The Equine Scrolls: SkyFiM

by FireOfTheNorth

Chapter 82: Ragnfoald

At last we stood before the gates of Ragnfoald. We’d been redirected twice in the past few days, but now we were finally here. We’d stayed the night at the College of Winterhorn and had left the next morning, once things had settled down. Now we were here, in the western mountains of the Karth, ready to enter yet another ancient earth pony ruin in search of a relic with infinite power.

We made it to the great gates with no problem, thanks to Mystic’s spell. However, once again we wouldn’t be alone in this ruin. A Blackwing camp had been set up outside the ruin’s entrance. Although it had been ransacked (probably by the goats of the Karth), I wouldn’t doubt it if there were Blackwings still waiting inside.

<LAAS!> I Shouted, the word coming out as a whisper.

Instantly I could see all the life around me, including within Ragnfoald. There were no life signs nearby, but I could just barely see flickers of life off in the distance, perhaps deep within the ruin. As my vision returned to normal, I told my friends what I had seen. We needed that Element of Harmony in order to stop Alduin, and no Blackwings were going to stand in our way. We pushed open the massive doors to the ruin and stepped inside.

The entry hall was in a terrible state of disrepair, with light peeking through large holes in the stone roof. Some more Blackwing tents were set up here, but none of the specially trained pegasi were anywhere to be seen. We continued deeper into Ragnfoald, leaving the entry hall and traveling through the ancient stone passages until we reached the banquet hall.

Unlike in Valgroom, the Blackwings hadn’t cleared out the Draugr here. The long-dead nobles still went about their days with their ancient servants attending to them. The royal courts of ancient Horizon still lived on in these ruins. It was such a shame that we’d be forced to kill some of them in order to make it any deeper into Ragnfoald. Resigning myself to the fact, we headed down through the tunnels to the entrance of the banquet hall.

The servants scattered as we strode past them, warning their masters of what was coming. The ancient noble-ponies rose in haste as we entered, most of them retreating to the far end of the room. As in Volsteed, the first Dragon Priest lair we’d visited so long ago, a few of the nobles separated themselves from the group, drawing their swords.

I drew Dawnbreaker as they charged toward us. Mephalda shot arrows at them, the shafts sticking in their necks and heads but not killing them. Mystic shot bolts of lightning at the approaching Draugr, but it barely seemed to phase them. I swung my sword around and met the blade of one as it reached us.

<<<FUS~RO~DAH!!!>>> I Shouted, throwing the Draugr over the crowd of nobles and against the wall.

Another of the Draugr nobles swung its sword at me, and I blocked with my Draconequus sword. I forced the zombie back, drawing my Changeling war axe and swinging it around into the long-dead pony’s side. It pulled its sword back and swung toward my head.

I wasn’t able to block in time and ducked down, the blade flying just over the tips of my ears. I swung my Draconequus sword through the air, striking the Draugr’s blade and forcing it back. As I held the Draugr’s weapon in place with Dawnbreaker, I swung my axe into its neck and killed it for good.

The Draugr I’d Shouted earlier was back, and it swung its sword down toward my head. I blocked with Dawnbreaker, pushing the Draugr back. The zombie snarled at me as it pulled its sword away and my blade sliced through its ear. It swung its sword back around at my neck, and I jumped back to avoid it. I swung Dawnbreaker back around and knocked the blade to the ground. My Changeling war axe sailed through the air, cracking the Draugr’s skull and knocking it to the ground.

I swung Dawnbreaker around as another Draugr came at me, and I blocked its sword with my own. It began to push back on me so I exited the block and jumped to the side as the blade sailed past me. I swung Dawnbreaker into the Draugr’s back before bringing it up to block as it retaliated. This time I wasn’t able to exit the block without risking my own safety, and the Draugr forced me back. Suddenly, my enemy was knocked to the side as Steadfast caved in its head with his warhammer.

The rest of the Draugr in the room seemed content to leave us alone as we cleaned off our weapons and left the banquet hall. We followed the branching stone tunnels until we ran into a few of the keep’s guards. They snarled in Draconic as they drew their weapons on us.

