Lands Unknown 9

The longer Tarrion didn't know what happened, the more he started to worry. Serana climbed in front of him and Shazra behind him, but every few steps he could hear her softly mutter to herself.

"I didn't… I would never… no, no. I am sorry, mistress. I am sorry."

This creeped Tarrion out more and more and by the time they reached the entrance to the cave he almost had enough.

The large rock formations made the cave-opening look like a large mouth with teeth. They had little doubt that this was the place they needed to be, and this was confirmed by a few worn carvings that looked like writing on one of the walls. Neither could read what was written and Serana called Shazra to her.

"Shazra… do you know what is written here?"

As soon as Serana said her name, Shazra recoiled slightly but obediently walked toward the wall and tried to read it.

But after a few moments she shook her head. "I am very sorry, mistress. I cannot read it. it is too worn. I cannot make it out. Forgive me, mistress."

"No matter," her mistress remarked and she walked a bit further. "This has to be the place, no doubt about it."

Tarrion followed her, but kept a close eye on her. Shazra walked behind them, still fumbling with her hands and Tarrion started to get suspicious.

That night Tarrion kept the first watch. They made a small fire in the cave, something they knew they had to risk. Without it both Tarrion and Shazra would freeze to death. He now warmed his hands by the flames and looked at a sleeping Shazra. The large Ka Po Tun had changed completely since the previous day and he did not know why, but Serana had everything to do with it, he was certain of that. A few hours later he woke her up and asked her about it.

"What did you do to her, Serana?"

She gave him a sideways look that told him to mind his own business, but he was not willing to back down. "What did you do? Or more importantly; what did she do to that made you do this?"

Again Serana refused to answer, yet the bitter look in her eyes as she stared in the flames was unmistakable. Again Tarrion asked her and finally he got a response.

"I retaliated, alright!" she shouted. "I took revenge if that is what you want to call it. I gave her what she deserved. And I do not regret it."

"Then what did she do?" Tarrion asked again, yet softer this time.

Serana let out a deep sigh. "It is not her alone… it is just that she was the last straw."

She stared into the flames and her eyes flared. A shadow came over her face as she did not continue, yet Tarrion waited, knowing that she would answer if she would have a few moments to breath.

"Remember…." she started and hesitated slightly. "Remember when we returned from the Soul Cairn and stayed in Whiterun to rest?"

Tarrion nodded. He remembered. "Well… remember when Lydia told you that she didn't trust me because I was a Vampire?"

Again Tarrion nodded and Serana sighed. "She only … tolerated… my presence because you told her so. She refused to trust me at first because I am a Vampire.. and I cannot even blame her. I understand that she distrusted me at first, but she only tolerated me because you told her to. Not because I asked her to.. who would even listen to a Vampire?... no, because you mattered and I did not. I wasn't even allowed to defend myself and explain myself to her."

"Isran did the same," she continued. "Worse, actually. No matter what I did, not matter how much I proved myself to be on his side as well… all he could see was a Vampire… a monster who does not have feelings of family.. of pain and remorse. No; the only thing that can possibly be on my mind is my next meal. Why would they believe that I have emotions and feelings too. Pain… joy… remorse… affection and even love. They cannot understand that I feel that too, and not only hate and anger. Fury, greed or hunger. They only see a monster who doesn't need to be treated humanely, because I am just a monstrous creature; All bad and no good."

Tarrion listened to her as she ranted and although he knew what she meant, he did not know it went this deep.

"When your sister showed up with her escort… the captain of her bodyguard, Marcus Maro… he called me a 'squeeze'. Did he know I was a Vampire? Doubtful, yet again I was treated as if I have no feelings whatsoever. Like I would just be some harlot, used for nothing but her body, who would be gone by the end of the week. I nearly throttled him then and there… I wanted to, yet I held back at the last second and not because you stopped me."

