Jul
Lucius
Alduin's meteoric fire fell from the sky of Sovngarde once again, the beautiful skies above Sovngarde twisted into the now familiar swirl of death that accompanied Alduin wherever he may go. The dragon himself disappeared once again into his Fog, sure that his fiery hellstorm would be able to do us in long before he had any cause to fight with us in the flesh.
I turned to the Tongues. "You three, clear the skies and fog. We need to force Alduin out of hiding before we can use Dragonrend on him, and getting rid of this fire would be nice," I told the warriors. They nodded in agreement and charged forward to do as I asked. I turned to Lydia and... her. "Once Alduin leaves the Fog, Thera and I will bring him down with Alduin. From there, we three will be the ones that attack him. Remember, he can only be injured when the Magicks of Dragonrend have cursed him to mortality, so if the blue glow isn't present... run away."
"You do not tell me what to do, human," Thera sneered in response. Her twin blades were in hand, ready to shed blood. "I am an Elf. We order your kind around."
I growled angrily, but swallowed my hatred and pride. "Then what do you suggest we do, O superior being?"
The bitch sneered at my sarcasm, then sighed. "Once Alduin leaves the fog, we will bring him down with Dragonrend. Only then can we attack him."
"Great plan," I told the bitch. I resisted the urge to plunge Dragonbane into her heart then and there. We had promised a truce, even if she had broken it by running with Odahviing.
She growled at me. "But remember. The deathblow is mine, Slave." I stared into the hungry, hateful eyes of the Thalmor bitch, and knew she truly meant to threaten me over taking Alduin's life. Her desire for his power, for his strength was great. Which is why I had to ensure that she would not kill him. No one should have the power of Alduin, but, even if it meant sacrificing my soul, I would be the one to take it. I at least had a chance of not murdering all of Nirn in my hunger for power.
Instead of voicing my rage and concerns to the Thalmor, however, I responded simply. "I would not endanger the world. Whoever kills Alduin is the one that shall kill him," I told her. She smiled and trudged off towards the Tongues, who were on their fourth round of clearing the Fog that Alduin kept bringing back. As she joined her Voice to theirs, I turned to Lydia. "We need to ensure she does not deal the final blow to Alduin. Such a thing..."
"Of course, my Thane," Lydia said with a slight bow of her head. "I understand."
"Fine then, you wish for me to devour you in person!?" Alduin screamed as the Fog disappeared once again. He flew from the other end of Sovngarde to place himself above the Tongues. "Then you shall die all the quicker, joore." He shrieked and the fiery sky began to reform to kill us.
"No, that shall be you, wyrm!" Gormlaith screamed. As one, Thera, the Tongues, and I screamed the duraal rot. "Joore Zah Frul!"
Alduin screamed in pain as the combined vengeance and hatred of all mortals hit him, the energy flowing into his body and decaying his strength. "So you wish to fight without the vaunted honor your people hold so dear, Joore?" Alduin asked, rage echoing through his voice. His form landed with some measure of grace, if still heavily, against the ground of Aetherius. "Then come for me. Let us fight to the death once more, Joore."
Thera was the first to rush forward. "I will gladly comply, fool!" she screamed as she ran. Her blades crashed against the dragon's teeth as he lunged at her. "You will fall to my blade this day!"
I turned to Lydia. "Just... don't die on me again," I told her. "I plan on seeing my friend again when I'm in Aetherius for the final time."
"Of course, my Thane," she replied as she drew her blade. "But I think we should get over there before she claims Alduin's seat for herself.
I smiled. "Let's," I said as I drew Dragonbane and summoned a lightning bolt to my hand. "Let's go."
Fahiil
Thera
Even weakened as he was by the power of my Voice, Alduin was a worthy foe. Filled with the power of countless human souls, he was still strong enough to fight the six who would destroy him. I struggled to keep from shaking in anticipation of the power I would soon wield. Such movement would only serve to weaken my blows and bring about my death. "I see your soul, little dovah," Alduin taunted as I jumped over his sweeping tail. "I see your hunger. If there was any chance you could have survived this, I would guess that you would have ruled the joor. Instead... you will feed my power, Dovahkiin."
