Chapter 18: The Gate of the Dremora

There was only one word for it: hell.

The day had started well. They had camped in the middle of the Heartlands a few hours after dark. They told stories of monsters, beasts, compassion, and humor. Nightshade had good dreams despite the adventure in Boethia's realm. It seemed the experience had the opposite affect on them than it should've. It was almost like she was immune now.

But it had ended abruptly at ten o'clock. They had hiked and reached Cloud Ruler Temple only to find a frenzy of guards and horses going in and out. It confused them until they looked the opposite way down the mountain, and it was clear.

In the distance, right next to the Bruma east gate, was a ball of fire with embers shooting out. It was hard to distinguish because of the settling mist over the mountain, but it was there. And Nightshade felt a feeling of dread. The memory of those doors down that hallway returned to her.

"Jauffre, Jauffre, where's Jauffre?" Elyon was elbowing her way through rushing, frantic people, none who answered her question. With difficulty, they made it into the Main Hall, where amidst the frenzy Jauffre, Baurus, and Martin stood, looking annoyed and angry.

"I must insist you move at once, Martin. It's not safe anymore. They'll find you."

Martin frowned. "Why should they get me? There are guards, you, Baurus, and I'm not completely defenseless, you know. I've been practicing. Plus, I can't leave. All the diagrams and signs are here. The Mythic Dawn can't get them."

"But—"

""The Emperor has spoken, Jauffre. We just need to close the gate and secure our defenses," Baurus seemed to be enjoying Jauffre's weakness.

Jauffre sighed exasperatingly. "Fine—ah, you've returned!" He noticed the four of them behind Martin and Baurus, who turned around. Martin grinned, for Nightshade had two swords on her belt and Crow held the Screaming Shield. Richu whimpered at that moment and fled into the East Wing, where the door was ajar.

"Ha, I told you I wasn't mad! It really did happen! You owe me fifty septums!" Martin laughed at Baurus, who was looking at the shield with a slight frown. "So, I'll be taking that."

"Why is everyone running around like chickens without heads?" Elyon's simile made Baurus grin. "There's the Oblivion Gate down the mountain near Bruma. People are being sent down the mountain and back for assistance. And some of them have gone crazy."

Jauffre regained some authority. "You have to tell them how to close the gate, Nightshade, or more Daedra will come and kill the whole city."

"So, we don't actually have to go in there," Ice's voice was mirroring Nightshade's thoughts. None of them really wanted to go back in one of those gates.

He shook his head. "Only if it's really necessary. And you stay right here." He addressed Martin, who sulked. "Baurus, make sure he follows my orders. Good luck. Oh, and take one of the horses for quicker travel." Jauffre walked out, yelling at someone to stop shouting, "It's the end of the world!"

"Ok, I don't think this is a good idea, but I'll follow you people anyway," Ice followed them into the stable with Martin and Baurus.

"Okay," Baurus looked at them. "I recommend a white or black horse, but chestnut or bay should be okay."

There were only two horses left besides Silver, who was oblivious to the ruckus. Elyon mounted her while Crow took a Chestnut. The largest horse, a black stallion, fit both Ice and Nightshade on his back. "This feels wrong," she frowned as Ice sat in front of her.

By the time they reached Bruma, three bodies of guards had fallen, smoke was everywhere, and there were worse things than scamps running around. There was a frightful spider-like Daedra with even smaller henchmen scurrying around the horses' feet. Crow, armed with a bow, shot it several times and the smaller ones disappeared. A reptile attacked Elyon, but Silver fought it off.

They all dismounted and sent their horses back. And Nightshade almost ran into the silver armor of a guard.

"Hey, we know you," Ice pointed to him, and Nightshade instantly remembered Yarjok Sjord from Boethia's realm. He blinked; his helmet was off so his blond hair covered his eyes. He looked surprised. "The Hero of Kvatch?"

"Heroes of Kvatch," Ice scowled.

"Yes. Do you remember us?" Nightshade asked as he nodded. "It's hard to forget."

"Where's the Guard Captain?" Elyon's concern showed in her voice. Yarjok, however, shrugged, his deep voice rumbled, "No one's seen him. Everyone's sure he ran for the mountains."

"Great," Nightshade watched a guard scream like a little girl as a hideous creature on two legs and claws. "Everything's in chaos."