"Then Solstheim happened," she continued, now talking aloud. "and again I was just pushed aside like I am merely an animal. While you were unconscious after freeing her people, Frea raged against me because 'who cares about a Vampire?' She…" and for the first time she sobbed slightly. "accused me of tricking you into loving me. Like our relationship…our love is just a lie. She said that I was just a bloodsucking fiend. Who would use you pure and only for your blood. She couldn't possibly fathom that I, a Vampire, could have feelings of affection, friendship and love. Instead of just listening to you a-…" but she stopped herself. "No… instead of just listening to me and actually trying to understand that I might be telling the truth… they have their own vies and no matter how much I might try to explain… or say or plead… I am merely a Vampire and they cannot be truthful. They cannot feel. I was too worried about you, but if I wasn't… I would have slaughtered her."

She now fell back defeated and quietly continued. "Miraak said something similar when you were still reading that Black Book in that Dwemer ruin. That I was being used by you for my body… or the other way around."

Then she stayed silent for a few moments, staring in the flames and unlike the people that she had just summed up, Tarrion could see that she was in pain. He saw how her eyes became wet and all he wanted to do was to embrace her. To hold her close to his chest and whisper caring and loving words in her ear. To tell her that all would be well and that he would always be there for her… but he did not move, for he knew that she was not finished yet.

"And now… after all we are trying to do for her people, Shazra did the exact same," and Tarrion saw that it took her great effort to repeat what happened. "When you left to search for another entrance… we bickered for a while, but then started digging. But after a while I noticed she started smiling. I tried to ignore her, but I also sensed how her blood was flowing downwards. She was getting… aroused. I asked her what she was smiling about and she told me it was because of you."

Tarrion furrowed his brow and looked at Shazra who still lay asleep. "What?"

"She was getting all excited when she was thinking about 'how you get all furry when you are a Werewolf'. You get more… animalistic in appearance I guess… when you are like that and that is something that she apparently finds enticing, since she looks more animalistic than us. She then asked if she could 'borrow you' for a night when you are like that."

Tarrion wanted to react to what he just heard but Serana continued before he could.

"Again," she said loudly. "again no-one cares about the fact that I might actually have feelings. That I might actually care about what people think of us. She knew full well that we love each other… and that you belong to me… yet she did not care. I didn't tell you about it, but when we were still in the camp with the queen… I asked her why there were no males there. It turns out that they believe that the 'power-hungry males' are the cause of their downfall. That the males only care about strength and if you don't have that, you are useless. So a large number of the women isolated themselves and stay hidden in the jungles. Yet every so often they capture a patrol, take them to their camp and just violate them until they get pregnant. I didn't ask what they did with the males, but I am not sure I want to know."

She now looked Tarrion in his eyes. "You see? She doesn't care about men at all. She thinks they are merely tools and toys for her to play with and then discard. The women of the Ka Po Tun hate the men, and the men no longer value the women like they did. These people are so…. Backwards in their way of thinking.. that they do not stop and think for just a moment that we might think differently. Even if she realized that we are not like her people, and I am fairly sure she did, she did not care. She completely ignored our relationship… thought of it to be nothing but an exchange of bodies… like Frea did… like Miraak did. She thought that I would not feel things like love for you… just like Frea did… just like Isran did… just like even Lydia did, and I know that Lydia changed… she did… it still hurts."

Tarrion saw how she managed to hold her tears in, yet the trembling of her mouth was something she could not stop.

"People still do not think that I can feel things like pain… sorrow… commitment… friendship… affection… love. And even if they do… they do not care," she concluded.

Tarrion sat silently for what seemed like hours. Serana had not shouted and had not raged. She had only raised her voice a little on moments, yet all throughout he had heard defeat in her. He had felt the pain in her voice and he could still see it now that she stared into the fire.

"So… yes," Serana said and her throat was dry. "I retaliated. When she said those things I pinned her on the ground and threatened her. I said I would kill her if she said it again, but I wouldn't kill her right away because I refused to dig alone. I summoned a Gargoyle and she was clearly afraid of it. She thought it was an undead creature, and so I summoned two more to scare her further."

She sighed again and Tarrion saw that she wanted to smirk a bit, but was unable to. "I frightened her into submission, and I do not regret it. She was not the first to completely ignore what I feel for you… or what you feel for me… but she will be the first not to go unpunished."

Tarrion nodded. "I understand."

"Do you agree with what I did?" she asked hesitantly.