With Dawnbreaker, I blocked the war axe one of the guards swung at me. It swung at me again, and again I blocked. As it tried for a third time, I sent magical flame at it, scorching its face and causing it to drop its weapon. Dawnbreaker flew through the air, decapitating the Draugr before it could react.

<<<FO~KRAH~DIIN!!!>>> I Shouted at the next one to approach me, and its body was coated in frost.

I stabbed Dawnbreaker into its neck as I passed it, bringing my sword back around to block as a Draugr swung a mace at me. As it tried to swing for my head, Mephalda shot an arrow through its eye. I took advantage of the moment to knock the mace from its mouth and impale the Draugr with my Draconequus sword.

One Draugr remained in the passage with us, and was blasted aside by Mystic’s magic. After looting the bodies for anything valuable, we continued down the passage, taking stairs down whenever we could, searching for the entrance to the vast city that waited for us deep within the mountains. At last we found the great hall that would lead out into Ragnfoald city.

A few Draugr guarded the gate, though more of them lay dead on the ground, no doubt killed by the Blackwings. They noticed us as we trotted down the grand staircase toward them, and Mephalda began to shoot arrows at them, dropping a few before the battle could start.

<<KRII~LUN!!>> I Shouted, and the ones in front of me suddenly dropped their weapons, gripped with pain.

I sliced the head off of one with Dawnbreaker as it fumbled to pick its mace back up, but was forced to block the swing of the next one I met. The Draugr was still gripped with internal pain because of my Shout, but had managed to pick its sword back up. As I pulled my own sword away, the Draugr lunged in, swinging at my forelegs.

I jumped to avoid the sword and swung my own weapon down at the Draugr’s head. It shifted its body as it spotted the blade coming down, and moved to the side, so all my sword did was slice the side of its helmet and a bit of its rotten flesh off. The Draugr stabbed its ancient earth pony sword in toward my chest, and I jumped back, before knocking the weapon to the ground. Dawnbreaker found its mark this time as I swung it around, slicing through the Draugr’s skull.

<<YOL~TOOR!!>> I Shouted at another of the Draugr, and it instantly combusted, the dragon fire hungrily consuming its rotten flesh.

I swung Dawnbreaker around toward one of the zombies, but my blade was blocked by an ancient earth pony warhammer. I tried to force the weapon to the ground, but the Draugr jerked its hammer back up, knocking Dawnbreaker to the side. It swung down at my head, and I brought my Draconequus sword back up to block, holding the Draugr off long enough to collect my thoughts.

<<<FUS~RO~DAH!!!>>> I Shouted, sending the Draugr flying into the grand doors and knocking them open.

I stabbed through the chest of another of the Draugr, and Mystic blasted another with her ice magic. Mephalda finished it off as she shot an arrow through its frost-coated head, and it fell to the ground. The Draugr I’d Shouted through the doors came back up the stairs, severely injured, and Steadfast slammed it into the ground with his warhammer, reducing its already broken head to pulp.

No more Draugr remained that could oppose us, so we stepped through the grand doors and looked out upon Ragnfoald. It seemed less impressive to have a city like this contained underground now that we’d seen Underkeep, but it was a grand sight to behold nonetheless. Tiny Draugr trotted about below, going about their business as they passed between the ancient stone buildings.

At the far end of town a massive temple was built, where we’d find our Dragon Priest and the Element of Harmony. Above the temple, a frightening head of a pony was carved out of the stone, a terrifying smile fixed on its face. More of these heads ringed the cavern, their eyes staring down at the town. I looked away and shivered as the eyes seemed to stare straight into my soul.

<LAAS!> I Shouted, searching for the life signs of the Blackwings that I knew were still here, and found them within the temple around the same place I’d seen them before.

“I don’t think they’re in the crypt yet,” I said when the Shout faded away.

“That means they don’t have the Claw,” Mephalda said, “Hopefully it’s somewhere in here.”

