Sunset took a deep breath as she and her friends exited the dwemer tower, enjoying the air of Skyrim, despite the chill she could feel, once more. They had found a lift under the walkway that she had activated to retrieve an Elder Scroll, which allowed them to travel to an area that appeared to be between Dawnstar and Whiterun. As they rested for a moment Sunset could tell that they were all tired from their journey through the dwarven ruin, which made her glad that they were close to where Fellglow Keep was. It would take them an hour or two to reach the keep, but they would be able to get some decent night sleep before they had to travel back to Septimus Signus and deliver the information he wanted them to retrieve.
Sunset had no idea what information he was going to gleam from the lexicon, but whatever it was would apparently allow the man to unlock the massive cube that he had discovered... which she was certain held the artifact of Hermaeus Mora.
Once they had taken a decent break they packed up their items, made sure that nothing had followed them out of Blackreach, and then headed down the mountain side. Thanks to the bandits leaving their hideouts and siding with the Forsworn army the roads were now much safer than they had been the week before. Even as they walked towards their base Sunset had to wonder how Tirek had managed to make the various bandits leave their bases and join up with a force that should have killed them on sight. His army may have shown up at Whiterun with the intent to destroy the city, but the demon hadn't shown up and, as far as Sunset could tell, so far wasn't making a move.
The longer Tirek hid himself the more Sunset was beginning to wonder if he had fled to some other province of Tamriel, where he could hunt for a Daedric Artifact without having to worry about her interfering.
"Your still thinking about Tirek," Bjorn commented, knowing her well enough from their adventures together to know when she was in the mood, "aren't you Sunset?"
"Hard not to when he's plotting the destruction of your world," Sunset replied, sighing as she looked at her friends for a moment, "I know I must sound like a broken record sometimes, but I just don't understand how he could have come here after his defeat at the hooves of Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends. He should be locked up in Tartarus, guarded like the rest of the dangerous villains that call that realm home, but yet he is here, in this world, causing destruction everywhere and turning the people against each other. The only problem that I can see at the moment is that he's not doing anything, as he hasn't been spotted anywhere and he hasn't brought ruin to anyone else.
I'm sorry, but the longer Tirek stays out of the eye of the public the more afraid I feel that he's secretly plotting something that none of us, or any of our numerous allies, are going to like."
"I can understand your confusion," Fiona spoke up, nodding her head slightly, "and I do agree with you. He's already twisted the Forsworn into a formidable army and bribed the bandits into serving him, but he has not yet shown his face to everyone else. In fact the only people that have seen Tirek, face to face, are you, the rest of us, Delphine, Elenwen, those that had been at the Embassy, and Tolfdir himself. Despite not knowing what our enemy looks like we have enlisted the help of both the Imperial Legion and the Stormcloaks, so wherever Tirek is hiding won't last too much longer before someone finds him.
Trust me on this Sunset, we'll soon have the honor of driving every blade and magic spell we have into this dremora... and I'm sure he won't see it coming."
Sunset sighed and returned to watching the mountain they were walking down, carefully watching out for any monsters that would want to make them dead. She could tell that the beasts that lived in Skyrim were completely ignoring her, a benefit from Lord Hircine, and it made their journey that much easier. She was sure that not having the wildlife attack them was going to draw attention, but then again she was carrying one of the legendary Elder Scrolls, which she was positive was going to draw more attention to them.
It took them an hour or two to reach Fellglow Keep, but while they had been walking Sunset noticed that there were plenty of guards patrolling the area around the keep. They weren't members of the Imperial Legion, the Stormcloaks, or even the guards that served Jarl Balgruuf, but Sunset slowly started to realize that they had to be her soldiers. They were dressed up in red colored armor, similar to what the guards of Whiterun wore, though there was a hint of orange and yellow mixed into the design to make it look like flames. As Sunset and her friends moved along she also noticed that the soldier's shields had an emblem on it, one that she recognized as her Cutie Mark.
When they arrived at their destination she found that at least ten flags had been planted all around the keep, displaying exactly who was in command of the keep.