He took a deep breath to think about it before he answered. "I just want to hug you… because after this, I really need one."

Serana couldn't supress a slight smirk. "First tell me what you think."

He nodded. "Clever girl," he smiled. "I understand why you did it, and I do not blame you. In your place… I might have done the same, or something similar. If someone is eyeing you, I would tell them to keep their distance. If they ask if they could 'borrow you', I would throw them through a wall. I just hope that when you punish people… you won't become cruel."

Serana's open smirk made him smile and she nodded. "Now you can hug me."

He moved to her and wrapped his arms around her. He softly caressed her sides as he planted a kiss at the base of her neck.

"I do not care if people do not agree with us," she whispered with her head on his shoulder. "If they think it is unheard of or even if they think it is wrong… I don't care. But I will not allow them to say it is not a true relationship. They cannot say we are not truthful to each other. They can disagree all they want, but they will not say it is not genuine… or disrespect it or pretend it does not exist."

"If it wasn't for the current situation," he whispered as he pulled back. "that almost sounded romantic."

When Shazra woke up the next morning Serana and Tarrion were already awake. She immediately kneeled and faced her mistress.

"Good morning, mistress," she said obediently, but when she took a deep breath through her nose she noticed something. "Mistress… I think I smell blood. Are you hurt?"

"I cut my arm on a rock," Tarrion said calmly. "But I healed it already."

"Yes sir," was her timid answer.

They removed all traces of the fire and continued further into the cave. It quickly became darker, but Tarrion summoned a Candlelight and lit the hallways and tunnels.

It immediately became clear to them that it had to be the right place. The walls were carved with imagery and runes in a language neither Tarrion or Serana knew. Shazra was able to translate a few of them, yet the majority was too worn and could not be read. They mostly spoke of 'woe to all who continued' yet they were not discouraged by this, but they were intrigued. Although the walls were still rough, the floor was flat and cleared of any obstacle. The carvings, although worn, were very frequent and they became more and more frequent as they continued. Tarrion started to wonder, and Serana wondered the same.

"How many did Tosh Raka bring with him?" she asked Shazra who shook her head.

"I do not know mistress… but rumours had it there were a hundred that went with him."

"That explains why there are so many carvings," Tarrion said to himself. "Do the stories say what kind of people he took with him?"

"Only his most trusted," was Shazra's answer. "but no-one knows what their profession was."

Serana chuckled as she looked around. "I guess we just found out. Craftsmen and miners clearly."

She saw more and more carvings and now even smaller statues, and the more she saw the more it became clear to her. "He planned this tomb!" she suddenly called out. "Why else would he take miners and craftsmen with him. They weren't necessarily his most trusted… they were the ones he needed. He planned to make this tomb for himself when he left… likely before he left."

She was in awe of what she realized, but that quickly turned to worry. "Watch were you step," she warned them. "If this tomb was planned, there will likely be traps or defenders."

Tarrion came walking next to her. "I could have used that warning when I entered Dimhollow," he smirked. "Gargoyles… Vampires… and my hand was impaled by a metal spike."

She chuckled. "Was it worth it?"

"More than I can express."

As they continued the carvings slowly turned into small statuettes , and those became large statues. The walls now showed signs of large murals that told stories, just like the Hall of Stories in the ancient Nordic ruins in Skyrim, that Tarrion had seen numerous times. Yet unlike those murals, these were not broken or worn. Unlike the carvings they had passed before, the murals were still intact and a number of images were still visible and much could be deducted from it. Shazra translated much and a story unfurled before them, mural after mural.

Snakes brought ruin, much was destroyed. The defences held long, but were wiped away through time. Damages, clearly beyond repair. Loss, clearly beyond count.

The Dragons are gone. None are left. Have they fled or been consumed, it matters not. They will not return. Akavir is no longer worthy of its name. The Dragonland is devoid of Dragons. Robbed of its soul… robbed of itself. Caused by hunger and greed.

Repairing what was lost became impossible. Preservation seems the only way out. Even that will end one day. From the West the Snakes lay siege to the Po Tun. Unending their armies. Northward the Kamal harass us every winter… bringing vast numbers.

