Kuroinu Dawnbreaker - A light shining in darkness: chapter 1 - A desperate plea
Thorson Brightsong was born in the Nord city of Solitude at 4E 178, the son of an Imperial father who served as an officer in the Imperial Legion and a Nord mother who worked as a traveling bard. Unfortunately, the boy's childhood would be forever tainted after a Forsworn raid while they visited a small village in the Reach.
A day after the raid, a group of fanatical Stendarr worshipers found the boy crying next to the corpses of his parents and took the young boy into their ranks; here they trained him as a healer and exorcist. At the age of 17, he received martial training from his mentor, a Vigil Enforcer named Isran.
At the age of 20, Thorson managed to escape from the Vigilantes of Stendarr with the help of his mentor, who at that time believed that the organization was flawed and was not taking certain threats seriously, like the increasing number of vampire sightings around Skyrim.
Isran took Thorson to the College of Winterhold in Skyrim and left him there, where he further developed his magical skills with the help of the teachers and quickly advanced to the rank of Expert in the college.
Thorson, who was now 23, visited his remaining family in the Imperial city until Isran contacted him about a 'project' he was working on near the city of Riften in Skyrim and asked him to join his Dawnguard organization against a rising vampire threat.
Wanting to help his previous mentor and aching for adventure, Thorson returned to Skyrim, but here he was caught in an Imperial ambush that changed his life forever. But before his head would have been chopped off by an Imperial executioner, the World-Eater Alduin attacked Helgen at 4E 201, signaling the start of the 'Dragon Crisis'.
Now it's age 4E 204, and in the Nord city of Solitude, a black-haired man wearing ornate arch-mage robes was meditating in front of eight shrines in the Temple of the Divines while also secretly offering a prayer to Talos.
A week ago, he returned from a 3-year-long trip around the northern part of Tamriel, helping its people wherever he could as a healer. Now he was back in Skyrim, the province where he grew up for most of his life, looking forward to some deserving rest.
Some distance behind the man, a small crowd seemed to have gathered in the temple; most of them were children curious to see the legendary Dragonborn who had just arrived in their city.
Wherever he went, he was sure to attract a lot of attention, as the people of Skyrim were certainly proud of their Dragonborn protector, confident he would be there to save them if needed again.
In the Temple of the Divines, a group of young children sat on the front benches as they watched the Dragonborn, who was kneeling in front of its shrines.
"Is it true the Dragonborn saved us from that evil black dragon?" A young boy asked the other children in his group.
A girl next to the boy responded, "Not only that, but he also ended the Stormcloak rebellion single-handedly. I heard my father say he just summoned lightning storms to defeat all the rebels!"
"My mother told me that he healed over 100 soldiers at once during a siege of a fort; none of our soldiers died that day when he was with them!" another youngster exclaimed.
Watching the young group, several priests of the temple chuckled at the children who came here to get a glimpse of their hero. Normally they would dislike such a loud presence in their temple, but they let it slide for now as it's heartwarming to see the next generation find inspiration from their national hero.
The head priest, named Rorlund, smiled at the scene in front of him. "Seems our Dragonborn attracts a lot of attention wherever he goes," Rorlund noted out loud as he noticed a group of young Nord women at the back of the temple. They seemed to be talking among themselves, occasionally staring at the Dragonborn.
Rorlund's wife, Freir, turned around and shook her head in amusement. "Well, he certainly made quite the mark these past years. Everyone in Cyrodiil, High Rock, and Hammerfell knows of his heroic deeds."
The priests were then alerted by the shouts of the children, who were pointing towards the shrines as they started to glow in front of the Dragonborn.
"By the Eight!", what is happening to the shrines?!" Rorlund shouted before running towards the front of the temple.
Offering a prayer to the Divines would normally be uneventful. However, for the Dragonborn named Thorson, things would be different just as he finished his last prayer towards the Divine Mara.
"What is this?" He asked out loud as his mindscape started to warp, and after a minute, he found himself in a dark room.
"Is this some kind of vision? Of what?" he wondered.
He heard a faint voice behind him: "W-Who are you? N-no… I-It can't be… y-you are not real…"
Hearing a female voice behind him, the Dragonborn turned around. "No… by the Nine Divines…" the man exclaimed after seeing an unsightly scene in front of him.
In front of him on the floor was a naked blonde woman in the fetal position, covered in sweat and what appeared to be semen. His eyes then met her almost lifeless green one before she began to mutter.
"D-Divines?" the naked woman repeated the stranger's words before her eyes widened in horror. "N-No… It can't be… The phase… over Serenus… has been d-dispelled… people… are in danger."
Thorson's face was now one of confusion. "Wait, Senerus? Danger?" the man repeated her words. "Who are you? What happened to you?" Dragonborn then asked while walking slowly towards the broken woman.
"Her ears… this woman looks like a Mer but at the same time not…" the man quickly observed as he kneeled in front of the woman.
"C-Celestine…" the elf-like woman answered, struggling to gather the needed strength to keep speaking to the man. "K-Kingdom… enslaved… broken…. no hope for us…" she faintly groaned before slowly stretching out one of her arms towards the Dragonborn as tears kept pouring from her green eyes, "P-please no more… I can't stand it any longer… end me…"
The man realized the horror of her request. "No, this was not a cry for help. This was a cry for mercy… Who could be responsible for this?!"
His blood started to boil at this inhumane sight. "Who has done this to you? Where are you?" He asked the woman, now named Celestine, while looking for any other injuries on her naked and broken body.
"P-Please!" Celestine suddenly cried out desperately, "Help us! Save m-my people from… m-my failure."
Thorson could not bear anymore to hear her heartbreaking plea as he gently grasped the poor soul's hand. "No, please stop, save your strength… I need to know where you are; let me help."
A weak reply came from her dry lips. "No…N-no hope for me… I can't be redeemed… friend's broken … N-No hope for us… no hope for… kingdom… Eostia…"
"Eostia?" the man asked out loud. He'd never heard of such a place before. But before Thorson could ask her for more information, his vision started to warp again.
"P-please… end me… no more…" Hearing this, Thorson's blood almost reached its boiling point after hearing her desperation. This all brought up unpleasant memories of his past, events the Dragonborn wished he could just forget.
The last words he would hear from her shocked him: "The D-Daedra, they…."
Thorson's response was immediate. "W-Wait, Daedra?! Wha…?"
He never managed to finish his question, as he woke up again in Solitude.
Thorson opened his eyes and saw the three temple priests staring down at him, their faces showing signs of worry. "Well, that was certainly different," the tall Dragonborn grunted as he stood up. "What happened?"
Rorlund let out a breath of relief after seeing the Dragonborn wake up. "Thank the Divines, you are all right! The shrines here began to light up, and you started to mutter in the dragon language."
As the Dragonborn stood up, he observed his surroundings, checking for any damage. It seems they were the only ones in the temple. "Did I cause any damage?" the man asked the temple's priests.
