Nightmare Moon, eager to escape from her prison, misfires her spell and ends up in someplace called Cyrodiil. Now she embarks on a journey to stop the Daedra from destroying the strange world she has discovered.
Nightmare Moon, formerly called Princess Luna, casts a spell that should, in theory, let her leave her moon and return to Equestria. When the spell misfires she finds herself in a strange new world, surrounded by strange new creatures. After a few weeks of fighting in the Arena she meets a group of unlikely heroes that are on a mission given to them by the Emperor himself. She embarks on a journey that will take her through the pits of Oblivion itself and forge new friendships along the way.
But will she be able to stand up against Mehrunes Dagon and his Mythic Dawn cult, or will the power of the Lunar Princess fail her when she needs it most?
-Equestria's Moon, 203 years before Nightmare Moon's return-
Nightmare Moon, the near black coated alicorn with a wavy blue mane that was filled with stars, walked across the surface of the moon. HER moon, and growled yet again. For the last eight hundred years, give or take take three years, she had studied how she had assaulted Princess Celestia, her DEAREST sister, and how she could have lost. She had once been known by another name, Princess Luna, but her anger at her ponies ignoring her and favoring her own sister over her had warped her, changing her into who she was now.
For almost eight hundred years she studied how she had attacked her sister, searching for how she could have been defeated so easily, but the answer was always the same. She had forgotten about the Elements of Harmony, the very tools that the two of them had, at another time in their lives, used against the Spirit of Disharmony, Discord. Princess Celestia had used the ancient gemstones against her, blasting her with enough force to rip her out of Equestria and drop her on the moon, imprinting a shadow of her on the moon's face for the ponies to see each and every night.
And every time she reached the same conclusion her anger returned, an anger that made her ignite her magic and blast part of the space dust that past by into pieces. Just like right now; she spotted an asteroid nearing her moon and her anger took over, weaving her magic into a piercing arrow that tore the hunk of rock to pieces.
"Princess Celestia!" Nightmare shouted, staring up at Equestria from where she was standing, knowing that it was futile to shout as sound died seconds after leaving her mouth, "When I escape my moon, and you know I'll do so, I'll come for you and destroy whatever kingdom, treaties, and friendships you have created! I will cast my Eternal Night upon all of Equestria, so everypony can see just how beautiful it is and treat me with the respect that I deserve!"
She continued to stare up at Equestria, trying so hard to find where Princess Celestia was, hoping that she was looking upon her so she could burn her with her anger. Minutes passed before she finally sighed and looked away from the planet she had once called home, sitting on the rough ground of the moon as her mind wandered once more. There wasn't much for her to do these days besides plan on how she can escape her prison, her precious moon, sooner than whenever Princess Celestia had planned for the sentence to be over.
There were hundreds of spells in existence, most of which both she and Princess Celestia knew by heart at this point, but there wasn't one that allowed teleportation across vast distances, such as from the moon back to Equestria. Nightmare had tried such a spell on the moon, trying to go from one side of the moon, like the one with her face on it, to the other side, where there was nothing but darkness most of the time. But just because a spell didn't do what she wanted it to didn't mean that she couldn't force the nature of the magic to change, which is why she had stored most of her excess magic in the moon itself.
She was betting that a vast amount of magic would allow her spell to transport herself back to Equestria, tearing through whatever enchantments the Elements of Harmony had used on her. That was her theory, one she was prepared to test now that she had gotten her daily rant out of the way and had restored her supply of magic over the previous night. A grin replaced the frown she had been wearing; she couldn't wait to see Princess Celestia's face when she realizes that she escaped from the moon.
Nightmare tapped her hoof against the ground and her magic ignited, flowing around the empty space around her before connecting with the magic that she had stored in the moon itself. Once she was sure the two magics were well connected she turned her attention to the transportation spell, visualizing her return to the castle she had been blasted out of. She closed her eyes and allowed her body to begin the journey from the moon to Equestria, but as she approached her home she noticed something that she never would have thought to account for; a barrier that kept her from performing the action she desired.
The barrier bounced her spell backwards, as if it was supposed to return her to the moon, but when the spell flew past the intended area Nightmare knew she was in trouble. Before she could cancel the spell and return to the moon she felt her body twist at odd angles and she eventually allowed the darkness of space to consume her.
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Nightmare moaned as the feeling returned to her body, but the strange angles that all of her limbs were in made her wonder if she had broken her body. There was a constant pounding that she thought was just her head from hitting the ground, but as she slowly regained consciousness she discovered that it wasn't her head, but rather a crowd. Now that she knew that something was staring at her she began to open her eyes, though the sight she found in front of her came as a surprise; she was in an arena of some kind.
Standing in the center of the ring were two creatures, each of them carrying a suit of armor, a weapon attached to their belts, and what she assumed was a shield on their other side. As she stared at them she found that they stood up straight and walked on two legs, though at the end of those legs were some foreign appendages. She continued up their body until she found the second set of legs, but these ones held another foreign appendage that she assumed were for holding the weapons. And their heads were definitely different from a ponies head, though she noticed that the two creatures were staring at her as if they were debating what to do with her.
She looked down at herself and her eyes widened in shock, finding that her body had been twisted into the same shape that the creatures in front of her were, though she was the same dark blue as her original form. She had the same strange appendages on both sets of her legs, but where the two creatures were dressed in different colored armor she was wearing a suit of azure colored armor, splitting to reveal what she assumed was her stomach. She wasn't carrying a weapon or shield, but she knew that she had something she could summon if either creature decided to attack her.
"Good people of the Imperial City." a voice called out, causing Nightmare to look around for whoever was speaking, "Welcome to the Arena. For this match we had two fresh Pit Dogs ready to do battle, but it seems that we've had a last minute entry. Challenger, what is your name?"
Nightmare groaned and tried to pull herself up, but with as foreign as her body was to her at the moment she knew that she wasn't in any shape to fight anything. The fighter wearing the yellow suit of armor, an elf of some kind, pulled out the weapon it carried, a sword she noted, and ran straight at her, seeking to end someone who couldn't fight back. Nightmare's magic ignited and the air around her shimmered, but as the fighter neared her she swung the legs closest to her head and hoped for the best. She heard the clank of metal on metal and looked up, noticing that she was holding a blackened battleaxe and had, somehow, stopped the fighter in her tracks.
Instead of wasting the opportunity that presented itself Nightmare brought herself to a standing position, similar to what the creatures around her were doing, and pushed the fighter backwards. The creature staggered backwards for a moment, but that was all Nightmare needed as she leapt forward and crushed the head of her weapon into the creature's shoulder, cutting through the armor like it was made of butter. The creature's eyes widened in surprise as Nightmare pulled herself back, lifting the battleaxe out before the creature hit the ground, though a few moments later it became clear that it was dead.
The second creature stared at her as she regained her balance, though from what she could see she wasn't sure that this one would leave her alone either.
"Just who are you?" the creature asked, lifting his sword and shield up.
"I am Nightmare Moon," Nightmare replied, a smile appearing on her face as she lifted up her weapon.
The creature charged at her, but instead of letting the attack land Nightmare threw herself to the right and let it move right by her, though she turned around and brought the head of the battleaxe down as hard as she could. The creature rolled out of the way and got back up onto its legs, turning to look at her again before foolishly making another move without studying her. Half a minute later the creature came charging at her again, though Nightmare lifted the handle of her weapon in time to block the attack she knew was coming. The instant she caught the attack she twisted the battleaxe around and drove the head right into the creature's chest, cutting through the armor and its heart with ease.
"Nightmare Moon!" she heard the crowd chant, wondering why they were cheering for her, "Nightmare Moon! Nightmare Moon! Nightmare Moon!"
"Victor from the Blue Team," the announcer exclaimed, cutting through the noise of the crowd, "leave the Arena and and rest! You've earned it!"
Nightmare had no idea why the announcer thought she was on the Blue Team, whatever that was, but rest sounded good and she looked around to figure out where she needed to go. That was when she spotted someone beckoning for her to come his way, so she gathered her weapon and carefully walked across the Arena to where the creature was standing.
"Sorry about that, I had to claim you before the Yellow Team could," the creature said, beckoning for her to follow him, "They were likely going to call the Imperial Guards and arrest you for 'cheating' in an Arena match, since you hadn't picked a side when you entered. I, um, skipped that step and claimed you for my side, but I'm expecting you to do your best and make some money for us before you fall in battle. I'm Owyn, the fight manager for the Blue Team. You come to me for the fights and I send you in, but whether or not you come back alive is up to you.
Do I have your attention yet, Pit Dog?"
"Look, I'll fight as long as I don't end up in prison," Nightmare said, hating how her stay in this strange world was going already, "but I need to know where I am, what all you strange creatures are, and I guess the rules of the Arena. Help me understand where I am and I'll fight with all my power."
Nightmare knew the arrangement was heavily in the creature's favor, but at the moment this was the best option she had that didn't have her end up in jail. She just hoped that she wouldn't regret it in the long run.
For three weeks Nightmare stayed in the area of the Arena called the Red Room, where, according to her team supervisor Owyn, almost all of the blood from the Arena dripped down the walls around her. She stayed down there, reading whatever books her team leader would lend her during her downtime, catching up on what was happening in the province around her. While she wasn't reading she was walking around the Red Room on her lower legs, walking on her feet as Owyn called them, and swinging her upper legs, her arms and hands as she learned. She knew that she needed to strengthen her body, so she wouldn't fall over if she ran too fast or tipped over by leaning more in one direction than the other.
When she wasn't reading or practicing she was actually in the Arena, swinging her ebony battleaxe at whoever the Yellow Team sent to do battle against her. Sure, it took her a good week and a half to get used to how her body worked, but once she stared the second week she felt much better when she moved. By the time the third week started she walked almost as if she had been born in this world, much to the amazement of her team leader and whoever was left on her team. The Yellow Team's champion, Agronak gro-Malog, the Gray Prince to the Arena fans, watched her every time she came down, almost as if she was after his title.
She had no desire to take over the current Champion's rule, but she had little choice in the matter as Owyn came to her with his 'ultimatum' as he called it. Either she fight the Gray Prince in the Arena, or he'd hand her over to the Imperial Guards and charge her with illegally entering the Arena and interrupting the fight she had been in. She knew that it was an empty threat, but, in case there was some weight behind his words, Nightmare had only agreed on one condition; if she won against the Gray Prince then she would be free to leave the Arena at long last. Owyn eventually agreed to her deal, though she was required to raise to the rank required to face the current Grand Champion, which she accomplished thanks to the match he sent her into after talking with her.
Once she was ready she had been forced to talk to an old nord women, the Battle Matron as Owyn called her, that served as the one who initiated the challenge to the current Grand Champion, only there was one thing she was missing. Apparently she needed her own name to properly challenge the Gray Prince, though she came up with something that stayed true to her roots.
"So, have you chosen your battle-name yet?" the old women asked, eying Nightmare as she approached her, "Something catchy, something that will make the people of Cyrodiil remember you when they tell tales of your glorious defeat at the hands of the Gray Prince."
"I have one in mind," Nightmare replied, knowing that no one in the Arena would expect her to survive her encounter with the Gray Prince, though she was aiming to prove them wrong, "the Queen of Nights."
"Oh, I like it," the old women said, chuckling to herself as she beckoned for Nightmare to depart, "The Queen vs the Prince. This fight should be interesting to watch."
Nightmare did not share the women's interest in the fight, but she made her way towards the Arena anyway and eventually came to the iron gate that she had to stand behind until the announcer told them to start.
"Good people of the Imperial City," the announcer called out, inciting cheers from the people sitting in the stands, "welcome to the Arena! Believe it or not, but someone has actually challenged the unbeatable Arena Grand Champion. But who, you might ask, could possibly be brave enough to face such a fearless foe? Who could wrest the title from our famed Gray Prince? Good people, I give you the Blue Team's latest Champion; a warrior of skill, strength, and determination!
Behold, the Queen of Knights!"
Nightmare groaned to herself, the blasted old women had gotten the title she wanted to use wrong, but one could argue that she should have been more clear when she had told the Battle Matron her title. Still, there was no way she was going to be able to correct the mistake, as now everyone that had been cheering for her before this match was calling out her battle-name. Though she had to admit it, being called the Queen of Knights sounded more epic than the Queen of Nights.
"Lords and Ladies, Citizens of the Empire," the announcer continued, speaking over the crowd, "I give you the battle of the ages! Combatants, steel yourselves! Lower the gates!"
Nightmare's ebony battleaxe was already in her hand the moment the announcer told them to steel themselves, though she could see her opponent, Agronak gro-Malog, doing the same. The second the iron gate lowered into the ground she strolled into the Arena, her wings beating just a bit before she calmed them down, not wanting anyone to know that she was, in truth, somewhat excited to be facing the Gray Prince. Over the course of her fighting career in the Arena she had little opportunity to train her magic, but a few of her enemies had used magic and she responded in kind, though she knew there was no reason to use her horn and magic in this fight.
"I hope your prepared, Gray Prince," Nightmare said, holding her weapon at the ready as Agronak approached her, "because I will not be going easy on you."
"Fight and die well, Queen of Knights," Agronak replied, holding onto his sword and he raised his shield, "May the best fighter win."
Nightmare ran forward and immediately swung her battleaxe at Agronak, who pulled up his shield almost immediately and blocked the attack, though he frowned at her. That was because Nightmare had purposely hit him with the dull edge of the blade, to test if he was going to actually fight back and test how determined he was. From that one exchange she knew that he was definitely determined to fight to the death, which only made her jump back for a moment as she spun her weapon back to its original side.
Agronak came at her this time, swinging his sword at her as she ducked under it, though she had to pull herself back to avoid getting hit by his shield. She knew her horn could have pierced whatever material the shield was made of and puncture her opponent's hand, but that would have given her an unfair advantage. She maneuvered around Agronak and appeared behind him, though when she began to swing her weapon she had to pull back once more as she avoided the shield. She was beginning to sense a pattern to his attacks, though she needed to be ready to deal with the shield before it managed to deal some damage to her.
She lead Agronak back towards the center of the Arena, making sure to avoid the attacks that he made while keeping an eye on the shield, just in case he used it again. Once they were in the center she spun around and brought her battleaxe down, though instead of trying to disarm the shield she made sure the head of her weapon connected with it. The resulting impact shattered the shield, the pieces scattering across the ground while Agronak stumbled backwards, surprise filling his eyes as he tossed aside the handle that had allowed him to carry the shield around.
Agronak charged at her again, but this time Nightmare swung her battleaxe in reverse, using the bottom of the weapon to smash his hand and force him to drop the sword. As it fell to the ground she spun her weapon back around and drove the blade's head into Agronak's chest, cutting through the armor and digging into the skin. He pulled himself off the weapon and rolled across the ground, snatching his weapon and turning it on her as he tried to stop himself from bleeding out. He managed to pull himself back up onto his feet and held his sword straight, though Nightmare could tell that the cut had been much deeper than either of them expected. She also knew that he wasn't going to survive much longer, so she pulled her battleaxe close to her and prepared to finish the fight.
Agronak coughed up some blood and then came at her once more, though Nightmare merely dodged the incoming attack by allowing him to pass her before bringing her weapon down on top of him. She knew that she hit him hard enough to end his life and she was proven right, as he collapsed on the ground and laid there, as still as stone, as his blood built up around him. She ignored the announcer as he proclaimed her as the winner, resting her weapon against the ground while she gently removed Agronak's armor, as per the Battle Matron's orders if she had won, though she offered some passing words to him before she finished. Once the deed was done she picked up her weapon and rose to a standing position, hearing the chants of the crowd before her eyes zeroed in on three people not cheering for her.
One of them was another male orc dressed in metal armor, a male lizard-creature, an argonian she recalled, and a female breton, one that happened to be dressed up as an archer. The orc was staring down at her with a smile on his face, though she had no idea why he was doing so. She shrugged and returned to the Red Room, knowing that she'd be free from the city at long last.
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"Is she everything you had hoped she would be Rend?" the argonian asked, shaking off the last of the shackles that had been on his wrists and making sure that no one noticed them fall off.
"Aye, she is," the orc, Rend, said, watching the strange nord, who had a pair of wings and a horn on her head, walk back into the underbelly of the Arena, "and I can tell there's more to her than what we're seeing. We need to speak with her, before she vanishes."
"We should be off then," the third member of their group said, a chuckle escaping from her as she looked down at the fallen Grand Champion, "otherwise we'll all go mad from boredom."
"Pandora speaks the truth, if only in part," the argonian continued, shaking his head for a moment, "besides, we wasted precious time that cannot be recovered. We must spirit this Amulet away before the enemy knows we have it."
Rend reached into the pocket of his armor, touching the special Amulet that had been given to him by the dying Emperor not an hour or two ago, which was moments before the three of them had been tasked with delivering it to someone else. He believed that he could convince the strange nord, Nightmare Moon as she called herself, to join their cause, if only to go as far as the drop off point. He beckoned for them to follow him, knowing that he'd need to watch out for the nord and someplace safe to talk to her.
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Nightmare stood at the edge of the river, having spent the last hour trying to escape the annoying fan that apparently had come with becoming the Grand Champion of the Arena, which explained why Agronak never left the place. With the night closing in on the world and people would going to sleep she knew that, if she so desired, she could impart some nightmare into the fan's mind to get him to stay away, but she eventually tossed the idea away. She had stared a fire earlier, but it remained mostly forgotten as she considered what to do with her limited freedom now that Owyn wasn't hounding her anymore.
"See? I told you she was here!" she heard a voice say behind her, causing her to turn around and find the three from earlier standing near her fire, "Convince her fast, before we all go mad!"
"Forgive us for intruding Miss Moon," the orc said, placing his weapons, a pair of swords, on the ground before approaching her, "but I have to say that the way you fight leaves me with hope for our future."
"Its Nightmare Moon, not Miss Moon," Nightmare replied, though she laid her weapon on the ground and walked closer to the orc, "and i have no idea what you are referring to."
"Emperor Uriel VII and his sons are dead," the orc said, moving a part of his armor to reveal a glowing gemstone before covering it back up, "He tasked the three of us with the delivery of this to someone named Jauffre at Weynon Priory. I was hoping that you would consider coming along with us, just in case the assassins that killed him come looking for us."
"I have nothing better to do," Nightmare shrugged, just as a thought crossed her mind, "though, if I am to travel with you for some time, I would like to know your names. Even if this is temporary I'd like to know anyway."
"With pleasure," the orc said, placing his hand, now in the shape of a fist, above his heart, "I am Rend Org'resh. These are my companions Shadowscale, or Shadow as he continues to tell me, and Pandora Silverarrow. Unfortunately, none of us have an interesting title to tell you, like your Queen of Knights title."
"Look, normally I'd laugh at something like that," Nightmare replied, stretching her arms as she picked up her battleaxe, "but I am too tired from the busy day I have had. I suggest that you all get some sleep so we can leave earlier in the morning, I'd like to be as far as I can from this city before the sun reaches the tower."
Rend nodded his understanding and began to talk to the other two behind him, who began to move around and set up their various bedrolls, though Nightmare really didn't care at this point. She sat by the tree and had made her set up this camp and rested herself against the wood, allowing her eyes to close at long last. She knew she'd need her energy for the following morning, having no idea what she had stumbled onto the moment Rend and his friends showed up.
As the light of the early morning peaked over the mountains Rend groaned from the night's sleep on the ground, as he had spent the last week in a jail cell and had slept on a stone bed until his fate showed it's hand. Shadow and Pandora were still asleep in their own bedrolls, which he expected from them, and the fire was slowly dying out, but there was someone missing from the campsite. He raised his hand to his chest and felt for the Amulet, releasing a sigh of relief as he found it where he had left it the night before, but once he knew it was safe he looked around for the last member of their group.
Then he found her in the middle of the river, her signature azure armor resting by the edge of the riverside, so Rend immediately put two and two together and knew what she was doing.
"Good morning Nightmare Moon," Rend said, stopping at the bottom of the hill so he didn't disturb her too much.
"Rend Org'resh," Nightmare exclaimed, her head turning around so she could glare at him, "I would request that you look away before I am forced to take actions against you for peeping at me."
Rend sighed and turned around almost immediately, knowing that he didn't want to chase Nightmare away before she even knew what they would be fighting for. Plus he didn't want to end their partnership on account of something foolish. He'd rather just earn her trust by respecting her privacy and her skill in combat, rather destroying what little trust they had between them. As he waited for Nightmare to speak to him he heard the sound of armor being picked up from the sand, followed by pieces of metal rubbing up against each other, and then the sound of the battleaxe being lifted up and heaved into position on her back.
"Very well Rend Org'resh," Nightmare said, dusting off her armor and making sure she was presentable, "I am decent. You may turn around now."
Rend turned around and faced his companion, finding that, now that the blood and dust of the Arena was cleaned from her skin, she looked even more stunning than she had been before. Even now he could tell that she was dangerous, but, considering what the late Emperor told him and his friends before he died, he'd be needing her before the end.
"I would like to apologize for my rudeness, first," Rend said, stepping to the water and cleaning his own swords for a moment, "I saw you bathing and I should not have come down to talk to you, and for that I apologize. Secondly, I feel that I should apologize for sneaking up on you with my friends and bringing your into our mess, one that the Emperor assigned to the three of us. I should have explained what the three of us would be facing and asked if you would be willing to fight by our sides, rather than just drawing you in like that..."
"It is over and done with Rend Org'resh," Nightmare replied, walking up the hill and returning to the campsite, "besides, I have been itching to get out of the Imperial City since the day I arrived in the Arena. I haven't had the chance to explore the province of Cyrodiil until today and I intend to make the most of my time here before I'm forced to return home. Your quest sounds like a righteous one, so I do not hold you accountable for 'bringing me into your mess', as you so accurately put it."
"She's mad I say!" they heard Pandora say, just as they came over the top of the hill and saw their companions making breakfast, "We'll all go mad before we reach the end of our quest!"
"Yes, as you've told us a hundred times already," Shadow replied, sighing as he noticed them coming their way, "Good, you guys didn't leave without us, as Pandora was afraid of the moment she woke up and noticed you two were missing. I swear, someone in the Imperial City must have heard her shout, so we had best be underway soon before someone comes looking for us."
"I understand," Rend said, accepting a small plate with some strips of meat and bits of fruit, "I'm glad that we managed to get enough gold to afford something small like this. I doubt we'll be getting anything more than this until we reach the Priory or get invited to a dinner by some respectable member of society."
Nightmare looked down at her own plate and stared at the piece of meat, something that she only had whenever she had visited the Griffin Kingdom. It was something that she had hidden from her SISTER, who merely ate fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and whatever tea suited her at the time, until the one fatal visit where she learned the truth. She liked the taste of meat, which she developed the proper teeth to eat it with, and enjoyed her visits to the griffins, until she had become what she was now and was banished from her home.
She picked up a piece of meat and tore it in half, glad to have something that wasn't the tasteless stew that was served to all ranks of fighters in the Arena.
"As you all know we are journeying to Weynon Priory," Rend said, interrupting her thoughts and whatever Shadow and Pandora were talking about, "which is to the west of us. No doubt we will face some bandits that want to rob us blind, but with all of our combined skills I'm certain that we'll get to our destination in no time. Hopefully Jauffre will be willing to see us the moment we reach the Priory, only so we can deliver our 'package' to him safely. Once everyone is ready to leave we'll depart from this camp and get underway."
It took them ten minutes to eat their meager meal, wash and dry their dishes, and pack up what little they had in their camp before they were ready to depart. Fortunately for them there happened to be a bridge down the river, with no one walking on it, so they crossed over the planks and came to a stop in front of a sign that told them the direction of the major cities. Rend immediately spotted which direction Chorrol was in, which was followed by him directing his companions in that direction and them beginning down the path.
While they walked Nightmare made sure to count what weapons her traveling companions had, finding that Shadow had a simple iron sword and shield and Pandora was sporting a bow with a quiver on her back. The only fighting style they were missing was magic, but she had that covered in the unlikely event that they needed magic to move on in their quest. Rend was, of course, sporting two iron swords, which had been cleaned before they had left and they appeared ready for anything or anyone. Pandora and Shadow took the front of the line, also telling her that they wanted to keep the package that Rend held safe at all costs, so she stood beside him and kept an eye out for anything dangerous.
"So, what's Pandora's problem?" Nightmare asked, catching Rend's attention before beckoning to the breton, "One minute she seems to be normal and then the next moment she breaks down and says something about being mad."
"I had the pleasure to inquire about that while we were all waiting for our fates to be decided in the Imperial Jail," Rend commented, returning his gaze to the road while he considered what to tell her, "Pandora says that its something that she was born with and, while most people would consider something like that a curse, I am inclined to believe that its fate calling on her. Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness, is said to give certain mortals a small fraction of his own madness, so that one day they'll find their way to the Shivering Isles and serve him to the end of their days. According to Pandora she hasn't even been to the Shivering Isles, so she's, somehow, fighting her destiny and is slowly descending into madness as a consequence."
"I see," Nightmare said, feeling sorry for the poor breton for what's happening to her, "What about how each of you ended up in Jail? I almost ended up there when I arrived in the city."
"Well, some drunken nord saw me walking on the road and decided to provoke me," Rend replied, shaking his head at the memory, "I, ugh, ended up beating the stuffing out of him with my fists, but before I could finish him off a guard came upon us and arrested me on the spot. Apparently the nord was a noble that hailed from Skyrim, so he sneered at me and said that I'd be in jail for the rest of my life until he called for me to be executed in his homeland. Shadow came by just a moment later to tend to the noble, mentioning something about the Divines, but the noble noticed something on his belt and told the guard that he found the 'thief' that stole something from him.
Pandora, on the other hand, was apparently hunting in the wild near the city and caught a deer that she was going to skin and harvest, but then a guard came by and arrested her on the stop. According to what I heard she was trespassing in the Imperial soldier hunting ground and they threw her in with the two of us, where we were supposed to spend the rest of our days. That was until Fate smiled upon us and the Emperor himself pardoned us, allowing us to follow him through his secret escape tunnel and gave us this quest."
Nightmare nodded and remained silent, making a note that some of the nobles of this world were as difficult as the nobles she had left in Equestria. Still, the fact that a noble would pick a fight with Rend and then throw an innocent healer in jail made her blood boil just a bit, making her wish that she'd have the chance to deal with the noble before she left this world. She wanted to swing her battleaxe into the noble's chest and leave him there in a pool of his own blood, but she needed to find him first.
"What about you Nightmare?" Rend asked, causing her to look at him in confusion for a moment, "You said that you 'arrived in the Arena', as opposed to us walking into the city and being thrown into jail. Mind telling me what you meant by that?"
"I will admit that I am curious about that as well," Shadow said, overhearing their conversation while keeping an eye out for bandits as they rounded a corner.
"She'll tell us and then go mad!" Pandora exclaimed, spotting something coming their way with a weapon drawn, "Ah ha! Bandits come to play 'Life or Death' with us!"
Nightmare gripped her battleaxe in anticipation for the bandit's arrival, but Pandora drew her bow, yanked an arrow out of her quiver, drew the string back quickly, and released the arrow in less than twenty seconds. The bandit continued towards them, apparently unaware of the danger he was in, until he was thrown backwards and hit the stones on the side of the road. Nightmare was amazed that her companion killed the bandit so fast, but after Shadow searched the corpse all he found was a small pouch of coins and some arrows. The rest, apparently, wasn't worth anything and they just left it there for someone else to take.
"Maybe some other time then," Rend said, the moment ruined by the bandits appearance, "but I would like to hear the tale before we go our separate ways."
After another hour and a half of walking they spotted the Priory, which was somewhat smaller than what Nightmare was expecting, and they eventually reached the front door. Once inside the Priory they found one of the monks sitting in a chair by the nearby table, reading what appeared to be a newspaper with a story about the Emperor. Then he looked up and noticed that they were standing there, so he sighed and got up, preparing to welcome them to the building.
"Welcome to Weynon Priory," the monk said, "may I ask what your business to our fair establishment is?"
"We're here to see Jauffre," Rend replied, offering the monk a smile while making no move to show him the Amulet he carried, "if he's available for a moment that is."
"He's always available these days," the monk said, smiling as he beckoned to the stairs behind him, "He should still be in his study, which is up the stairs and to the right."
Rend thanked the monk for his time and immediately headed up the stairs, turning to the right and came to the second story, only to turn once more and spotted an old breton sitting behind the table. Shadow and Pandora followed him up immediately, though they stopped and stared at the person the Emperor had sent them to deliver the Amulet to. Nightmare, after a moment of debate, walked up the stairs and stayed at the back of the group, just in case this was the end of their journey together.
"Ah, I see that I have guests," the breton said, closing the book he was reading before giving them his full attention, "I am Brother Jauffre. What can I do for you all?"
"As you on doubt know, the Emperor died yesterday," Rend replied, his hand reaching into his armor and stalling for a moment, "In the moment of his death he entrusted Shadow, Pandora, and myself with the task of delivering this to you, along with what I assume is a warning. That warning was to 'Close shut the jaws of Oblivion'."
Jauffre stared at him for a moment before Rend pulled out the Amulet, the ruby glowing for a moment before it was placed on Jauffre's desk and Rend let go of it.
"The Emperor saw more than he told everyone," Jauffre said, touching the Amulet before turning to Rend, "so I can only assume that he was referring to the Daedric Prince of Destruction, Mehrunes Dagon. It is possible that the Dragonfires that the Emperor's light when they are crowned were keeping us safe from some unknown threat that only Emperor Uriel VII knew about. The fact that he told you about that means that he must have informed you about his illegitimate son, who seems to be the only think between us and the realm of Oblivion."
"Well then, where is he?" Nightmare asked, causing Jauffre to look past Rend and stop her standing there, "From what I can gather the late Emperor's illegitimate son is now the heir to the throne, but that leaves us with the problem of finding him."
