Kuroinu Dawnbreaker - A light shining in darkness: chapter 8 – A rebel with a cause
Less than a month ago, following the Dragonborn's siege of Eostia's capital city, a scholar named Klaus was once part of a family that held great political influence within the realm surrounding the fortress city of Geofu as part of High Queen Celestine's 'Seven Shield Alliance' during the 'Great War'.
However, all changed for the worse after his own father, Grave Levantine, betrayed the entire 'Shield Alliance' after the general and those loyal to him defected and joined forces with the Black Dog mercenaries to overthrow the 'Shield Princesses' leadership.
After his father's betrayal, Grave and his men managed to subdue and capture his wife Claudia, who at that time was a 'Shield Princess' in Celestine's court while also being the commander-in-chief of her armies during their fight against Olga's legions.
After that, Vult took full control over the once glorious city of Geofu as he and his forces began plaguing its female population, brutally violating and enslaving any woman they could find in their way.
Shortly after being imprisoned, Klaus was forced to witness Grave raping his own daughter-in-law while he was gagged and chained, forced to watch the unholy deed. The Eostian scholar was unable to do anything to stop the nightmare in front of him, unable to save his beloved Claudia from being violated by his father, who sought to conceive a 'new' and 'better' heir to the Levantine family...
For several days, the son of Grave Levantine would frequently cry his heart out in shame and helplessness, repeatedly condemning himself for his passiveness, a trait that his father had occasionally reprimanded him for since he was a young boy.
Even when Klaus married the beautiful Claudia, his misfortune did not stop, as for several years he was also unable to successfully conceive a child due to his apparent infertility.
However, the scholar was still fortunate that his beloved Claudia remained a devoted and loving wife, respecting his more intellectual lifestyle while also not blaming him for not providing her the opportunity to start a family.
Feeling even more desperate after their goddesses' surrender, many of Geofu's civilian population prayed for someone or something to save them from this living nightmare they were now forced to live in.
Meanwhile, Klaus prayed for his wife's freedom and safety, a chance to free her from his father's clutches and to embrace his loving wife once again.
During one of these prayers, the desperate Eostian began to confess to whatever deity could be listening at that time. "I'm such a fool. I should have been stronger to protect her!" Klaus berated himself, blaming his life's decision that led him on a more academic route: "What was I thinking... during that war..."
After his desperate prayer, Klaus touched the golden wedding band that he still wore on his left hand, his only 'connection' to his beloved wife that the scholar still had on him.
"I'm sorry, my dearest Claudia... I failed to protect you; I failed to muster the courage and strength to do something... I have failed you." Klaus mentally berated himself before he began to softly cry, "I can't do this alone. I just can't..."
For the desperate scholar, something out there seemed to have heard him, as his prayers would be answered during a vision that Klaus received as he slept, one where the scholar saw many imprisoned soldiers in Geofu's dungeons who refused to join Grave's forces after his takeover.
During this, Klaus heard a deep male voice calling out to him, "Free them and lead them all to safety; they will help you in your struggle..."
"Wha? Who? W-why?" A confused Klaus asked around as his self-doubt emerged again. "Why me? I-I'm not strong enough to do this, I-I..."
Another vision interrupted Klaus's self-loathing, this time seeing a memory where he and Claudia were conversing, one where Celestine's chief commander asked the scholar for his opinion on her current unit tactics during their war against Olga's legions.
"You seem to choose guile over conventional battlefield tactics, my dear Klaus." the tanned-haired woman giggled softly after hearing her husband's suggestions: "But I'm afraid such methods won't help us much against Olga's forces."
"It's how I see it, my dear," Klaus replied with a faint smile before re-adjusting his glasses.
"So many of our people died these past years, always fighting Olga's legions head-on," the scholar argued. "There must be a better way to tip the balance without sacrificing so many lives...?"
"W-Why show me this?" Klaus nervously looked around in his vision, attempting to address the mysterious voice. "I-I'm just one m-man. I-I can't…"
"You can, Klaus Levantine," the mysterious voice reassured the spiritless scholar. "Don't underestimate your potential. Not all battles are won by brute force."
Klaus seemed to perk up slightly after hearing those encouraging words. "I shall watch over you; trust yourself," the mysterious presence then said before his vision darkened, returning him to reality.
Klaus woke up from his strange vision and frantically searched his bedroom, which had become his 'gilded cage' following his father's betrayal and takeover. And while the scholar tried to control his breathing, Klaus wondered whether he was losing his mind after all he had been through these past days.
However, Klaus would be given a new chance in life when the scholar saw a strange golden amulet sitting on his lap. The Eostian scholar observed the amulet in his hands and decided to put it on, as he felt a comforting presence emanating from it.
Klaus, at that point, was willing to accept any kind of help. Anything to rescue his wife and escape this living nightmare.
After Klaus began wearing that strange amulet, his life would take a different turn as the scholar felt his self-confidence growing towards new heights.
With this boost in morale and self-confidence, Klaus wasted no time as he began planning a prison break while gathering whatever wealth and goods the Levantine man had left to make this all possible. He will free his dear wife by any means necessary.
Then came that night when Klaus would enact his escape plan. A night where the scholar first took his first human life after he killed the prison warden with a decorated short sword he had hidden in his mantle. One gifted by his dearest wife before their engagement...
After that, Klaus began freeing the imprisoned company of his father's soldiers, whom he then armed with the weapons and supplies he had smuggled in days before with the help of some bribery.
However, Klaus would not get his chance to free Claudia as he was discovered by his father's soldiers, who then sounded the alarm. Klaus and his men were then forced to flee the city as quickly as possible by utilizing an escape passage under his father's study in Geofu's keep before they were overrun.
After Klaus and his company successfully escaped the fortress city of Geofu, he was unable to sleep properly that night as his thoughts kept dwelling on his dear wife, whom he failed to free.
A day later, after they found a suitable place to camp, there was some debate between Klaus and the company of men he freed. Here the soldiers decided that Klaus would become their appointed leader, a leader of his own freedom-fighting force who fought against the 'traitor general' of Geofu, his father.
Klaus would then name his organization 'The Wolf Pack,' as wolves are known to hunt dogs as a pack, striking at them during the night from the shadows. A 'Pack' that consisted of his father's former soldiers who owned the scholar their lives after he freed them from a life of torture and death.
Thus, with Klaus's careful planning and use of guile, his group became an efficient force that frequently struck Grave's and Vult's associates from the dark.
With each successful hit, their numbers grew as Klaus's 'Pack' managed to free more female captives, including High and Dark Elves who were destined for the various slave markets around the fallen kingdom of Eostia.
A few days of tension followed between both humans and the rescued elves as the scholar attempted to bring peace within their fledgling organization by acting as a mediator.
And after several attempts by a determined Klaus, his organization eventually grew after convincing the elves appointed leader, a Dark Elf woman named Leena, to join their 'Pack'.