“Maybe that tower?” Steadfast said, pointing to the large light-giving structure like the one we’d seen in Volsteed.

“It’s worth a shot,” I said, “Let’s see if we can get there without riling up the Draugr.”

We headed down the stairs to Ragnfoald, entering the Draugr town and trying to remain out of sight of the zombies. Something was distinctly wrong with these Draugr, and it took me a minute to figure out exactly what it was. The undead here were smiling. But it was a grotesque smile, something not meant to ever grace the faces of ponies, especially in death. It looked a bit like somepony had grabbed the rotting flesh at the corners of the mouth and pulled it up into a smile.

It was just as unsettling as the faces that surrounded the town, their gazes beating down on the ponies below. It seemed we weren’t the only ones who felt uncomfortable because of them. The Draugr took winding routes through the city in order to keep buildings between themselves and the jeering faces. But, that didn’t keep them from stepping into their gaze as they fled from our approach.

As we made our way through the town, we ran into quite a few Draugr townsponies. I was hoping that they wouldn’t report us to the guards, but it seemed like that was too much to ask. As we approached the base of the tower in the center of town, a group of the Draugr soldiers came down two different streets.

<<<FUS~RO~DAH!!!>>> I Shouted as one group charged us, sending the front rows crashing into the Draugr behind them.

As they scrambled to recover from the upset, Mystic shot lightning through their ranks, making the problem even worse. The other group charged forward, and Mephalda shot arrows into their ranks, picking some off before they reached us. I drew Dawnbreaker, eyeing the brightly glowing star in the hilt, and Steadfast drew his Changeling warhammer.

Steadfast got the first kill, knocking a Draugr aside with a swing of his weapon. I swung Dawnbreaker around next, meeting the war axe of another of the Draugr soldiers. The zombie spun its axe around, swinging in toward my neck. I knocked the blade aside with Dawnbreaker and swung in toward the Draugr’s neck.

The zombie recovered quickly, catching Dawnbreaker beneath its axe’s blade. With a quick twist, it threw my Draconequus sword from my grasp, sending it flying through the crowd of Draugr. I drew the Blade of Hoofingar swiftly and blocked the Draugr’s next swing, before drawing my Changeling axe and swinging it into the zombie’s neck.

I galloped toward where I’d seen Dawnbreaker go flying, swinging my ebony sword through the Draugr that stood in my way. A zombie with a greatsword blocked my path, and I was forced to pull up short, using the Blade of Hoofingar to block the zombie’s swing and keep my head on my shoulders.

I pushed back at the Draugr, but it released the block, pulling its sword back and jumping to the side to avoid being hit by my blade. It swung around at my neck again, and I ducked, stopping the weapon as it passed over my head. The Draugr pulled its blade back before swinging it back in at me, and I blocked once more with my ebony sword.

<<ZUN~JOT!!>> I Shouted, and the Draugr’s greatsword went flying from its mouth.

I stabbed my ebony blade through the armor on its back, piercing its heart, as I galloped past it. Dawnbreaker was in sight now, the glow from its hilt drawing me toward it. I swung the Blade of Hoofingar through the neck of another Draugr as I dove for my gift from Mareidia, grabbing it in my magic.

I used both my swords to block as a Draugr suddenly swung a battleaxe down at me. We became locked together as its battleaxe’s blade hooked over where my blades met. Together we pulled away, and I swung my swords back around at the zombie right away.

It blocked both my blades, one with its warhammer’s blade, the other with the staff of it. It spun its weapon around before swinging the sharp end back in toward my neck. I blocked with Dawnbreaker and stabbed the Blade of Hoofingar in toward its chest. My ebony blade cut through the ancient armor, sinking in until it pierced the zombie’s shriveled heart.

A blast of flame suddenly struck me, sending me tumbling. I drank down a quick healing potion to repair the burns caused by flames that had seeped through my armor before facing my foe. A Draugr wizard stood a little ways away, wielding a staff that it was now using to pelt Mystic’s ward with fire.