"His name is Martin Septim," Jauffre replied, not commenting on who was standing behind the group, "he serves Akatosh in the Chapel in the city of Kvatch, south of here. I will hide the Amulet somewhere safe, so you must go to Kvatch and find him. If the Mythic Dawn was able to get in close and kill the Emperor than I dread to think that they might also know of his location as well, so we must get him to safety before he's discovered. I can offer you a place to rest for the moment, but I would recommend that you get underway before the enemy discovers Martin's location."
Nightmare figured that they would get underway almost immediately so they could save the illegitimate heir to the Imperial Throne, but Rend shook his head and moved to a nearby chest. Apparently it was close to noon, as the other monk had prepared several bowls of warm stew for them all and Rend didn't want to seem rude for turning down the meal. Nightmare knew what was going on, he was preparing for the long road ahead of them by filling their stomachs and getting some better armor than the worn armor the three of them were wearing. She only hoped that they could find Kvatch fast and get the heir out before something tragic happened to the city or, if Fate wanted to mess with them, to the heir himself.
She had no idea how accurate her feeling was at that moment in time.
Over all Nightmare and her companions planned on spending an hour at the Priory, where they could regain the small amount of energy they had already expanded before they needed to get underway. During the time they were waiting Shadow knelt before an alter and preceded to start praying to one of the Nine Divines, who Nightmare had barely learned about in the last three weeks. Pandora stayed outside, her bow drawn and her eyes peeled as she looked out for any foes that might be coming to the Priory, though Nightmare knew she was being paranoid. Rend was speaking to Jauffre, no doubt learning what he could about the Emperor, the Blades that had guarded him, and their sense of honor and duty.
From what Nightmare could tell the Blades were an honorable group of warriors that protected the Emperor of all of Tamriel, the continent they lived on, and were well respected by the people that called the land home. She could tell that she was going to get along quite well with the Blades, that was if she went through the entire quest that the Emperor has assigned to Rend and his companions. Nightmare could get up from the table she was sitting at, wish the others farewell and good luck in their mission, and go out on an adventure that didn't require chasing a missing heir to the throne. Despite how easy it would be for her to do it she just couldn't bring herself to abandon Rend and his friends, not when there was a world that needed saving.
Her ponies may have abandoned her night for Celestia's day and forced her into her current form, but she wasn't about to leave the people of this realm to fend for themselves.
When the appointed hour was up Nightmare pulled herself out of the chair she was sitting in and walked up the stairs to the room that Rend and Jauffre were speaking in. The two of them were still speaking when she walked in, though Rend welcomed her presence while Jauffre made no movement towards her.
"Ah, Nightmare," Rend said, turning his gaze back to the map, "from what I can tell, and from what Jauffre can tell me, we're about two hours away from Kvatch. On that information it should take us about ten minutes to find Martin Septim, convince him that he's the last heir to the throne, and get him to safety before the enemy finds him. With another two hour trek back here we should arrive in time to get him safely inside and hidden before anyone sees us, giving us the night to rest before we deliver him to the true destination."
"It sounds easy now," Jauffre replied, casting a glance up to Rend while he spoke, "but there is no telling when the Mythic Dawn will strike next or where they will strike next. You and your companions should leave immediately, least the enemy find you."
"Aye, though I'd hate to think what would happen if they reached Kvatch already," Rend said, moving from the table and making his way to the door, "Grand Master Jauffre, we'll take our leave and return as swiftly as we possibly can."
Jauffre nodded and they left him to his duties, which no doubt included preparing for the lost heir's return to the Imperial City and taking on the role of Emperor. Nightmare didn't envy the poor dear that they would be forcing this destiny on, as she had experience as a Princess of Equestria and knew the hardships that came with it. They reached the first floor of the Priory and Rend tapped Shadow's shoulder, apparently telling him that it was time to go and the argonian was up in mere seconds. The three of them walked outside and Rend called for Pandora to come along, the breton appearing from behind the stables and falling in behind them.
Once they were a few minutes away from the Priory Rend had them come to a halt and turned to face Nightmare, though she had a feeling that she knew what was coming her way.
"Miss Moon..." Rend started, but then shook his head as he remembered something, "I mean, Nightmare Moon. You have already done more than enough to aid us in our mission, but I don't suppose you'll stay with us until we find our target?"
"Of course I will," NIghtmare said, not surprised that she'd be asked about continuing in the adventure, "I would like to stay on this path, with the three of you, until we can fulfill the Emperor's dying wish by stopping whatever threat this 'Oblivion' holds for us. If that means that we'll have to fight a deranged cult, slay some bandits, and rescue some fair townspeople from harm in the process, then so be it. I shall enjoy thwarting this 'Mehrunes Dagon'."
"I wish the Emperor had met you earlier," Rend chuckled, a smile appearing on his face as he beckoned for them to follow, "I would be a fool to turn you and your abilities away Nightmare. Come then, Kvatch and the quarry of our mission await."
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Rend was correct in his guess that it would take them at least two hours to reach the hill that led up to Kvatch, though while they walked Nightmare continued to observe the area around them. For the most part it was the same trees and dirt path that she could see, but the moment they got within range of the cliffs that Kvatch was built on she noticed something strange. The trees around the immediate arae of the walled city were charred to a crisp, so much that Nightmare knew it would take a touch for them to be destroyed. The ground looked as if it had been ruined as well, but with the sky fiery red and the scent of recent fires filling the air Nightmare knew that something must have happened to the city.
When they started walking up the hill they came across a group of people who were camping, but with the people outweighing the number of bedrolls they had it was clear that they had been forced into this position.
"You there," Rend said, speaking to an altmer that happened to be walking in their direction, "what happened here?"
"God's blood, you don't know do you?" the altmer replied, looking as if he was almost mad from whatever happened, "The Daedra summoned glowing portals, Gates to Oblivion itself, right outside the city and swarmed the guards, killing everyone they could get their hands on. There was also a huge creature, something out of a nightmare I tell you, that came up to the walls and blasted fire down upon everyone and everything. It was the acting Captain of the Kvatch guard, Savlian Matius, and some of his men that lead us down here, to safety, but it is only a matter of time before they are overwhelmed. RUN WHILE YOU CAN MAN!"
The altmer took another look at them before running down the path they had just walked up, screaming about the end of the world and the Daedra he had seen.
"I like him already," Pandora commented, a smile appearing on her face, "he's got the air of madness surrounding him."
As they walked through the refugee camp Nightmare gazed upon the poor people who had lost their homes and, possibly, even a loved one or two when disaster hit the city. She would never be able to feel for those that had lost someone that they cared for, but she could, somewhat, relate to those that had lost their homes, as she had lost hers a long time ago. Seeing these people, trampled by the Daedra that had attacked their home, look so defeated just made Nightmare madder than she already was. She gripped her battleaxe and began the march to the top of the hill, where she expected to find some enemies for her to cut apart with her weapon.
The moment she reached the top of the hill, where she found a bunch of soldiers loosing arrows at a flaming gateway that was producing enemies, trying to hit whatever enemy came their way, an Imperial Solider spotted her and came her way.
"Stand back civilian, this is no place for you," the captain shouted at her, though she kept on walking until she passed him completely, "Get back to the encampment at ONCE!"
"I wouldn't try that sir," Rend said, causing the captain to turn around and stare at him and his companions, "the Queen of Knights isn't used to others trying to command her like she's their puppets."
"The Queen of Knights?!" the captain whispered, almost paling as he realized who he had shouted at, "What's she doing here, in Kvatch? Shouldn't she be in the Imperial City, fighting against whatever gets sent her way?"
"SIR!" a guard shouted, pointing out at something in front of them, "LOOK OUT!"
The captain turned around and spotted the Daedra that the guard was referring to, though it had an arrow nocked in its flaming bow and was pointed in his direction. For a moment he had no idea where Nightmare Moon, the Queen of Knights, had disappeared to, but with the threat of falling to the ground in defeat he didn't have the time to worry about her. That was before Nightmare descended from the sky, picked up the daedric warrior like he was nothing, and crashed it into the barricade next to Rend and the captain. Before the warrior had time to realize that he was so close to his target Nightmare landed behind it, produced her battleaxe, and then swung it right at the warrior's neck, slicing its head clean off.
"That was awesome," Pandora said, drawing her bow and loosing an arrow into another daedra.
"Yes, indeed," Rend commented, turning to the surprised captain, "Tell me, did someone named Martin survive the assault on Kvatch?"
"Brother Martin and the rest of the survivors that didn't make it out of the city are in the chapel," the captain replied, not really sure what to think at the moment, "but in order to get through the main gate we'd have to somehow close that Oblivion Gate. I know its possible, as the enemy summoned more of them during their siege and also closed them, but how I do not know."
"Onward my brave companions," Rend loudly said, drawing his swords as he marched up to Nightmare, "Let's close this Oblivion Gate and save whoever is still inside the city."
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Nightmare Moon had no idea what to expect the moment they entered the Oblivion Gate, but the moment they crossed over to the other side and took in what they saw around them she had to agree with the name of the realm; it was definitely in a state of Oblivion. As far as she could see there was a sea of lava, with large islands and tall dark towers looming everywhere, and strange plants growing out of the ground with odd shapes to them. Nightmare was sure that several of the plants were designed to hurt whoever was foolish to cross their paths, but she would not be swayed from the path.
She also noticed that there happened to be three towers, across three separate islands, with three bridges that were the only thing that connected them.
"So this is the realm of Oblivion," Shadow commented, a chuckle escaping from him, "I am so glad that I prayed for the Divines Blessings before we left the Priory."
"The residents of this realm must be mad to continue living here," Pandora chuckled, looking around for something to hit with her arrows, "but not as mad as that altmer we met."
"Focus team," Rend said, spotting an Imperial guard running from something, "Here comes some action at last."
Rend dashed to the guard and his swords were already in motion, sweeping over the guard's head and hitting the creature, what he assumed was an imp of some kind, square in the chest. The imp staggered backwards for a moment before shrieking at Rend, but before it had time to move away Shadow appeared next to it and slammed his shield into its face. The moment it was dazed Shadow pierced the imp's heart and slew it where it stood, but before he released it Shadow caused the body to burn by dropping it in the lava.
"Thank you strangers," the guard said, huffing as he glanced up at the portal they had come out of, "Savlian sent my squad into the Oblivion Gate, to see if we could close it ourselves, but most of us were slain before we even knew what hit us and Menien was captured. I assume they took him to the central tower, but if you find him he might be able to tell you how to close the gate."
"You had best get out of here," Rend said, staring past the guard as he waited for something else to show up, "the captain is still defending the barricade and could use every able body he can. We'll do what we can in here."
As the guard ran to the Oblivion Gate, praising them for their heroics the entire time, Rend beckoned for the others to follow him as he headed down the path the guard came from. They came to an open area with another opening, but there were several creatures, at least three imps and two bull like creatures, coming their way. Pandora pulled four arrows out of her quiver and loosed them at the bulls, knocking them down for Rend, as the moment he passed them his blades found their hearts instantly. Shadow, on the other hand, smashed his shield into one of the imps before severing its head, allowing the body to crumple to the ground while the head rolled away.
Nightmare landed between the remaining imps and swung her battleaxe around, cutting off one of their heads almost immediately before spinning it around and repeating the process, allowing the two bodies to hit the ground at the same time.
"Where did you learn those moves?" Rend asked, curious as to how Nightmare could pull off those moves.
"From some of my friends in another kingdom," Nightmare replied, speaking part of the truth while hiding the most of it, "I'd love to teach each of you something like this, but your kind of lacking one of the key components to learning them."
She was, of course, referring to her wings, which were a crucial piece to each of the moves she had learned from her friends in the Griffin Kingdom. The Griffin King, an old griffin by the name of Raketalon, his son, Blackwing, and his two most trusted advisers had been her only friends in the Griffin Kingdom. They had taught her some of the more brutal moves that she had stored in her arsenal, moves that had required the use of her wings to some extremes and moves that her sister had never seen before. If she hadn't been an alicorn she was pretty sure that she would have damaged her wings at some point, but her form allowed her to bend the rules a bit.
Rend sighed and beckoned for them to continue, heading down the other opening, across a twisting pathway that eventually brought them to a broken bridge. The only thing guarding the bridge was a daedric warrior, but as Rend blocked the attack he was forced to roll backwards as his swords snapped under the pressure. Shadow, seeing his comrade in danger, jumped forward and impaled the warrior with his sword, running through a crack in the armor and right into the heart. Once the warrior was dealt with Rend noticed the wicked blades the warrior had been carrying and picked the two swords up, spinning them around before grinning.
"The blades of a dremora warrior," Rend said, looking up at the path they needed to take still, "it seems appropriate to use such weapons against our enemies..."
Another daedric warrior, this one baring a bow, appeared overhead, but before Nightmare could get behind it and cut its head clean off an arrow pierced its chest, causing the archer to fall onto the bridge in a heap.
"And that bow is mine," Pandora chuckled, picking up a bow that looked like the swords that Rend held, "I shall slay many a foe with this weapon, before they can do the same to us."
They continued across the bridge, hacking any enemy, be they imp or daedric warrior, apart before they were forced to make a turn that lead them closer to one of the towers. They crossed through another twisting path, with Pandora piercing whatever enemies dared to show their faces, before they found a doorway with some stairs in front of it. Once they were inside the tower they came across more of the daedric warriors, who were caught by surprise as the group tore into their ranks and tossed their bodies against the walls. Nightmare noticed many of their enemies dropped weapons similar to the ones Rend picked up, but Shadow, the only one still carrying the weapon he had at the beginning, never picked a new one up.
"Wouldn't you like a new weapon Shadow?" Nightmare asked, crossing into a seemingly deserted hallway, "I only ask because you haven't replaced your worn out sword and shield yet."
"I am a sworn priest of the Nine Divines," Shadow answered, following Rend up a ramp as he slew another warrior, "and as such I am more compelled to stop these Daedra in their tracks and destroy whatever weapons I can get my hands on. I will let Rend hold onto his weapons, as they are the only swords he has, until the time comes for him to replace them. I shall replace my weapon and armor as I see fit, but not with the weapons of my enemies."
"Fair enough," Nightmare replied, following her companions out of the hallway and into the central part of the tower.
The ramps seemed vacant of enemies, so they charged up the ramp, through the door they came to, up the ramp they found right next to them, and through another door that was left unguarded. This time they exited out on one of the bridges they had spotted from the Oblivion Gate, suspended between two towers, so they immediately began their journey across to the next door. Once inside the second tower they moved towards the top, where they found a distracted daedric warrior and snuck up on it, tossing it into the wall the moment it died. Rend looked up at the guard that was in the cage beside them, but all the guard could do was point at the warrior they had killed and whispered something about a key before dying.
Nightmare ransacked the warrior's body and found what the guard had pointed to, the key that she assumed was for another door in the central tower.
They returned to the door they had entered through and crossed the bridge once more, only this time they turned to the left, unlocked the door they stopped in front of, and ran up the new ramp until they found two more warriors guarding a door. Nightmare dashed forward and swung her battleaxe, crushing through one of the warrior's guard nearly immediately, forcing its comrade to back up before it got hit. It was then that Nightmare grinned, leapt over the body of the fallen warrior she had killed, and yanked her weapon out before driving it down on the second target, cutting through the shoulder completely. With the two of them dead they passed through the now unguarded door and entered another area of the tower with two more ramps, where they chose to head up the one on their right.
They found a circular rune unguarded, so they activated whatever magic was in it and appeared even further up in the tower, though they had to hack through the two warriors that had been standing guard over the receiving rune. They continued to their right and ran up another ramp, Nightmare hacking the head off of another warrior while Pandora spun around and slew one that was following them. They looked around for a moment before opening the locked door the lone warrior had been guarding, finding a pathway that lead them to a large chamber with two ramps, a second level with another set of ramps, and a third level that had a glowing sphere that the beam of energy in the center of the room connected to.
Nightmare knew that the sphere had to be involved with the Oblivion Gate, so she suspected that they only needed to move it before the gate did the job for them.
They moved up the two ramps, hacking at the warriors that were still standing guard and tossing their bodies around like they were nothing, before they stood before the sphere. Nightmare, not wanting to waste anymore time than necessary, spun her battleaxe around and hit the sphere square in the center, splitting the item in half and ruining the connection. The moment the sphere was in pieces the entire area around them started going up in flames, but then she felt a touch of magic that was unlike what was around them. Before she could say anything to the others the magic wrapped around them and yanked them out of the Oblivion tower.
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The next instant Nightmare remembered they were standing outside the city of Kvatch, only now the fiery red sky was cleared up and the Oblivion Gate was shut down, opening the way into the city. Rend, his companions, and the captain of the guard immediately got into a conversation with each other, but Nightmare stayed where she was standing, her mind working to uncover what had happened. She knew so many spells like the one that had been used on the four of them the moment the Oblivion Gate prepared to shut down, but she was the only one of the group that could have pulled such a spell off.
She knew that one thing was certain; the four of them had received assistance from one of the Nine Divines, but which one of them she had absolutely no idea.
"Well now, it seems that our closing of the Oblivion Gate has inspired the guards to fight once more," Rend commented, stepping up next to Nightmare as he stared at the iron gates that served as the entrance to Kvatch, "Captain Savlian has asked for our assistance in ridding this city of any daedra that are still wandering the streets, to which I have agreed to aid him in this manner."
"You help them out and get to Martin at the same time," Nightmare said, turning back to look at her companion, "trust me, Rend Orgresh, I am familiar with how things get done. We do something for someone else, granted that helping them reclaim this burning town is the something in question, and in return we get some aid to further our own goals, such as Brother Martin. Once we have dealt with the daedra I'm sure that the guards will want to hail you as the liberator of their fair town."
There had been a time when Nightmare had to do something similar to what they were doing, though she had been helping the Griffin Kingdom deal with one of their enemies. The Dragon Empire had marched into one of their settlements and decimated the entire place, scattering the griffins that called the town home and torching their homes. King Raketalon, on the urges of his son Blackwing, had called upon her assistance in the matter and had even offered her a personal favor if she would help him out. All she had to do was descend upon their army, trash them with as much power as she wanted, scare them back into their region, and make sure the griffins reclaimed the town that had been taken.
Nightmare had jumped at the chance to show the Dragon Emperor that the griffins and ponies weren't to be underestimated in battle, showing that they had an alliance that could not be broken. Her sister wasn't too pleased when she found out that she had fought off the Dragon Empire for the Griffin Kingdom, without consulting her before she opened a 'new set of problems' as she called it.
"Yes, I can see that you have some experience with this," Rend commented, raising an eyebrow as he observed her, "however, this is the path that we must take to achieve our goal. We had best deal with the daedra before they're able to summon any more of those vile gateways of theirs."
Nightmare nodded and the group followed the excited guards into the city, keeping their weapons at the ready in case there were any more daedra hanging around. The moment they entered the city they found that there were daedra left behind to deal with whoever survived the initial attack, though there had to be a good two dozen of them in the courtyard alone. Rend charged forward, his blades spinning in a fury of blows as he disarmed one daedric warrior, slew it where it stood, and then proceeded to do the same to another one right next to him.
Shadow, seeing three warriors coming his way, held up his weapon, uttered a prayer to the Divines for strength, and dodged as the first warrior came at him. He pulled himself up, spun around, and sank his weapon into the warrior's side, breaking through the armor and driving the blade deep into his enemy's heart. He proceeded to pull the blade out so he could fight again, but as he did so one of the other warriors came up to him and brought its sword down hard, hitting Shadow's blade in the center and shattering it almost immediately. Shadow, seeing a two handed silver greatsword laying on the ground behind him, rolled back before the warriors got on top of him, picked the heavy blade up, and swung at the two warriors, somehow lifting the weapon high enough to sever both of their heads at the same time.
Pandora, seeing that she had to contend with five daedric archers, pulled an arrow from her quiver, pulled the string back, and loosed the arrow so hard that the archer it hit fell within seconds. The other four noticed their comrade fall, so they pulled out their own arrows, nocked them within seconds, and took aim on her, releasing them in her direction. Pandora dropped down low, letting the arrows fly into the wall behind her, and pulled an arrow back that tore through a second archer with ease. Before the third or fourth archer could react Pandora picked two more arrows out and loosed them, tearing down the both of them as the last one noticed the exchange. The last one loosed an arrow that drew close to her, passing by her ear and barely missing her, though Pandora loosed an arrow right into its heart and felled it before it hit the ground.
The rest of the daedra were focused on Nightmare, who descended upon them within seconds of Rend and the others beginning their fights with the smaller groups. She spun her battleaxe around and brought it down on one of the warriors, separating its head from its body in seconds, before turning around and cutting the arms off of another warrior. One of them came right at her with the intent on hitting her in the back, but Nightmare felt him coming and spun around, letting her wings clip the warrior and knocked it into one of the ruined buildings so hard it was impaled immediately. The remaining warriors came her way, but she was prepared for them as her weapon met them in battle, cutting off their heads, their arms, their legs, or just plain butchering them.
The archers, seeing their comrades fall so easily, took aim on Nightmare and prepared to loose their arrows at her, but she saw them on top of the buildings and raised her hand towards them. At first nothing happened, but then small black daggers shot out of her mane and pierced three of the remaining five archers in their chests, cutting into their armor. The three archers than turned their arrows on their own comrades, filling them full of holes until they were the last three daedra standing in the courtyard. Nightmare smiled and leapt onto the area the archers were on, her battleaxe spinning as she separated their heads from their bodies, silencing their enemies at least.
"I...I don't believe it..." Captain Savlian struggled to say, having now witnessed the abilities of the Queen of Knights for himself, "Your even greater than the stories I have heard."
"Thanks," Nightmare replied, shrugging to Rend as they approached the ruined chapel.
Inside the chapel they found a group of civilians gathering around each other, chatting about what was happening outside, while one of them sat near the shrine, no doubt praying for the aid of the Divines. Nightmare didn't need to be told which one of the survivors was the person they were searching for, but she allowed Rend to approach the priest while she hung back. As she stood there she could feel the eyes of everyone on her, but she was used to the treatment thanks to her time in the arena, though she heard them whisper among themselves and even spotted one of them pointing at her. Rend and Brother Martin continued to talk for some time, with Martin pointing at her once or twice and Rend following up with whatever he said to the priest.
Eventually Rend and Martin walked over to the others, though Nightmare was glad that they had finally settled things and they could get back to the Priory.
"Well? Has he considered all of us to be mad yet?" Pandora asked, letting a chuckle escape before silencing herself.
"I see that you are plagued by Sheogorath's Madness," Martin said, stepping forward and offering a prayer for her, "I've heard that there's a door to the Shivering Isles somewhere in Cyrodiil, so maybe you can investigate the rumors and find something to calm the madness down a bit."
"He considered us all to be liars until he decided that the Divines truly had a plan for him," Rend said, before beckoning to the captain, "but I promised that we'd retake Kvatch before we left. Nightmare, would you like to help me clean out the daedra?"
"I, too, would enjoy purging this city of the daedra," Shadow sighed, knowing where this conversation would be going, "but someone must look after Martin while you hunt the daedra down, not to mention watch Pandora. Go, clear out the daedra, then we'll begin the journey back to the priory."
"But I must deliver the madness to the daedra!" Pandora said, though she was being lead out of the city by both Martin and Shadow.
"Let's do this then," Rend said, drawing his weapons again as the two of them walked into the open area behind the chapel.
Sure enough there were more daedra waiting for them, but Nightmare leapt into the air, sailed over most of their heads, and landed behind a pair of warriors, her battleaxe taking their heads in one fell swoop. Rend grinned and parried an attack from one of the warriors, only to drive blade into its heart as he heard the sound of bows being drawn behind him. To his relief the soldiers that were fighting on their side were taking to fighting from a distance, providing cover fire for the two of them while they mowed down the enemies. With the combined might of Rend, Nightmare, and their archers, they cut down the daedra that surrounded the gate that lead into the main castle, only to find it locked tight.
"How are we supposed to open this then?" Rend asked, turning to face the captain, "Please tell me there's a hidden gate that we can use to get in."
"Well, we'll need to talk with one of my soldiers in the camp to get the key to the sewers," the Captain replied, "which unlocks the grate on the other side of this part of the city. Then you'll have to traverse a tunnel or two to find the path leading into the castle's courtyard, before you can unlock the gate....where did the Queen of Knights go?"
Rend looked around for a moment, noticing that his comrade had suddenly disappeared in the middle of learning what they needed to do to open the gate, until he heard the sound of the gate being pulled up. He turned around and noticed Nightmare standing behind the gate, beckoning for them to join her before planting her battleaxe in the chest of an enemy. He would have wondered how she could have done all of that without hearing the Captain out, but then he remembered that she had wings and had likely flown off the moment she heard where the crank was located.
The rest of them poured into the castle's courtyard, arrows piercing the daedra's hides while Rend's blades cut them down those that remained where they stood. Nightmare walked up to the doors and passed through, her weapon spinning around the moment the daedra noticed her enter the castle and came at her. She made sure to separate their heads from their bodies, but those that didn't receive that treatment were sliced and diced before they could understand why they lost. Eventually the entrance was cleared, so she continued her advance inwards, seeking more daedra until she was one hundred percent sure that they had been removed.
"Just what is she?" the Captain commented, watching Nightmare tear through the daedra like they were nothing, "I find it impossible to imagine that any mortal could fight off so many daedra without being wounded or even run out of energy, though she has surpassed both of those with ease."
"I'm not exactly sure what she is either," Rend spoke up, prepared to follow his ally, "all I do know is that she is on our side, so we stand a very good chance at dealing with the daedric threat now. We'll find the Count and make sure he's alive, or bring back his sigil ring if he's dead."
Without waiting for a reply Rend followed after Nightmare, cutting down one of the daedra that decided to attack her from behind, though she nodded at him and they marched in together. There weren't very many daedra left in the castle at that point, though those that remained charged at them as they approached, only to find their weapons stalled by Nightmare's battleaxe. Many of the remaining warriors lost their arms in the process, though those that avoided such a fate were quickly removed by Rend, who made sure to avoid the battleaxe's head. Eventually they arrived at the Count's chambers, only when they arrived they found that the Count had been slain and was lying down in a pool of his own blood.
Rend, offering the Count a peaceful journey to the afterlife, gently removed the Sigil Ring from the Count's finger and nodded to Nightmare, telling her that they could make their way back outside. When they reached the Captain he was devastated once he learned that they were too late to save the Count, though he gladly accepted the Sigil Ring with a heavy heart. With the deed done they began the journey back to the camp at the base of the hill, though Rend made sure to grab each and every daedric weapon he could get his hands on. Nightmare knew what it was almost immediately, it was an offering to Shadow, in an apology for not letting him come along in the fight against the daedra.
She remembered that, back during her assault against the Dragon Empire, she had done something similar to what Rend was doing, though not for the same reasons. After one of her victories against the dragons she had taken one of their flags, gave it a few enchantments to keep it together till the end of time, and delivered it as a prize to the Griffin King. It furthered the trust between her and Raketalon and, as a bonus, the bond between the two kingdoms grew with the deed, though she had planned on making the griffins complete allies to her and her sister, and vise versa. Though, as she suspected, her sister wasn't too keen on the idea of allying themselves with the griffins, despite Nightmare's attempts to persuade her to think otherwise.
Once the two of them made their way out of Kvatch they found their friends waiting for them; Martin looking like he wanted to get underway almost immediately, Shadow kneeling and praying to the Divines yet again, and Pandora with her bow drawn, hitting whatever was at the base of the hill that had offended her.
"Shadow, I bring gifts for you," Rend said, placing the stack of weapons in the fire for his friend to see.
"Evil and vile weapons these are," Shadow commented, pulling out a pouch and taking a pinch of dust out of it, "I shall purify these weapons with this dust, so that they cannot be used by anyone again."
Nightmare wasn't sure what the dust would do, but the moment it was added to the fire the flames began to eat at the weapons, somehow breaking metal into pieces until they were suddenly no more. Again she had witnessed the power of the Divines, but she wasn't sure what she was seeing or even which of the Nine was caused the change. Shadow nodded and the group got underway, Pandora running up to them as they walked away from Kvatch with a pack full of assorted meats. Nightmare noted that what she had been doing was hunting, no doubt preparing for some sort of dinner they could prepare when they arrived at the priory.
When they arrived at the priory they found that it was under attack by some red robe wearing cultists, though by the speed of which her companions drew their weapons it was clear to Nightmare that they knew what was going on. One of the cultists reached for one of the priests, but Pandora put an arrow in his chest and knocked him to the ground, saving the priest from an untimely death. A group came at Rend and Shadow, but they swiftly met their end as their hearts were pierced by Rend's daedric swords and Shadow's new greatsword. Nightmare, spotting one cultist heading into a sitting area, moved in after him and surprised him before he could do any harm to Jauffre, who seemed glad to have help.
Jauffre beckoned for Nightmare to follow and together they headed back into the main building, where they headed up the stairs and entered a room that rested across from his desk. Once they were inside Jauffre was devastated the moment he opened the chest that rested beside the bed, which looked like it had been ransacked recently.
"They have the Amulet," Jauffre moaned, "the Mythic Dawn have beaten us at every turn."
"Not this time," Rend commented, walking into the open chamber with Shadow, Pandora, and Martin right behind him, "We saved Martin from Kvatch, so that means that the Septim line is still very much alive. We just need to get him somewhere safe, somewhere where the Mythic Dawn would never think to look for him."
"Cloud Ruler Temple," Jauffre said, his eyes lighting up as he realized that there was still hope, "but not right now. I am well aware that you have been through a lot today, so I suggest that we get some dinner started and then get some sleep before we rise early tomorrow."