"Look, guardie, why don't we just tell you how to close this hellhole, alright? You step into the swirling vortex of doom, and when you feel woozy you know you're there. Then, look for a way into the tallest tower with the big fire beam coming out of it. Then, climb to the top and take the Sigil Stone, a big ball of lava," Ice explained. Yarjok looked confused and blinked again.

"I think we're going to have to go back in," Crow sighed. "If we show you, can you tell the other guards how to close it?"

Yarjok nodded. "I hope there will be other guards left when we come back."

They wandered in the smoke for a while, following the strong, orange glow of fire, until they reached a portal much like the one in Kvatch. Nightshade's memories of the gate there seemed like a peaceful meadow than what was going on here. In fact, she hardly remembered any Daedra at all in the other one. Now, there were dozens of them chasing people, coming out of the gate four or five at a time even couple of seconds.

"How are we going to get past them?" Yarjok asked. Ice answered, "Well, first, they can smell fear on a person, so be brave."

"Ok, now!" Elyon ran to the gate immediately after a pair of green creatures came out. Single file, they jumped through the portal like crazy. Nightshade's eyes were closed, and she felt immediately grateful when she could feel the ground beneath her feet. However, her minute happiness ended when she opened her eyes.

They were surrounded by ferocious-looking beings in black and red armor, their helmets obscuring their faces with dangerous expressions. Each held a weapon in their black hands. "What are they?" she whispered to Elyon.

"Dremora, servants of Mehrunes Dagon: very human-like in appearance but more Dagon-like in nature. They have established clans that are ranked by power. In short, you don't want to mess with them."

A large Dremora pointed at them and started to speak in a harsh, raspy, voice: "Kill the intruders and give their bones to the Daedroths!"

She looked with fear at the others, who were cringing. However, she didn't have time to ask why, for the Dremora had started to move. Individual fights broke out. Crow took on a Dremora he called a Kynval. Claymore clashed with claymore as they blocked each others moves. Elyon took on two Caitiffs (they called each other that) and Ice and Yarjok were dealing with the weaker Churls. The only one left was the leader, who spied her just standing there. "You!" he said, and she turned, her hand to her new Goldbrand's hilt. "You have defied Boethia and killed the woman. I know who you are, for your name is after the poisonous flower."

"How—how do you know who I am?" she looked with both wonder and fear. He chuckled. "Every Kynaz knows who you are. The petty humans marvel at your weak feats and yet know nothing about your best ones. To them you are the false hope that Lord Dagon will not succeed, but he will."

"As long as the Blades live Dagon will be stopped," she spat, bravery entering her like a warm flame. The Dremora seemed awfully amused. "The Blades will die with every other human that gets in our way. The age of human beings ruling the world is over. It is time for the Daedra to take back what is rightfully theirs."

"The Nine Divines will never allow it!"

"The Nine Divines are false idols; they do not exist; only petty human faith and hope does. The Divines were human once, nothing but petty human souls! The Daedra are true gods! And I cannot believe you, of all humans, believe in them!"

"Shut up!" Nightshade took her sword and swung with power at him. He blocked with a shield and unsheathed his own sword. "Do you honestly think you can defeat me, a Kynreeve?"

"I don't care what you are; you're going down!"

Power and adrenaline flowed through her veins as she fought. Something inside her head told her to let the power take over, just let the power finish this Dremora.

She suddenly hesitated. What was she doing? What was this power? The last time she used it she killed Ruma and fainted. The time before that she almost killed Owyn and Ice. This power was evil, not good. This power wasn't her. Killing couldn't solve anything, could it?

Her moment caused her to trip over her own feet. The Kynreeve took his advantage and pointed his sword to her throat. "You are a weak dunmer. You will not let yourself reach your full potential. I think the Lord will be pleased when I take your body to him."

She watched as Crow, twirling like a dancer, swung his sword into his stomach, through his armor. The tip went straight through, blood dripping from it. The Kynreeve looked confused, and then grinned slightly, blood rising into his mouth, and he fell forward, whereas Nightshade scrambled backwards so he wouldn't land on her. Fear had returned in the place of her bravery, or was that bravery the power?

"Thanks," she got up, shaking. The other Dremora were all dead, their bodies scattered around the area. Everyone was alive. Elyon was tending to Yarjok and Ice's wounds. Crow himself had a large cut through his right-robe sleeve that was stained even darker with blood. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah. You?"

"I—I think so," she brushed her armor off of red dust. "So any ideas as to what's next?"

