forward into the next chamber, where one of the creatures he had learned was called an Ash Ghoul awaited him. The aberration's eyes and nose had been replaced by what appeared to be an elephantine trunk, looking as though it had been fused onto his skull through heat in some impossible manner. With his blade readied, he approached the creature, who turned his face towards him.

"Ah, Lord Nerevar" Dagoth Gares said as he turned to him. "What would you ask of me? Would you hear of my Lord, Dagoth Ur? Or of the Sixth House, or of Sixth House servants?"

He stopped in place, figuring the creature was confusing him for Nerevar, as Caius and the Blades were trying to paint him being the reincarnation of. He still thought they were idiots for thinking something like that could possibly work, ignoring how he got to Morrowind to begin with. Still, this was as good a chance as any to get some information for the Spymaster.

"Very well," he said cautiously. "Who exactly is Dagoth Ur?"

"Dagoth Ur is the Awakened Lord of the Sixth House, come to cast down false gods, drive foreigners from the land, and restore the ancient glory of Morrowind. He bids you come to Red Mountain. For the friendship and honor that once you shared, he would grant you counsel and power, if only you would pledge that friendship anew. The path to Red Mountain is long, and filled with danger, but if you are worthy, you will find there wisdom, a firm friend, and all the power you need to set the world aright."

'So Dagoth Ur hopes to attract me to his service with promises of friendship and power. Rather tempting, but as much as I don't like being forced to work with that addict…' He looked at the creature's disfigured face again. 'I can think of worse things.'

"What do mean by that, friendship?"

"Lord Dagoth gives me these words to say to you, so you may give them thought. 'Once we were friends and brothers, Lord Nerevar, in peace and in war. Yet beneath Red Mountain, you struck me down as I guarded the treasure you bound me by oath to defend. But, remembering our old friendship, I would forgive you, and raise you high in my service.' My Lord Dagoth bids you come to Red Mountain. For the friendship and honor that once you shared, he would grant you counsel and power, if only you would pledge that friendship anew. I am not your Lord Dagoth, yet I, too, would say to you... Do you come with weapons to strike me down? Or would you put away your weapon, and join me in friendship?"

'Again with this Nerevar stuff. Damn prophecy-following primitives!'

"Maybe. But let me ask you, how exactly are you reviving the Sixth House? What are you all about?"

"The Sixth House was not dead, but only sleeping. Now it wakes from its long dream, and with its Lord, Dagoth Ur, it comes forth to free Morrowind of foreign rulers and divine pretenders. When the land is swept clean of false friends and greedy thieves, the children of Veloth will build anew a garden of plenty in this blighted wasteland."

"So you'll drive out the Empire and take down the Tribunal?" He took a deep breath. "I will be honest, I don't like the Empire. I've only known of them for a short while, and it seems like little more than government ruled by greedy humans and elves, but frankly, the thought of a land ruled by unfettered Dunmer would probably be even worse." He drew his katana and stood at the ready. "And from your lot? I won't even let myself imagine it."

He charged as the Ash Ghoul began casting a spell. He easily side-stepped the magic and swung his blade. The creature blocked with his arm, but the edge sliced deeply into him. A claw reached out to grasp him, covered in a magical aura, but he was able to jump back in time for it to miss. The claw came at him again, and he deflected the blows a few times before kicking the Ash Ghoul back. As the aberration picked itself up, he swung his blade, sending an arc of energy at the creature. Dagoth Gares cried out as it hit him, then the warrior concentrated magic in his own hand, a spell he had gotten help crafting that would disintegrate armor, lower agility, drain stamina, and confuse the target. It cost a good bit of magicka, but he only needed to land it once. The spell hit his foe and he charged again. This time, the Ash Ghoul could barely resist as the katana sliced deep into his abdomen, stopping just short of cleaving him in half. The agent took a deep breath and pulled his blade from the dying creature, glad to finally be done with this mission.

Dagoth Gares turned his face up at him and smiled, even as blood leaked from his mouth. A hand pointed up at him, and he felt something suddenly take hold.

"Even as my Master wills, you shall come to him, in his flesh, and of his flesh." He felt his skin beginning to dry and blister. Just touching his face, he could already feel whatever curse the now dead creature placed on him taking hold.

"No," he muttered throughgritting teeth and mounting horror. "No!"

---

"Weiss, you okay?" Ruby's voice suddenly rang out, stirring Weiss from her fitful slumber.

The heiress slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes. "I'm fine. Just another dream. This time…" Weiss took up her Dream Journal and began writing down the basics of what had transpired. "I'm almost certain of it now. This person I've been seeing through the eyes of is the Nerevarine."

