AN: Sorry for the delay, I went on a long vacation to get away from everything :P As soon as I returned, I started writing as well as playing Skyrim again, particularly the Dragonborn DLC (seeing as it kinda helps for writing this fic ;D XD)
Thanks to all who are still reading this, I cannot thank you enough for your patience :)
Frea bellowed a war cry and charged the nightwalker head on, her axe leading the first strike, the sword ready to follow up with a second if needed. She had only fought two of their kind in the past, but thanks to her training and the blessing of the All-Maker, she had prevailed.
So, it was a shock when her axe hit nothing but air when it was a mere inch from her target. Spinning around, her blade barely managed to deflect her opponents own weapon, her arm straining against a superior strength. The nightwalker was seemingly amused by this, and Frea snarled as she shoved her opponent away.
"Not bad."
Frea roared again and swept both her weapons in an arc. And once again, she failed to hit her intended target. A foot slamming into the side of her head was what followed, and before she could regain her senses, she was pinned to the ground, the nightwalker on top of her, her blade held against her exposed throat.
"Little tip. Don't get in a show of strength with a vampire," she said simply before standing up and sheathing her blade as she backed away, a small smile on her pale face.
Frea drew in a few gasps of air before scrambling to her feet, her weapons still held in her hands. She took the moment to study this creature.
Small for a human. Nice hair. Orange eyes. Not like the two I killed. This one is far stronger. Armour looks flimsy yet it has a few enchantments. That blade looks to have been crafted and none of her attacks are what I was taught to defend against. And my father knows of most of the styles used from the outlands.
Who is she?
Morgan smiled as she sensed the warrior studying her. If she had been human, Morgan doubted she could have stood up to her pure strength. Even Lydia would have had difficulty, she mused. Her armour was scratched and worn, yet it seemed sturdier than steel plate. Her weapons were well maintained as well, and she clearly knew how to use them.
"Well, isn't this a nice little welcoming committee?" Teldryn drawled as he approached, Serana right beside him. "You don't need to worry about these two, they aren't like the usual bloodsuckers," he added, ignoring the dirty look that Serana gave him.
"They are nightwalkers, they cannot be trusted," Frea replied, her eyes never leaving the shorter woman's piercing gaze.
"Can't trust a mercenary either. Or a people of the Skaal," Serana said with a smirk as she stopped alongside her little dragon, grinning wider as Frea blinked in surprise.
"She knows more than most," Morgan said simply, glaring at Teldryn. "We need to keep moving. I doubt that we will have the element of surprise for long while we bicker out here."
Frea snarled again and before she could charge, the vampire held out her hand which pulsated with green energy, her eyes boring into hers.
"Don't test me. I have had a long fucking day and trying to keep myself calm with assassins, irritating civilians and a woman who could wrestle a cave bear giving me shit is not helping."
Frea blinked again. Someone was dumb enough to attempt an assassination against her? Why?
"Why did you come to Miraak's Temple?" Frea asked.
"You know about Miraak?" Morgan replied sharply.
"It is why I am here. Most of my clan are here or at the Tree Stone, their minds corrupted and lost."
Serana exchanged a quick glance with Morgan and Teldryn.
"Just like the Earth Stone near Raven Rock. Whatever is powering this curse, it must be far beyond what modern spellcasters could muster," Serana remarked. "Perhaps this Temple holds the key to stalling the spell or at least provides a clue..."
A massive rumble beneath their feet ended Serana's explanation and the four of them watched silently as a spiral staircase appeared. There was a few seconds of silence before six figures appeared, wearing the familiar orange robes and tentacled masks. Morgan snarled and darted forwards with Serana alongside her, a bellowing roar spewing from her mouth as her rage took over.
Frea and Teldryn only stared as the two vampires tore through the six robed figures with ease, blood spattering the Temple floor in increasing quantities. He exchanged a look with the taller Skaal warrior and they gave each other identical nods.
We watch each other's backs and let them lead.
"So, what do you know of them," Frea asked softly as they walked through the Temple corridors, her eyes never leaving the vampires in front of her.
She had said nothing as they had taken the lead, and she was grateful that she had someone she could at least partially trust. Teldryn smirked at her question as he managed to find another small stash of assorted gems in a small purse. Ignoring her look of disapproval, he smiled at her.
