//------------------------------// // 16: Taking Back the Fringe // Story: Nightmare Moon Crashes the Oblivion Crisis // by Blackdrag-rose //------------------------------// Now that Pandora and her friends knew about the coming invasion they were prepared to show Jyggalag's Knights just how strong the will of Sheogorath really was. As they left New Sheoth they were hailed by the Dark Seducers that guarded the city, mostly because of their services with recovering the Flame of Agnon and disposing of Lady Syl. They ran with a spring in their step, or the wind at their backs as Nightmare flew overhead to watch out for enemy scouts, and retraced their steps to the Gates of Madness. They were surprised to find that none of the Knights had passed through the Gates at all, which meant that they were more focused on the Fringe and not anything else. Nightmare had to wonder how the Knights bypassed the Gates and entered the Isles in that dungeon they activated the trap for, though she figured that Sheogorath would tell them when they needed to know. When they passed through the Gates they found that the sky was a dull grey, the plants that lined the roads seemed dead, and dozens of crystals were growing out of the ground. It was clear that the Knights of Order were operating in the Fringe, though now that they were here they were prepared to bring the fight to them. Pandora walked down the road that led to the small town, her companions following behind her with their weapons drawn, waiting for any enemies to come at them. Eventually the trio reached Passwall, finding a small group of Dark Seducers waiting for them, most of them having their weapons drawn as their commander had her's sheathed, as if she was awaiting something or someone. The moment the commander laid eyes on Pandora she seemed to relax a little bit, though her expression remained neutral as they came to a stop in front of her. "Your Grace, the situation is grim." the commanded said, bowing her head to Pandora a bit, "Passwall is under attack. We are outmatched and outnumbered. Last night, as dusk fell, the spire at the center of town became active. Soon after, the area around it began to crystallize and change. It wasn't long after that the Knights came." Pandora glanced at the spire that the commander of speaking of, recalling that the last time she had been in Passwall the spire had been dormant, though she never would have guessed it had a much sinister purpose. "It appears to be a source of power for these invaders." the commander continued, angrily shaking her head a bit, "A... portal, or some sort of gate. I don't know. If we cannot disable or destroy it somehow, I do not think that we can stop this invasion. I do have an idea how we might be able to stop them, but for now our primary concern must be our survival. I've been losing Mazken with each attack, and I'm down to nothing but men. We are pinned down here. If we lose, the Gates of Madness will fall. If the gates fall, the enemy will flood into the Isles. We will be helpless to stop them. Now that you've arrived, perhaps we can slow them down." "Let me guess," Luna commented, feeling the magic in the air, "we need to find the source of power for the spire and shut it down?" "Not yet...we must defend ourselves," the commander said, as if feeling another wave of enemies coming their way, "Even though I have served with these Mazken for decades, as the Duchess of Dementia, it is your right to command the troops. Command them if you will, or leave it to me. Either way, make haste. Our time is short." "I leave the command to you," Pandora said, pulling her bow out and selecting an arrow, "We'll help you stem their numbers and then we can discuss what our next course of action." "I thank you for your trust." the commander replied, bowing her head slightly, "In your name and for the sake of the Shivering Isles, I shall not disappoint you. MAZKEN! Form up! For the sake of your sorry male hides, move! MOVE! Are you prepared for battle, Your Grace?" Before Pandora could reply she spotted several crystalline soldiers coming their way, marching in a square formation with their swords drawn as they came to Passwall. Behind the first group were two more squads, though she didn't need any more encouragement as she pulled an arrow out, pulled the bow string back, and loosed the arrow into an enemy's chest. The Knights broke rank and charged at the Mazken, clashing with those who bared their shields and immediately gained the upper hand, as there were twice as many Knights as there were defenders. Nightmare burst into the air and landed at the back of the Knights' army, swinging her battleaxe and taking some of them down in the first swing. The Knights at the back noticed that she was there, killing their allies, so they turned around and came at her, forcing her to block the barrage of attacks while thinking of a plan. She spun her battleaxe, ripping her enemies weapons from their hands and discarding them around her, before crashing it into one of the Knights chest. As she felled the first enemy she immediately moved on, smashing the crystalline armor that the Knights wore while trying to make them think twice about their assault. Luna, seeing her alter ego fight behind enemy lines, called her magic to her and struck one of the Knights with a bolt of lightning, causing its armor to explode on impact. Several of the Knights noticed her and came at her, but she waved her finger at them before throwing a fireball at them, which exploded when it hit the targeted Knight and spread to the others that were coming her way. One Knight, not caring for the flames that were eating at him, charged