Alduin's tail flew up suddenly as it passed beneath me, sending my flying back towards the humans and the god. "Do you not deign us important enough to help!?" I snapped at Tsun as I struggled to my feet.
"To battle Alduin be your Doom, but if ye fail it be your tomb. I see no reason to interfere in fate," Tsun told me. "And if you are destined to fail, my help would be too little, too late."
"Enough with the verse!" I screamed at the god as I collected my weapons from the ground around me. I turned back towards Alduin, flying upon wing once again. With a deep breath, I unleashed the power of Dragonrend once again.
Alduin twisted in the air, evading the danger of his own mortality. "Rot duraal fen ni hiif hi nu, joor," he cried before breathing a blast of fire at the Tongues, forcing them away. "Now feed my power, mortals!" The black dragon roared in excited vengeance and plummeted towards the Tongues. "The power of your soul will destroy those you seek to protect, Felldir!"
"Then I die again, a free Man!" Felldir screamed, raising his blade. "Joore Zah Frul!"
The lord of dragons shriekd as the energy collided with him head on. For a moment, Felldir seemed to believe he could survive... but, it was not meant to be. The gaping maw of Alduin remained open, ready still to devour his ancient enemy. Felldir disappeared in the explosion of dirt that erupted from Alduin's crash site.
"FELLDIR!" Gormlaith screamed, running towards her mentor. She was knocked backwards by the wing of Alduin as he crawled, mortal, from the crater.
"His final cries for mercy were delicious," Alduin sneered down at Gormlaith's terrified face. "And I suspect yours will be as well."
"I doubt that!" Lucius screamed, rushing towards Alduin. The dragon's attention turned towards my jokaar, confused but gleeful. He could claim one of the dangers to his – and my own – future rule. However, such a death seemed fated to not occur. Lucius raised a ward to deflect the incoming breath of fire, the launched forwards with his blade towards Alduin's gaping maw.
"Thane!" Lydia screamed angrily, rushing forward next to him. "I thought you were going to be careful!" Lucius laughed as he flew through the air, his blade slashing through Alduin's open jaw. The dragon screamed in pain as the blade tore from his mouth one of his longest teeth, leaving a gaping hole in his gums where it had once been. The blade itself pierced further, opening a hole in the dragon lord's, for lack of a better term, cheek. Alduin's head instinctively jerked backwards at this new pain, and Lucius' blade tore a jagged path through the remains of Alduin's left jaw, tearing the tendon that connected bottom to top. That was when I noticed something was wrong.
My eyes widened as I understood. Alduin was no longer under the effects of Dragonrend. I panicked for a moment, wondering if Lucius was more powerful than I. Then the image of his blade flashed through my mind. Coated in the bones of dragons, adorned with their natural weapons. No doubt the weapon was built by the Blades, a tool for hunting dragons with their own bodies as the tool. The Magicks placed upon the blade must have created a strength in the metal, one that dragons of all kinds were susceptible to. Alduin himself was the firstborn dragon... which meant that the powers of the blade applied to him as well. Such a weapon... I desired it.
I ran forward to steal the weapon from its current master. Only I would tear the power of Alduin's soul away and make the very base of Nirn fall to its knees. Only I would rule over all of Tamriel and beyond. It was my destiny.
Jul
Lucius
Lydia pulled me back from Alduin's injured form before the monster had a chance for a retaliative blow. "That was foolish," Gormlaith said from beside Lydia, her blade drawn. Her voice was angry, but her eyes were filled with thanks and relief. "Losing either of you would be a great problem."
I glanced over at my opposite, who had bee hanging back from assaulting Alduin since she had been tossed away like a rag doll. She was a disappointment in every way, completely unwilling to fight for herself unless it was necessary, and even then only if she was almost guaranteed success. Now, though, she was sprinting at me, blades forward. "She's insane," I breathed to myself. I never stooped staring at her. "Gormlaith, Lydia. Run, go fight Alduin. Something has come up."
"But -"
"GO!" I screamed at my housecarl, eyes begging. She breathed in to protest again, then thought better of it. She and Gormlaith ran off to fulfill my request.