"Not much. Only that she's a vampire. A Dragonborn of all things, and not someone to be messed with," he replied.
"So that's what she uses with her voice," Frea muttered.
"FUS!"
They jumped slightly as they watched a draugr being catapulted over a railing before falling into a vast chasm beyond. They could only give each other another glance as they pressed forwards.
"So why did they try and kill you?"
Morgan gave Frea a cold stare and Serana answered her.
"They attacked her and put our children at risk. Whoever this Miraak is, its personal," Serana said softly as they came into a small room. With a dragon skeleton hung on the wall not unlike a trophy hunter would do with a bear skin.
Morgan instantly felt and heard the calling of a Word Wall and walked over to it, calmly shearing a draugr in half nearby when it attempted to attack her from a coffin. She barely registered the three other draugr being felled by her companions as she absorbed the knowledge directly, a new Word of power etching itself into her mind.
Then she started reading the text on the wall, her mind racing.
"All praise glorious Miraak. Most powerful servant of all Dragon Priests, whose strength was granted by the gardeners of mankind," Morgan translated for the room to hear, her hands clenching.
"Miraak was a Dragon Priest," Serana murmured. "He was one the faithful that acted on the whims of the dragons. He must have rebelled at some point. It would explain all those skeletons outside, as well as...as well as this one."
Frea swore the air turned colder as Morgan stared at the massive bones hung on the wall, wings outstretched as far as they could be, iron pegs nailing the bones to the walls behind. She shuddered as a string of words began to flow from the small vampires' mouth, each word becoming full of malice and anger.
"What is she saying?"
Serana glanced at her.
"By the blood of my ancestors and that of the dov, whoever did this to you will suffer my wrath, I give you my word as the Last Dragonborn."
Frea blinked and it was Teldryn who broke the uncomfortable silence that followed.
"That's pretty deep, Dragonborn. I don't know about you, but the sooner we get out of here, the better. It's pretty clear that Miraak was one cruel bastard and he really despised dragons, but we do need to keep moving. Who knows how many more of the bone walkers are around..."
He managed not to flinch as the twin burning eyes of the Last Dragonborn met his.
"No kidding. The fact that we are also going deeper underground also makes me think that he was protecting something before he fell or vanished. None of the other Dragon Priests were this well protected," she replied, her eyes still boring into his.
"Just how many of these 'Priests' have you killed?" He asked.
Morgan gave him a chilling smile.
"Eight in Skyrim. The Dragon Cult at the time relied on them to bend the people to the wills of the dragons. Very unpleasant and extremely powerful, even after death."
"So why did you give that skeleton such a moving tribute?"
He growled at his tongue as the Dragonborn stared at him for a full two minutes before turning away from him and kicking the coffin lid at the end of the room, flattening the draugr that had been behind it in the process. She gave him one more look.
"Because that dragon was one that fought on the side of the Nords and the other races when they rebelled against their dragon masters. Laatvulrath deserved a better fate than this."
He said nothing more as she turned away, her blade already out of its sheath, her other hands charged with red magic. He only moved when Frea gave him a pat on the shoulder and they followed the two vampires deeper into the corridors, the words of the Last Dragonborn echoing in their minds with every step they took.
"That is something you don't just walk up to and touch," Teldryn muttered as the four of them walked into a large room, a humming sound emanating from what seemed to be a book that was rested on a sickly-looking pedestal.
The burning coals from beneath his feet didn't bother him much, nor did the twisted architecture that they had been seeing more of as they had delved deeper into the Temple. But this strange book that just sat there was far too odd for him to stay silent about. He was pleased that the burly woman beside him seemed to share his concern.
"That book. It is not to be trusted," Frea said as she locked gazes with Morgan. "Why would Miraak put this here, at the base of his Temple? No simple thieves or tomb raiders would have gotten past dozens of the undead as well as these robed people."
Morgan glanced at the four very dead robed figures slumped against the wall, their spines broken from the result of being subjected to a full Unrelenting Force Shout.
"You're right. No chests of gold either, or gems like the ones Teldryn has been stuffing into his armour for the last hour."
Teldryn didn't bother looking at the Skaal woman.
"So why would Miraak put this book here?" Morgan said with a fanged smile.
Serana caught on to what she was implying.
"It's a book of knowledge. Like the Ohgma Infinium."
