Lands Unknown part 14

The sun was slowly setting on Akavir. Its rays set the sky ablaze with a colour pallet of red, orange and yellow and it made for a beautiful sight. The waves that hit the western shores seemed to be crowned with fire as the wind threw the foam up in the air. Strange reptile-like birds cried their last cries before the night and retreated to their burrows to sleep.

One of those birds, if that is what one can call them, cried at Serana. She saw it had small claws at the joints of the wings that it used to climb trees with. She stared at this creature that was strange to her before it flew away.

Serana looked at how it disappeared in the canopy of the massive trees. She stood next to huge roots that almost seemed like walls of wood. As she looked around her and saw all the beauty of this land, she wondered.

'How did it come to this?'

She knew the answer to that question. When she and Tarrion left Skyrim to spend time on themselves they had planned on going to Elseweyr, yet a storm chased them to the open ocean. When they thought it had disappeared it caught them off guard and their ship was sunk. Serana barely remembered how lucky she felt when she saw Tarrion walking on the shores towards her, alive and well.

But what started as an unfortunate crash on a strange land soon became a nightmare to them both. First they were drawn into the conflicts of the natives and Tarrion had to fight in an arena to prove himself. She was there with him and made the Ka Po Tun believe the Gods were on his side. But only after they were forced to agree to help the Ka Po Tun, were they offered help. They had to fight a horde of ice demons, only to again fight the largest Dragon they had ever seen. Now that same Dragon ruled the Ka Po Tun once more and Tarrion and Serana were drawn into the war between Tigers and Snakes.

She knew how it all happened. A better question would be why it had come to this.

She heard footsteps behind her and she knew who it was. She turned around and a small part of her hoped she would see something different, yet she was disappointed. He looked at her with a soft glow in his eyes. His skin was as pale as hers and his hair just as black. Although she knew it was him, he was different… and she knew she had caused it. a decision she had regretted as soon as she had made it. Yet it was also a decision she knew she did not make without reason. She just hoped there would be a way to undo it all.

"Are you ready?" he asked her and she nodded.

"I am… Once more onto the breach, and then… home."

He smiled as he placed his forehead against hers and his hand on her neck. "Home… hearth… and a wedding."

She smiled kissed him. She hoped for that. She hoped for home… to be away from the troubles of Akavir. They left Skyrim to escape from trouble, but only went from the bear's den into the Dragon's nest. She would do anything to face the troubles of Skyrim again… with her husband next to her.

The sun had set and the two set out. The Tang Mo and Ka Po Tun would travel with them until they reached the city and then take a different route to the main castle. While Tarrion would create the distraction and Serana disable the dockyard, the Tang Mo and Ka Po Tun would infiltrate the castle and disrupt as much as they could as a third distraction. This part of the plan was not something that either Tarrion or Serana liked, but they were not given an option. The Tang Mo said they would make sure there would be a distraction in the main castle to lure even more of the Tsaesci away. And so all now neared the city and before long the high spires were visible.

Tarrion saw there was no need for walls, since the city was built on the highest rocky spires of Akavir, many too large and steep to climb in force. Siege engines would not reach the city, as the massive jungle prevented it. All now saw countless small lights from windows and doorways and pathways indicating that the city was awake. There the Tang Mo and Ka Po Tun went further north while Tarrion and Serana continued to near the city, becoming invisible as the moon slowly climbed higher.

Soft and quick as shadows did the two Vampires reach the edge of the city where they saw the first Tsaesci guard and it was an intimidating sight.

It wore a strange set of plated armour, comprised of scales like the skin of the Snake itself. They glimmered in the moonlight like silver, yet Serana saw it was made from hardened steel. The tail was over ten metres long and had a number of different colours, many of them painted on with terrifying imagery and war paint. He wore a wide helmet, also with scale-plating, and its glowing eyes were hidden behind a mask. Every few seconds its tongue escaped its mouth for a moment, trying to catch scents in the air and notice intruders. It held a long glaive in its left hand while its right hand was covered in a claw-like gauntlet.

