//------------------------------// // 40: The Pilgrimage // Story: Sunset's Adventure in Skyrim // by Blackdrag-rose //------------------------------// When Sunset opened her eyes she found that she was standing in what appeared to be a cave that was as dark as Darkfall Cave had been, which meant that this had to be the Darkfall Passage that Gelebor had told them about. She waited patiently for a few seconds before her friends appeared behind her, though it was clear that each of them had taken the journey through the portal differently. Some said that the journey was pleasant, others said that it wasn't the best experience they ever had, and Cicero continued to laugh as if he was ticklish from entering the portal. They took a moment to gather themselves before they heard the sound of their enemies moving, though by the sounds of it they would be expecting Falmer and their nasty pets, the dreaded chaurus. Sunset spotted one of them coming and immediately raised her hand, so she could summon her magic and obliterate whatever enemy happened to show itself, but Serana caught her hand, shook her head, and then proceeded to ice spike the Falmer that was coming their way. "Leave this to us, my Thane," Lydia said, spinning her battleaxe for a moment before she spotted a few more Falmer up ahead and charged in to do battle with them. "What she means is that you need to take a break and let us fight for once," Serana explained, just as the rest of their group readied their weapons and followed Lydia into the tunnel, "I know, your supposed to be this great Dragonborn that's destined to fight an ancient evil and save the land from being destroyed, but you don't need to prove that to us anymore. You've got two vampires, an assassin, a master thief, a Housecarl that's begging for a fight, and an archer who can hit targets from far away backing you up. Yes, three of us can't sneak as well as we would like to anymore, but we're still skilled in other areas and I'm sure we could pull this off without you." "So you want me to go back to the Keep and sit this one out?" Sunset asked, raising an eyebrow at the vampire for a moment, "Because this prophecy seems to state that you and I are supposed to recover Auriel's Bow together." "Sunset, I would love to send you back to your forces and have you train," Serana replied, sighing as she looked Sunset in the eye, "and until we find one of those wayshrines you'll have to take a back seat and let us clear the way to Vyrthur. I'm positive that you have people waiting your arrival in either Labyrinthian or High Hrothgar, just waiting to teach you what they know, but until we find a way to send you back you'll have to settle for not fighting anything." "And if we were to find Revan here?" Sunset inquired, though she knew that the only way for the vampire to get here would be to have them do the hard work, but seeing how he hadn't appeared yet it was safe to assume that he didn't know where they were. "Then I would gladly take his head from his shoulders," Serana immediately replied, not bothering to give it much thought, "So we can either follow our friends and you can let us do the fighting, or you and I can stay here and wait until they discover the wayshrine that Gelebor told us was here." Sunset stared at the vampire for a moment, wondering if she would actually make them stay here until the wayshrine was discovered, but then she sighed and nodded her head. "Fine, you win," Sunset said, sheathing her ebony sword and making the Staff of Magnus disappear, "I'll stay at the back and let you all do the fighting, but I promise nothing if Revan appears and starts taunting us." Serana nodded her understanding and beckoned for Sunset to follow her, where they continued down the tunnel their friends had taken and passed by several Falmer corpses that happened to rest on the ground. The two of them managed to catch up with their friends, who were in the process of killing the group of Falmer and chaurus that happened to have found them. Once they were done Serana quickly explained that Sunset was well aware of the fact that they would be taking over this quest and that, if the opportunity presented itself, she would bow out and leave them to retrieve the bow. Sunset noticed that Bjorn felt torn about the whole thing, as the two of them had been companions fighting side by side since Alduin attacked Helgen. She didn't blame him, because the whole aspect of not fighting their enemies made her worry that she had been trashing everything they had come across without giving the others much to fight. With everyone in agreement they continued down the tunnel, where the further they got the more Falmer they happened to find along the way, which Sunset noticed seemed to be increasing. As Lydia fought at the front of the lines, hacking and slashing at anything that dared to get close to her, the others either dealt with those that were left behind or, in Bjorn's case, struck them down with a well placed arrow. Raja and Cicero cut into whoever got near them and, when they happened to reach a bridge, they opted to drop their enemies into the river below them so they could move onward. Serana and Fiona made sure that their enemies never attacked from the rear, as Serana blasted several of them with her magic while Fiona used her sword to cut them down. Sunset, reluctantly, watched her friends fight through the massive horde of the Falmer, somewhat surprised that their enemy's forces never seemed to decrease and