I charged toward the staff-wielding Draugr, slashing through the other zombies with Dawnbreaker. The wizard noticed my approach and sent another blast of fire my way. I jumped to the side, and it ended up roasting its fellow soldiers instead. I stabbed my Draconequus sword into one more Draugr before I launched myself toward the wizard.

<<<FO~KRAH~DIIN!!!>>> I Shouted as it blasted flame at me yet again, and the fire was neutralized.

Ice even coated the tip of the Draugr’s staff, rendering it useless. It used the gold-covered staff to block my swing as I brought Dawnbreaker down toward it. I swung my blade back around, aiming for the Draugr’s side, and it blocked with the staff again. As my Draconequus sword struck it, the ice at the tip shattered.

I ducked down as the Draugr sent a fireball right over my head. I swung Dawnbreaker back around, knocking the staff to the side as the zombie tried to flame me again. The fire passed me, and I forced the undead wizard back. I drew out my Changeling war axe and used it to knock the staff to the ground, impaling the Draugr with Dawnbreaker a moment later.

As a Draugr war axe struck me on the back, ringing as it hit my armor, I spun around. The blade grazed the side of my neck as I did so, and I quickly wrapped on a bandage while I blocked the blade with Dawnbreaker. The Draugr swung down at my head, and I held up my Draconequus sword to block. From point blank range, I shot ice spikes through the Draugr’s neck, tearing it apart until it died for good.

I conjured a flame atronach a little ways away, near Mystic, and it began to help her, blasting flame at any Draugr that gave her trouble. I turned my attention toward the Draugr captain of this group, who was shouting out orders in Draconic to its troops. I galloped toward it, slicing the head off another zombie as I did so.

I was forced to stop as a Draugr swung a pike at me. I blocked with Dawnbreaker and pushed the zombie back. It returned a moment later, undeterred, and tried to spear me with its weapon. With a foreleg, I pushed the weapon to the side and pulled the Draugr closer. The undead warrior died as I stabbed Dawnbreaker through its head.

I slashed through the chest of a Draugr with a warhammer and launched myself toward the Draugr captain. It drew a greatsword immediately, blocking my Draconequus sword. I tried to push the Draugr back, but it jumped to the side, pulling its weapon back before swinging it around at my head. I ducked down, but the blade managed to hit the top of my crystalline helmet, shaking me up a bit. I blocked its next swing with Dawnbreaker and pushed the zombie back before it could gain the upper hoof.

<SU!> the Draugr Shouted, and its strikes became a hurricane I couldn’t keep up with.

<SU!> I Shouted as well. Two could play at that game.

For a few minutes, we were both locked in combat, neither one of us able to gain the upper hoof, until the Draugr’s Shout wore off. For a few seconds, I had the advantage, managing to strike the Draugr on its chest and slice through its armor, but making no other progress. As my strikes returned to a normal speed, the Draugr swung its greatsword down toward my head, and I was forced to back up and block.

I was forced to move back more and more as the Draugr pressed toward me, until I was able to move to the side and exit the block, causing the Draugr’s sword to fly into the ground. I swung toward its neck with Dawnbreaker, but it brought its weapon back up in time and blocked. I swung around toward its forelegs, but it blocked that as well. It blocked me again as I swung down toward its head.

While we were locked in place, a blast of lightning from Mystic suddenly helped me out. The Draugr captain was stunned for a moment as the bolt of energy struck it, and I took advantage of it to drive Dawnbreaker through the hole I’d made earlier and pierce the Draugr’s heart. As I pulled my sword out, it began to glow brilliantly, and all the Draugr still standing were consumed by Dawnbreaker’s power. The captain and all the remaining Draugr were reduced to ash piles.

The Draugr taken care of, at least for the moment, we entered the nearby tower. Thankfully, no Draugr waited to stop us here, or they had been killed by Dawnbreaker’s last attack. Either way, we easily made our way up through the tower until we reached the top. A few Draugr were up here, but they weren’t trained soldiers, and ran instead of attacking us. We weren’t here for them anyway.