For a few moments it looked directly in Serana's direction, but then it turned around and slithered away.

Sticking to the shadows the two climbed one of the spires until they reached a walkway. The stone was strong and well-built and Tarrion looked further to the west where he could see spires upon spires and hundreds of walkways between them. Following the pathways, encountering only few Tsaesci patrolling the paths at night, they went further into the city until they reached the last of the spires. There both stood a few moments to take in the sights.

The western ocean was open and calm that night. The moon had slowly climbed higher and now made the waves glisten like diamonds in the night. Tarrion stood there and for the first time he truly understood what Serana could see during the nights, for he now saw the same.

Everything was crystal clear to them, and although he had already been a Vampire for some time now, he now saw just how clear it was. Behind him the rocky spires were crowned with green plants and trees. Not one of them had a large guard tower overlooking the city. Many pathways seemed to have built to deliberately avoided certain areas. The few waterfalls in the city were left untouched, not even to control where the water was flowing, and tall green grass was growing on the ground almost two hundred metres below them. To both their left and right more spires reached upwards and more lights were visible, most inside the houses.

They looked at it all and both found a new beauty in it all and saw that, if things were different, this would have been a beautiful city to visit. But things were not different. Things were dire now and they knew they had to part ways for now. One would have to go north to sabotage the shipyard.. and the other had to go south to create a large distraction.

"I guess this is it."

Serana nodded and instinctively took his hand. "I know."

"I know you will likely disagree," Tarrion started and he sighed. "but I think I should create the distraction."

To his surprise Serana nodded. "Actually… I don't disagree," and she gave him a slight smile. "You have more destructive power, whereas my strength lies in stealth. It would make little sense to go where we are not at our strongest."

Tarrion grabbed her other hand and answered her smile. "I am going to marry a wise woman."

"I have many years of experience," she joked, but then she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Don't do anything stupid, alright? Create the distraction and get out. I think the Tsaesci will respond in force if half their fleet is set ablaze and you can't defeat an entire city."

He hugged her back and kissed her hair. "I will be careful, I promise." As he pulled back he looked into her eyes. Their soft glow was now even more apparent than ever before and softly stroked her cheek. "We will meet again at the camp. It is unwise to come back here when the entire city is awake."

She nodded and kissed his lips. "I will see you there."

Serana stepped back and with a last smile she disappeared into the shadows.

Navigating the city proved difficult, yet Serana managed. He walkways were mostly abandoned and the few guards that she encountered did not notice her, even when she was only a few metres away. She was quick and silent as the a soft breeze, leaving no trace of her to be found and leaving any and all none the wiser.

She noticed light coming out of every house she passed and when she looked inside she saw something strange.

There seemed to be one main bedroom, and it was one large room in which an entire family slept. All rested on large beds covered with a large amount of blankets and pillows. Husbands and wives would lay next to each other, their tails intertwined, seemingly at all times, and their arms wrapped around each other's bodies. But this all seemed normal if not for the large, roaring fire in each of the rooms. All of the bedrooms had a large pit in the centre, where a large fire was burning and brought warmth to the entire room.

At first Serana thought this to be strange, yet after sensing the warmth of the flames she understood. Just like her the Tsaesci could not generate their own body-heat. Just like her they were coldblooded and relied on warmth of the outside. Her source of warmth during the nights had always been Tarrion, but they were all coldblooded. The fire kept them warm during the long nights and they would wake up refreshed because of it.

Serana continued and thought about it for a while before shaking her head and focussing on the task at hand.

After an hour she finally neared the bay. The rocky spires became less frequent and she descended down the pathways and staircases. When she reached solid ground again she saw that he grass was tall and covered the floor in a thick layer of green. Moving silently she kept her eyes forward, and did not notice the lack of guards. Spire after spire moved past her and when she finally reached the edge of the city and arrived at the bay her eyes widened in shock. Something was terribly wrong.

