Chapter IX is up, I'm trying my best as the end of Tome One is only one Book away. Keep in mind that English is not my native language.
I hope you enjoy! Reviews are welcome!
Songs of Cinder, Book IX: Blood Binding
Molag Bal's Summoning Day. It was 20th of Evening Star, and Urjorahn felt that this day was somewhat special to him. True, the connection to the King of Impurity in the House of Troubles was quite obvious. Especially now, when he is considered Impure.
Urjorahn remained silent the whole trip. The Veleth family lived a normal life once, their purity not yet ruined before his father's decision. A father he knew nothing about, and a mother whose facial traits were only partially in his memory. The Khajiit had his face covered with a cowl, to prevent the sunlight from interrupting his melancholic thoughts. Perhaps he should leave the party for the hidden twisted covens of Molag Amur's mutants, he thought. He held Xefhedle's Locket, an amulet he managed to rip off Callonia, and the bond was getting only stronger until he closed his eyes and made a very deep breath. The thoughts did not leave his head.
He was one of them.
He always felt like his own soul did not belong to him, yet was incredibly familiar and inborn at the same time. The overwhelming storm of thoughts ravaged Urjorahn, and he had no choice but to answer the Blood Binding's call and have his life put to an end in Velar's grasp.
The evening's weather was a very fair one for the lands so close to the Red Mountain. Hlormaren, now left without a once loyal companion, dismissed the party and led his remaining Redoran soldiers up north, towards the stronghold of Kogoruhn. The Oblivion Crisis only echoed across the land, rumor had it that the only heir of Septim bloodline allied with an unknown champion to stop the invasion, and the Dunmer lands seemed to be calm again, but in ruins. The wagon of five adventurers rode across the ash wastes once more, this time the Red Mountain was directly in front of Yen, who became quite fond of driving the carriage. Nothing except the stone obelisks and burnt trees adorned the barren landscape before the wagon stumbled upon a pillar with a shield on top. The signpost pointed at the lonely inn just a few metres away from them, behind the stone obelisk not far from the road. The wagon approached the inn, another round shield was hanging on a plank by the entrance, a crest and the "Blind Dwarf Tavern" adorning the shield's center. Fadril was the first to enter the tavern; the building itself was built in a distinctive Imperial style, so was the interior, well-decorated with banners of the Empire and looking refurbished no more than a day ago. A large Dwemer warhammer was placed on a plaque above the fireplace. Yen and Llether sat by the fireplace.
"I wonder what happened to Tailless," Yen said, his voice so quiet it was almost a whisper.
"I feel this is Velar's work," Llether replied, as Dalamus watched Fadril dance to the bard's "Tyrone the Wall", "I'm sure you must have heard the n'wah's voice in Urjorahn's room. The mongrel is damn likely to have told him something unpleasant."
"He hasn't spoken in days."
"I'll go talk to him," Llether stood up and went towards the exit before a few armored men walked past the shadowmage, taking suspicious glances at him.
The Khajiit sat in the wagon just outside the Blind Dwarf, his cowl on. The shadowmage leaned on the wagon and let loose the belts fastened on the guar, setting them free. He reached out to Urjorahn, whose eyes were closed, and Llether could notice a single little tear drop.
"Hey, son," the old Veleth said.
"It's the void..." Urjorahn whispered, "Ethereal hands grip my soul and drag, drag, drag it towards the waters to have it drowned. The bridge, it is above the waters' flow, it whispers of eternal freedom beyond the black stream in exchange of a few drops of Khajiit blood. The blood of the Dro-m'Athra."
"It's Velar... He must be summoning you to his twisted realm. Just keep strong, son, it is likely to be a trap," Llether said, "Velar is a traitorous s'wit, a scum that will eat you alive and only leave the bones," the Dunmer rubbed his eyes and took out the mantled black robe and a few scrolls from his satchel, "If you intend to do it, we do it together. A daedric mage can easily withstand the five, but we still have a chance."
Llether handed the scrolls to Urjorahn, what the Khajiit saw were the incantations of Shadow Magic the old Veleth did not teach.
"The ward of shadows that reflects the killing blow, be it blade or spell," the Dunmer said, "And the wrath of Azra Nightwielder himself is at our disposal."
The masked men approached the bartender, whispering something to him before the latter snapped his fingers, gave a sign to the bard to stop his singing of "High Seekers' Poem" and pointed at Yen, Dalamus and Fadril. The men approached their table, one of them uncovered his face and sat on a stool near Dalamus, raising a dagger to his throat. The other ordered the bartender to lock the front door.
"Hlormaren is very well alive and still breathing, Dalamus," the thug said.
Yen was about to grip his mace when the brute stabbed from behind. Fadril managed to stand up and trip over the table, staggering the thug and the brute, before Yen knocked one of them down with a steady mace hit in the head. The three ran to the bartender, whipping up the key and bursting out.
"What in Oblivion?" Llether shouted.
"The Camonna Tong, they found us! Quick, I have an escape route planned!" Fadril replied in a heavy breath. The brothers hopped in the wagon, before Fadril shoved the shadowmage, "Where's Tailless?"
Llether looked around, only a few moments ago Urjorahn was sitting right beside him, and now the Khajiit disappeared with his scrolls, with no tracks to follow. Vanished instantly. Llether was surprised and amused at the same time; at least the Khajiit mastered stepping through shadows, a daunting task. He blinked and turned to the ash-belching volcano, and the thought of Urjorahn heading towards the ruins was conjured in his head. He hopped in the wagon, fastened the guar saddles and told Yen to ride to the Red Mountain. The guar recoiled in a second, accelerating with an unexpected haste, as the mounted silhouettes appeared behind the wagon, aiming their crossbows at the Dunmer brothers.
