//------------------------------// // 38: Assault on Whiterun // Story: Sombra visits Skyrim // by Blackdrag-rose //------------------------------// Raika hated being shaken by others, especially when it was to be awaken. She was usually the first one awake after spending so much time learning to survive off the wild from the rest of her brothers and sisters in the Stormcloak army. They always enjoyed having someone keep a lookout while they were off in the wild, searching for some Imperial patrols that held the information they were looking for. Her family was no doubt waiting for her to return to Windhelm, unless they had started the war for Skyrim without her. Still, being shaken awake was something that see didn't enjoy. "I'm getting up," Raika moaned, her hand going to the back of her head as she looked up at the chamber they were in, "Oh yeah, the Soul Cairn and the Elder Scroll." The Soul Cairn, one of the most frightening places Raika had ever been in her entire live. A place where the souls of the damned wandered free, killing any trespassers that managed to enter their realm and constantly seeking a way out of their prison. Raika and her friends had opened a portal into the Soul Cairn, effectively giving the damned a way out of their prison so they could destroy Skyrim and all of Tamriel. Had the dragon Durnehviir not promised to stand guard over the portal Raika was sure that she would have woken up in Sovngarde, where she would have joined Rend and the other legends of old. Now she was back in Valerica's study, where they had found the portal to the Soul Cairn and had opened it, so they could follow Serana's mother in and retrieve the last Elder Scroll needed to stop the Tyranny of the Sun. To do that they needed to find Auriel's Bow, the location of which Raika hoped was in the Scroll they had just recovered, and then kill Lord Harkon. "Okay then," Raika said, getting onto her feet and looking at her friends, "Where to next?" "Well, I think we need to talk to that Moth Priest now that we have the third Scroll," Serana replied, crossing her arms while staring back at the portal, "Still, I wish she could have come with us." "Serana, your parents have issues," Raika commented, facing the vampire, "Your father wants to blacken the sun with a powerful bow and the blood of a Daughter of Coldharbour, which is flowing through your veins, so he can either kill or enslave everything in all of Tamriel. Your mother, on the other hand, sealed you and herself away to stop him, yet she doesn't seem to care much for mortals either. Besides, she's also a Daughter of Coldharbour and bringing her back with us would have given Harkon another card to play for enforcing his rule over everyone else. Maybe when we're done saving Tamriel from Harkon you can come back and get her out of the Soul Cairn." "Fine, lets just talk with the Moth Priest already," Serana sighed, accepting a temporary defeat as she beckoned to Sombra, "Just open a gateway back to Fort Dawnguard and let's get this over with." "First Sombra needs to release the fragments of our souls," Cadence spoke up, cutting through their bickering, "the I'd love to speak with Dexion and see what he says about Auriel's Bow." Sombra nodded and shattered the spell that had bound his sword to its sheath, allowing him to draw the blade and hold it out for all of them to see. His horn lit up for a moment and wrapped around the blade, separating his friends soul fragments that had been locked inside and allowing them to wield their full potential again. Once the deed was done he sheathed the blade and gave Cadence a small bow, to which she responded with small nod. "Now we can go," Cadence told the others, stepping back with the rest of the group so Sombra could do what he needed to. Sombra approached the bare wall and allowed the shadows to gather around the head of his scythe, fully intending to rip a gateway in the wall that he could seal once they were all through. He swung the scythe and a gash of darkness appeared on the wall, growing in size and width until the familiar sight of his gateway had appeared. Once the gateway was stabilized he stepped out of the way and beckoned for the others to proceed, Raika marching through the shadows without delay. The rest of them followed shortly after, though Sombra made sure that nothing came out of the Soul Cairn's portal before stepping through the gateway. ------------------------------- Raika and her friends found themselves inside Fort Dawnguard. Not the area they usually used when traveling through Sombra's Shadow Gates, but inside the fort's meeting area. They had, unintentionally, freaked out several of the Dawnguard's soldiers and caused Isran