Nightmare agreed that the plan was sound and let them go about their business, either making dinner, in the case of Shadow and Martin, surveying the outside, as Pandora was known for doing, or talking strategy, which Rend and Jauffre were doing. All she did for the moment was look outside and stared at the starry night, silently wishing that she was home, so she could stare up at her own moon and her own night.
Nightmare continued to gaze out at the surrounding area, keeping an eye out for any more members of the Mythic Dawn in case they decided to attack the priory again. She was sure that Pandora was doing the same thing, but she was never completely sure what the seemingly insane breton was doing at any given moment. Shadow and Martin were supposed to be finishing up the evening meal so they could serve it, though Nightmare could have sworn that she smelled the familiar scent of meat in the air. Rend and Jauffre were still doing the same thing, going over the maps of the area they were in, pointing out the various routes they could take, and planning the safest path they could take to Cloud Ruler Temple.
While they did that Nightmare thought about getting her hooves, her hands she mentally corrected herself, around the neck of whoever commanded the Mythic Dawn so she could snap the life right out of his, or her, body.
"Its time Nightmare," Rend called to her, beckoning for her to join them at the table, "looks like we've got some delicious venison and some potatoes tonight."
Nightmare nodded and walked over to the table, waiting for the plates to be placed and for the others to take whichever seat they wanted before she took the last one. She knew that she could have easily taken the first seat, but in this world she was not a princess like she had been in her home world, which only made her a little angry. Martin didn't seem to mind that he was allowed first pick, as Rend and Jauffre sat on either side of him, though Nightmare simply waited until the others were seated before following suit. Once they were all seated they began to eat, though it wasn't too long before someone had to ask Nightmare a question.
"So tell us Nightmare, what exactly are you?" Martin asked, curious if she was truly someone that he could trust, "And where exactly did you come from for that matter?"
Nightmare had known these two questions, what she was and where she came from, would eventually be asked from someone in her present company, giving her time to prepare. There were so many things that she could tell them, but she was afraid that they didn't have the time it would take for her to reveal the exact nature of her world in the elaborate detail that was needed. She knew that the mages of this world, or at least this region, would have killed to get their hands on her so they could study and take notes on everything they noticed about her. She would have to settle with the briefest of explanations, though she hoped that it would please those that sat around her.
"I came from a world called Equestria," Nightmare eventually answered, tearing a piece of venison off and devouring it, "a world that is mainly populated by ponies, griffins, zebras, dragons, and quite a number of monsters. Equestria is mostly ruled by ponies, which are broken up into the Unicorn Tribe, the Earth Pony Tribe, and the Pegasus Tribe, or the Three Tribes as most call them. Ruling over those three tribes were two powerful sisters, both of which having the powers of all three tribes rolled into one body and giving them extraordinary powers.
The elder sister, baring a alabaster colored coat, had the ability to raise the Sun itself, giving light to the world and chasing the darkness back to where it came from. The younger sister, baring a dark blue coat that matched the night sky, had the power to raise the Moon and had the responsibility to set the night sky for all to see. The only type of pony that could do either of those things had to be an alicorn, which is exactly what I am as I have the power of an Earth Pony, the wings and speed of a Pegasus, and the magic of a Unicorn."
"So basically we've seen just a small portion of your powers?" Shadow asked, his eyes darting to the window she had been staring out of earlier and seemed to connect two points together, "Does the fact that your hair, or whatever you called it in your world, has what I'm assuming are stars in it mean that your the younger sister?"
"Yes, I'm not using all my power at the moment," Nightmare replied, holding up a hand as Pandora started to open her mouth, "and no, I'm not going to change the layout of the stars or move your moons. I'd rather not make whoever is in charge of them get angry at me for showing off what I can do, not after everything I have already been through. And yes Shadow, that does mean that I am, indeed, the younger sister of which my tale revolved around."
"Then what are you doing here, in our world?" Martin asked, causing her to turn back towards him, "Your responsible for moving the moon and stars of your own world, so shouldn't you be there, doing your duty to keep your people happy?"
"I'm, well, on a vacation of sorts," Nightmare replied, not willing to tell them all exactly how she ended up in this world at the moment, "besides, I'm sure that my SISTER can handle things without me for a few weeks. No need to worry about my world falling about without me being present."
"I'd still like to hear the story of how you happened to come to our world and land in the Arena of all places." Rend commented, pulling out the map he and Jauffre had been staring at earlier, "But for now, we have a pretty clear idea of the path that we should take so we can reach Bruma, and by some extent Cloud Ruler Temple as well, before our enemy notices that we've moved. We'll need to act like a small group of travelers, heading from the Imperial City to Bruma, but I am confident that we can pull this off without being discovered."
Nightmare nodded and left the table, returning to her original position by the window as she continued to gaze up at the stars and keep an eye out for any enemies. As she did she heard the others cleaning up whatever was left of the evening meal, trading bits of information with each other as they worked. Eventually the few minutes turned into an hour and they all had to turn in, but that was where Nightmare had one trick up her sleeve, or rather a spell that she didn't need them to know about. Once she was sure that they were all asleep and that there were no enemies she called on her magic and summoned a barrier around the priory, the light blue color shimmering before it faded into the background.
Nightmare had to smile at her work, though she would love to see an enemy come towards the priory, only to be repelled by something that they couldn't see.
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Morning came quicker than Nightmare would have liked, but she didn't mind that much as she had been sleeping a dreamless sleep, something she had done for nearly the last eight hundred years. It was a state that protected her mind from the prying eyes of her sister, though she had no idea if it was possible for Celestia to reach her from Equestria right now, and allowed her to recharge her body. She felt better after a good nights rest, though she could tell, by looking at the faces of her companions, the same could not be said for the others. She silently wished that she had taken the time to make sure that they could have gotten a restful sleep like she did, but they seemed to be almost as good as she was so she let the thought slide.
"I felt a barrier fall over the priory last night," Martin eventually said, as they began to walk out of the priory and neared the stables, "so either something wants us to stay here, or someone forgot to mention that they placed a protective shield around us."
Nightmare had no idea how he could have felt the barrier go up, but she sighed and approached the simple barrier that she had set up, pressing her hand against the magic. The barrier shimmered into existence for a second, showing the others that there had been something around them the entire time, before it tore itself apart. Once all traces of it were gone she nodded her head and the company started to ride out, though she chose to walk and keep pace with their horses. She thought it would be weird for an Equestrian, from Equestria, to ride the horses that she saw all over Tamriel.
"You sure you can keep up with us Nightmare?" Rend asked, raising an eyebrow as he watched his companion, "Are you sure that you'd rather walk than ride?"
"I can keep up just fine," Nightmare replied, flexing her wings in case Rend mentioned them sprinting towards their destination, "and I'm positive that I'd rather walk."
"Then I guess we had been get underway then," Rend called out, lighting kicking his horse into a run and bolting out of the stables, followed by the rest of the group.
Nightmare chuckled and flared her wings, taking flight as she followed the others from the air, keeping an eye out for any and every threat that could stand in their way. She knew how amazing it would feel to fly without a destination in mind, just continue on and ignore the world below her, but she couldn't let herself get distracted. She kept a steady pace with the others from above, her eyes scanning the treeline for bandits, but as the minutes ticked on she began to wonder if anything would jump out at them.
"How long do you think she can stay up there?" Martin asked, glancing at the sky and seeing Nightmare enter his field of vision, only to disappear after a few seconds.
"I do not know Martin," Jauffre replied, despite not even expressing an interest in watching the stranger from another world, "In her home world she might be able to fly for hours on end, going from one side of the world to the other without tiring from the effort. Here she might be forced to slow her speed to keep pace with a group on horseback, forcing her to expand more energy than she would in her home world. She will come down either when she is ready to do so, or when we are under attack and Rend wishes to show the bandits who they are trying to rob."
That was before they were stopped by a group of bandits, five of which stood in the center of the road so they could prevent travelers from going anywhere without giving something up in return. Further up the road were three more bandits, their bows drawn and trained on their location, no doubt to make them think twice about fighting back. Rend growled as he moved his hand, wondering how to get Nightmare's attention without causing the bandits to know what he was doing. Shadow and Pandora placed their hands on their own weapons, but neither of them made a move to draw and attack, either waiting on Rend's command or Martin's command to do so.
"Hand over you money," the bandit leader called to them, standing between the four warriors in the front and the archers in the back, "or you shall forfeit all of your lives."
"Good luck with that," Rend shouted back, spotting something move in the sky.
Before any of the bandits could make a move Nightmare descended from the sky and landed between the leader and the warriors that were blocking the path. As the warriors raised their weapons to strike her down Nightmare brought up her battleaxe and sliced off several of their arms in one motion, bringing fear to their eyes. Those without their arms were the first targets to drop, as Nightmare continued her assault and took their heads, letting them roll across the ground before turning her attention to the others. The leader stared at her as she heaved her weapon up and tossed it, letting it travel all the way past him and into the chest of one of his archers, who was sliced in half.
As the leader shouted a command to the other archers to open fire Nightmare flicked her fingers at them and daggers shot out of her hair, tearing into their hearts and dropping them to the ground. She used one dagger to change back into magic, wrapped that around her battleaxe, and yanked it back to her hands, where she spun it around and eliminated the warriors she had left behind her. Once the deed was done she straightened herself and turned to face the leader, who backed up the moment that he tried to meet her eyes and failed. She snapped her fingers and the daggers behind the bandit shot up into the air, spinning through the air and piercing his back, where they forced him into the air and onto the head of her weapon.
"You should have saved one for me," Pandora moaned, just as the group rode up to where she was standing, "I wanted to bring them such beautiful madness."
"I don't think they cared much for madness my friend," Martin commented, staring at all the bodies while trying not to throw up, "I'm amazed that you could pull all of that off, all while making it look like you weren't doing very much at all."
"It takes years of practice to perfect a sequence of attacks and spells like that," Nightmare remarked, dropping the bandit leader's corpse on the ground, "and I have spent years fighting terrible creatures with these same moves. For many of these moves to work they require constant training in both the physical world and that of the magical world, both of which I am attuned to."
"I am becoming aware of this fact," Rend commented, eyeing the carnage that his companion had wrought, "though if this is the destruction you can cause at half of your power then I dread to wonder what your full power looks like."
Nightmare let the comment fall almost immediately, though she had no idea how her true power would react with this strange world and the creatures that called it home. As the others continued down the road she sighed and took to the skies, refocusing her mind so she wouldn't have to think about such things anymore.
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When they finally arrived outside Bruma Jauffre was quick to lead them around the walled city, so none of them would have to enter the city and bring attention to themselves. Rend cast a glance back into the sky and spotted Nightmare, who hid herself behind a set of clouds while she waited for them to approach the mountain they were heading to. They all felt better having a scout in the sky, though they knew that she wouldn't do it all of the time and that they were lucky she had even did it this time.
They eventually reached the path that would lead them to the top of the mountain they were searching for, so Rend beckoned to the clouds and Nightmare emerged. She circled the mountain, and the fortress on the very top, before descending towards the group, landing behind them and falling in with their horses. The path to the top wasn't too bad, though the moment they reached the very top Jauffre had them dismount and lead Martin towards the gate, where they were greeted by a member of the Blades. Within a few sentences between the two of them the entire group was allowed entry to the temple, though Nightmare could tell that the guard outside the main gate gulped the moment he laid eyes on her.
Rend, Shadow, and Pandora were greeted by the remaining forces of the Blades, of which Nightmare counted at least twenty of them walking around, though none came to greet her. She was fine with that, as she hadn't been given the quest to deliver the Amulet of Kings to Jauffre, but she had been part of the team to save Martin. She was sure that the Blades around her had no idea why the Queen of Knights was standing among them, but she just stood there and watched everyone else go about their business. As she stood there she watched Jauffre and the Blades welcome Martin as the Emperor, while Martin blushed and told them that he would learn his new role as quickly as possible.
Jauffre also extended an offer to Rend, Shadow, and Pandora to join the ranks of the Blades, but while Pandora said that she wanted to think about it Rend and Shadow agreed immediately. Nightmare was not offered a place in the order, but she was just fine with standing by her friends and fighting whatever horrors would be coming their way. Now that they had delivered Martin to the hideout, where she assumed he would be safe until the time came for him to take his throne, she had to wonder where they would be going next. That was until Rend came to her to inform her that they would be traveling back to the Imperial City, to speak with the Blades member they had left behind with the late Emperor's body.
Sometimes, Nightmare noted, fate just really seemed to side against her.
Nightmare and her companions had a meager lunch at Cloud Ruler Temple, but it gave her time to think about what they needed to do when they returned to the Imperial City. They needed to find the Blade's member that had been left with the Emperor's body, because it sounded like he had been searching the city and might have come up with a lead. Apparently he had been searching for the whereabouts of the cult that had killed the Emperor without success, but apparently he believes that he found something important for Jauffre to send them back to him. She had no idea what he could have found that would have warranted them returning to the city, but she figured that if it would help them stop whoever killed the Emperor then they might as well do it.
She just hoped that the fan she had seen before her departure had forgotten about her and never came near them, but there was no way for them to know where he was until he was literally on top of them.
"Baurus is supposed to be in the Elven Gardens District of the Imperial City," Rend commented, just as the four of them made their way out of the temple, though he and Shadow now sported their own Akaviri swords, two for Rend and one for Shadow, "so we'll enter the city from the northeastern gate, allowing us to get into the city, find Baurus without delay, and then find out what he needs to tell us. We'll have all the time on the road to come up with our plan of attack for when we get there, though we should be careful in case the Mythic Dawn come close to us."
"I'm expecting them to be there," Shadow said, climbing onto his steed while Rend and Pandora did the same, "I'd like to have a little revenge for the death of our Emperor, but if we don't cross paths than we'll have to hit them some other time."
"But we must bring them madness!" Pandora complained, as if the thought of not hurting the Mythic Dawn upset her, "They must know the price for killing the Emperor!"
"And they shall know, in time," Rend replied, noticing that Nightmare had not spoken the entire time, "Nightmare, shall we ride ahead and meet you outside the city or would you like to scout along our path?"
"I shall fly above and look for enemies," Nightmare said, unfurling her wings and taking off, "Do keep up with me guys."
She took to the skies and glanced back at the temple, watching her allies get started on their trek as they made their way around the mountain and joined up with the main road. She knew that it would take them a few hours to retrace their path, but now that they weren't leading Martin anywhere they might actually get to the city much faster. She returned her gaze towards the direction of the city and noticed the clouds that were forming, making a mental note to summon a cloak once she landed, as she was sure it was going to rain.
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"She must be mad to stand out in the rain!" Pandora nearly shouted, thunder rolling for the clouds.
Rend huffed as he shielded his eyes, keeping a look out for their companion, who he was sure was around their area somewhere and yet could not see her. Nightmare had been flying ahead the entire time and should have seen the storm, yet she had not looped back to warn them about what they were riding towards. Shadow was also looking out for their missing comrade, though neither of them were having any luck finding her and Rend was beginning to worry that she might have left them to their quest. Just as he was about to give up and tell the others to continue towards the city he spotted something move in the shadows, a figure materializing before them.
"I was wondering when you guys would show up," Nightmare said, pulling back her hood enough to show them that it was actually her before she threw a set of cloaks at them, "put those on and you'll become dry in seconds. They'll survive this weather and provide some stealth abilities, but they won't last long. Make them count."
"Why didn't you circle back and warn us about the storm?" Rend asked, passing the other two cloaks around.
"Those took time to make," Nightmare replied, "I thought you might like to be warm and protected from the rain. The guards have been staring this way since I got here, but they haven't come over to talk, so we had best get moving before someone thinks we're up to no good."
Sure enough the four of them walked into the city without too much trouble, though the guards that Nightmare had pointed out had asked them about their visit. Their official story was that they were simple travelers that were making their way north, to Bruma, but needed to stop somewhere and wait out the storm. Nightmare wasn't sure how Shadow and Pandora felt about lying about the cause of their visit, but neither seemed to care very much as they followed Rend inside. From there it was a simple matter of finding their way to the Luther Board's boarding house, where they found a few number of patrons enjoying their evening.
One of which, Nightmare noticed, was a redguard that was sitting alone at the bar, but he was looking their way and his eyes seemed to flash to Rend, who took the seat next to him with the other three stood. After a moment Nightmare decided that standing was getting them nowhere and beckoned for the other two to join her at the table near the door, where she could watch over what was happening. Rend seemed to strike a small conversation with the redguard, but then the man excused himself and walked over to the basement door, closing it the moment he was through it. Not a moment later a man got up from the table he was sitting at and rushed to the door, following the person that they had come to see, and Rend followed him while beckoning for the others.
Once they were in the basement Rend drew his new akaviri blades and spun them around, catching the would-be assassin in the back before planting them right in his back.
"I'm glad to see you three again," Baurus said, wiping his face of sweat before checking the body for information, "I was sure that one of the assassins was lurking around the city somewhere, though it seems like they wanted me out of the picture. Ah, look at what we have here, a copy of Mankar Camoran's Commentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes, Volume One. Something tells me that this is important ... and is this the Queen of Knights."
"A pleasure to meet you," Nightmare said, picking up the book that the redguard had spotted, "Ah, I remember solving a riddle that is similar to what I'm seeing now. Give me some time and I'll be able to crack this code wide open."
"I bet that Tar-Meena at the Arcane University could help you find out about it," Baurus commented, turning to Rend while Nightmare looked over the book, "its in the southeast corner of the city, but be careful around those mages. I don't think they'll cause you any harm, but never lower your guard around them regardless."
They waited for about an hour, per Rend's request so they could rest before they continued their quest, and in the process the rain died down just a bit. Once the hour was up the four of them left the boarding house, navigating around the city, heading through the Palace District and the Arboretum, before they arrived at the bridge that allowed them to cross over to where the Arcane University was located. The wizard guards that were patrolling the outside of the tower stared at them as they passed, but some of them were focused on the fact that Nightmare was walking by them.
Once inside the tower they spotted the argonian that was their contact, though she beckoned them over the moment they were inside and they approached her without delay.
"I knew that you would be coming to see me," the argonian, Tar-Meena, said, pulling out a near identical book to the one that Nightmare carried, "I heard that you found a copy of a certain book and that you had no idea that there are, in fact, four volumes in the series. Here is the University's copy of Mankar Camoran's Commentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes, Volume Two. Of the four volumes I know where a copy of the third one is as well, its at the First Edition bookstore in the Market District, but I, personally, have never laid eyes on the fourth volume. I wish you luck in finding the last volume."
Rend thanked the argonian for aiding them in their quest, but the moment they would out the door he handed the book over to Nightmare, who immediately opened it and began to look for the clues she needed to figure out what the Mythic Dawn was up to. They made their way through the Palace District once more, though they made a different turn and entered the Market District, where the guards continued to stare at them as they passed. They found the store they were looking for with ease, as the moment they entered the district Rend spotted the store and beckoned for them to enter it immediately.
"Welcome to the First Edition," the owner called to them, "what can I do for the lot of you today?"
"We require the third volume of Mankar Camoran's Commentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes," Nightmare replied, stepping forward and stopping at the counter, "and we were told that you happen to possess a copy. We would appreciate it if you just hand over the book and let us be on our way."
"Ah, I see," the owner said, though he said it in a way that told Nightmare that he didn't care, "Well, I already sold the third volume to one Gwinas, so if your in such a desperate need of the book then I would suggest you take it up with him once he comes to pick it up."
Nightmare stared into the man's eyes for a moment, deciding if it was worth it to threaten him with her weapon and incur the wrath of the guards, but thought better of it and moved to the doorway. They didn't have to wait very long for an elf to walk into the store, speak to the shopkeeper about the book that Nightmare had inquired about, and then accept a package that contained the book. The moment the elf was outside the store the four of them were on him, stopping him from disappearing with the only key to solving the Mythic Dawn's puzzle.
"Ah, what can I do for you?" the elf asked, holding the package tight.
"We require the book your carrying," Nightmare said, standing right next to him and glaring at him, before she pulled close to his ear, "The Mythic Dawn killed the Emperor, so what do you think the guards will think if they discover that your carrying one of their tomes and are trying to gain admission to their cult? We can take the book and any letters you've received from them off your hands and the guards will never have to know about this. What do you say?"
Nightmare could see the fear and terror in the elf's eyes as he took in what she was saying, though he seemed to be in a daze as he handed over the package. Then, before they moved away, he reached into his robes and pulled out a letter, hastily explaining that the only way to find the fourth volume was for one of the Mythic Dawn to give it to you. He had explained that he wanted to join and worship Mehrunes Dagon, but now that they've murdered the Emperor he was never going to show up for the meeting in the sewers and that they were more than welcome to show up in his stead. Once they had the book and the letter the elf disappeared into the crowd, though Nightmare really didn't care about him anymore as she collected the third volume.
"Does anyone else think its mad of us to be collecting these volumes?" Pandora asked, as they began their trip back to the Elven Gardens District.
"We must do some mad actions to save the world we love sometimes," Shadow commented, shaking his head as they neared the boarding house, "but lets hope that Baurus is prepared for a run through the sewers."
As it turned out Baurus was glad to welcome something other than waiting for something interesting to happen, so when Rend mentioned the meeting he was quick to want to head there immediately. They followed him to the entrance of the sewers and through the twists and turns that had been designed into the layout, being careful not to make too much noise. They moved through the east tunnel, jumped down into a cistern, and continued towards an area with a high ceiling, where they eventually arrived at a door and a staircase.
"Personally, I'd like to see whoever is coming to this meeting and stick my sword in their chest," Baurus said, staring at the door, "do you think you guys could back me up by watching over the meeting from above?"
"I shall cloak us with a spell," Nightmare replied, her magic weaving over her and her companions, "this is a weaker version of the spell, but after creating four storm resistant cloaks this is all I can manage at the time. Let us hope that it is enough to fool whoever else comes to this meeting besides the sponsor."
Nightmare and her companions silently entered the upper area, though as they gathered to look down at the meeting area, where Baurus was sitting at a table, she whispered for Pandora to pull out her bow and aim it at the other side of the walkway. It was in the off chance that enemy reinforcements came their way and Pandora was happy to pull out her bow and nock an arrow in the bowstring. As they waited Nightmare heard another door open and a red cloaked figure appeared near Baurus, though she assumed that it was the sponsor they had come to meet. Then, almost silently, another door opened while the figure talked, though Nightmare noticed a pair of robed cultists coming their way.
That was moments before Baurus jumped out of his seat, drew his akaviri katana, and planted it squarely in the sponsor's chest, piercing his heart and killing him in an instant. His allies heard the commotion and came out into the open, but the moment they did Pandora pulled the bowstring back and planted her arrow right in one of the cultist's heart. Shadow, sensing his chance, drew his own sword and attacked the remaining cultist, cutting his hand off in the process before piercing his chest.
"That was exciting," Baurus said, sheathing his sword as the spell broke and the four of them appeared to him, "We had better find what we came for and make sure we weren't deceived."
"Ah ha, Mankar Camoran's Commentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes, Volume Four," Nightmare said, pulling the book out from the sponsor's robes, silently glad that no blood or damages had gotten to it, "with this I should be able to solve this riddle of theirs in no time."
"Good," Baurus replied, a smile appearing on his face, "I shall head back to Cloud Ruler Temple and help the others, but be careful if you find out where the Mythic Dawn are operating from."
The Blade separated from their group, but Rend lead them back to the boarding house and rented two rooms for the night, giving Nightmare the time she needed to decipher the code. She was thankful for the privacy, as the moment she was alone in her room she placed the books in a circle around her, the first in the north position, the second in the east position, the third in the south position, and the fourth in the west position. With the books in position she connected them with magic and closed her eyes, allowing the words on each and every page to appear before her, giving her the chance to view each of them at the same time without having to constantly turn around.
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When morning reared its ugly head Rend approached the door to Nightmare's room and knocked on the wood, hoping that his companion solved the riddle that he, Shadow, and Pandora failed to find on their own. After a few minutes he began to think that she was still deep in her research and started to move away, but he stopped when he noticed that it was opening. Nightmare walked out of the room with a smile on her face, just as she finished stashing the four books away in her pack and turned to face him.
"I take it you figured out the riddle?" Rend asked, noting the smile and figured something good happened.
"I did," Nightmare said, walking down the stairs as Shadow and Pandora joined them, "At first I looked for key words that, when linked together, spelled out a message that would tell whoever wanted to join the Mythic Dawn where to go for the next stage of the initiation. Upon further study of this theory I could not find the phrase that would lead us to our next destination, but then I discovered something odd and interesting. I decided to take the first letter of each paragraph, linked all of them together, and came up with a phrase that might help us in our quest to recover the Amulet of Kings. That phrase was 'Green Emperor Way Where Tower Touches Midday Sun'."
"The Palace District," Shadow commented, realizing where she was going with this, "I heard a rumor before I was thrown in the cell that there were always a strange sighting around the tomb of Prince Camarril, people gathering around it at midday and looking at something written on it. I daresay that this might actually be what we are looking for."
They found their way to the Palace District without delay, though they had to follow Shadow to the tomb in question before they could move on with their search. In the off chance that they misunderstood the meaning of the riddle they spread out to look around the rest of the cemetary, though Nightmare remained by the tomb Shadow had mentioned. As the day slowly turned to midday Nightmare continued to stare at the tomb, waiting for something to happen so she could call the others to her, until she noticed a cross of some kind slowly appear on the map that had been printed on the stonework.
Once the others were standing beside her again Rend smiled as he took a note as to where the map was telling them to go next, confidant that they had the location they needed.
"So, whose up for raiding the hideout of the Mythic Dawn?" Rend asked, chuckling as he made sure his weapons were ready.
"You don't have to ask us that," Shadow said, patting his sword as Pandora and Nightmare did the same.
"Well then," Rend replied, turning to head out of the city, "let's go pay those Emperor killers a visit and make them wish they never slew the Emperor to begin with."
Pandora, ironically the only one of the group who was familiar with the area of Cyrodiil, lead them across the wilderness, following whatever 'clues' she claimed to find. None of the others could make out the path she was following, but Rend trusted her instincts, which were already messed up thanks to Sheogorath's Madness, and that was enough for the others. Nightmare had to make the odd observation that none of the wildlife or the bandits were coming their way, though she had the feeling she'd get the chance to swing her weapon soon. Pandora only stopped them when they reached the spot on the map that the tomb had highlighted, having crossed miles of landscape to reach this destination.
"So how are we going to do this?" Shadow asked, staring at the cave opening, "Are we going to pretend that we're here to join the cult, or are we just going to..."
"BRING THEM MADNESS!" Pandora shouted, drawing her bow and charging inside the cave.
Nightmare and the rest of her companions followed Pandora inside, just in time to see her loose an arrow into the chest of one of the Mythic Dawn cultists, slaying him almost instantly. It was then that the other cultists, apparently hearing the arrow hit their comrade in the chest, activated their protective wards and summoned their dremoras. Nightmare honestly didn't care which path they actually took, with her skill with the shadows should could have cloaked them all and gotten them past all of the Mythic Dawn's defenses with ease. She was, however, glad that she could draw her weapon and do some fighting, no matter how much Rend wished they didn't have to literally kill everything they came across.
The first chamber of the cavern became a war zone, as Pandora pulled out her arrows and loosed them in the direction of their enemies, pinning several of them in various places on their bodies. The cultists, seeking to return the favor, called upon their magic and threw it towards the entrance, blasting the walls and tearing holes around them. Shadow and Rend, neither carrying a long ranged weapon at the moment, searched for the perfect way to get behind their enemies so they could properly fight them. They didn't want to relay on Pandora fighting their battles for them, though there wasn't much they could do against the barrage of magic coming their way.
Nightmare, on the other hand, slipped her battleaxe out and spun it around, passing where her companions were hiding as she silently approached the cultists.
"Its the Queen of Knights!" one of the cultists shouted, turning his gaze towards her while a few more joined him, "Take her down!"
The large group of cultists summoned a wave of dremora warriors to do their bidding, though the moment they saw Nightmare coming their way they drew their weapons and approached her. Nightmare, not one to waste time, spun around and planted her battleaxe in the chest of an enemy, only to twist around and throw a punch in one of their faces. She backed up as two of the dremoras came after her, but she whipped her mane around and her specter daggers shot out, stabbing her enemies in the heart. As they fell she collected the daggers, which disappeared into her mane, and lifted her battleaxe before she faced the cultists that just stared at her in shock.
Rend and Shadow, seeing their chance, dashed towards Nightmare and passed her, their weapons swinging towards the cultists that just stood there. Some of the cultists realized that they were still under attack and drew their weapons, trying to block the fury of the two warriors that stood before them. They also forgot that Pandora was behind the group at that point, as arrows flew out of the shadows and knocked several of them off of their feet in seconds. Nightmare sighed and continued forward, her battleaxe swinging at one of the cultists that dared to stand in her way, taking his hands within seconds before separating his head from his body.
Those that were smart to retreat lived to tell the cultists in the next chamber that there were intruders invading their shrine, giving them the chance to summon their dremora warriors. Nightmare stepped into the next chamber and cocked her head, counting at least twenty warriors standing in her way and twenty cultists standing behind them. She chuckled and raised her battleaxe, beckoning for one of her enemies to come at her, causing one warrior to roar a battle cry and charge at her. She used the handle of her weapon and caught the attack before it could even reach her, but then she twisted it around, separated the warrior's hands and weapons from his body, and then smashed him to the ground.
The rest of the warriors came her way, their weapons reaching for her as she spun around, her battleaxe flowing around her as she smashed an enemy right into the nearby wall, before separating another warrior's head from its body. Two warriors swung at her, but she used her iron boot and smashed one of their knees in, shattering the bone under the armor as if it was merely made of twigs. She arched herself back and swung her battleaxe, letting it travel through the air and take the heads of several warriors and three cultists in the process. One warrior, seeing her throw her weapon away like that, came at her and punched her right in the jaw, knocking her back while the rest of the dremora began to chuckle.