The head priest shook his head at his question. "No, the ground shook a bit, but nothing seemed to have been damaged in here… I never thought I would witness the Thu'um up close."
The Dragonborn then looked towards the shrines, trying to piece together what he had just witnessed in his latest vision.
"Why did the shrines light up?" Rorlund asked the Dragonborn, "Did they speak to you? Gave you a sign?"
Priestess Silana then joined their conversation. "Perhaps the Divines wanted to warn us about something? What did you see?"
The Dragonborn looked at Silana as he recalled what he had experienced: "I had a vision of some kind when finishing my prayer to Mara… A very desperate plea for help…"
He then told the priests what he had seen in his vision. The priest's mood turned bleak when he recalled the desperate pleas of the elf-like woman and a possible invasion of Daedric origins."
"No matter," Thorson ended as he drew Dawnbreaker from its scabbard and looked at the shining light in its hilt. "I'll seek out this place, and I won't be alone…"
The priests immediately recognized it as the legendary longsword Dawnbreaker, and they were visibly surprised knowing that their hero was also associated with the Daedric prince of Life.
"The Dragonborn is also a champion of Meridia? H-How is this possible?!" Rorlund exclaimed after seeing the glowing blade the Dragonborn held in his hands.
For a minute, the Dragonborn did not react to the priest's outburst, seemingly ignoring him as he stared at Mara's shrine in silence.
"Dragonborn, that tremor just now was your doing?" A male voice announced himself, breaking the silence within the now empty temple.
The Dragonborn turned around and saw a figure wearing Solitude guard armor. "Guard commander Aldis, my apologies; it seemed I unconsciously spoke with the Thu'um during a vision…"
The Nord nodded at his answer. "I'll inform the citizens what happened here; they are quite spooked at the moment…" the Nord guard captain said before leaving the temple to inform Solitude's residents.
"The life of a Dragonborn never gets dull, heh?" Rorlund remarked jokingly.
The Dragonborn had a small smile while he shook his head. "No, I guess not… It seems I'll never get some rest anytime soon… But for now, I need to locate this Eostia and find out what the Daedra are doing there."
Rorlund gave a small bow to the Dragonborn, "May the Eight guide your path and keep you safe during your travels," he said as he saw the Dragonborn leaving the temple, "and may they protect you from Meridia's influence."
In a kingdom on a distant and unknown continent, a blonde woman woke up in a dark dungeon. She faintly remembered having a dream or vision where she talked to another man about something.
However, she never had a chance to reflect on this. She was once again surrounded by a group of grinning men and their leader for their "daily routine", as her captors called it.
"N-no… How long must I endure this? Kill me… please…." the woman begged, as she was not looking forward to her mind and body being broken again at the end of the day… like the rest of her friends—those she failed to protect.
Several years ago, Thorson was once asked to become the Arch-Mage by the Psijic Order after he ended a magical crisis involving an ancient Nord artifact. An event where the previous Arch-mage, Savos Aren died from its devastating effects.
But the Dragonborn declined the position as he would feel restricted and wished to travel the world instead of wasting time behind a desk.
From that day on, his alteration teacher, Tolfdir, took on the role of Arch-mage, and the College of Winterhold prospered under his care. However, the Psijic Order told Thorson that they would be watching his progress in the years to come, but he has never heard from them since.
With the help of his red dragon, Odahviing, the Dragonborn was able to quickly reach the College of Winterhold. The ancient dragon himself could not help him identify the mysterious place from his vision but would faithfully help him in his quest to locate it.
With the help of the Orc librarian Urag in the Arcanaeum, both mages managed to find an old map and a book referring to a kingdom named Eostia, located in the western part of a continent named 'Serenus'.
After thanking the Orc librarian, he sat down in one of the many chairs in the arcane library and began reading. The book itself was more or less a diary of a female Bosmer merchant who sailed between the various island nations surrounding Tamriel during the year 2E 567 of the second era; one of these was Serenus, located east of the Sea Elves' continent of Pyandonea.
It is also mentioned that the southern provinces of Tamriel had a healthy trade relationship with the kingdom of Eostia for centuries; however, around the year 2E 581, the entire continent of Serenus disappeared without a trace. Many believed that they suffered the same fate as the continent of Yukuda in the first era. However, they found no landmass, bodies, or any kind of rubble under the surface of the ocean.
The following entries contain many baseless conjectures about what may have caused the continent with the kingdom of Eostia to disappear from the face of Nirn. However, no further useful information could be found within the books the Dragonborn read.
"An entire continent disappearing…" Thorson commented out loud, "That may explain the lack of information about this place."
The tall man placed a finger on his chin as he began theorizing. The elf-like woman from his vision did say something about a 'phase spell'. "Perhaps a powerful mage shifted that place out of phase during the second era, before the whole 'Planemeld' invasion, perhaps to save themselves," the Dragonborn mused while looking at an old map of this mysterious continent.
"This Serenus may have been an elven colony of some sort," Thorson noted as he recognized several locations on the center of the map as being elven in name. "Perhaps a group of exiles from the Summerset Isles lived there, or they came from the fabled elven homeland of Aldmeris in ancient times?"
"Is Celestine one of these elves?" Thorson wondered while he read through several more pages.
After learning all he could, the Dragonborn returned the book and map, now that he had the information to find his way to this mysterious continent.
After receiving a copy of the map from Urag, he was held up by the Nord Arch-mage Tolfdir, who greeted him in the Arcanaeum.
"Good to see you, Thorson. Have you found what you are looking for?" the elderly Nord asked his former student.
He nodded, "Indeed, Arch-mage, but I'm afraid I'll be leaving Skyrim again." Thorson informed the Nord before showing the elderly mage the map he found while informing him about his recent vision.
"How troubling indeed, finding this missing continent is one thing, but dealing with a possible Daedric invasion is very worrying, to say at least." the old mage stated, "And I thought that Nirn was sealed from Oblivion after that crisis several centuries ago."
"Daedric forces can still come to Nirn in small amounts, enough to make trouble for sure in a long-term situation. But I'll be going with Odahviing in case I need some help." Thorson explained to his Nord mentor, "And once I am there, I should be able to use portal magic to return to Tamriel if needed."
Tolfdir was visibly surprised after hearing this from his former student. Magical teleportation was a very old school of magic known to be exceedingly difficult to master and even harder to find anyone willing to train. "If I am not mistaken, you will need special portal seeds to open one, right?"
Thorson pointed at a small sack on the side of his robe. "I got several of these seeds during a mission in High Rock as a reward for stopping a deadly plague from the Daedric prince, Peryite."
He then took one of the green stones and showed it to the Nord mage. "And when I saved an Alter historian from that same plague, he rewarded me with a copy of several tomes on teleporting magic." After showing the stone to his Alteration teacher. "And once I memorize my destination, I should be able to travel quickly from one place to another."
Tolfdir could only feel proud of his former student. When he first arrived at the college as a young man, he already showed proficiency in the restoration school, and during his stay here, he was quick to learn the other schools at a rapid pace.