at her and swung his weapon, but Luna moved to the side and pulled her sword out, piercing the Knight's chest with ease. The three of them fought along side the Mazken for over an hour, but just as the commander was about to give up she noticed that no more Knights were coming...for the moment. "Victory is ours... for the moment." the commander said, just as the three of them approached her once more, "We must discuss our next move. The spire is obviously their source of power. This battle will not end until we find a way to shut it down. I am not certain how we are supposed to do so. But do not lose heart, I have an idea. The ruins of Xeddefen run under Passwall. The entrance to the south of the town has been sealed for centuries.One of my scouts reported that the ruins have been opened recently and a number of these Knights are now guarding the entrance. If we attempt to assault Xeddefen, Passwall will be overrun and we will lose the Fringe.Additionally, our forces are dangerously thin. We have no idea what opposition may await us inside. A frontal assault is not an option." "Then we shall enter Xeddefen and destroy the spire's source of power," Pandora exclaimed, much to the surprise of the commander, "Which leaves you in charge of the defense, so that our enemy will be blinded to what we are doing." "Your insight is impressive." the commander commented, clearing showing the surprise in her voice while revealing nothing with her neutral expression, "While we draw their attention here, you should be able to slip inside Xeddefen. Once inside, search for the source of the Spire's power. It must be underground somewhere. Once you find it, destroy it. Good luck, Your Grace. May the voice of the hidden guide you to the way." Pandora nodded and left Passwall, heading down the path they had entered when she and her companions had first entered the Shivering Isles, only this time they made a point to stop at the ruins near the portal to Cyrodiil. Once they reached the ruins they found a number of Knights patrolling the entrance to the ruins underground, though they were prepared for a fight. Pandora loosed an arrow and surprised one of their enemies, knocking it to the ground while the other four zeroed in on her location, completely blind to what was happening around them. Nightmare landed behind them and swung her battleaxe, cutting two of them down in an instant before she needed to parry the attack of the third one. Luna stepped out of the shadows and summoned more lightning, sending out two bolts that shattered the armor of the remaining Knights, slaying them immediately. "Is it just me, or are these Knights weak?" Nightmare asked, as they approached the doorway that would take them underground, "I mean, one lightning bolt is enough to shatter their armor and kill them before they have a chance to defend themselves." "Oh, they're a force to be reckoned with when they're part of an army," Luna commented, recalling how hard she and Nightmare had to fight to save Passwall earlier, "but something tells me that Jyggalag will be ten, if not twenty, times stronger than his Knights. He is, after all, a Daedric Prince of Oblivion, so it is wise that we don't underestimate him or his Knights." The moment they entered Xeddefen they continued forward, not bothering to turn left because Pandora had the feeling that there was a key they would need to progress further in this dungeon. Sure enough they found an enemy, one that was wearing a robe that marked it as a priest, patrolling the area, though the moment it spotted them it sounded the alarm. Pandora made sure that it was silenced in seconds, as her arrow tore through where she assumed its head was located and knocked it to the floor. As the Knights entered the chamber Nightmare and Luna were on top of them, battleaxe and magic arching towards the enemy before cutting them down. Pandora knew they would never admit it, but the two Princesses of the Night were acting as if they were a team and hadn't tried to kill each other before they had gotten the Flame of Agnon. She suspected that, once they had been reminded that if one of them died the other would share the same fate, they had silently agreed to put aside their anger for each other and work together. She had absolutely no idea how long their partnership would last before they were at each others throats again, but she was fine with what they were currently doing. She picked up the key and followed them around the corner, where they found the locked door that she had expected to find and unlocked it with the key. Once they had opened the door they immediately pressed on, finding that there was another large group of Knights, and a Priest or two, waiting in the area below them. The two Priests spotted them and called out for the Knights to attack, though the trio was prepared for anything and everything that could be thrown at them. The Knights charged up the stairs with their swords drawn, but Luna arched her arm back and then swung, releasing a path of lightning that traveled down the stairs and came into contact with almost every Knight. Those that were hit fell to the floor, their armor cracked or shattered, while the few remaining Knights were picked off by Nightmare's battleaxe. The two Priests, turning around so they could flee, were pinned to the ground not moments later, as Pandora would not have them run away from them. They then reached a crossroad, where they could choose to head down a path on their left or head towards the door that the Priests were heading towards. Pandora suspected that the front door was a trap, designed to go off the moment that someone not sided with Jyggalag stepped