Skyrim: The Faces of Death

by Blackdrag-rose

War: Final Journey

Amaryllis found that the rulers talked for some time, many wanting to confirm that Za'kera wasn't about to restrict their beliefs and make them worship only the Imperial Pantheon, where she informed them that they didn't have to worry about that, because if she tried something like that it would only make her as bad as the Dominion. Lady Seirhy did join them in the end, as her fleet was important in the final stages of their war against their enemies, and her wereshark form surprised many of the people that were there, as she showed them that she had more control over it than most werewolves did, save for the Companions and a few others. Sure, she had been surprised by the transformation as well, but she wasn't about to judge anyone based on their appearance, given that her power allowed her to take on any form she wanted, and having someone like her as an ally was a good thing, since she could swim through the water fast and surprise their enemies. That, with her fleet and Tosh Raka's fleet, meant that they controlled the seas and the Dominion had no chance of breaking through their barricade, meaning the Altmer must have attacked them while they were distracted by something else, as a frontal assault win for the Dominion seemed unlikely.

For the most part Amaryllis ignored the conversation and made sure no enemies found their way into the chamber, not that she was expecting such a thing in the first place, though one thing that caught her attention was that Za'kera wanted to change how all races were viewed, as in she was challenging racism itself, something that made her smile as she listened to all of them, knowing it would be quite the battle.

Eventually they ended the meeting and she walked away with one thing, they were ready for the final stage of their war, as in it was time to depart for the Summerset Isles and deal with the Dominion's main force, which would either end in their total victory or end in their defeat. As far as Amaryllis could tell whoever had been sent into Valenwood had found the rulers in the same position that the Mane had been in, trapped and waiting execution in a way that blamed the Empire for the deed, and they had been able to reactivate the Green-Sap Tower, by sinking to it's Stone. Ma'jera explained it that the Perchance Acorn were many and connected, while the tampering that had been done to one in the past merely altered it's song, not fully deactivating the Tower, and their new song gave it life one more, meaning they had reactivated two Towers so far. In addition to that Ma'jera also explained that she was going to teleport the Orichalc Tower, which sunk with the island of Yokunda, out of the sea and move it to one of the other provinces, one that didn't have a Tower to watch over, so it would further strengthen the world, once she had the sword that was it's Stone reforged anyway.

Strangely the city was quiet as the night replaced the day, as in everyone was resting and no one, not even the drunken Alfig, wanted to drink or party before they departed for the Summerset Isles, meaning everyone was focused on what they were about to do, declare war on the Dominion, that that knowledge had caused them to make a good decision before facing off against their enemies.

"This is it. Amaryllis, are you ready?" Za'kera asked, as she had walked to the chamber that held her desk, which she was getting used to seeing as hers now since it had belonged to the Emperors and Empresses that came before her, and made sure the changeling was in the room with her before the door closed, because she was curious as to what her friend was thinking right now.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Amaryllis replied, appearing from the shadows, which she had gotten used to using so she could keep Za'kera or her allies safe from whatever might be coming at them, even if it hadn't been necessary, before she took a moment to glance out one of the windows, in the direction of their final destination, "We're about to engage in what might be one of the greatest battles in the history of his world, with the stakes being the highest they've ever been... if we win, it means the world will live on and live will continue, while if we lose it will mean everything comes to an end. Everything we have worked for, gathering our allies and uniting pretty much the entirety of this world, even beyond since the forces of Oblivion are aiding us as well, is about to bear fruit, we just have to be sure it's the fruit that we want."

"Out of curiosity, aren't you eager to get back home?" Za'kera inquired, because in all the time she had known Amaryllis, a while when she thought about it, she was sure that the changeling had mentioned that her original plan had been to head back home and leave this world behind her, but after some time it seemed like she tossed the idea to the side and started to connect with Nirn.

"Maybe once upon a time, but there's no way back to Equestria, so Nirn is now my home." Amaryllis said, as she knew the reason behind why Za'kera was asking her this, because this battle technically wasn't hers, this world wasn't hers, so she was curious as to why she didn't speak with the gods and figure out a way to get back to her own world, where she gave a light chuckle for a moment, "besides, I'm loyal and I'm not about to leave you and everyone else to fight this battle, not after all the hard work I put into securing the allies from the other provinces... I'm in this until the end."

Za'kera nodded her head to that, as she knew Amaryllis well enough to know that such a thing was the truth, and let her friend do whatever she wanted for the rest of the night, as they needed to be ready for whatever might be coming once they reached the Summerset Isles and declared war on the Dominion's forces.

---

When morning arrived, and everyone had a chance to get some breakfast, Za'kera, Amaryllis, and their friends from the other provinces, like Kya and those who had been recruited in Skyrim, made their way to Anvil with a force of soldiers that would be part of the fleet they were sending to the Summerset Isles. Of course the majority of their soldiers were staying here for the time being, mostly to protect Cyrodiil and conserve their energy, so when they reached their destination the Demiprince could open the portal and bring their allies, as it was a matter of deception. That much Amaryllis knew without having to be told, as the Dominion would be overconfident when they saw the fleet, given the fact that the Altmer were a race of arrogant people and didn't believe they could be taken down, and it was the perfect deception, to lure them into a false sense of security before the truth was revealed. Plus there was the fact that they didn't have enough ships to safely transport all of their forces, even with the ones they had taken from the Dominion, so this was the best course, split their forces in two and have the smaller portion summon the larger one when they reached the Summerset Isles.

