//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: The Elder Scrolls IV: The Equestrian Crisis // by Elmaster48 //------------------------------// Has been a month since I defeated Jyggalag and mantled the title of the Daedric Prince of madness. A month has passed since then, I protected the isles from dangers coming from outside and inside the realm. To think some time ago I was rotting in the Imperial City, being taunted by an annoying dunmer on how I was going to be executed that night. How much time has passed since then? For me looks like an eternity but for everyone… a year I think. Has been a year since Uriel Septim freed me from prison, almost a year since I helped solve the oblivion crisis, even if that cost martin his… well it was his sacrifice, his choice. Is what he and the Nine wanted and I should not judge. Still I had more adventures that i care to remember, good thing I keep a dairy. I still can’t believe that I would be proclaimed the successor of Pelinal Whiestrake, or that I would go into oblivion once more… Do I really become Sheogorath? Or is simply a delusion and the true Sheogorath is laughing somewhere? Either way I expend enough time at the shivering isles. If is true what Haskill told me yesterday, that now that I’m a daedric prince that means my power in Tamriel is limited, and eventually i would only be able to enter mundus under specific conditions, but for now i still have my ¨mortal shell¨ so I can enter without much restrictions aside for reduced power. In another hand if all of this is a machination of sheogorath… I think if I can go out of the shivering isles and go back to Tamriel I can find a cure for whatever affliction he casted on me. I think Elsweyr has a strong presence of Sheogorath cultist, maybe there i could find a cure or my doom. Either way a last adventure before my final fate could not be bad, but first I should go and visit my old friend Ocato… well we are not so close but he named me ¨champion of cyrodill¨ and maybe he can send me pointers, by the nine maybe if I survive this he can send me to solve problems in other parts of the continent, I almost feel like I only step foot on cyrodill… I crossed the portal out of the isles, I arrived… on that cursed island, why Sheogorath put that island with the pathway to his realm? Does he like swimmers? I guess he likes islands, which would explain why his realm is an island. Or does he love ships crashing in the coast for trying to avoid crashing on his island? Because the news about the huge amounts of ships destroyed nearby were the reason I became aware of the island with the portal in the first place, I’m surprised neither the guilds or the imperial legion didn’t blew up this floating junk. Either way I tried to speak with that guard that was still taking note who enters and exits. ¨Stay away from me. You've already spent too much time... over there¨ I would be offended for his rudeness… but I think he is right, a month in a daedric realm is too much for many, and I might be a madmad… or a daedric prince. I swim back to the continent, I would think that these nice clothes similar to the ones of Sheogorath would be ruined, but it wasn’t the case, I guess daedra get the best toys. I just hope Shadowmere still recognizes me… I whistle for him… And waited… And waited… And wai… oh he is back. I mounted Shafowmere and parted to the imperial city. Maybe in a day I will get there. Well it took less than I expected, 12 hours. I guess could be because no bandit or bear attack me on the way, but why? The imperial legion finally protects the roads? Or all the bandits and wild animals went to Skyrim? Either way just then I was close to the imperial city, by a few kilometers i find a big group of people, too big and disorganized to be merchants, those people are… refugees? what they were fleeing? I got close to them and then I got off the horse. I ask them what was happening, what they were they fleeing ¨are you blind? Watch at the sky, the divines abandoned us¨ What? I mean I know weather can be nasty this part of the year but can be that ba- ¨BY THE NINE¨ I screamed at the top of my lungs. Hey, I’m someone that keeps calm even in extreme circumstances, but this completely took me off guard, A WORLD IN THE SKY? HOW? HOW? HOW? Is extremely close, so damn close. I think is closer to Nirn that the moons. I can see clearly a continent, now I see why these villagers are so scared, now i feel like the king of idiots for not noticing it before. I calm myself and process the situation. Looks like Tamriel is facing another crisis, how this is possible and what being caused this is unclear. But what is clear is that these refugees were fleeing their homes in the belief that if any forced tried to attack Tamriel a walled city would be safer than a defenseless settlement. I offered my help but they said that they were going to Bruma. They know the walls of the city could defend them, I guess the imperial city is still