Then the murals changed in tone, like it was a journal from one person in particular. The runes that Shazra translated seemed to be written from their perspective and it told the story of resilience and uprising.

I have become their leader. Strife and struggle were inevitable, but our people need a strong leader, and I am the Strongest. I will give Akavir its name back. I will do what no other has done before. I will become the Dragon that our people need. I will not fail

Above all others I have soared. My enemies curse my name and cower before it. My people revere and worship the ground beneath my claws. She shadow of my wings gives them courage. The sound of my roars inspires their hearts. Akavir is Akavir again.

The disappointment is great. I am alone still, surrounded by weaklings. No-one exists to match me… to be an equal. Only the Gods can surpass me now. The Po Tun are no more. They are now Ka Po Tun, yet not stronger than before. Strong only in name… and in their unity to my word.

I have decreed that they must become strong, like I have become strong. But they must do so without me. I will not be a God that leads sheep. They must become their own strength, and they must learn it like I did. Alone, through nothing but will and conviction.

They encountered the last mural in the long hallway, but it was broken and this seemed strange to them. It was completely shattered, as if someone had put great effort into making it permanently unreadable. None of the runes there were once there were still readable, or even visible and the broken pieces were grinded into gravel.

"Strange," Tarrion mumbled to himself. "The first murals told of the death of the Dragons of Akavir by the Tsaesci. Yet that happened centuries ago, maybe even millennia… yet this tomb is not that old."

"Maybe it is a homage to it," Serana suggested. "Made in memory of it."

"Then why here?" Tarrion asked. "They do not tell the story of one person, but of all of Akavir. I would expect those types of historical events not to be locked away in a tomb, but to be written down and memorized so that none will forget it. Here they serve no real purpose."

"Maybe a motivation for someone?" Serana asked. "To clarify the reason for this tomb, or the reason for the person in this tomb?"

"Then I guess these last few murals were made by Tosh Raka," Tarrion remarked as he looked back. "or at least made on his order."

"Agreed," Serana said as she studied one of them. "He fancied himself a god… he sounds arrogant."

Tarrion chuckled slightly. "Being able to turn into a Dragon may have gone to his head. But to be honest… I can't blame him. A transformation like that sounds… impressive."

"You believe that he was really able to do this?"

"I believe that he believed he could. And with enough conviction… and arrogance… he could very likely believed himself to be a god."

"Possible," Serana said as she scratched her chin and she walked to the broken mural. "Then I still do not understand why this one is broken. And not just broken, but completely destroyed. Someone clearly did not want this one to be read."

The continued on, passing more statues and carvings, yet none of them were like the murals from before. They now only seemed to be almost decorative, yet that changed too. First the statues represented the Ka Po Tun, the one larger than the other, but later the statues changed into beasts. Some had large horns, others had massive claws, yet all looked terrifying. It was as if they were made to scare intruders, to make sure that anyone who entered the cave would turn back. Yet Tarrion and Serana were not repelled by the statues. They had seen far worse things that were alive, and although these statues looked frightening, they were still made of nothing but stone.

Serana looked at the statues with a sense of unease. "I have the strange feeling these statues can come to life any second now."

Tarrion understood what she meant as one of the larger statues stared at him with a menacing look. "You think they will?"

"Well, I hope not.. but I just have this feeling. You told me of your adventures in old Nordic Tombs and all of them involved a lot of things trying to attack you."

Tarrion chuckled at what she said and could not say she was wrong.

"Well," Serana continued. "we are already far into this tomb, and we have not been attacked yet. Maybe the Akaviri were not the kind of people to leave undead behind or to create living statues, but I still feel a sense of unease here."

"We haven't reached the final chamber yet," Tarrion agreed with her. "until we have, watch your back."

But as they continued they encountered no statues that jumped to life. This did the opposite of putting them at ease and only deepened Serana's feeling of dread. Like something was watching them and waiting to strike. Tarrion felt it too, yet tried to ignore it. He had lit a Candlelight and it now illuminated the area around him with a pale-blue light as it hovered above him. The tunnel became larger as they continued and before long the walls were no longer visible to them, except for Serana who could see in the dark.