to growl at them as they approached his table. Before Raika could even say anything he held a letter out for her to take, which she did with a slight frown on her face. "I don't know how your master found us, but he wants you back," Isran said, glaring at her as if she was a mere soldier and not the Dragonborn, "Apparently the war between the Imperial Legion and the Stormcloaks has finally reached the boiling point that everyone has been waiting for, as Jarl Balgruuf has called for the aid of General Tullius to defend his hold. Ulfric appears to be waiting before he commands his army to leave their capital. Unfortunately this means that we cannot hunt the vampires without being caught in the crossfire, so you are free to do what you will until Whiterun calms down." "Finally," Serana commented, crossing her arms yet again, "the war of succession has started at last." "And take the filthy vampire with you," Isran moaned, not wanting to deal with her at that moment, "otherwise we might carve her up and put her out of her misery." "Oh bite me," Serana said, flashing her fangs at him. "Let's just get out of here," Raika said, turning to Sombra as he sliced open another gateway into the wall, "That's never going to stop freaking me out though." Sombra let his friends travel through the gateway, keeping watch on it while making sure that the Dawnguard's soldiers, especially Isran, stayed where they were sitting. Once they were through he stepped into the shadows and disappeared, following the others towards Windhelm. ------------------------------- "Lord Ulfric," one of the Stormcloak soldiers said, saluting his leader before making his report, "Jarl Balgruuf has called on the aid of the Imperial Legion to defend Whiterun, but our soldiers are ready to face them. We have also been on the lookout for Raika Snow-Heart, but our scouts have not been able to pinpoint her exact location." He would have said more, but as he was about to a mass of swirling darkness opened in the wall to their right, causing him to stop what he was doing and draw his weapon in case an enemy had come to assassinate the Jarl. What emerged though was a woman dressed up in really old clothes, a women wearing the robes of an Archmage, a woman with a long horn and a pair of wings, an argonian wearing a black robe, and the khajiit he had mentioned. Before the swirling darkness vanished a nord stepped out of it, wearing steel armor, a lush red cape, an iron crown, and carried a strange evil looking weapon. "Raika Snow-Heart reporting for duty," Raika declared, not waiting for her friends to recover from the ride. "Ah Raika, good that you came back," Ulfric said, staring down from his stone throne, "No doubt you have heard that we're making our way to Whiterun to take it back. Our army is almost ready to leave for Whiterun, though I had hoped that the legendary Dragonborn would have returned and graced us with her presence. Tell me though, is the World-Eater dead?" "Alduin has been slain," Raika replied, not wanting to go into detail about the experience. "Good, you have done Skyrim a service we shall not forget," Ulfric said, rising to his full height, "but now we shall strike out at Whiterun and take her back. If we are lucky we can get our army to Whiterun in two or three days, with some amount of rest, but I have prayed to the Divines for a faster method besides just walking there." "How big is this army of yours?" Ulfric looked past Raika and stared at the nord who was dressed up like a ruler and had a red curved horn on top of his head, shadows rolling off of him that made him recall a tale one of his soldiers had mentioned to him. A tale that spoke of a nord whose power over the shadows could summon giant pillars of crystal, resurrect massive amounts of the undead, and could apparently travel across Skyrim in an instant. A nord whose powers had destroyed both the Dark Brotherhood and the Thieves Guild, both powerful organizations in their own rights. A nord whose power and cold personality had learned him one of the most fear inducing titles that anyone in Tamriel had been given in such a long time. "The King of Shadows," Ulfric breathed, not sure whether or not he was hear to help or hinder them, "Your friends with the King of Shadows?!" "More than just him," Raika replied, pointing back to the rest of her friends, "I'm friends with the Archmage of Winterhold, the Equestrian Princesses of the Sun, the Moon, Love, and Magic, a Daughter of Coldharbour, the Hero of Kvatch, and the Divine Crusader." "And just how many of those are willing to help us?" Ulfric asked, curious as to how one of his soldiers knew so many legends, even those he didn't know. "Only Sombra," Raika