"Ah, Archmage, your back," Delphine welcomed them, though Sunset could tell that she had been standing guard since the moment the six of them had left to find Septimus Signus, "we've begun construction on a bridge that will connect this side of the river to the other side, where the orcs are planning on making their home. And do not worry about Jarl Balgruuf, Elenwen and Atub approached him and explained exactly what they were doing, so everything has been approved so far. Soon your mines will be open and we'll have more ore to increase the production of weapons and armor for everyone that doesn't have their own gear yet."
Sunset had to admit another thing, she was somewhat grateful that Elenwen was taking charge while she was off gathering the Daedric Artifacts, and that she was listening to those around her. Though even as she thought about Elenwen she spotted the altmer walking across the area towards them, though she seemed quite pleased with what was going on.
"Welcome back Archmage," Elenwen said, beckoning to the flags and the bridge, "I trust that your venture into the Sea of Ghosts bore some good fruit?"
"Close this time," Sunset replied, gently pulling out the lexicon, "the man that was supposed to tell me where to find Hermaeus Mora wanted something in exchange, so in the morning I'll be heading back to deliver this to him."
"Good to hear," Elenwen said, before looking at the object that Sunset was carrying on her back, where her jaw seemed to drop for a moment, "Is... is that an Elder Scroll?!"
"Oh, this?" Sunset said, patting the ancient metal scroll for a moment, "Yeah, its an Elder Scroll. We found it while we were retrieving what we needed for Sptimus Signus. I didn't want to leave it behind, least it actually be of some benefit to us later on, so I took it and brought it here."
"If anyone survives this nightmare they'll be lucky to study one of the Fragments of Creation," Elenwen replied, a smile replacing her surprised look, "Well, you'll want to get some dinner and some rest before you head back to the Sea of Ghosts, so I won't keep you any longer. Oh, and we've been receiving some letters from the Dawnguard, asking for you to take a moment out of your busy life to visit them at their fortress in the Rift. I don't know what they want, but I'd recommend that you visit them anyway, just in case there's another artifact that could potentially spell disaster for Nirn if Tirek got his hands on it."
Sunset had no idea who the Dawnguard were, but she quickly decided that she and her friends would pay them a visit soon enough, once she was done collecting the last two Daedric Artifacts.
She and her friends nodded to Delphine before they headed to the main keep, where they passed by several groups of warriors, a mixed group of all the races in Skyrim, that were practicing their skills. Sunset also heard that the mages were practicing their spells on the other side of the mountain, where a spell range was in the process of being built. The dragons had decided not to return to Shearpoint, allowing her and her forces to build whatever they desired in that area, so Elenwen and Tolfdir had come up with something. It gave the mages a place to really train without endangering anyone else, though from what she heard they were taking measures to make sure safety was always observed.
Once they were done with Tolfdir's report they entered the main keep and went their separate ways, where each of them fell into their beds and drifted off to sleep.
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When morning arrived Sunset and her friends were already outside, preparing a light breakfast so they could reach Septimus Signus before it was noon. She wanted to give him the lexicon as soon as possible, so she could walk out of there with the Oghma Infinium and focus on the fifteenth, and final, Daedric Artifact. As they ate Sunset also watched the guards that were patrolling the new walls, spotting several warriors that had been living in the various Orc Strongholds, including Orak himself. She honestly didn't care how the orcs had reached her so fast, because they were eager to protect the keep as they waited for another battle to begin.
Once they were done Sunset said goodbye to the faction leaders that now lived in the keep, in the housing areas that had been constructed, and began the journey back to Septimus Signus.
It took them the majority of the morning to traverse their way from Fellglow Keep to Winterhold, where they repeated the process they used to cross the chunks of ice. As they did so Sunset noticed that it was a much nicer day than the previous one, though she knew that it wouldn't be great if she or someone else fell into the freezing water. Then, when they were done walking across the ice, they found Septimus' hideout and entered it without delay, where they found the man still staring at the box. He didn't even look up at them as they walked down to him, to which Sunset felt was okay considering what he had told them last time they were here.
