"Who or what is the king of worms?" Elsa asks nervously. "Mannimarco,the most powerful necromancer in existence...he and his worm cult have attempted to take this world for thousands of years,often hiding among politics and making deals with the daedra to bring his plans to fruition." Ulfric explains,making Elsa kind of tremble while she tries to keep from freezing the castle over.
"Has he ever succeeded?" She asks before he shakes his head. "No,but he's gotten closer than most..." He answered before rubbing his forehead in frustration. "If the king of worms is somewhere in Arendelle..." He started before they heard a scream coming from the throne room.
They rushed back in to see a gold skinned being with white hair,pointed ears,wearing black armored robes and wielding a wicked staff that was adorned with a skull using some kind of magic to hold Anna in mid-air. "Get away from her!" Kristoff shouts before trying to charge the attacker only for him to plant the end of his staff in the mountain man's chest and send him flying backwards.
"Back off,damn witch-elf!" Galmar taunts before grabbing the staff and snatching it's wielder forward to bash his skull in,but the elf vanished before he could land a hit then uses the staff to knock him off his feet while Ralof attempts to attack him from behind only to be met with a lightning bolt that puts him on his knees.
He pulls Anna to him then turns his attention to Elsa and Ulfric as a wicked grimace crosses his lips. "Ah,the snow queen of Arendelle...and the high king of Skyrim. How nice to finally meet you..." He said coldly as Elsa looked for an opportunity to get Anna away from him.
"Mannimarco..." Ulfric says with a distasteful tone,which only made the worm king's grimace grow. "As observant as the stories suggest,no matter it won't help you,nor will your ability to wield the thu'um." He taunts while Anna tries to struggle out of his unearthly grip.
"Let her go!" Elsa cried out,drawing the necromancer's soul tearing gaze to her. "And what will you do if I don't?" He sneered,un phased by her demands as ice started to form around her hands.
"You may be capable of casting an entire kingdom into an eternal winter,but you have no power over me. I have transcended beyond the fickle coil of life and death,no matter how many try to stop me,I will always return. I have achieved godhood where others have failed horribly and my followers carry out my will without question! Your kingdoms,your world will soon belong to me." He boasts as Ulfric went for the closest weapon he could find.
"What do you want?!" She asked in a frustrated tone. "Simple,your majesty...relinquish your kingdom and your lives will be spared. If you don't,then you and your people become mindless thralls in my campaign." He answers simply,making her want to burst into tears.
Ulfric attempts to take Mannimarco's arm out to free Anna from his grasp,but gets sent flying backwards before he and Anna ascend from the ground. "Here are my terms,your majesty...I'll give you a week to make your choice,in which time I will keep your sister safe as a show of good faith. Now the rest is up to you,surrender Arendelle to me or you get to watch her die." He says as a dark purple and black light engulfs them.
"Elsa!" Anna cries out before she and Mannimarco vanish. "What was that?!" Kristoff called out quickly as he and the stormcloaks struggle to their feet. "I don't know,but he definitely didn't look like thalmor." Ralof said quickly as they look around the room.
"Anna? Anna!" Kristoff calls out when he noticed she was gone before turning his attention to Elsa,who looked like she was about to completely lose it. "No..." He said to himself when it hit him,dropping to his knees as tears stream out of his eyes.
"We need to find him,fast. I wouldn't trust that damned elf with her if my life depended on it..." Galmar snarled as he started heading outside before Ulfric stops him. "No,Galmar...It's worse than we thought..." He said simply,making the massive nord study his king curiously.
"How bad is it,then?" He asked urgently. "That elf we just saw...that kidnapped the queen's sister...is Mannimarco." Ulfric answered,making Galmar's eyes widen in shock. "Talos save us...the king of worms himself?" He muttered in disbelief before Ulfric shows him the letter.
"Hmm...well,I don't see him overreacting about anything...dammit." He grumbles before one of the guards comes rushing in. "Your majesty!" He called out,snatching Elsa's gaze to him when he did. "What now?" She asked quickly.