only seemed to increase the further they got. The group eventually found a rock wall that had two sinister looking levers, both of which looked like they were just waiting to be pulled, but Sunset took one careful look at them and carefully pulled the lever on the left, waiting for something terrible to happen. The wall near them began to open and they made their way past the opening once it was down, slaying a strange purple and green colored saber cat that happened to be waiting for them to arrive. Once they entered the next area, one that happened to be full of strange colored rocks and glowing stalks of mushrooms, they quickly looked around for a path they could use, before Serana spotted one and beckoned for them to follow her. That was when they discovered that the crossing that Serana had found happened to be a stone walkway, one that led them onto a landing, and then across a second walkway, before they eventually stopped at the top of a hill, one that had the first Wayshrine they were looking for. It was then that they found a ghost waiting for them, one that Sunset assumed was one of the spectral Prelates that Gelebor had told them about before they had entered the portal. "Welcome, Initiates, to the Wayshrine of Illumination," the Prelate told them as they neared it, telling Sunset that the ghosts might be able to tell the number of people that approached them, "Are you all prepared to honor the mantras of Auri-El and fill your vessels with his enlightenment?" "Yes," Sunset told the ghostly Prelate, somewhat grateful that she had something to do besides sit back and watch as her friends killed every enemy that they came across. The Prelate nodded and turned to the wayshrine, calling upon his magic before the ground shook and the Wayshrine rose to the height of the one Gelebor had opened, allowing them to walk up the the water basin and collect the first bit of water they needed. Once they had the water the group entered the newly opened portal, appearing in what appeared to be the bottom of a massive hole in the ground. Serana, officially taking over for Sunset without her approval, motioned for the group to continue up the stone path that had been cut into the side of the hole they were in, until they were finally at the top. The moment that Sunset looked out at the open area before them her eyes widened in wonder, as she took in the trees, the strange saber cats and deer, the unusual plants that grew everywhere, and the broken arches that used to stand tall over a path that had been reclaimed by nature. It was another world, one that Sunset was sure that had been forgotten by everyone in Skyrim. As they found where the path they had taken connected with the ruined path before them the saber cats in the area took notice of them and immediately came at them. Lydia roared at them and advanced on the oncoming cats, spinning her battleaxe into the head of one of them before tearing it out, spinning it once more, and then planted it right into the side of the second one. Bjorn pulled an arrow out of his quiver, pulled the bowstring back, and loosed the arrow at the path, pinning another saber cat in the side and knocking it into Serana's sights, who ice spiked the cat immediately. They spent the next few minutes following the path and killing the creatures that decided to make a meal of them, but before they walked up the hill that led to a webbed area, where Sunset knew they'd find spiders, she got the group's attention and beckoned behind them. She had spotted the second wayshrine as they were walking up the hill, but when she noticed that they were about to walk passed it, which would have made them come back for it later on, she spoke her mind. Serana realized that they had nearly missed it and beckoned for her to open it up, to which Sunset nodded and headed down the path that would take her to the wayshrine. "Welcome, Initiate, to the Wayshrine of Sight," the Prelate told her as she approached, "Are you prepared to honor the mantras of Auri-El and fill your vessel with His enlightenment?" "Yes," Sunset responded, pulling out the ewer as she answered, knowing that he would summon the wayshrine out of the ground and give her access to the pedestal. "Then behold Auri-El's gift, my child." the Prelate said, turning to the wayshrine and beginning the spell needed to open it, "May it speed your journey to the Inner Sanctum." The ground shook for a moment as the wayshrine rose out of the ground, but when it had reached its full height, and the portal back to the passage they had just finished was open, Sunset quickly gathered the water before returning to her companions. Once she was back they continued up the hill, where a good dozen frostbite spiders gathered along the path and started moving towards their location. Serana held her hands together before unleashing what appeared to be a storm of ice, which traveled down the pathway and hit every spider that happened to be before them, tossing their dead bodies aside in seconds. "I haven't had the opportunity to use that in some time," Serana commented, though she was quite pleased with the results, "but we had better get going and find the other three wayshrines. I have the feeling that Vyrthur might be watching us at the moment." As they reached the bottom of the mountain pass they discovered that they had two choices to choose from, as the path on their right led up into the mountains while the opposite path went right to another shrine. Sunset immediately decided