answered, "Princess Celestia doesn't want her subjects involved with our civil war and Serana would rather watch the war rage on without lifting a finger. Well, I'm not completely sure about Sombra, but he's the best I can offer." "Fine," Ulfric sighed, turning back to Sombra, "I have about two hundred soldiers waiting outside Windhelm's gates, waiting for the order to begin the march towards our camp in Whiterun. As I said, I'd love to get them there in about a minute or two, but no such magic exists in all of Skyrim. What could you offer me?" "Instant transportation," Sombra replied, "With an elaborate spell I could summon a large Shadow Gate capable of moving a small army over large distances. I haven't used this spell in over a thousand years, but I remember it as if I had used it yesterday and would be able to cast it within a few minutes. That is, if you are willing to trust me." Ulfric looked at Raika and wondered if he should really be trusting the nord that had nearly destroyed Whiterun a few days ago, before something had stopped him. From the tales he had heard he had stopped himself before wasting the city, though there had been mention of a powerful woman with him at the time. "Fine," Ulfric said, glaring down at him, "I will trust you to summon a gateway for my soldiers to travel through, but if you betray our trust the whole of Skyrim will come after you." Sombra nodded and followed Jarl Ulfric as he led the group out of the palace, down the street, through the main gates, and across the bridge before they even saw the army. Sure enough Sombra could tell that there were nearly two hundred soldiers, close to what the Jarl had told him, and once they got close he let the shadows find the best spot to place the gateway. He separated from the group and circled around the army, eying them all before he stopped at the head of the army, where the shadows promised the best location for his spell to take place. He gripped the scythe and channeled the shadows into it, his mind forming the spell that the scythe would perform the moment that he swung it. Once the spell was ready he spun around, faced the open area, and swung the scythe, the darkness cutting through the air and opening a giant gash in front of them. The shadows gripped the sides of the gash almost immediately, pulling at it until the opening was stretched so wide that it could fit the entire army inside it. After a brief moment the gateway stabilized, so Sombra beckoned to Jarl Ulfric and the order was given to the soldiers, who began to march into the large Shadow Gate. "This reminds me of the Oblivion Gates," Shadow commented as he watched his friends enter the gate, "only we're transporting soldiers instead of the Daedra." Raika sighed as she entered yet another gateway, wondering when this terrible day was going to end. ------------------------------- They appeared near the farm area that rested before the gates of Whiterun, where they found the army preparing the siege weapons that had been placed a day ago. Raika had to admit that the Stormcloaks were fast at preparing for war, which was saying something. Cadence tapped Sombra's shoulder and whispered something in his ear, followed by a smaller gateway being opened and the rest of their group disappearing to some unknown location. "Remember the bandit leader of White River Watch?" Sombra asked, closing both the smaller gate and the larger gate. "Yeah," Raika said, wondering what he was talking about, "what about him?" "Our friends are up there watching," Sombra said, pointing back at the watch before walking towards the front lines, "Now, let's see if Jarl Balgruuf will surrender without any bloodsh..." That was before an arrow flew through the air and impaled one of the soldiers behind Sombra right in the chest, knocking him off his feet and hitting the ground dead. The Stormcloaks, now aware that the enemy had killed one of their own, drew their weapons and loosed the siege weapons, rocks flying towards the city. Sombra sighed and followed Raika towards the fight, knowing they wouldn't stop until the Jarl surrendered to them. "Oh man, did you see that?" a guard said, nocking another arrow, "I took that guy down without him even seeing it coming." "Yeah, and you started the war," the second guard moaned, watching the soldiers coming their way before noticing someone different walking amongst them, "Sweet Divines, the King of Shadows is coming!" Sombra walked at the front of the line for a while, shadows wrapping around him as he approached the first barricade and tore the thing to pieces with ease. A guard ran up to him and attacked, but he was cut down and his soul was taken without delay. The moment the guard fell