"Arendelle's being overrun..." He answered,making her grit her teeth a bit. "By what?" She asked before a terrified look formed on the man's face. "The undead..." He answers in a kind of quiet tone before she looks between everyone in the throne room.
"Is there a way to fight them off...?" She asks as her eyes went to Ulfric,who nods a little. "It won't be easy,but we might be able to hold them off." He answers calmly,making her nod a bit. "As long as it'll buy us enough time to find my sister..." She says before rushing outside with Kristoff and the stormcloaks on her heels.
The castle doors fly open to a gruesome battlefield covered in corpses both fresh and rotten with more rising every time one falls. Elsa's jaw dropped when she saw the carnage and a snow storm starts circling her as Ulfric,Galmar and Ralof retrieved their weapons.
"You know how to fight,boy?" Galmar asks,turning his attention to Kristoff. "Kinda..." He shrugs before noticing the nord toss him a war axe. "Good enough." He said before charging into the crowd with his battleaxe in the air,uttering a blood crazed battle cry as he did while body parts start flying behind him.
"Come on,big man,let's put these damned dustmen back in the ground!" Ralof kind of punched Kristoff in the shoulder before charging to a group of corpses with a shout and starts knocking heads off with his warhammer.
Kristoff watched for a moment before he noticed a set coming towards him and starts swinging the axe at them,lopping off limbs with most every hit and barely managing to dodge their attacks until one grabs him by the leg and nearly drags him to the ground before he cut it's head off.
Elsa was still mostly in shock from the sight and the blizzard circling her was steadily getting bigger,which fortunately managed to keep a good number of the undead at bay,however they were managing to push through and reach for her until...
"FUS RO DAH!" Ulfric shouts,sending pieces of corpses flying backwards as the thundering call itself snaps her back to reality. She shook her head a bit as the blizzard starts clearing up,revealing the mass of undead that were trying to corner her.
She starts backing away before firing an ice blast towards a group and sent them backwards only for a couple more to replace them,which she skewered on a row of ice spikes then raising an ice wall to try and keep them at bay.
Ulfric and a decent sized group of stormcloaks along with some Arendelle's guards rushed to the scene to help her fight them off while everyone else tried to keep the bulk of the force back. "Do these things ever die?!" Kristoff yells as he cuts another one down.
"That's the problem! They're already dead!" Ralof responded before knocking a line of them down until he noticed some of Arendelle's fallen guards start rising. "Why'd it have to be a damn necromancer?!" He shouted before splattering one's head.
Elsa freezes a group of corpses long enough for a stormcloak the shatter them then pins a few more to the wall before one hits her in the back of the head and forces her to her knees. "Ow!" She yelped lightly before turning to face her attacker,which resembled a long rotten corpse with glowing blue eyes and was wearing old rusted armor.
The corpse picks up a blade and was about to finish her off until a lightning bolt flew over her and sends it stumbling backwards. She rushes to her feet then turns around to see who or what did it then notices the same young woman she saw in the courtyard earlier approaching them with lightning flickering in one hand and ice in the other.
She watched the woman until the corpse growled and charged towards her,making her step back a bit and fire ice spikes at it as the strange woman fires ice and lightning at it. The corpse staggers and keeps trying to charge them until they eventually bring it down.
"Thanks." She said as she turned to her new ally,who simply nods in response before another group of corpses rush towards them. The woman flicks her fingers as a strange red energy forms around her right hand before she raised it and starts pulling a similar energy from one of the corpses and flings a lightning bolt at another.
Ulfric,Galmar,Ralof,Kristoff and a group of stormcloaks covered them while they tried to thin the corpses out until the young woman in black noticed the corpses of both Arendelle and stormcloak soldiers rising and joining the horde.
"This isn't getting us anywhere..." She said to herself before turning to Elsa. "Get everyone in the castle or under something,these things aren't going to thin out anytime soon." She said,making Elsa study her for a moment.
"How's going inside going to stop them,then?" She asks curiously,making the young woman give her a kind of impatient look. "Just do it,I've got an idea." She answers quickly,making Elsa nod reluctantly before turning to Ulfric.
