Chapter 16 - Meridia's Rebuke

Camri and Ariel glanced around. They were still stood on the circular roof of the temple-fortress, and it was eerily quiet. Their footfalls on the stone roof echoed around the crater, and the constant roar of the river leading out of the crater could be heard in the background.

At that moment, Camri noticed another trapdoor, next to the one they had emerged from. It was wide-open, and much to his surprise, as Camri walked over to examine it, Falas Assurrani clambered out of the trapdoor. He smiled wearily when he saw the pair.

Camri took Assurrani's hand and helped him out of the trapdoor.

"Are you alright? Where are the others?" Camri asked.

"We got split up. The rope bridge got torched – luckily you opened up another way out. Latta and Halisman were fighting off the ambush with Pasqual and the Battlemages. Where's Commander Staada?"

"I sent her off with the Mantella…"

"There she goes!" Ariel cried, pointing east towards the river, over which the trap-laden bridge still spanned. The other two spun around to see the very unexpected sight of Staada shooting the rapids at incredible speed in a wooden kayak.

Staada had followed the tunnel until it had emerged at what seemed to be a small underground harbour – a jetty with several dinghies and kayaks moored to it, unguarded, so Staada had cut one of the kayaks free of its moorings and taken to the river, soon emerging in the huge ravine.

"How long do you think it will take her to get to the Shivering Isles, Ariel?" Assurrani asked. "We can't go after Mannimarco until she makes it to the portal"

"I'd say 24 hours would be the safest presumption," Ariel said. "It's quite unlikely that Mannimarco will know anything about the Mantella being stolen until it leaves the mortal realm altogether, so we have time to get back to Tamriel and restock for the big showdown"

Camri nodded. "In the meantime, we'd better work out how to get off this roof and go and find the others"

--

The Shivering Isles, New Sheoth, House of Dementia

"SHEOGORATH!"

A female voice bellowed through the Dementia throne room, causing Sheogorath to sit bolt upright in shock. He knew the source of the voice.

"How the blazes did you get in?" Sheogorath demanded.

"I am more powerful than you could possibly imagine!" the voice shouted. "You think your pathetic divine barriers could stop me?"

From the doorway, a woman emerged who had not been seen in the Shivering Isles for many years. Her long golden hair was tied back in a rough ponytail, and she wore a suit of armour made from a beautiful, glistening white metal, with an Ayleid battle-axe slung over her back. Meridia was here for a fight.

Sheogorath leapt to his feet and cast a bolt of lightning at Meridia, but the spell just seemed to be absorbed by her armour. Tiny forks of lightning flicked between Meridia's fingertips, before two bolts of lightning blasted out from her hands, obliterating the two Dark Seducer guards in the throne room. Sheogorath let out a primal scream and lunged at Meridia, grabbing her by the neck and attempting to throttle her, but the Daedric Princess quickly overcame him and threw him off, causing him to land painfully on his back in the centre of the throne room. Meridia drew another weapon from her belt, a Daedric longsword, and held it to Sheogorath's throat.

"Get up"

Sheogorath obliged, collapsing back into his throne.

"You were much more pleasant last time you were here" Sheogorath spat. Meridia sheathed her sword.

"Yes, I remember that. On the day that Latta was born. Things have changed since then. You have changed since then"

"What do you want, Meridia? I haven't got time for a row. I've got much more interesting things to be getting on with?"

"What, like condemning and entire race to death?" Meridia retorted. "Do you want to know how many Golden Saints are left now? One, and as we speak, Commander Staada is frantically racing back to the Shivering Isles to save the mortal world from the wrath of Mannimarco"

Sheogorath visibly stiffened. "Staada is helping Latta?"

"Yes. Latta's quest requires her to kill Mannimarco, but also for the Mantella to be taken away from the mortal plane. Perhaps there was method to your madness, but I find that hard to believe"

Sheogorath stood. "What's the real issue here, petal? You haven't come here to update me on Latta's progress. I know that"

"This has to stop! Can't you see what you've done by deferring yourself to House Dementia? You're killing the Shivering Isles! This upset of power could have consequences far beyond you having a change of throne room. Think of your followers in Tamriel – dementia leads to evil"

"Why do you care?"