When thinking back about this, Tolfdir would have concluded that his Dragonborn blood would also be responsible for his rapid growth. "Good luck in your search, and if you need anything else, our doors are always open for you," the older Nord informed the Dragonborn.
"Thanks, Tolfdir," Thorson replied with a smile before both men shook hands and said their farewells, and as the Dragonborn left the college.
Thorson then called for Odahviing to fly him towards his manor to gather the needed gear before heading out.
Lakeview Manor, a Nordic longhouse built next to Lake Ilinala by the Dragonborn. He'd managed to buy the land from the Jarl of Falkreath after dealing with a dangerous orc raid leader who plagued the hold for months. It was a place he would call home, isolated from the holds of Skyrim, where he would find peace if he needed it.
Once he arrived at his homestead, he started preparing supplies and other essentials for his trip with the help of his Redguard steward and housecarl, Rayya. The Redguard had once told him that she wished to return to her homeland of Hammerfell in the years to come. Thorson had no issues with her wishes and told her to take her time when planning such an important step in her life.
While preparing for his journey, his best friend, the blue-colored Khajiit Inigo, entered the manor. "My friend, you are going somewhere?" he asked as he noticed Thorson preparing some satchels. "But you just arrived in Skyrim; can't it wait?"
Thorson then turned to his trusted friend. "My help is needed in an unknown region of Nirn, so it's possible I won't be back for a good while." the Nord informed his friend while attaching several satchels to his gray robe.
"Seems the Divines have one more task for me… just when I returned from my years-long trip…" the man ended with a sigh, "I'll be all right, Inigo; Odahviing will be with me, so I won't be alone."
The tall man then turned to his steward and housecarl. "Rayya, if any of my friends ask where I am, tell them everything and make sure they are welcome here." The female steward nodded at his request.
"Of course, my Thane, I will guard your home and make sure your companions are welcome should they visit."
"Goodbye, my friend. I hope you safely return soon. It gets quite boring around here without you." Inigo said before both friends exchanged a handshake,
"Don't worry, my good friend," Thorson reassured the Khajiit with a smile, "and good luck with your bard training in Solitude."
Thorson then turned towards Rayya. "And good luck with our resident bard, Llewellyn," Thorson teased with a small smile.
The only response he got from the flustering Redguard was a painful punch to his right arm before he flew away on Odahviing.
After an hour of flight above the Imperial province, they passed the cities of Bravil and Cheydinhal as they neared the edge of the Topal Sea before turning eastwards, flying over the province of Black Marsh.
"If you need a break, Odahviing, let me know." the Dragonborn stated to his dragon companion. "We could also land on the small islands on the way if we need to."
A few uneventful hours later, after flying above the Padomaic Ocean at high speeds, "We should be arriving soon. We already passed Pyandonea, and I recognize those small islands on the way based on the map; we should see the northern part of Serenus in a moment."
After several hours, Odahviing warned the Dragonborn. "Dovahkiin, Lu Lost Bo. In front of us."
Thorson saw a large landmass appear in front of him. "Looks like this is it, the continent of Serenus," the Dragonborn said out loud as they began flying over its landmass.
"Try flying a bit higher, Odahviing. I'll try to pinpoint our location."
After hearing the Dragonborn's order, the red dragon flew over Serenus at a higher altitude. Dragonborn then ordered Odahviing to circle the southern part of the continent as he tried to look for landmarks that would give him a way to pinpoint their location.
As they flew over the southern part of Serenus, the Dragonborn saw an unusual structure below him. "Strange… that structure down there. It looks quite unnatural from up here."
"Do you also see what I'm seeing, Odahviing?" he asked his dragon companion. "It looks like some kind of corruption is present down there."
"Geh, I don't have a good Haalvut about this." the red dragon commented.
"Me too…" Thorson agreed, "If possible, fly a bit closer to it, but keep us at a safe altitude…"
While flying above the wasteland surrounding the dark fortress, the Dragonborn repeatedly checked his map.
"Yes, several geographical locations match up from the looks of it. This is certainly the place: the Kingdom of Eostia." Thorson stated as he continued checking for several geographical landmarks.
"However, this structure does not appear on my map; it must have been built at a later date… But this whole place feels wrong. It feels so oppressive for some reason."
Thorson then turned his attention toward the dark fortress below him, an imposing structure that sat in the middle of a dark wasteland. "I have never seen such a sight; it is like the whole surrounding area is being corrupted of some kind. No trees, no plants, no wildlife." Thorson observed.
"What kind of magic would make this possible?" Thorson then asked before he saw some humanoid shapes moving in the vicinity of the fortress. "And if something is still alive down there, whatever is down there seems to be unaffected by it."
"Is that Golt where we need to be?" the red dragon asked while hovering high above the ominous-looking fortress.
"Well, this might be the place… Let us first see if this works." Thorson replied before casting his "Clairvoyance" spell.
After several seconds, a blue line appeared in his vision, showing the route towards his current objective. "Seems we need to head further south." the Nord informed his draconian ally.
Thorson then looked back towards the wasteland surrounding the dark structure, his curious mind wondering what kind of magic was at work here, "Fly me to its boundaries, Odahviing; I want to quickly check it out."
"Ol Hi Hind Dovahkiin." The dragon obeyed as he flew towards their destination.
After a few minutes of flight, they landed at the edge of the sickly wasteland next to a lush forest. The Dragonborn had a quick look around before turning towards the wasteland in front of him.
"I could go in there myself and expose myself, but I think I have a better idea," Thorson noted as his right hand began to glow purple.
After the man finished casting his spell, a large horned humanoid wearing black and red spiked armor and wielding a large great sword appeared next to the Dragonborn from a purple portal.
"Mortal. What is it this time?" The imposing Daedra, a Dremora Lord, annoyingly asked his summoner.
"Well, hi to you too, Gavius." Thorson replied jokingly, "Can you step into this area in front of me and tell us how you feel within it?"
"Are you serious, mortal?" a now unamused Deadra Lord asked the Dragonborn. "You summoned me to be part of some experiment?"
"Oh, you will be fine. You're after all, immortal." The Dragonborn joked.
Odahviing also seemed amused by this "Are you Faas demon?"
"Fine, but only this time, mortal." The Daedra Lord grumbled before walking towards the corrupted area.
But before the Dremora could reach the wasteland's boundaries, they heard sounds coming from behind them.
A group of unsavory individuals composed of a handful of humans and several large creatures were patrolling south of the 'Black Citadel'.
"This sucks," one of them complained. " The boss and his buddies are having their 'fun' in the cities, and here we are, stuck in the middle of nowhere, looking for signs of elven rebels."
"Think about it this way, Morn. If we find more of these elven bitches, then we already have first dibs on them." The apparent leader of the group reassured the complaining man.
"True, true… I just thought we would all live like kings like Vult promised. Yet here we are chasing some elves…"
The group heard a loud thump near their position. "Hey, do you hear that?" Morn asked his companions.