that it would be best if she went to the shrine and activated it, while the others started on the other path and fought whatever might be waiting for them. Serana agreed with her and set the group off in the direction of the mountain, while Sunset turned in the opposite direction and approached the third wayshrine. "You've reached the Wayshrine of Learning, Initiate." the Prelate said as she approached, "Are you prepared to honor the mantras of Auri-El and fill your vessel with His enlightenment?" "Yes, I am," Sunset replied, already knowing that this was the only way to open the wayshrines so she could fill the ewer, so they could have a chance at getting at Arch-Curate Vyrthur and Auriel's Bow. "Auri-El bless you, child." the Prelate replied, turning towards the wayshrine like the others had done, "For you are a step closer to the Inner Sanctum and everlasting wisdom." Sunset watched as the third wayshrine opened before her, allowing her to walk inside, gather the water necessary for their journey, and then bow out as she retraced her steps. Once she had arrived where she and her friends had separated she continued in the direction that they were going, though a few minutes later she found them standing on a stone bridge, no doubt waiting for her. "Something wrong?" Sunset asked, wondering why they would have stopped so suddenly, but then noticed that there was another wayshrine at the top of the path, "Oh, I see you found the next wayshrine already." "That, and the fact that there's something in the frozen lake behind it," Serana replied, causing Sunset to see the massive frozen lake that she was referring to, "though by something I mean that there's two things in the water. There's also what appears to be a Word Wall across the lake, so if you want it you'll have to brave whatever terrors are lurking in that frozen lake." Sunset sighed and, instead of heading right for the lake, she walked up to the Prelate, knowing that this was more important at the moment and that she'd get the Word once the wayshrine was active once more. "You've arrived at the Wayshrine of Resolution." the Prelate told the group, as Sunset's friends had decided to follow her in curiosity of what might be in the lake, despite the fact that they weren't crossing it with her, "Are you prepared to honor the mantras of Auri-El and fill your vessel with His enlightenment?" "I am," Sunset confirmed, watching the lake in case it had something to do with the wayshrine. "Then go forth, child." the Prelate said, turning the spell on the wayshrine as it rose from the ground, "May the enrichment of Auri-El strengthen your resolve as you undertake your journey to the Inner Sanctum." Sunset nodded and retrieved the water, wondering how they could already have four of the five shrines down already, before she handed the ewer to Bjorn. Once she was ready she stepped out onto the frozen lake, feeling the ice crack every now and then, but nothing major happened until she was almost at the wall. Not too far from where she was walking the ice exploded and two dragons erupted from the water, roaring as they took to the skies once again. She knew that they were powerful dragons, though she kept her spells and weapons away as she waited to see whether or not they were actually allies of Alduin, as she didn't want to blast her own allies out of the sky. "Ah, Dragonborn, we have been expecting you," one of the dragons said, landing to Sunset's left, but not close enough to where it might blow her away, "I am Voslaarum, and that is my brother Naaslaarum. We welcome you to our home." It was times like this that Sunset was grateful that she could both speak in the Dragon Tongue and understand what the other speakers were trying to tell her. From how the first dragon, Voslaarum, was speaking she figured it was safe to assume that the two of them had been allies of Alduin a long time ago. That fact didn't stop her from being cautious, as the dragons could easily be trying to fool her in an attempt to lower her guard so they could cut her down. "You've been expecting me?" Sunset asked, figuring it was better than asking if they were allies, as she determined that this might reveal the answer much quicker. "Oh yes," the second dragon, Naaslaarum, said as it landed, only he landed to Sunset's right and kept his eyes on her friends, "We heard the call that Alduin had found a new 'Dragon Priestess' to train. Someone that might be much stronger than the thirteen that he originally trained, before one of them betrayed us and the others were either sealed away or thought to be destroyed by those that fought them." "Thirteen?!" Sunset asked, caught off guard by the number of Dragon Priests that had come before her, as she only knew of the eight that had served Alduin in Skyrim. "Ah yes, I see now," Voslaarum replied, causing Sunset to turn to him for a moment, "Eight of them were buried across Skyrim, while the other four and the traitor were buried somewhere across the island known as Solstheim. I wonder if any of them have even awoken from their slumber yet, or if they're waiting for someone special to come and awaken them... like they did for one of the others." Sunset had no idea how they knew about her awakening Krosis, Morokei, and Rahgot, but at least she had a clue as to why Hermaeus Mora wanted her to go to Solstheim so badly. Hermaeus wanted her to grow stronger as well, but she had to wonder if the Prince of Forbidden Knowledge had a sinister motive behind what he was