"I've helped you a lot, Sheogorath. We are the only two Daedra not to be born from the Creation – we were both mortal beings once. Quite how a deranged Nord who spent his life in a mead hall underwent an apotheosis I will never know. I gave my Golden Saints to you as a gift, and you have sentenced them to death. I bore a child for you, you wouldn't even let her into your kingdom!"

"Latta has not yet proved herself, and you know that. She's still just a silly little girl, as far as I'm concerned. Born in your image. Named by you. What's she got to do with me?"

Meridia drew the Ayleid battle-axe off her back. "Do you know what drew me to you, Sheogorath? I liked how you always stuck to what you stood for. You never let anyone detract you from how you wanted to act, what you wanted to achieve. Now I am seriously questioning what you stand for. What happened to the easy-going man who made me laugh all the time?"

Sheogorath squared up to Meridia. "Do not think of me as a purveyor of cheap jokes, Meridia. You think you're superior to me? Prove it!"

"That's why I'm here. To end your reign of stupidity!"

Meridia swung her huge axe horizontally, but at the last moment, Sheogorath summoned a shield and threw it up to block the blow, returning with a lightning bolt that sent Meridia staggering backwards. Meridia closed her eyes then opened them again, looking seriously pissed off. She lunged forwards, swinging the axe downwards vertically, but Sheogorath reacted in time once again, casting a spell on the weapon that caused it to simply crumble to dust in Meridia's hands.

"You will rue the day that you thought you could take me on where I am strongest!" Sheogorath bellowed as he began casting a volley of lightning bolts at Meridia, alternating between each hand, one after the other. Some, Meridia managed to absorb but most knocked her off her feet, causing violent twitching and unbearable pain to shoot through her body.

Focus.

Meridia launched a bolt of green magic at Sheogorath, engulfing him, then leapt at him, punching him in the jaw as hard as he could, sending him reeling backwards. Another punch broke his nose. But then, the silencing spell wore off and Sheogorath placed his hand on Meridia's throat – unbearable, freezing cold shot through her, causing her to double over, gagging as she struggled to breathe. Meridia managed to cast a healing spell on herself, then got to her feet with grim resolve. Silencing Sheogorath again, she shoulder-barged him into his throne, banging his head on the wooden headrest. Sheogorath slumped down in a daze.

"You are a joke, Sheogorath!" Meridia said through gritted teeth. "You think you are a true Daedric Prince, when you had to get a mortal to act as a vessel for your spirit after you got yourself killed? You couldn't even hold back Jyggalag until your realm lay in ruins"

Sheogorath suddenly leapt up and punched Meridia in the jaw. Meridia recoiled, blood seeping from her top lip, which she spat onto the ground. Sheogorath delivered another huge punch, this time to her temple.

Meridia's vision burst into a field of stars, but she could just see the blur of Sheogorath's fist flying towards her face…

Sheogorath's signet ring agonisingly hit Meridia, almost blinding her left eye. But Meridia threw up her hand and a bolt of lightning burst from it, slamming into Sheogorath, who was sent flying backwards, convulsing uncontrollably. Meridia gritted her teeth and ripped Sheogorath's staff out of his left hand.

"Perhaps you need a bump on the head to bring you back to your senses!" Meridia bellowed as she swung Sheogorath's staff down with both hands, hitting Sheogorath in the forehead. The sickening crack of breaking bone echoed through the throne room. Sheogorath twitched again, using his last ounce of strength to cast another bolt of lightning which hit Meridia in her forehead. Meridia staggered backwards, clutching her forehead, as she was thrown into semi-consciousness by the lightning charging through her mind. Desperately, she tried to join her hands together…

Dispelling magic flowed through Meridia, followed by healing magic. She was fit to fight again and, still holding Sheogorath's staff, delivered another colossal blow to Sheogorath's head.

The Daedric Prince lay still.

This was what Meridia wanted. She had killed his mortal form. And now…

Meridia cast a strange spell on Sheogorath's motionless body. Magic of all colours of the rainbow flashed between the two, ending in a spectacular flash of white which illuminated the entire room.

Sheogorath opened his eyes.

"Let's start over" Meridia said evenly. Sheogorath leapt to his feet.

"By Arden-Sul, what have I done?" Sheogorath said to himself, before turning to Meridia. "Staada! We have to help her! Follow me!"