"Hey Septimus, we've got the lexicon," Sunset said, pulling out the metal cube and holding it out for the man to take, knowing that the mere mention of the item would jar him back to reality.
"Give it, quickly." Septimus exclaimed, snatching the cube before staring at it for a moment, while a wide grin appeared on his face, "Extraordinary. I see it now. The sealing structure interlocks in the tiniest fractals. Dwemer blood can loose the hooks, but none alive remain to bear it. A panoply of their brethren could gather to form a facsimile. A trick. Something they didn't anticipate, no, not even them. The blood of Altmer, Bosmer, Dunmer, Falmer, and Orsimer. The elves still living provide the key. Bear you hence this extractor. It will drink the fresh blood of elves. Come when its set is complete."
Sunset looked at the contraption that the man handed her, something that had five vials that needed to be filled, and wondered how he happened to have something like this ready ahead of time. She knew that she could ask several people in her keep to offer a vial of blood, as they didn't need to actually kill anyone besides another Falmer, which she knew were easy to find. Three of the remaining four elves were at the keep, so all she had to do was figure out what she already had, get the samples, and then recover what was missing. She glanced back at the man for a moment, to which she found that he was staring at the cube again, before she sighed and placed the contraption in her bag, before rejoining her friends.
It was at that point that she discovered that something was blocking the path they had used to enter this place, something that was made of tentacles, floating eyes, and vile green energy.
Come closer. Bask in my presence. the entity said, as Sunset approached it alone, I am Hermaeus Mora. I am the guardian of the unseen, and knower of the unknown. I have been watching you, mortal. Most impressive.
"Thanks for the compliment," Sunset replied, not really sure if being complimented by a Daedric Prince was a good thing or a bad thing, "So, what do YOU want of me?"
Your continuing aid to Septimus renders him increasingly obsolete. the Daedric Lord replied, his voice stretching out all around her, He has served me well, but his time is nearing its end. Once that infernal lockbox is opened, he will have exhausted his usefulness to me. When that time comes, you shall take his place as my emissary. What say you?
"Look, all I care about is securing your artifact from a creature that would use it to drain you of all your power," Sunset told the Prince, "I'm sure that we can all benefit from Nirn not being destroyed."
Indeed. the Prince replied, though Sunset had the feeling that he knew something and was choosing not to tell her at the moment, Speak with me when the box has been opened, and all shall be revealed.
Then, just as quickly as he had appeared while she was speaking to Septimus, the Prince pulled himself back and vanished in the blink of an eye, returning to his realm of Oblivion. Sunset sighed for a moment before turning to her friends, knowing that they had one other thing to do while they collected the blood for the madman.
"Well, looks like we're heading off to Boethiah's Shrine," Sunset said, pulling the journal out so she could make sure she remembered where the place was located, "So we'll get the Ebony Mail, stop off at the Keep to pick up whatever samples we're missing, and then we'll be back to unlock that box. Hopefully Boethiah doesn't ask something outrageous of me in exchange for her artifact."
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It had taken them an hour to get back to where Whinterhold stood, and then another hour to get close to Windhelm before they were even close to their destination. When they reached the mountain that Boethiah's Shrine was supposed to be located, and the bright day gave way to a dark night, Sunset held her hand to keep her friends from following her up. Fiona knew what she was doing, as she had written in the journal that the cultists would expect some sort of sacrifice, though Sunset had no intention of doing that to someone. She was more than ready to obliterate everyone if they asked for such a thing, so that their collective power would forever be lost to Tirek.
As it turned out the moment she arrived at the shrine she found that many of the cultists were already dead, save for someone that she assumed was Boethiah's priestess. As Sunset approached she got a good look at the priestess' eyes, where she could tell that something was driving her crazy and had no doubt forced her to slay her fellow worshipers.
"Go... go away," the dunmer begged her, one hand gripping the hand that held a wicked dagger, trying to keep it still so she didn't hurt anyone else, "be... before he makes me... kill you too!"
"Oh sweet Celestia," Sunset said, realizing what the women was talking about and wondered how long she had been in this state, "Tirek's been trying to get you to recover the Ebony Mail, but you would never betray your Lord, even if the demon twisted your own body against you. Be still friend, I shall deliver an end to your madness."