The statues also became larger, yet less frequent. Where there were four statues every five metres, now there were only two every fifty metres, one on either side of the tunnel. They now were so large the head was hardly visible in the Candlelight and only Serana could see the ceiling now.

Suddenly she stopped and sharpened her senses. She furrowed her brow as she tried to concentrate and listened closely.

"What is it?" Tarrion asked her as he came standing next to her.

"I am not sure," she answered. "But is it just me, or is it getting warmer?"

Tarrion looked at her and shook his head. "I don't feel anything."

"And I hear something," Serana continued. "a… rumbling."

"An avalanche outside?"

"I don't know. I just hear it."

After a short while Tarrion started to agree with her. He too felt that it was getting warmer, yet he still did not hear anything. But as they continued Serana could not clearly hear something. A deep rumble that she had not heard before, yet she thought she should recognize it.

Before long they reached the end of the tunnel and found a massive door. It was larger than any door they had ever seen, larger than the gates of Windhelm. It looked like a Dragon could fit through it without effort and it was made out of steel and rock. And at this door even Tarrion could hear a faint rumbling as they approached it. whatever they were looking for, it lay behind this door.

Tarrion placed his hands on one of the doors, while Serana and Shazra grabbed the other, and in unison they pushed with all their strength. Slowly… inch by inch.. the doors started moving until they could walk through the opening.

They now stood in the darkness and only Serana could see where they were going. She saw a massive hall. Large enough for their house in Falkreath to fit in it at least a dozen times. She saw large pillars holding up the ceiling and the walls had dozens of alcoves in which she saw dozens of sarcophagi. Small canals were dug in the floor and they were filled with a black liquid. On the far end of the hall, far enough that even Serana could hardly see it, she saw an area that was elevated with a few dozen steps. On the elevated area she saw another sarcophagus, larger than all the others and it was clearly ornamented with gold, gemstones and imagery.

The ceiling seemed to be almost one hundred metres above them, and only Serana could see a very faint light coming from it.

"I can't see anything here," Tarrion said to himself. "How large is this hall?"

"Very large," Serana answered, still in awe of what she saw. "But watch out where you step. I see… they look like canals, and they are filled with a black liquid."
Tarrion took a deep breath through his nose. "Oil," he said. "Dwarven oil? Were the Dwemer even on Akavir? That seems impossible."

"Can we light it?" he asked and Serana nodded carefully.

"I think so… stand back."

With a small stream of fire she lit one of the canals, and immediately the fire started spreading like water and it bathed the entire room in a blazing light. Tarrion now saw the pillars, alcoves and sarcophagi as well and he too was in awe of the massive scope of this tomb. All around him the fires started burning again and almost no nook was left unlit.

As they walked on they could see that the fires were still spreading, seemingly endless. Shazra looked around her, both terrified and in awe of what she saw. The immense terror that Serana inflicted on her started to wane a bit when she saw that they had reached their destination and she stopped fumbling with her hands. She took a deep breath and inhaled the warm smell of the flames. In front of her she saw the elevated area with the large sarcophagus, almost looking like it waited for them to discover it.

"That has to be the place where Tosh Raka is buried," she said and the others agreed. "I never thought we would make it."

"We still have to bring his body… or something, back to your people," Tarrion corrected her. "We are not home yet."

Serana looked at how Shazra slowly shook off her trauma, yet she said nothing and ignored it, hoping that she had made herself clear enough. She followed Tarrion up the steps to the last resting place of Tosh Raka and looked at the sarcophagi.

It was ornamented, just like the one Vahlok came bursting out of, and for a few moments she though the same would happen. A large Dragon Priest would come bursting from his tomb to attack the intruders… yet nothing happened and all remained silent.

If any of the imagery on the sides had eyes, they were made with either rubies or emeralds. The golden images and gemstones for eyes were unlike anything Tarrion or Serana had seen before. Many of the figures represented Dragons killing large snakes and Tarrion saw clearly that they were meant as symbol of Tosh Raka's victories over the Tsaesci.