on it, but changed her mind once Luna revealed that the true trap was actually on the side path. She was continuing to be amazed by the abilities that the two Princesses possessed, knowing that they could very well stand up to Jyggalag on their own, provided that Sheogorath gave them back the other half of their powers. The next area had them come out at yet another intersection, though Luna mentioned that they might be able to recon the area from the right turn. They quietly walked along the path until they came to a bridge that overlooked what appeared to be the central area of this part of the ruins, much like Luna had said it would. From their vantage point they discovered another large force of Knights patrolling the, with one Priest among them, only to discover there was a much larger Knight waiting before a door that they assumed would led them deeper into the dungeon. "Oh, they left a brute down here," Nightmare commented, eyeing the two handed sword the Knight carried, "should be fun when we get around to fighting it." Instead of dropping down and taking them by surprise Pandora led the group back the way they came, turning down the path they had elected not to take. From there they started their assault, cutting down Knights that stood in their way, throwing them into the walls with magic, and putting them down before they had any chance at fleeing. It was times like this that Pandora wondered how difficult all of this would have been without Luna helping her, or how difficult it would be with Nightmare constantly fighting by her side. Whatever forces were responsible for ripping Nightmare out of her prison and dropping her in Cyrodiil, just when heroes were needed more than ever, Pandora made a note to personally thank whoever was behind it for giving them such a warrior. Eventually they reached where the brute was standing, as if it didn't care that they had slaughtered its allies and was content to protect the door it was standing in front of. "You... shall go... no further," the Knight suddenly said, its voice sounding like it was a scratch on a crystal's surface and causing them to stop in their tracks, "Madness... stays... only Order... may pass..." Nightmare beckoned for the others to wait by the door they had entered the chamber through before pulling her battleaxe out once more, wondering how the Knight would react to a challenge. She was also curious as to how this one could speak, seeing how the others were husks that did whatever they were told, much less how it could sound like a male's voice. "Then I shall force my way passed you," Nightmare exclaimed, swinging her battleaxe at the Knight, only to find that he was as fast as she was and yanked his sword out, blocking her attack. As she made the motions to pull back the Knight sensed the change and copied her, resulting in the two of them jumping back just a bit and staring at each other. Nightmare leapt forward and brought her battleaxe down on the Knight, who moved to the left and let the head of her weapon bury itself in the floor. Before she had a chance to move the Knight kicked her in the chest, separating her from her weapon, though she used her wings to prevent herself from hitting the wall. She had to admit it, but this brute was actually much tougher than the previous Knights she had fought, which both excited her and made her worry. The Knight lifted his blade and came at her, but she decided to pull his own move on him and rolled out of the way at the last second, letting his sword become buried in the wall. "Who needs... a sword... when... I have... these...?" the Knight asked, letting go of his sword before sharp spikes grew out of his hands, much to Nightmare's annoyance. The Knight swung at her again, though this time she rolled back to the wall the sword was buried in and pulled herself up, wrapping her hands around the handle and starting to tug on it. Before the Knight could turn and continue his assault Nightmare pulled the blade free and then turned it on its former master, catching his spiked hands before they could touch her. She pushed the Knight back and brought the sword down hard on his wrists, severing his hands in one swift motion before kicking him backwards. As the Knight stumbled backwards she planted the sword in his chest, which clearly wouldn't be enough this time, before she returned to her battleaxe, pulled it out of the floor, and swung it at the Knight. The power behind the attack was enough to cleave the Knight's body in two, starting at his left hip and going all the way across to his right shoulder. "Amazing," Pandora breathed, completely amazed by how well Nightmare handled the Knight, "He was definitely much stronger than the last three or four dozen we've fought." "Yes, and I should not have underestimated him," Nightmare responded, taking the Knight's two handed sword as a trophy of sorts, "but we really should destroy whatever is powering that spire in Passwall." Pandora nodded and the trio entered the door that the Knight had been guarding, finding that they had arrived on some form of balcony that overlooked a large dull crystal, one that hummed with energy. It was kind of strange, as she recalled seeing the same crystal structure in Xedilian, though it didn't produce an army of Knights that wanted to destroy the Isles. Before they could get any further a side passage opened up, revealing the Mayor of Passwall, who seemed quite pleased to find them down here. "It's... it's you three!" the mayor said, recognizing them, "I remember you. What are you doing down here? How did you get past the Knights? When they attacked, I ran from Passwall. They didn't say a word, they