not recovered from the attack of Mehrunes Dagon, either that or people no longer trust their defenses. I decided to go with them, if any group of bandits or monsters decided to attack these refuges they would had to go through me… yeah being the hero and help people can really consume my time... And it did, it took us more than 9 hours of walking, I was sleepy and completely tired but we finally got to Bruma, I walked into the palace talked with the countess, she promised me to take care of the refugees. I told them the good news and parted from the city, but before I could get to the gates and mount Shadowmere a child run towards me and told me this: ¨thank you, you really deserve your title of champion of cyrodill¨ he said that with an innocent smile. It was worth it to take so much time watching over those refugees? Yes, remembering the faces and smiles of the people I saved make everything worth it. It was a god idea to depart while I was so tired sleepy I could barely think straight? Nope. I should have stayed in Bruma. It has been almost a day since I slept and I’m too tired. But I can lament later, either I fall to sleep while riding Shadowmere or get into the imperial city and get some rest. I’m getting closer to the imperial city, I guess the lack of sleep is finally getting the best of me or… the affliction of Sheogorath was taking his effect, because I saw a pillar of lighting coming from the… world that was in the sky, right in the middle of the road, could be simply an hallucination… but if its real I can’t take chances on any threat that thing could pose. I decided to move alongside Shadowmere out of the road, close to some trees. I got off the horse to get closer without being seen. If any creature just got to Tamriel thou that light i can take them with a surprise attack and kill them quickly before they can flee. Wait… are those… horses? No, the 2 of them have horns so I guess those 2 are unicorns. 2 purple unicorns… and one have wings? Neither helps that the shape of their heads is weird, and they are smaller than normal horses, they are the size of ponies. Still they have horns so they are unicorns despite their weird heads and big eyes. Okay I hunted a unicorn before. That one was supposed to be the last one in cyrodill, hircine is behind this? I know of the great hunt but the last great hunt was not long ago and for what I know his great hunt causes the moon to get red he doesn’t summon entire world. Maybe they don’t serve hircine… but still something bothers me… after Martin sacrifice no longer daedra could invade this realm, the only reason why Sheogorath could summon that cursed island was because it was not a direct threat… the people dying in shipwrecks were indirect deaths, abusing some loophole. So I guess that doesn’t count, which means maybe Peryite still can bring plagues into Tamriel… Okay enough overthinking, i never used wabbajack in combat before, I know it has unpredictable effects, but it could be amusing, if doesn’t kill them I simply blast those filthy Daedric unicorns away. I run towards them, they saw me. But before any of them could react I make the first shot. The ball of energy touched the winged one… and I was blinded, didn’t take much time before I could see again but wait a minute… what? what? WHAT? What it happen? Why I can’t feel my fingers? And where are my clothes? Why my head feels so heavy? By the divines… my body is right there? I can see it, but I’m here. ¨Twilight? Are you alright? The creature fall unconscious, don’t worry I can take care of him¨ She is speaking to me like she knew me, calling me Twilight… did me and that purple winged unicorn just switched bodies? Cursed Wabbajack, then all of this is over I will trade you away for cheap wine. Now, I guess this unicorn was called Twilight or something, does she works for nocturnal? That explains why they are purple. Maybe if I use the Wabbajack i could switch back… of course the problem would be getting at the staff… or handling it. Fortunately the other unicorn was so rash that run directly towards that Twilight or wherever is called, I was hoping I could sneak towards the Wabbajack and re cast the spell. The poor Twilight was being levitated and made spin in circles, screaming in confusion at the whole ordeal, it would be funny if not for the fact that thing was in my body… and then spoke ¨Starlight it’s me, me Twilight. Look at him, look how he walks!¨ Yeah, because of instinct I was trying to walk on 2 legs, not my best moment. I was unable to walk properly and gave away what happen. I didn’t even get to the Wabbajack before that unicorn than I guess is called Starlight turned its attention on me and well… one thing is sure. Even in this body I can still feel pain, fortunately the attack wasn’t lethal but unfortunately leave me unconscious. Yeah, one thing is sure about all of this: I should have stayed in Bruma and get some rest instead of going directly towards the Imperial City.