Shadow, seeing his companion actually take damage for once, wanted to run over to help her immediately, but he was stopped by Rend, who held his hand out to prevent them from getting any closer.
"What's wrong with you?" Shadow asked, his eyes focused on Nightmare, "She needs our help!"
"Something's wrong," Rend replied, watching Nightmare the entire time, "I'm just not sure what that something is."
Nightmare corrected her stance and raised her right thumb to her mouth, wetting it with her blood, before she moved it towards her left gauntlet and drew a rune on top of it. She then raised her left thumb to her mouth and repeated the process, creating the same rune on her right gauntlet and gently brought the two of them to her sides. Then she charged forward, swing her left arm towards one of the warriors, but before it reached its target a black and silver sword materialized in her hand, which she used to cut the warrior down. She spun around and the second sword appeared, allowing her to spin around and continue hacking her opponents apart, their limbs disappearing back to Oblivion before she dispatched them completely.
The cultists started to run, but Nightmare appeared next to them and threw many of them back, allowing her companions to have their fun until the entire chamber they were in was cleared.
"What was that?" Rend asked, standing beside Nightmare as she drew closer to her battleaxe.
"Some of my other weapons," Nightmare replied, making the swords disappear before she heaved her battleaxe up once more, "Come on, we've got to find their leader. They still have the Amulet after all."
Rend chuckled and followed his companion into the caverns, Shadow and Pandora following while keeping their eyes opened for anymore enemies. A guard appeared further down the tunnel they were in, but before he had a chance to flee and warn the others Pandora pulled an arrow out and pinned him to the wall. Save for that one little hiccup they didn't come across anymore foes, at least, that was until Nightmare approached a wooden door and stopped them. Before any of the others could ask why they heard it as well, the chanting and calling for a sacrifice from the other side that told them that they were close to their target.
Nightmare shrouded them all in shadows as they entered the new area, making sure that they didn't trip any alarms while they drew closer to the shrine. Then she heard the leader, Mankar Camoran she assumed, speaking about helping Mehrunes Dagon bring destruction to this world so they could all ascend to their 'Paradise'. She peeked her head around the corner and spotted someone on the stand above the rest of the cultists, though in front of him rested a large tome of some kind. She assumed it had to be the Mysterium Xarxes, but as she pulled her head back she beckoned for Pandora to come forward and prepare one of her arrows.
"Mankar Camoran is right there," Nightmare whispered into her ear, causing Pandora to nod, "put an arrow in his black heart and end this insanity before he goes too far."
Pandora pulled an arrow into the bowstring, took a deep breath, pulled the string back, and moved out into the open, taking aim at the middle of the altar and loosing her arrow right at their enemy. As the arrow neared Mankar Camoran time seemed to slow down as he dematerialized, disappearing to whatever plan his 'Paradise' existed on and taking the Amulet of Kings with him. The arrow hit the state square in the chest and broke it, though the cultists realized they were under attack and zeroed in on where the group was located.
"CHEATER!" Pandora screamed, pulling out a pair of arrows and slaying a pair of cultists before they could get near them, "I HAD YOU MANKAR CAMORAN AND YOU KNOW IT!"
Nightmare stayed back as Pandora continued to rain death on her enemies, clearly fuming that her target had teleported out of the chamber and caused her to miss. She didn't blame Pandora for being upset, but she let her go to town on the cultists, using each and every arrow that she seemed to have in her possession. As she did that Nightmare made her way to the altar, surprised that any member of the Mythic Dawn would leave their most valuable book behind for someone to take. As the other three began to make their way outside Nightmare grabbed the book and ran after them, slipping past all the dead cultists until she caught up with them.
"I'd say we've set them back a bit," Rend commented, sheathing his swords, "Let's get back to Martin and inform them on what happened here. Maybe Martin or Jauffre can make heads or tails of this."
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"I'm sorry, but I have no idea what to make of this tome," Jauffre told them, the moment they returned from the cultists' cave and showed him the book, "but we should destroy it before..."
"No, we need that book," Martin said, taking the book and flipping through the pages, "Yes, I can see what our enemy has done. We're going to need a few items, but give me some time and I might be able to decipher a part of this."
"So what are we supposed to do while we wait?" Shadow asked.
"I'm staying here to guard the Emperor," Rend said, patting his blades as he spoke, "I'll make sure that he's safe and that the Mythic Dawn doesn't open up any Oblivion Gates."
"Now that you mention it, I should stay back and look into our enemies," Shadow commented, after realizing what Rend was saying, "What about you Pandora? What will you do?"
"The Shivering Isles," Pandora nearly shouted, walking up to Nightmare's face, "Come on, if you carry me we can get there in record time and investigate the strange happenings."
The Blades that knew Nightmare's reputation turned their heads and stared at Pandora, as if she had actually lost her mind by asking Nightmare to do such a thing. Several of them placed their hands on their weapons, worried that they'd have to draw and fight the Queen of Knights if she attacked one of the Emperor's chosen warriors. Jauffre looked horrified that a fight might erupt inside their peaceful temple and Martin seemed like he was merely curious as to what would happen. Rend and Shadow clearly stood there, looking at Pandora and Nightmare while they waited for one of them to do something.
Then Nightmare did something that none of them would have expected her to do, she laughed so hard that she was sure the people of the nearby town could hear her.
"Very well then Pandora," Nightmare said, banishing her battleaxe and grabbing her companion by the back of her armor, "You want to visit Sheogorath's realm so badly? You shall have your wish."
Before anyone could react to what she was saying Nightmare flared her wings and took off, tearing Pandora from the ground and heading in the direction of the strange door they were told about.
"They're mad," Jauffre said, watching them disappear into the distance.
"That may be so," Rend commented, a smile appearing on his face, "but this means that Pandora can finally deal with the madness that's been plaguing her for so long."
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Gaius Prentus was tired of trying to stop people from approaching the strange magical door he had been sent to guard, though he was equally tired of killing insane people who didn't listen to him when they returned. So far he wasn't seeing many of the strange realm's creatures trying to come out and hurt them, but he never knew when that could change. He was lucky that someone came by boat every now and then to deliver his weekly rations and speak with him about how the city was doing, otherwise he was sure he would have gone mad as well a long time ago.
He considered opening his bottle of wine and taking a swing, but then something landed in the water near the stone ramp and he grabbed his sword, ready to face whatever was coming.
"That...was...AWESOME!" a voice shouted, as a breton leapt out of the water and landed on the ramp, "Jeez Nightmare, now I understand why you like the fly so much."
"I'm glad I could share the experience," a second voice said, causing Gaius to stare as the Queen of Knights landed beside him, "Stand aside guardsman, we've got an appointment with the lord of this door."
Before Gaius could even make a response the two women walked up the ramp, approached the strange magical door, and slew the insane creature that emerged from it, likely because it attacked them. Then they entered the door and left him to wonder if he really had seen the Queen of Knights or if he was imagining it because of all the wine he was drinking lately.
"Ah, welcome one and all," a breton, one wearing a black suit with a red neck piece, welcomed them, just as they appeared in a large black room, "What can I do for the three of you?"
"Three?" Pandora asked, curious as to what the man meant, "There's only two of us."
"Really?" the man said, pointing towards Nightmare, "Then why is there two of her, if I may ask?"
Nightmare glanced to her right and her eyes widened in surprise, standing next to her was another version of herself, only this one was the one that existed before she became what she was at the moment. Somehow, by some strange magic, Nightmare Moon and Princess Luna had been separated into two separate bodies. Luna glanced up at the taller, and much eviler, version of herself and gulped, because the both of them knew exactly what was coming.
Both Princess Luna and Nightmare Moon screamed at the exact same instance.
In all the time that Pandora had spent with Nightmare Moon, the Queen of Knights of the Imperial Arena, she had always believed that she was on a level of insanity that was lower than her own. Now that they had crossed into Sheogorath's realm and came face to face with one of the residents, however, it became clear to her that Nightmare was more insane than she had originally thought. There was no other reasoning for her, as it seemed almost unnatural for someone to possess two personalities, each strong enough that Sheogorath's realm separated them from each other.
The newest arrival was essentially a younger looking Nightmare; so while Nightmare herself looked like she had seen her thirtieth winter the younger Nightmare Moon looked like she was around her twentieth year. As she thought about it Nightmare's hair seemed to look like a night sky that was full of stars, though the younger Nightmare's hair consisted of a single blue color. The younger one wore a simple dress with a moon emblem on it, which told Pandora that she had to have some like to the moon, of which Nightmare was the princess of in her home world. The younger Nightmare even possessed a pair of wings and a horn as well, though Pandora figured that those would be there.
"What in Oblivion is going on?" Nightmare asked, her arm reaching out and gripping the neck of Luna's dress, "What have you done to me this time?!"
"Unhand me you monstrosity," Luna replied, her hand touching Nightmare's arm for a moment, "I am not the cause of our current... predicament. Perhaps to solve this mystery we require two heads, instead of one."
For a moment nothing happened between the two, causing Pandora to took at them in wonder, before Nightmare growled and shoved the other her forward, releasing her in the process. Pandora was getting the feeling that Nightmare and her other personality were at odds with each other, considering how angry Nightmare was the moment the other one appeared. She sighed and faced the breton that was, surprisingly, still standing on the other side of the room, standing near the opposite side of a desk, one that she knew that hadn't been there before all of this.
"Please, take a seat Pandora," the breton said, taking the seat opposite as she did so, "Now that we've gotten the anger out in the open, I would like to discuss why I am here, near the border of Lord Sheogorath's realm. Like many who have entered the Fringe before you, you carry a sliver of Lord Sheogorath's Madness inside of you. This makes you an interesting player to my Lord, though he is never quite sure of where all the players stand until they make it past the Gates of Madness. Should you make it passed the Gates and escape the Fringe you are to instructed towards New Sheoth, but I won't spoil your fun at the moment.
Or you can turn around and leave, if coming here is beginning to seem like a bad idea and you'd rather take your chances with Mehrunes Dagon and his cult. Do let me know what your choice is, as I have a busy schedule to keep and I'm afraid that I might fall behind at this rate."
"Oh, we're heading in," Pandora replied, without wasting a second.
"Then I welcome you to the Shivering Isles," the breton replied, appearing as if he didn't care what her choice had been, "do enjoy your stay Pandora."
Without another word the breton seemed to disappear, almost as if he had never been there to being with, before the walls around them began to turn into a swarm of butterflies. The swarm flew around them, tearing the room apart until they were standing on top of a hill, overlooking a dirt road that continued off into the distance. Nightmare and Pandora had seen the realm of Oblivion that Mehrunes Dagon ruled over, the seemingly burning land with lakes of fire and ash in the air, but they were surprised to find such an alien landscape stretched out before them. Luna, on the other hand, sighed and moved forward, taking to the path while the others realized that she was already moving away from them.
"I don't think we've been properly introduced yet," Pandora commented, falling in step with the younger Nightmare while Nightmare herself walked behind them a bit, "I'm Pandora. And you are?"
"I am Princess Luna of Equestria," Luna replied, waiting a moment to be sure that there wasn't any trap before giving her reply, "I am the Princess of the Night, and as such it is, or rather was, my duty to raise and lower the moon and create the night sky."
"Nightmare mentioned something like that a day or two ago," Pandora said, though she had kind of blocked out most of that conversation when it had happened, "but she said that she was supposed to do that."
"Figures," Luna sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose for a moment, "I bet that she failed to mention that it was because of my jealousy, hatred, and rage towards my sister that gave way for Nightmare Moon's creation. If anyone is to blame for our current predicament then it would be me, as I was the one that gave into my hatred for my own sister and let that creature take over."
"We are not telling her about this," Nightmare cut in, pulling on Luna's left shoulder, "and besides, how in Oblivion did you learn to properly walk so quickly?"
"Fine, I'll play your game, for now." Luna replied, shrugging to remove Nightmare's hand, "As for your question, I have you to thank for being able to walk like this. Everything you learned about this world, I learned at the same time, though I didn't think I'd ever get the chance to try any of it out before we were called back."
Nightmare growled and continued forward, leaving Luna behind as she looked for whatever they were supposed to be looking for in this area of the Isles. Pandora, still wanting to know what was going on between them, pressed herself near Luna's face, but after some blank stares she finally gave up and followed after her companion. Luna looked around the surrounding area and sighed, following after her companions, as much as she hated one of them, before they left her behind.
The trio followed the pathway, coming across a single creature that decided to attack them and died in the process, until they ended up near what appeared to be a settlement of some kind. As they approached the village Luna spotted what she assumed was the leader and his second-in-command, apparently in the middle of a discussion, though she left the need to point them out for the others. Nightmare clearly didn't like the fact that she was helping them out, but Pandora beamed at the idea of her new companion was actually helping them out. So, with the majority rule, the trio approached the leader and his second, but before they could say hello the duo bolted up the hill, leaving behind something about a 'Gatekeeper' fighting a group of adventurers.
They followed the duo up the hill until they came to a wide open area with five other soldiers standing near each other with their weapons drawn and their shields at the ready. Standing in the direct center of the area, however, was a true monstrosity, a creature made of flesh and bone with one of its hands replaced by a rather large blade. Nightmare, upon seeing the creature, reached her hand back and touched her weapon, itching to unleash it so she could do battle with the beast, but she held herself back to watch it.
The adventurers charged forward, their weapons raised to do whatever damage they could, before the creature swung its arm and took one of their heads in ease. The second soldier raised his shield to protect himself, but the full force of the coming attack knocked him into the air and into the nearby rock wall, hard enough for the sound of his spine snapping to be heard. The third and fourth came at him, attacking from both sides, but the beast spun around in the process, slashing through their armor and cutting the poor soldiers in half. Their commander, seeing his friends fall with ease, dropped his weapon and turned around, to run away like the coward that he was, but he didn't get very far as Nightmare's battleaxe separated his head from his body.
"Bloody coward," Nightmare commented, turning to the village leader so she could get the show on the road, "Tell me, village leader, how do we get passed this creature?"
"First off, I'm the Mayor of Passwall," the leader replied, shaking his head, "and second, you don't get passed the Gatekeeper. No one's gotten passed the Gatekeeper, though I have heard that Jayred Ice-Veins has been cooking up some mad scheme to get the keys. He should still be in Passwall, unless he has finally given up and returned to wherever he came from."
Nightmare waited for him to point out which house belonged to the person he was talking about, but after a minute of just staring at him it was clear that he wasn't going to help them at all. She sighed and looked out over the small village, wondering which house they could knock on the door of and ask where this Jayred fellow was living. Luna walked to the legde, stopping exactly to the left of Nightmare, and gazed upon the village, apparently looking for something that she was missing. Then, as if she had figured it out by looking at the buildings, she pointed at the furthest building, the closest to the water, and beckoned for them to follow her.
Pandora, eager to discover how Luna had figured it out, followed after her new companion, heading down the hill while Nightmare silently followed after them. Whatever residents there were in the village mostly stayed indoors, which meant that they didn't need to bother themselves with stopping and talking to everyone. They approached the house and Nightmare knocked the door in, hearing someone shout from above her and discovered that someone was now staring down at them.
"You!" the man shouted, pointing at Pandora as she walked into the house, "Yes, you...I have seen you in my dreams. Come, we must journey to the Gardens of Flesh and Bone to discover how to slay the Gatekeeper."
Before any of them could stop the man he was out of his bed, armed with his bow and dagger, and was out the door before they could raise an objection to stop him. Nightmare moaned and followed after him, allowing the other two to fall in behind her and giving them yet another chance for Pandora to speak with her new ally.
"So, how did you figure out this was his house?" Pandora asked, slightly curious as to how it happened.
"He was sleeping," Luna replied, turning to see a blank stare, "Back in our world, I had the ability to peer into our subjects' dreams when they were asleep. So I basically used that power here to see if he was still in this realm, though I am quite surprised that I managed to find him as quickly as I did."
Pandora knew there had to be more to the story of how she discovered where the man was hiding so quickly, but she kept her mouth shut as she wondered why Nightmare and Luna hated each other. From what she could tell Luna was supposed to be the original Princess, who apparently hated her sister so much, likely because she was taking all the spotlight, that she created an alternate personality that thought it was okay to fight said sister. She knew that she was missing the majority of the events that happened between Luna/Nightmare and her sister, but she still couldn't figure out how she had suddenly appeared in Cyrodiil, in the middle of the Arena.
She was certain that, if she had the time and patience to listen, she could get Luna to literally spill the beans on what happened between her and her sister, which would also annoy Nightmare.
Eventually the three of them arrived at the gate that lead into the Gardens that the nord had brought them to, though the moment they arrived they noticed a large skeleton resting in the center of the Gardens. All three of them thought it was weird that the Mayor of Passwall had told them that it was impossible for the Gatekeeper to be killed, yet they were staring at the massive skeletal corpse of a previous Gatekeeper. The nord approached them and mentioned getting passed the lock, but Luna stepped forward and pressed the palm of her hand against the lock, focusing her magic into the desired spell she wanted. Not a minute later the rest of the group heard a click and the gate opened, though Luna stood up and beckoned for them to enter the Gardens.
Sure enough a group of skeletons pulled themselves out of the ground and gathered their weapons, thought Nightmare was glad to meet them as her battleaxe shattered two of them in seconds. Pandora swung her bow like it was a sword and smacked a skeleton upside the head, breaking it off from the rest of the body before pulling the string back and putting an arrow in another skeleton's head. The nord hacked and slashed with his dagger, cutting whoever dared to get near him while he made his way towards the large skeleton in the center. Luna, being the last to enter the Gardens, brought a bit of magic into her hand and blasted two of the remaining skeletons in their chests, destroying them in seconds.
Once the deed was done the nord gathered some samples from the large skeleton and muttered something about needing a few hours to craft some arrows that they could use to wound the Gatekeeper. Nightmare, not wanting to waste any time, grabbed the nord by the neck of his armor and told him that he had an hour to craft as many arrows as he could. Once the time was up she promised that they would kill the Gatekeeper, which was enough to satisfy the nord before he ran back to his house.
Pandora, seeing the opportunity, used the hour to talk with Luna, trying to get as much as she could out of the quiet alicorn while avoiding anything that would annoy Nightmare. It was hard, she noted, to ask about what happened that made Nightmare end up in Cyrodiil, as she seemed to get one that wanted to tell her while the other kept cutting the conversation to pieces. Eventually she gave up asking questions for the moment, figuring that she'd need to get Luna alone to figure out everything that she had questions for. Nightmare, upon noticing the hour was up, beckoned for them to join her as she began the walk back to where the Gatekeeper was waiting for them, where they were joined by Jayred.
Jayred handed over a dozen arrows to Pandora, as she was the only one with a bow at the moment, and told her to be careful of where she aimed at when the fight began.
The moment they approached the Gatekeeper Pandora pulled out one of the arrows, pulled the sting back, and loosed the arrow, letting it fly into the Gatekeeper's chest. The beast roared at them, but Nightmare stepped forward and pulled her battleaxe out, beckoning for the beast to come at her so she could destroy it. The Gatekeeper charged at her, but Nightmare leapt over it and brought her weapon down hard on its shoulder, cutting into the skin and drawing blood. As the Gatekeeper made a movement to grab her and toss her to the side Jayred and Pandora put two more arrows in his chest, trying to use the previous Gatekeeper to kill the current one. Before it could get another chance to grab her Nightmare leapt off and landed behind the creature, growling as she realized who was missing from the fight.
"LUNA!" Nightmare shouted, ducking before the Gatekeeper's blade could reach her, "We would really appreciate your help right now!"
The Gatekeeper, now realizing that there was another target for him to fight, turned his gaze away from Nightmare and faced the direction of Passwall, where Luna was standing outside the area he fought people inside. Then she summoned magic to her hands and stepped inside the area, throwing her hands forward and blasting the Gatekeeper right in the chest. The Gatekeeper staggered for a moment, now having felt the power of an alicorn, and in that instant Pandora and Jayred planted another duo of arrows in his massive chest. Nightmare, seeing her chance as the Gatekeeper fell to one knee, leapt on top of the creature's back and brought her battleaxe down on top of its head, planting it as deep as she could get it.
The four of them waited as the Gatekeeper fell to the ground, waiting to see if it would get back up and fight them some more, but as the minutes ticked by it became clear that they had succeeded in their mission. Pandora grinned and grabbed the two keys that were stitched into the Gatekeeper's chest, noting that one was labeled 'Dementia' and the other was "Mania'. Without even knowing which key went to which side of the gate she had to admit that she liked the sound of Dementia more than its counterpart Mania.
"Girls," Pandora said, holding up Dementia's key, "We're going to Dementia!"
The Gates of Madness, upon inspection by both Nightmare and Luna, were identical in their construction, but there was one key difference between them that the two alicorns noticed; they each had a nameplate. The Gate on the left had 'Mania' written in big letters near the bottom of it, while the Gate on the right had the word 'Dementia' written in the same location. Once they had found the door that they were after, thanks to Luna once again, it was a simple matter to find the keyhole that the key Pandora was holding fit into. The trio walked passed the Gates of Madness and opened the way into the larger area that was the Shivering Isles, though they weren't alone as Jayred bolted into the open area and quickly disappeared.
"May he find whatever madness he is seeking," Pandora commented, waving the insane nord goodbye, "Now, let's find our way to New Sheoth and see what's happening in this realm."
Nightmare nodded and walked alongside Pandora as they started down the path to the right, following the same path that the nord had chosen to go down. Luna sighed to herself before following along, having no desire to get lost in a realm she knew next to nothing about with her other personality freely walking around like she was. Before they were able to get a good distance away from the Gates of Madness they came across a large group of small ugly creatures, baring a variety of weapons among their numbers, doing battle with a much smaller group humanoid creatures, wearing black armor that had no stomach protection at all.
Pandora pulled her bow out and drew an arrow, taking aim at one of the small creatures in the way back and letting it loose, where it flew through the air and tore into the creature's heart. Nightmare approached the enemy, who choose to ignore her while they fought the black armored warriors, and swung her battleaxe, taking several of them in the single swing. Luna, on the other hand, flared her wings and landed behind the small creatures, throwing her magic around and knocking several of them into the air before slamming them down into the ground. With the combined efforts of the three of them, plus the warriors they had come across, the small army of creatures was eventually eradicated and their bodies were scattered about the ground.
"Madgod's blessings upon you travelers," one of the warriors called out to them, as the rest of her companions decided to return to wherever their post was, "We were not expecting such a large group of Grummites when we came out here. We have several more locations to check to be sure that they get no closer to New Sheoth, but your aid was most appreciated."
"It was a pleasure my mad friend," Pandora replied, causing the warrior to raise an eyebrow, "We're currently heading to New Sheoth ourselves, so maybe we'll run into more of those creatures. I promise you, if we run into anymore of them then we'll be sure to remove them before they can do any harm."
"The others will be pleased to hear that there is someone else killing the Grummites as well," the warrior continued, though Nightmare noticed that she remained in a neutral expression the entire time, "Walk with our Lord, mortal."
Nightmare watched the warrior walk down the path that her companions had traveled down and eventually she disappeared from their field of view. Luna, having spent the time after the fight checking the corpses for anything worth while, stood up and handed Pandora a large sack of coins. The only other thing she found was a wooden staff, but instead of taking it as her weapon, since she chose not to summon one of her own, she simply turned it over to Pandora as well. Nightmare didn't understand why her other personality wouldn't call her weapon to her side, but all it told her was that she wanted to stay at the back and provide support.
She also knew that Luna was keeping an eye on her, making sure that she didn't turn her godly powers against the people of this world and bring about an Eternal Night in Tamriel. Not that Nightmare wanted to do that to this world when she was trying to save it by stopping Mehrunes Dagon with her companions Rend and Shadow, and likely Pandora once they were done in the Shivering Isles.
"Um...I hate to be the ignorant one of the group," Luna said, noticing that Nightmare was shooting her another angry glance, "but what were those warriors anyway?"
"Dark Seducers," Pandora replied, following the path that she figured would lead them to their destination, "The Shivering Isles is separated into two halves, the left side being called Mania while the second was known as Dementia. Mania is supposed to be a beautiful land of artists and it is said that they are guarded by the Golden Saints, who are basically a golden armored version of the Seducers you just saw. Dementia, on the other hand, is basically a land of danger, where everyone suspects everyone else of doing something wrong and where those people are guarded by the Dark Seducers."
"So why did we choose Dementia again?" Luna asked, following the breton and her other personality, "It sounds like Mania would have been the better place to enter through."
Luna, having spent time and energy raising the moon and setting the stars each night, was as much of an artist as her sister was a hoarder of cakes. She enjoyed creating the night sky, though that love was not given back to her by the ponies she had slaved for, but she wouldn't let herself dwell on the past. She personally liked the sound of Mania, but it was the majority rule that they would be traveling through Dementia, a land, that she noted, looked like it was half dead or just half decaying.
"Oh quit your whining," Pandora said, sighing as she continued down the dirt road, "We'll be traveling through Dementia and that will be the end of this discussion."
Nightmare had to admit it to herself, but she never would have suspected that Pandora would have told her other personality to shut up like that. She cast a look back at Luna and found that she was mildly annoyed by the comment, though it pleased her to find that someone else could shut up the mare that wouldn't leave her alone during their time on the moon. She also thought it was funny that Pandora had done a quick flip on Luna like that, as she had been excited about the idea of another companion, but now seemed annoyed that she was even there.
Nightmare eventually chalked it up to being the madness that Pandora had been inflicted with earlier in her life and decided that her reason was better than searching for a real one.
"Look, I'm sorry Luna," Pandora eventually said, causing the Princess to look up once more, "I've been dealing with this madness inside of me for so long and I, well, have been known to randomly snap at my companions in a cruel fashion. Dementia is a place for people that are much more cruel than I am, which is why I wanted to come here, so I could feel more at home than in Mania. I'm praying that, once we meet Lord Sheogorath, I can have the madness lessened so I can be of further benefit to Rend in our quest to end the Mythic Dawn."
And just like that Nightmare was annoyed that someone was apologizing to Luna, when she had done absolutely nothing to deserve any sort of apology. She sighed and continued down the pathway, knowing that they would eventually reach their destination and eventually meet the Madgod himself. She had to admit something else, of all the Daedric Princes in this world she was more interested in meeting Sheogorath than any of the others, like Mehrunes Dagon for instance. Most of the other Princes sounded like they were dangerous or downright strange, but there was something about the Lord of Madness that made her want to meet him.
They had to work their way around the isles, cutting through the ranks of strange creatures that wanted them dead along the way, before they caught their first glimpse of New Sheoth. It was on the top of a cliff, one that they suspected had an access point from both sides into the perspective towns, and there was a ramp that lead up to the gate that they assumed connected to the Dementia town. As they passed the cemetery they noticed a pair of Dark Seducers guarding the ramp, which told them that they had to be near their destination and that they were close to meeting the Madgod.
As they passed by the guards Nightmare heard one of them mention something about the town they were entering being called Crucible, which gave her a name to where they were going. When they entered the town they noticed that everyone, those that weren't guards, were glaring at the rest of the citizens like they had something to hide. It was there that they learned that the other side of New Sheoth, the Mania side, was referred to as Bliss and that the Palace was connected to the two halves of the city by two doors, which happened to be at the top of a large pair of stairs.
Once they made their way up the stairs and passed through the doors they found themselves in the exterior of the palace, where the two halves of the Shivering Isles, including some strange pale crystals, merged in seemingly perfect harmony. The palace itself was protected by two guards, one being the familiar Dark Seducer they had seen outside while the second was a Golden Saint, though there were three doors. Upon asking one of the maids they learned that Bliss was ruled by a Duke, named Thadon, and that Crucible was ruled by a Duchess, someone by the name of Syl. They also learned that the two rulers were basically the underlings of Lord Sheogorath, which meant that if he told them to do something they had better well do it.
With this information tucked away they pushed open the middle door, the palace door, and entered the large chamber where the throne room was supposed to rest. Even the throne room reflected the dual nature of the Shivering Isles, though the carpets and different colored flames weren't the objects of their attention. Their eyes were drawn to the man that was sitting on the throne, wearing a purple suit with a golden color tucked in certain places, with short white hair and a white beard on his face, though he was tapping his cane as he wanted for something to happen.
"NEW ARRIVALS!" the man shouted, coming to a sitting position as the three approached the throne, "I do love new arrivals. A shame about my Gatekeeper though. I could just tear your intestines out and strangle you with them. I suppose an introduction is in order. I am Sheogorath, Prince of Madness. And other things, but I wont be speaking of those. But you have made it further than anyone else that has come before you, mostly because of your unfair advantage, and so I have a little something for you."
A necklace appeared before Pandora, who simply snatched it out of the air and put it around her neck, as to not offend the Daedric Prince they were standing before.
"NOW, your likely wondering why the lot of you are here," Sheogorath continued, nearly shouting at them despite how close they were to the throne, "I have need of a champion, of someone who can save the realm from total destruction. Save the damsel. Slay the beast. OR die trying. A change is coming to the Shivering Isles and everything changes in time. Even Daedric Princes. Especially Daedric Princes. I speak of the Greymarch, and you lot are going to help me stop it. The details aren't important at the moment, but don't worry, we'll get back to them later on.
Now, I have need of you lot to do an errand for me. Its an important one if I'm sending my Champion and her fetching companions to complete it, but then again everything I tell you will be important. The lot of you are going to Xedilian, a little spot of mine that I enjoyed visiting from time to time that has fallen on hard times. Your going to go there and reactivate the place, so we can take care of any unwanted pests that would seek to enter my realm and do my people harm. I have a book for you to read on the operations of Xedilian, and don't forget the Attenuator of Judgement, you'll need that as well. And don't forget, you can always ask Haskill about whatever your doing. Not only is he a snappy dresser, but he always has an answer for everything."