Urjorahn fell on his knees by an obelisk, ash cloaked his eyes while he was trying to rub them, and more reddish clouds spawned from the volcano's throat. The Ghostfence was behind, and the unrelenting wave of ash was right before the stone obelisk. Echoes persisted, he felt like the cursed Dagoth Ur himself was speaking to him, knocking him down with blasts of ash. He felt like the Blight was no more a myth within the Tribunal's magical border. Still, he advanced to the Red Mountain. Female whispers, resembling lost souls trapped within the cinder, haunted the Impure, switching to serene melodies playing both within and around Urjorahn. The sky was turning black, and the Khajiit squinted to see the bloodcursed void above the volcano's ashen plume. He was close to Velar's respite. Urjorahn knew it was a trap, but he could not resist the call despite his countless efforts. He drew his sword, caressed the blade and walked to the large Dwemer gates.
The wagon was riding faster with every minute, its wooden frame penetrated by bolts of the chasing Camonna Tong. The Ghostfence was closer and closer, shadows shrouding the skies, heralding Mehrunes' return. Yen's vision blurred, and he could barely see the road. The Ghostfence's guards noticed the oncoming trespassers, unsheathing their weapons as the dark veil covered the gate's upper towers. Ground started to tremble, the guar slowed down, afraid of the earthquake, letting the thugs reach the wagon's carcass and hop in. Dalamus and Fadril shielded the thug's swings in desperate attempts to bash him out of the carriage. The passage trembled, a fiery red light emerged from the rubble that blocked the path. Yen put spurs to the guar, and the wagon rode through the Ghostgate, which was collapsing right behind them before the Oblivion Gate was summoned where the passage was supposed to be. Unable to control their frightened steeds, the thugs sprinted right into the portal.
The cart was now beyond the destroyed Ghostgate, the fire behind and in front of the adventurers; there's no way they could leave this battle unmolested.
"So quiet, the ruins so untouched..." Urjorahn heard Velar's voice echo in the foggy Dwemer halls, so magnificent the Khajiit was feeling small. He sticked to the shadows.
"No need to hide, Impure," Velar whispered, yet his voice almost thundered, "Proceed. The halls stand empty, as they were since the Sixth House was banished."
Once the Khajiit stepped from the shadow of a nearby column, the massive metal door opened itself before his eyes. The flow of lava was melting the pipes beneath the bridge, spraying steam and flames that tried to scorch Urjorahn. The roof was starting to collapse, and the rubble fell into the lava, sending the immolating waves further and threatening the unstable stone bridge. Urjorahn sprinted to the large staircase, a gust of hot wind blowing the next door open and blurring the Khajiit's vision. He was only a few steps away from the Red Mountain's deadly crater. The sorcerer's echo followed the dwindling gust.
"You could feel more alive with a bit of... challenge!" Velar exclaimed, the red-black void opened its maw, forming yet another bridge, this time the otherworldly one. Black Daedra poured from the portal.
"Meet the Soul Servants, Impure. Blessed they be, for they guard my halls with no remorse for their foes. They are vessels, mindless husks for the souls trapped within."
Urjorahn jumped to the Soul Servant and pierced the vessel's throat; blood dripped from the Daedra, as he was ready to deliver another blow. The Khajiit vanished in the shadows, translocating to a ruined balcony above the portal, and pushed off the fence. It was better to save his stamina and magicka supplies for the sorcerer, he thought. Holding his breath, he ran up the stairs, before rushing outside through a round door, leading to a collapsed platform above the volcano's throat. Now, he was inside the Ash King's crown, dotted with Dwemer watchtowers. Urjorahn rubbed his eyes and blew the ash to see Velar in front of him, undead. The ashen lich in rotten garments resembling the robes of House Telvanni turned around and gripped his dagger, the fiery eye sockets staring at the Impure. He raised his hand and summoned forth the dark ghosts.
"Supreme Soul Servants. Those who withstand the maddening hunger for souls are gifted with great power!"
"This one is way too scared to fight himself, huh?" Urjorahn replied, "I came, the Blood Binding has called Urjorahn, the thrice cursed bond Fadomai itself placed within the Khajiit through the hands of an elusive mage. Now... I. Need. Answers." the Khajiit put his left hand behind his back and drew a scroll from his purse.
"Fine."
Velar appeared right behind the nightblade, and Urjorahn could feel the dagger thrust through his shoulder. He screamed in pain before pushing the lich aside, the scroll of animating shadows readied in his hand. Urjorahn advanced, growling in rage, raised his shortsword alost above his chest and delivered the mighty strike to Velar, before the Khajiit's shadow emerged near him and drained the undead's remaining lifeforce. Velar retreated to the tower adjacent to the platform in a red spherical portal of darkness.
"Impure! Hear my call!" Velar raised his both hands, "Answer my plea! New life awaits beyond the passage that lies before you! Your soul will be cleansed in the waters of Oblivion if you accept the eternal power through servitude! No more pain and suffering anymore, Urjorahn... The Paradise, a haven for your soul, is a few steps away..."
The nightblade stepped from the shadow cast by the dark clouds, "blinking" to the tower in a blast of black smoke, his blade swinging at the mage's neck from a veil of shadows. Velar, the blade stuck in his neck and his own blood flowing from an open wound, glanced at the one he crossed swords with and fell to his knees, screaming and dissolving to a reddish pile of ash.
"The last stand!" Velar echoed in the sky, as the Red Mountain started belching lava and ash upwards, "Dare to confront me where I'm the supreme? The Daedric Prince!"
The explosion blinded Urjorahn, who would then see the sorcerer's flaming remains and the passage to Velar's realm.
He took a deep breath, sheathed his blade and stepped into the black waters of Oblivion.