I do not own Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

I guess the correct thing to say is that the epilogue will be the shortest chapter.

Although, it's not even really a chapter, so maybe I don't need to say anything at all.

Whatever. Here's the real last chapter, I guess.

Reviewer Responses:

Nina: Yeah, he's dead. I hope everyone's happy.

Guest: Thank you, friend. It was fun to write all that. The fight with Mercer was actually one of the first parts of the Fiction I ever wrote, and then all the stuff that came before it was added in later. It definitely took a lot of tweaking to make it fit in with the actual story line once I had it all written down. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Manu: Thanks. I thought everyone would enjoy the little bits of Ziris and Brynjolf that I threw in there, in order to alleviate the severity of the rest of the chapter. I'm happy that you liked it!

Chapter 18: A Daedra's Words

The trek across Skyrim took her three days, but only because she didn't bother rushing. Why would she?

When she finally reached the place Karliah had told her about, she frowned at it, having expect something bigger, more grand scale. Instead, it was just a door built into the side of the mountain, across a small stream from her. A waterfall filled the stream, rumbling quietly from its point on the mountain.

Ziris sighed to herself and hopped over the stream, then ducked through the door.

As soon as she passed through the short passage on the other side, she found what she had been expecting waiting for her. A large cavern opened up beyond the passage, complete with a long set of stairs, and a temple at the top of it.

Standing on the stairs was a ghostly figure, and Ziris cautiously approached it, not sure what she was expecting.

Instead of finding an enemy, however, the ghost seemed to be wearing the Nightingale armor. It glanced her over for a moment, and then spoke: "I don't recognize you, but I sense that you are one of us. Who are you?"

"I'd ask the same of you," Ziris answered, adjusting the pack's position on her shoulder.

The ghost sighed. "The last of the Nightingale Sentinels, I'm afraid," he said. "I've defended the Sepulcher alone for what seems like an eternity."

"The last?" Ziris frowned at him. "What happened to the rest?"

"We were betrayed by one of our own," the ghost explained. "In fact… I'm to blame for what's happened here."

Ziris stared at him for a moment, and then her eyes widened. "Wait a minute… Gallus?"

The ghost's head raised, and he looked at her. "I… I have not heard that name for a long time," he said softly. "How… how do you know of me?"

Ziris let out a breath. "I have the Skeleton Key that Mercer took."

"You have the Key?" Gallus sounded disbelieving. "And… and Mercer?"

Ziris stiffened a bit, and lowered her gaze to the ground. "Dead."

"Then… it's over," Gallus said quietly, "and my death wasn't in vain." He tilted his head as he studied her. "You, though. You're not happy?"

"After… after he killed you and forced Karliah to run, Mercer found me on the streets of Riften and took me in," Ziris explained quietly. "I uh… he taught me everything I know about being a thief, and… I had to kill him." She let out a weak chuckle. "I haven't had the best week."

Gallus was silent for a moment. "I would apologize, but…"

"I understand," Ziris replied, sniffling. "You wouldn't be willing to take care of this, would you?"

"I'm afraid it's impossible," Gallus answered. "Since I arrived here, I've felt myself… well, dying."

"How can a spirit die?" Ziris asked, frowning.

"The Sepulcher isn't merely a temple or a vault to house the Key. Within these walls is the Ebonmere... a conduit to Nocturnal's realm of Evergloam. When Mercer stole the Key, that conduit closed, severely limiting our ties to her."

Ziris exhaled. "Then I'm on my own, huh?"

"I'm afraid so," Gallus responded. "The years without restoration of my power have taken their toll. Whatever damage has been caused can only be corrected by following the Pilgrim's Path to the Ebonmere and replacing the Key."

"All right," Ziris sighed. "Then I guess that's what I'm doing."

"Good luck, Nightingale," Gallus said as she started up the stairs past him. "Be wary; I do not know what awaits you."

That gives me so much hope, Ziris thought to herself. She proceeded into the cave at the top of the stairs, drawing her blades as she did so. No sense in taking chances.

