Chapter Sixty-Three:
Alduin's Wrath
The sharp ring of steel sang over the chasm we ran above, careful of the smooth and gleaming bones of the Whale Bone Bridge. The fog before us rolled like the lazy but powerful currents of the Sea of Ghosts, wary of the Hall of the Dead yet daring to inch closer and consume more within the mist. Even with the danger the fog posed, Tsun stood like an endearing statue and didn't move from his position. He glared at the swelling mist that was Alduin's doing, his face grim but unwavering.
When we reached the giant of a man, Tsun gestured to the fog. Kodlak was no longer with him.
"It senses the danger you pose, Dragonborn," he told me as the three Nord Heroes began to slow when they neared the brink of the fog. "Alduin fears the Tongues that come for his blood."
"Then we have no element of surprise," I grumbled, my eyes still searching for a sign of the former Harbinger.
Tsun seemed to realize my unease wasn't caused by impending doom and soul-sucking lizards. "He shouldn't be too much longer. Worry not for Kodlak; his task is dire, but he shall succeed."
"I hope so..."
The Tongues waved me over towards the mist. I found myself involuntarily gulping and shakily moving towards them. Their convictions weren't as weak as my own and barely showed a hint of fear.
"The eyes of Shor are upon you this day," Tsun offered. "Defeat Alduin, and destroy his soul-snare."
"The endless wait gives way to battle! Alduin's doom, his death or ours!" Gormlaith shouted with a blood-lusting grin.
Lady, you're no help at all.
Felldir's brow drew together. "Alduin escaped us long ago. Today we take our well-tempered revenge."
"For a hundred lifetimes my heart has burned for revenge on Alduin too long delayed..." Hakon hefted his axe in his hands, familiarizing himself once more with its weight.
"Hold!" Felldir halted his comrades and let his hand draw into the mist. His frown deepened, creasing his already wrinkled face. "We cannot fight the foe in this mist!"
"Clear Skies—combine our Shouts!" the war-maiden continued.
I cleared my throat and looked around. The Tongues were preparing themselves, knowing this would probably be the last bit of respite we'd ever have. I was white-knuckling Dragonbane and lamenting my decision to leave the Targe of the Bloodied back with Hiemdall, but even if I had a shield I doubted it'd do much to protect me from Alduin himself.
"Lok Vah Koor!"
The Shout, combined with three others, charged through the smoke and tossed it around until it dissipated. But almost as soon as the mist disappeared, we heard the chilling voice of Alduin throughout the canyon of Sovngarde.
"Ven Mul Riik!"
The fog rolled in, replacing the defeated particles and reinforcing them. I gritted my teeth when an almost mocking laugh echoed against the mountains.
"Again!" demanded Gormlaith, her teeth gritting at the sound of the Dragon's laughter.
Felldir took a long, deep breath. "Again, as one! The World-Eater fears us!"
"Lok Vah Koor!"
Again, the mist retreated, and again Alduin's Shout of "Ven Mul Riik!" forced us back to square one. But there was no more laughter on the horizon. Instead, it seemed the very skies of Sovngarde began to shake with anger.
"Does his strength have no end?" Hakon whispered. "Is our struggle in vain?"
"It can't be..." I clenched my hands tight around the hilt of Dragonbane. "We've come this far! If this is it I'll go in myself, find him and hope I can shove my sword into his head before he realizes what's happening!"
"I fear it shall not be so easy," Gormlaith growled. "Stand fast! His strength is failing! Once more, and his might will be broken!"
Bolstered, Felldir cried, "One more time, and the World-Eater must face us!"
"LOK VAH KOOR!"
Our combined Shouts shot forward like magicka and struck the fog mercilessly, until it was no more. The Tongues cheered when Alduin didn't retaliate and create his mist again. As much as I wanted to believe Gormlaith that his strength was wavering, I knew better in my gut. If anything, we'd only made him angry. Don't poke the bear kind of angry. Except it seemed like we'd repeatedly stabbed swords into his feet and expected him not to be annoyed with us, but instead cower at our strength.
Something told me that the bear would only be very, very angry. Hell, if somebody poked me while I was eating, I would be too.
Gormlaith stormed ahead. "The endless wait gives way to battle! Alduin's doom, his death or ours!"
"His death or ours!" came the cry from the Tongues.