"So you've decided to try and kill me already," I sneered at the Elf as she approached. I raised my hand and blasted at her with a cloud of frost. "We agreed to postpone this feud! You promised!"
"That was before I realized the power you held, Atmoran!" she retorted, sneering beneath her helmet. She slashed at my head with one of her glass blades and I barely deflected the blow in time to survive. "No longer is your life a convenience, Slave. It is now an obstacle!"
I growled and deflected her next incoming blow with my ebony bracer, then slashed at her head with Dragonbane. The Elf laughed as she ducked beneath the attack and brought her foot crashing into my chest. I stumbled backwards, barely keeping my footing. "This will not be the same as our last battle, Man," the Thalmor Bitch said, smirking. She raised her blade and advanced slowly towards me. "Give me the sword, and maybe you will survive."
I looked down at Dragonbane. She wanted the sword. I didn't know why, but I knew that, if the Bitch wanted it she wasn't going to get it. "No. I don't trust you with... its power," I told her, hoping that I would be able to learn what she was after if I played along.
"Give it to me now, and your death will be quick!" she snapped, a statement much more true than her offer of survival. Still, I doubted it would be quick or painless if she found the strength to do me in.
"This is insanity!" I screamed, rushing forward and attacking the Elf with Dragonbane. "While we fight, Alduin approaches all he needs to destroy the world!"
"Then give me the weapon!" Thera screamed, her patience running thin. Her twin blades began to swing wildly, unpredictably. It became a task to even try to survive. That she inspired in me a wild rage that destroyed my technique did not aid me. After a particularly savage blow, Dragonbane flew from my hand and I found myself at the wrong side of Thera's weapons. I lashed out with my foot and she stumbled backwards, dropping one of her swords. I scrabbled for the glass blade and brought it up defensively.
Thera did not notice, for Dragonbane was in one of her hands. A gleeful smile on her face, she said, "Now I have no need for Dragonrend!" She looked over at me. "You have lost everything, Slave."
I ignored her, too busy analyzing what she had said. Dragonbane had a similar effect on Alduin that Dragonrend did. The enchantments added by the ancient Akavir and Blades must have made the metal of the blade a toxic substance for dragons, one that was able to dissolve the flesh of the wyrms. But Alduin? He was another level of beast. I would claim the Bitch was insane, but she seemed so calm and sure. I furrowed my brow. I needed that weapon back. "Lydia! Get her!" I screamed. I rushed forward to attack my mirror image and she lashed at me with my own weapon. He blade collided with mine, and she raised her other weapon to attack me again. She seemed very surprised when Lydia's steel shield collided with her shoulder and knocked her to the ground. I jumped atop the Elf and began to struggle with her for Dragonbane. "Give it back, Bitch!"
She snarled at me, then. "You can have it!" she screamed, lashing out with her foot. I flew through the air and her blade – my blade – was suddenly plummeting towards my cest. "DIE!"
"NO!" Lydia screamed, knocking the Bitch down and saving my life... again. Dragonbane flew from the woman's hand to the ground. I grabbed the Elf's glass blade again to kill her, but she was already gone. Dragonbane was still on the ground.
"Joor Zah Frul!" echoed from the battlefield, the Voice of the Elf assaulting the dragon king above. He roared in pain and plummeted towards the ground again, crashing down and injuring himself. I ran towards the battle to see Alduin's wings broken, his bones sticking out of the leathery, thin skin.
"So the one that would claim my power stands before me, ready to claim my thu'ri," Alduin groaned as Thera approached. I narrowed my eyes. I would not let her claim this power. Now while I drew breath.
"Lydia, distract her," I told the woman. She nodded and ran straight at Thera, shield before her. I ran after and past her as Lydia collided, full speed, with Thera, sending her flying away.
"No. It will be me," I told the king of dragons, jumping down and plunging the glass blade into his skull.
"NO!" Thera screamed, shoving my housecarl off of her body. She ran forward as Alduin screamed, his skin melting off his body to reveal a black, gooey skeleton. "NO! MY DESTINY!" Alduin's back arched upward as Thera screamed this, his soul streaming not into my body, but towards the sky. Taken back by Akatosh was the soul of his first born. I was glad that the curse was not mine to bear.
