18th of Rain's Hand, 4E 209

Kyra rises to her feet as she looks around at the realm she found herself in once again. She crosses the parchment laden platform and takes the stairs two at a time as the gates atop it creek open ahead of her.

Two Lurkers turn and roar when they see her marching up onto the second platform.

She doesn't stop as her gloved hands begin to glow with a darkened red hue. She clenches her fists and throws them apart. The Lurkers go flying in opposite directions landing in the lake of black goo on either side.

Several Seekers float around in the adjoining corridor and Kyra doesn't stop her relentless march as she draws her sword and the Ebony war axe from her belt.

Kyra charges them as they begin to hurl their shrieking sound attacks her direction. She thrusts her blade into the gnarly teeth filled mouth of the first as she hurls the war axe at the second nearest, withdrawing her sword she whirls on her heel and slices the creature in half.

Leaping the distance between the Seeker and the second she lands half crouched, yanking her axe from the second Seeker.

Dropping her sword she pulls the crossbow from her thigh and the Dragonbone bolt ejects, sailing through the air it kills a third beast as she reloads and shoves the weapon back into the handmade sheath strapped to her thigh, stooping to retrieve her lost weapon.

Ducking the swing of the skeleton like arm of the Seeker that swings at her she grabs its slimy hand and brings her sword down slicing the arm off, the creature howls in pain as she brings up the war axe and embeds it in its skull.

Withdrawing the axe she pivots around the creature thrusts her sword through it's back midsection and twists the blade, the creature turning to goo around it.

Kyra completes the graceful spin as she turns the corner, black goo of the Seekers dripping from her hair as she makes her way down the walkway, leaving the shimmering puddled corpses in her wake.

The eerie dark tunnel opens back up to a massive stone platform as her blue eyes slowly wander it. She feels a familiar tingling in the back of her mind and her eyes slowly find their way up to the flowing black and green sky as a dragon circles overhead. A smirk makes its way to the corner of her mouth.

"Joor Zah Frul!" The shout rolls into a wave of blue energy as it leaves her lips and encircles the dragon.

The dragon tries to fight the Dragonrend as its wings become useless and it falls out of the sky, hitting the platform with a violent impact that makes the ground shudder beneath her feet.

Kyra rests her Skyforged blade on her shoulder as she marches up to the dragon.

"What power is this, Dovahkiin?" Kyra looks up at him, the exhalation from his snout blows her bangs away from her face.

"Take me to him." The dragon gives her a bemused chuckle.

"That is bold of you, boziik. The tales of you are true, brit arhk faasnu." Kyra moves closer to the beast, her blue eyes beginning to glow.

"Take me to your master now. Gahvon dov uv hin fent mondak bahi." Kyra hisses at him as he stares back at her. The dragon slowly extends its long neck.

Kyra hauls herself onto the big dragon as it flaps its wings and they lift into the air.

The platform the dragon flies her over wasn't as big as she thought it would be.

Sweeping arches and towering obelisks dotted the space a large pool black goo in the center. The dragon circles ever lower and when she finds herself several feet above the ground she rolls off of the dragon's neck and lands half crouched onto the stone floor.

Miraak turns from the living Word Wall he stood examining, a dozen languages scrolling across it at rapid pace.

"Kyra."

"Miraak." Miraak looks up at the dragon who brought her circling overhead.

"You tamed one of my servants. Hermaeus Mora has taught you the Knowledge he once taught me." Kyra folds her arms across her armored chest.

"I'm just very persuasive." Miraak chuckles to himself.

"I'm sure you are." Miraak slowly circles away from the Wall, towards the center of the platform.

Kyra's eyes slowly follow him before she flips the metal loop from the crossbow on her thigh and levels it, ejecting the fresh bolt. Miraak appears to shimmer as the bolt sails through him without harming him.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to be better than that."

Miraak reaches behind him for his staff, spinning it as he points it at the ground at her feet. Kyra's armored hand begins to glow a deep red hue again as the staff flies from Miraak's hands and into her own.

Her fist ignites in flames as the wooden staff is engulfed and disintegrates into ashes, drifting to the stone ground at her feet.

"You're going to have to do better than that." Kyra says with a cocky smirk curling at the corner of her mouth.

"Let's dispense with the pleasantries." Miraak draws his sword, Kyra doing the same.

"Let's."