Wingbeats, strong and loud, sounded over the violet horizon. The clouds that surrounded Sovngarde like a barrier in the sky darkened at the approach of the enemy.
"Stand together and we shall defeat him!" Felldir hollered.
The pinks and greens that swam with the violet aurora borealis cowered at the appearance of the black blot hurtling through the sky. Even the trees and the mountains, lightly sprinkled with snow, seemed to shrink at the sight of the black wings.
Hakon saw him and grinned. "Your doom has come, damned worm!"
The red-orange glow from Alduin's wings burned the sky like the fire dribbling from his furious maw. His crimson eyes locked onto the Tongues below, and on me, his mortal enemy (which is a pun, by the way). The fear of the Dragon seared in my chest like the glow from his own, but the fear numbed me enough to realize that, even though Alduin and I had been born far across time from one another, our destinies had been written long before either of us were even a star in the sky—written by the Elder Scrolls.
Personally I'd have liked to get my hands on the author and strangle him, but at the moment I had a destined enemy to face. And while this realization of our destinies really didn't give me any comfort, it certainly alleviated my lack of faith in my sword arm. I had thought that, even on my own against a Dragon, I was no match for Alduin. But I had the Tongues now! We had a chance! Even if the rest of my friends were back on the mortal plane, I promised I'd see them again, and I'd see them alive.
After all, I had a few things left to do before I sat on my laurels in Death.
"For Skyrim! For Shor! For Sovngarde's freedom!" And as she spoke those words, Gormlaith Golden-Hilt raced towards the dread worm, whose thunderous voice rumbled throughout the whole of Sovngarde.
"Meyye! Fools! This World is mine!" Alduin sneered. "Zu'u unslaad! Zu'u nis oblaan! I am immortal! I cannot die!"
With a great force of his wings Alduin shot upwards into the sky, forcing Gormlaith to slow, but then he twirled in the air with the grace of a bird and plummeted to the ground. The moment he struck I and the Tongues were tossed from our feet and onto equally uncomfortable rocks.
But as old as Felldir looked, he seemed to be the most spry of any of us; he was on his feet in an instant and charging into battle against the grounded Dragon. Gormlaith and I followed, with Hakon lagging behind but no less determined to face Alduin. The World-Eater's tongue snaked out of his charred lips, then those curled upward to reveal his broad and sharp fangs. In a quick and practiced motion, Felldir the Old spun away from Alduin's death-dealing jaws and brought his greatsword down onto Alduin's scales. The blade glanced off of the strong protection to Alduin's flesh, and Alduin raised his wing to send the old man flying backwards into Gormlaith.
Frost charged forth in stinging icicles from Alduin's mouth, but they passed through me easily enough when I became ethereal. I brought my sword down on him, but the blade passed through him like his icicles had me, and once I'd solidified I found Alduin's claw-tipped wing reaching for me. I raised Dragonbane and smacked it away with whatever force I could muster just as Hakon arrived, and swung his battleaxe into the Dragon's face.
The Nord Hero left a long and marring gash in Alduin's snout, and was paid in turn with Alduin's fangs in his arm. Alduin flung the man into the hill I'd climbed to see the whole of Sovngarde. He rolled to reduce the impact, but then it was my turn. Alduin flung me skyward with a flick of his tail, and I landed at the foot of the whalebone bridge, sore and dazed, and just a little bit sick to my stomach.
Alduin took to the sky and fled south, but flew low to the ground. I got to my feet as soon as my head stopped spinning and followed the Tongues. We sped across the plains, ignoring the terrified spirits to focus only on the Dragon. Gormlaith's grin was tremendous, and almost rivalled Alduin's sneer for blood. Hakon and Felldir had much more serious expressions, but I could see the gears turning in Felldir's head. What he was thinking, I had no idea.
Finally, the World-Eater slid along the ground and turned to face us, just as Gormlaith reached him and forced her sword deep into the wound I'd hacked away the last time Alduin and I had met face-to-face, atop the Throat of the World. The Dragon roared and snapped his jaws around Gormlaith's legs in retaliation, then pinned her to the ground with his talon.
"I've killed you once. Now your soul will feed me in Sovngarde!" he rumbled.
Hakon was there immediately, swinging and slashing like a madman from the Shivering Isles. "Not my sister, you beast!"
Alduin snaked his neck towards Hakon, received a second gash on his snout overlapping the first, and crushed the hero in his jaws.