The elves' motivation to join Klaus's pack varied; for some, they felt that they had nowhere left to go on the continent, while others still had a bone to pick with the Black Dog mercenaries and all those affiliated with them for ruining their once peaceful lives.
Unfortunately, after convincing the elves to join his 'Pack', they had another problem to deal with as some of the magically adept elves were still bound by their slaver's collars, inhibiting their magical abilities.
However, luck seemed to be on their side again, as Klaus's 'Pack' quickly discovered the necessary information and tools after they raided several slavers' caravans. This allowed them to quickly free their new elven allies from their last magical restraints, exponentially boosting their fighting capabilities for future skirmishes.
Thus, with that last deed, the elves within the 'Wolf Pack' became a welcome addition to Klaus's young organization, as their diverse magical abilities allowed them to strike fast and efficiently from the shadows while the rest supported them with their healing abilities.
Their covert organization, consisting of both humans and elves, soon became so efficient that it could have potentially tipped the balance in their last war. At least if the Eostian humans had not chosen to continue harassing and tormenting the many elven communities these past years...
They then conducted several successful guerrilla attacks, freeing more female slaves and liberating small settlements within his father's realm.
But in the end, it was not enough for the scholar, as his goal was still dead set on freeing his dearest Claudia from his father's demented and depraved clutches.
But first, Klaus and his 'Pack' had to find like-minded allies around Eostia and perhaps within the other kingdoms on Serenus before they had the means to strike back against his father and his Black Dog allies.
Meanwhile, concealed within the dense Thunder Woods, a middle-aged man wearing eyeglasses watched on as both man and elf camped and ate together after another successful raid on one of his father's convoys.
The leader of the 'Wolf Pack' stared at his left hand, gently stroking a golden band he wore on his ring finger as he recalled past events, memories filled with pain, loss, and ultimately moments of success that transpired a few weeks ago after his escape.
"I'll free you, my dear," Klaus muttered silently before looking towards the night sky. "Gods, I pray that I can make it on time."
The scholar then diverted his gaze towards the amulet that hung around his neck as he recalled receiving another vision this very morning, one where that same mysterious presence reassured him again.
"Be strong for the fights ahead; your 'Pack' will need you for what is to come." The voice reassured the scholar in a fatherly manner.
Klaus then heard it chuckle, "But you won't be alone; the 'Dragon of the North' will soon arrive to assist you."
Ever since that recent vision, Klaus has kept asking himself the same question. "Just who is this 'Dragon of the North'?" he wondered before staring at the glowing amulet. "And who is this 'presence' that has helped us all so far?"
After pondering these questions, Klaus looked towards the east, wondering who was responsible for a particular event that transpired a few hours ago, one that shook up his camp and its residents.
"That shouting we all heard... could it be?" Klaus asked himself.
The rebel leader then heard the ruffling of leaves behind him, interrupting his thoughts.
"We spotted one of our scouting parties approaching our camp from the east," a female voice addressed Klaus. "They look quite distressed from what we can see from a distance."
The man turned around after hearing a now familiar voice inform him. "From the east? From Ken?" Klaus asked after turning his body around, turning his attention towards the figure behind him. The female voice came from a tall, black-haired Dark Elf who wore dark-scaled armor that snugly hugged her tanned body.
After hearing her, Klaus walked toward the elf. "Are you sure they are ours, Leena?" he asked her, not willing to risk exposing their hidden camp's existence for nothing.
Leena's gray eyes studied the man in front of her; her arms crossed beneath her ample bosom, while her face remained unreadable for the scholar.
And after a few seconds of silence, the Dark Elf finally gave Klaus a single nod in response to his earlier question.
"Alright, let's meet them then," Klaus replied with a faint sigh before he followed the former Dark Elf captain towards the edge of the forest that currently concealed him and his group, awaiting the arrival of their scouts.
Unbeknown to Klaus, the golden amulet he received a few weeks ago began to shine as a faint light came from its charm, which looked like a blending of a sword and an axe.
In the fortified city of Geofu, a man dressed in officer apparel was shouting commands to several of his soldiers, attempting to bring order to the chaos that had suddenly struck his city. One caused by powerful shouts that caused the city's foundations to quake from their power.
The man, General Grave Levantine, struggled to keep his men under control as they were also psychologically affected by what had transpired earlier. But the hardest part for the general was keeping the Black Dog mercenaries and their demonic allies under control in the aftermath, as they began causing havoc among Geofu's population.
Grave, who recently joined forces with the Black Dog mercenaries and their demonic allies in overthrowing the 'Seven Shield Alliance', was almost starting to regret their 'partnership' as they continued giving him more trouble than it was worth.
The Levantine general's choice to betray his oaths to Celestine was first born from a personal hatred towards the 'Shield Alliance' for their passiveness during the 'Great War', where he lost friends, colleagues, and several family members to the 'Dark Queens' demonic legion.
But the most important motivation for the elder's treachery was to safeguard his family line since his meek and infertile son, Klaus, was not able to provide him with an heir after he married Claudia, High Queen Celestine's second-in-command.
Claudia, a woman Grave trained, mentored and slowly admired ever since her youth. A woman the Levantine general found worthy to join their proud family line.
Shortly after joining the Black Dogs, Grave forcibly separated both Klaus and Claudia, giving the elderly man his most important 'trophy', his own daughter-in-law, who in turn would give him what he wanted so dearly.
And so Grave wasted no time in frequently raping the married woman in the hopes of successfully impregnating her, who would then hopefully give birth to an heir worthy of the Levantine name.
The demented general also took immense pleasure in tormenting his son, who was forced to watch his father repeatedly raped his wife in front of him while taunting the scholar that he would 'make her forget about him'.
But Grave's plans would be disrupted as his 'partnership' with the Black Dogs and their leadership would take a different turn.
It all started after several Black Dogs forcibly tried to get to his new 'concubine' before they were stopped by Grave's soldiers. Tensions between him and Vult's men only grew after they repeatedly tried to get to Claudia's cell.
It did not take long before several fights broke out between Grave's men and Vult's human and demonic forces.
And it became so severe that Vult himself stepped in to bring order to his men. However, from that point onward, their 'partnership' would be soured as tensions only grew between Grave's soldiers and the Black Dogs.
Grave's life then grew even more tense ever since his son's recent jailbreak, as Klaus managed to free many of his former soldiers, who then escaped with him.
And then later, Grave found out that his 'meek' son managed to form an insurgency group called the 'Wolf Pack', who began to plague Geofu's countryside with their frequent raids and attacks on his soldiers and his 'associates' slave convoys.
The situation then became so severe for Grave that the proud Levantine general requested aid from Vult to help him deal with his own son.
But, as Grave looked at his son's achievements after his jailbreak, the Levantine elder 'almost' began to respect his son's tenacity as he continued to be torn on his side: "I never knew he had it in him..."