"The who?" Ruby asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The Nerevarine, the reincarnation of the warrior-king Nerevar, one of the heroes who led the Chimer to Morrowind and led them during the wars with the Nords and the Dwemer," Weiss began to explain. "At his death, the Chimer turned into the Dunmer, and the Tribunal took power as living gods. The Nerevarine came up a few years before the Oblivion Crisis and stopped a being known as Dagoth Ur from using a copy of Numidium to take over the world. He did some other things, but they aren't as important."

"Oh, that's cool. Glad he stopped that guy then." Ruby hummed and nodded. "So Azura's sending you dreams of his memories? Experiences?"

"A little of column a, little of column b." Weiss put away the pen and her journal and waved a hand as she stood. "I get a few thoughts here and there, but I don't constantly hear his mind. I still haven't caught his name, but I'm certain he's from Remnant."

"Oh, so he's gone back by now, right?"

"Not…necessarily." Weiss began to brush her hair while thinking it over. "By historical account, and the dream I just had, he was infected with Corprus. It's..." she shivered, remembering how it affected its victims, but pressed on, "... a disease, one that at the time was plaguing Vvardenfell. It had no cure, and it twisted the minds and bodies of the infected into Ash Ghouls, horrid and bloated monstrosities that lived in near endless agony and starvation. They attacked anything they came across, both out of insanity and hunger. At the same time, it made the infected immune to disease and halted aging, making them functionally immortal and prolonging their torment for eternity. That fate actually befell the last living Dwemer. He had emerged unscathed from the Dwemer's disappearance, only to get infected by Corprus and turn into a bloated ball that could only move around with mechanical assistance."

"Gods... It sounds like it turned them into zombies."

"Basically. However, the Nerevarine got a sort of cure, taking away all the negative effects, but leaving the disease immunity and permanently halting his aging. The cure made him functionally immortal, assuming he doesn't fall in combat, starve, or die of thirst. Last anyone heard, he had sailed to Akavir, and it's quite possible he's still over there, doing gods know what."

"Oh, I see. Wait, why do you know all that stuff?"

"After getting Azura's favor and the Star, Brelyna thought it imperative that I learn about other champions and things related to Azura." She hummed while pondering a moment before tying up her hair. "One strange thing was that apparently Azura has an immortal son, Alandro Sul, but not much is known about him as he went to the Ashlander's after the Battle of Red Mountain."

"Oh, I read about him!" Ruby declared. "Eh, sorta. It was in a book called the Five Songs of King Wulfharth. In the last part he fought Wulfharth and wounded him really badly, but then Wulfharth Shouted him blind. Don't know if it meant he used a blinding Shout or hit him with one in such a way to blind him." The Dragonborn shrugged at that, then looked out of their room. "Oh yeah, everyone's outside. All the defenses are up and Hiram's coming up with a watch schedule. Also, we sent a guy to find Vulgahrotru to let him know about the situation."

"Maybe if we're lucky the dragon will come and scare everyone off," Weiss mused as she pulled on her boots. Once she was ready, the two headed outside to see a system of barricades down both road entrances, set in such a way not to fully block off the attackers, but force them around and through narrow space. The leaves strewn about the wooden barriers hid the bear traps set beneath them, marked by blue painted sticks set by the villagers. Hiram saw them, and turned from where he was overseeing some guards instructing the citizens on some tactics.

"I trust you got a good rest," he said as they got closer. Weiss nodded.

"I hit REM so… I mean, I went deep enough to dream."

"Good enough," Ruby waved off. "How's the prep going?"

"As well as can be expected. The Knight-Commander insisted that he guard our rear flank. That leaves every available body to guard our front." The man smiled at the two of them. "I thank you again for convincing him to join the fight. I believe he asked to speak with you. You'll find him up there on the hillside." Ruby and Weiss followed his gesture and headed up the hill. It was one of the harder to defend angles, but they had set some barricades all the same. It would also, likely, be the hardest angle to attack from, but that just meant the bandits could try for it hoping to get the drop on the village. As they crested the hill, they saw Erevan, a buckler on his left wrist and an arming sword on his belt, looking off into the distance, seemingly both at ease yet attentive. The two walked up to him and he turned to them, his expression somber when he recognized them.

"I want to thank you, both of you," he began. "I was a fool. Part of me tried to convince myself I was protecting the Countess, but in truth, I was ashamed."

"What do you mean by that?" Weiss asked.