The leader of the small group responded, "Yeah, like something big crashed on the ground. Let's move out."
As the large group neared the source of the strange sound, they all saw something that seemed to take their breath away.
"D-Dragon? I-I thought they were just a myth from ancient times?" one of the men asked out loud, struggling not to scream after seeing the large red beast.
The humans within the group then noticed a large humanoid standing at the edge of the wasteland. "The larger one looks like one of Olga's Dremora; look at the horns, those red tattoos, and that large black sword on its back," Morn commented.
"Yea, you are right." The party leader noticed, "What is it doing here anyways? I thought Vult dealt with them already after…"
"Wait, next to the dragon," another man interrupted his comrade, pointing towards another figure. "that guy looks human."
Morn also noticed the man. "Who is he?" He's almost as tall as our boss."
The tall, hooded man wore an ornate gray robe combined with boots and gauntlets that looked like they were made from dragon scales, and the unknown figure had a glowing golden sword on his left hip that appeared to shine brightly.
"It doesn't matter; he must carry some good gear if he's decked up like that." The leader of the group commented with a sinister smile, "Let's go; we can take them." the man ordered his group, who were now brimming with overconfidence and itching for a fight.
After all, they conquered all of Eostia and defeated the entire 'Seven Shield Alliance'. What is one stranger, a single Dremora, and a dragon compared to their combined might?
The Dragonborn, Dremora Lord, and Dovah looked behind them as a small group approached them.
Thorson was curious about the several large humanoids in this group who wielded large clubs; their blue skin tones and glowing eyes seemed familiar to the dragon slayer. While the humans in the group wore black clothing and seemed to be armed with various bladed weapons.
"Well, things are getting interesting… These men look like bandits; I'm not sure about those large ones' tough. They looked like some deformed orcs." Thorson thought out loud. "And what's with their eyes?"
The Dremora brandished his Daedric great sword as he stepped next to Thorson. "These mortals… I smell weakness from them…"
"You always smell weakness, Gavius." Thorson quipped before giving Odahviing a nod, signaling the dragon to also be on guard.
The Dragonborn stepped forward before humorously addressing the group, "Greetings, 'gentlemen,' we are a bit lost here. Can you help us?"
"No, but you can help us by dying and giving us your stuff." The apparent leader of the group responded, after which he signaled his party to begin their attack.
"Get them!"
Odahviing immediately shouted "FUS RO DAH!" towards the group, causing several of them to be blown away towards the tree line.
One of the humans looked bewildered after what he just witnessed. "What was that?! Did that dragon just shout at us?!"
Thorson then cast Ebonyflesh on himself and gave some quick orders to his two companions while brandishing Dawnbreaker in his right hand: "Gavius and I will handle the big ones; Odahviing the other men, but keep a few alive for later…"
Both Dremora and Dragonborn engaged their large opponents, who were now dazed by Odahviing's earlier shout.
Thorson dodged out of the way of a clumsy attack his opponent made and stabbed the creature in the neck with Dawnbreaker. The wound around his opponent's neck started to glow yellow, and Dawnbreaker's purifying fire started to spread around the creature's body.
With a swift strike, the Dragonborn quickly decapitated his attacker before focusing on his second target. "Dawnbreaker is reacting to them… What are these creatures…?" he asked himself before engaging his second attacker.
Odahviing seemed amused by the fearful expressions of his human attackers as he lumbered towards them. "Come on, we can slay the beast!" one of the human bandits declared before rushing towards the dragon.
His other companions could only watch in horror as the dragon crushed the man in his jaws before tossing the broken body away.
"Mu Los Mul," the dragon remarked with a smirk before shouting, "YOL TOOR SHUL!" towards the rest of the bandits, burning them all to cinders.
While Thorson favored a more agile style of combat, his Daedric summon chose a more direct approach as he engaged the two larger humanoids with his great sword.
After parrying an attack, the Dremora stabbed the creature in the midsection, after which he sliced upwards, splitting its head. "Bah, no challenge. Weaklings, all of you!" the Dremora stated, finding no challenge in this fight.
"Having fun there, Gavius?" the Dragonborn joked towards the Dremora Lord as he moved out of the way of an attack his opponent made.
"Oh, be quiet, mortal. Your attempt at humor has no place on the battlefield."
"To each their own, eh?" Thorson replied before blocking a strike using a magical ward and stabbing his opponent in the chest, triggering a large explosion that disintegrated his attacker and the rest of these strange creatures in the area.
"Those blue eyes… could it be…?" The Dragonborn wondered for a moment before looking for the remaining attackers.
Hearing several cries behind him, Thorson turned towards the edge of the forest, where several of the bandits were blown away earlier by Odahviing's Thu'um.
"I'll handle those three; watch my back for potential reinforcements," Thorson instructed his small group.
The three men, including their group leader, slowly began to stand up, groaning in pain after being blasted away by the dragon's shout. Just as they turned their attention towards the battlefield, the men's faces turned pale after they saw the charred corpses of their human colleagues and monstrous allies.
And they also saw a hooded figure walking towards them, wielding his golden sword. One of the men then addressed his leader, "We need to get out of here! Warn Vult about this! We need to…"
"WULD NAH KEST!" they heard as they were suddenly confronted by the robbed stranger who he just appeared in front of them.
"What is wrong? Leaving already? Why leave the party you people started?" the Dragonborn taunted the three raiders, showing a visible smirk towards them.
In panic, the leader of the group tried to stab the Dragonborn with his blade, but he was quickly struck by a lightning spell. The two remaining bandits could only watch in horror as the man disintegrated into dust in front of their eyes. "Now then, who is willing to give me the information I need?"
Sensing a possible opening, one of the bandits tried to flee from the Dragonborn. However, the fleeing bandit would not get far, as the man was instantly struck by a giant ice spear that embedded itself in his brain.
His comrade could then only watch in horror as the man's now-lifeless body tumbled to the ground.
Thorson held out a single hand that glowed blue before pointing Dawnbreaker toward the last remaining bandit. "And you? Still eager to follow your comrades?"
"W-What do you want?" the man asked his captor, fearing for his life while he stared at the glowing sword in front of him.
"It's simple; I will ask you a couple of questions, and you may leave. Simple right?" The prisoner could only nod in fear.
The Dragonborn pointed Dawnbreaker at the prisoner's neck as he started his questioning: "Who are you, and why did you attack us?"
"M-Morn.. of the Black Dogs…" the man answered before his voice lowered, "O-Our group leader wanted your possessions, but I did not want any part of it…"
Thorson rolled his eyes at Morn's pathetic attempt to deflect blame: "Black Dogs, huh? That's some kind of bandit clan?"
"We are no mere bandits! We were a powerful mercenary group in control over the whole of Eostia!" he exclaimed pridefully.
A mercenary group taking over an entire kingdom? It seemed very unlikely for the Dragonborn to believe it.
The tall man then pointed Dawnbreaker at Morn's forehead as he continued his questioning: "Celestine, who is she? And where is she?"