just started killing! The screams! By the staff, you can't imagine the screams! Felas and I slipped down here thinking that we'd be safe. But, no! We landed right in the middle of them! Felas ran off with them and left me to die! Me! That ingrate! Disloyal cur! Imagine, leaving me here all alone! And I didn't say they took him -- he went with them! I've heard his voice a few times around here. I think... I think he joined them!" "Look, just stay behind us and we'll get out of this together," Pandora replied, shaking her head as they made their way down the passage, now heavy one annoying mayor. When they reached the crystal's chamber the Knights took a moment to realize they were there, as several of them fell to Nightmare the moment they entered the area. Pandora stood back near the stairs, loosing arrows her chosen enemies, while the mayor grabbed a fallen weapon and started hacking at whoever wasn't being targeted. Luna, on the other hand, called lightning to the battle as she blasted several of the Knights in the chest, but as she did so she started taking the intact hearts from their enemies. While Nightmare worked Luna moved to the active crystal and placed three hearts into it, as if she were placing them into open slots, and prayed that her idea worked. A moment passed, where three more Knights emerged and then swiftly died, before the crystal slammed shut and the energy was shut off at last. The moment that the power was cut the entire ruin began to shake, which told all of them that they had better get out of there before the roof came down on their heads. They retraced their steps to the entrance they had entered the chamber from, only to find that the ceiling had already come down and had blocked it off. As such they resorted to using the other door, taking them deeper into the ruins as they searched for an exit, one that didn't involve someone dying. The next chamber they entered was pretty straight forward, with a few Knights standing in their way, but Luna would have none of their presence as she blasted them into the wall. Luna led them towards the exit, pointing out the various traps that had been set up and avoiding them as best they could, which only made Pandora give her the lead this time. They opened a gate and continued onward, though the moment that Nightmare, Luna, and Pandora passed through it the gate slammed shut, separating them from the mayor. Luna sighed and continued on, knowing that the mayor could fend for himself as they passed through another door, appearing in another new section of the ruins. It was a straight path to another intersection, though the moment they approached it Luna turned to the path on the right, saying that she didn't trust the one of the left. The trio were surprised to find that none of the Knights had come into this section of the ruins, but all that really meant for them was that they would progress without being interrupted. The next door brought them to yet another straight corridor, one that had almost nothing except for a door that they hoped would take them out of the crumbling ruin. The next chamber they came to they made an immediate turn, where they found some of the Grummites waiting around a campfire, but Luna would not have them interfering with their mission. Lightning arched from her hand and smacked them in the head, knocking them into the walls and getting them out of their way, which was a door that led them outside. "Victory!" Pandora exclaimed, breathing a sigh of relief as they appeared in the Fringe once more, "I'd like to see Jyggalag's forces beat us without their fancy spire!" After taking a moment to catch their breath, and ignoring the mayor that suddenly appeared behind them, the trio made their way back to Passwall, where the commander and her Mazken were waiting. They looked like they had been through a war, having lost a few of their number since the trio had departed, but they were still standing and the Knights had been defeated. "Your Grace!" the commander said, watching the trio approach, "You... you're alive! Truly, you are the greatest warrior ever to hold the seat of Dementia!I was certain that no one could survive the spire's collapse, but here you are! By the Staff, you are more than worthy to lead us. I fear that our work is not yet done. The area is still overrun with Knights that were not destroyed in the spire. You should return to the Palace and speak with Sheogorath. Ask him how he plans to defend this realm." Pandora nodded and wished the commander well, leaving her to deal with any remaining Knights and help the citizens of Passwall get things back on track. Her companions followed behind her, though all three of them were eager to see what Sheogorath had in store for them the moment they returned to the palace. --------------------------------------------------------------- Sheogorath was more than pleased to see the trio return from the Fringe, baring the news that they had stopped the Knights of Order in their tracks and had secured the area. Haskill was, true to himself, the same neutral person he had been when they had departed, though it was clear that he was glad to have the Fringe under their control again. Pandora had no idea what their next task would be, but she was sure that it was going to involve another dungeon, though she hoped it wasn't a crumbling ruin like Xeddefen. "News of your success in the Fringe precedes you." Sheogorath finally said, after waiting for Pandora to tell him of their adventure to the Fringe, "To further cement the victory I have an important task for you to perform. You will seek the assistance of Relmyna Verenim in Xaselm to rebuild the Gatekeeper."