going. "So are the two of you staying here or are you heading to join Alduin?" Sunset asked, finally airing the question that she wanted to ask and watched as the dragons looked at each other for a moment before turning back to her. "We shall stay here, for a time." Naaslaarum replied, laying his body against the frozen lake, while his brother did the same, "We know you have business with the one who watches the twisted elves, so we shall wait until you have finished your errand. Then, when you are ready, we shall take you and your companions back to Alduin." Sunset nodded her understanding and quickly moved to the Word Wall, feeling the power of the Word, LAH, enter her ever growing collection of Words, before she rejoined her friends on the bridge. Once they were together again Serana took charge once more and continued down the path that she had chosen for them, to which the Falmer began to show themselves. Sunset took the ewer from Bjorn, allowing him to nock an arrow and pin one of the archers in the head, which caused the body to fall into the water below where it had been standing. As they continued along the path Fiona stayed beside Sunset for some time, listening to her recount what the dragons had told her about the other Dragon Priests and the fact that they were willing to fly them out of the Vale once they were done with Vyrthur. Fiona admitted that being the last living Dragon Priestess was starting to show its rewards, though she warned that if she didn't begin her training soon Alduin might decide to attack her and try to erase her. Sunset knew that the vampire was right, as she was determined to get the bow and then visit Labyrinthian, where she would learn what the undead Priests wanted to teach her. It took them at least two hours of fighting through the seemingly endless waves of the Falmer before they found a cavern they could duck into, which happened to reside on the path they were following. Several times Sunset had offered her power to the group to speed them along, but every time she mentioned it Serana would shoot her down almost immediately. They wanted to prove that they were capable of doing something without her interfering, so eventually she decided to stop asking the question and stayed a little bit behind them. It gave her the opportunity to watch how her friends fought without her killing everything and, more importantly, she could call out enemy locations that they might have missed. The cave, however, was a frozen area with freezing cold water and pieces of floating ice, though it didn't take long for them to discover that the Falmer were inside the cave as well. The moment the Falmer noticed that they had company Serana summoned her magic and began tearing into them, using either ice spikes to send enemies into the water below or lightning to char them completely. Lydia stayed by the vampire's side the majority of the time, striking at the ones that were decked out in heavy armor and were much tougher than their comrades. Fiona, Cicero, and Raja moved as a separate unit, using whatever shadows there were around them to their advantage and ambushing the Falmer that dared to get too close to them. Bjorn stayed next to Sunset, using his bow to shoot down any enemy that dared to get close to them and take out those that were preparing to loose their own arrows at them. Everything that Sunset saw furthered her belief that her friends could actually do this by themselves, as it was painfully clear that they didn't need her to slay everything. Even as the number of Falmer increased and they started to surround them Serana was the one to aid in their escape, using her shock magic to blast many of their enemies out of the way. At one point they came to a walkway that looked like it could be broken with ease, so when the group was passed it Sunset, tired of taking the backseat, summoned her staff, charged her magic around it, and slammed in into the ground at her feet, shattering the walkway all the way through. It was a cheap tactic to prevent the Falmer from following them for some time, but it would give them the head start they required so they could get away from their enemies. The moment they exited the cave they found themselves neck deep in Falmer territory, though the creatures noticed them and immediately started to gather their weapons for an attack. Sunset was quite amazed by the sheer numbers the Falmer had, though it also terrified her to no end because their numbers never seemed to go down at all. Still the group progressed onward, loosing spells, hacking at enemies with their weapons, and loosing arrows at whoever tried to attack them. There were several spots where Sunset noticed that a well placed spell could have shattered the canyon walls, raining stones down on the Falmer and making them back off for awhile. She thought about offering her help to Serana, but shook her head as she knew that the vampire would tell her no despite the fact that there was an army marching behind them. They fought for another hour, cutting through the Falmer that resided in the canyon, before they spotted the final Prelate and the fifth wayshrine, much to their joy. "You've found the Wayshrine of Radiance, Initiates." the Prelate told them, where some of them watched their back for the moment, "Are you all prepared to honor the mantras of Auri-El and fill your vessels with His enlightenment?" "Yes, we are," Sunset immediately replied, hoping to get the ghost moving quicker so they weren't