"I live to serve, my Lord," the breton, the one Pandora spoke to before coming to Passwall, said, though he seemed uninterested or neutral at the moment.
"Now, my sweet Pandora, I have some words for your companions before you go," Sheogorath said, turning to face Nightmare and Luna, "I have not felt the presence of an Equestrian in my realm for quite some time, not since Discord decided to visit me and share in my hospitality. Seeing how you two will be helping Pandora out, and how you've separated into two separate beings, I think that it is only fair to restrict your powers until our game is over. Nightmare Moon, the Queen of Knights, you have shown that you enjoy the use of your wings at the cost of not using your magic, so I shall be sealing your magic and horn away until we're done. And Princess Luna, Caretaker of the Night, I have seen only magic from you, so your wings and flight shall be sealed as well, just to make things fair."
Nightmare and Luna grabbed at their chests as Sheogorath's magic washed over them, Nightmare's horn shrinking until it was gone while Luna's wings all but disappeared. The pair of them were taken aback, they had no idea that such powerful magic existed in this world, but they knew they should have expected something from the Madgod. When the magic was over they slowly stood up and faced each other, wondering why they suddenly felt like their fates were intertwined in more ways than one.
"And for an extra kick I've taken your immortality as well," Sheogorath roared in laughter, just as the their faces paled as they realized what he had done to them, "so if one of you dies, then the other falls as well. Have fun my dears!"
The moment that Sheogorath was done speaking to them, dismissing them to deal with his chosen task, Nightmare and Luna were the first ones to leave the palace. They were eager to start their adventure in the Shivering Isles with Pandora, but there were many reasons for them wanting to be away from the Madgod. He had literally taken away half of their powers, sealing away Nightmare's horn and Luna's wings, so he could even the playing field with their companion. Nightmare had no idea how to react to finding someone that was of equal power to Discord, the Spirit that could remove horns and wings from ponies among other things.
Luna, on the other hand, knew that the only way they'd earn their powers back was to get on Sheogorath's good side and pray that he was in the mood to restore their powers.
Neither mare spoke to each other, or to Pandora for that matter, until they were outside New Sheoth, where they could consult the map and figure out where their destination was located. While Luna and Pandora stared at the map Nightmare chose to stare at the landscape, silently daring something to show up so she could cut it down.
"So we basically have to go back the way we came," Luna commented, running her finger along the road until she came to the crossroad they needed to turn left at, "and then we need to head down that road until we come across the rotting fortress that is known as Xedilian. I will admit, I am curious as to what we'll be doing there."
"Oh shut up Luna," Nightmare nearly shouted, more annoyed with the fact that her magic had been taken from her, "I swear, if not for the fact that I'll die when you die, I'd raise my battleaxe and slam you into the ground like everything else I fight. I'd love to be ride of you and your increasingly annoying voice."
An arrow whipped by her head and she snapped around, finding another group of Grummites coming their way and waving their weapons in their direction. Nightmare flared her wings and took off, spiraling through the air before she landed behind her enemies, her battleaxe cutting through three of them with ease. One of them came at her and swung its sword at her, but Nightmare sidestepped the creature and carved its back open, letting it drop to the ground before she moved on once more. It was clear that she was angry at the world, in more ways than one, and she decided that she needed to vent her anger on whoever decided to stand in front of her.
"What's upset her this time?" Pandora asked, wondering how Nightmare could make such a emotional flip with such ease.
"She's angry at me and Celestia," Luna replied, sighing as they followed behind the raging warrior, "Celestia was the shining sibling, but while she was treated with praise from our ponies I was left in the shadows, feared and rejected by those same ponies. I began to sulk in my chambers shortly after I learned what ponies thought of my night, only coming up to raise and lower the moon each day before retiring. I let my rage, my anger, and my jealousy for my sister boil inside of me, building over the weeks until it eventually developed into another personality altogether."
"Nightmare Moon," Pandora exclaimed, realizing exactly who Luna was referring to.
"Yes, and eventually I succumbed to her," Luna continued, watching her insane other half carve a path through the Grummites, "Once she had taken over she sought out Celestia and attacked her, with the intent to defeat her and bring Eternal Night to all of Equestria. In the end my sister resorted to using the Elements of Harmony, six gemstones representing the very aspects of Harmony itself, on Nightmare, blasting the both of us into our prison; our precious moon. For the last eight hundred years we sat on the dusty surface of our moon, where I let Nightmare rant about our defeat, speak about her plans, and store her magic in the moon, while I reflected on our defeat. I came to the conclusion that what we had done was wrong and that we deserved our punishment, but I kept that to myself.
Nightmare thought that she could shatter the bindings that Elements had placed on us, but they turned on us the moment she tried to escape and flung us across the vastness of space. That was when we arrived in the Arena, where Nightmare fought for our lives and eventually earned the right to walk out into Tamriel for the first time. The rest of our tale, as honorable and noble as it can, you and our friends know, though they don't know the dark secret Nightmare carries in her heart."
Pandora nodded and pulled out her bow, nocking an arrow and hitting an enemy, one that was going to hit Nightmare in the back, so hard that it fell into the water and stopped moving. Nightmare barely noticed the action as she continued carving up her enemies, though the moment several of them were caught in a large fireball she knew who was helping her. Luna approached their enemies and blasted several of them with magic, using a low level spell to drive the rest of them off so they could move on with their mission.
"Why did you run them off?" Nightmare shouted, turning to face Luna once more.
"We weren't getting anywhere with you killing everything in sight," Luna replied, turning back towards the road, "Maybe when we actually reach Xedilian you can carve a path through whatever we find, but we really must hurry."
Nightmare growled at her, but once she realized that Luna was right she huffed and sheathed her weapon, following her calmer counterpart towards their destination. The trio approached the crumpling ruin they had been sent to, but as they walked across the rotting bridge they noticed that there weren't any enemies to deal with. Luna chucked it up to the fact that Nightmare killed nearly everything to get to this place was they opened the door to carry out the Madgod's will.
Once inside Xedilian Nightmare and Pandora pulled out their weapons, preparing them as they heard the sound of Grummites milling about around the corner. Sure enough they found several of the creatures running around, though they didn't seem to notice the trio until Nightmare took one of their heads. The creatures turned on them in an instant, but Pandora was eager to pin several of them to the walls as Luna simply burned whoever came her way.
It wasn't easy for them to progress, as the moment they reached a chamber, after passing through two doors they opened with hidden buttons, they were assaulted by a shaman of some kind and his allies. Luna noticed that the shaman carried an interesting looking staff, and so she made it her task to be the one to bring the shaman down as Nightmare and Pandora sealed the fate of his allies. The shaman, seeing how deadly things were going for him, used a last ditch effort by lighting up the area with the staff's magic, but Luna's own magic surged forward and slammed him into the wall, instantly killing him and causing the staff to drop.
"Now how do we move on?" Pandora asked, staring at the sealed door while she and Nightmare looked for the button that would allow them to move on.
"I don't know!" Nightmare shouted back, frantically searching for the button, "Luna, I know that you have something in mind, so be a dear and HELP US!"
Luna had picked up the shaman's staff and had spent a few minutes studying it, along with the strange contraption that sat in a corner that rested before the door. The staff had a crystal at the top, but when she snapped it off, by accident, she decided to place it on the strange alter and watched it snap into place. She heard a clicking sound and the door opened before their eyes, causing the her companions to turn and look at her.
"What?" Luna asked, tossing the staff's shaft away, "You asked for my help and I've given it to you. Now lets move on."
Pandora nodded and the trio moved on, eventually coming to an area where they found a statue and dropped into an area below the tunnel they had walked through. They continued through the rotting fortress, cutting, blasting, and shooting their way through the seemingly endless army of Grummites that called the place home. At one time Pandora seemed to run out of arrows, but before she could resort to her own daggers Luna tossed a quiver of arrows at her, briefly explaining that she had been collecting them for her. It was there that they somehow found a second shaman, but Luna knew what he carried on his staff and made sure that he was swiftly put down.
With the staff, and its precious crystal in hand, Luna repeated the process that she had done on the first alter and soon they were on their way, heading deeper into the bowels of the rotting fortress. They came to a large door after that, though when they entered the new area they were surprised by the continued amount of Grummites that appeared in their way. Yet again they continued down the path that was laid out for them, though they came across one more shaman that commanded an even greater amount of followers than those before him. Instead of hitting the shaman immediately Luna decided to help her companions cut a path towards her target, until they finally managed, through some well placed blows, to end the army they faced.
Luna smacked the shaman with her magic and collected the staff, placing what she assumed was the final crystal in its alter and opening the way towards the end point. The final chamber had three more Grummites running around, but Pandora was quick to pull three arrows out and place them in her enemies hearts. At the back they found a rather large crystal, though they made sure to study it and the surrounding area for any clues before they pulled out the item that Sheogorath gave to Pandora. She approached the crystal and tapped it, backing up to watch the crystal unfold and awaken, emitting a strange sound that seemed to echo before disappearing.
Once the crystal was awoken they heard another gate open, revealing what appeared to be a teleport pad of some kind that lead them to enter it one at a time. When they all appeared in another chamber they were greeted by a dark elf that seemed alarmed that they were even there to begin with, but seemed to calm down when he noticed the item in Pandora's hand.
"Ah, you've restored the Resonator," the dark elf, Kiliban Nyrandil, said, turning his head as if he was hearing something, "and just in time too. It seems that a nearby group of adventurers have heard the Siren's Call and have come to claim the 'treasure' for themselves. Now it seems that you'll have to decide their fates, using the buttons that represent Dementia and Mania."
They turned around to the open room and watched the three adventurers walk down the stairs, each of them approaching the seemingly harmless tree creature in the middle of the room. Pandora pulled out the book they had been given and flipped to the first chamber, where they discovered that to drive them insane all they had to do was press the red button, while the blue would result in death. The trio spoke quickly, though it was quickly discovered that two of them, Nightmare and Pandora, preferred to just kill them and be done with it, so Luna let the vote slide.
After pressing the blue button a large group of tree creatures appeared, converging on the group and attacking them without delay, much to the horror of the adventurers. The warrior and mage managed to drive back the creatures that wanted them dead, but the rogue was swamped and slain before his companions could save him. Once they briefly mourned their companion the duo moved on, quickly moving away from the chamber before the same fate befell them. Pandora and her friends followed Kiliban into a second teleport pad, where they appeared above a second chamber, only this one had a large iron cage filled with treasure.
Once the two adventurers entered the room and discovered the cage they approached it, each speaking about how they would spend the riches to further their own ambitions. Nightmare, already disgusted with them for allowing their companion to fall in battle like he did, barely wasted a second as she placed her hand on the button that represented death. She looked back at Pandora, who nodded, and pressed the button, igniting a fireball that slew the mage before he even realized what was happening. The warrior vowed to kill whoever was responsible for the death of his allies before he moved on, heading away from the treasure that had distracted him from the dangers that rested around him.
The three of them followed the elf into one more teleportation pad, appearing in a chamber that looked as if it had been filled with recently slain bodies and stained with blood. The warrior approached the chamber, cautious as to the dangers that might lurk around the corner, before he slowly made his way through the area. Before either Nightmare or Pandora could approach the final set of buttons Luna beat them to it, stepping forward and tapping the death button once more.
"Best put him out of his misery," Luna commented, turning around so she didn't have to watch what happened, "I'd rather not watch such a proud warrior fall in this manner."
The dead bodies rose from their slumber and seemed to double in number, turning from six undead creatures into twelve undead creatures, each of which seeking to end the warrior's life. The orc fought against the odds, slicing whichever enemy dared to get close to him, but it was clear that he wasn't going to make it by himself. In the end he fell to the horde of enemies, who stood there for a moment to make sure that their mission was done, before they crumbled back into the heaps they had been in before the button had been pressed. The elf lead them through one last pad, causing them to appear in an area that was close to the entrance to the fortress, though he mentioned there was a chest filled with the gear of the fallen.
As Pandora opened the chest Luna reached in and pulled out the strange blade, the one with the dragon maw, that she had seen the orc warrior carry. There was something about the blade that compelled her to take it with her, though as she sheathed it she noticed that neither of her companions really cared for the weapon. Once the treasure was collected the trio entered the area they had crossed in the beginning, only they stopped as they noticed several crystalline warriors coming their way. Luna, wanting to be of more help than she currently was, pulled out the weapon and approached the first warrior and pushed it back, throwing it down the stairs.
The second one came at her, but she ducked under its blade and cut into the back of its leg, weakening it for the moment before it decided to come at her again. As she spotted the third warrior coming at her she decided to use the two of them against each other, ducking as their blades passed overhead and hit each other in the chest. As they staggered she turned the longsword on them and pierced one of them in the chest, breaking through the armor before she had to deal with the other one. The second warrior, recovering from the shock, came at her again, but she ducked and blasted it with a blast of magic, causing it to back up, before she pierced it as well. The third warrior, who had finally gotten back up, came at her, but before she had a change to do anything Nightmare's battleaxe pierced it in the chest, shattering it into pieces.
"Can't let you have all the fun," Nightmare growled, walking passed Luna and collecting her battleaxe, "Apparently these were Knights of Order, souless and emotionless knights at kill anything and everything that follows Sheogorath's rule, so it seems we have finally met the enemy he mentioned. Now all we have to do is return to New Sheoth and tell the Madgod that the Knights are back...and maybe we'll figure out exactly whose trying to destroy the Shivering Isles."
As they left Xedilian Luna had to wonder if a rival Daedric Prince, a being that would be equal in power to Sheogorath, was the one that was responsible for what was happening. And, if one of the other fifteen Princes was the one responsible for all of this, she had to wonder which one of them wanted the Isles completely destroyed in the event that Sheogorath called the Greymarch. One thing was certain, they would eventually figure out who was behind this and stop them before they destroyed the realm they stood in.
"Ah, the Knights of Order," Sheogorath boomed the moment Pandora and her friends returned to the palace, "They're early, and no one likes the early bird. They only arrive in the Shivering Isles during the Greymarch, to make the way ready for their terrible master, Jyggalag, the Daedric Prince of Order...or Biscuits. No, no, its Order. Dull, colorless Order. I wasn't expecting the Knights for another week, or maybe a month, but they're way earlier than their supposed to be. Haskill and I will have to discuss this at length while I send you on your next task, but do feel free to call upon him when you in the Isles. Maybe he'll give you some advice!"
"Their next task, Lord Sheogorath?" Haskill commented, merely giving a track back to what his master was talking about.
"Ah, yes, thank you Haskill," Sheogorath said, turning back to the assembled group, "It has come to my ever divided attention that the Lord of Mania and the Duchess of Dementia have some problems that they cannot solve on their own. They have asked me for assistance, but due to the pressing matter of the Greymarch, and now the Knights of Order, I'm afraid that I must prepare for Jyggalag's arrival and cannot help them myself. You three, on the other hand, are not tied down by the threat of the realm ending, so I want you to speak with Lady Syl and Lord Thadon and resolve whatever problems they have. And when you return, maybe I'll have a more important task for you. Or maybe I'll just skip rope with your entrails!"
Instead of immediately heading to one of the two rulers of New Sheoth the trio left the palace and retired to an area where they could easily discuss their next course of action.
"So, which should we visit first?" Pandora asked, curious as to what her companion's takes were on their latest task from the Madgod, "Syl or Thadon?"
"Syl strikes me as the type that might believe that someone is out to get her," Nightmare commented, "I mean, she does rule the side of New Sheoth that deals with death and paranoia, so it would only make sense that she'd believe that someone might want her dead. She could also simply ask us to delve into another ruin, slay whatever calls the place home, and then emerge from the area with a special treasure that she wants."
"And Thadon rules Mania, where artists are supposed to reside," Luna replied, shaking her head, "I would wager that he'd ask us to recover some treasure that he believes has been stolen and then bring it back to him. Or maybe he'll see the three of us, get the impression that he really doesn't need our help with his problem, and then send us away and claim that we helped him."
"I think we had better see what Lady Syl wants first," Pandora said, turning towards the House of Dementia, "and its not because I'm favoring her over Thadon, its just that I think we might have more fun dealing with her problem than we will with Lord Thadon's request."
With their choice made the trio ventured into the House of Dementia, where they found two people running around while a third person, a women dressed up in a fancy robe, sat in the throne near the back of the room. Without having to be told the trio knew that the lady before them was none other than Lady Syl, though it was clear that she had no idea what to make of them. The people running around noticed that the trio had entered the room as well, though they returned to their Lady's sides and placed a hand on their weapons, just in case one of them were to attack their master.
"Ah, you must be the trio that Lord Sheogorath entrusted to take care of my problem," Lady Syl said, glancing at each of them as if they might attack her at any moment, "My problem is simple; I'm afraid that there is someone in Crucible that wants me dead and will stop at nothing to make sure that I lie dead on the ground. You, my dear Pandora, shall be my Grand Inquisitor, and you shall go out into Crucible and discover who is behind this plot to end my life. If no one is found, then it shall be you who pays the price. Speak to my torturer, Herdir, and begin your quest."
Pandora nodded and walked into the west passage that connected to the Dementia throne room, walking through the corridor and turning right once more until she came to the torture chamber. There she found the torturer cleaning his tools, apparently bored that he couldn't do anything until his master commanded him to do something. Once she explained to him what was going on they were walking back to where Syl was sitting, only when they arrived the Lady of Dementia was no longer there. As they approached Nightmare and Luna Pandora had to ask where Syl went, just in case that whatever plot they were supposed to prevent had already happened.
"She retired to her chambers for the evening," Nightmare replied, beckoning to the two soldiers still standing guard, "but I would suggest that we start our interrogation by speaking with those two over there. They're the closest to Lady Syl, so if there truly is a plot against her then one of them would have to know something, however small, about it."
As it turned out the redguard, Kithlan, require two beatings from the torturer, in the form of being hit by lightning, before he ratted out his fellow guard, Anya. After a blast of lightning Anya told them that the people of Dementia were speaking out against Lady Syl, though she believed that Cutter, the blacksmith, might know more about the issue than she did. Pandora glanced at the two of them for a moment, wondering if the two of them were telling the truth, before she decided to let them off the hook and left the House of Dementia with her companions following behind her.
When they got to Cutter's place Pandora burst into the shop and began questioning her, finding nothing to aid her until she resorted to asking Herdir to blast her as well. The moment the shock therapy was over Cutter was ready to truthfully answer her questions, but the only answer she could get was that the khajiit, Ma'zaddha, was acting weird and was usually speaking to someone behind the shop. With the information in hand Pandora left the smith to her duties and circled around to the back of the shop, dropping into an area that would be private unless someone was watching from above. That was when she noticed a pair of crates that created a perfect location to hide someone, which she believed would serve as the perfect location to eavesdrop on whoever the khajiit was speaking with.
"Okay, here's how we'll handle this," Pandora said, beckoning for the other three to join her, "Herdir and Nightmare will stay up here, just around the corner to leave the main walkway clear for whoever is coming, so we can ambush them after their conversation. Luna and I shall stalk behind the crates, where she should be able to remain unseen until we discover the truth behind this plot. Hopefully whoever is behind this vile plot is foolish enough to speak with that khajiit tonight, otherwise we might have to wait until the following night to try again."
"We'll be ready for your signal," Nightmare replied, unhappy that she wasn't going to be sitting next to Pandora and had to deal with a trigger happy torturer.
Luna nodded her agreement and the group split in half, with Nightmare and Herdir heading to an area that would allow them to watch the action without behind seen by those in the pit. Pandora and Luna walked into the pit and pulled themselves behind the crates, where Luna held up a hand and crafted a shadow spell that made it look like nothing was unusual about the crates. It was, she explained, the best way for them to remain undetected in this situation, just in case whoever the khajiit was speaking to happened to be one of Lady Syl's own elite guards. Pandora had to admit it, but she was enjoying the fact that Luna was thinking outside the box and was allowing them an even greater chance to complete their mission.
They barely had to wait an hour before the khajiit arrived, but as they waited another ten minutes they noticed a Dark Seducer walking over to where they were, unaware that they were being spied on.
"Have you made any progress, cat?" the Dark Seducer asked, clearly annoyed that they were speaking at this time, "Will Anya assist us in our mission?"
"No, she will not be assisting us," Ma'zaddha replied, "and its all because of that blasted Inquisitor. We'll need to find someone else that will help us."
"See that you find someone immediately," the Seducer said, clearly annoyed by the answer, "You were assigned this one task, so I expect you to carry it out without fail. If you cannot complete your mission than I shall remove you...are we clear?"
"Yes, yes, we want to see Syl dead as much as you do!" the khajiit replied once more, "Its despicable for her to be allowed to survive, not after everything she's done."
"I shall be expecting a report soon," the Seducer finished, clearly dismissing the khajiit as if the meeting was over, "Keep your head down and make sure that the Inquisitor doesn't get involved."
Before the khajiit could respond the Seducer was on her way, walking up the ramp before heading into the small city, leaving her conspirator all alone. Pandora stepped out of the illusion and approached him, scaring the daylights out of him as he realized that someone overheard the entire conversation, though he paled once he discovered exactly who that someone was. Just as the khajiit was about to spill his guts Luna appeared and silenced him, waiting until she got a nod from Nightmare, telling her that the Seducer was gone and that it was okay to speak.
"Please, you cannot tell Syl I am involved," the khajiit pleased, though it was clear that he had another idea in mind as well, "Wait, I can give you a list of names that reveal who the ringleader of this entire plot is! Please, I'll give them up to spare my life!"
"Then go," Nightmare commanded, shoving him along, "We'll stand outside and be sure that your true to your word. If not, then you'll become acquainted with my battleaxe."
The khajiit paled even further and ran back to his house, with the four of them walking behind, making sure that no one got close enough to kill their informant. As the khajiit entered his living quarters the four took up position around the main door, though they had no idea how long it would take him to gather the necessary information. An hour quickly passed them by, so while Nightmare stayed back with Herdir to guard the entrance Pandora and Luna entered the house, intending to search for the khajiit. That was when they found him dead on the floor, lying in a pool of his own blood, though after a little bit of searching it was revealed that he was carrying a key to something upstairs.
What they found was a crumpled note revealing that someone named Muurine, which Pandora seriously hoped was the ringleader that the khajiit had been willing to sell out to them to save his own life. The other item was a sword that seemed like the ones that the Dark Seducer's used in combat, though that was when she realized that the guard they had seen had been missing this one item on her belt. Nightmare was not pleased to hear that the khajiit was dead, but she accepted his fate and suggested that they moved on, either to the guard or whoever the note mentioned.
It was ironic, because as they rounded the corner they found the same guard walking their way, though the moment she spotted the sword in Pandora's hands she realized that she had been caught. It was then that she admitted that she was part of the conspiracy, though she was quick to point out that Muurine was the ringleader that wanted Lady Syl dead. The moment that she revealed all her information she fled from the scene, though Pandora prevented Nightmare from chasing her and killing her, as they had the bigger fish they needed to catch before she, too, fled the city.
Herdir lead them to Muurine's house, where they barged in and found the culprit sitting in her chair, reading a book until she realized that she had guests. Before she could ask what the meaning of their illegal action was Pandora had Herdir step forward and blast her in the chest, knocking her into the wall. Once she was down Pandora asked her about the conspiracy, to which the lady admitted her involvement and that she was the one who wanted Lady Syl dead. Nightmare appeared beside her and grabbed her arms, twisting them behind her back to give her the best hold to escort her to the House of Dementia.
Lady Syl's guards were amazed when the four of them walked into the throne room, where one of them ran to wherever Lady Syl's bed was located to wake her up. Not moments later the ruler of Dementia walked into the room and laid eyes on their captive, beckoning for them to follow her back to the torture room. Once there Muurine was shoved into the cage in the center and the door was locked, though it didn't last very long as Lady Syl activated a switch and killed her in an instant. His task complete Herdir returned to his duties, though it was clear that Lady Syl was grateful from them figuring out who was after her, this time anyway.
At the end of the mess the group walked out of the House of Dementia, though Pandora was now carrying a bow that was more powerful than the one she had previously been carrying, something Lady Syl had called 'Ruin's Edge'.
"One down," Pandora commented, turning towards the House of Mania, "and one to go."
As it turned out Lord Thadon was asleep the moment Pandora and her companions entered the House of Mania, which they learned once they asked one of the Golden Saints where he was. So, with nothing to do until the morning arrived, the trio left the House of Mania and returned to the palace entrance, where they set up a small camp away from the main door. They wouldn't be in anyone's way when the morning arrived and they would be able to see what Lord Thadon wanted before he could sit down to have breakfast. Both Pandora and Nightmare were annoyed that they would have to wait until morning to continue their quest, though Luna, on the other hand, was indifferent to the amount of time they'd have to spend.
While they waited a servant approached them, by Haskill's orders apparently, and gave them a platter, one that was filled with all sorts of meats, fruits, and assorted cheeses. Pandora and Nightmare split the meat between them, though they did share quite a bit of the cheese with Luna, who had taken the majority of the fruit. While her companions spoke about their next course of action Luna stared up at the sky and wondered which star, out of the vast number of them, was her home. She wanted nothing more than to end their business with the Madgod and go home, so she and Nightmare could spend the next two hundred years finishing their punishment.
When morning finally arrived the trio was ready to go, as they opened the doors to the House of Mania in time to see the servants preparing for their master's morning meal. Before they could ask any of them where Lord Thadon was their question was answered, as a fancy bosmer and an argonian entered the chamber.
"Ah yes, THERE you three are," the bosmer, Lord Thadon commented, walking up to them with the argonian not far behind, "You cannot imagine how long I have waited for you to arrive. So little to do, in so much time. Hmm, could you, in fact, imagine how long I have been waiting for you to show up? I don't think any of you do, though I might be wrong. I might also not care. So, which is it?"
"You haven't waited long at all," Luna remarked, causing Thadon to turn towards her, "after all, Lord Sheogorath only just received your request for aid yesterday and sent us to help you out."
"Haven't I?" Lord Thadon said, almost as if he didn't have the answer to his own question, "Hmm, perhaps not. It sure felt like a long time, but then again long times usually get longer when your just standing around thinking about them. A curious thing that is. Long roads get longer then more you think about them, but what about long words? They don't seem to change nearly as much. Long and short...it all ends up the same in the end. Just dust and tears. Usually the tears first and then the dust, as dust cannot cry. That would be....well, amusing. Do you know what's NOT amusing? Not having my Chalice of Reversal, which always makes me sad, which eventually leads to me not really carrying about anything at all."
"The Chalice of Reversal?" Pandora asked, not sure what the artifact was, though she sensed that Lord Thadon was going to send them on a quest to retrieve it.
"Oh, you've heard of the Chalice have you?" Lord Thadon replied in turn, "One of my favorite toys. Does wonders for creativity. Well, not by itself, but it helps. Those Elytra, clever little bugs that they are. Is this making sense? Look, you eat the Felldew, then use the Chalice, and find the world a much brighter and happier place. Honest. But I don't have it. So I can't eat Felldew, because that would just be bad. I mean, really bad. Damn her!"
"Her?" echoed Pandora's voice, knowing that he was going somewhere with his ranting.
"Yes, yes!" Lord Thadon loudly replied, though he caught himself and lowered his voice once more, "Surely you know of her, seeing how she's part of Dementia's very own court!"
"Lady Syl!" Nightmare breathed, discovering a hidden secret that the Lord of Mania and Lady of Dementia were keeping, from their own subjects no less.
"She is locked away from me, just like my precious Chalice is!" Lord Thadon said, returning them to their main conversation, "Maybe Wide-Eye can tell you the tale of the Chalice, I just want it found and returned to me!"
As Lord Thadon walked off, heading towards the dining table, the argonian remained by their side, looking as if she wanted to tell them something, but had to be careful about it.
"Lord Thadon's Chalice is precious to him," the argonian, Wide-Eye no doubt, said, "and I see why he didn't want to tell you where to find it himself. Your destination is Dunroot Barrow, a glorious place for your glorious quest. I shall mark its location on your map."
When the trio walked outside the House of Mania Pandora opened her map and looked over it, searching for the location that Wide-Eye had marked until Nightmare rested a finger on the small black cross. As it turned out their location was due north of the Mania section of New Sheoth, Bliss as it was called, and it looked like there was a road that would pass by it. Pandora grinned as they walked out of the palace area, passing by the Golden Saints and Dark Seducers that protected their Lord against whatever evil tried to attack him. They briefly said hello to the town of Bliss, and its seemingly cheerful residents, before they passed through its gates and entered the Shivering Isles once more.
They followed the road out of town, Pandora and Nightmare drawing their weapons in case of an enemy attack by the Knights of Order, until they eventually came to an area where Pandora decided it was time to diverge from the path. She lead them into the mountain, where they spent some time climbing before they noticed the rather large tree that they happened to be heading towards. As they approached the tree they found a couple of large mantis like creatures walking outside what they assumed was the entrance to their destination, though one of them decided to attack while the other remained neutral.
Nightmare, seeing the enemy coming their way, pulled her wings out and prepared to launch herself into the sky, while Pandora pulled an arrow out and prepared to loose it into the enemy. Luna, on the other hand, tossed a lightning bolt through the air and it slammed into the elytra's chest, knocking it into the side of the tree and killing it instantly. Both Nightmare and Pandora were surprised that Luna had beaten them to the punch, though she really didn't seem to care as she approached the tree and the remaining elytra, who had a green aura wrapped around it.