Sunset swiftly drew her ebony sword, swung it around her head, and, in on swift motion, brought it down on the women, cutting from her left shoulder all the way to her right hip, knocking her backwards. It was as if a spell had been broken, as the women merely laid there, allowing herself to bleed out as a light smile came to her face, one that Sunset could barely see until she noticed the outline. Then the women closed her eyes and went still, to which Sunset sighed and pulled one of the vials out, quickly taking a sample before putting it back in her bag. With the last of Boethiah's cultists dead she had to wonder how she was going to summon a vision of the Prince, when there was no one left to tell her how.
That was, however, until she felt the air around her pulse and caused her to look back, finding the women standing there, only now she was surrounded by a violent purple aura.
"Wearing flesh can be so... distasteful," the women said, though Sunset knew that the sudden shift in her voice and tone was enough to tell her that Boethiah was standing before her, in some manner, "Tell me, why have you killed my followers?"
"I only killed the one your possessing," Sunset returned, meeting the gaze of the Prince, "She had been driven crazy by a demon called Tirek and had been forced to kill everyone else here, all so Tirek could get his hands on your artifact."
"I should smite you for what you've done," Boethiah shot back, lightning cracking above them as she observed Sunset for a moment, "but I do require someone to do something for me... My current champion displeases me, so it is time that he is disposed of."
"Oh just tell me where to find him and I'll get the deed done," Sunset replied, mentally moaning that the artifact was indeed safe for the moment, but now she needed to kill the current holder to get it.
"He plays king to bandits at Knifepoint Ridge," Boethiah stated, her magic flowing out of the body, "You know what to do."
Sunset watched as the women's body collapsed on the ground, completely void of life this time, before she sighed and headed back to where her friends were waiting for her. She could tell that they were worried about her, as they had seen the lightning and wondered if the Daedric Prince had blasted her, but they took a sigh of relief as she appeared before them.
"So where are we going?" Fiona asked, curious as to what the Prince had told Sunset they needed to do, or rather what Sunset needed to do this time.
"Someplace called Knifepoint Ridge," Sunset replied, sighing as she took out her map, where Bjorn pointed the area out, "We go there, kill the bandits that are infesting the area, and then retrieve the Ebony Mail. Once that one's in the chest we'll get the blood samples and unlock the Oghma Infinium, where we'll have the opportunity to take a break and make sure the artifacts are sealed in Oblivion once more."
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Knifepoint Ridge, as it turned out, had taken them all the way from Windhelm to Falkreath, but during the journey they had briefly stopped at their keep to rest for the night. In the morning they had resumed their journey, which was as peaceful as the previous days and allowed them to focus on their strategy for dealing with the bandits. Cicero suggested that they wait until night and stab them while they were sleeping, but Sunset would have nothing so disrespectful and promised him that he could separate and kill some of them in the manner he suggested. In the end they decided that a frontal assault would be the best plan of attack, where they would charge into the area and start hitting the bandits before they realized what was happening.
Sunset also had no idea how the bandits could have missed Tirek's call, but figured that they could have been the ones that ignored the call so they could plunger the world after all the competition was dead.
It was just before noon when they arrived at Knifepoint Ridge, though the moment they arrived one of the guards spotted them coming up the hill and immediately sounded the alarm, to which Bjorn put an arrow in his head. The rest of the bandits sprung out of their beds and charged at the group, though where Sunset was expecting ten to twelve of them there appeared to be almost thirty of them. Lighting cracked along her arm as she thrust her hand forwards, knocking one enemy in the chest and throwing it into the smithy behind them. Lydia roared with all her strength and smashed one into the ground, before spinning around and taking the head of another bandit not seconds later.