A dragon claw forged from silver waited on a pedestal beneath the brazier in the center of the tower, seemingly forgotten. Or, maybe this town’s ponies had rebelled, hiding it from their master. Either way, we had the key to the Dragon Priest’s crypt now. We retrieved the Silver Claw and headed down through the tower.

“So nice of you to find that for us,” a voice greeted us as we exited the tower.

Blackwings stood in the square where the Draugr had been a few minutes before. More of them emerged from the shadows around us, their blades far too close to our necks for comfort.

“Come now, turn it over,” the leader demanded.

Intending to keep my head on my shoulders today, I tossed her the Silver Claw.

“Look at this,” she said, “We’ve captured Sapphire and her companions. High Command will like this for sure. Especially when we deliver five Elements of Harmony to them at the same time.”

The Blackwing leader proceeded to pull the four amulets I had around my neck over my head. However, as she took them, I noticed that the light within died. They may have taken the Elements, but they couldn’t use them, and I would see to it that they never would be able to.

“Bind them,” the Blackwing leader ordered as she examined the Elements, “Let’s see if we can find another of these.”

The four of us were bound and forced to hobble along with the Blackwings until we reached the temple. The grinning faces were here too, though this time they were attached to a pony who held a Dragon Priest mask in one hoof and balanced on a greatsword with the other. I looked up as we neared the door, examining the writing above it.

“Oatar the Mad?” Steadfast said as we passed beneath the doors, “I’ve heard stories about him. He was a great Draugr lord who went insane and became a terrible tyrant, forcing the ponies under him to remain happy all the time, or he’d execute them.”

“Well, it looks like he was also a Dragon Priest,” Mystic observed, “And we’re about to meet him.”

The Blackwings guarded us as we passed through the temple, stepping over the bodies of dead Blackwings and dead Draugr devotees. Beneath the temple we went, until we stood outside of Oatar’s crypt. The Blackwings’ leader fitted the Silver Claw into the door mechanism and lined up the rings, causing the ancient door to slide away.

The Blackwings rushed inside, heading for the sarcophagus in the center of the room and leaving only two Blackwings to guard us. I could see a Word Wall nearby and headed toward it, trying to learn a new Word of Power before chaos broke out in the room.

As I approached the Draconic inscription, I began to learn everything there was to know about peace, until I comprehended it as the dragons did. A moment later I experienced snippets of the life of the dragon I’d killed at the Shrine to the Twilight Guardian. From its memories I learned how to use peace and bestow it upon others, especially those beneath me, such as animals.

<<PAAN~DREM!!>> I Shouted involuntarily.

At that moment, the sarcophagus in the center of the room burst open and Oatar the Mad shot up into the air. His robes flowed out behind him, and he held both a staff and a greatsword in his magic. The Blackwings scrambled to attack him, but he grinned evilly before releasing a Shout at them.

<<<KRII~LUN~AUS!!!>>> he Shouted, marking all the pegasi around him for death.

As they doubled over and fell from the air with the pain, the Dragon Priest blasted them with his staff. I seized the opportunity to escape, grabbing both my swords with my magic and using one to cut my bonds while slashing through the chest of the guard watching me with the other. Mephalda somehow managed to get her swords out and struck the other guard with one while throwing the other to Mystic. My unicorn friend grabbed the blade in her magic and cut Steadfast’s and her bonds.

The Blackwing furiously attacked the Dragon Priest, but he was too powerful for them, and blasted them with pure magic from his staff. The Blackwing leader managed to reach him in the air and landed on his back, swinging her blades into his neck. The long-dead earth pony snarled and swung his greatsword around at her, slicing a gash in her side. She bled profusely as she fell to the floor below, and I could hear her bones crack as she hit. The Elements of Harmony in her saddlebags spilled out across the floor.

<<<FUS~RO~DAH!!!>>> I Shouted, knocking Oatar out of the air.

Before he could recover, the remaining Blackwings converged on him. His robes were torn and his rotten flesh was rent, but still the Dragon Priest lived. He swung his staff around, obliterating the pegasi on one side, and swung his greatsword’s blade through those on the other. By the time he rose back to his hooves, only two Blackwings remained.