overrun by the Falmer, which Bjorn noted were walking up the hill they had taken to reach the shrine. "May the blessings of Auri-El protect you as you climb the road to the Inner Sanctum and final enlightenment." the Prelate said, as the fifth and final wayshrine opened for them, to which Sunset collected the water almost immediately. Once the ewer was full the group immediately headed towards the beautiful bridge that led to the Inner Sanctum, but as they did so Sunset gave Bjorn the ewer and stopped in the middle of the bridge, turning to face the incoming army of Falmer. As she did so she pulled out her staff and began to channel her magic once more, knowing that they needed to stall their enemy, if not force them to reconsider their actions altogether. Then, after a second thought, she drew her ebony sword with her right hand and allowed magic to gather around it, preparing for what she was about to do. "Sunset, what are you doing?" Serana asked, wondering if the former Equestrian had finally gone insane, while she and the others waited at the top of their side of the bridge "We can lock the doors of the Inner Sanctum once we're inside." "I'm putting a stop to this here and now," Sunset growled, just as the first wave of Falmer got onto the bridge and came her way, "YOU. SHALL. NOT. PASS!" As she spoke she brought her two weapons together, side by side, and allowed their energy to gather into one powerful force, before bringing the bottom of her staff down hard on the bridge. The moment she released the magic the entire bridge shattered, much to the surprise of the Falmer that were coming right at her, only to find that they were falling into Oblivion. With the seconds she had to spare Sunset turned around and flashed from one falling stone to another, before she leapt up to where her friends were standing. As they made sure that she was okay she turned back to watch the last of the bridge fall away, to which the Falmer that didn't fall stopped their advance and, much to Serana's surprise, retreated into their homes. "Your a crazy one," Cicero happily said, patting Sunset on the back with approval, "and that makes me like you even more Magic." "This will give us the time we need to find Auriel's Bow," Sunset said, turning to the courtyard of the Inner Sanctum and passing a statue, one she learned was of Auriel himself. "I guess so long as your around Nirn stands a chance of surviving its encounter with Tirek," Serana commented, though she was somewhat grateful for Sunset's sudden inspiration to shatter the bridge. It took them a few seconds to climb the stairs, where they approached a pedestal that was clearly connected with the door before them, to which Sunset began to pour the liquid from the ewer into the basin. They waited a few seconds, watching the water being poured into the basin, but then they noticed that the water started to move through the groves in the floor. They watched as the water slowly began to gather in the indent of the sun that rested right in front of the door, though the moment that the indent was filled up the sun symbol on the door began to spin. A few moments later the symbol stopped moving, cracking wide open and allowing them access to the Inner Sanctum, where they would find Arch-Curate Vyrthur and Auriel's Bow. Sunset nodded to Serana and the vampire approached the door, where she began to push it open so they could finish their quest, though Sunset was glad to have made so much progress in one day. She knew that the bow would soon be in their hands and that Revan, if he somehow actually showed up when they were finished with Vyrthur, would be dead at long last. Then they would return to the Alliance and seek out Tirek once again, to end this war before they lose even more of Skyrim to the dangerous demon. ---------------------------------- Tirek grinned as he finished absorbing the power of Clavicus Vile from both the Prince and his precious dog, somewhat amused that his power had been separated into two entities. Once he was done with them he threw them into the cell that Hircine and Malacath resided in, though both of the Princes backed up from him, as they were in no position to fight him anymore. He also found it amusing that such powerful beings of nature were now reduced to pitiful weaklings that feared his power, though he was far from completion. He had only absorbed the powers of seven Princes, though he somewhat wished that Nocturnal was here as well, so she could be locked up with her fellow Princes. "Ah, who shall I summon next?" Tirek asked the Princes, though he already knew which one he was going to summon anyway, "Peryite? Mehrunes Dagon? Or maybe Hermaeus Mora himself? Go ahead and voice whatever opinions you have on whose next..." Before he got any further he could have sworn that he heard wardrums somewhere near the fortress, but he knew that he had to be mistaken as he had picked this location because no one ever came near it. He waited a minute, wondering if the sound was his imagination or not, before his eyes widened as he realized that the sound was getting closer to his position. He growled and headed up the stairs as fast as possible, where he came out in the fortress and moved to one wall, so he could see if he spotted something coming his way. He gathered his magic and closed his eyes, creating a sphere that was made of pure magic that could see what was around the fortress so he would have a better idea of what was coming. What he ended up finding was a