"When the White Rose became stained in blood, I became a fraud in the eyes of the people. And yet in the eyes of the Gods, I committed no crime. I could have remained unsullied; a Rose without Thorns. But instead, I chose to debase myself."

"But why?" Ruby got out.

"Perhaps I cared more about the title of being virtuous than the ideals themselves. When I was a child, they said that I had to be perfect if I wanted to become a knight. The person you see before you is far from perfect, but when it comes to my knighthood, I will do my best to prove them wrong." As Ruby tried to think of what to say, Weiss spoke up.

"You're finally acting like a knight. No," she corrected herself, "you are a knight. No one on this world can deny that now."

"Yes, whether they think us roses or thorns, we are in the end, knights of Cheydinhal." A bright smile appeared on the elf's face. "Huzzah, my friends! And-" Suddenly, he looked back and drew his sword, thinner than most, but not enough to be a rapier. "They're here!"

The girls looked past him and saw around a dozen bandits charging them, weapons at the ready, and in one thin Argonian's case, preparing spells. Ruby took out her scythe and Weiss pulled out Myrtenaster and the Sanguine Rose. With the staff she quickly conjured a Daedra, this time summoning a large Clannfear. The saurian Daedra charged forward, ramming into a woman before doing a sudden turn and batting her away with its tail, audibly breaking her back. Ruby zipped and braced herself as she sliced through a man. He screamed in pain, but Ruby had to go at the next one and cut up through his shield and his arm. The Nord shouted, then swung at her with his mace, which she ducked out of the way of before jabbing upwards into his chest with her end spiked end. As he fell, Ruby saw Erevan fighting a bandit who swung a hammer at him. The Dunmer knocked the bludgeon off course with his buckler then sliced through his throat. As the bandit fell, another took his place, only for Erevan to knock his weapon up and then stab forward. Before the Nord even realized he was killed, the knight spun back and held himself at the ready. A woman rushed past her dying comrade, who was finally beginning to fall, and swung her axe down with a battlecry, only for Erevan to smoothly sidestep out of the way while swinging his sword up and through her neck.

Ruby shook herself out of her small daze and went back to fighting. Weiss had come in, launching spells as she slashed and stabbed, but now the heiress was feeling self-conscious in regard to what the Dunmer Knight-Commander was doing compared to how she viewed him previously. When the last of the bandits fell to their combined efforts, the three turned to the ongoing commotion at Kynesgrove. They could hear the sounds of battle raging within the village walls, even from where they were. Without a wasted word, the three charged back down the hill and into the village. At the sight of the defenses filled with men and mer caught in bear traps, they also saw those who had gotten past and were attacking the people. The guardsmen, Hiram, and Lydia were holding them off well, but there were still many more bandits coming, and they were beginning to crowd up.

"Weiss, I've got an idea!" Ruby suddenly shouted as she ducked under an arrow.

"What's that?" Weiss asked, holding up a glyph to defend herself from several arrows at once.

"Double Thunder!"

The vampire took in a breath. "All right, light them up!" she said while preparing the spell. Ruby set Crescent Rose to her back as she went forward, readying Scattershock in both hands. When she got closer, she unleashed the pair of spells, hitting the crowded bandits like an electric machine gun. Several screamed in pain while others tried to power through, but the electricity was beginning to lance between them all and the ground.

"Strun!" she Shouted when her magicka ran out, missing for the first second, but then hitting them all when she redirected her aim, sending the power of lightning through them all for another. Several fell dead, but most of them were still standing, if in a great deal of pain.

"Everyone get clear!" Ruby screamed. The guards seemed hesitant, but Hiram repeated her words and they backed away from the barricades. The archers stalled a moment in wonder, and some of the people looked back in time to see Weiss with her hands raised to the sky, letting loose what appeared to be a red lightning bolt. The bolt went up in an arc, then came back down and crashed in the middle of the electrified bandits, creating an explosion of electricity and fire. What few bandits didn't suffer looked on in disbelief at the devastating spell's effects, but one Orc looked back at them with rage.

"You'll pay for that!" he screamed while slamming a nearby guard away with his hammer. Kjeld tried to get him with his axe, but the Orc caught his arm and then slammed him with a head-butt. As he raised his hammer to smash the innkeeper, Kjeld the Younger ran in to protect him.

"Father!"