<<<ZUN~JOT~VIIK!!!>>> the Dragon Priest Shouted, and the blades of the remaining Blackwings went flying from their mouths.

They were vaporized into nothingness as he blasted them with his staff. The Dragon Priest turned toward the four of us and pointed his staff in our direction. We scattered as he sent the blast of pure magic barreling toward us. There was no way any of us could stand up to a weapon like that.

<<ZUN~JOT!!>> I Shouted the next time Oatar pointed it at me.

The staff went flying from his magic, but still fired off as it did so. The blast went shooting past me and struck the wall. I heard it crack and collapse as the blast hit it, and glanced over my shoulder to see a gaping hole in the wall leading into another part of the ruin. Or, maybe not. I thought I caught a glimpse of bronze before turning back.

When I did, Oatar was much closer than I’d hoped he’d be. I brought Dawnbreaker up to block as he swung his greatsword through the air at me. The blades seemed to scream as they met, one forged to further the dark purposes of the undead, and the other forged to extinguish them. Oatar’s eyes flashed, and green flame coated his blade.

I was forced to back up as I could feel the heat coming off his weapon. The fire died as an arrow from Mephalda’s bow shot through the Dragon Priest’s head, the tip sticking out of his eye. I tried to force Oatar back, but his magic was too strong, and he continued to push toward me. Steadfast jumped through the air, his warhammer striking the Dragon Priest in the head and smashing in half of his face.

<<FUS~RO!!>> he Shouted at me, knocking me back, before turning toward Steadfast.

My earth pony friend ran from the Dragon Priest, but Oatar leapt through the air and landed in front of him. Steadfast brought up his warhammer and blocked as the Dragon Priest brought his greatsword down at him. Oatar drew his weapon back and slammed it down again and again, until Steadfast’s hammer fell from his mouth.

<<<WULD~NAH~KEST!!!>>> I Shouted as Oatar prepared his death blow.

I went shooting through the room at the speed of a whirlwind and pushed Steadfast aside. Dawnbreaker was up before me and blocked the Dragon Priest’s strike. Yet, it had hit so hard that I was staggered. The Dragon Priest followed up with another strike, this time knocking my Draconequus sword out of my magic. As he prepared for another strike, he was suddenly vaporized. I turned to see Mystic throwing aside the still-glowing staff.

Nothing was left of Oatar the Mad except for the simple amulet he’d been wearing with his dragon amulet. It was still warm as I picked it up and examined the rectangular gem that had once been blue. I trotted over to where the Blackwing commander had fallen and retrieved the other Elements of Harmony, throwing all five of them together over my neck.

“Only one left,” I noted, looking down at the amulets around my neck.

“Where do you think this leads?” Steadfast asked, looking through the hole in the wall and drawing my attention away from the Elements of Harmony.

I trotted over and joined him, along with Mystic and Mephalda. Within there really were pillars of bronze, as well as a door down a long hall. Nothing appeared to be within the room, but even so it was abundantly clear what we’d stumbled upon.

“Looks like a Minotauran ruin,” Mystic said.

“Maybe it’s a shortcut out,” I said hopefully, jumping over the rubble and entering the hall.

It was eerily silent within the ruin. The only sound that could be heard within the empty hall was the hissing of steam pipes in the distance. At last we reached the doors at the far end of the hall and stepped into another room.

This one was circular, and the lights were on here. Bronze covered every surface, including the elaborate control panel on one side of the room. Above us was a dazzling array of mirrors, lenses, and gems. They crackled and buzzed as we watched, light dancing within them. There was only one other time I’d seen a room like this, and it hadn’t been so active.

“This is the Arcanex,” I said before I suddenly realized why the equipment around us was in motion, “Oh, no.”

A shimmer filled the air and the sound of a magical discharge echoed across the room. Suddenly around us appeared a vast herd of hairy bipedal creatures. The Minotaurs had returned.