Ice flinched as he got up, his limp and bloody arm slowly healing itself where a Churl had smashed his mace. "What was that whole thing about?" He was addressing Nightshade, who was bewildered. "What do you mean?"

"You were talking to that Dremora. You understood what it was saying!"

"Yeah? So? Didn't you?"

Oh no. This was like the whole symbols thing in the Mysterium Xarxes. More proof that she wasn't normal. She was the only one that could talk to Dremora now. Great.

"Just forget it," Elyon wiped blood off her face where a mace had grazed her cheek. She looked around at the surrounding area.

Yes, this looked so familiar with the stench of rot and dirt and heat. Lava bubbled along dark banks. But it was different as well. Only one, huge, tall tower stood on the isle, and of course it happened to be across a moat of lava.

Yarjok looked amazed and fearful. "We go in there?" Solemnly, they nodded in unison.

They started their trek in search of a way across, or at least a door on the tower, and soon Nightshade felt dizzy. There was no door, just Daedra to kill near it. "This doesn't make any sense. How are we supposed to get in?"

The Nord looked at her. "How'd you do it last time?"

"We crossed bridges from other towers, but there are none here," Ice bit his lip. "We could try crossing the lava really quickly."

"That's suicide," Nightshade scolded. And then Crow softly cleared his throat, causing them all to look at him.

It was odd to Nightshade how calm Crow was in this hell. He just stood there, maybe thinking the whole time they were talking. He was under control, or did he feel nothing? "You said you crossed bridges, right? Describe them."

"Well, they were thin and dangerous and you couldn't look down or you'd fall," Ice had pretty much summed it up.

"So they were in the air? Maybe our bridge is not in front of us or above us but perhaps below us."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean maybe there's a tunnel under the lava."

"That's brilliant!" Elyon clapped her hands. "But how would we get under there?"

After thirty minutes of searching under every rock, Ice found a large, encrypted door behind a large boulder and a scamp much bigger than the ones before. They entered into a cavern-like cave with holes bringing in light and an odd, red mist. It seemed abnormally claustrophobic.

Silence surrounded them as they wandered around the caverns and fell through holes; they encountered several beasts of different kinds by this fashion. It was when they were almost out did Nightshade speak.

"Elyon, when you went through puberty, did you ever feel like… er… powerful and strong and like something else was controlling you?"

The question made the boys suddenly start a conversation of their own. "So, Crow, do you think Martin will make a good emperor?"

Elyon looked at Nightshade strangely. "No. I felt the complete opposite. Why?"

"Just wondering…"

She looked at the males and overheard Ice say, "That's none of your business!" to Yarjok, who backed off. "Perhaps we should talk after we close the gate."

Crow found a door at that moment, but it was Ice who charged for it first. And Nightshade muttered, "If we close the gate."

"Ha, I knew it would work," Crow congratulated himself on his brainwork.

Yarjok looked up at the tower that loomed above them. "So, we have to go to the top of that thing?"

"Yep," Ice patted him on the back, "loads of fun."

"Come on, the sooner we start the sooner we get it done." Nightshade walked past them and immediately got spotted by a reptile-like creature called a Clannfear. She dodged its claws and slashed her sword at its belly. It missed.

"Should we be helping?" Ice looked at Crow, who shook his head, and Elyon, who looked worried. "She needs to do this."

The Clannfear hissed and took a step back while Nightshade feebly thrust her sword forward. It slashed with both claws and got her on her arm. She retreated a little, so it took its opportunity. It pounced and landed on her while ripping at her armor. With pain, she lifted her sword and tried to decapitate it. Instead, it resulted in lots of blood in her face and only about a fourth of its neck slashed off. It withdrew and began to bleed to death.

"I see we actually taught you something," Crow beamed at his apprentice. "You'll get better."

She watched it in agony as the others walked past her and into the tower. That could've been her. That still could be her.

In fear, Nightshade turned to follow her comrades, but she collapsed with a tang of pain on the back of her head.

"Caitiff Lixili, the dunmer is waking. I can feel it."

"Yes, Kynmarcher."

Wow, what a pain. Her head throbbed as Nightshade opened her eyes. She couldn't move; a spell could've been the cause. She was on the floor on her side, so she could see two pairs of black armored feet. One pair just stood there, pointed at her, and the other was walking towards her. The Caitiff Lixili grabbed her armor by the back of the collar and hoisted her to her knees, where she could see the Dremora Kynmarcher smirking slightly on his black face. "Welcome, Nightshade. I'm sorry it's not a bit more hospitable, but it's not meant to be pleasant."