Morn was surprised by his question; everyone on Eostia knew of the fallen High Queen but decided to comply with his interrogator's strange question: "That elven bitch was Eostia's former queen, and where she is, I don't know… He's our boss's 'personal' trophy after all."
"So, the woman I'm looking for is a Mer after all…"
Thorson was not amused by the man's tone, but he still needed to know more about Eostia's current political climate. "Who is your boss? What does he want?"
"Our leader is Vult; he managed to overthrow the elven queen and her 'Shield Princesses', Morn informed the Dragonborn before a grin appeared on his face. "And now he is leading a new empire, where we get what we truly deserve!"
His interrogator started charging a lightning spell in his left hand. "Tell me. Everything. You know." Thorson slowly threatened his Black Dog prisoner with a deep, unsettling voice.
The prisoner looked at the arcs of lightning that appeared from his interrogator's left hand. Fearing that he would be disintegrated like his team leader, the scared mercenary broke down and told him everything.
His prisoner's story revealed that the Black Dogs were once in service to the 'Seven Shield Alliance' to defend their lands from the legions of creatures they called 'demons' and their Dark Elven followers coming from the north.
They were then tasked with dealing a finishing blow to their 'demonic' forces at the 'Black Citadel' and their Dark Elven 'Queen', 'Olga Discordia'.
But instead of returning home as heroes, Vult and his men decided to betray their previous masters and work together with the same 'demons' they once fought to take over the entire kingdom for themselves.
From what Thorson could understand, it seemed Vult used deception and greed to turn several of the "Shield Alliance's" most trusted men to their side to cause discord within their own ranks, all to ultimately betray their own people and the 'Shield Princesses' for more power and wealth.
"Corruption, subterfuge, and treachery—that's one way to force the capitulation of an entire kingdom." Thorson thought to himself after hearing the man's story.
The Nord then looked towards the ashes of the large humanoids he had slain on this battlefield. "And what are those large things? Are they these 'demons' of yours?" Thorson asked the man.
"Why did Dawnbreaker react so heavily to their presence? Are they some form of undead, corruption, or false life?" Thorson wondered before turning towards Morn and asking him about these 'demons' motives.
The scared man then explained that these 'demons' willingly joined their group after they took over the Black Citadel. From what Thorson heard, it seemed that these creatures came from this mysterious structure, but the man could not provide him with any further useful information.
"But what do they want? I don't know." A now-sweating Morn finished informing the Dragonborn, "Only Vult would know that… But he seemed content to let them join his new empire in return for the loot and the women.
When his interrogator asked where they came from, the Black Dog mercenary could not answer; only his leader, Vult, would have the information Thorson asked for.
Thorson knew the term 'Demons' from the many books he read during his travels around Cyrodiil, but the term 'demons'' was often used to describe the forces of the Daedra.
"Those large ones did not look like any Daedra I know of…" The man said, after recalling his previous fight with them, "And what would they want the women for?" the Dragonborn then wondered as this news started to even unnerve him.
His interrogation at this point created more questions than answers for the Dragonborn. What kind of empire does this Vult want with these 'demons'? There was nothing he could compare it to from past empires he knew about on Tamriel or even on Nirn.
Thorson then continued his questioning while fearing where this was heading. "What kind of empire does your leader want to establish then?"
Morn let out a laugh. "A sex empire, of course! We Black Dogs deserve that privilege for ending the previous war! For all the hard work we men did for those bitches!"
The Dragonborn did not want to hear that at all; "W-What?" was the only thing the Dragonborn could say after hearing this from the mercenary, "What kind of madness is he hearing now, a sex empire?"
The more information he gathered about Eostia's current situation, the more this place looked like a playing ground for all the Daedric princesses like Sanguine, Molag Bal, and Boethiah. "By the Divines, those women…"
"Y-You could join us! You are also a man!" Morn then exclaimed, attempting to appease his captor to save his own life.
"The women here are nothing but slaves to us men! They only exist to serve us and nothing else! That elven whore and her 'Princesses' are now our sex slaves! If you want, you could even…!"
Morn never got the chance to finish his speech as Thorson's Dawnbreaker decapitated the Black Dog mercenary.
Above the area, Thorson could hear the rumbling of thunder within the clouds, while the ground beneath him seemed to tremble as the tall Nord gripped Dawnbreaker tightly.
"Sunvaar's" a now tense and angered Thorson grunted towards the decapitated corpse in the dragon language, as the Dragonborn from Tamriel now had a dark expression on his face.
Distant memories then flooded Thorson's mind, causing his sword arm to tremble slightly. But after regaining his focus, Thorson sheathed Dawnbreaker. "Sunvaar's… all of you." the Nord grumbled before turning around.
As the Dragonborn walked back to his two companions, he tried to piece together what he had learned now, not sure if the words of such an 'animal' were to be trusted.
Thorson's thoughts were then interrupted as his Dremora summon approached him, "The area is clear, and my time is up, next time, bring me to a real fight!" the Dremora Lord mildly threatened Thorson before returning to his home realm within Oblivion.
Odahviing greeted his master as he approached him. "Ahhh, Thuri, what have you learned?"
"Nothing good; I'll tell you on the way." Thorson hastily replied. "We can worry about this strange wasteland at a later time, but time is of the essence now. We need to head south. Now!"
In the southern part of Eostia, multiple fortress cities used to form a barrier against threats coming from the north during Eostia's 'Great War'. Now, all of them are under Vult's control after he and his forces conquered them a few weeks ago.
And, as dusk started to settle on the kingdom of Eostia, a large red dragon flew high above one of these cities, the capital city of Ken, also known as the 'White Citadel' by Eostia's inhabitants.
"Yes, this is the place. Clairvoyance points towards that large city down there." Thorson stated as he looked at his map. "Try hovering high above that clearing in the northwest part of the city; I'll drop down and infiltrate the city with my cloak."
"Ol Hi Hind Dovahkiin, call for me if you need my aid."
Still high above the skies, Thorson dismounted from Odahviing as he dove through the air towards his destination. And at the last moment, before crashing into the cold ground, he shouted, "FEIM!".
The Dragonborn's body then turned ethereal before hitting the cold ground. Shortly after his landing, the Nord quickly cast an invisibility spell on himself to conceal himself before infiltrating the city, unaware of the horrors that he would be forced to witness from up close.
From what he first saw, this city is more of a religious center, as he saw multiple white temple-like structures spread around the city, surrounded by small gardens that have seen better days.
As Thorson continued, he overheard several conversations from noticeably worried citizens mentioning the Black Dogs' recent victory and the capture of a group called the 'Shield Princesses'. Another pair of men then mentioned that they had to hide their female family members from public sight, all to prevent them from being kidnapped by the Black Dogs mercenaries.
As Thorson continued his infiltration of the city, he found himself in a shopping district where he overheard more conversations between its citizens. Some asked each other how they were or if their families were safe, while others talked with the shopkeepers, asking them about the current state of their businesses.