Above: "No... NO!" Thera screamed with an insane look. "I'll kill you for this!"
"Unable be ye to kill that Man, though perhaps one day you can," Tsun said, gazing between us. "Many fates I see for thee, death and toils a veritable sea. That was a mighty deed! The doom of Alduin encompassed at last, and cleansed is Sovngarde of his evil snare. They will sing of this battle in Shor's hall forever. But your fate lies elsewhere. When you have completed your count of days, I may welcome you again, with glad friendship, and bid you join the blessed feasting."
"He will soon be here, dead at my hand!" Thera hissed, her fists clenched angrily.
"Be quiet, Fey, tempt not my anger," the god demanded, cowing her. "Your better is he, for now. Return ye both to Nirn, with this rich boon from Shor, my lord: a Shout to bring a hero from Sovngarde in your hour of need. Nahl Daal Vus!"
"Goodbye, my Thane," I heard Lydia whisper as Aetherius faded from view.
Jul – Vus
Lucius
I awoke beneath Paarthurnax, weaponless. "So it is done. Alduin dilon. The Eldest is no more, he who came before all others and has always been," the ancient dragon said, tearful musings in his eyes.
"I'm sorry," I told the dragon. "I know he was your brother, even if he had to be stopped."
"Indeed. Thank you, Lot Dovah," Paarthurnax said, a sad smile on his face as he bowed his neck. "And the power of my brother lies not in either of you, I see."
"No. The gods saw fit to take it back," I explained. I looked back at the unconscious form of Thera. "Thankfully. I would not have survived such a curse, Paarthurnax."
"Indeed. No dov truly can withstand such temptation of rule," the dragon noted sadly. "Indeed, not I, not you, and not her."
"That is because it was not temptation. It was my destiny. The gods would have granted this gift to a Mer, you see. We are superior," Thera sneered. I turned to her again. She clutched Dragonbane in one hand. "And you would have been the first to see my Empire rise."
"You have lost, Bitch. Leave," I said. "I will honor the truce, still. Despite your betrayals."
Thera laughed cruelly. "But will the Greybeards honor you when you betray them?" she asked with a sneer.
"What?"
"Fus Ro Dah!" she screamed, knocking me into the Word Wall. "Watch as I defeat you even in your victory." She laughed and rushed towards Paarthurnax. Before the old dragon could react, Dragonbane was in his eye. Life left his body as Thera ran away and, as I was closest, his soul flooded into my form. "Can you survive knowing you stole his soul? Next we meet, you will die."
I stared in horror as the bitch ran from me. I was frozen, transfixed by the horror of what Thera had done. She had made me take the soul of a friend. I had failed again, because I wouldn't just kill her. Because of my honor. I had lost.
The Bard
"And so ends the first chapter of the war of souls, destined to burn with flames above our own," the Bard concluded. The audience was silent, transfixed. "I will continue tomorrow. It is late."
The men and women assembled in the tavern slowly began to leave, a steady stream of bodies talking amongst each other about the things they had heard. Part story. Part history. The Epic of the Jokaar Dragonsouls was unmatched in all the tales of heroes and warriors throughout Tamriel's history. "I liked the story," the bard heard. With a start, the bard looked up and saw an old man. He wore black armor adorned with the Dragon of the Empire. His hair was mostly gone, save a gray ring around his head from temple to temple. The bard stared, speechless. "How long have you been telling it?"
"I..."
"Eh, no need to answer," the man replied. He smiled and looked around the tavern. "Getting late, eh? I'll be back tomorrow to hear the rest of the Dovahkiin's tale from you. You seem to know it best, hm? Save a spot for 'Wulf,' would you?"
Then the old man laughed and turned on his heel. With a flourish of the black cape draped from his shoulders, he exited the door, leaving only the awed and terrified bard in his wake. The bard reached into his pocket tentatively and pulled out the Septim he carried, a relic from the previous Empire. He gazed down at the face with a combination of surprise and recognition. Tiber Septim.