"We need to get everyone inside..." She says kind of hesitantly,making him study her curiously until he noticed the young woman in black then nodding. "Galmar! Ralof!" He calls out as the two stormcloaks fought through a pile of corpses to reach him.
"Get everyone inside." He orders,making Galmar raise his eyebrow a bit. "What good will that...?" He starts until the high king motioned to the woman in black. "Ah...Stormblade..." He kind of mutters to himself before turning to Ralof.
"Alright,we need to get all these people inside!" He yells as they start gathering up what soldiers were left on both sides and leading them into the castle as Elsa and Ulfric follow behind them,trying to keep the horde at bay long enough to get inside.
Elsa looks to the woman who simply looks to the sky and raises her left hand while the corpses chased everyone else down before she sends a lightning bolt into the sky then tears her way to the door,making the queen study her curiously when she made it.
"Wait for it..." She kind of smirks under her hood while Elsa and Kristoff start pushing the door closed until a deafening thunder echoes through the sky,which made the entire castle tremble and shake at it's force as the previously clear nighttime sky fills with frightening storm clouds and almost stinging rain pelts the ground.
Everyone watched in awe when the ferocious storm suddenly formed out of nowhere before lightning starts hitting the ground,vaporizing anything that got caught in it's path and occasionally arcing through a few of the corpses and destroying them along with the others.
Elsa's jaw dropped as she watched the tempest obliterate Mannimarco's thralls within a few minutes and striking down any that tried to get back up,which made her turn to the woman who fought at her side before urging everyone inside.
"How...?" She stutters a bit,making the woman chuckle lightly. "Let's just say,me and the high king happen to have a...mutual friend." She answers simply,making Kristoff's jaw drop. "You mean the guy he sent to keep an eye on Arendelle...did that?" He asks in a stunned tone before looking back outside.
She nods. "It's a long story..." She answered simply,making Ulfric look outside as the storm starts letting up. "Has he found anything else...?" He asks,making her shrug a bit. "He was going to investigate a little more after we found the...display by her parents' graves." She answers,making the high king nod in understanding.
"And sent you ahead with a message to warn us just in case..." He says,making her nod lightly. "Exactly." She said. "He couldn't have told us that...thing was going to kidnap my girlfriend?!" Kristoff yells,making her glare at him a little.
"It was all I could do to make it here before Mannimarco,especially when the only other evidence we had to prove it's really him is an amulet he used to wear a long time ago." She answers in a calm,but somewhat cold tone. Elsa looks between them for a moment before approaching her.
"Who exactly are you?" She asks in a kind of quick tone. "My name's Serana,I came here with Ulfric's agent just in case he needed an extra set of hands." She answers with a bow. "Pleased to meet you,I'm..." Elsa starts before Serana interrupts.
"I don't mean to be rude,but I know who you are...we've been here for a couple of weeks and got pretty well aquainted with Arendelle and it's people during our stay." She says simply,making the queen nod lightly. "However,it's an honor to meet you in person,queen Elsa." She adds.
"Likewise." Elsa answers with a light nod before studying Serana curiously,there was something different about her,almost scary in a way,but she seemed friendly enough. "Where's...your friend now,if you don't mind my asking?" She inquires calmly.
"Considering how fast that storm showed up,I'd wager he made his way to the mountain and hopefully found something that can tell us more about what Mannimarco's planning...He asked me to deliver that note to you or Ulfric if I could find a way to get in the castle." Serana explains simply,making Elsa raise her eyebrow a bit.
"And if you couldn't...?" She continues. "Then I had to find someone trustworthy enough to make sure it reached you. Luckily,your steward understood how urgent a matter it was and promised he'd make sure it went straight to you...I'm assuming that's probably when Mannimarco showed up." She answered before Elsa nods lightly.
"How come he didn't come with you when the undead started showing up?" She asks in a kind of hesitant tone. "He wouldn't have gotten here fast enough to provide any...completely direct help and I was already here,so I thought I'd help out." She answers.