Although it was something he had done before, becoming a shadow was still different for Tarrion. He was no louder than a breeze and quicker than a sound, yet each time he stepped from the shadows to take form again, he felt relieved. The Shout that made him Ethereal was only temporarily and would wear off after a short while, yet this was different as he was able to maintain it indefinitely. Now, without Serana to help him, he made his way southward toward the place where he would find their port. He would have to create a large distraction to wake up the entire city and draw as many as possible away from the shipyards.

After a while he caught two of the guards talking to each other and listened. Surprisingly they used the language of Tamriel and he was intrigued by this.

"It ssseemsss the Catsss have their emperor back."

"Yesss… the sssself proclaimed Emperor of Akavir. The Catsss are arrogant. But how did he come back? How isss he still alive after centuriesss?"

"Dragonsss can only be killed. It hasss been long sssince Akavir hasss ssseeen real Dragonsss, yet it ssseemsss Tossssh Raka hasss sssimilar abilitiesss… including their immortality."

"Then we mussst find a way to prevent him from ssstaying in Dragon-form. Then he will age and die jussst like the ressst of them. And after that… Tamriel will face usss again."

"You think we find a Dovahkiin there?"

"That doesss not matter. Lassst time we invaded Akavir my father went with them, leaving me and my mother alone. Only centuriesss later I found out that a Dovahkiin came and our warriorsss followed him. No, he had enssslaved them. If a Dovahkiin ssstil exissst in the world, they will die, jussst like all the othersss."

The other guard stayed silent for a while and seemed to be lost in thought.

"What?" the first guard asked. "You think we ssshould ssstill follow a Dovahkiin?"

"Powersss from the Godsss ssshould not be ignored lightly," was the only answer before the two moved on.

Tarrion stayed for a few moments where he was until he continued. He remembered reading about the first Akaviri Invasion and how it brought new meaning to the word 'invasion'. But he banished those thoughts from his mind and continued moving further into the city and finally reached the end of the endless spires. There, as he stepped from the shadows he saw something he did not expect and under his breath he mumbled a few insults that were addressed to the Ka Po Tun and the Tang Mo.

Serana hid at the foot of a lookout tower and saw that she was in the wrong place. The bay was wide and calm, as the wave broke before they entered the mouth, and she saw the hundreds of ships calmly moored to the hundreds of piers. Many of the ships were small, but the majority were larger than any ship Serana had ever seen. She saw that this was not the shipyard at all.. this was the port… just like she suggested to the Tang Mo leader. There were no shipyards and machinery to be found. The only ships that seemed unfit for the ocean were the ones with ragged sails in need of repair, yet all of the ships were finished and none of them were under construction. Serana stared at it all and saw she was in the wrong place… the Tang Mo either had made a mistake, or they had lied.

She knew she could not turn back and quickly rush to Tarrion's aid now. She knew she was on her own, and she made the split-second decision to reverse the roles they came to play.

Descending down to the docks she noticed a handful of workers that were still present and working to keep the ship in good condition, or were loading or unloading cargo. At one of the ships she saw a large number of barrels that seemed to be filled with a sticky substance. One whiff told her enough… this was oil. Similar to the oil the Dwemer used and could sometimes still be found in their ruins, yet this was not the same. Careful so as not to make any noise she boarded the ship and found the cargo hold. There she smiled and knew what she had to do and turned back.

The cargo hold was filled with barrels. Dozens upon dozens and all were filled with the strange oil. She had no idea how the Tsaesci got their hands on so much of it, yet she did not care, she knew how she was going to make use of it.

Outside she grabbed one barrel and let its contents spill over the door to the cargo hold and she walked back to the main deck, leaving a trail of oil behind her. Up top she rolled the barrel around the deck until it was slick with oil. Quickly she walked back to shore where she waited for a few moments.

