Nightmare Moon Crashes the Oblivion Crisis

by Blackdrag-rose

30: Umaril the Unfeathered

Despite the fact that they needed to head to where Umaril was hiding and finally bring an end to him, as was their quest at the moment, Shadow took a moment to spent the evening in bed. Nightmare knew that they needed a brief rest, as they had basically gone through multiple trials until they reached their point and she had used her wings a lot more than she was willing to admit. The other knights knew that the two of them would catch up with the group outside Garlas Malatar, where they would find their enemy and the remainder of his followers. Even the Prophet knew that they needed rest, which was why no one bothered to stop them as they settled into the spare beds and spent a few hours getting some of their energy back.

Once they had gotten some rest, and were filled with more energy than before, they spent a few minutes to get a quick morning meal before Shadow approached the Prophet so he could get the exact location of Garlas Malatar. It was then that he discovered that it was to the west of their current location, or rather north of Anvil and along the coastline, which gave him an idea of where to have Nightmare take them.

"And now we have his exact location," Nightmare commented, overhearing the conversation as she tapped the end of her battleaxe on the floor for a moment, "Come Shadow... its time that we erased Umaril the Unfeathered, and the rest of his forces, from the face of Nirn."

Shadow nodded and followed Nightmare outside the priory, where he prepared himself for their immediate departure that he knew would be coming. Nightmare flared her wings and grabbed onto the back of his armor, before bursting into the air and correcting her course so she was angled towards where Anvil was located. The plan was simple; they would travel to Anvil with her wings and then walk the rest of the way until they encountered the rest of the knights that had left ahead of them. They figured it would be hard to miss the other knights, seeing how they had gathered into one group before their departure, so they knew that they could start their assault on Garlas Malatar the moment they found them.

---

Once they arrived outside Anvil, away from the city so no one noticed their arrival, Shadow and Nightmare landed on the ground before heading directly towards the coast. It took them roughly half an hour to find the location that the other knights had used for their camp until Shadow and Nightmare arrived, though Shadow was impressed that they had made it to this location and had a camp in use in the half a day they gave them. Nightmare, on the other hand, was shocked that there was anyone alive at all, because the knights had foolishly set up their camp on the outside of their enemy's hideout. She considered all of their allies lucky that Umaril didn't send his soldiers out to kill them while they slept, because he could have done it and they never would have known until they came back as ghosts.

"We stand ready, Lord Crusader." Sir Thedret said the moment they arrived, politely bowing to Shadow as they approached the bridge that connected to the ruin, "Shall we launch our attack on Garlas Malatar?"

Shadow looked at Nightmare for a moment, as if silently asking for her input on the situation, but she merely nodded as she drew her battleaxe and pointed at the ruin. He had known that her answer would be to attack the ruins and bring an end to the enemy that threatened the fair people of Cyrodiil, though he was glad that she had decided to come along on his quest.

"Sound the attack," Shadow said, drawing forth the Sword and Shield of the Crusader, before he and Nightmare began the charge across the bridge.

"Knights of the Nine!" Sir Thedret shouted, drawing his weapon out of its sheath as the others did the same, "Umaril and his Aurorans must be destroyed!"

The moment Shadow and Nightmare were on the other side of the bridge Umaril's soldiers, those ordered to protect the entrance of his lair, phased into existence in front of them, but two of them immediately met their end the instant Nightmare swung her battleaxe at them and took off their heads. Shadow also put one of them down himself, though he noticed that the other knights were moving into the ruins so he would have a clear shot at getting at Umaril. He was fortunate that there were still those that were dedicated to the cause, though there was one thing he needed to tell Nightmare before they followed them.

"Let me guess, you want me to make sure that they survive this encounter?" Nightmare asked, knowing from the way Shadow moved that there was something he wanted of her, "Don't worry Shadow, I'll make sure that we take as many of Umaril's soldiers down as we can... giving you the opportunity you need to strike the enemy down where he stands."

They followed the knights into the ruin, though when they reached the first main chamber they found a group of at least ten soldiers waiting for their arrival. Nightmare sprung into action as she smacked one of her enemies with the handle of her battleaxe, before turning around and using the head to cut another one in half. She also made sure to attack the enemies that were at the back, giving the other knights the opportunity to attack from the front while Shadow looked for the path that would lead him to Umaril. He spotted a button and pushed it, allowing the gate to the left of the first chamber to open, to which he ran toward it and climbed up the stairs that awaited him.

At the top of the stairs he found another Auroran soldier waiting for him, to which he used his holy weapons to cut his enemy down as three of the knights followed in after him. The passage then lead to another chamber that had at least five more enemies waiting for them, so they broke apart and attacked the soldiers that were in front of them. Shadow was able to take down two of them at the same time before he went to the aid of his fellow knights, who appreciated the help as they cleared the chamber of Umaril's soldiers. They then took a few minutes to search the surrounding area before they found a pair of stairs that brought them to a door, which they walked through without wasting a second.