After calming down his men, a now-tense Grave then looked towards the east, wondering who was responsible for those shouts that shook his city.
He had a really bad feeling about this. "What just happened?" Grave asked himself, as Celestine's former general had never faced something like this in his life.
Unbeknownst to the man, the first seeds of paranoia began to sprout within the Levantine elder's psyche as Grave felt trapped and surrounded by all kinds of potential threats: first his son, then Vult and his men, and now this mysterious presence that attacked his city.
Meanwhile, in Eostia's capital city of Ken, the Dragonborn, with the help of their former queen Celestine and her 'Shield Princess', Alicia, continued their efforts to stabilize and treat the last of the wounded women that Celestine's knights found during their search of the city.
And it did not take long before more of the city's population joined in, offering to help their liberator with his efforts. Some donated fresh clothing and supplies for the unfortunate, while others helped by cleaning, dressing, and comforting those who woke up.
As Thorson finished treating the last of the critically injured, he took a look around and noticed several things that worried the Nord healer.
First were the injured and incapacitated elves, who were left to their fate by the city's inhabitants as they focused more on helping those of their 'own'.
This forced Thorson and Celestine to prioritize their healing efforts towards these unfortunate and seemingly 'forgotten' elves.
This decision, however, earned him and Celestine some disapproving looks from the human volunteers around them. Celestine and Alicia, who helped the former queen, ignored their stares, seemingly not wanting further trouble with their former subjects.
While Thorson often confronted the ignorant. "You focus on your patient, and I'll do the same for mine." The Dragonborn sternly reminded those who were 'distracted' by this choice of patients.
Those the Nord chastised then kept to themselves after hearing the healer, either out of fear for the man or out of shame.
Another issue for the Dragonborn was the recently freed elven slaves, who were currently huddled together as they tried to protect themselves against the cold night as their torn clothing offered them practically no protection against the elements.
"Damnit, they are also left to their fate by this city..."
The Nord healer had hoped that his earlier demands for action would have at least inspired these Eostians to put aside their differences, but it appeared his words fell on deaf ears as the elves had so far received no further aid from them.
After seeing their dire condition, Thorson ordered one of his Fire Atronachs, who once kept those critically injured warm, to take position near the elves.
"Don't be alarmed; it will keep you all warm." The Nord reassured the apprehensive female elves who saw the strange fire elemental approaching their location.
"That should keep them warm at least until they can get some appropriate clothing."
Meanwhile, a conversation was taking place between several armed individuals at the entrance of the 'White Citadel's' main temple.
"The city has been secured and locked down while our sentries are in position at key areas on the city's ramparts." one of Celestine's knights informed his superior officer. "We also did not find any of Vult's men or his demons, only their mutilated corpses and ash piles near them."
This news confused Aurelian. "Ash?" he repeated the knight's last words. "What do you make of it, Olaf?"
"Well, according to eyewitnesses, those who were killed by the Dragonborn's storm were reanimated," Olaf informed his superior. "These 'walking dead' then began hunting and ripping apart their Black Dog and demon comrades."
Aurelian already knew about that part. "That I know already, but what about those ash mounds?"
Olaf looked nervous as if he couldn't fully believe what he heard from Ken's population: "Well, sir. According to eyewitnesses, after the storm subsided, those 'walking dead' just collapsed and shriveled away, leaving only their ashes, clothing, and gear behind.
Aurelian swallowed his spit after hearing this ghastly news. "I see..." Aurelian replied without much emotion behind his voice. "At least the city is back in our hands."
The 'Knight Sergeant' then turned his attention towards another of his knights. "Sven, I take it that nothing could be found within the armory?"
The blonde knight shook his head. "Little remains that could be useful, I'm afraid."
"Damn it…" Aurelian cursed audibly after hearing this.
While the 'Knight Sergeant' expected that Vult and his men would have ransacked their armory, the man hoped that something would be left behind that would help him arm his meager forces.
"Sir!" another of his men addressed Aurelian. "We, with the help of several citizens, managed to salvage a reasonable number of weapons from the dead, sir." Another knight named Victus informed Aurelian, "It's at least something, right?"
Aurelian nodded after hearing his; it was at least something for them to use. "Did you check the other prisons? Did you find more of our men or captives there?"
Victus looked sick after hearing that question. "N-No, nothing..." the knight replied before he began to slightly stammer. "O-Only the corpses of... our colleagues... those whom Vult's men occasionally took with them when we were imprisoned."
This news alarmed the Eostian 'Knight Sergeant'. "W-What? What happened to them?"
Victus swallowed his spit before answering. "They were publicly executed in front of the city's population, either by decapitation or burned alive by one of Vult's mages."
Aurelian forced his eyes to close after hearing Victus's report: "Those bastards!" he exclaimed in disbelief. "Who ordered these executions? Was it Vult or one of his lieutenants?"
Olaf shook his head. "Several citizens mentioned that a few of Ken's noble families were present at the front during these executions. And at each one, Archbishop Freoud took the stage as he announced these executions while also publicly discrediting Her Highness and her 'Shield Princesses'."
The 'Archbishop' that Olaf mentioned had a 'colorful past', one that kept pestering their goddess many times in the past years.
Archbishop Freoud was once a pious and dutiful man of faith who used to inspire many within Celestine's holy order before he drastically changed his personality in the last few years.
It all started when those near him reported that Freoud began drinking more heavily during his free time while also frequently visiting several bordellos during the evenings, often neglecting his religious duties.
As time went on, there would be moments where Freoud would publicly preach numerous acts of debauchery to the general population while also discrediting Celestine's name in public.
When confronted by Celestine and her 'Holy Knights', Freoud would then continuously argue in defense that he was not responsible for what he said while debilitated. Queen Celestine then tried numerous times to rehabilitate the archbishop, but it would also end in failure as Freoud continued his acts of depravity unopposed.
It became so much for Celestine that she considered having him quartered for insubordination, but the High Queen then feared the backlash that would come from many of Eostia's noble families and clergy, as Freoud still had deep connections with them.
So, to continue their war without the risk of a major internal conflict, Ken's archbishop was left alone as long as he did nothing 'severe' during the 'Great War'.
"So Freoud has been collaborating with them..." Aurelian concluded as he balled his fists in anger. "He won't get away for this!"
Aurelian then turned towards a blonde man next behind him, "Olaf, do you have any idea where he may be?"
A nod came from the man. "According to several citizens, Freoud fled towards his home in the 'Sun' district during the Dragonborn's attack on the city," Olaf informed Aurelian. "But when my men tried to enter his residence, they found out that all entrances and windows were barricaded, blocking any possible entry."
"So, he's still 'trapped' in his home... And with the city in lockdown, that coward won't be able to run back towards his 'masters'." Aurelian deducted it after hearing Olaf's report.