"Ven Gaar!" The shout erupts from Miraak as a small cyclone sweeps Kyra up launching her through the air and slams her into one of the stone obelisks. She slides down it to the ground, wincing at the pain that shoots down her side.

Miraak approaches her his hands sparking as lightning erupts from them. Kyra throws her hands out in front of her, the shimmering energy of a ward appearing before her.

The lightning impacts the wall of magicka and Kyra grits her teeth as she tries to keep it up, pushing herself to her feet.

The ward fails, the lightning strikes her throwing her back against the obelisk falling to one knee she picks up her sword, rising to her feet in time to parry Miraak's first swing.

Kyra plants her boot against his chest and shoves him back as she spins away from the obelisk, Miraak's sword striking thin air and stone in a shower of sparks.

Miraak turns on his heel and lashes out at Kyra, Kyra parrying thrust after thrust their swords clanging off one another.

Miraak was a blur as her blue eyes flick back and forth wildly trying to anticipate him. Their swords lock as they come nose to nose, Kyra growling as she tries to keep Miraak from overpowering her.

"Fus-"

"Ro!" They each complete the shout at the same time the words exploding from their lips and blowing each other back.

Kyra flips through the air and hits the stone platform hard, hearing her collarbone break with an audible snap as she skids and rolls to stop.

They both lay there for a moment, Kyra rolling onto her side groaning in pain. From across the platform she could hear Miraak laughing.

"Hermaeus is laughing at us you know." Kyra slowly pushes herself to her feet.

"So stop this game." She spits blood onto the stone.

"I cannot. I'm done being Hermaeus Mora's pawn." Miraak raises his arms into the air.

"Aarre aav ini arhk krii faal Dovahkiin!" Kyra turns her eyes towards the skies as three dragons circle overhead then bank and swoop down to the ground, flapping their wings as they land.

"You cannot hope to defeat us all, Dragonborn. You are mighty, but alone, fate has decreed your time has come."

"Who says I'm alone? Dur Neh Viir!" A portal opens up in the expanse between the two warriors as a luminescent blue and green dragon claws his way out of the portal and launches himself into the air. The other dragons take off, giving chase.

"Impressive."

"Oh, you haven't even seen impressive yet." Kyra whips her sword around her, the honed blade singing as it slices through the air and she charges him.

He brings up his sword to deflect Kyra's sword as they sing off one another, she brings her sword around for another strike. The flurry of thrusts, swings, and parries beginning again as they fight for an opening in the other's defense. Their blades clashing, scraping slowly down almost to their hilts as they stare into one another's eyes.

"The Greybeards taught you well."

"The Greybeards abandoned me a long time ago." Kyra pulls the elven dagger from the sheath belted along the small of her back and thrusts it between Miraak's ribs, making Miraak stumble back. Kyra pivots around and extends her sword in a devastating slice that Miraak barely manages to duck away from.

Kyra twirls the dagger between her fingers and flips it in her palm, sending it flying at Miraak's mask. His sword comes up and deflects the spinning blade, blood flowing freely from his side.

Miraak's hands ignite with flame and erupt from his palms in a gout of fire. Kyra brings up another ward, dropping her sword, the flames circling around her and the barrier. The flames intensify making her turn her face away as she struggles to keep up the draining effort of the warding spell. Miraak slowly steps closer as Kyra grits her teeth, beginning to feel the heat as the barrier glows with it.

Miraak moves close enough to thrust with his sword, it bites into Kyra's side making her cry out, the ward failing and falling to her knees. He brings up his sword in both hands over his head.

Kyra brings her blade up to deflect Miraak's sword, Miraak brings the sword down in a mighty chop that fractures the Skyforged steel near the hilt trying to push herself to her feet. He swings his sword around in a full circle and down over his head as Kyra falls back to one knee again, her blade snapping in two.

The pieces of Kyra's Skyforged blade clatter to the ground as Kyra looks down at the sword she had fought with for so long. Miraak laughs as she picks up the severed pieces letting them fall from her fingers as she looks back up at Miraak.

"You're an admirable foe Kyra but you cannot defeat a god! Though I would've thought the death of your beloved would have given you more motivation..." Kyra's eyes darken as she slowly pulls one knee under her, pushing herself to her feet.

"You think you're a god?" Kyra's voice grows colder, an otherworldly tone behind it like two voices meeting as one. Kyra looks down at her palms and clenches her gloved fists, a pulsating vein beginning to stand out on her forehead.