From several conversations he overheard, he learned that he was in the city of Ken, the capital city within the kingdom of Eostia.
Nearing the center of the large city, he began hearing conversations between Black Dog members who patrolled the area; they were discussing their daily activities, including kidnapping in neighboring villages, raping their victims, and boasting about their recent 'accomplishments.'
Thorson's mental state was starting to shift again in a bad way as he recalled memories: "Beasts… Worthless beasts. All of them…" his mind muttered before deciding to move on, wishing that he could shut their mouths. Permanently…
Once he was in a dark corner, he began to pray in his mind while grasping an amulet beneath his robes. "Lady Mara, give me strength." Thorson prayed for a minute before silently moving on.
While further infiltrating the city, Thorson could hear several female screams combined with the sounds of male grunting. As the Dragonborn moved to have a look at the source, he would witness numerous acts of women being violated and raped in public by the Black Dogs men and their demonic allies.
"Kill them all; free those poor souls!" Thorson's soul screamed after witnessing the numerous acts of depravity around him, "Let Lord Stendarr sort them out!"
His instincts and faith demanded that he help these unfortunate victims, but he knew that it would risk his infiltration if he drew too much attention.
For now, the best thing the Dragonborn could do was cast a few sleep spells on the few who were assaulting their poor victims. As they fell asleep on the floor, their victims quickly ran away from the scene.
Still hidden in the shadows, Thorson could only hope he had done enough now to help them as he continued his search for the former elven queen.
The more Thorson explored the city, the more depravity he witnessed conducted by these Black Dogs and their 'demon' allies as they ravaged the female population of the city.
The Dragonborn then hated himself for not being able to help them; his unwillingness to act on this brought up some painful memories from when he was young.
"I need to focus; I can't get distracted." the man repeated this to himself before Thorson continued his infiltration, looking for the fallen elf he spoke to in his latest vision.
Thorson continued moving until he arrived in a section of the city that looked like a marketplace of some kind with a large fountain in the middle. In front of him, Thorson noticed a large group of unruly Black Dog members that seemed to have gathered in the center for some kind of event. As the Dragonborn moved closer to overhear their conversations.
"Man, what kind of 'exotic merchandise' will Zul display today? The last batch he showed last time was too old for my liking." Thorson heard from within the large group.
As the Tamrielian moved closer, he then saw something he wished he did not at this time, "No… Don't tell me this is a…"
As he feared, the Dragonborn saw countless cages that contained the 'merchandise. He saw hundreds of female elves dressed up in rags, some of them wearing some kind of slave collar. "They also look like Mer, but at the same time, they look so different compared to those on Tamriel." Thorson observed, "These must be the native elves of Serenus, the fair-skinned 'High Elves' and the more dark-skinned 'Dark Elves'."
The Dragonborn then gagged after seeing a young tanned-skinned child among the elven captives. And while crowds of Black Dog mercenaries and their demonic allies cheered on as these elves were in the process of being sold off, many among them were unaware of the dark clouds that seemed to have rapidly gathered above them.
Sounds of thunder came from these clouds, signaling an upcoming storm. "EVEN YOUNG CHILDEREN?!" Thorson mentally raged after seeing a few young girls among the slaves: "SUNVAARS, ALL OF THEM!"
A now-enraged Dragonborn then heard screaming from one of the cages, witnessing how the young, tanned elven child was being dragged away. Thorson then heard the desperate plea coming from the poor girl: "No, m-mommy, help me!" the Dark Elf girl screamed as two burly men dragged their helpless victim away, followed by the jeering of several Black Dogs and demons who watched on, "Oh, the fun I'll have with her tonight!"
"Please, take me! Don't take her away!" Thorson then heard the young girl's mother cry out from one of the cages.
This whole scene caused him to collapse on his knees, not caring that his invisibility cloak was about to run out. "No, it is happening again," Thorson whispered to himself as memories of his past began to play inside his head—memories of his mother before she died at the hands of Forsworn raiders, how they sadistically held him down as they forced him to witness what they did to his mother.
The screams, the tears, and the depravity he was forced to witness, too weak to do anything…
"NID!" he shouted to the heavens as his invisibility spell dispelled, revealing himself to the Black Dog group. His shout was so loud that everyone in the city and neighboring villages heard it.
"W-what was that?!" one of the Black Dog members yelled as everyone looked towards a kneeling man wearing gray robes. "Who is that guy?! Is he one of us?!" one of the Black Dog men exclaimed.
"No, he is not. Get him, boys!" another one then shouted as a hundred-armed mercenaries and their monstrous allies began surrounding the kneeling Dragonborn.
"NO MORE, I WILL NOT WATCH ANYMORE!" Thorson shouted as he stood up, his soul screaming for retribution. "I WON'T BE WEAK ANYMORE!" the Dragonborn continued, still not aware of the numerous mercenaries and monsters surrounding him.
Rain started to fall from the skies above Ken as the panting Dragonborn shouted to the heavens again, "NO MORE CRYING, MAKE IT STOP!"
After which, a furious and vengeful Thorson drew Dawnbreaker from its scabbard, its light shining brightly around the Dragonborn. "TIID FAH DREH, NID SERAAN!" the Nord shouted in the dragon language before looking at the large group that surrounded him.
"HI SUNVAAR LOS NID!"
The force of his Thu'um caused the group surrounding him to fall over from his Thu'um as the clouds above them started to shift violently.
"ZU'U LOS FAAL DOVAHSBROM!"
On that day, Thorson abandoned the 'Way of the Voice' and fully embraced his draconian nature for the first time as the skies and the earth beneath Eostia trembled from his Thu'um.
Taking a deep breath, the 'Dragon of the North' put his very soul into his next shout.
"MUL QAH DIIV!" Thorson roared out, causing the ground beneath the city to shake from the Dragonborn's shout.
His opponents, who now were visibly agitated and unnerved, could only watch as the eyes of the man in front of them glowed while spiked spectral armor began appearing around his body.
Every breath the man took sounded like a beast instead of a man. "DIR SUNVAAR…" the dragon aspect of Thorson roared towards the Black Dogs in front of him.
Every time the enraged Dragonborn spoke out with his Thu'um, his 'Words of Power' would echo all across Eostia, followed by heavy tremors that caused panic wherever they passed.
The Dragonborn pointed Dawnbreaker towards the skies. "STRUN BAH QO!" the Nord shouted towards the skies, sealing the fate of every Black Dog man and demon within the city.
Hearing the Dragonborn's shout, the heavens above the city made way for a storm of monstrous proportions as the clouds began to shift around violently.
Shortly after that, countless lightning bolts began raining down on the White Citadel, unmercifully striking down the now confused and intimidated Black Dogs and their demonic allies.
The Dragonborn watched as countless men around him fell to the force of his Thu'um as he roared again, "FAAL STRUN FEN BOLAAV NID AAZ!".
Holding Dawnbreaker in his right hand, Thorson looked towards the petrified, tanned elven girl next to him—the same young elf who was about to be dragged away a minute ago.