As Shadow followed the passage they came to he was followed by the knights that had accompanied him, though that was before Nightmare and the remaining knights walked in behind them. He figured that the knights would have known when he was reaching his target and would close ranks around him, so he was glad that Nightmare had followed them and had not stayed behind to fight whatever enemies they might have left behind. With all of their forces gathered in one area once more, and Nightmare was by his side again, Shadow looked around the passage and spotted button that he knew had to open the doors in front of them. He pushed the button and watched the doors fall down, wondering what else they might find in the lair of their enemy before they actually found their true target.

When they fought the enemies that were waiting in the next chamber, and slew them all where they stood, Shadow was horrified to learn that they didn't stay dead for very long, as the moment the last one fell they all rose from the ground and attacked them again.

"I smell necromancy at work here," Nightmare commented, her battleaxe tearing a soldier in half, though she knew that he would return minutes later as something caught her eye, "That orb above us has to be the key to all of this. Shadow, the knights and I will hold off the dead while you destroy the orb... and then we'll see about tearing Umaril a new one."

Shadow nodded and headed around the corner, where he eventually found a staircase that lead him into an area that would allow him to circle around to the next level. He also encountered another enemy waiting for him, but he merely took its head clean off before he resumed his journey to the next level... which happened to connect to the area that the orb was floating above. Shadow smiled as he approached the orb, more because he had reached his target without incurring any injuries at all, before he raised the Sword of the Crusader and brought it down on the orb, shattering it into a thousand pieces and slaying the seemingly undead soldiers below him.

With that done, and the other knights freed from their battles, Shadow turned to the other direction the walkway was taking him and approached the next door, though he knew that Nightmare was following him inside the instant he heard her boots touch the floor.

Once they were through the door the two of them followed the path that was before them, using the twists and turns to their advantage as they avoided the blue lightning that occasionally came their way. Eventually they came to two more enemies that were guarding the top of some stairs, but Nightmare would have none of their presence as she fought them for a few seconds before she took their heads clean off. The moment they reached the bottom of the stairs, and entered the next area, the lights all around them lit up and the stairs in front of them moved into position... almost as if Umaril the Unfeathered was beckoning Shadow into battle.

"Wait here Nightmare," Shadow said, tapping the Sword on the Shield as he climbed up the steps, "I'll deal with Umaril the Unfeathered and bring an end to this madness of his."

Nightmare nodded and stayed where she was standing, knowing that Shadow would defeat the enemy they came to get rid of and that they could return to Rend with good news.

Shadow approached Umaril the Unfeathered, eying the elven greatsword that his enemy was carrying, and waited for his opponent to make the first move before he did anything. Fortunately Umaril was more than willing to attack first, because the greatsword was in motion seconds after Shadow reached the top of the stairs, causing him to raise his shield and block the attack. He then pushed Umaril backwards a bit and swung the sword at him, becoming a little annoyed when he failed to reach his target as they both backed up a little bit. They then exchange blows with their weapons, both of them blocking the others attack and trying to deliver their own, going back and forth without either of them actually getting any injuries.

That all changed when Shadow scored a lucky blow and knocked the greatsword out of Umaril's hand, though before his enemy could recover Shadow thrust his sword forward and drove it into his enemy's foul heart. Umaril struggled against the holy power of the weapon that Shadow was using, but in the end Umaril the Unfeathered collapsed on the floor in front of him.

"That was anticlimactic," Nightmare commented, walking up and seeing the body of Shadow's enemy, remembering what had happened when Jyggalag had been defeated by Pandora, "So, you going to follow his spirit and end this madness?"

"That's the plan," Shadow replied, setting aside the Shield for a moment and picking up the greatsword that Umaril carried, which he tossed over to Nightmare before picked up his shield, "Take that for now... we can use it as a trophy for the other knights to know that our enemy was defeated."

Nightmare, once again, nodded her understanding and took the weapon in question, noticing how light and heavy it was at the same time, as if it had been crafted to be used as a heavy weapon and as a light weapon. With the weapon in hand Shadow knelt beside Umaril's corpse and activated the blessing he had received from Talos, feeling himself fade away until he was sure that he was traveling to wherever his enemy was hiding.

---

Shadow appeared in what he assumed was the sky above the Imperial City, though as he took in the area around him he noticed that Umaril was once again armed and ready for combat, because the moment Shadow appeared he noticed that the new sword was in motion and coming his way. He blocked the attack with his shield and slammed his sword into Umaril's knee, forcing him backwards just a bit before they engaged in combat once more. Umaril managed to get a lucky hit this time and cut his side, but Shadow moved through the pain that he had been inflicted with and thrust the sword into his enemy's chest once more.