The veteran knight looked straight at Olaf as he gave his next order. "Have a few of your men station themselves near Freoud's home in case he attempts to leave and escape the city."
"Already done, sir!" Olaf acknowledged Aurelian's order with a salute. "And I also stationed several units at the Noble's quarter in case some of them may also be involved."
Aurelian smiled at Olaf's initiative. "Good, and just to be sure, have a few men make a second sweep in the sewers, just in case we may have missed 'stragglers' that managed to flee the storm."
After giving this order, Aurelian and the rest of his men descended the main temple's stairs to report to their High Queen.
As Thorson finished treating the last of the critically injured, he noticed both Celestine and Alicia arguing among themselves.
"No! We all fought against Olga and her legion of demons to protect our people!" the Nord heard Alicia yell at Eostia's former ruler.
After hearing them argue while also granting himself some respite, the Nord walked next to the kneeling High Elf. "How do you hold up Celestine?" Thorson asked Celestine, who had just finished healing another injured woman. "And you, Alicia? You both seem distraught."
Alicia simply looked to her right as if she did not want to look at the tall Nord, while Celestine's face dropped. "Oh, I'm alright," Celestine replied as she cleaned her hands with a wet cloth. "Just that... I worry about my other friends."
Thorson kneeled next to the High Elf. "Your 'Shield princesses', right?" the Nord healer asked Celestine in a softer tone. "You all were very close, from what I've heard."
The High Elf nodded. "Vult and his men seemed to derive pleasure from tormenting me and my friends, especially..." Celestine somberly informed the Dragonborn about her friend's current state.
"And with so many other men whom we trusted turning against us so unexpectedly, I can't help but to think that perhaps... we made too many mistakes during our 'Great War'."
The young Arcturus woman was quick to respond as she turned her attention towards both Thorson and Celestine: "The blame is on those filthy dogs! They and those who joined them, they all betrayed us." Alicia asserted her claim, "We are not at fault!"
The former queen shook her head after hearing her friend's outburst.
"The war lasted far too long, Alicia. Many families were torn apart, leaving deep scars," Celestine rebuked. "Some may have had genuine intentions to join Vult's revolution, thinking his group may help Eostia by ending the war sooner, while others joined him out of disdain for our leadership..."
Alicia gritted her teeth after hearing the former High Queen doubt herself and the actions of her 'Shield Princesses.
"If our people truly disliked us for what we did, then they should have brought up their concerns in the open instead of betraying us like cowards!" Alicia exclaimed in earnest as a familiar fire within the young woman emerged again.
"So, no! We are not at fault here, Celestine!" Alicia repeated her earlier statement with zeal.
Celestine, Thorson, and those around them were now looking at the young blonde princess, who continued venting her disdain for her previous captors. "Vult, his thugs, and those who betrayed us—they all are nothing more than disgusting, sexist pigs!" Alicia yelled, shaking her balled-up fists as memories of Beastly humiliating her emerged within her.
"I always knew Vult and his men were trouble ever since we hired them!"
"Alicia, It's too late… We can't undo the mistakes we may have made in the past." a seemingly tired Celestine confessed to Alicia, seemingly attracting more outside attention as they continued arguing.
"Seeing our own subjects now turning against us, spewing words filled with such hate and malice, condemning both of us," Celestine shivered as she remembered how her former subjects confronted her earlier. "I fear... they won't rest until we both are brought to 'justice'."
Before Alicia could respond to her friend's apprehension, the Dragonborn let out a deep grumble after hearing the elf's mournful words.
"No." Thorson simply responded, surprising both women. The Dragonborn from Tamriel had heard enough.
Thorson turned towards Celestine, placing his right hand firmly on the elf's left shoulder, causing her shaking body to stiffen in response to the man's touch.
"Nothing justifies degrading you and others like this; nothing!" Thorson zealously reassured the former queen and the young Arcturus princess next to her.
"Whether they did this to display power, satisfy their sick desires, or simply for revenge, the fault is still on them! Not the victims they violate, and especially not you!" Thorson argued, his voice and demeanor proudly displaying his conviction on the matter.
Everyone around the Dragonborn then heard the following words coming out of the Nord's mouth as he continued: "You all did not deserve the pain and shame you were forced to endure!"
A change could then be felt in the air as Thorson's voice became much quieter, just enough for both Celestine and Alicia to hear the following words from the Dragonborn. "I swear," Thorson said in a low tone that caused goosebumps for both women near him, "those who tormented you and these people... they all will feel my wrath."
A sinister snicker then came from the man, which surprised both women.
"Hmm-hmm-hmm, if Vult and his men truly believe that the strongest should dictate the rules... who to enslave and rape..." The Dragonborn began darkly: "Then I'll gladly throw their philosophy back at Vult and his boys by dominating them instead; show them how a true Dov does it naturally." Thorson ended with a chuckle, unnerving both Alicia and Celestine.
For the gentle and caring Celestine, hearing something so dark from her savior slightly unsettled her. But a part of her did find some measure of comfort in his words, as if Celestine saw him as a tool of divine punishment, one that should be used directed towards Vult and his forces, those who took everything away from her, those who humiliated both her body and soul.
However, Celestine also began to feel cold and uncomfortable as a result of this realization, as a part of her became quite excited after hearing her savior's vindictiveness.
Alicia, who remained silent so far during Thorson's declaration, felt a measure of exhilaration, so much so that she was looking forward to seeing how he would 'dominate' those Black Dog savages.
Alicia had a different reaction compared to Celestine as her body began to unconsciously heat up in anticipation of what the Dragonborn had in store for Vult's men—the same feelings she felt after witnessing the Dragonborn torturing Vult earlier.
The Arcturus 'Shield Princess' then became quite excited at the prospect of personally helping the man bring down those mercenary pigs and utterly humiliating them, as they had done to her.
Nothing was then said after Thorson's declaration until a heavy sigh came from the man's mouth, who had just realized what he had just said. "I-I'm sorry..." Thorson apologized to both women, "I kind of get vindictive when I deal with rapists and slavers; it's something from my childhood..."
Alicia showed the Dragonborn a faint, compassionate smile. "Don't be; it's good to hear those words from you." the young woman reassured Thorson before her smile widened. "I can't wait to assist you in bringing those dogs down."
"And don't worry about me, Thorson." Celestine equally reassured him with a smile of her own. "I know nothing of your life experiences, so I can't judge you for that," the former High Queen sympathized. "But thank you for your words, 'Son of Auriel'."
Alicia, in turn, gave the Dragonborn a grin, also showing him her gratitude. "As do I, Sir Brightsong."
A noticeable smile formed on the man's face after hearing both women's reassuring and thankful words. "My pleasure, my ladies." Thorson bowed his head before standing up.
"We can discuss this further after our work here," Thorson said while he helped Alicia up, "along with the many other subjects and questions we seemed to have gathered along the way."