--

Tamriel, earlier that day

Commander Staada had completed the journey down the foaming torrent in minutes, quickly arriving in Whiterun, where she abandoned the kayak and commandeered a horse which had taken her the length of the pass across the Jerall Mountains, back into Cyrodiil. Here, she had raced down the steep slopes to the shores of Lake Rumare, where she had found another rowing boat to take her down the Niben River to the portal to the Shivering Isles.

It was just north of Bravil, at one of the river's widest points, where the ambush had been set.

Ten necromancers, walking on water and concealed by invisibility, attacked.

The fireballs and lightning ripped the rowing boat to pieces. Staada plunged into the water, drinking Camri's potion at the last minute. She had to remain underwater for as long as possible.

Opening her eyes, Staada could see the small island that the portal was located on. She was so close…

No time to fight. Just get the Mantella through the portal.

Staada began swimming with powerful strokes towards the island. She didn't know how long Camri's potion was going to last, and she could see the shadowy shapes of the ten necromancers above her, still walking on the water's surface. Miraculously, she made it to the island. Drawing her sword, Staada leapt from the water, cutting down two of the necromancers with a single masterful swordstroke, and waded onto the shore as fast as she could. Diving to the ground, performing a forward roll to dodge a fireball then leaping to her feet, Staada bolted for the portal and leapt into it.

The world around her vanished. Everything went white.

Then she was standing by Haskill's desk in The Fringe. She was safe.

No, she wasn't.

The necromancers had followed her through the portal!

"You must really want this stone," Staada said under her breath as she ran as fast as she could down the winding path into the Fringe. It was empty – no Dark Seducer guards, no citizens, just the Gatekeeper, patrolling the area in front of the Gates of Madness with great lumbering strides.

Staada knew she had to get the Mantella away from the necromancers. If it fell into their hands, everything that she and her friends had fought for would be lost.

She ran for the gates. She was more athletic than the necromancers, building up a lead, and soon raced past the Gatekeeper towards the Gate of Mania, drawing her key as she ran. She shoved the key into the hole and tried to turn it…

Nothing.

"No!" Staada shouted. She couldn't believe it – Sheogorath had changed the lock!

Would the gate to Dementia still be unlocked? Staada doubted it.

The Saints' Entrance? She would have to face the necromancers, something she could not risk doing.

There was only one other option.

Staada took the Mantella from the backpack and raced back out into the courtyard where the Gatekeeper stood. The necromancers were beginning to mount the grand stairway that led up to it…

With all her might, Staada hurled the Mantella over the Gates of Madness, into the Shivering Isles themselves, where the necromancers could not possibly get to it. Then, she turned to see a necromancer charging at her with a summoned Daedric axe.

Commander Staada prayed that the end would come quickly.

It did.

--

Sheogorath reached the Gate of Dementia and jammed the key into the gate's lock, turning the key so sharply that its shaft nearly snapped in two. Hurling the gate open, Sheogorath and Meridia raced through the gate.

Sheogorath saw Staada's dead body, a necromancer looming menacingly over it, and froze.

"We're too late…" he said to himself.

Meridia shoved past Sheogorath, her Daedric longsword drawn. Practicing necromancy and killing someone dear to Meridia were the two things most likely to incur her wrath. The necromancers tried repelling her with magic, but she either absorbed it or shrugged the attacks off, her mind focused only on one thing. One by one, she massacred the necromancers, completely unstoppable. One tried to make a run back to the portal, but was stopped abruptly by a colossal lightning bolt.

Meridia sighed to herself. Sheogorath was back to normal – or, as normal as he had ever been, but at what cost? Had the last of the Golden Saints just been killed?

Sheogorath seemed to sense this, and placed a hand on Meridia's shoulder.

"I will renew the Wellspring. Almost all of the Aureal will come back to life. But this… She was killed by a being not of this realm. I cannot undo this"

Meridia opened her mouth to speak, but then dived down to Staada's side and ripped open the leather backpack she was wearing. It was empty.

"She did it!" Meridia cried in joy. "The Mantella isn't here!"

"I know, it's just beyond the walls," Sheogorath said. "It's in the Isles. I can sense it. I'll keep it guarded in the Palace – but I won't go near it. I've seen what damage it can do. Rest in peace, Commander Staada"

--

At the same moment, in a cave in a remote part of Cyrodiil, Mannimarco felt a pang of unease, followed by something much deeper, some sort of spiritual emptiness.

"The Mantella! It's gone!" Mannimarco cried. "We don't have much time if this is to work! We have to attack – immediately! Start the Bloom!"