She had no idea if the Ka Po Tun and Tang Mo would still create their own distraction now that they were wrong, purposefully or not, about the shipyards, yet she knew it now depended on her. Putting enough distance between her and the ship she hid in a corner and waited for as long as she could until she took the plunge.

With a well-aimed shot she fired a small fireball at the ship, and as soon as it made contact with the deck, all became chaos.

'THOSE BASTARDS!' Tarrion thought to himself. 'Those backstabbing pieces of draaf!'

He cursed them all since there was no doubt in his mind that they lied to him. As they admitted they had been at war with the Tsaesci for centuries so they should know their enemies by now. And yet, here he was seeing he was in the wrong place.

He saw several large buildings from which huge wooden ramps lead to the sea. Inside he heard sounds of hammers, saws and other building equipment. There were still many working here, even during the nights. As Tarrion moved closer he saw the bow of a ship coming from one of the buildings and he saw that it would be larger than any ship he had ever seen. Inside he saw huge stone columns holding up the ceiling and seemingly endless amounts of scaffolding on which about a dozen Tsaesci worked.

He scouted the other buildings as well and they were all built the same way, massive stone columns held up the ceiling, scaffolding to reach the higher areas of the docks and an impressive wooden ramp to lead the finished ship to sea.

In all this Tarrion silently cursed the Tang Mo and Ka Po Tun again as he saw that they were either completely wrong with what they knew, or they had lied. Yet it was too late to turn back now. There was not enough time to switch places with Serana and he knew he had to manage, as he was certain Serana would do the same.

There were five docks in total, each of them placed right next to each other. The one furthest away was built next to a large cliff where Tarrion saw a large watchtower. Collapsing the tower on top of the docks would destroy two of them. The other three would have to be burned or destroyed in some other manner.

He first neared the watchtower, sticking to the shadows as he went. This proved not too difficult, despite the many lanterns and fires that were lit to help the workers. All of the walls were thick and well built, able to withstand storms. Yet at the watchtower he saw that the walls were much thinner. It was not build to withstand sieges, since the Ka Po Tun were not strong enough at sea to attack the docks. Here Tarrion saw an opportunity.

Then, when all except the sounds of hammers and saws from the dockyard was quiet, a massive explosion tore the night apart. Tarrion saw a huge flash of light coming from further north and he knew Serana had triggered the distraction.

The sounds of hammers and saws immediately stopped and dozens of Tsaesci came rushing out of the docks. all now looked at the massive clouds of black smoke that rose from their city and many of them started panicking, but most rushed away and abandoned the docks. This was what Tarrion was hoping for and he waited. It pained him to do so, but he waited. He knew Serana needed him, and yet he did not move. He knew she was in trouble, and yet he did not move. He did not know how long he had to wait, but after what seemed like an eternity to him, he made his move.

STRUN BAH QO

In less than no time the starry skies of Akavir turned black with storm clouds. A heavy wind came rushing from the west and with heavy rains falling down from the skies a thunderbolt flashed and struck the watchtower. Rocks and debris fell down, but the tower still stood, like Tarrion expected and he took a deep breath and aimed for the foot of the tower.

FUS RO DAH

Stronger than any shout he could have mustered all those years ago the Unrelenting Force of the Shout shattered the walls of the tower, and it started to collapse. Heaving in the light of the thunder strikes it crumbled and fell from the cliffs, down to the shipyards below. With sounds of destruction, equalled only by the thunder itself, two of the shipyards were destroyed and they collapsed.

As fast as he could Tarrion rushed down to the remaining buildings and tried to find a way to destroy them.

He entered the first one, and no Tsaesci were near him. Firing Thunderbolts after Fireballs he made sure the scaffolding would be set ablaze. The ship that was being built soon became invisible in the smoke, yet Tarrion threw a few more fireballs at it and it went up in flames.

He gave the second building the same treatment, yet he also threw several barrels filled with a strange oil toward the entrance and they exploded in the flames. massive clouds of black smoke filled the air as the lightning continued to flash down and strike the ground and buildings at random.