Hearing this, Celestine snorted in mild amusement as the Dragonborn helped her up. She then gave the Nord a look before asking him a question that had been on her mind ever since she witnessed her own people's disdain for her and Alicia.
"C-Can I and Alicia perhaps stay on Tamriel when we are done here?" A slightly anxious Celestine asked the man from Tamriel. "You once said you could give us a place to stay to recover, just for a while, right?"
Hearing Celestine's request for sanctuary, Thorson looked at Alicia, who just gave him a single nod. "You think that your own people will attack you again?" he asked Celestine.
Celestine looked around her before she replied. "Not only that... It's just... being here and seeing all of this and being constantly reminded of our enslavement and failure," the former queen confessed. "We just need a place to stay until things calm down. And…"
Thorson held up one hand, interrupting Celestine. "No need to further explain yourself; I understand," the Nord reassured the elf. "With all the things you two experienced, both in mind and body and seeing the people you once loved turning on you, it's not something that can disappear in just a few days." The Nord commented.
The Tamrielian then smiled at both women. "You both are welcome to stay at my place if you wish." Thorson agreed to Celestine's request for sanctuary. "I have a couple of free rooms within my manor on Skyrim where you can get some peace. Far away from your troubles on Eostia."
His eyes then met Celestine's. "After that, we can plan our next move together to free your people, your friends..." Thorson reaffirmed his attention before turning towards Alicia. "And family." The Nord ended, emphasizing the word 'family' for the Arcturus girl to hear.
Thorson then looked at both women again. "And stop Vult and his allies once and for all."
Celestine looked relieved after hearing Nord's words. "Thank you for granting us sanctuary, Thorson," the former queen thanked the man while giving him a bow of her head.
Alicia, meanwhile, just gave Thorson an indescribable look, for she seemed unsure what to say to him. The young woman then looked at Dawnbreaker's scabbard, which she still held in her hands.
"Trust him, Alicia. He will help you." Alicia's thoughts kept saying the same thing as she contemplated her next step. "It's him or nothing. For Prim..."
After a moment of silence, Thorson heard Alicia's response as well. "As do I..." Alicia thanked the Nord with a few words. "Thank you…"
The Dragonborn smiled after hearing both women's responses. "Alright, let's wrap things up here before we depart. There are still some injured who need our care." Thorson reminded them.
Just then, Alicia addressed the Dragonborn as she realized something. "Wait, don't you want this back?" Alicia asked Thorson, offering the Nord the sword and scabbard he let her use temporarily."
Meridia's champion looked at Dawnbreaker's golden scabbard before he smiled at the young woman. "Keep it with you until you both are safe." You should be armed just in case you get assaulted again like before."
Alicia nodded in agreement after hearing Thorson's reasoning. The 'Shield Princess' remembered all too well the moments she and Celestine were harassed and almost assaulted by several angry citizens while they worked.
"Alright…" Alicia simply replied before pulling Dawnbreaker's scabbard close to her.
Just then, the three of them heard several footsteps behind them and saw several elves approaching them, led by Elora and her young daughter. Fortunately, they seemed to have no hostile intentions towards Celestine or Alicia.
"Thorson, hello..." Elora shyly greeted the tall human, whom she had grown to adore in such a short time.
Meanwhile, Celestine watched on from the sidelines as the Dark Elf addressed the Dragonborn. Celestine almost expected Elora to taunt or pester her again as before, but to her surprise, the young mother did not give her any look of the sort as she just conversed with the man next to her.
"A few of us are willing to assist you with healing these people." The white-haired Dark Elf mother then informed the Nord before gesturing towards several elves behind her. "My fellow elven sisters here are capable of using the healing arts," Elora informed Thorson.
The Dark Elf's tone then softened as she looked straight at the tall Nord. "And I can perhaps... help with other menial tasks." Elora offered, quite eager to assist the healer in his efforts.
Behind Elora, her daughter Lyra shyly waved at her hero, who in turn returned the gesture with a wave of his own.
Thorson then turned his attention to Lyra's mother. "That's very generous of you all. You have my thanks for assisting me, Miss Elora." Thorson thanked the Dark Elf, whose face began to warm up after hearing his words of gratitude.
The Dragonborn healer then looked at the elves who volunteered their assistance. "How are the rest of you holding up? Do you all need something urgent?"
"I think we are fine for the moment, but we could use some food." A silver-haired High Elf notified the Nord. "We were, after all, not fed properly during our imprisonment."
"And we need proper clothing for the cold," a Dark Elf healer added, "but the fire elemental you brought is keeping us all warm for the moment."
The Dragonborn took a quick look around and noticed that the elves still received little to no aid from the city's inhabitants. "I see…" Thorson simply replied to this realization. It seemed he would need to step in to help these unfortunate elves.
"But at least they don't get harassed by the city's population for now…"
Thorson then turned his attention towards the elven healers in front of him. "When things are wrapped up here, I'll see if I can give you all some of my supplies," the Nord informed.
"But first, there are still some injured people who need our care. So first, we need to..." the Nord began instructing the elves before he was interrupted.
"Umm, we may be able to help with our magic," the silver-haired High Elf nervously interrupted the healer. "B-But it has been rendered inert by those human slavers," she informed the Tamrielian, pointing towards a brown collar around her neck.
"Many of us were forced to wear these when we were captured, all to keep us from gathering our magical energies in case we wanted to escape."
"And we can't remove them ourselves." Another High Elf girl then said, "They must be magically imbued to prevent tampering, no matter what we try to do."
Another voice joined in. "Yes, and only those slavers have the means to remove them. A Dark Elf informed the Nord before she looked slightly towards her side. "But your lightning storm disintegrated all of them and their possessions," the elf then quietly added.
"That's… unfortunate…" Thorson frowned after hearing this news.
The Nord then took a few steps towards the silver-haired High Elf to have a look at the collar around her neck. "Figures slavers would use such things," Thorson commented out loud.
The tall human then stepped closer to the elf to have a better look at the collar's construction. "So, these things seal away your magical power, correct?"
The High Elf blushed faintly at the tall man's close proximity to her. "Yes, my Lord," the young elf replied awkwardly.
Hearing her response, the man shook his head. "No need to call me 'lord' or any of those titles." Thorson cordially informed the elf with a faint smile.
"Y-Yes…" the shy elf replied just before the tall man began walking around her as he took further notes of her collar's construction. "No visible clamps or anything like that." The Dragonborn noted his findings out loud.
After making some initial observations, the Tamrielian healer had a few ideas in mind to tackle this new obstacle.
"This will take some time, but I have some theories..." Thorson said towards the young elf in front of him before turning towards Celestine and Alicia, who so far stayed quiet, not willing to provoke any ire from the High and Dark Elves near the Tamrielian.