With the traveling force gathered, and the remainder was set to standby as they waited for the portal to be opened, their fleet departed from Cyrodiil with all the haste they could muster and set off for the Summerset Isles, though Amaryllis stood near the wheel and looked out over the sea in front of them.

"This is actually happening... I'll admit, for a time I was wondering if we were actually going to get this far," Zoravoir said, speaking to Amaryllis as she, too, stared out at the sea and focused on everything they had done to reach this point, which also included her taking on the power of a fallen Daedric Prince, her words suggesting that she might have been worried that they would have never reached this point, "Are you nervous?"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't." Amaryllis replied, as everyone on this ship, not to mention most of the fleet, was nervous as they considered what they were doing, they were getting ready to start the greatest battle this world had seen in a very long time, since the days of the Oblivion Crisis or even the Planemeld, and one wrong move would render all their hard work over the last month useless, "I know I got used to killing by working with the Dark Brotherhood, not to mention all of the fights that we were in since joining Za'kera, but a battle of this magnitude... I don't think any of us are ever ready for something like this... well, except those from Akavir."

"I'll give you that, they are certainly ready for battle." Zoravoir stated, as she hadn't considered that fact when she stared out at their combined forces, where she found that Tosh Raka and his forces were preparing on their ships, no doubt all of them waiting for more Dominion ships to arrive so they could either destroy them or help capture them, before she took a moment to consider something, "Oh, I also heard that the Maormer are going to bring up one of their ancient ships, just to add some extra firepower to our arsenal... they're likely planning on a defensive strategy, in case our enemies send some ships to flank our forces."

Amaryllis raised an eyebrow as she heard that, as it was news to her, before she turned her head and glanced over at the area that the Maormer ships were in, finding Lady Seirhy was returning from the water and that she didn't seem drenched by her swim, meaning either her attire was enchanted or it was something that was linked to her wereshark form, which she seemed at home with. Not a few moments later part of the sea ahead of them shuddered as a ship burst out of the water and came to a stop when it was level with the rest of their fleet, where she found that the sails had holes in them, no doubt from being underwater for so long, it had a maw of sorts on the front of it, and the cannon slots had either gold or bronze designs around them. It was a rather imposing ship, one that looked like it might have been designed to inspire fear in those who looked at it, though she was surprised when she found that the crew seemed to be made up of people who seemed to be part of the sea itself, with coral growing out of them, some had shells as helmets, and all sorts of odd additions that made them look fearsome as well. The captain, however, was far more fearsome than his crew, as he stood a bit taller than those that worked under him, he seemed to have a beard of tentacles, a crab claw as his left arm and a crab leg as his right leg, sized to match his other leg and took away the potential of an awkward gait, and she found that he also had a light green shade to his skin.

According to Zoravoir this was the infamous 'Davy Jones', a feared captain who had retired himself and his crew, plus the Flying Dutchman, to the depths of the sea to prevent people from tracking down him and his treasure, though it seemed like he might have owed a debt to the Maormer and this was his chance to pay it so he could rest without anyone coming to bother him in the future.

In addition to that she found another ship appearing some from mist, a ship that seemed to be pirate in nature, with the skull and crossbones flag, though the crew was a forces of Daedra that didn't seem to serve a specific Daedric Prince, to which Zoravoir informed her that it was Velehk Sain, who she met back in Winterhold. It seemed like he was coming just to have some fun, meaning she had to worry that he and his crew might attack them while they were distracted by the rest of their upcoming enemies, though she had others who would be focused on Sain so she could focus on their task. One thing she did was think about the blades she carried, the Deathbrand blades to be exact, and gripped them for a few seconds, where they found another pirate ship appear out of the mist, though it was a ghost ship, one they could see through, and she could see the crew of Haknir Death-Brand aboard it, causing her to chuckle. It seemed like her weapons had one last power she didn't know about, the ability to summon a crew of ghosts that would likely do her bidding, which just meant that their chances had improved greatly, meaning more people were likely to survive before the Dominion realized that they had to target the living soldiers and not the otherworldly ones.

With that thought in mind she and the others focused on the rest of the journey they had to undertake, as soon they and their forces would reach the Summerset Isles and do battle with the Dominion, to decide the fate of this world at long last, though all they could do now was rest and wait for their fleet to reach their destination.

Comments

[Night_Moon60606]

surprised u didnt throw in the Pearl, complete the absurdity...

[Blackdrag-rose]

11177095 You're right, I didn't even think of the Black Pearl. Though to be fair it's possible that Lady Seirhy's ship might be the Pearl, since it's the head of the Maormer fleet.