massive army of undead coming towards the fortress from where Helgen once stood, though in the background he spotted the World-Eater coming in the same direction as well. "How in Oblivion did he find me?" Tirek growled, canceling his spell as he headed back towards the prison area, "No matter, I still have other hideouts I can use until I have completed my goal." He strode into the prison and approached Sunset Shimmer's chest, where he carefully picked up the Skeleton Key and shut the chest, before canceling his spell and sending it back to Oblivion. He glanced at his captives for a moment before heading into the open tunnel that led to the lake that connected to the prison, something he had intended to use as an escape route in case something like this actually occurred. As he walked down the hall and entered the water he slipped the Key onto his belt before moving his hands close to each other, a smile appearing on his face as he realized that he could test his powers out. "Find him," Alduin roared, though he handed on top of the keep and watched as his army, led by Nahkriin and Morokei, moved into the fortress without pause. Nahkriin and his forces moved around the fortress, looking for signs of their enemy, but Morokei was drawn to the prison by a sinister feeling that he knew had to be the creature they were looking for. He tore open the door and advanced inside, followed by his squad of Deathlords as they swiftly descended the stairs and came to a prison chamber. What they found was six locked up nord looking creatures and a seemingly normal looking dog, but Morokei knew that they were the Daedric Princes that they had come to rescue. The moment that the Princes noticed his presence he shouted at his soldiers and they advanced on the doors, tearing them off and allowing the Princes to leave their cells. "You just missed Tirek," Azura told the Dragon Priest, beckoning to the other passageway, while her companions quickly gathered their artifacts from where they had been dumped by Tirek, "by now he's either in the middle of the lake or he's long gone." Morokei beckoned and they left the prison, where they found Alduin overseeing the search for their enemy, to which Morokei told his Lord what the Daedric Prince had told him. The moment Alduin knew where Tirek would be he took off and flew over the lake, his eyes dancing around the area as he looked for a sign that the demon was there still. Tirek, on the other hand, floated at the bottom of the lake and stared right up at Alduin, before he opened his hands and released the sphere that had formed during his time under water. The small sphere floated into the open air and sailed right passed Alduin, who spotted it, primed a large fireball in his mouth, and then loosed it down at the lake. The resulting explosion rocked the lake, to which Tirek leapt out of the water and landed on the mountainside, where he pressed his hands together and activated his magic. "Prepare for devastation!" Tirek shouted, feeling the earth beneath him shake as the black sphere responded to his magic, cracking the mountain he was standing on. Alduin watched as the earth cracked and buckled under whatever spell the demon had used, but then he noticed the pieces were beginning to rise into the air and gather around the sphere he had seen. He turned back to Tirek and charged another attack in his mouth, to which he released it at the demon, who shielded himself in earth and let the area around him get obliterated. Before he could charge another one he heard the sound of walls cracking and glanced at the fortress, watching cracks form as the place was slowly being ripped apart to join the sphere above them. Morokei and Nahkriin beckoned for their soldiers and the Princes to follow them, to which they escaped from the fortress as it cracked under the pressure from Tirek's spell and lifted into the air above them. Within minutes the black sphere was covered in stone and rock, creating a large sphere of earth that caused Alduin to wonder what Tirek had planned for it. Alduin roared and turned to the demon, but before he could do anything Tirek clapped his hands together and then something happened to the massive sphere. The sphere began to lower down on top of Alduin, who barely had a chance to dodge the massive chunk of earth as it collided with him and crashed him into the lake. A few minutes passed before the sphere stopped moving, though it shook for a moment before Alduin tore himself out of the center, glancing around with anger in his eyes. Tirek was gone, the Daedric Princes he had drained had been rescued, and the artifacts that had been used to summon their owners had been recovered. Alduin would have counted it as a victory, but the demon was now missing and it would take some time for them, and not to mention his father, to discover his next hideout. Alduin growled and vowed that the next time he and the demon fought that he would emerge victorious, though he had someone to train before such a battle happened. When Sunset Shimmer returned to his fortress he intended to have a conversation with her about Tirek and the various abilities they could expect from him. He also wanted to know how the demon had managed to get his hands on several of the Daedric Artifacts, when he and the other leaders of the Alliance had been assured that they had been locked outside Oblivion. And he was sure the other leaders would be wanting to learn the same thing when they were told what happened at this fort.