"I'll handle this; can you tend to the rest?" Thorson asked both Alicia and Celestine. "The worst of the injured are stable for now, but there are still those who need some attention." The healer informed both 'Shield Princesses'. "Just give me a shout if you notice anything unusual, alright?"
Hearing the man's request, both blonde women looked at each other before giving the Nord a nod, after which they turned around to help an injured girl near them.
However, their backs received hateful glares from the gathered elves as they walked away, all except Elora and her daughter, who seemed indifferent in comparison.
The Nord noticed this and let out a fake cough to draw the elven women's attention towards him.
This seemed to have distracted the elves, as they were now focused on the tall Dragonborn. "How about I figure out how to free you all from those slave collars?" Thorson announced his intentions to the elven group. "It should not be all that difficult; I have a few methods that should do the trick," he informed the elves before turning his attention towards the silver-haired girl in front of him.
May I try something, miss?" Thorson calmly asked her. "I'll try to remove your collar with my Alteration magic."
The nervous young High Elf showed some hesitance before she swallowed her spit.
"You may..." she agreed meekly, hoping that the tall man in front of her wouldn't hurt her.
After hearing her permission, Thorson began gathering the needed magical energies within his hands. "Great Mother, don't let this be painful," the nervous High Elf prayed as she could feel the Dragonborn's potent magic from a distance.
Meanwhile, in the dungeons below Geofu, a chained, naked woman woke up from her broken sleep. "W-What happened?" she mumbled as the woman tried to focus.
The woman then shook her light-brown hair from her vision. "That earthquake, those roars... who's responsible for that?" Claudia wondered as she recalled the time her prison shook while she heard deafening shouts coming from outside.
"K-Klaus, my dear... I'm sorry..." the woman then whimpered as past memories began to flood her mind.
Claudia's thoughts quickly turned towards the man the brunette still held dear as tears began welling up in her eyes.
"I-I should have been stronger for you. I-I'm sorry for being so weak…" The broken woman blamed herself after seeing Klaus's face in her mind, filled with despair after seeing his wife succumb repeatedly to her father-in-law's repeated rape sessions.
A now-crying Claudia then looked down at her own broken body, stained with dried-up semen and sweat, as fear began to overtake her thoughts.
For the former 'Shield Princess' feared what her fate could be in the near future—to lose her sanity and the memories she still had of her dearest husband as her mind slowly eroded after each of Grave's depraved 'sessions'.
The crying woman then looked at her left hand, seeing her bruised ring finger that once held her wedding ring before it was forcibly removed by her father-in-law…
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, several of Geofu's citizens could hear an argument outside their homes in the merchant quarter.
As they looked outside, they could spot the dark forms of a woman and a man who were arguing next to a covered carriage. "How many times have I told you, never to use 'that' name when addressing me on Mundus!" a black-haired man hissed at his female accomplice.
The young woman could only wince after hearing her master's displeasure. "Understood, m-mas..." Radomira tried to acknowledge before being interrupted.
"And did you find anything new about Dagon's Dremora or that Sigil stone so far?" a now-impatient Sanguine inquired, "You do know we need to find that thing before those Dremora or Bal's followers do, else this 'party' won't last long!"
Sanguine's underling began shaking from her master's tone: "I-I... Well, no... I was held up by..."
The Daedric prince had heard enough: "You mean, you couldn't resist 'partaking' in the carnal activities around you?" A now displeased Sanguine harshly accused his underling.
The woman swallowed heavily as she could sense the change in her master's tone again. "No-No! My Lord, I-I..."
"This is the seventh time you slacked off this month!" Sanguine interrupted again, loudly reminding his underling of her past failures.
Radomira shook her head, not willing to fully admit her past mistakes. "N-No, my Lord! It was not that! I was...".
"There are better times to satisfy your libido!" Sanguine loudly chastised his underling. "We still have some big 'party-poopers' to deal with first!"
Sanguine then stepped forward while narrowing his eyes towards his underling. "I heard that the 'Mad One' does not like one of his servants going rogue." He began reminding his underling before his tone shifted, slowly intimidating and peeling away Radomira's prideful nature.
The purple-haired woman stiffened after hearing the Prince mention her former master, "Lord Sheo..." Radomira whispered faintly before looking towards her Daedric master, deciding to keep herself quiet so as to not further aggravate her master.
Seeing his subordinate's change in demeanor, Sanguine looked into his underling's eyes before he began to laugh. "What? You think 'he' will accept you back?"
Sanguine then shook his head after his brief laughter, "I'm not sure why the 'Mad One' even chose to spare you." the Prince said as he looked towards Nirn's largest moon in the night sky, "I swear, it's like he became softer after Dagon's failed invasion..."
The disguised Prince then looked back at Radomira, "Don't be mistaken! The 'Mad God' has punished traitors in the past," Sanguine reminded his servant. "Even those who once faithfully served him!"
Sanguine then let out a more sinister laugh that unnerved his underling. "And I can tell that the Mad One's methods for punishing traitors are considered to be..." Sanguine paused his threat before again narrowing his eyes, "'Unique' within the Daedric realms. If you catch my drift."
Radomira remained silent; her thoughts screamed not to believe her master's threatening words. "No, he wouldn't..." the woman faintly rebuked, loud enough for her master to hear parts of it. "I'm one of his Mazken. He wouldn't," the woman argued in return.
Sensing his servant's stubbornness, the disguised Prince of Debauchery moved closer to her. "Don't fool yourself; you are no 'Mazken'." Sanguine began debasing his servant, attempting to further sever Radomira's connection to her previous master: "Your fellow Mazken 'sisters' in Sheogorath's court won't accept you back after you also turned your back on them."
Sanguine's verbal humiliation of his subordinate did not stop. "You are not special in any way." The Prince continued reminding his servant, "You are nothing but a weak mortal, an outcast among your clan of succubi on Serenus."
Radomira's knees began to buckle after hearing the Prince's words; she didn't want to be reminded again of her past weaknesses and failures.
The Prince then gave his underling a look of dismissal before finishing his sentence. "A pathetic 'Tiefling' who couldn't keep up with her fellow brethren... A disappointment to her kind..."
Sanguine's servant dropped to her knees before turning her face away from the Prince. However, Radomira was swiftly forced to look back at her master as he roughly jerked her head.
The 'Prince of Debauchery' then looked down on his servant before pointing a single finger towards the woman's forehead. "All that power you gathered these past years in my service, I could easily strip it away from you, reverting you to your weak self." Sanguine threatened Radomira in a low voice.
Radomira's body became petrified after hearing the words Sanguine spoke.
After seeing his underling's reaction, Sanguine continued, "Until all that remains is a scared and weak creature that once begged the 'Mad God' for her pathetic life..."
The Prince then whispered in Radomira's ear as he spoke his last degrading words towards his underling. "After that, I would then return you to the Shivering Ilse's, where you would receive the needed 'tender care' from your Mazken 'sisters' and the master you once betrayed."