"Ah, I believe this is our key," Luna spoke up, just as her companions joined her and noticed she was pointing to the strange creature, "Look, it approaches the door and it opens wide for it, but when it walks away, either on our side or the other side, it closes up tight. Best guess is that we want to keep these green auraed elytra alive so we can progress through this dungeon. So Nightmare, please restrain from killing everything in sight, otherwise we might not be able to go any further."
Nightmare growled at Luna as the trio followed the glowing elytra inside the tree, where they found themselves on an lower level of an area that had two stories. While they moved further inside Pandora beckoned for Nightmare to take the top story and was surprised when she actually headed up there, her battleaxe swinging as she ambushed a group of aggressive elytra. Pandora and Luna moved forward, arrows and lightning hitting any elytra that wasn't friendly while making sure to follow those that apparently wanted them out of their home.
As they progressed Pandora thought it was weird that one of their enemies, the neutral ones, were so willing to help them out in their quest, as if they knew what they were looking for. Or maybe, Pandora thought, they knew the side affects of the Chalice, which none of her party knew, and they wanted it gone before something bad happened.
Eventually Nightmare rejoined them, a smile on her face as she enjoyed smashing many of the elytra that stood in her way into the floor and the walls around her. She would never admit it, but she did kill many of the neutral elytra on accident, mostly due to the fact that she missed their aura color until her weapon was buried in them. The door they found lead them into another area of the dungeon, where they found a bunch of red plants surrounded by what appeared to be knee high water. Luna, not wishing to tell their enemies that they were there, summoned a ball of lightning and cast it into the water, watching the lightning reach out at the three elytra's and pull them to their deaths.
The trio quickly made their way across the water, crossing to the other side of the cavern and arriving at a crossing of sorts, though they decided to choose the right. They followed that tunnel, dispatching all aggressive enemies that wanted them dead, until they arrived at yet another intersection, choosing the right pathway once more and continuing their chosen path. More elytra appeared in their way, though Nightmare enjoyed watching her battleaxe dance as she and Pandora put many of them down and left their broken bodies in their wake. Luna spotted several fading green auras as she passed, hating how easily Nightmare could toss aside the very creatures that allowed them access to the dungeon.
After their second turn they eventually reached the door that they assumed would lead them further towards their destination, leading them to another area that seemed to have a bunch of intersections. Nightmare, now officially getting annoyed with the dungeon, pulled her battleaxe back and started hacking at the barriers that were keeping them from moving on, causing the elytra to scream. Luna's faced paled, it was clear that they were, somehow, linked to the tree they lived in and were currently in pain by her alternate personality's decisions.
That was when Nightmare turned around and slammed her fist into Luna's jaw, knocking her off her feet and into the nearby wall, catching both her and Pandora off guard.
"Oh just shut up already!" Nightmare snapped, slamming the base of her battleaxe into the tough wooden floor, "They're enemies and, as such, they deserve to be erased before they overwhelm us. Stop acting like everything is innocent and learn to realize what needs to be erased and what can be spared until a later date."
"Your killing the creatures that wanted us to get the Chalice out of here!" Luna returned, rubbing her jaw as she stared at Nightmare, "Just like you did with the Changelings; they took one of our sister's artifacts and, instead of trying to reason with them, you burst forth like a raging tide and slaughtered them."
"They were weaklings that were seeking to empower themselves," Nightmare fired back, "Had I not done so they would have declared war against us and our 'dear sweet' sister. What I did saved countless lives and saved us many headaches that would have come from having to deal with a war and being ignored by the public."
"You killed ninety percent of the Hive!" Luna shouted, using enough force to shake the area around them before calming down, "When I regained my body I spoke with the newly crowed Changeling Queen and found out that she had already talked her mother into returning the artifact to Celestia. They were more than willing to listen to reason, yet you destroyed them! I wouldn't be surprised if they attack our capital after our return, or maybe they already have, in retaliation for what you did to them."
Nightmare growled and swung her battleaxe, severing the barrier that was impeding their progress and passing through it, leaving Pandora and Luna behind. Luna moaned and picked herself up, pressing her hand against her injured jaw before the healing spell took affect, patching herself up as Pandora stared at her. It was clear that she was concerned for her well being, though at the same time it seemed like she was slowly becoming aware of everything that Nightmare had done in their home world. Luna sighed and followed after Nightmare, pausing to offer her condolences to one of the remaining neutral elytra's that had avoided Nightmare's destructive path before carrying on.
Thanks to Nightmare's actions the remaining barriers that stood in their way opened the moment the trio approached them, while both the aggressive and neutral elytra's stayed out of their way. Luna had been right in a regard, the elytra seemed to be connected to the tree they lived in and now that it was injured they wanted to tend to it, though they had to wait until the invaders were gone. Luna felt sorry for them, as she knew that Nightmare didn't care about the pain that she caused to the local populations that lived on the Shivering Isles. Eventually they reached a cathedral like area, which told them that they had escaped from the tree and had left the poor elytra alone to rebuild their home.
The trio walked further into the cathedral, walking up some stairs before they came to an opened chamber that also held the artifact that they came for; the Chalice. Surrounding the Chalice was a group of addicts, each of which looking like they were slowly going insane from whatever drug they happened to be on. One of them, the one that Luna assumed was the leader, turned his head and looked in their direction, before shouting an order at the rest of them and causing them all to pull out their weapons. Pandora was quick to put two of them down with well placed arrows, while Luna smacked a few of them with basic magic spells to conserve her magic.
It was over and done with before they knew it, though Nightmare wanted more to fight and was disappointed to learn that their quest had come to an end.
"So this is the Chalice of Reversal," Pandora commented, picking up the strange golden cup, "Well then, I guess that we had better get this back to Lord Thadon and then see what Lord Sheogorath has planned for us."
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Lord Thadon was more than pleased to have the Chalice back in his possession, though he had no treasure to give to Pandora for completing such a dangerous quest. Not that Pandora really cared at this point, as she was more concerned with the next step in Sheogorath's plan for stopping Jyggalag and his Greymarch. With both Houses of New Sheoth aided the trio returned to the palace, where they found both Sheogorath and Haskill in their usual locations, almost as if they hadn't moved since the trio had departed the previous day.
"Well then, it seems that you have experienced both shades of madness," Sheogorath shouted, as the trio approached him, "Now, onto what you'll be doing next for me...though I am fairly positive that someone's going to die. But that's to be expected, seeing how you'll be stopped the Greymarch from occurring, and Jyggalag in the process. My dear sweet Pandora, you are my CHAMPION! You shall grow to be powerful. You shall grow to be me, a new Sheogorath! Or you and your companions will die trying!"
"Wait a minute, your saying that you want to make Pandora a goddess?" Luna asked, trying to wrap her head around the consequences of such an action could have to this world, "Not to mention that she would be a goddess that would command the very powers that you currently wield and control the realm that you created."
"Not a goddess, but a Daedric Prince!" Sheogorath barked, snapping at her before returning to his seat, "A Prince that can do battle with HIM while I'm away. That's the rule; when Jyggalag walks through the Isles during the Greymarch I am not allowed to be here, so I am in need of someone to stand in my place during that time. Ah, but I will tell you more about Jyggalag, the Greymarch, and all the rules that the two of us must abide by at another time, but that time is not now. I have another task for the lot of you to deal with; I need you to go to Cylarne, retrieve the Flame of Agnon, and then bring it back here and light the Great Torch.
Now I'll have you know that the Golden Saints and Dark Seducers are always trying to prove which one of them is more deserving of my attention, in their eternal quest as it is. As such they are constantly fighting over Cylarne, which is really divinely tiresome in some ways. They are your problem now, but I do not want to see any of you until you have the Flame of Agnon. Have fun my dears, otherwise I'll skip rope with your intestines and take your souls!"
As they walked out of the palace Luna kept to herself, trying to wrap her head around the action of a god, or Daedric Prince as the case was, purposely giving up their divine power to let someone else stand up against their enemy. It was possible, as she and her sister had discussed that possibility as a countermeasure against the dreaded Tirek, but they never had the opportunity to test their theory out. Tirek was, thankfully, sealed away in Tartarus, though Luna was worried about what would happen if the demonic centaur broke out of his prison and found his way to this realm...
...she dreaded to think what would happen if Tirek found Tamriel and managed to absorb the powers of even one of the sixteen, seventeen she mentally corrected herself, Daedric Princes.
They left New Sheoth not a few moments later, returning to the same path they had taken when they were on Lord Thadon's quest, though they had decided to leave the poor elytra alone when they passed by Dunroot Burrow. Nightmare had spotted more of the creatures walking outside the dungeon, but Luna told her that she needed to leave them alone before she killed the entire place. Her rage was brief, as Luna promised that she would have her fill of battle when they reached their destination, where she believed that they'd have to choose which side to aid.
Despite the fact that they hated each other, both Luna and Nightmare knew that Pandora was likely to side with the Dark Seducers, mostly due to the fact that she seemed to favor Dementia over Mania.
"So what was that back there?" Pandora asked, curious as to what Luna had done to make Nightmare stop ranting at her like that, "What did Luna do to make the fight between you two stop?"
"The Royal Canterlot Voice," Nightmare replied, walking along side Pandora while Luna stayed behind them, "We and Celestia used it quite frequently during our rule, but I'm fairly certain that our sister has gotten rid of it by now. I wouldn't be surprised if half of our favorite royal rules are destroyed when we return to Equestria...whenever we're able to leave this world behind. Anyway, the Voice can stagger enemies and sometimes shake the ground, not to mention cause a disturbance with the weather depending on how much power is put into it."
"Sounds like the Thu'um in Skyrim," Pandora commented, recalling a story she had read at one time about someone calling a storm into existence by simply shouting at the sky. She guessed that there was some truth to the tales in Skyrim.
Nightmare didn't know what Pandora was talking about, something similar to her Voice located in the province of Skyrim, but she seriously didn't care at that point. It wasn't going to help them in their quest to stop Mehrunes Dagon, not unless someone with the ower came down to the Imperial City to give them aid.
It wasn't too difficult to find their way to Cylarne, the ancient ruin that was supposed to be the old center of Sheogorath's realm, though they weren't surprised to find a Dark Seducer and a Golden Saint standing guard outside two gates. Pandora, already set in her ways, approached the Seducer, who at first seemed surprised to find three mortals in their holy ruin, though her speech changed once she realized why they were there. The Seducer opened the gate and lead them into the ruins, saying that they needed to speak with the Seducer's leader so they could proceed with whatever plan they were making.
While they were walking away Luna couldn't help nut notice that the Golden Saint that had been staring at them was walking into her side's section of the ruin, no doubt to tell her commander what was happening.
They slowly made their way towards the command center of the Dark Seducers, deep in their section of the ruins, though the reason behind their speed was because their guide wanted to make sure that the defenses were prepared for any form of assault by the Golden Saints. Nightmare nodded as they passed by the guards and their traps, noting that they were well prepared for the incoming assault that their arrival might have triggered. Several of the Seducers stared at Nightmare as she passed, their expressions neutral as always, though it was clear that they knew her reputation, no doubt from Sheogorath himself.
Eventually they reached the final chamber, where they found the Commander of the Dark Seducers speaking to one of her underlings, which stopped the moment they approached her.
"Ah, Lord Sheogorath's Champion has come at last," the commander said, turning to face the three of them, "and her chosen companions are ever at her side. I know why you have come Champion; you wish to see the Flame of Agnon relit and take it back to New Sheoth, to light the Great Fire once more. I would gladly aid you in your quest, but I only hold the Alter of Despair, which our enemies, the Golden Saints, continue to try and take from us. We would need to capture the Alter of Rapture and drive the Saints out of Cylarne..."
"Commander, the Aureals are coming!" one of the other soldiers said, drawing her bow and nocking an arrow, "It is time to begin the glorious slaughter!"
Pandora grinned and pulled out her new bow, nocking an arrow before she took up a position between two Seducers, her arrow pointed at the opening they had entered from. Nightmare stood below the bridge the guards were waiting on, her ebony battleaxe gleaming as she waited for something to come and meet their end. Luna, on the other hand, stood behind Pandora and stared at the opening, intending to heal anyone that happened to be injured with her magic. Once they were already they simply waited, all their eyes trained on the opening as they silently dared the Aureals to come charging in to meet their fate.
Then, as if their collective dares had summoned them, a large number of Aureals entered the chamber, their weapons drawn as they descended on where the Seducers were waiting. Nightmare shouted and leapt forward, swinging her battleaxe at one of her enemies and taking their head in one swoop, dropping the body to the ground before moving on. Pandora, seeing her friend in action, moved her bow to the entrance itself and started loosing arrows, hitting any unfortunate Golden Saint that showed their face before the rest of the archers joined her assault.
Several of the remaining Seducers drew their weapons and leapt into the battle, being extra careful to avoid Nightmare's weapon while they fought their enemies. As Nightmare fought one enemy managed to get a lucky blow on her as an arrow tore into her side, but she snapped the arrow in half and slew the archer where she stood, letting her head roll. Luna staggered for a moment, feeling the blow from where she stood, but shook her head and continued healing their allies, keeping them alive as much as she could. Pandora also repaid their enemies by loosing as many of her arrows as she could into the chamber opening, eventually stopping as the Golden Saints stopped pouring in.
The commander, seeing the opportunity, commander her soldiers to continue and they immediately pressed onward, cutting through the defenses of the Golden Saints and moving into their section of the ruins. Nightmare and Pandora were at the head of the charge, Nightmare cutting down any enemy unlucky enough to fight her while Pandora's arrows fought the hearts of their enemies. Luna threw fire at whoever wanted to sneak up on them, as she had gotten tired of being ignored and wanted to do something other than healing for once. Together the three of them smashed through the rest of the Golden Saints and took the head of their leader, effectively taking the rest of the ruins as the Seducers slew whatever resistance remained.
"What a glorious battle that was!" Nightmare exclaimed, slamming the base of her battleaxe against the floor, "I am glad that were able to be of some assistance!"
"Yes, and now to rekindle the Alters," the commander replied, having lead them back to the Alter of Despair, "One of my soldiers has been tasked with lighting Rapture, but it will be by my sacrifice that Despair is lit once more. I shall return to the waters of Oblivion and bring glory to the Mazken."
Pandora waved to the Mazken leader as she stepped into the Alter, her body burning away as the flames consumed her, filling the area with its glow. Once that deed was done they retraced their steps, stopping at the site of the corpse pile near the entrance so Pandora could restock on her arrows, before stepping out into the open air. It was there that they found the Flame of Agnon, the eerie green and orange flame in the center of the ruins, though neither Nightmare or Luna found any form of method to carry the flame with them. Then Pandora walked into the flames, though she stepped out a moment later with an aura around her body, which the two former alicorns assumed was the flames they came for.
"It tingles," Pandora said, beckoning for her companions to follow her once more, "Let's get this back to New Sheoth and see what Sheogorath has for us next."
As they walked down the path that would lead them back to New Sheoth Luna noticed that Nightmare was starting to fall behind them, asking once or twice for them to slow down so she could catch up. She knew that her other personality had been wounded in the fight against the Aureals, but whatever it was couldn't have any devastating effects on a former alicorn like they were. For the most part Nightmare wasn't experiencing any side effects that were causing her companions to worry about her, though Luna kept an eye on her. Pandora had no idea what was going on, but she assumed that if anything happened to Nightmare then Luna would be feeling the same thing that she was.
Eventually the trio returned to New Sheoth, though by the time they did Luna was beginning to see that Nightmare was sweating and continued to have her hand over where the arrow hit her. She asked several times if she could see the wound, thinking that there might have been poison on the tip of the arrow, but Nightmare continued to deny her. They passed by the citizens of Bliss and entered the Sacellum Arden-Sul, the area of the city where the Great Torch was supposed to be located. Once inside they found two empty areas, each of which was guarded by a priest of some kind, though they were eager to have the torch they protected get lit.
Pandora asked them a simple question, which was the Dementia torch, and the priest that protected that torch beckoned for her to light it, filling the chamber with an eerie green light. As Pandora did that Nightmare took a step and tumbled to the floor, her battleaxe clanking around as Luna realized that something was definitely wrong. Luna rushed to her other personality's side and pushed her onto her back, before moving on and gently pulling her hand off of the wound she had been keeping from her. The area around the wound was an angry red, though Luna knew that there must have been some poison attached to the arrow that had hit her.
Luna sighed and summoned her magic, letting some of it enter the wound to stop the poison from spreading while she searched for anything else that could be hurting her. That was when she found that there was an arrowhead stuck in Nightmare's side, from when she snapped the arrow out of her and continued her assault. As she worked she made sure that the blood had stopped bleeding out of her, making sure to seal up anything that happened to get cut as she gently eased out the arrowhead. She beckoned for Pandora to bring over a cup, to which she dropped the arrowhead into before depositing a vial of venom, the same that had been infecting Nightmare. Then she used her magic and patched up the wound, returning Nightmare's side to how it had been before she had been wounded in battle.
"Why did you help me?" Nightmare asked, aware of what had happened and absolutely hating that Luna had taken it upon herself to heal her minor wound.
"Because, if you die then I die," Luna replied, shaking her head slightly, "Now I recommend that you rest for a few hours, because that wound's still fresh and any stress might open it back up. I would have sealed it completely, but without my alicorn magic this is the best that I can offer you."
"Fine, you win for now," Nightmare said, laying her head back and staring at the ceiling, "What's the next job anyway?"
"Hello kiddies," Sheogorath replied, appearing behind Luna, Nightmare, and Pandora, "Whose ready for another mission in helping me save my realm from total destruction?!"
"I would gladly take on another mission," Pandora replied, not surprised to find that lord Sheogorath had snuck up on the group while Luna was tending to Nightmare's wound, "Just tell me what I must do now and I will gladly see it done."
"The Greymarch is upon us, and the Ordering begins." Sheogorath replied, shaking his head and tapping his staff against the floor, "Armies of Order sweep My Realm. Death. Destruction. Then I have to pick up the pieces. And there are always lots of pieces. I don't like it, having to rebuild My Realm every era. Sometimes I forget where things go. Like New Sheoth. I can never remember where it belongs.... You'll change that. Break the cycle. You'll stop Jyggalag, and I'll have My Realm to come back to. I've never actually tried that before.
What do you need to do now? You'll need the respect of My citizens. They'll need a leader, someone to look up to when I'm gone. They're the backbone of any great land. Except where the backbone is an actual backbone. Ever been to Malacath's realm...? Nasty stuff. But, back to the business at hand. You'll need to control one of the Courts of Madness. Replace a current Duke. Or Duchess. Whichever. That will command respect! The people will rally around you. You'll have their love, their admiration, their complaints! Whatever. As long as it keeps them on Our side."
"And this won't upset them in any way?" Luna asked, knowing that either Thadon or Syl would be upset the moment they learned that their place in Sheogorath's realm was under siege.
"No. No, no, no. Absolutely not." Sheogorath replied, before placing a finger on his chin as if he was reconsidering what he had just said, "Well... yes. Absolutely. Bit of a shame for them. But, sometimes you need to break a few eggs. Or skulls. There are rules, though. Even in the Isles. Rituals and rules. You need to follow them. Speak to Arctus and Dervenin, the High Priests at the Sacellum Arden-Sul. They can explain what needs to be done. And you've always got our man Haskill to call on for help. Faithful like a good hound, that one. And he looks better in a suit."
Before Pandora could respond Sheogorath was gone, having disappeared as quickly as he had appeared, leaving her and her companions to stare at each other for a moment. Nightmare moaned and took a seat in one of the benches, knowing that, due to her own arrogance, that her side would bother her in battle and lead to slowing them down. She beckoned for Luna and Pandora to get a move on, so they could choose which Duke or Duchess to remove and then discover the method they had to abide by. It was painfully obvious that Pandora was going with Dementia, as she approached the Priest of Dementia, Arctus, without a moment of delay.
"So, tell me priest," Pandora said, staring into the eyes of the priest that represented Dementia, who was glad to have Agnon's flame for his side of the city, "How does one dispose of the ruler of Dementia?"
"Seldom is the subject ever bro-... wait a moment, did you want to hear the history of the Ritual?" Arctus started, only to ask a question, which Pandora decided that she wanted to hear and gave him a nod for approval, "As it happened so many years ago, my lord Arden-Sul suspected a traitor in his midst. Not wishing to find himself on the wrong end of a blade, he gathered his flock here in the Sacellum. By poisoning the sacramental wine, Arden-Sul was able to suppress any such conspiracy in one fell swoop. He then removed their hearts from their bodies and used his ancient scrying technique known as visceromancy to read their lifeblood. When Arden-Sul couldn't divine the traitor's true nature in their hearts, he became distraught and took his own life in the same way. From that day on, the Ritual of Accession for the throne of Dementia was set."
"So basically we have to assassinate Lady Syl?" Pandora asked, receiving a nod from the priest, "And then, assuming that we've done that, we bring her heart back to you and you'll preform the rite for me?"
"As long as you have Lord Sheogorath's blessing at the end as well," Arctus replied, nodding to her once more, "Now, I'd suggest that you start with the people closest to Lady Syl and see if they won't 'help' you dispose of their mistress...for real this time anyway."
Pandora grinned, not even caring that the priest knew of the previous attempt on Lady Syl's life, the same one that she had personally stopped, and was encouraging her to continue. She turned around and made for the exit, beckoning for Luna to follow her, who was more than happy to be away from her alternate personality. Together the two of them walked back to the palace, Pandora walking in silence as she wondered how to turn the people closest to Lady Syl against her.
"Maybe we can convince them that Lady Syl's time is up," she pondered, shaking her head as if to throw the thought away, "or maybe we can intimidate them into thinking that they'll be put down if they tell Syl of our coming or if they aid in her escape."
Luna touched her shoulder, brought her into a corner that none of the maids or guards walked around, and threw up a small barrier that would protect them from being overheard. It wouldn't help them if someone overheard their plot and took it up to Lady Syl, who would likely lose her head and order the entire guard after them. Pandora looked at her as if she had lost her mind, making them lose valuable time that could be used to turn the people around Syl against her, but Luna shook her head.
"The barrier will keep others from hearing about this," Luna explained, beckoning to the light blue barrier for a moment, "Look, we're going to have to play this as if its a game of chess, where we'll reveal nothing of our plans to the people we need to talk to and see what information we can gleam from them. Then, with this information in hand, we'll make a plan and attack Lady Syl when she least expects it, like she feared when she had us find the previous assassination plot."
"And your sure this is a better plan than what I was going to go with?" Pandora asked, raising an eyebrow as she worried that the plan would fail before it could be put to use.
"Trust me, I've learned something from my sister," Luna said, not believing that she had just said that, after everything that's happened to her so far, "Let's play this game right and see if we can't get to Lady Syl before she finds out about us."
Pandora nodded and, once the barrier was down, the two of them moved towards the House of Dementia, where they were saluted by the Mazken guarding the main doors, for their service in Cylarne. Once inside Syl's throne room they discovered that she was nowhere in sight, despite it being during the afternoon, and found that her two closest 'friends' were still standing near the throne. Anya, the maid, seemed overjoyed to see them again, likely because they had cleared her name or something, though Pandora was quick to speak to her in the corner of the room, leaving Luna with the guard Kithlan.
"So," Pandora said, getting ready to spring the question on the poor maid, "What are your thoughts of Lady Syl these days?"
"She's taken to hiding herself lately, fearing that Lord Sheogorath is going to replace her," Anya replied, shaking her head before realizing that there was something about the way Pandora asked the question, "Oh, I see how it is now. How about this Champion, I'll come by the door to her chambers this very night and distract some of the guards, so you can do whatever it is that you have come to do. How does that sound?"
Pandora stared at the maid, surprised that it took so little effort for her to make her fall in with her scheme, but then she remembered how she had fallen into the first plot. That was, however, before she and her friends had found out about the plot and put the leader of it down, as Lady Syl had slain her in her torture chamber. She grinned once more and eagerly accepted the maid's help, equally eager to share the news with Luna that her plan of playing chess wasn't going to work.
Luna, seeing Pandora speak to the maid, walked up to the guard, wondering how to broach the subject of Lady Syl without alerting him to their scheme. She was never any good at keeping her true goals hidden, but after some time with her sister she had learned some of the finer points of what Celestia called a 'poker face', or something along those lines. Kithlan took notice of her as she approached, though he made no move to leave the throne nor did he make any move to make her stop in her tracks. Luna suspected that he was sizing her up, as the last time they met he had been staring at Nightmare Moon and no one else, though he'd soon learn that she wasn't to be underestimated.
"I see what your doing," Kithlan told her, before she even had a chance to speak her mind, "but I must confess to you, I have grown tired of guarding Lady Syl. Here, take this key and get going before someone sees us speaking."
Luna had to admit, she was surprised that he was just giving her the key to Lady Syl's chambers and telling her to deal with his mistress while he did nothing to stop her. She returned to the entrance to the torture chamber, where Pandora had gone to speak with someone on Syl's behalf, and found her companion waiting for her. She got the basic run down about how her plan sucked, thanks to the maid basically giving them her cooperation in the assassination, before beckoning towards the door they needed to pass through. They passed into the private gardens and found a few Seducers waiting for them, with their weapons drawn no less, but before they got any closer Luna pulled the air into her and blasted the two of them off their feet. It gave Pandora enough time to hit them and make sure that they had been put down permanently.
"What was that?" Pandora asked, as they reached for the room that Syl should be in.
"Less talking and more fighting," Luna remarked, not wanting to explain the Royal Voice once more.
Sure enough they found Syl in her bed, but as they approached they found that she was dead, almost as if someone had beaten them to the punch. Luna, not certain that this was indeed the real Syl, was about to investigate the corpse, but then the guard she had listened to appeared behind them and made a comment that the corpse was just a double. Neither Luna nor Pandora had to be told what that meant, as they knew that Syl had fled and that they needed to track her down and assassinate her. As they left the chamber the guard made one last comment, saying that there was a hidden tunnel under a nearby bust, where their target had fled to.
They found the bust without any difficulty and entered the tunnel, finding a seemingly straight path with a few turns waiting for them, though Luna held a hand to slow them down. Pandora nodded and prepared herself as they slowly made their way down the tunnel, both of them keeping their eyes peeled for any more Seducers that wanted them dead. The first chamber they found was filled with traps, though Luna made sure to keep her eyes on the traps patterns and, after some careful maneuvering, lead them to safety. The second chamber had a few guards in it, who were immediately alerted to their presence before they even opened the door, but Pandora was prepared. An arrow found its way into a guard as Luna blasted another into the wall, snapping her neck from the impact and clearing the way for them.
The following chamber had a much larger group of guards waiting for them, making Luna wonder how Lady Syl convinced all of these guards to protect her during the evening. The Seducers came right at them, but Luna was more prepared as she unleashed her voice, knocking them off of their feet before she began her fireball barrage. Pandora, seeing the opportunity to have some fun, trained her eyes on a target and, where they stood back up, her arrow tore into their chest, knocking them into the wall. Once the group was taken care of, and the way forward was revealed, the two of them made their way forward and eventually reached another door.
Once they passed through the door they came to a circular chamber, though the difference between this one and the previous ones was that almost every other entrance was blocked off.
"I must admit, these Seducers are good at setting up traps," Luna commented, looking around for anything that might let them move forward, until she found something, "but never leave a button in plain sight."
She pressed the button and opened the secret passage, one that she was sure that the Seducers had used, and they moved forward until they came to another locked door, which was opened by another button. They stepped out of the hidden passage and surprised the group of passing guards, barely giving them time to defend themselves as Luna blasted them into the wall. She was pretty sure that Syl, if she was indeed down here, was now aware of their presence, which meant that she could either flee or fight for her life. They then came to a much larger chamber than the previous ones, though it was also home to quite a number of guards that stood to protect their mistress.
Pandora rained arrows down on their enemies, hitting them wherever she could, as they were actually moving around more than she was expecting. Still, she was able to hurt quite a number of them and make their numbers go down, though Luna was more than able to pull her weight this time around. Magic flew from her hands and connected with several of the remaining guards, blowing up their their faces and blasting them into the walls around them. Those that weren't slain immediately were targeted by another spell, hitting them in various places around their bodies and blasting them to their deaths.
The final door they opened brought them a sight of two more guards protecting Lady Syl, who was now wearing a suit of armor and carried a large warhammer. The moment she took notice of them she drew her weapon and charged at them, apparently no longer caring for her own well-being as she swung at Luna. Magic arched across Luna's hand and struck Syl in the arm, intending to freeze a part of her so they could deal with their enemies, but she shrugged it off and continued towards her. Luna then had an idea come to mind, so she clapped her hands together and disappeared, only for Pandora to appear in her place before she loosed her arrow at Syl. The Duchess barely had time to move as the arrow pierced her skull, toppling her body and causing her to hit the ground, much to the horror of her guards.
Pandora knelt beside Syl's body and pulled her knife out, cutting into the chest area until she managed to cut her prize free, the heart of the Duchess of Dementia. Luna, knowing the guards might have acted against them, allowed her magic to hum around her, making the two guards worry that they were going to die next and forced them to back off. Once they had the heart they made their way back down the path they had used to reach this point, though Pandora had just one question she wanted answered.
"How did you pull off that switching spell?" Pandora asked, curious as to what had happened, though she was thankful Luna had come up with a plan.
"Something I picked up from a friend," Luna replied, not wanting to mention the stallion's name and stir the memories once more.
The duo returned to the Sacellum and found Nightmare where they had left her, though she was now joined by Sheogorath and had the look of someone who wanted to leave. Pandora walked to the alter and dropped Syl's heart onto it, watching it burn up until a flash of light appeared and then vanished in a matter of seconds.
"You've done it!" Sheogorath nearly shouted, apparently pleased with what they had done, "The Ritual is complete, and you've survived! Who'd have thought? Now, on to other..."