The glowing figure then held up one hand. "DREM, ZU'U FEN NI AHRAAN HI." the man then said in his low voice.
For the elves present, the stranger in front of them spoke in a strange language that scared them more than their Black Dog captors.
The glowing Dragonborn sensed their hesitance and shouted, "BEX!" causing each of the slave cages to open by themselves.
"BO!" the tall Dragonborn pointed towards the main gate of the city as he addressed the slaves. However, none of the elves seemed to understand him or were just terrified of his intimidating presence.
The Dragonborn then began casting a powerful healing spell with his left hand that healed and revitalized every slave in the marketplace, followed by a powerful "Courage" spell to help them regain control of their emotions.
The glowing form of the Dragonborn then walked towards the young elven girl, who now seemed less fearful of the mysterious figure in front of her. With a gentle touch, Thorson nudged the girl towards her mother before again pointing towards Ken's main gate, repeating the same message from before, "BO!"
"L-let's get out of here, dear!" the Nord heard the young girl's mother call. Meanwhile, the rest of the Elven captives began running towards freedom outside the city, but some among them, including the young mother and her daughter, bowed toward their liberator. The Dragonborn saw this and simply held out one arm, "DREM!" he responded before again pointing the elves towards the city gates.
Seeing an opportunity to escape their captors, the elven captives began leaving the city unopposed, while their slavers and Black Dog allies were powerless to stop them from fleeing. Those brave or foolish who tried anyway would be swiftly struck down by numerous lightning bolts coming from the storm hanging above the 'White Citadel'.
The Dragonborn then stared at the stormy sky above him. "OD AH VIING!" he shouted to the heavens before looking towards an empty spot next to him, "DUR NEH VIIR!"
After the Dragonborn's last shout, a large, sickly green dragon appeared on Nirn. The ancient Dov then saw the Dovahkiin's glowing dragon aspect in front of him, "Ahhh, Dovahkinn. What happened to you?"
Odahviing then landed next to the undead dragon as he addressed the Dragonborn, awaiting his orders with anticipation: "What Los Hin Uth, Thuri?"
Thorson pointed Dawnbreaker towards one of the Black Dog's corpses, "KRII NIIN, NID AAZ!" the Dragonborn ordered Odahviing. Odahviing bowed his head after hearing the Dragonborn's order in the dragon language. The large red dragon then smirked before taking flight, quite eager to follow his master's orders, "Fen Kos Dreh, Thuri."
At this time, an enraged Thorson did not even care that he was a champion of Meridia as he gave the dragon necromancer, Durnehviir, the following order: "NOS NIIN, WHAL NIIN OL AAN ZOL LAHVU!"
The dragon necromancer seemed pleased hearing those words, "It will be done, Qahnaarin. Zu'u Fen Thaarn!" Durnehviir acknowledged this before taking flight, joining Odahviing in the skies.
Just after Durnehviir's departure, the charred corpses of the fallen Black Dogs and their demonic allies around the Dragonborn began to move as a blue light engulfed them.
After a few seconds, hundreds of groaning corpses rose, "DURNEHVIIR, FUN NIIN WAH NOS DAAR FAHDON!" Thorson ordered his lich dragon as the army of the dead started to scatter in different directions, hunting down their former comrades who tried to seek refuge inside Ken's many buildings as they tried to avoid the storm's wrath.
With both dragons causing more chaos for the Black Dogs in the city, Thorson cast "Clairvoyance" again, which led him towards a large temple in the distance.
The enraged Dragonborn's path was now clear as he began to run towards his objective, striking anyone in his way who was foolish enough to attack him during this storm.
Everyone in Eostia could hear the Dragonborn's rage every time the man spoke as he advanced towards Ken's main temple, followed by a group of undead mercenaries and demons behind him.
"NID AAZ, FAH ZU'U DOVAHKIIN!"
No mercy would be shown to these animals on this day. For he was Dovah, and he was stronger than them, at the mercy of his powerful Thu'um…
In a fortress city in the most eastern part of Eostia named Thorn, a former 'Shield Princess' and former shrine maiden named Kaguya became aware of the powerful shouts that caused the entire region to quake from their might. Like her other former 'Shield' colleagues, Kaguya became a prisoner in her city a few weeks ago after the Black Dogs took over.
After days of constant violation of both her body and mind, the former shrine maiden and her former acolytes succumbed to their Black Dog and demonic captors, who at that time had already enslaved nearly every woman within her city.
Ever since her enslavement, the young shrine maiden was also forced to become a 'brood mother' for Shamuhaza's insects as part of his 'experiments'. In the past few weeks, Kaguya has already given birth to several of Shamuhaza's monstrous insects. However, the former shrine maiden noticed that each birth became harder and harder for her as each newborn increased in size.
But Shamuhaza, whose body was wrapped up in many layers of bandages, did not care about the well-being of his former friend as he continued his sick experiments, each time artificially implanting a different egg within her womb, hoping that one of them would be a perfect specimen capable of surpassing the gods themselves, especially his former master…
But today would bring much-needed change to their now bleak lives, as she and her captors were unpleasantly surprised when they heard powerful shouts followed by the ground beneath them shaking.
The Black Dog men and demons that were having their way with their helpless victims at the time became increasingly agitated as the shouts continued, combined with the shaking that shook the entire fortress city.
Fear then took over as all of them quickly let go of their victims before running outside, leaving the helpless women behind. Their broken minds were not aware of what was going on outside their prison.
The citizens of Thorn, who were already demoralized after the Black Dogs took over, could not apprehend what was happening to them once they heard those powerful shouts bashing against Thorn's foundation. It did not take long for them to panic as they began scattering around, looking for anything that could provide them shelter against this strange phenomenon hitting their once-beautiful city.
"NID AAZ, FAH ZU'U DOVAHKIIN!"
Kaguya, who lay on the cold floor of her dungeon, covered in the fluids of her abusers, could make up a few words that came from these shouts; they seemed familiar to her.
Her mind, which has been broken repeatedly ever since her capture, began clearing up as if these powerful shouts cleansed her mind. In that short moment of clarity, Kaguya started remembering a tale her parents once told her.
Her distant ancestors, who came from a place named Akavir, had stories about a mortal who was blessed by a Dragon God and could speak in the dragon language. This mortal would be called a Dragonborn, or Dovahkiin in the language of the dragons, and had the power to produce powerful shouts that could destroy entire armies and level fortresses in their way.
She became intrigued by these stories at an early age, as a young and curious Kaguya read every book she could find on the subject, including the migration of her ancestors from a distant land named Akavir to Serenus, and their invasion of another continent named Tamriel.
For a time, she thought that this Dragonborn figure was just folklore made for children, but today she could hear the proof of this legendary figure from her prison.
Kaguya could only pray at this time, as the former shrine maiden realized that her situation was hopeless.