Sanguine got no reaction from his underling as Radomira remained petrified while her fearful eyes began to moisten from all the pressure. Seeing this, the Prince decided to end the verbal humiliation, feeling that he had made his point.
"So... keep serving me faithfully, and you will remain relevant on Serenus." The Prince of Debauchery warned the purple-haired succubus.
"And if you help me end our current 'situation', then I'll give you the chance to get your revenge on your own kind." Sanguine reminded his underling. "And after you spread my influence over these mortals, you can then freely bask yourself in endless carnal acts with the rest of the mortals as you desire."
The Prince then moved away from his succubi servant while giving Radomira a final warning. "Do you understand? Do not fail me again!"
As if a spell had been dispelled within Radomira's soul, the purple-haired succubus regained some measure of willpower to move her body again. "Y-Yes master S... Sall!" the succubus frantically nodded her head, acknowledging her Daedric master.
Hearing Radomira's response, the Daedric prince let out a breath. "Bah, I just sounded and acted like Clavicus that time. To be even using his methods, pathetic…" Sanguine criticized himself in disgust before looking back at his underling.
As Sanguine's Tiefling slowly stood up again, she heard a deep exhale coming from her master. "You said previously you were 'hold' up, right?" the Prince asked a now-anxious Radomira.
The purple-haired succubus nodded at her master. "A few days ago, I heard rumors that one of Bal's followers, a large ogre, found something unusual south of Geofu—something that may 'please' his 'master', from what I've heard," Radomira informed her master.
"But when I wanted to leave the city to search for this 'ogre', I was then ambushed outside the city."
"Black Dogs?" the Prince inquired further.
"Yes, Master. And there were also a few of Bal's demonic followers with them." Radomira answered more eagerly, attempting to appease the Daedric Prince by telling him everything she knew.
"Are you sure they were all Bal's followers?" Sanguine asked Radomira for further confirmation.
She nodded. "They had 'his' mark on their lower abdomens, master."
The Prince sighed, looking towards Nirn's night sky. "I told Vult and his group of knuckleheads multiple times not to disturb my endeavors here." A now-annoyed Sanguine commented. "And with Vult's recent screw-up with Olga's Dremora, we now not only have Bal's minions to worry about but also Dagon's..."
Sanguine then looked towards Radomira. "Perhaps 'Sall' should pay Vult a visit and... 'remind' the good 'emperor' that if he wants to keep his 'empire', he'd better cooperate with us."
Radomira stayed silent during her master's small tirade before she heard another question coming from him. "What about those who hindered you? Did you 'deal' with them 'accordingly'?" Sanguine asked his Tiefling underling.
Sensing a slight possibility of redeeming herself in her master's eyes, Radomira immediately replied. "Yes, Master Sall. I've drained them all and then properly disposed of their bodies."
"Did you learn anything from those 'demons' that followed Bal?" Sanguine asked further. "My guess is they did not know its location as well?"
Sanguine's succubus shook her head, answering Sanguine's question.
"And since I lost the previous trail, I decided to resume my usual 'duties' until I heard something worth investigating."
The Prince gave his succubus one last look before his face softened. "At least you dealt with them well enough." The Prince commented. "What we don't need now is more witnesses during our search."
For a moment, nothing was said until Radomira received her next order from the Daedric Prince: "You better investigate those 'rumors' you heard. And should you find that stone, summon me immediately." Sanguine said before he had a look around the city, noticing the lack of 'action' on this very night.
"It's too quiet around here," the Daedric Prince said, noting the lack of debauchery within the city. "Where are the late-night parties and orgies? Did everyone here run out of drinks? Or did someone die?"
Radomira looked at her master. "Y-You were not on Mundus? You did not hear it?"
Sanguine shook his head. "No. I had a busy week on Nirn and at several of my 'Groves', accommodating more of my devotees." The Daedric Prince of Revelry replied before looking straight at his underling. "So, what happened when I was away?"
"I-It all started a few hours ago," the purple-haired woman began. "The whole city began to shake after several loud shouts were heard in the air."
Radomira then momentarily looked to her left after hearing several drunk men leaving the nearby tavern. "Its citizens and the Black Dogs then began panicking before the shouting ceased." Radomira continued explaining the events she'd witnessed a few hours ago.
She then looked back at her master. "Now everyone within the city is scared, anxious, or fearful." The Tiefling sighed. "I think those shouts affected them mentally. demoralized them somehow..."
Sanguine looked towards his underling after hearing this news. "'Shouts'?" That shook the city?" a now curious Sanguine asked Radomira for further details. "What did these shouts sound like?"
Radomira looked upwards as she tried to recall the words she had heard. "I think I heard the words "Sunvaar, 'Dovahbrom', and something sounding like "Dovahkiin'."
Sanguine looked to be frozen, as his human body remained motionless after hearing his underling's last words.
"M-Master? What is wrong?" A now nervous Radomira asked, visibly worried after not hearing anything from her master, "Do you know who is responsible?"
"No, not him…" A spark of uneasiness began flaring up within the Daedric Prince's psyche. "Why is 'he' here?! How?!"
Seeing the gradual change in her master's demeanor, Radomira began to take a few steps back in fear, for she had seen this side of her master before, a side that rarely came out when someone or something messed up his hard work.
"Curse that mortal! First Bal, Dagon, and now 'him'?!" a now frustrated Sanguine exclaimed, surprising both Radomira, the nearby Black Dogs, and Geofu's citizens within their homes. "They won't crash this 'party' of mine!"
Sanguine's human hands began to ball up as a sense of doubt began creeping into the ancient being's soul. "No! Now it's my turn! Those two already had their 'fun' on Mundus!"
Dispelling the collar took several tries for the Dragonborn, as he first tried channeling green 'Alteration' energy through his hand to physically rip the collar's fabric apart.
However, Thorson's first attempt failed as his spell was repelled by the collar's enchantment, but after trying several other techniques, the Nord found the right spell that would do the trick—a particular spell that was part of an almost forgotten magical school on Skyrim named 'Mysticism.'
And after using the Mysticism spell named 'Dispel', the Dragonborn successfully disabled and removed the girl's slave collar, freeing the elf from her magical 'chains'.
The young elf then felt relieved after feeling her power return to her body. "T-Thank you, my Lord," she gratefully thanked the man. "I can already feel my power returning," the elf said as her hands began glowing.
"My pleasure," the man replied with a chuckle. "But as I've said before, there is no need to address me with such titles, really," Thorson repeated his previous statement before looking at the torn collar in his hands.
"I may be able to disenchant this and learn more about its effects," the Nord mused. "Its enchantment may prove useful..."
The High Elf had a faint blush on her face after hearing the man's humbleness. "As sister Elora mentioned before, I-I'll gladly assist you with my magic."
"Alright, see if you can help these people to the best of your abilities." The Nord healer instructed the elf. "Just don't take any unnecessary risks, alright?"