A blade flickered out and the hammer's head was sent flying through the air, burying itself into the wooden wall of the Braidwood Inn. The Orc looked to his side and saw Erevan there, who had stepped back and readied himself. The Orc snorted and pulled out a crude, orichalcum greatsword from behind him. As he stared down the knight, the young man dragged his father away from the oncoming duel. With a shout, the Orc swung his massive blade around, but Erevan's buckler came up and knocked the blade over his head. The Orc quickly swung back, but this time his blade deflected the blow, driving the sword into the dirt before the buckler smashed into the Orc's face in a punching motion. Erevan's sword flitted up, and the Orc barely moved out of the way of it, a red line showing on his cheek. Ruby looked around at the awestruck crowd and made to move in, but Weiss' hand grabbed her shoulder.

"What-"

"He's already won."

The Orc seemed to hear her and snarled while Erevan slid into place and then locked his feet.

"I suppose there's no point in pretending otherwise," he said, a victorious smirk on his face.

"Shut up and die!" the Orc yelled as he began to swing his sword overhead. "You little-"

Erevan blade shot up, slicing behind both of the Orc's elbows, as the buckler went further and smacked up at his chin. In the same motion, his sword came back down and cut through the front of his left ankle, and the buckler went down, striking at his right knee. The Orc began to fall forward, but tried to hold himself up when he saw the tip of Erevan's blade poised to pierce his throat.

"I did you a disservice then. Forgive me." As the Orc failed to hold himself up, Erevan thrusted forward. The remaining bandits looked about themselves with fear as they realized the townsfolk now had them outnumbered and surrounded. They backed into each other, holding onto their weapons like lifelines. Some of them began looking for avenues of escape, but that ended when the wind swept over the crowd and the ground shook, and everyone was looking over to see a bronze and grey dragon, who set a man gently down onto the ground after having held him by his belt.

"I heard that bandits were attacking something under my newly extended protection. Surely, none are so foolish?"

The Knights of the Eight couldn't drop their weapons fast enough.

---

With the cleanup underway, and the remaining bandits enchained and headed to Windhelm's prison, the town felt a huge tension leaving them. Hiram walked up to Erevan and saluted him before giving him a short report.

"Knight-Commander, the town is safe and with nary a casualty."

"Yes, and the people have you to thank, Knight of the Rose. You do the Order proud."

The Breton shook his head at that. "The credit goes to you. As I have all my life, when faced with a decision, I needed only follow your example."

"No, Hiram. You are your own man, and as I am no longer a Knight of the Rose, that is true now more than ever." He shook his head and looked over towards the setting sun before looking back at the knight. "You have what you need. Give the Countess my regards."

"What will you do now, Knight-Commander?"

"I do not know." His gaze went over to Weiss, Ruby, and Lydia, who had just returned from talking with the dragon, Vulgahrotru. "Perhaps I will follow our new friends." At his suggestion, the girls paused. "Not every knight serves a court. Some simply serve the greater good." He turned towards them and held out his arms. "Well, what of it, young ladies? Will you take the Knight of Thorns as your squire? At least for a time?"

Ruby and Weiss looked at each and then over at Lydia. The housecarl seemed to think it over a moment, then made a single nod while gesturing to Ruby. The Dragonborn smiled and looked over at her partner, who smiled back.

"We would be honored to have you, Erevan."

---

Faad heyv tu - Warm Duty Hammer

Thuri, aarl mir fen wah aam! Dreh daar dovah hi uth? - My lord, your loyal servant will serve! (What) Can this dragon (do) for you?

Siiv hin Zeymah. Fun kolos nust. Mu lahvraan. - Find your brethren. Tell me where they (are). We gather.

Zu'u thaarn. Laan Dovahkiin - I obey. (I) ask (about) Dragonborn.

Dovahkiin fen al ko tiid. Bo, tovitaani - Dragonborn will be destroyed in time. Go, my searcher!

Thuri ni koraav tahrovin. Dovahkiin. Yah Nir Siiv! (note - tahrovin can mean danger, instability, turbulence, treachery, or betrayal) - My lord (does) not recognize (the) danger. Dragonborn. Seek Hunt Find! (Pathfinding Shout - original)

Zu'u bo! - I fly/go!

Gruth Tahrovin! Hi krif fah Dovahkiin! - Betrayal! Treachery! You fight for Dovahkiin!

Niid, Zu'u krif fah hofkiini. Hi nos daar ko hofkiini. Bo nah gut! Graan uv oblaan! - No, I fight for my home. You attack those/that within my home. Fly fury far! (Common phrase similar to 'Begone!') Flee or die!

Ruth strun bah! Faadheyvtu fen kren hi! - Rage storm wrath! (Common phrase expressing anger, hate, and frustration) Faadheyvtu will break you!

Gaan Lah Haas - Stamina Magicka Health - Drain Vitality Shout

Iiz Slen Nus - Ice Flesh Statue - Ice Form Shout