The air around them seems to boil as it kicks up like a whirlwind around Kyra, dust rolling as her boots ignite in flames. The flames swirl up her legs enveloping her body and the air around her with a blast of hot air that whips her bangs back away from her face, her blue eyes begin to glow a blue so intense they were almost white.

The flames circle down her arms and envelop her clenched fists as Miraak stares at her. Kyra looks down at herself turning her flaming hands over examining them before those haunting eyes slowly make their way up to his, hidden behind his mask.

"Let's test that theory." She swings at Miraak who weaves and she narrowly misses bringing her left up for another blow, the flames sizzling through the air.

The wild swings of Kyra's fists force Miraak on the defensive as he steps backwards staring into Kyra's white hot eyes, glowing bright in her raw anger. He steps back towards the pool of goo in the center of the platform as he drops his sword, Kyra forcing him to use his hands to deflect her fierce flaming swings.

He ducks as Kyra's right hook goes wide the sounds of flames whipping over his head as he rises and grabs her arm as it passes his face. Pulling her sideways he snaps the arm at the elbow, making Kyra cry out in pain.

She pivots planting her foot inside his right foot and twists, lashing out with her elbow to his mask. She sweeps his foot out as her elbow digs into his jaw making him stumble back, nearly losing his footing.

Kyra whips her body around bringing her foot up, connecting with his jaw she knocks him back further towards the pool. She closes the gap between them with a few steps and grabs Miraak's robes with her left hand and headbutts him as hard as she can, stars exploding behind her eyes. She swings with her left hand again striking the metal mask, leaving a fist sized dent in it.

She punches him again and again her animal like growl growing harsher with each one until Miraak falls to one knee, disoriented. Kyra grabs a fistful of his robes again in her good hand and hauls him to his feet stepping off her back foot and driving her other into his chest, sending Miraak over the edge and into the pool of bubbling black fluid with a loud splash.

Kyra stares down at the pool as it bubbles and begins to settle, her chest heaving her fists still clenched at her sides. The flames surrounding her body begin to fade and flicker leaving only her smoldering armor behind, smoke curling into the air. Kyra turns her back on the pool and approaches the fallen pieces of her sword, stooping to pick them up.

Miraak pulls himself out of the pool, her back still to him. Miraak picks his blade up and Kyra feels a sharp pain as Miraak thrusts the sword into her back, it goes through her and out her chest before Miraak rips the sword out and she falls to her knees, the pieces of her sword clattering to the ground once again.

"I told you Kyra, you can never defeat me." Kyra looks down at the gaping wound in her chest and falls forward onto one hand. Miraak laughs as he steps on her fingers, making her yelp looking up at him.

"I am the only true Dragonbo-" Kyra pulls her hand free, her other hand circling around the hilt of her broken sword leaping to her feet, shoving the fractured end under Miraak's chin and up, into his skull.

"But you're not the last..." Miraak looks at her eyes wide with horror and surprise. Kyra slowly, methodically, twists the broken blade in a complete circle with a sickening sound as warm blood streams over her hand and down her arm.

"And that was for my wife." She withdraws the broken blade and whirls off her back foot her off leg coming up and connecting, knocking the mask from his face as he falls back into the pool of black goo.

The pool begins to bubble as Miraak rises out of the goo and into the air a long tentacle shoved through his chest. He writhes in agony, a scream emenating from his lips as he begins to spew out a torrent of black liquid then turns into dust. A rush of souls begins to whirl into the air then into Kyra with enough force to make her fall to her knees.

"He served me well..." Hermaeus voice fills the air as Kyra flicks her hair from her face, pulling one knee under her.

"But he is ultimately meaningless as I have found a new Dragonborn to serve me..." Kyra puts one hand on her knee and grunts as she pushes herself to both feet.

"I've told you twice now Hermaeus..." Kyra stumbles over to the mask she beat in and kicked from Miraak's face.

She looks up at the giant eye as it blinks at her, then stomps her boot down onto the dented mask permanently disfiguring it, kicking the mask across the stone ground.

"I don't serve Demons." She walks over picking up the other half of her broken Skyforged blade. She opens her pack and retrieves the Black Book that brought her.

"You will be back, Dragonborn." She opens the book to the first page, then looks up, her strength begins to fade and she stumbles before her legs give out, falling to her black armored knees.

"Don't count on it." Kyra touches the corner of her mouth as blood begins to drip from it, onto the pages, and feels the now familiar sickening sensation as she falls back to her own realm.