"Wait, I must speak!" a voice said, just as Lord Thadon, his eyes brimming with anger, entered the Sacellum, "Halt! Cease! Desist!"
"Thadon, how dare you interrupt me!" Sheogorath growled, clearly angered by the Duke's actions, "Only I interrupt me. Like just then. I'm speaking with someone. We'll talk later. Or not. When is later, exactly? Not now, I'm sure of that. Guards, I think Thadon forgot how to use the door. Kindly show him/her out. Before I forget myself."
"Syl...dead..." Thadon said, apparently not taking the news very well, "This can't be right. Is this right? What have you done? Have you done this?"
"Hold your tongue, little Duke," Sheogorath warned, clearly getting more annoyed with Thadon's presence, "or I'll tear it from your mouth."
"But, this... stranger?" Thadon replied, pointing an accusing finger at Pandora, "Someone new? From somewhere else? Not here. I'm sure of that. I don't understand. Or I can't."
"Calm yourself, Thadon." Sheogorath said, now trying to calm him down, which was the opposite of what he had been doing before, "You're making my teeth itch. You still hold your office. I suggest you see to your duties."
"Ridiculous!" Thadon nearly snapped, his own temper rising and lowering with his mood, "You can't do this! Although... you're omnipotent. Or just tall. It's one of the two, I'm sure. And a fool!"
"Fool? Visionary! Change is in the air, Thadon." Sheogorath said, beckoning to everything around them, "Breathe it deep! Bathe in its scent! Bottle it up. Save some for later."
"Order approaches!" Thadon reported, apparently choosing this point to report something that they all needed to know, "It's taken the Fringe already! With Order clothes and Order hats! And you speak of "change"?"
"Change will preserve us!" Sheogorath said, waving a hand once more, "It is the lifeblood of the Isles. It will move mountains! It will mount movements!"
"No. No. Certainly not." Thadon replied, causing a few guards to gasp as he took the opposite side of his own Lord, "This isn't good. I'm sure it's bad. I can't do this anymore. No more."
"Then go, Thadon." Sheogorath said, casting a glance back at him that would have chilled the bones of any mortal that wasn't used to how the Isles worked, "Have your Greenmote. Take a bath. But leave. Before I decorate my throne with your insides"
"Yes. That's it. I'll go." Thadon suddenly said, as if reaching a conclusion for himself, "Away. Far away. Working for them is like working for us, but without all the dying."
The guards, shocked by Thadon's words, barely noticed him as he left, taking whatever information he knew about the Isles with him so he could plead for his life whenever he met the Knights of Order. Sheogorath sighed and rubbed his eyes, either completely annoyed that one of his own Dukes would turn on him or pleased that something different happened for once.
"Wondering why I let him go, aren't you?" Sheogorath asked, a smirk appearing on his face, "I can see it in your face. Mostly in the eyes. I may take those from you when this is done. This has never happened before! The ruler of Mania turning traitor? Unprecedented! But different is good. A new act in this play. Maybe we're on to something here. We'll see how it plays out. It can't be worse than what's happened before. But, that's enough about that. You're the ruler of Dementia! Just look at you. You're positively beaming! You now have the power to summon Dark Seducers. They've always served the Duchess of Dementia. I think they have a thing for pain. And here is the Ring of Lordship, a symbol of your new station. Symbols are important. They carry weight in this Realm, and others. You would be well served to remember that."
"And about the Fringe?" Pandora asked, wondering if they'd have a battle to join soon.
"He was right about that." Sheogorath replied, tapping his staff once more, "I can feel it. In My bones. The little ones. The Greymarch has swept the Fringe. Order gathers its forces there as we speak. And I hate when people gather forces in My Fringe. You'll need to put an end to that. Stop them. My armies should already be there, but I want you to see what you can do to help. If they continue to marshal their forces there, we won't be able to contain them. Make sure they can't."
Pandora looked at Luna and Nightmare, both of whom were prepared to leave the capital of the Shivering Isles and return to the place they entered from, to do battle with Jyggalag's forces. They were all ready to finally take the fight to their enemy, something they had been waiting for since the first time they encountered the Knights of Order. Pandora grinned, it was time to have some real fun.
Now that Pandora and her friends knew about the coming invasion they were prepared to show Jyggalag's Knights just how strong the will of Sheogorath really was. As they left New Sheoth they were hailed by the Dark Seducers that guarded the city, mostly because of their services with recovering the Flame of Agnon and disposing of Lady Syl. They ran with a spring in their step, or the wind at their backs as Nightmare flew overhead to watch out for enemy scouts, and retraced their steps to the Gates of Madness. They were surprised to find that none of the Knights had passed through the Gates at all, which meant that they were more focused on the Fringe and not anything else.
Nightmare had to wonder how the Knights bypassed the Gates and entered the Isles in that dungeon they activated the trap for, though she figured that Sheogorath would tell them when they needed to know.
When they passed through the Gates they found that the sky was a dull grey, the plants that lined the roads seemed dead, and dozens of crystals were growing out of the ground. It was clear that the Knights of Order were operating in the Fringe, though now that they were here they were prepared to bring the fight to them. Pandora walked down the road that led to the small town, her companions following behind her with their weapons drawn, waiting for any enemies to come at them. Eventually the trio reached Passwall, finding a small group of Dark Seducers waiting for them, most of them having their weapons drawn as their commander had her's sheathed, as if she was awaiting something or someone. The moment the commander laid eyes on Pandora she seemed to relax a little bit, though her expression remained neutral as they came to a stop in front of her.
"Your Grace, the situation is grim." the commanded said, bowing her head to Pandora a bit, "Passwall is under attack. We are outmatched and outnumbered. Last night, as dusk fell, the spire at the center of town became active. Soon after, the area around it began to crystallize and change. It wasn't long after that the Knights came."
Pandora glanced at the spire that the commander of speaking of, recalling that the last time she had been in Passwall the spire had been dormant, though she never would have guessed it had a much sinister purpose.
"It appears to be a source of power for these invaders." the commander continued, angrily shaking her head a bit, "A... portal, or some sort of gate. I don't know. If we cannot disable or destroy it somehow, I do not think that we can stop this invasion. I do have an idea how we might be able to stop them, but for now our primary concern must be our survival. I've been losing Mazken with each attack, and I'm down to nothing but men. We are pinned down here. If we lose, the Gates of Madness will fall. If the gates fall, the enemy will flood into the Isles. We will be helpless to stop them. Now that you've arrived, perhaps we can slow them down."
"Let me guess," Luna commented, feeling the magic in the air, "we need to find the source of power for the spire and shut it down?"
"Not yet...we must defend ourselves," the commander said, as if feeling another wave of enemies coming their way, "Even though I have served with these Mazken for decades, as the Duchess of Dementia, it is your right to command the troops. Command them if you will, or leave it to me. Either way, make haste. Our time is short."
"I leave the command to you," Pandora said, pulling her bow out and selecting an arrow, "We'll help you stem their numbers and then we can discuss what our next course of action."
"I thank you for your trust." the commander replied, bowing her head slightly, "In your name and for the sake of the Shivering Isles, I shall not disappoint you. MAZKEN! Form up! For the sake of your sorry male hides, move! MOVE! Are you prepared for battle, Your Grace?"
Before Pandora could reply she spotted several crystalline soldiers coming their way, marching in a square formation with their swords drawn as they came to Passwall. Behind the first group were two more squads, though she didn't need any more encouragement as she pulled an arrow out, pulled the bow string back, and loosed the arrow into an enemy's chest. The Knights broke rank and charged at the Mazken, clashing with those who bared their shields and immediately gained the upper hand, as there were twice as many Knights as there were defenders.
Nightmare burst into the air and landed at the back of the Knights' army, swinging her battleaxe and taking some of them down in the first swing. The Knights at the back noticed that she was there, killing their allies, so they turned around and came at her, forcing her to block the barrage of attacks while thinking of a plan. She spun her battleaxe, ripping her enemies weapons from their hands and discarding them around her, before crashing it into one of the Knights chest. As she felled the first enemy she immediately moved on, smashing the crystalline armor that the Knights wore while trying to make them think twice about their assault.
Luna, seeing her alter ego fight behind enemy lines, called her magic to her and struck one of the Knights with a bolt of lightning, causing its armor to explode on impact. Several of the Knights noticed her and came at her, but she waved her finger at them before throwing a fireball at them, which exploded when it hit the targeted Knight and spread to the others that were coming her way. One Knight, not caring for the flames that were eating at him, charged at her and swung his weapon, but Luna moved to the side and pulled her sword out, piercing the Knight's chest with ease.
The three of them fought along side the Mazken for over an hour, but just as the commander was about to give up she noticed that no more Knights were coming...for the moment.
"Victory is ours... for the moment." the commander said, just as the three of them approached her once more, "We must discuss our next move. The spire is obviously their source of power. This battle will not end until we find a way to shut it down. I am not certain how we are supposed to do so. But do not lose heart, I have an idea. The ruins of Xeddefen run under Passwall. The entrance to the south of the town has been sealed for centuries.One of my scouts reported that the ruins have been opened recently and a number of these Knights are now guarding the entrance. If we attempt to assault Xeddefen, Passwall will be overrun and we will lose the Fringe.Additionally, our forces are dangerously thin. We have no idea what opposition may await us inside. A frontal assault is not an option."
"Then we shall enter Xeddefen and destroy the spire's source of power," Pandora exclaimed, much to the surprise of the commander, "Which leaves you in charge of the defense, so that our enemy will be blinded to what we are doing."
"Your insight is impressive." the commander commented, clearing showing the surprise in her voice while revealing nothing with her neutral expression, "While we draw their attention here, you should be able to slip inside Xeddefen. Once inside, search for the source of the Spire's power. It must be underground somewhere. Once you find it, destroy it. Good luck, Your Grace. May the voice of the hidden guide you to the way."
Pandora nodded and left Passwall, heading down the path they had entered when she and her companions had first entered the Shivering Isles, only this time they made a point to stop at the ruins near the portal to Cyrodiil. Once they reached the ruins they found a number of Knights patrolling the entrance to the ruins underground, though they were prepared for a fight. Pandora loosed an arrow and surprised one of their enemies, knocking it to the ground while the other four zeroed in on her location, completely blind to what was happening around them. Nightmare landed behind them and swung her battleaxe, cutting two of them down in an instant before she needed to parry the attack of the third one. Luna stepped out of the shadows and summoned more lightning, sending out two bolts that shattered the armor of the remaining Knights, slaying them immediately.
"Is it just me, or are these Knights weak?" Nightmare asked, as they approached the doorway that would take them underground, "I mean, one lightning bolt is enough to shatter their armor and kill them before they have a chance to defend themselves."
"Oh, they're a force to be reckoned with when they're part of an army," Luna commented, recalling how hard she and Nightmare had to fight to save Passwall earlier, "but something tells me that Jyggalag will be ten, if not twenty, times stronger than his Knights. He is, after all, a Daedric Prince of Oblivion, so it is wise that we don't underestimate him or his Knights."
The moment they entered Xeddefen they continued forward, not bothering to turn left because Pandora had the feeling that there was a key they would need to progress further in this dungeon. Sure enough they found an enemy, one that was wearing a robe that marked it as a priest, patrolling the area, though the moment it spotted them it sounded the alarm. Pandora made sure that it was silenced in seconds, as her arrow tore through where she assumed its head was located and knocked it to the floor. As the Knights entered the chamber Nightmare and Luna were on top of them, battleaxe and magic arching towards the enemy before cutting them down.
Pandora knew they would never admit it, but the two Princesses of the Night were acting as if they were a team and hadn't tried to kill each other before they had gotten the Flame of Agnon. She suspected that, once they had been reminded that if one of them died the other would share the same fate, they had silently agreed to put aside their anger for each other and work together. She had absolutely no idea how long their partnership would last before they were at each others throats again, but she was fine with what they were currently doing. She picked up the key and followed them around the corner, where they found the locked door that she had expected to find and unlocked it with the key.
Once they had opened the door they immediately pressed on, finding that there was another large group of Knights, and a Priest or two, waiting in the area below them. The two Priests spotted them and called out for the Knights to attack, though the trio was prepared for anything and everything that could be thrown at them. The Knights charged up the stairs with their swords drawn, but Luna arched her arm back and then swung, releasing a path of lightning that traveled down the stairs and came into contact with almost every Knight. Those that were hit fell to the floor, their armor cracked or shattered, while the few remaining Knights were picked off by Nightmare's battleaxe. The two Priests, turning around so they could flee, were pinned to the ground not moments later, as Pandora would not have them run away from them.
They then reached a crossroad, where they could choose to head down a path on their left or head towards the door that the Priests were heading towards. Pandora suspected that the front door was a trap, designed to go off the moment that someone not sided with Jyggalag stepped on it, but changed her mind once Luna revealed that the true trap was actually on the side path. She was continuing to be amazed by the abilities that the two Princesses possessed, knowing that they could very well stand up to Jyggalag on their own, provided that Sheogorath gave them back the other half of their powers.
The next area had them come out at yet another intersection, though Luna mentioned that they might be able to recon the area from the right turn. They quietly walked along the path until they came to a bridge that overlooked what appeared to be the central area of this part of the ruins, much like Luna had said it would. From their vantage point they discovered another large force of Knights patrolling the, with one Priest among them, only to discover there was a much larger Knight waiting before a door that they assumed would led them deeper into the dungeon.
"Oh, they left a brute down here," Nightmare commented, eyeing the two handed sword the Knight carried, "should be fun when we get around to fighting it."
Instead of dropping down and taking them by surprise Pandora led the group back the way they came, turning down the path they had elected not to take. From there they started their assault, cutting down Knights that stood in their way, throwing them into the walls with magic, and putting them down before they had any chance at fleeing. It was times like this that Pandora wondered how difficult all of this would have been without Luna helping her, or how difficult it would be with Nightmare constantly fighting by her side. Whatever forces were responsible for ripping Nightmare out of her prison and dropping her in Cyrodiil, just when heroes were needed more than ever, Pandora made a note to personally thank whoever was behind it for giving them such a warrior.
Eventually they reached where the brute was standing, as if it didn't care that they had slaughtered its allies and was content to protect the door it was standing in front of.
"You... shall go... no further," the Knight suddenly said, its voice sounding like it was a scratch on a crystal's surface and causing them to stop in their tracks, "Madness... stays... only Order... may pass..."
Nightmare beckoned for the others to wait by the door they had entered the chamber through before pulling her battleaxe out once more, wondering how the Knight would react to a challenge. She was also curious as to how this one could speak, seeing how the others were husks that did whatever they were told, much less how it could sound like a male's voice.
"Then I shall force my way passed you," Nightmare exclaimed, swinging her battleaxe at the Knight, only to find that he was as fast as she was and yanked his sword out, blocking her attack.
As she made the motions to pull back the Knight sensed the change and copied her, resulting in the two of them jumping back just a bit and staring at each other. Nightmare leapt forward and brought her battleaxe down on the Knight, who moved to the left and let the head of her weapon bury itself in the floor. Before she had a chance to move the Knight kicked her in the chest, separating her from her weapon, though she used her wings to prevent herself from hitting the wall. She had to admit it, but this brute was actually much tougher than the previous Knights she had fought, which both excited her and made her worry.
The Knight lifted his blade and came at her, but she decided to pull his own move on him and rolled out of the way at the last second, letting his sword become buried in the wall.
"Who needs... a sword... when... I have... these...?" the Knight asked, letting go of his sword before sharp spikes grew out of his hands, much to Nightmare's annoyance.
The Knight swung at her again, though this time she rolled back to the wall the sword was buried in and pulled herself up, wrapping her hands around the handle and starting to tug on it. Before the Knight could turn and continue his assault Nightmare pulled the blade free and then turned it on its former master, catching his spiked hands before they could touch her. She pushed the Knight back and brought the sword down hard on his wrists, severing his hands in one swift motion before kicking him backwards. As the Knight stumbled backwards she planted the sword in his chest, which clearly wouldn't be enough this time, before she returned to her battleaxe, pulled it out of the floor, and swung it at the Knight.
The power behind the attack was enough to cleave the Knight's body in two, starting at his left hip and going all the way across to his right shoulder.
"Amazing," Pandora breathed, completely amazed by how well Nightmare handled the Knight, "He was definitely much stronger than the last three or four dozen we've fought."
"Yes, and I should not have underestimated him," Nightmare responded, taking the Knight's two handed sword as a trophy of sorts, "but we really should destroy whatever is powering that spire in Passwall."
Pandora nodded and the trio entered the door that the Knight had been guarding, finding that they had arrived on some form of balcony that overlooked a large dull crystal, one that hummed with energy. It was kind of strange, as she recalled seeing the same crystal structure in Xedilian, though it didn't produce an army of Knights that wanted to destroy the Isles. Before they could get any further a side passage opened up, revealing the Mayor of Passwall, who seemed quite pleased to find them down here.
"It's... it's you three!" the mayor said, recognizing them, "I remember you. What are you doing down here? How did you get past the Knights? When they attacked, I ran from Passwall. They didn't say a word, they just started killing! The screams! By the staff, you can't imagine the screams! Felas and I slipped down here thinking that we'd be safe. But, no! We landed right in the middle of them! Felas ran off with them and left me to die! Me! That ingrate! Disloyal cur! Imagine, leaving me here all alone! And I didn't say they took him -- he went with them! I've heard his voice a few times around here. I think... I think he joined them!"
"Look, just stay behind us and we'll get out of this together," Pandora replied, shaking her head as they made their way down the passage, now heavy one annoying mayor.
When they reached the crystal's chamber the Knights took a moment to realize they were there, as several of them fell to Nightmare the moment they entered the area. Pandora stood back near the stairs, loosing arrows her chosen enemies, while the mayor grabbed a fallen weapon and started hacking at whoever wasn't being targeted. Luna, on the other hand, called lightning to the battle as she blasted several of the Knights in the chest, but as she did so she started taking the intact hearts from their enemies. While Nightmare worked Luna moved to the active crystal and placed three hearts into it, as if she were placing them into open slots, and prayed that her idea worked. A moment passed, where three more Knights emerged and then swiftly died, before the crystal slammed shut and the energy was shut off at last.
The moment that the power was cut the entire ruin began to shake, which told all of them that they had better get out of there before the roof came down on their heads. They retraced their steps to the entrance they had entered the chamber from, only to find that the ceiling had already come down and had blocked it off. As such they resorted to using the other door, taking them deeper into the ruins as they searched for an exit, one that didn't involve someone dying. The next chamber they entered was pretty straight forward, with a few Knights standing in their way, but Luna would have none of their presence as she blasted them into the wall.
Luna led them towards the exit, pointing out the various traps that had been set up and avoiding them as best they could, which only made Pandora give her the lead this time. They opened a gate and continued onward, though the moment that Nightmare, Luna, and Pandora passed through it the gate slammed shut, separating them from the mayor. Luna sighed and continued on, knowing that the mayor could fend for himself as they passed through another door, appearing in another new section of the ruins. It was a straight path to another intersection, though the moment they approached it Luna turned to the path on the right, saying that she didn't trust the one of the left.
The trio were surprised to find that none of the Knights had come into this section of the ruins, but all that really meant for them was that they would progress without being interrupted. The next door brought them to yet another straight corridor, one that had almost nothing except for a door that they hoped would take them out of the crumbling ruin. The next chamber they came to they made an immediate turn, where they found some of the Grummites waiting around a campfire, but Luna would not have them interfering with their mission. Lightning arched from her hand and smacked them in the head, knocking them into the walls and getting them out of their way, which was a door that led them outside.
"Victory!" Pandora exclaimed, breathing a sigh of relief as they appeared in the Fringe once more, "I'd like to see Jyggalag's forces beat us without their fancy spire!"
After taking a moment to catch their breath, and ignoring the mayor that suddenly appeared behind them, the trio made their way back to Passwall, where the commander and her Mazken were waiting. They looked like they had been through a war, having lost a few of their number since the trio had departed, but they were still standing and the Knights had been defeated.
"Your Grace!" the commander said, watching the trio approach, "You... you're alive! Truly, you are the greatest warrior ever to hold the seat of Dementia!I was certain that no one could survive the spire's collapse, but here you are! By the Staff, you are more than worthy to lead us. I fear that our work is not yet done. The area is still overrun with Knights that were not destroyed in the spire. You should return to the Palace and speak with Sheogorath. Ask him how he plans to defend this realm."
Pandora nodded and wished the commander well, leaving her to deal with any remaining Knights and help the citizens of Passwall get things back on track. Her companions followed behind her, though all three of them were eager to see what Sheogorath had in store for them the moment they returned to the palace.
Sheogorath was more than pleased to see the trio return from the Fringe, baring the news that they had stopped the Knights of Order in their tracks and had secured the area. Haskill was, true to himself, the same neutral person he had been when they had departed, though it was clear that he was glad to have the Fringe under their control again. Pandora had no idea what their next task would be, but she was sure that it was going to involve another dungeon, though she hoped it wasn't a crumbling ruin like Xeddefen.
"News of your success in the Fringe precedes you." Sheogorath finally said, after waiting for Pandora to tell him of their adventure to the Fringe, "To further cement the victory I have an important task for you to perform. You will seek the assistance of Relmyna Verenim in Xaselm to rebuild the Gatekeeper."
Pandora remembered the Gatekeeper they had fought to get into the Isles, the creature that they wouldn't have been able to kill without the assistance of another mad nord. She was surprised that the creature had been created by some deranged sorceress of some kind and not by Sheogorath himself, though it made sense seeing how it had been slain. She guessed that killing the last one opened the Isles to danger, so it made some sense that they would have to fix the very problem that they created. She wasn't excited about another dungeon, so soon after the last one, but if it meant pleasing Sheogorath then she might as well do it and save the realm from Jyggalag.
"So just find and talk to Relmyna Verenim," Pandora said, sighing as her hand touched her forehead, "then convince her to help us rebuild the Gatekeeper. Sounds fun."
"She'll help you with your task." Sheogorath replied, almost as if she hadn't said anything, "Strange woman. Has some unusual tastes. A powerful Sorceress. Maybe a genius. And a complete lunatic. All in all, my kind of person. I brought her to my Realm so she could continue to study her "sixth element." Honestly, I didn't know there were five already. She's a bit obsessed with it. And with Me. Makes dealing with her difficult. You shouldn't have any problems, though. No one likes you that much."
Nightmare moaned slightly, kind of hating how Sheogorath got off topic whenever he was explaining what their next task happened to be before snapping back to it. She wanted them to finish what the Madgod wanted so the Greymarch could happen, so the three of them could finally face down Jyggalag and end this madness. She turned to Haskill and raised an eyebrow, who looked at their map and pointed at their destination, which happened to be back near the Gates of Madness. With the destination in mind the three of them bowed to Sheogorath, so he didn't decide to smite them where they stood, and left the palace, so they could begin the journey to Xaselm.
As the trio made their way to the ancient dungeon they noticed an increased activity of Mazken patrolling the roads of Dementia, no doubt preparing for the imminent invasion of the Knights of Order. Nightmare was itching for another shot at the Knights, so she could punch a hole in Jyggalag's forces and maybe, just maybe, make the Daedric Prince of Order think twice about attacking the Shivering Isles. Even if she wasn't the Princess of the Night at the moment Nightmare would show her enemies that she was a force to be reckoned with, just as Luna was with her magic. What Nightmare wouldn't give for her and Luna to be one once more, despite how much she hated her alter ego she wanted to be whole again.
Luna caught the glance that Nightmare gave her, silently sharing her wish that they were whole, as one Princess of the Night was more than enough.
Xaselm was just like the rest of the ruined dungeons they had come across in the Isles, though this one was protected by a number of dead creatures of made of flesh and others made of bone. Pandora, seeing that hitting them with arrows would be a waste of her time, threw her hand forward and a fireball flew forward, striking a rotting enemy in the chest and setting it on fire. She spun around and conjured lightning, allowing the bony creatures to be shattered before they could even get close to touching her. One enemy came at her, but she ducked down and drew her dagger, shoving it into the creature's chest before pulling it forward and driving it into its skull. Once she was sure that the creature was dead she pulled the dagger back and shoved its body to the ground, looking around for more of them until she was sure that the guardians were dead.
"What the...?" Nightmare started to say, surprised by how her companion had changed in such a short amount of time, but beforeshe could finish she found Luna's hand on her shoulder.
"Its HIS power beginning to manifest itself," Luna replied, beckoning to Pandora before backing up, "she's starting to flare and she needs someone to protect her when it happens. You need to be by her side, to protect her in case she starts to surge and tell her exactly how to direct her magic. She'll be a newbie, but with what's happening to her there's no telling what will happen when this madness is over."
"And what about you?" Nightmare questioned, wondering why Luna couldn't teach Pandora how to control her suddenly appearing magical abilities, "What will you be doing?"
"Figuring out how to join us back together," Luna replied, a smile appearing on her face, "Think about it Nightmare, Sheogorath's power must be weakening right now if Pandora is starting to show new abilities. This is the perfect opportunity for us to break his bonds and become one once more, something I know that we both want at this point. I'll go back into my prison and watch, give you hints when I feel that you need them, but there's something I want in return from you."
"Seriously?" Nightmare asked, wondering what her alter ego wanted from her, "And what, pray tell, is your condition?"
"That we are Princess Luna no matter what," Luna replied once more, turning back to leave the area, "Let Rend and Shadow know the real us and show our enemies what it means to fight the Princess of the Night."
Nightmare's eyes widened as Luna returned to the path they had taken to reach Xaselm, no doubt heading back to New Sheoth to silently watch Sheogorath while devising her plan to rejoin the two of them. She made it sound like a simple thing, admitting that they were one in the same, but Nightmare knew it was something hard to admit, even if it might be true. She shook her head and turned back to Pandora, who was watching her with a strange expression on her face.
"Where's she going?" Pandora asked, shaking her head despite the pain she was clearing feeling, "And why does my body hurt?"
"Luna is going to find a way to rejoin by now that Sheogorath's bonds might be weakening," Nightmare replied, leading her companion into the ruin, "and its like Sheogorath said, he's preparing you for the fight with Jyggalag. Your starting to receive magical abilities, so now your innate powers are starting to flare, which means we need to take it easy this time around. That means no flaring and taking everyone of our enemies out before they have a chance to defend themselves. I'll show you the ropes as best I can."
They entered the ruin without delay, finding a wide open chamber that was filled with more enemies that were identical to the ones that Pandora had dealt with before they passed through the doors. Flames danced around Pandora's hands as she approached the flesh and bone creatures, some of them igniting before she even touched them, while the bone creatures shrugged the flames off. Nightmare, not scared of the flames, stepped forward and swung her battleaxe, shattering their bones as if they were simple twigs and scattering them among the burning bodies.
When they came to another intersection Nightmare choose to travel down the tunnel on the left, the one that resembled the root of a tree, though she had another motive. She didn't trust the ceiling above the other pathway, and with how random magic flares were there was no telling what damage Pandora could cause. An enemy decided to step in their way, but Pandora ducked under his swing and placed her hand on his chest, blasting him backwards with her magic.
The next room proved a great test for Pandora's magic, as magic gathered around her eyes the moment she approached the group of enemies that were waiting for them. Fire, ice, and lightning moved around her as her hands connected with the skeletal creatures, some of them falling to their knees while others continued to fight against her will. Pandora smiled as her magic formed the shape of a sinister staff, one that Nightmare could have sworn resembled the one Sheogorath carried with him at all times, and slammed the base of it against the ground. The resulting wave of magic tore through her enemies, shattering the bonds that held their bodies together and scattered them all across the chamber.
Nightmare swooped in to catch Pandora as the flare ended, somewhat surprised that the flare had happened the exact moment that she used her magic on the large group. It was a good thing, as it cleared the way for them to move on when Pandora recovered from her episode.
"That HURTS!" Pandora moaned, shaking her head as she weakly pulled herself to her feet, "You could have told me that a flare hurts and warned me away from having one of them!"
"How am I supposed to know when you'll have one?" Nightmare asked, staring down the tunnel they were supposed to use to move on, "If I had my alicorn powers I might have done something to bind the magic and show you how to use it, but without any of my unicorn magic I really cannot show you anything. If you let me take the lead I can bring an enemy into your sights and show you how to channel your new abilities."
Pandora nodded her understanding, something that she wasn't used to doing, and fell into step behind Nightmare, allowing her to lead them deeper into the ruins. What came next was the strange fact that there was nothing standing in their way before they reached another door, though Nightmare frowned at the ease of finding the exit. The next area they came to was exactly like the last one, where there were dozens of flesh and bone creatures standing in their way, though it gave Nightmare a chance to have Pandora exercise some of her new powers.
When they drew closer to the creatures Nightmare ducked under their weapons and moved behind them, giving Pandora enough time to summon a spark and blast several of them in the back. Those made of bone had their bodies shatter into a thousand pieces, while the flesh creatures burst into flames as the spark ignited their rotten bodies. More of the creatures, hearing the sound of combat, got onto their feet and came charging at them, but Nightmare was quick to intercept them as her battleaxe shattered their bodies. It was the least she could do, as Pandora went down to one knee as she began to sweat, no doubt from the magic that was building inside of her. When the creatures were dead Nightmare walked to Pandora and helped her onto her feet, giving her a break before they dared to continue onward.
They came across more flesh and bone enemies, though Nightmare would have none of them damaging Pandora while she was weak from her flares. Pandora was fine with the change to hang back this time, as it gave her some time to focus her energies into summoning a bow that had arrows that would damage their enemies. Once she actually had the weapon she pulled an arrow back and loosed the arrow, letting it tear through a skeletal creature before it connected with a second one, where it exploded and took three more with it.
"A little warning next time!" Nightmare shouted, surprised that Pandora could summon such power so soon, "I'd rather not get destroyed in one of these ruins."