The elf took one last look at the human before giving him a small bow. "I'll do what you ask. My thanks, again," the grateful elf said before joining the other volunteers in their efforts.
As the young elven healer approached the humans who were tending to the injured, she first received questioning stares from several of them.
Fortunately, after she explained her intentions, the humans silently gave the High Elf a single nod, paying no further attention to her presence. After this, the healer began her work, healing the incapacitated Dark Elf nearest to her.
A few paces away, Thorson briefly observed the silver-haired elf's brief and tense exchange with Ken's human residents.
"She seemed to have regained the use of her magic rather quickly in comparison with Celestine." The Nord noted after seeing the elf's healing magic in action.
The man then looked towards the Dark and High Elven healers. "Now then, whose collar shall I remove?" an optimistic Thorson asked the elven women near him, showing them a confident smile. "Dispelling the rest of your collars should take less time now,"
The Nord's most recent deed broke the last traces of tension between him and the Serenian elves as the remaining healers eagerly approached the Dragonborn, all of them eager to be freed from their magical bondage and then repay the Dragonborn by assisting him with the remaining wounded.
Thus, with each elf freed from their collars, more injured received the needed care, thus lessening the burdens for the Nord healer.
The Dragonborn's recent deed did not escape the attention of the other elves, who remained in the background while observing the man's every move from a distance. And it did not take long before more of them approached their human savior, surrounding the lone man as he worked on dispelling another slave collar.
The man noticed that several of these new arrivals also wore the same kind of slave collar. But it was not only those with magical abilities who grouped around the Dragonborn; many among the non-adepts were also quite curious about this particular human who had helped them so far.
Thorson looked around him on instinct after feeling cornered by the large group of female elves. "All of them are staring at me," the Tamrielian observed nervously. For the Nord had not anticipated being surrounded by so many appealing, half-naked elves on this day. All stared intensely at him and watched his every move.
"Relax, they may be just curious or cautious," Thorson reassured himself, but a hint of doubt remained at the back of his mind as if his senses were warning him.
Following his instincts, Thorson quickly looked around him and saw that several Dark Elves were staring intensely at him, some even licking their lips.
"Lady Mara, have mercy..."
A now-uncomfortable Dragonborn then quickly forced himself to focus on the collar in front of him, trying to ignore the stares he received from all the elves around him.
Another stray thought then crossed his mind. "Now that I think about it, these elves all look quite different compared to their Tamrielian 'cousins'. Their ears, facial features, skin color, and body structure."
"Do these elves even come from the same ancient Aldmeri species?" The Nord wondered as he began listing possible answers.
The Nord then shook his head. "No, this is not the time," Thorson told himself before continuing his efforts to dispel the remaining slave collars. "Those are questions to ask later... I need to focus on my task now."
As Celestine and Alicia finished helping an injured Dark Elf, both 'Shield Princesses' were then approached by Aurelian and a couple of his men. "Lady Celestine, Lady Alicia," Aurelian addressed his superiors with a bow. "How are you two holding up?"
Celestine smiled at her remaining loyal knights. "I'm alright for the moment, Sergeant Aurelian," the former queen replied before looking towards her temple. "What about the imprisoned women? Have you settled them in?"
Aurelian nodded in response. "They are resting for the moment, watched over by several citizens and a few of my men." He informed Celestine. "And they appear to be in good health for the moment." Aurelian added before his eyes narrowed a bit, "Well, expect a few who began to scream in a panic when they woke up..."
Alicia's and Celestine's faces dropped a bit after hearing this. "Poor things…" Celestine pitied them out loud, while Alicia gripped her fists in anger.
Celestine then looked towards Aurelian. "And how are things within the city, Sergeant?"
"Not good, my Grace." Aurelian replied before he began informing both 'Shield Princesses' about their dire situation within the 'White Citadel'.
And so, the Dragonborn continued his work while being quietly observed by both Serenian Dark and High elves, who watched the humans' every move, some out of curiosity, while others were still wary of the man who freed them.
The silence that hung over the large group was then broken by a question from the Dark Elf, Elora. A single question that had been on every elf's mind ever since his sudden and violent arrival.
"Forgive me for asking, but... are you a god?" The Dark Elven mother nervously asked the Nord.
The young mother only received a faint laugh from the Tamrielian after hearing the Dark Elf's curious question, one the Dragonborn heard countless times during his travels on Tamriel.
"Am I a 'god'?" The Dragonborn repeated Elora's question with a noticeable smile on his face. "That's a question I've heard countless times during my travels around Tamriel."
"Tamriel?" several among the Eostian elves repeated the Dragonborn's last word, somewhat recognizing the Aldmeris language behind it.
"Dawn's Beauty? It truly exists?" a High Elf among the group then asked the Tamrielian, remembering hearing its name in several oral tales that were passed from generation to generation. A place that seemed to be a paradise compared to what they had to endure on Serenus.
Hearing this, the Serenian elves now focused their full attention on the man who saved them, their eyes shimmering in hope as they eagerly awaited Thorson's answers to their many questions.
Author's note: Another chapter is done as we near the end of this "arc" (day). The next chapter will feature Tamriel at the end, and things will pick up more from that point onward.
And before someone asks: Yes, I know Tamriel is not a true 'paradise' if you know its history. But compared to Serenus, it may as well be...
Before this, I checked and corrected previous chapters for several grammatical errors, all to make the story flow a bit better for readers. (I'm now using an external grammatical checker in conjunction with my text editor to 'double-check' my work to make sure everything is in order.)
I also added some extra lore and information in previous chapters. These changes I've added are not directly story-related.
They are mostly extra bits of lore for the elves and their past/current religion (chapter 4). I also added some extra world-building by referring to the continent of Serenus and the existence of other kingdoms within (all chapters in general) + correcting the names of several locations.
Anyways, many thanks to those who reviewed/favourite/followed/PM'ed me. And if you have any ideas or suggestions for this story, feel free to share them if you wish.
Note 1 - 12/06/2023 : Some guest reviewers have been spreading misinformation about the similarities between this story and another crossover story (also Kuroinu and TES).
Just be to be clear: no one stole any elements from each-other. For starters, both involved stories have quite unique story lines that use their religious deities in a different/unique way.
Secondly, certain parts like the 'Earth Mother' are common gods/spirits in past religions and creative (both games/movies and the like) and the risk that the same type of spirit are also used in fan-works still exists. (Another example are well known cliches and the like)
Me and the authors involved have discussed this issue and have decided not to further blame each-other for 'possible plagiarization'. And I've voluntarily decided to rename the 'Earth Mother' to the 'Great Mother' in this chapter. Since we still are talking about giants in the Kuroinu lore, so 'Great' is also a proper synonym.
Note 2 (05/01/2024): Made some grammatical corrections to this chapter (no change no story)