This time when Shadow slew his sworn enemy, for good this time, Umaril the Unfeathered exploded in a whirlwind of energy and knocked Shadow out of the sky. As he fell Shadow looked at the ground and closed his eyes, knowing that this was likely going to be the end of his time in Nirn... though he was only sorry that he couldn't stop Mehrunes Dagon like the Emperor wanted. The last thing he felt was something latch onto him before he hit the ground... though the impact never came.

---

Shadow took in a deep breath and realized, after a few seconds, that he was somehow still alive, so he opened his eyes and found that he was actually kneeing in the middle of the undercroft of the Priory of the Nine. Surrounding him were the spirits of the knights that had told him where the artifacts he was wearing were located, so that he could seek them out and bring them together once more. The knights almost seemed happy that he was back among the living, though Shadow was pleased to find that he had, against all odds, survived the battle with his sworn enemy.

"Crusader... arise... stand and face the light." one of the spirits said, though Shadow was still a little dazed and couldn't tell which of them had spoken, "Breathe again and receive your reward. You have completed your divine task. You have restored the Order. You have defeated the enemy of the Nine. The Order shall serve as the sword and the shield of the Nine in the dark times to come. We owe you a debt of thanks. You have succeeded where we could not. You and your knights have held true to your purpose. At long last, our purgatory is at an end. We go to the glory of the Nine, to serve in their host in the life beyond this one."

Shadow missed the last part of what the spirit said, though he did watch as the majority of the spirits departed for the afterlife, leaving him alone with another spirit. He sighed and nodded to the spirit, though he didn't think it was the proper time or place to speak with the dead knight, not after everything that he had been through. Seconds later Sir Thedret burst into the room he was in and looked at him in surprise, as if he had been expecting Shadow to be dead and not standing on his feet.

"Lord Crusader! How can this be? You... you're alive!" Sir Thedret exclaimed, confirming Shadow's assumptions that the knight had believed he had been dead the entire time, "It's a miracle! I heard voices in the undercroft and I came to investigate... You vanished in Garlas Malatar. After the battle, we searched further into the ruin and found you next to Umaril's corpse. You had no wounds on your body, but you were dead. I saw it with my own eyes -- you did not draw breath! We laid you to rest in the undercroft... we kept your death a secret. We feared what would happen if our enemies thought you were dead."

"The wonders of the Nine are many." Shadow replied, not really knowing how best to say anything to the man at the moment, not after apparently coming back from the dead.

"Indeed they are..." Sir Thedret said, a smile appearing on his face as he calmed down, "We knew you had succeeded in destroying Umaril's physical form, but it seemed that you had met the same fate as Pelinal Whitestrake. Tell me... was Umaril destroyed?"

"I... I have severed his very soul," Shadow confirmed, knowing that the knight was going to do something now that he knew that Shadow wasn't dead just yet.

"Then he is destroyed! We've won -- and you're alive!" Sir Thedret exclaimed, the truth of what he had to do next dawning on him, "I have to tell the others!"

As Sir Thedret ran up the stairs Shadow chuckled to himself as he picked up the cape that he had worn to cover up the armor of the Divine Crusader, wondering how it could even be here after depositing it someplace else. He shook his head and slipped it over the armor once more, covering the majority of the suit with the material, before he followed the knight up the stairs. He knew that the other knights were likely going to want the whole story, and he intended to tell them something, but he was curious as to what Nightmare was doing at that moment. When he walked outside, and spotted the knights gathered around the Priory's entrance, he was pleased to see that they were glad he was back, though he saw Nightmare standing behind them and nodding in approval.

"Knights of the Nine, hear me!" Sir Thedret exclaimed, gathering the attention of the knights around him, "Today we have witnessed undeniable proof of the strength and the might of the gods we serve! Slain in battle with the dread Umaril, by the grace and mercy of the Nine, the Crusader lives again! How can this be, you ask? What of our foe? What has become of Umaril The Unfeathered? Umaril has been slain by the Crusader! His very spirit cast into the void and destroyed for all eternity -- he will never rise again. Let us give thanks to the Nine! By their power, the Crusader has rid the world of Umaril forever! Hail the Lord Crusader!"

Shadow chuckled and approached Nightmare, knowing that it was time that they returned to Cloud Ruler Temple, and more importantly to Martin.

"I think its time we rejoined our friend," Shadow commented, turning his gaze in the direction of the temple, noting that Nightmare was following his gaze as well.

"Agreed," Nightmare said, tapping her battleaxe for a moment, "Come Shadow, let's return to Rend and tell everyone what you've done... and then we'll put a stop to Dagon's plans."

Shadow smiled, knowing that they were finally returning to their true mission; stopping the Mythic Dawn and ensuring that Mehrunes Dagon couldn't enter Nirn.

Comments

[Sonata Blaze]

Dang, the story is almost over.
Oh well, at least the author finished it.