"I-I pray for your blessing…" Kaguya whimpered as tears began to form in her eyes. "I pray… for your return… For your mercy… Dovahkiin…"
The only answer the former shrine maiden got were more shouts followed by tremors that shook her prison…
Just before a monstrous storm was unleashed on the capital city of Ken, a meeting took place inside its Holy Temple. Inside its grand assembly hall, which once held meetings by the 'Shield Princess', the now self-proclaimed 'Emperor Vult' was having a meeting with a couple of his men, together with his right-hand man, Hicks.
They discussed the various challenges they now faced before Vult could fully consolidate his power in his new 'sex empire'.
"We are still getting reports of elven raids on our slave convoys in the north-west and south-west regions, but every time we arrive on the scene, those bitches vanish without leaving anything to trace them." one of his men reported.
"Yeah, and Klaus's so-called 'Wolf Pack' has been raiding supply convoys and freeing slaves near his father's city of Geofu. It is getting so bad that the old man himself has requested us to track them down; it seems his son has some talent for warfare after all…" Vult's right-hand man, Hicks reported.
While Vult did anticipate that he would face rebellions when he took power, he did not expect that his supposed allies were so incompetent that he and his men would always need to solve their issues.
But for Vult, it did not matter in the end. With an almost endless supply of 'demonic' manpower from the Black Citadel, all Eostian fortress cities under his control, and help from his new benefactors, the mercenary leader seemed confident that victory on Eostia would be his and that he would be able to conquer all of Serenus shortly.
"Hicks, tomorrow you will lead a small group of our men to track him down. Try finding any trace of an encampment they use as a base; once located, we will surround them with our main force and deal with them."
Hicks nodded at his boss's orders and then began smirking as he turned to the group of men present. "Hey, after this, let us all have some fun again with our 'trophies' in the dungeon."
The whole room cheered while Vult laughed with his men; he already had his fun in the morning, but he could squeeze in some time before heading out for a drink, "Yeah, sure le-…."
Their meeting was then interrupted by a very loud shout, "STRUN BAH QO!" those present heard from outside the temple. After which, they all felt the tremors that rocked the foundation of the former Holy Temple. "The fuck! What is happening?! Who did that?!" Vult exclaimed while looking around the room for any threats.
Another shout followed, "FAAL STRUN FEN BOLAAV NID AAZ!" as the stained glass in the hall shattered, spilling its contents into the assembly.
"D-Dragons!" Hicks shouted as the rogue saw the forms of two dragons flying around the city through the now-destroyed windows.
The Holy temple shook again as they heard another shout, "HI FEN PAR DIR!"
"Gather up, men. We need to move out!" Vult shouted as he ordered his men to follow him towards the exit, while more powerful shouts followed in the background.
"NID AAZ FAH FIN SUNVAAR!"
Two of his mercenaries ran into them on the way, "Boss, we are being attacked by our men at the entrance of the Temple, it is like they have become some kind of mindless zombies!
"And these lightning bolts are also hitting our men on the streets! This storm is targeting us only, it's not natural!"
"STIN NIIN HI SUNVAAR!"
"What?! Do you even know who is attacking us?! Who is leading them?!" Vult demanded, as even he was getting increasingly nervous after hearing more of those piercing shouts. And it did not help that he heard that his own men had turned into mindless zombies who were now attacking them.
This whole event was something Vult never faced before during his years as an experienced mercenary leader.
One of his men then informed him, "We have seen two dragons flying around attacking our forces in the streets! While some have seen a glowing man wielding a golden sword entering this temple before we could arrive, heading towards the dungeons!"
"He is here for 'them'," He shouted before giving his men their orders, "Gather the rest of our forces and hold position at the entrance to the Temple! Me and Hicks will head down to the dungeons and deal with this guy!"
A last shout combined with the roars of dragons brought shivers to all the Black Dogs present in the room before they enacted their next course of action. "NID AAZ, FAH ZU'U DOVAHKIIN!"
Inside one of the prisons in Ken's dungeons, a young blonde woman woke up after feeling the tremors around her. As the woman tried to stand up she realized that she couldn't move her tired body after being nearly constantly abused and raped by Vult's men this morning.
The once proud 'Shield Princess' Alicia Arcturus from Feoh had been reduced to being nothing but a plaything for her male captors as she and her elven queen Celestine were raped daily in captivity, reduced to nothing but their base desires as they were forced into this life of depravity a week ago.
She noticed her former queen on the other side of the room, but she seemed unresponsive to her voice as she just stared at the ceiling, moaning faintly from her 'treatment' a few hours ago.
As more tremors followed in her prison, she could only hope that she would at least die quickly if her prison collapsed.
Then at least she and Celestine won't be forced to live as some worthless sex puppets to the Black Dogs for the rest of their lives, and they can finally leave this accursed world behind. To forget the things she was forced to do, the people she had betrayed to save her cousin…
Author's note(s): Man, I never knew the first chapter of a story would be the hardest to write… Make sure you give your readers enough information about the plot and characters to make it interesting for them to keep reading… And I wanted to write my first chapter that had over 18k words, but I read that such long chapters are not recommended, so I split it up for now. (Yes, the 'second chapter' is almost finished, but I wanted to 'test the waters' to gauge if people like this plot so far.)
But I had this kind of story planned for a month after reading several crossovers that have been posted this year featuring Kuroinu and the Elder Scrolls, but most of them followed the 'Rebellion route' or took place in the past, while very few stories dealt with that very depressing world in the aftermath.
So, you could see this as a 'liberation' type of story where we have a very pissed-off Dragonborn/protagonist with (lore-based) powers of a demi-god bringing his fury upon those who deserve it. Some demographics who like these 'retribution' style stories would enjoy this, especially when dealing with a depressing world like Kuroinu and their non-likable antagonists. (Some would classify this as a "feel good" story, but I would call this more "bittersweet.")
Also, lemons will not be an 'important' factor at this early stage of the story, especially with all the trauma the girls of Kuroinu have to deal with and their mental recovery after that. Not to mention, we have a protagonist who has his own struggles to deal with. But there will be some tender moments between the characters as part of their recovery and character development.
When I began writing this, I wrote it from what I knew of Kuroinu from memory, but seeing as we are dealing with an 'H-series' where the story is almost nonexistent, I'll be adding more original story elements combined with some inspiration from the expansive lore of the Elder Scrolls. Of course, I welcome any ideas that reviewers could provide.
And seeing as this is my first attempt at a fanfiction story, I would expect some roughness in some parts of the story (especially for a first chapter), but I tried to minimize it as much as possible. So, I'll welcome any constructive criticism if it helps me improve things along the way. And if people like this kind of story or plot, then I'll be motivated to continue, as I have plenty of ideas to write down, but if it doesn't gain any traction, then I'll scrap this idea and move on to other things.
Note 1 (29/05/2023): Edited/updated chapter 1 (removing and correcting grammatical errors without changing story elements + correcting several place names). Jeez, the number of small errors, as to be expected for a first chapter in your first fanfiction…
Note 2 (05/01/2023): did an additional check for grammatical errors