But at the third and last of the shipyards he encountered a few Tsaesci that had returned. They screamed at him in fell voices and hurled their spears at him, yet he dodged them quickly and forced them to retreat by setting fire to the ship. Amidst the carnage Tarrion saw the columns and he took a deep breath, inhaling the black smoke.

FUS RO DAH

The stone column cracked under the force and a deafening rumble echoed through the hall. Knowing the ceiling was close to collapsing Tarrion rushed to the exit. There several of the Tsaesci guards waited for him. Blocking the exit with a wall of spears and pikes they hoped to stop him.

"Looksss like human meat isss back on the menu, boysss!" one of them shouted and all laughed.

YOL TOOR SHUL

Their laughs ended as an inferno escaped Tarrion's mouth, yet only one was not fast enough. All others jumped away in time and as Tarrion ran toward the exit, a large tail slammed into him and threw him back into the burning building.

"You will burn," one of them shouted. "But not your female… we have other plans for her."

Again they laughed, but that ceased again as their enemy emerged from the flames. Like a God of Fire the flames did not seem to harm him, almost dancing around him and protecting him and the Tsaesci saw a cold presence in a sea of flames.

Tarrion's anger burned brighter than the flames around him and he felt a deep roar within him as another gesture blew the walls away and the building collapsed. In a storm of bats he flew away, furiously seeking any sign of Serana… for he now knew it was all a trap. How else could they have known she was also in the city?

Arriving at the docks he saw hundreds of Tsaesci trying to put out the flames, yet the oil had spread out across the bay and more than a dozen ships were set ablaze. There, overlooking the bay, Tarrion knew he would not find Serana amidst the chaos and he knew he had to turn back to camp. There they agreed to meet each other again and this was good, as he heard sounds and cries all around him, and with one last look at the burning ships he transformed again and flew back towards the edges of the city, leaving the massive clouds of smoke behind him and a city in chaos.

It took many hours before he finally reached camp and the sun had come up in the east, but his anger had not lessened. Their information was wrong and Tarrion intended to make them understand the mistake they had made by lying.

He emerged unsuspected from between the trees and all jumped up when they saw him. He cared little and his eyes flashed from left to right, but he did not find Serana. His eyes widened and for a few moments he forgot his anger.

"You're still alive?"

The Tang Mo leader seemed the most surprised of all and he recoiled when Tarrion directed his gaze at him.

"So you can speak our language," Tarrion said harshly as he walked toward him. "Good… I will make you scream in it."

Clearly fearing for his life the leader shouted a few words and his guards moved between him and Tarrion.

WULD

Before they could take position Tarrion blew past them, tackled the leader and rammed him against a tree.

"How did they know?" he shouted in the Tang Mo's face. "They knew a man and a woman would attack he city! HOW?"

"We…. Agh…. I did-…. They…"

Barely able to breath with Tarrion's hand at his throat he desperately tried to get the human off of him.

"They what?" Tarrion barked at him. "They promised you a time of peace if you delivered two humans to them?"

"N-… no. I didn't…."

"THEN HOW?"

"Because I gave that information."

Tarrion turned his head and saw that Tosh Raka had appeared. He had a few of his strongest bodyguards with him and his face told everyone he was ready for war.

"What?!"

"I gave them that information," Tosh Raka repeated and Tarrion dropped the Tang Mo. "I told them just enough to fall into my trap."

Tarrion looked bewildered. He felt like all came falling down around him and with Serana's whereabouts unknown he felt himself unable to think clearly.

"I send a few scouts to Tsaesci land," Tosh Raka explained. "And they were captured, which was my intention. I told them to get captured and give them information about our plans… my two finest spies are now dead, but that is a small price to pay. They told the Tsaesci of our plan, the exact same plan I told you two months ago…. In truth this was all part of a strategy to lure them into my trap."