At the end of the cave's passage lay an iron door, which she pushed open. Immediately, she found herself facing another ghost, this one not so friendly as Gallus had been. One of the Sentinels that had been affected by the Ebonmere closing, she supposed.

She was forced to fight the ghost, and she did so until it was dead, which… she still didn't understand how that worked. All the same, she killed it, and then killed the one that appeared as soon as the first was dead, before proceeding on through another iron door.

This one led down another passage that opened up into a room with stairs, sort of like a burial chamber. Another dead Sentinel waited for her here, and she dispatched it as quickly as she could. She caught one of its ghost-arrows on her shoulder, but she barely felt it.

She continued on to the door that waited for her, and pushed it open. The door opened into a large, cavernous room that was shrouded in darkness aside from a few areas where torches were lighted and shed some glow on their surroundings. Because she couldn't see, she started for one of the lit up areas, and immediately regretted it when she felt something similar to a burning sensation all over her body.

She cursed and leapt back out of the light, glaring at it. The shadows that surrounded her cooled off her burning body, and she exhaled, realizing what this room wanted her to do.

"Fine," she muttered, sliding her weapons away. "I'll stick to the shadows."

She mounted a set of stairs and crossed a bridge, avoiding the light as much as possible, and a few traps as well. The entire room was dangerous, and she hated it. When she finally made it to the other side and climbed the stairs there up to the door, she was relieved when she found another burial chamber type area waiting for her.

She followed the passage around a few corners to another room, where she found a statue of Nocturnal standing in front of a very obvious hidden door.

"What do you want?" she asked the Daedra statue, and then she glanced around for a moment. A glimmer of steel caught her eye from where it lay behind one of the sconces on the wall, and she approached it, finding a chain hidden behind it.

She rolled her eyes and pulled it. Immediately, the flames in the sconce went out.

"Ah… darkness," Ziris said. "I get it."

She crossed the room to the other sconce and pulled the chain hidden there as well. The flames disappeared, and the hidden door opened up.

"Very creative," she mumbled, passing through the door.

As soon as she did, se heard the sounds of at least three traps go off, and she let out a sigh before continuing on her way. She avoided a set of poisoned arrows and a giant battering ram on her way down a passage, and then she found herself in another open room, where two more Sentinels waited to kill her.

Ziris quickly killed them instead, and then crossed the room to get to the passage that would help her progress forward. Once she was through, she found another door waiting for her, and she exhaled, feeling as though this was the last one she would be passing through.

When she opened it and entered the room on the other side, she saw she was right. A long hallway lay before her, shrouded in an odd purple mist that didn't seem to harm her. At the end of the hall, two large wooden doors waited for her, and she pushed them open and crossed through.

She followed another short passage until she reached a dark pit in the floor. Nothing lay beyond it, and there was no turning back. Ziris gazed down into the pit for a moment, frowning when she saw the skeleton at the bottom. For some reason, however, she felt that jumping into the pit was the thing she needed to do.

So, she did it, and landed hard on the bottom. She was pretty certain she heard a crack in one of her legs, and she let out a sharp exhale as she struggled to stand up. She couldn't however, and she closed her eyes against the pain, holding her leg tightly.

"What am I supposed to do now?" she managed through clenched teeth. She pulled Mercer's pack off of her shoulders and shuffled through it, pulling out the Skeleton Key after a moment. She stared at it, wondering if she was supposed to shove it into the floor or something.

Before she could, however, the floor disappeared, as did the pain in her leg. She dropped into a room beneath, and found herself standing before an odd circle in the floor that had a hole in the center of it. It looked as though it would hold the Skeleton Key.

Shrugging, Ziris put the Key into the hole and stepped back. Immediately, the circle rose from the floor, opening up in three different places. A horde of birds flew out of the purple pool that formed in the center of the circle, and out of the cloud of birds came a woman, who floated above the pool with her arms held out, a hood drawn up over her head. Two birds perched on her arms, and Ziris realized that she was looking at the living version of the statue of Nocturnal.