"Hakon!" Gormlaith shouted.
Hakon grunted and tried to pry himself from the prison of teeth, but they only clamped harder on his ethereal flesh. Felldir shouted, "No!" and leapt into the fray, driving his greatsword deep into the flesh of Alduin's eye while I mounted the Dragon's neck and began hacking at whatever bits of flesh I could find.
Like a dog shaking wet fur, the World-Eater tossed us all away and released Hakon, roaring like thunder in the sky. He perched himself on a statue of a Nord Hero at the entrance to Sovngarde and glared down at us with his one good eye. Gormlaith's blade was stuck fast into his neck, so she reluctantly took her waraxe from its sheathe.
Alduin could tell; this battle was becoming ours. So long as he directly engaged us he was no match. If he took to the sky though, I was sure he'd remember the Dragonrend Shout used on him recently. With a snarl, Alduin bared his bloodied jaws at us while blood dripped from his snout in droplets the size of my fist. His gaze scorned Felldir, who was trying to tend to the wounded Hakon.
"Mortal imbeciles!" Alduin exclaimed, shaking the trees. "Those who do not bow will be devoured!"
"Why don't you come down here and try it then?!" I shouted back.
With a shaky voice, Hakon urged, "Stand fast! The fell worm's death is ours at last, the light returns!"
"Such arrogance from puny wielders of the corrupted Tongue," mocked the Dragon. "Now you have forced me to share my feeding ground."
Where once there was a solid wall of stone, a swirling portal like fire spun around, faster and faster, and with each second that passed Alduin's grin widened. The portal, probably visible from Shor's Hall, began to create lightning within the flame. And then a Dragon erupted from it, then another, and another! Dragons perched on the statues of Nord Heroes and the mountains, until we were surrounded by at least forty Dragons in all. I have to admit, I was relieved not to see Odahviing or Paarthurnax among them, yet that did little to abate my new worries.
Gormlaith stared at the new Dragons, her blade arm tensed while she adjusted her shield. I could see Hakon gulp while Felldir's grim face fell into panic.
So... Let's just say it didn't look like we were going to come out of it in one piece anymore.
"Bow to me!" Alduin roared.
The Dragons joined him in a chorus of "Bow to him!" and "Swear fealty to Alduin, Overlord of All!" until my head felt it was splitting.
"Dragonborn!"
Alduin's voice cut through the hollering Dragons like a blade to flesh, silencing them with his very presence. He snapped his jaws at me.
"Do you swear fealty to me, Alduin, Son of Akatosh?" he goaded. "Do you, Dragonborn, give your life so that the Dragons will rule again?"
I grinned. "I've never really been one to give my life for something I hated. Look at me, Alduin. I've come pretty far over the past few months. I've fought and killed your brothers, your worshippers, and the weirdoes and freaks in between. You already know my answer, so why ask?"
"I would have granted you a swift death, Dragonborn," growled Alduin, "but now I shall ensure that your pain is eternal."
"We have a saying, us mortals..." A corner of my mouth quirked upwards. "Kiss my ass."
Alduin leapt from the statue with a thunderous cry, toppling it toward us. We dove out of the way and dragged Hakon along, dodging away from the debris while we tried to formulate a plan of attack (or defence, considering we were vastly outnumbered). Fire, frost and meteorites soon showered us from above. Dragons picked at our flesh when they landed and stepped on us when they were in the air. It was a massacre waiting to happen, and all Alduin was doing was surveying the damage. I'd been thrown and beaten and battered, and most of my wounds just wouldn't stop bleeding.
But then, in the distance, towards the portal, I could hear drums. I could hear humming and singing, though in a sombre and dreadful tone far opposite to the ones in taverns. As a Dragon had me pinned under its claws, the drums became louder. The singing, the chanting...
"Dovahkiin... Dovahkiin..."
Alduin perched on a mountain and watched the growing portal. Even the Dragons became distracted by the sudden and unexpected noise. For a brief while, the battle halted, all listening to the shuddering chorus.
And then, men and women from all walks of Aetherius, wielding weapons of war and drums, leapt from the fire-dyed portal and into the battle, roaring with bloodlust and a thirst for a fight long-awaited. And there was Kodlak, leading them all into the battle.
The battle for Sovngarde, and all of the Nirn, was just beginning.