A smile now appeared on Tosh Raka's face while the Tang Mo leader rubbed his throat.

"I told you that our plan was to disable their fleet and shipyards," Tosh Raka continued. "Yet this was not true. I admit, I did not think you would actually succeed and survive… my congratulations… but our true target was not the shipyards, but their leaders. The King of the Tseasci was here, I knew that. He was not in the capital, a logical location for their king… but he has always been a patron of ships and seafaring… so he would be here. The group that would create a 'distraction' in the fort were really there to assassinate the king of the Tsaesci. They waited until you two created your distractions before they would strike…. And with half the city watching the bonfire of dozens of ships, their king… their queen… and their princes were all killed in their own beds."

The guards around Tosh Raka now also grinned at this victory and Tosh Raka continued.

"While a small force was besieging their capital, waiting for the Tsaesci to march on us, our main force hid and struck them in an ambush. In one day half of their forces died, and the next day another four thousand fell beneath us. We have achieved an almost total victory over them, and with spring here and the Kamal retreating, Akavir belongs to us. The Kamal attacks were weak this time, likely because you killed the ones that were supposed to wake the others. Their attacks have done so little the Tang Mo have suffered nearly no losses, and with all of Akavir united under my rule, we will never have to fear an enemy again."

"This all could not have been possible without your distractions," he continued. "You have held up your end of the bargain… I will do so as well. You will have your ship, our finest vessel-…"

"I DON'T CARE!" Tarrion shouted and he felt his rage overwhelming him. "WHERE IS SERANA?"

"If she is captured, they will likely take her to their leader… or whoever is left. A young and foolish child who is not fit to rule will be their leader now. Seeing that your woman is not here…. it is likely she is taken to the capital of the Tsaesci. A place that will become ruins soon."

"Then we will go after her… NOW!"

"There is no need," was Tosh Raka's calm answer and this alone made Tarrion angrier than he had ever been. "We need only to wait for her and her captors to arrive at Shae'Sal, where she will be freed by our forces."

"AND SHE WILL STAY IMPRISONED UNTIL THEN!?"

Tarrion's mind broke. The accumulation of all he had felt throughout the night was now combined with the betrayal and lies of the Ka Po Tun and Tang Mo. His desperation reached its peak as he imagined Serana imprisoned in a silver cage, like an animal waiting for the slaughter.

The sun peaked through the canopy far above them, yet it did not harm Tarrion. His rage and pain was now overwhelming and even Tosh Raka's victorious smile disappeared as Tarrion transformed.

But this was not something any of those present had ever seen. Shazra was the only one of the Ka Po Tun who had ever seen Tarrion transform, but that was when he was still a werewolf. This transformation was different as Tarrion's hands and feet morphed into large claws. He barely had enough time to remove the ring from his finger as his clothes were shredded. His skin changed colour and two wings grew painfully from his back. All those that were present, even Tosh Raka himself, backed away as they saw the human grow larger and larger. Then all except Tosh Raka dropped to their knees and dared not too look at the terrifying image they now saw before them.

Tarrion clenched his jaws before uttering a roar that made the ears bleed of all present, and with a single move he flapped his wings and flew towards the city again… determined to find his love. Once he would have pitied anyone that tried to keep Serana from him… but he felt no pity for the Tsaesci now as he flew through the skies of Akavir.

=End of Chapter=

=Author's Notes=

And that is it for this chapter. It went relatively fast… I had time. But it seems that the Ka Po Tun had other motives than to help our two characters. Logical I think…. But still; how dare they?

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Stay tuned for the next one. Leave a review if you want, I always like to hear feedback.

Dragon language used:

STRUN BAH QO: Storm Wrath Lightning (full Storm Call Shout)

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

YOL TOOR SHUL: Fire Inferno Sun (full Fire Breath Shout)

WULD: Whirlwind (from the Whirlwind Sprint Shout)

Draaf: in the context of 'pieces of draaf' I'm sure you can guess what it means :)