chaos exploded all around him, the Stormcloaks rushing past him and colliding with the Imperials, soldiers dying left and right. Raika joined the fight not a few moments later, her swords taking an enemy down before moving on, but she continued to be surprised by Sombra's combat ability. Equestrians, she noted, were well versed in battle and rarely hesitated. Guards ran from Sombra, least their souls be add to the collection his scythe was harvesting, but several of those that did run were slain by Raika and her brothers and sisters. Raika had to admit that having the guards already fear Sombra was making the beginning battle much easier for their side, though when they reached the drawbridge she noticed him step onto the upper walkway. The two guards that were up there swung their weapons at him, but he spun around and severed one's head before the scythe pierced the others chest. As their souls were sucked into the blade Sombra pulled down the lever and the drawbridge came down, allowing the army to spill into the city. By the time Raika got into the city her brothers and sisters were already at the market place, hacking at the city's guards and their barricades before moving into the housing area. Here she was, the Dragonborn of legend, being out shined by literally everyone and everypony she had come to know in the last week or two. It irritated her to no end that she was apparently one of the weakest warriors in Tamriel, if she was being outdone by her brothers and sisters. She refused to be forgotten and pushed onward, until she heard the roar of a dragon as it flew right over the city and was ignored by the warring sides. Literally, they ignored the dragon and continued fighting amongst themselves, leaving her to deal with a dragon that would own everyone else. Before she could even consider how to deal with it Sombra appeared behind her, grabbed her shoulder, and they appeared on the dragons back. Raika yelled with all her might and drove her blades into the dragons wings, pinning them to his sides and causing him to fall right out of the sky. Sombra got them to the ground without any injury, though the dragon crashed into the opening of Whiterun and scared every soldier that was around them. Raika approached the dragon and tore her swords out, spinning them around before planting both of them into its skull not a few seconds later. Even as the dragon died she heard a second roar, causing her to look into the sky and noticed another dragon, even larger than the one she had just killed, floating there. She moaned and yanked her swords out of the fallen beast, before running at the open area and leaping right into the open air as if she could reach the dragon with ease. A crystal spike shot out of the ground, forming a walkway for her to take until she was right at the dragons chest and threw a sword right into the heart area. The dragon roared and took off, flames spewing everywhere as she held on tight to the sword and drove the second one into the beasts head. The dragon struggled against her might, but it eventually turned around and hit the ground hard, its body breaking apart before she managed to collect two souls. "You okay?" Sombra asked, appearing behind her again. "Not really," Raika replied, beckoning to the burning corpse, "two dragons in the same five minute period. Killing the both of them in mid air and traveling through your Shadows. Seriously, I'm starting to wonder if I haven't already gone insane." "Well, back to the fight with you," Sombra commented, taking them into Dragonsreach and making the Jarl jump in surprise. "I should have known you were a Stormcloak traitor," Jarl Balgruuf shouted, drawing his sword as he approached Raika, "I will have you put down like the dog you are." "Racist," Raika spat, walking up the the wooden throne while she ranted, "First off, you should have known where my allegiances were, because I told you of them the FIRST time I ever meet you and your lovely, but terribly annoying, guards. And second, I'm a KHAJIIT, not a blasted ignorant dog. I mean seriously, I know that most nords in Skyrim hate the khajiits for being thieves and assassins, but I am not like the rest of my kind and would like you to take me seriously for once." "Skyrim belongs to the Nords!" Balgruuf shouted, before Raika disarmed his weapons and held a sword to his throat. "To Oblivion with your soul," Raika spat, pushing him onto his back, "Whiterun belongs to the Stormcloaks now." She had seriously hoped that Balgruuf would have put up a fight, but instead he was easy to beat and it annoyed Raika even more than already was. At least the fight was over and she could move on to dealing with the vampire threat again.