The lid itself seemed to have been made out of one solid piece of gold, with the large maul of the Ka Po Tun near the head. Inside the mouth they saw a strange purple gemstone, larger than the others and it seemed to have been of great importance. The lid had been nailed shut with silver nails, each of them perfectly hidden away in the corners and hardly visible. The entire coffin was a work of art and worth more than a fortune, and Tarrion doubted even Tiber Septim was entombed like this.

For a few moments all remained silence. Out of respect or in awe… or both for this legend among his people.

"I guess this is it then," Tarrion said and he looked at Shazra. "Are you ready?"

Shazra's hands were shaking and her eyes were wide open.

"This stone," she whispered with awe as she looked at the large, purple gem. "I have heard of it, but never thought it actually existed."

"What is it then?" Serana asked. "Aside from being a large gemstone."

"We call it Shazrae kol Sunral. In your Tongue you might call it the Eye of the Gods. Some have said it houses a piece of one of the gods that was killed by the others."

It would seem she was about to faint again at all this, but then she nodded. With great effort she pulled herself together and helped Tarrion and Serana loosen the lid and inch by inch came loose. Suddenly one of the nails snapped. Their pure silver was not strong enough to withstand the strength of a Werewolf, a Vampire and one of the Ka Po Tun and one by one they snapped. With a last push the three opened the sarcophagus and looked inside.

They found it empty.

"What?" was Shazra's first response. "That… no… that can't be."

She stared at the empty coffin for a while before softly mumbling to herself in her own language. A look of total and utter defeat was on her face as she gripped the coffin.

Serana came standing next to Tarrion and looked from the empty coffin to him.

"Even I have to admit… I am disappointed."

Tarrion nodded. "It is strange though."

"Because it was empty while being sealed shut?" she asked and he nodded. "Thought so…. Maybe there is a different, hidden chamber somewhere. This coffin here is to distract potential grave robbers from finding the real prize."
"You now also want to find his body?" he asked with a slight smile.

"No," she answered simply. "I want to get out of here, but it is unlikely we leave without bringing something. We have to bring something back to show that we have found the Tomb, but I am not lugging this heavy lid on my back."

"We don't have to," Shazra answered, seemingly recovering from her defeat. "We can bring the Shazrae with us. It… it would not be as great as the body of Tosh Raka himself… but,"

She sighed and shook her head. "It should be enough… it will have to be."

Together they lifted the lid back on the coffin and Serana gripped the gemstone and pulled it out of the golden mouth. Immediately a deep rumble echoed through the hall. Serana had not even realized the rumbling she had heard had stopped as soon as they had entered the hall, but now it seemed to come from all around her. The entire mountain seemed to shake on its foundation as Serana held the gem in her hand and all looked in terror at it.

"I think you've made it angry," Tarrion said as he saw the pillars shake. Walls trembled and one of them started moving. In the middle of the wall to their left he saw a large opening that widened. He ran toward the centre of the room in front of the wall, and immediately large fires appeared in front of him, blocking his way out. Behind him more fires appeared and he heard Serana shout. But he hardly heard her. Not only because of the roaring of the flames, but more because of what he saw in front of him.

The opening was now almost twenty metres across and he stared into the pitch black darkness. It was as if someone had opened the gates of the night, for nothing was visible behind those doors. Nothing… except for two large eyes. They glowed bright red, almost shining with an inner light. First they were only two metres above the ground, but then they rose from the ground, higher and higher until they stared down on Tarrion from almost ten metres above him.

Almost demonic they were and before it happened Tarrion heard the deep rumble that Serana had heard before. Low and bellowing was the growl and he saw a slight glow below the two eyes… something he had seen before, and this was the only thing that could prepare him for what happened as he Shouted on the last possible moment.

FEIM

An inferno that rivalled that of Alduin himself was unleashed and Tarrion's body was engulfed by the flames. Serana screamed when she saw it and rushed to him, but the sheer heat of the flames stopped her. She fired a few blind Ice Spikes at the entrance, not caring if they hit their mark… and the flames stopped.

Tarrion stood unharmed amongst the flames. The ground was scorched black and broken rocks were smouldering in the heat.

FUS RO DAH

Tarrion Shouted at the eyes and a loud roar was heard when the wave hit its target. Immediately Tarrion ran to Serana, away from the flames and dragged her away. This was not a moment too soon, as a large claw appeared from behind the doors and a massive scaled body followed behind it.