Morgan nodded, not interested in explaining what that was to the two mortals in the room with them. She stalked closer, Serana gripping her hand tightly as they approached the book.
"Serana," Morgan whispered, low enough that only she could hear, even for her sharpened senses.
"Yes?"
"I can hear it. It calls to us, telling us of hidden knowledge. I can only think of one being who would be able to twist the minds of others into doing what he, she or it wants."
Serana nodded. She could smell the stench of Daedric magic oozing from this book, and she didn't like it one bit. But she also knew that this book was the only lead they had. Holding her loves hand a little tighter, she nodded.
Morgan glanced at Frea and Teldryn.
"Keep an eye out, hopefully this won't take long."
They had only managed to open their mouths in an attempt to say something when Morgan grasped the massive book and opened it. Within half a second, long green tentacles spilled from the pages, wrapping up both vampires and pulling them into the book...
Morgan only had a scant moment to get her bearings before a torrent of electricity arced into her body, sapping away her magicka reserves into nothing. She snarled as she felt herself being pulled upright so that she was kneeling, her arms bound behind her back. She noted that Serana was right beside her and was put into a similar position, her captors...
What in the name of Sithis are those things?!
They were tall creatures, she noticed. Yet they had no legs to speak of, they were hovering off the green stones beneath her, a quivering mass of tentacles and other unrecognizable appendages replacing where legs could have been. She looked upwards a little and felt a little queasy when she saw the mess that their faces resembled.
"Who are you, to dare trespass here?"
She shivered.
That voice was overpowering to her, making her feel small and insignificant like Alduin had done all those years ago. She felt her head being tipped upright and gagged when a tentacle wrapped around her face so that her mouth was covered. And then she saw the owner of that voice.
He was taller than her. Possibly the same height as Serana. His robes were tattered at the hems but the majority were clean and unblemished, trims of gold metal crisscrossing the dark green fabric. The helmet he wore though was something else.
Similar to the Dragon Priests but this guy loves tentacles it seems. So this must be Miraak...
Morgan snarled into the tentacle, and the robed man before her laughed softly.
"So, you are the Dragonborn I have heard much of. And you defeated Alduin no less. Well done. I could have done so of course, but I chose a different path when my colleagues decided to go through with their foolish plan of using an Elder Scroll," he said in a commanding and slightly amused tone, walking closer to her, arcs of electricity sparking between his fingertips.
"You are brave to have come here, even with your sire beside you. Oh yes, I know all about you," he said as he went down to one knee before her, tilting her head up by placing a finger gently under her chin.
"Morgan Aurelius. Formerly of Bruma, Cyrodiil. An unwitting subject of the Aldmeri Dominion's training regime, possibly to form you into one of their assassins. Of course, we both know you went down that path anyway," he continued, pressing his other hand onto her forearm so that the Black Hand sigil pulsed on her pale skin for a second before he released her arm.
"Forced to flee after killing one of their highest-ranking agents in Cyrodiil, you fled to Skyrim, only to attract the attention of the World Eater, Alduin. The rest I also know," he said with a smug voice.
Before violently kicking her in the gut. Twice.
Morgan snarled as she tried to bite into the tentacle covering her mouth.
"You have no idea of the power a true Dragonborn can wield!"
"MUL QAH DIIV!"
Morgan stopped resisting as his thu'um triggered, his body pulsating with energy before he walked away from her with a far more fearsome form surrounding his body.
"This realm is far beyond you, little one. You have no power here. Not yet at least. It is only a matter of time before Solstheim is mine and there is nothing you can do to stop me. I control the minds of most of its people. It will not be long before they finish building my Temple. And then... then, I can return home, to finish what I started. Send them back to where they came. They can await my glorious return to Tamriel along with the others."
Morgan stared as a strange dragon suddenly swooped down and landed beside Miraak, who did not even turn back to meet her gaze before mounting the dragon and taking off. She could only stare as the abominations surrounded Serana and herself before sending waves of magic into the two of them, each blast sending her vision darker and darker until her last sight was a sky full of writhing tentacles.
Miraak was not there to see Morgan give a small smirk beneath the tentacles that bound her. She knew where the bastard was now.
AN: Yep, I gave Miraak a few new things to say as well as making him an even bigger prick than he is in the game. Thanks for reading!