"My, my," the Daedra started, staring down at Ziris. "What do we have here?" She tilted her head. "It's been a number of years since I've set foot on your world. Or perhaps it's been moments. One tends to lose track." She seemed to change her mind about what she wanted to speak of, then, because her head righted itself, and she met Ziris's gaze. "So… once again the Key has been stolen, and a 'champion' returns it to the Sepulcher. Now that the Ebonmere has been restored, you stand before me awaiting your accolades; a pat on your head… a kiss on your cheek."

"Not really," Ziris mumbled.

"Say that again?" Nocturnal asked, and Ziris glanced up at her.

"I don't want any 'accolades'," she said. "I didn't want to be the one to do this. I lost my mentor in order to retrieve the Key, and I sort of just… want to go home."

"Ah… Mercer Frey was your mentor." Nocturnal chuckled. "No wonder you reflected him when I first came across you during Karliah's summoning." She frowned a bit. "Still… it does not sound like him, to take on a protege."

"I know," Ziris agreed, turning her gaze downwards again, "but you'd be surprised."

Nocturnal was silent for a moment as she gazed down at Ziris, who studied the ground. The Daedra seemed to be considering something. Finally, when she spoke again, it was not something Ziris had expected to hear: "You killed him. Why?"

"He asked me too," Ziris answered truthfully. "And… it's because it was what the Guild decided."

"I see. So all of this was for the Guild?" Nocturnal queried. Ziris nodded, and then shrugged, and Nocturnal let out a hum. "Interesting."

"How so, if you don't mind my asking."

The Daedra shook her head.

"It just surprises me that the thief who was mentored by the Guild Master that stole from the Guild, killed her mentor because it was what the Guild wanted, and returned the Skeleton Key to the Sepulcher because it was what was best for the Guild." Nocturnal smiled. "You hold more loyalty to the Guild than Mercer ever did, and that is interesting, considering he was the one to mentor you."

"The Guild's been my home for the last twenty five years," Ziris explained. "Mercer may have been the one to teach me, but… without the Guild… there wouldn't have been any reason to teach me. I owe him a lot, but… I suppose I owe the Guild more."

"Well, whatever your reasoning, you fulfilled your agreement as a Nightingale," Nocturnal said. "You've obediently performed your duties to the letter. And… perhaps, for the first time in a long time, I am faced with a thief who cares more about serving faithfully than about the prize that awaits them at the end of their journey."

Ziris smiled a bit and nodded. "I suppose so," she said. "I was never worried about making money or stealing something extremely valuable. I just… I wanted to get the job done properly, so that the Guild would have something to be proud of."

"And, of course, they are very proud, although they may not say it out loud," Nocturnal informed her. "Thieves are finicky creatures, after all. They are not the best at expressing their gratitude or their love. When they do, however…"

She trailed off, and gestured to the pool below her feet. "Here, you see the Ebonmere. I would ask that you drink deeply from it, mortal. This is where the Agent of Nocturnal is born, and I would be proud to call a thief as loyal as you one of my own." She disappeared back into the pool, her voice echoing around the room as she did so. "Farewell, Nightingale. See to it the Key stays this time, won't you?"

Ziris smiled to herself and let out a breath before glancing around the room. She wasn't surprised to find Karliah standing off to the side, watching her.

"You came," she said to the Dunmer.

"I'm glad you were able to bring the Key back safely," Karliah responded. "Nocturnal seemed quite pleased with your efforts."

Ziris shrugged. "She sort of sounded indifferent to me."

"I wouldn't take that to heart. It's her way," Karliah explained. "She's like a scolding mother; continually pushing you harder to be successful. She outwardly sounds angry, but is silently content. Although… she seemed more than content with you, Ziris. She seemed proud, as though you were already the best you could be."

Ziris shook her head. "I'll be lucky if that's ever true." She studied the elf as she pulled her hood down and lowered her mask. "What will you do now?"

"The Guild has welcomed me back with open arms," Karliah answered, smiling softly. "I feel like a void in my life has finally been filled." She then shook her head. "But I cannot rejoin them."

Ziris was going to ask why, and then she stopped herself. She already understood. "And this… Agent of Nocturnal business?"