In the confusion Tarrion, and not even Serana, could see who or what their opponent was. All they knew was that it could breathe fire… a lot of it.. and both realized they were dealing with a Dragon. Yet both also knew it was unlike any Dragon they had ever faced and even Tarrion, who had faced Alduin himself, was overwhelmed by its power. The hall had previously seemed massive, but now quickly felt too small to combat such a beast. The flames were spreading with every passing second and the smoke blocked their view. . Shazra hid behind a pillar since she knew she could do nothing against such a foe.

But this became their salvation, as even the Dragon seemed to hate his confinement now that he faced two enemies who would not die. With a final burst it fired a massive fireball at the ceiling which split open. Large pieces of ice, snow and rock fell down and fresh daylight now entered the room, yet it was blocked by the smoke. The Dragon roared again and with one strike from its massive wings it took flight and flew to the open air above the hall.

Another massive rumble echoed through the hall and Tarrion knew the mountain was about to collapse on them.

"RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

Pulling Shazra to her feet he ran behind Serana to the massive stone doors that lead to the tunnel. Through sheer luck the doors were still opened far enough for them to run through, and Shazra ran past Tarrion. She was larger than Tarrion and was thus faster. Serana used her Vampiric speed to outrun both of them and Tarrion could not keep up with them.

Serana shouted back; "Tarrion!" and she was about to turn around to wait for him, but he shouted at her.

"Run! Don't wait for me, run!"

Rocks fell around him, nearly crushing him and he braced himself and Shouted.

WULD NAH KEST

With a flash he surged forward and flew right past Serana and Shazra, but their speed caught up with him again.

Running through the tunnels they saw they saw the statues fall apart one by one, and behind them more rocks fell down. The entire tunnel collapsed and their only luck was that the tunnel collapsed outward, rather than inward. They no longer heard anything, other than the roaring of the mountain as it tried to bury them under the rock and ice.

After a short while they finally reached the entrance and with a last burst of adrenaline did they reach the outside. The cold wind hit them in their faces and the snow quickly made them loose footing and they tumbled down. Above them the last parts of the tunnel collapsed and a part of the head of the Ka Po Tun that was hewed in the mountainside crumbled, leaving a deformed face stare down at them.

Tarrion landed near Serana and he helped her to her feet, panting as he breathed in the cold air of Kamal. Shazra spit out a handful of snow as she climbed to her feet. None of them had any time to catch their breath though, because moments later a massive roar split the air apart and all looked up to the skies.

Over the highest peaks of the mountains the Dragon appeared again and now all could see its power in full.

It was larger than any Dragon any of them had ever seen. Larger than even Alduin himself, Tarrion knew. Its scales were orange and black and its wings blocked the sun. Its tail was longer than normal, almost like the tail of a long snake. From a distance Serana could see it had spikes covering the majority of its body, except for its belly and throat. The head was wider than that of normal Dragons, and it had two large horns arching backwards and pointing upward, almost like a crown. But all of that was irrelevant to them now, and especially Tarrion was astounded by what he saw. He saw two front legs below the wings and this seemed impossible. He knew that all Dragons would have two hind legs and two wings to fly with, yet this Dragon had a total of six limbs… four legs and two wings.

On that moment he knew this was no ordinary Dragon. All that he learned on his journey to find the Tomb of Tosh Raka flashed through his head…. The disappearance of all Dragons on Akavir.. the supposed achievement of Tosh Raka…. His departure and the empty sarcophagus…. All of it lead him to only one conclusion.

"Not possible…"

=End of Chapter=

=Author's Notes=

And that is it for this chapter. I know.. I know; cliff-hangers again :), but all will be explained next time.

The year is also reaching its end, but I seem to be on a roll this month. I think I can squeeze in another chapter before the end of the year, but in case I can't;

I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2019.

Dragon Language Used:

FEIM : Fade (from the Become Ethereal Shout)

FUS RO DAH: Force Balance Push (full Unrelenting Force Shout)

WULD NAH KEST: Whirlwind Fury Tempest (full Whirlwind Sprint Shout)