Fiona pulled out her daggers and cut into one of the bandits, while Bjorn climbed up onto the scouts tower and started picking out enemies at the back. Cicero and Raja flanked the force of bandits and struck them from behind, either cutting them down immediately or forcing them to reveal a weakness that the others used to their advantages. Sunset was quite pleased that the six of them worked so well together, as soon the entire force of bandits were laying all around them and the fight was over. They took a moment to collect what they could, where Sunset found a bosmer to take a sample of their blood, before they made their way into the cave area. It was then that Sunset tapped Cicero's shoulder and told him to kill everyone silently, excluding the champion that was wearing the ebony suit, and the jester smiled before wandering into the cave.
Sunset could hear the sound of fighting as Cicero cut down everyone, either taking them himself or making two people fight each other over a stupid reason, before he appeared and beckoned her forward. She spotted the Champion of Boethiah and flames danced around her hands as she stepped forward, to which the man spotted her and charged right for her. She threw herself to her right and watched as the man passed her by, to which she responded with pelting him with her fireballs and set him on fire. She would feel the power of the armor poisoning the air, so she backed up and kept her distance, making sure not to get too close as she continued her barrage of fireballs.
One fireball smacked right into his chest and knocked him into the walkway behind him, but where Sunset was expecting him to get back up and fight again the man just laid there. She was beginning to wonder if the Princes were just killing their former champions off to give her their artifacts, as if they knew about the threat that Tirek posed to everyone, but tossed that idea aside. She heaved the armor up, with the help of Lydia, and half listened to Boethiah speak to her about how the man had it coming and that her name would be written on some tablet.
Once the deed was done, and the Prince was gone, the Ebony Mail was locked in the chest, leaving Sunset to decide whether or not to immediately head back to Fellglow Keep and get the other blood samples she needed. In the end she decided to head to her base, get some sleep before she asked her allies for some blood samples, and then, once they were rested, find some Falmer and collect the fifth sample they needed to unlock the Oghma Infinium. She had beaten Tirek to all but one of the Daedric Artifacts, and soon the last one would be her's, which would mean that they would be able to lock them all away and keep them out of Tirek's hands.
Nirn was safe, which meant she'd have to focus on finding her enemy and use all her abilities to best him in combat, so she could break his hold on this world and send him back to Tartarus.
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Tirek grinned as he continued to absorb the wellspring, having taken some time to watch his captive Prince and let the magic settle before he pressed on once more. At that moment he was only at sixty-five percent, but he knew that when he absorbed the Prince his power would skyrocket to new heights. Even as he waited he could feel another artifact being recovered, added to the hoard of powerful artifacts that Sunset was collecting, which told him that another Prince was finished off. Soon he'd have all the power he could ever want, but he had to be patient now that he was close to getting the means to recover exactly what he needed.
"You'll never win, dremora," Nocturnal spat at her cage, having tried in vain to pierce the magic several times over the last day, which now resulted in her waiting for it to open, "the Dragonborn will destroy you."
"Ah, so you believe that Sunset Shimmer can defeat me?" Tirek laughed, finding it funny that a Daedric Prince would want to bet on someone like her, "Well let me tell you something, she's scared of me. I shattered all of Winterhold and she ran away without even trying to stop me from doing it. Every time I bring ruin to something she's always there, but she can never muster the courage to fully stop me before someone is injured and someplace is destroyed. Trust me on this, when the fight between us comes I will enjoy breaking her spirit and showing her that no one is superior to me.
And thanks to you, my dear Nocturnal, I shall have the key to shattering this world and returning to Equus with enough power to change the earth beneath my hooves... no pun intended."
He returned his attention to the wellspring and held his hand out, causing the middle of the water to ripple before it was pushed to the rims of the well. The stone beneath was revealed as the water was forced to back up, but the true prize awaited as he stared at the lock that had been plugged up. He grinned as the magic around his hand pulsed, tearing the golden object from the lock and forcing the entire wellspring to dry up in an instant, reverting it to simple stone once more. Behind him he heard Nocturnal moan in agony, but whether it was because he cut her off from her realm of Oblivion or what he had acquired he cared not.
In his hand he held a golden key, one that legend spoke of as the artifact of Nocturnal herself, one that was capable of unlocking any lock in all of Nirn. It was the key to him gaining his full power, and there was nothing that Sunset Shimmer could do to stop him at this point.