"These circles." Karliah gestured to the one closest to her. It had a emblem in the shape of a crescent moon on it. "They imbue you with powers befitting a Nightingale Agent. The crescent moon represents the Agent of Shadow, the half moon the Agent of Subterfuge, and the full moon the Agent of Strife."

"And… I can't be all three?" Ziris asked, half-joking, and Karliah smiled again.

"Unfortunately not, but that is Nocturnal's way of maintaining balance."

Ziris nodded in understanding and glanced around at the circle. "And… once I choose?"

"Then your life as an Agent of Nocturnal will begin," Karliah answered. "If the need arises, you will be summoned the the Sepulcher to defend it, as is your duty."

Ziris exhaled. "Which Agent was Mercer?" she asked, quietly.

Karliah silently gestured to the crescent moon again, and Ziris nodded. "All right." She stepped onto the circle and an odd feeling washed over her. She glanced down at her hand, and blinked when a flash of darkness appeared across her palm. "Shadows."

"Karliah?" She glanced up and saw Gallus standing before one of the purple portals against the wall, gazing at the Dunmer, who stared back in disbelief.

"Gallus?" The ghost approached her, and Karliah shook her head. "I feared I would never see you again. I was afraid you'd become like the others."

"If it were not for the actions of this Nightingale, your fears would have come true," Gallus answered, looking at Ziris. "She honors us all." Ziris dipped her head in response, and he turned back to Karliah.

"What will you do now, my love?" Karliah asked him.

"Nocturnal calls me to the Evergloam. My contract has been fulfilled," Gallus responded.

"Will I ever see you again?" Karliah queried, and Gallus reached out a hand towards her.

"When your debt to Nocturnal has been paid, we'll embrace once again," he assured.

Karliah let out a breath. "Farewell, Gallus. Eyes open…" She swallowed. "Walk with the shadows."

"Goodbye, Karliah," Gallus replied, and then he faded away.

Ziris gazed at where he had been for a moment, and then she looked at Karliah. "Where did he go?"

"Gallus's Oath has been paid. His actions satisfied the terms," Karliah explained. "Now his spirit becomes one with the Evergloam… the realm of perpetual twilight and the cradle of shadow."

"So… he's gone?"

"No, not gone," Karliah said. "He's become one with the shadows. This is the greatest honor a Nightingale can possibly achieve. In death, he's become a part of that which we use to live."

Ziris gazed at her for a moment, processing this, and then her eyes widened. "All the dead Nightingales are a part of the shadows?"

"Absolutely. When we say "walk with the shadows", we are asking those Nightingales who have passed on to protect us. It's believed that they are literally what guides our uncanny luck… by placing their hands in ours," Karliah said. "That's why the Ebonmere needed to be reopened. Without it, there's no way Nocturnal was able to allow them through."

Ziris wouldn't say outloud what she was wondering, but she was fairly certain that Karliah could read it on her face. Thankfully, the Dunmer did not comment.

"Where will you be?" Ziris asked her.

"I'm going to make my home in Nightingale Hall," Karliah answered. "It is your home as well, so I hope to see you and Brynjolf there now and again." She smiled. "I may visit Skyrim's cities to 'acquire' things from time to time. Can't afford to get rusty, can we?"

"I suppose not," Ziris agreed. She glanced towards the portal. "That'll take me out of here?"

"It will."

Ziris nodded and headed towards it. She glanced over her shoulder once to look at Karliah. "I'm glad we were able to fix everything for you," she said, and Karliah dipped her head.

"Thank you for helping. I know that it was difficult for you, but it was the right thing."

Ziris didn't offer a response to this, and she stepped through the portal without another word. It deposited her at the bottom of the steps in the main hall of the Sepulcher, and she glanced around it for a moment before setting her shoulders and exhaling. It was time to go home.

The bad news is that this may be the worst written chapter out of the entire Fiction.

The good news is that it is the last one, and that means the Fiction is over, aside from the epilogue, which I will post probably Sunday of this week, since I want to get it over with.

I'll see you then, and then we'll have a chat about the future of Ziris and all the other Skyrim characters, both actual characters and OCs, that you've come to love.