"So,when they started overwhelming us...?" She continued. "When we first got here,he told me that if we ever had to split up and things started going wrong to give him a signal...your soldiers getting back up and trying to kill everyone else every time someone took one down seemed like a good enough reason." She answers,everyone's attention locked on her as she explained the situation.
"Well,when you see him again,tell him I said thank you." Elsa said with a light smile before Serana herself smirks. "Don't worry,you'll get the chance to tell him yourself." She says before turning to Ulfric. "He wanted me to tell you if his suspicions were true that you'd probably have to call him here. Hopefully,it'll make the king of worms think a little before coming back,especially after his little display in the courtyard." She says calmly,making Ulfric nod in understanding.
"Why exactly does it have to be Ulfric?" Kristoff asks curiously,drawing her attention to him. "Because Ulfric is the only one of us in the city that's a tongue." She answers simply,making a confused look cross his and Elsa's faces.
"What's a tongue?" Elsa asks in a puzzled tone. "Long story short,a tongue is someone who can use the power of the thu'um to perform various actions,like pushing a crowd back long enough to regroup or...summon storms." She explains,making Kristoff's jaw drop.
"So,this agent and Ulfric...have the same power?" Elsa continues,making both Serana and Ulfric shake their heads a bit. "Yes and no...I studied the way when I was younger,however certain troubles started surfacing and I left to fight for my home." Ulfric answers,making an even more puzzled look form on Elsa's face.
"How is he different,then?" She asked. "Because to him,this power comes as naturally as breathing. It's an old legend in Skyrim and one that's highly honored by our people." He answered,making her study him in surprise.
"So,those words you...shouted earlier...there's more to it?" She asks in a kind of stunned tone. Ulfric and Serana nod in confirmation. "Much more...he'd probably be able to explain it a little better than us,though." He says,making her nod a little.
"Is she telling the truth? Can you call him here?" She asked,making him nod. "I know the words,but I may not be able to use them in a thu'um. For one of us,truly learning one shout can take a lifetime." He answers. She gives him a kind of hesitant nod before motioning everyone outside.
"Well,let's not waste anytime then..." She says calmly as everyone followed her into the courtyard. They each studied the charred battlefield and the ash piles decorating it while Ulfric makes his way to the middle of the scene before the rest of the group join him.
He looks between them for a moment before turning his attention to the north mountain. "Whenever you're ready." Elsa said quietly before he looks out across the fjord then takes a deep breath. "DOVAHKIIN!" He shouts,making the castle shake at the call as his voice echoes through the wind.
When it was done,he turned to everyone else and nods lightly. "And now we wait..." He said before heading back inside with everyone following suit. Elsa approached Serana and carefully pulls her to the side. "What do you need?" She asks calmly.
"Will he be able to find Anna...?" She asks in a worried tone,making her nod lightly. "I can't make any promises,but we'll do everything we can to bring her back safe and sound." She answered in a reassuring tone,making Elsa hesitantly nod her head.
"It's something to hope for,anyway." She said to herself before kind of looking down. Serana watched her for a moment before lightly patting her on the shoulder. "She'll be fine...if he's really planning to use her as leverage,he won't do anything to harm her...unless his demands aren't met,but if things go according to plan...well,we've robbed him of an advantage." She said calmly,making Elsa look up a little.
"Thank you for your help,lady Serana." Elsa says in a grateful tone,making her nod a little. "Don't mention it...that's what we're here for." She said simply before looking to the castle. "You need some rest,come on." She suggested calmly before Elsa looked up and nods lightly.
She starts walking to the castle without saying another word while Serana looks to the north mountain for a few more minutes. "Try not to take too long...I don't know how much longer this place can last against him,especially if he starts summoning more than undead..." She said to herself before heading inside...
Well,there it is...shit just hit the fan and it's most likely gonna get worse from here.
I would have kicked it off in the last one,but I think it works out a little better this way.
That's just my opinion,though,could be one of those things that looked better as a draft and falls short when it's posted,idk.
Anyway,here's another one and I'll try and have the next one up pretty soon...