She tried to talk, but her jaw wouldn't move. This made the Dremora smirk more. "You're so pitiful and helpless. Do you think I'm stupid enough to let you even talk?"

She looked at him, her eyes the only thing that seemed to be able to move. He looked like the Kynreeve except more muscular and with more armor. But what interested her most was the shooting beam of fire behind him going up and out of the Citadel and the Sigil Stone floating above the pedestal. All she had to do was get it and this nightmare would be over. The problem was how.

"So, Nightshade, allow me to introduce myself. I am Kynmarcher Eclixirz, lord of this Citadel. I've been ordered to prevent you from ruining our destruction. Your friends are no match for my army, so as long as you're under my paralyzing spell we're ok. After this I'll take you back to the mainland and present you as my prisoner. I'll probably be promoted for this." He stood proudly, and Nightshade didn't have to see Lixili to know he was rolling his eyes. "Kynmarcher, can I go now? I want to fight, not baby-sit prisoners." His voice was much raspier than the Kynmarcher's.

"No, Caitiff. Watch her and make sure nothing happens to her. I want to see the humans get chopped up when they reach the top."

"But how can she do anything being silenced and paralyzed?"

"Stop complaining."

Nightshade began to feel something besides her head. Her toes and fingers were slowly gaining feeling. Her jaw was thawing at a much faster pace, but she didn't show it. The Kynmarcher wasn't paying attention; he was watching as Crow came into the room and looked around. Swiftly, he was attacked, and soon the small platoon of about ten or fifteen Dremora was overwhelming him.

Kynmarcher Eclixirz grinned with amusement. "Clobber him!"

Nightshade's eyes opened wide. Crow couldn't die!

And then there was a whooshing sound followed by bodies being smacked against the walls of the Citadel. Crow had used a defensive spell causing air to blast from himself and into a sort of bubble around him. The Dremora were gusted around, confused and some hurt from impacts. Elyon, Ice, and Yarjok came out that moment with a war-cry Nightshade had never heard before.

Eclixirz's smirk abruptly changed into a snarl. "Caitiff, forget her and get in there!"

"It's Lixili," he frowned but followed his superior's orders. He ran down the odd, flesh-like ramp and into the battle.

By that time Nightshade could feel her forearms and legs and could move her fingers. She could feel the power, the magic, slowly warm her arms with fire without the use of words. Still, she couldn't stand yet so she did nothing.

Yarjok slashed his way up the ramp with a silver axe and stared at the Kynmarcher. "So, you are the humans that killed my best Kynreeve?" He unsheathed his claymore that was strapped on his back. It shined a soft blue.

As they fought, Nightshade began to move around by clawing at the ground and inching slowly forward like a lion stalking prey. Her legs didn't quite work yet, but she tried her best in getting her sword just in case.

Yarjok and Eclixirz clashed several times before the Kynmarcher twisted the Nord's axe out of his hand and onto the floor. He held the blade to the young guard's throat. "Any last words?"

Nightshade was now close enough. She swung her arm as high as she could at the Dremora's legs. He screamed as Yarjok dived for his axe and quickly took it to his throat. Nightshade moved her jaw before she said in a slurred voice, "He doesn't understand a word you're saying."

"Heh, you cannot escape Mehrunes Dagon's wrath! You will all die in vain! It's point—"

His throat was gushing blood before he could finish.

"Is everything ok up here?" Elyon, Crow, and Ice rushed up the ramp. Elyon helped her up. "I… I can't really feel my legs very well, but I think I'll be ok." Nightshade leaned on her. "Yarjok… take the stone."

He turned and looked at the Sigil Stone, its lava glowing immensely. He reached out and slowly touched it. He recoiled. "I can't; it's too hot."

"You have to. If you don't now you'll never be able to close future gates!"

He looked doubtfully at her. "Ok…"

He reached out, and this time he grabbed it and held on as the world went spinning.

A Word from Haunt: Crow's spell happens to be from a different game called Fate, which neither Bethesda or I own the rights to. However, it's still an awesome game, just not as awesome as the Elder Scrolls, which beats every game (except maybe Pokemon, or they're tied).

Oh, don't forget about these Dremora. They'll be back.