Pandora smiled and continued her assault, though she choose to hit the enemies in the way back that weren't close to where Nightmare was standing. Their combined efforts ended in the destruction of the entire horde of enemies that had risen to fight them, their bones broken and scattered around them. Eventually they reached another intersection, with one door right in front of them while the second laid to their right, but the both of them agreed that the right door would be the ideal direction for them to travel.
The next door they passed brought them to a strange area with dozens of cells, with a number of prisoners that were either being ignored or, if they were unlucky, being tortured by other people. Several of the torturers turned to look at the duo as they passed them by, curious as to what they were doing in their chambers, but then turned back to their duties. They found Relmyna Verenim, their target for this mission, standing in the middle of the chamber, though she was pretty angry the moment they approached her.
"You!" Relmyna nearly screamed, clearly ready to tear them apart, "I remember you two. You're two of the three adventurers who slew my Gatekeeper, are you not?"
"And how would I serve Lord Sheogorath without having access to the Isles?" Pandora asked, raising an eyebrow in the process while trying to be as pleasant as possible, "But that doesn't matter anymore, as our Lord has asked me to enlist your help to construct a new Gatekeeper."
"I see." Relmyna said, clearly wanting to destroy the two of them and resisting the urge to do so, "Sheogorath is too important to come on his own account? He sends his mortal lackey? Well, then. I trust my servants didn't give you too hard a time getting in here. Haha! Very well, your tone is more in line with my station, so I will tell you what you need to know. Yes, powerful magic indeed. It is proper that you bid me kindly, lest I show you the meaning of pain and suffering.
Alas, I am still distraught over the destruction of my sweet child. I cannot return to his womb. You must do this. You will travel to the Gardens of Flesh and Bone. There you will gather mystical components needed for the ceremony. Go fetch me Blood Liqueur, Osseous Marrow, Dermis Membrane, and Essence of Breath. And take this key. It will allow entry into the Gardens and give you direct access to my Sanctum."
With that said Relmyna waved her hand and beckoned for them to leave, wanting nothing more to do with them until they returned with the components they needed. Fortunately there was another door around the corner, leading them back out into the Shivering Isles so they could determine where the next dungeon was located. Nightmare had an answer for that question, as they had found that Gatekeeper's body behind a locked gate, so it would stand to reason that they already knew the exact location. So they quickly returned to the road, remembering where the secret entrance was located, before they ventured back into the Fringe and passed Passwall once more.
What surprised them was that the amount of corpses they found outside the Garden didn't rise to fight them as they approached the main gate. They entered a chamber where Nightmare had them walk slowly over, her eyes glancing at the ceiling, which clearly could crack and fall if they stepped on the wrong stone. They came to a root tunnel that was, once more, blocked off, but Pandora pressed her hand on the barrier and it shivered away from her, as if it was reacting to her new magic. The second barrier they came to, passing another passage, refused to be torn down as easily as the one before it, so they simply choose to retrace their steps and use the other passage.
The moment they entered the new area they were attacked by a creature that immediately spotted them, but Nightmare smacked it with her weapon and took its head in a matter of seconds. The duo approached a chamber after making their way through the tunnels, though they made sure to be ready as some creatures came after them. They eventually reached a chamber that held four statues, each of which seemed to be waiting for something to wake them up, though Nightmare had a better idea. She burst into the air, swung around the statues, and landed behind them in a lower area, where she found a blood soaked room and the first item they needed. She pulled a vial out, provided by their newest ally, and dipped it into the pool, taking it out after a few seconds before swiftly returning to Pandora.
They continued up towards another door and find themselves in another root tunnel, which brought them to a rooted door that they recognized immediately. This time Pandora opened the way and they turned into a turn, approaching yet another door that allowed them to advance onward. They found another locked barrier that would not let them pass, so they turned to the south and moved that way, following it down and around as they fought against the skeletal creatures that called the ruins home. Once the creatures were dead, either being shattered by Nightmare's battleaxe or Pandora's magical arrows, they reached a bridge that overlooked the second requirement.
The moment they were sure nothing would come after them they leapt to the lower level and quickly collected the strange mushroom, before turning around and heading down a tunnel. Eventually, after hacking and blasting more enemies out of their way, they reached another intersection, though Nightmare spotted something ahead of them and moved to see what it was. It was another strange plant, but she sensed the importance in the area around it and immediately collected a piece of it, just as was requested by Relmyna. With three items in hand they returned to the intersection and picked the southern route, heading even deeper into the ruins for the final item.
As they entered the new area Pandora spotted a hazy green fog lingering in the air, which she immediately started to follow as Nightmare followed behind her. Nightmare's battleaxe flew into the heads of their enemies, as she protected Pandora from harm as they twisted and turned around the area, as if it was a maze. Neither seemed to care in the beginning, but as they progressed Nightmare started to get annoyed with how long it was taking to reach their destination. That was, however, until the fog led them right to a mysterious font of energy, one that they both assumed was the source of the fog that Pandora had followed. They swiftly collected the fourth and final component that Relmyna asked them to collect before heading towards the exit, mainly ignoring many of the enemies that stood in their way.
Once they were out of the Gardens they returned to the road once more and began to journey back to Relmyna's hideout, so they could rebuild the Gatekeeper at long last.
"You have returned with all the components?" Relmyna asked the moment they returned to her, receiving a nod from them both, "Excellent. All that remains is to choose the body parts. Fearing one day someone might manage to kill my child, I have been preparing a new body. I've created versions of each appendage, with various enhancements. You must choose one of each. I am attached to them all. Artist's prerogative. Select one pair of legs, one left arm, right arm, torso, head, and heart. See me when you have finished your selections."
Nightmare wasn't sure that this was something that she, a Princess of Equestria, should be involved in, but Pandora seemed lost when faced with the magical properties of each body part that Relmyna had created, so she sucked it up. She glanced at the various pieces hanging around the chamber, taking account of every ability that had been created while telling Pandora of her findings. Eventually they settled on a brutish warrior Gatekeeper that could deflect the hardest of blows, as it seemed like no mages ever came to the Isles, save for the one they saw at their first dungeon. When they returned to the angry women, because she was still rather pissed with them killing the previous Gatekeeper, her mood seemed to lighten.
"You've made your selection." she replied, staring at the combination they had selected, "Now, we travel to the statue of our Lord, in the Fringe. There we will perform the ceremony. Make haste!"
Sure enough the three of them traveled back to the Fringe, only they stopped where the previous Gatekeeper had stood, defending the statue of Sheogorath and the Gates of Madness. Nightmare was positive that she was hearing the sound of an approaching army, though she didn't need to look much further as she spotted them drawing closer to Passwall, which was defenseless. Relmyna had them place the pieces of the Gatekeeper into a small pool that opened in the middle of the circle, before having them back away as she collected the four components from them.
"At the beginning of the worlds were five." Relmyna intoned, causing the area to darken all of a sudden, "Fire, Water, Earth, Air, and Light. Darkness turned into day, the void took form. Hidden away, by virtue of its own self-awareness, was the sixth, containing within it the five which birthed it. Flesh! Meat with the desire to consume like Fire.... Blood, liquid nutrient, that ocean which casts pearls of life upon the shores of existence.... Bone, branch and stone of the body, giving shape and structure.... Breath, child of air, bestowing movement, the stirring of spirit.... And last, the light of Flesh, the illumination of Soul -- perception, thought, memory, imagination.... I summon thee, walker in Flesh! Flesh of true Flesh! From those waters of Oblivion which sire thy kind. Come to this altar. Join with this body. Quintessence of Flesh joined with the Essence of Flesh. Absolute in mortal. Immortal bound to contingent. I bind thee Atronach to this body, henceforth Gatekeeper of the Shivering Isles."
The ground seemed to shake as Nightmare watched what happened, just as a creature, nearly identical to the one they had slain to get into the Isles, appeared from the pool, which sealed itself the moment the creature stood before Relmyna.
"My child." Relmyna said, saying the word as if it brought joy to her heart while a tear rolled down her face, "It is time to fulfill your destiny. Stand guard in this land against all those who seek entry not bearing the mark of Sheogorath's favor. You shall know them by the coldness in their minds. A darkness of spirit. What's this? My child, they are coming. Destroy them! Show them your true power! Watch my child destroy the interlopers, or run to Sheogorath. Either way, tell Him of our doings here. Send Him my tribute... and my affections."
Nightmare and Pandora, knowing the last bit was for them, backed up to behind the statue and watched the army of Knights enter the area, though their gaze was held by the Gatekeeper. The Knights charged at the massive creature, who replied in kind by swinging his bladed arm and carved several of them into pieces with ease. One hit the Gatekeeper in the chest, but the reflective aspect that Nightmare had picked kicked in and knocked the Knight to the ground, where he was shattered in seconds. Nightmare had to resist the urge to draw her battleaxe and help the Gatekeeper, merely because she wanted some fun as well, but it turned out that there was no need. Eventually the Gatekeeper returned to his post, having crushed each and every Knight that had dared to attack the Gates of Madness, much to Relmyna's joy.
The duo looked at each other and sighed in unison, deciding to return to New Sheoth and report their success, once again, to Sheogorath and Haskill.
When the two of them returned to the palace of New Sheoth they found Sheogorath and his servant exactly where they expected them to be, though Nightmare noticed no sign of Luna the entire time. She had to admit it, she was wondering how they could breach the magical bonds that were keeping them in their current state, separated into a pegasus and unicorn without their alicorn powers. Luna was as skilled as her sister in researching, which she hated to admit with every fiber of her being, which meant that she would be able to figure this puzzle out as well. It was times like this that made her wonder where Starswirl the Bearded disappeared to, as he had been next to them one day and then vanished without a trace.
"A new Gatekeeper!" Sheogorath exclaimed, clearly pleased with the progress they were making while somehow missing the fact that Luna was missing at the moment, "Excellent. We might be onto something with you, after all. That should keep out the stragglers."
"Lord Sheogorath!" a Golden Saint shouted, barging into the throne room and coming to a stop before the throne, "I apologize for the intrusion, but you must help us! Order has attacked Brellach and routed us!"
"This is a particularly exciting turn of events, is it not?" Sheogorath asked, a smile appearing on his face as he turned to Pandora and Nightmare, "A perfect job for you, my newest and only Noble in the realm, and your companion! If Order has entered my army's stronghold, things have taken a disturbing turn. It means Order has tried subterfuge... not its strong suit. Amazing! Perhaps things aren't going as poorly as I'd imagined. You'll want to get all the details from the messenger. Unless you already have. You haven't, have you?"
"And where is Jyggalag then?" Pandora said, curious as to why the Daedric Prince of Order wasn't leading his armies himself, "Shouldn't he be here, challenging you in person?"
"Aren't you precious? Do you really not know?" Sheogorath stated, though by the tone of his voice Nightmare could tell that he was going to reveal something to them, something that she and Luna might have guessed at before, "Because He is Me! I'm Him! We're a bit of each other, really. I won't be here when He arrives, because I'll be Him. Happens every time. The Greymarch starts, Order appears, and I become Jyggalag and wipe out My whole Realm. And it will happen soon. Too soon. I can already feel the change beginning. I feel like I'm not quite here. I'm not over there yet, but I'm not quite here. And I've been having moments of clarity that are quite unlike me. Like now."
Pandora looked back at Nightmare, not really sure what to make of everything that was happening anymore, before sighing and beckoning for them to depart immediately. As they departed from the palace the messenger pulled them aside for a moment so she could mark the location of the Aureal stronghold that Order had attacked. With their destination in mind the duo departed from New Sheoth, the guards saluting them as they walked past and wishing them well in their next task.
"So, where is Luna?" Pandora asked, being careful of where she stepped as they began their journey, "I didn't see her hanging around the palace while we were there."
"She's likely keeping tabs on Sheogorath at the moment," Nightmare replied, knowing it would have been what she would have done in the beginning, "no doubt while crafting whatever object she thinks will aid the two of us in merging into one being again. I, for one, would love to be whole once more, so we should focus on leaving her alone and see what we can do to aid the Aureal's that were attacked."
"Whatever," Pandora said, sighing as they passed by the burrow that Nightmare had nearly destroyed a while ago, "I'm sure that Luna will make her appearance once she's ready."
Nightmare stayed her mouth as she walked beside Pandora, noticing that the bow she carried seemed to phase between the form of a bow and the form of a staff. As they walked she also noticed that energy was slowly rolling off of Pandora's wrists and ankles, moving with the wind while always returning to her. Even without Luna here to tell her what it was Nightmare knew exactly what was happening; Sheogorath's power was beginning to wane as Jyggalag began to take over, which meant that it was seeking its new host. The fact that Pandora had called a staff, even a transparent one, into her hand was evidence that she was destined to take over the Isles, if she survived her date with Jyggalag.
The interesting thing was that Pandora was aware of some of the changes that were happening to her, but she didn't seem to have a grasp on what Sheogorath was going. That was fine with Nightmare, as she was ready to defend her friend until they could stem the tide of the Greymarch and save the realm from total destruction.
As they made their way to the ancient ruin Pandora was surprised that none of the creatures that called the Isles home came anywhere near them. She mentioned this to Nightmare, who responded that it was quite possible that her baring even a sliver of Sheogorath's powers might be making them keep their distance. The creatures would never attack their Lord, who could smite them with a single thought, unless Order was forcing them to betray their instincts, but these ones ignored them. There were some creatures that stared at Nightmare and growled at her, no doubt for what she had done in the burrow, but they turned away once they noticed Pandora staring at them.
When they finally arrived at Brellach they found three Golden Saints standing outside the entrance to their stronghold, no doubt waiting for assistance, though when they approached one of them broke rank and came before them.
"Thank you for coming." the Saint said, bowing to them slightly, "I apologize for summoning you. The blame is mine. We've lost control of Brellach. Thadon let them in... We had no idea he would turn on us. They captured our commander, Staada, and have her imprisoned somewhere inside. Our first priority must be rescuing her. Thadon had her called aside, separating her from the group. He meant to divide our numbers when Order entered, making us easier targets. They imprisoned Staada somewhere within Brellach. If they killed her, she could return to us through the Wellspring, so they keep her hostage. If we follow the waters of the Wellspring, we will surely find her."
"How many enemies are there inside?" Pandora asked, assuming some air of authority.
"More than I could count." the Saint replied, clearly hating her answer as she said it, "It was all we could do to fall back and regroup out here. We must free Staada as soon as possible. She will know what to do."
"Very well," Pandora sighed, her had reaching back and pulling out her bow, which Nightmare was sure was a bow this time, "Let's get in there, kick Order out, and save the Wellspring."
"Forgive me for saying so, Your Grace," the Saint suddenly said, picking up her weapons in the process, "but I find taking orders from the Duchess of Dementia to be... unsettling. You are the only remaining Duchess, which is a situation quite unprecedented. Normally, you would never be permitted to pass within Brellach. Given the need for swift action, the normal customs shall need to be overlooked for now. We shall be right behind you, Your Grace."
Pandora, unfazed by what the Saint had told her, advanced into the ruin with Nightmare behind her, who had her battleaxe at the ready in seconds, while behind flanked by the three Golden Saints. The first room they came to was littered with several dead bodies, mostly made up of Saints, though the next room held three enemies that turned towards them the moment they entered. Nightmare leapt behind them and swung as wide as possible, shattering two of them in a single instant while injuring the third one, who pulled a shard out and slammed it against the wall. The moment the deep was done more Knights started to pour into the chamber, causing Nightmare to burst into action as she fought alongside the three Saints.
While her companions focused on the enemy's front line Pandora drew an arrow and loosed it at the back, allowing the arrow to tear into one of the Priests before exploding, though it was smaller than the one she had used in Relmyna's ruin. The Knights opened a small hole in her companion's line and one of them rushed at right her, though Pandora spun her bow around, turning it into the staff, and stabbed it into the Knight's chest. The crystalline being shattered in seconds, the pieces scattering around the chamber as her companions slew the rest of them, opening the way for them to continue.
The next chamber they entered had more Knights waiting for them, as a secondary line in case the first one failed to defend the entrance, and a few Priests standing behind them. Nightmare led the Saints into battle, smashing those she decided to fight with her heavy weapon while the other three warriors made sure that none of the stranglers broke rank to attack the Duchess. Pandora, on the other hand, smacked the chime that hung by the wall, causing a ring to vibrate throughout the hall and shattering many of the crystal walls that would normally prevent them from moving on. One Priest leapt over the group and charged at her, but she smashed the end of her staff into its chest and pierced its heart, slaying it within seconds.
They made a quick run of the rest of the area before moving to the door that would lead them deeper into the stronghold, where they would be able to find their target and the Wellspring.
The next area they entered was filled with a large number of Knights, but as the group walked in they found that they were more than ready to do battle, as they had three brutish Knights waiting. Nightmare grinned and slammed her battleaxe into the ground, stepping forward as she forced the greatsword she had acquired to materialize before her. She brought her left hand to the handle of the weapon and sighed for a moment, gathering herself before she brought the weapon back and threw it like a spear. It sailed through the air and smashed into one of the brutes, breaking its armor and pinning it to the nearby wall, before its companions could even lift a finger to support it.
Once she was done with the first brute Nightmare picked up her battleaxe, stepped forward, and swung at the second brute, which seemed to dodge the attack just fine, until the head of her weapon erupted from its chest. It barely had time to register the pain before Nightmare sliced off its head, letting the head roll as she presented her blade to the other brute. The remaining enemy charged at her, though it failed to account for the fact that she was capable of dodging, as she danced around the brute and smashed the back of its armor into pieces.
As they were distracted by their injuries Nightmare sliced them over, breaking the brutes into pieces as she pulled the greatsword out of the the one brute and threw it into the crowd of Knights. The Saints, seeing it as a signal to attack, leapt into the battle, hacking at the Knights that didn't bring their weapons up to defend themselves and raising their shields in defense as some of the Knights came at them. Pandora watched as her companions tore the Knights apart, though she also loosed a few non explosive arrows into a few targets and thinned their enemy's numbers.
Eventually they reached a guarded door, but Nightmare, having reclaimed her battleaxe, smashed the guards into the floor and walls, breaking them all into hundreds of crystalline pieces. Pandora smacked the nearby chime and the crystalline walls shattered, revealing the commander of the Golden Saints and freeing her from her prison.
"You have my thanks for freeing me," the commander, Staada, said, "but... Just who are you?"
"I am Pandora, Duchess of Dementia," Pandora replied, glancing around for any signs of more Knights, "My companion, Nightmare Moon, and I were called in to combat the attack of Order on this stronghold."
"My Lady!" Staada said, bowing her head slightly, "I am sorry, I did not realize... Where is Thadon? Have you seen him? That traitorous coward! The snake! He showed up, asked for a contingent of guards. Said there was trouble, and that we were needed. We were so focused on organizing quickly that by the time we realized he'd let Order in himself, it was too late. We were split up and picked off. But it doesn't matter anymore. The only thing that matters now is the Wellspring. We must reach it at once."
Pandora nodded and led the group into the third area of the ruin, where they were several Knights standing guard, significantly lower than the previous two areas. It actually surprised her to find that Nightmare and the Saints tore the Knights a new one, breaking them into pieces as they advanced further into the ruins. Before they reached the fourth area of this ruin, which they had been informed of thanks to one of the Saints, the Golden Saints that were following them fell to the ground, three of them turned to stone in an instant. Staada, on the other hand, was slowly turning to stone herself, though while her eyes were filled with terror she clearly wanted to get something out.
"No! The Wellspring!..." Staada shouted, turning to Pandora and Nightmare, "They've stopped it up. You... you must make it to the Wellspring, and let the waters flow..."
Pandora, seeing them fall into stone statues, turned down the tunnel that would lead them into the next area and shot down the guards that protected the door. Nightmare followed her into the final area, where they found several more Knights protecting what appeared to be a water source that was frozen solid. The Knights turned towards them and drew their weapons, though Pandora started loosing arrows while Nightmare moved around the outer area of the Wellspring, activating the chimes that the Knights had been protecting. When the final Knight fell and the final chime was rung the stone around the spring shattered, allowing the waters to flow once more and restoring its functions once more.
"The Wellspring is restored!" Staada suddenly said, appearing behind them with the three Saints that had walked into the ruins with Pandora and Nightmare, "You have saved us. We are forever grateful, your Grace. Please, allow me to teach you this spell, so that you may summon our kind to you in times of need. Also accept this gift of armor. It is the least I can do to show thanks for your help."
Pandora looked at the commander and her guards, not really sure of what to make of the fact that the Saints were being extra friendly towards the ruler of the opposite side of New Sheoth. She then decided that it wasn't worth her time to worry about the Aureal and their now restored Wellspring, as she had accomplished exactly what she had been sent to do.
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When the duo returned to the palace they noticed that Sheogorath was standing in front of his throne, which he was usually sitting on each and every time they came to report their success. Haskill was standing in the same place he always was, right next to the throne, though he was staring at his Lord as if he was waiting for something to happen. Nightmare stood by the front door, so she could watch what she knew was coming, while Pandora drew closer to the Lord of the Shivering Isles. As she did so Nightmare glanced around the palace room for Luna, wondering when she would decide to show herself and reveal what she had been doing.
"Time. Time is an artificial construct." Sheogorath said suddenly, though he was much more calmer than his usual excited nature, "An arbitrary system based on the idea that events occur in a linear direction at all times. Always forward, never back. Is the concept of time correct? Is time relevant? It matters not. One way or another, I fear that our time has run out. As I feared it would, My plan has failed. The Greymarch is upon us, and I must go. I thought we had more time. I thought we had a chance. My plan has failed. And we were so close...."
"So what next then?" Pandora asked, curious as to what the would have to do next, "How can we restore Nightmare and Luna if your not here to undo the spell?"
"The chains are by the throne..." Sheogorath commented, turning to face Pandora, "What happens is what always has happened -- what always will happen. I crumble, I fade, the Realm dies. And you with it. Flee while you can, mortal. When we next meet I will not know you, and I will slay you like the others. Soon you and everyone else will be dead, and I will be left a mad god, ruler of a dead realm. Again. I had intended to give you My staff, the symbol of My office. But life has gone from it, as it goes from Me. It is now dead wood. A useless twig. With the staff, there was hope. But now, hope is dead. I am dead. The Realm...."
Before Sheogorath could finish his sentence energy started to gather around him, latching onto his body and tearing small pieces of his dual colored suit off. His hands flew to his head as if he was in pain, the staff falling to the ground and shattering into pieces, before he started to grow in size just a bit. Pandora watched as silver crystalline gauntlets formed around Sheogorath's hands, while a pair of crystalline boots formed around his feet. She could feel it in the air, the power of the Madgod was gone from his body and was being replaced by a much more sinister power, one that felt even stronger than Sheogorath's own. Sheogorath screamed in agony as his suit was torn to pieces, only to be replaced by a crystalline suit of armor, leaving his bare for the moment.
"The realm is dead!" the Madgod shouted, his voice sounding cold and calculated now, "Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness, is dead!! All shall crumble before Jyggalag!"
With that said Sheogorath, now Jyggalag, snapped his fingers and disappeared, leaving the throne room and traveling to wherever his destination was. Nightmare knew that he would have gone to his forces, so that he could lead them in an assault against the palace and destroy everything that represented Madness. She also knew that not all hope was lost, as Pandora now contained the full power of the Madgod, save for his staff, and they had been told where the bindings on her and Luna were resting. As she prepared to talked with Haskill and determine how to craft a new staff something odd happened, Luna appeared from behind the throne, though she was carrying something that resembled the staff that Jyggalag had broken.
"Who's up for saving the Shivering Isles?" Luna asked, a smile appearing on her face as she approached the three of them.
Nightmare had no idea how she had gotten her hands on a replacement staff so quickly, but with it in hand they could possibly turn the tide and defeat Jyggalag, for real this time.
"Luna!?" Pandora asked, seeing her other companion appear out of nowhere, "Where have you been?"
"Busy building a replacement staff," Luna replied, walking up to them before bowing to Haskill slightly, "When I returned to the palace earlier, so I could speak with Haskill about how much time Sheogorath had left until Jyggalag arrived, I found that Sheogorath was taking a nap before his time expired. I was told that it was so he could retain enough of his plan so that when you returned from Brellach he could pass on as much as he was able before Jyggalag took over. Haskill, seeing that we were running low on time, sent me to find a library containing some of Jyggalag's secrets and ask the person I found there for his help.
Now when I reached this guy he told me to leave his presence and go to two separate locations and recover certain items so I could forge the staff anew. The first location he told me to venture to was a place called The Howling Halls, where I had to burn, blast, and freeze my way through a horde of enemies to recover the Eye of Ciirta. The second location was Milchar, where I had to cut my way through the hostile creatures that wanted me dead before I reached the Grove of Reflection. Once there I had to deal with a mirror image of myself before I could acquire a Branch of the Tree Shades, which I acquired before making my exit from the area. With the Eye and Branch in hand I returned to the man, who apparently never moves from his library, and he reforged the staff for us, but before I left he said it needed to be dipped in the Font of Madness.
I then returned to the palace, about an hour before you two did, and ventured into the area that holds the Pools of Dementia and Mania, as Order had entered the sacred area and plugged it up. Now that the Font is restored I have only one last thing to do... I must hand over the Staff to you, Pandora."
Luna pulled the Staff out of where she carried it and presented it to Pandora, who stared at the weapon as if she was completely unsure of whether or not she should take it. Eventually she took a deep breath and reached her right hand out, grasping the staff just a bit before pulling it out of Luna's hands, allowing her to step back towards Nightmare. She was surprised that it felt heavier than she was expecting, which meant that the branch it was crafted from was from an ancient tree of some kind. She glanced at the fountain behind the throne and approached it, feeling the magic of the Font radiate with her as it filled the staff, though she could tell that it would take some time to bring it to full power.
"Anything else you want to tell us Luna?" Nightmare asked, glancing over at her alter ego while they waited for Pandora to finish the task she was currently focused on.
"Only for you and me," Luna replied, reaching into the pouch by her side and pulling out a pair of earrings, which had a moon on each side, "a pair for you and a pair for me."
"Anything special about them?" Nightmare asked, turning one of them over while looking for anything that would tell her the magical property that Luna put into them, "I mean, besides being shaped like the moon that we controlled."
"Its the ability that comes with the pair," Luna commented, reaching up to her ears and snapping them into place, "I have them designed to react the moment that the spell that Sheogorath placed on us is shattered. The instant that we are restored to our former forms, our alicorn forms, these earrings will react and allow us to merge back together, into a single person once more."
"Nice," Nightmare laughed, snapping hers into place as well before patting her battleaxe, "I hope that Jyggalag's forces come and attack us before that happens though, so we can have one last fight together before we become whole again."
Luna nodded, somewhat glad that she and her alter ego had reached some form of mutual understanding between themselves, so that they weren't always trying to kill each other. She also thought that she might have heard some form of respect in Nightmare's voice, as if she now respected her, on some form anyway, but she couldn't be sure. She, on the other hand, respected the fact that Nightmare had stayed beside Rend and his companions, instead of breaking out on her own to bring Eternal Night to this world. It told her that maybe her alter ego might have learned that her plan was terrible and that she might have found out a way to look past her hatred for their sister.
Luna sighed for a moment, wondering what Celestia was doing at that exact moment and wondered if she even knew that Nightmare was no longer on the moon. She guessed that, once they returned to their prison and served their sentence, that she might have a chance to ask that question, along with a thousand more that she was slowly adding to every year.
"My Lord!" a Mazken shouted, walking into the throne room with a small group of guards behind her, "Where is Lord Sheogorath? We have urgent news to tell him."
"Jyggalag and the Greymarch are upon us," Haskill replied, continuing to stand next to the throne while Pandora continued to empower the new staff, "Pandora will be standing in for Lord Sheogorath until Jyggalag is defeated, but she needs time to complete the new Staff before the Knights of Order come. You can tell her the news."
"Very well Chamberlain," the Mazken captain said, turning to face Pandora, who turned slightly so she could face her, "One of the obelisks outside the palace has activated. Its only a matter of time under the Knights of Order come charging into the palace so they can complete Jyggalag's dreaded Greymarch."
"I cannot leave the throne until the Staff is completed," Pandora stated, sighing as she realized what else that also implied, "very well then; Nightmare, Luna, I want you two to lead the defense of the palace until I've completed the Staff, which will allow me to shatter these chains that were left behind. Once it is done I will join you outside, but I need time."
Nightmare nodded and beckoned for the Mazken to follow her out into the palace grounds, where she found that there were at least twenty Mazken and Aureals waiting for their orders. While the others walked outside with her she counted at least fifty soldiers between the two sides, which she figured would have to be enough until Jyggalag himself showed up. Luna stood beside her and drew her staff and sword, nodding to her to do what she needed, almost as if she trusted her to command these soldiers.
"Okay then, here's what we need to do," Nightmare called out, gripping the handle of her battleaxe, "We need to separate and cover the entire palace area, so that none of the Knights that appear from these obelisks have a chance at reaching the palace and the Throne of Madness. If you see any Knights of Order I want you to put them down until we can close the obelisks and force Jyggalag to appear, which we don't want until Pandora completes the Staff. Once she's done with her task and joins us we'll need to close our enemy's portals and force their master to show his face, but we'll need to let Pandora deal with him. Luna, I want you to stay on these steps and blast any enemies that may overwhelm us, thus protecting the palace from Order."
The soldiers saluted her and spread out, pulling out their weapons and facing the activated obelisk, silently daring the Knights to start their assault. Luna took her position on the stairs, her staff at the ready as she readied her magic and her sword, waiting for that one enemy that wanted to try and enter the palace. Nightmare, on the other hand, stood in the middle of the palace grounds, facing the activated obelisk and wondering when the second one would activate. Then, as if answering their silent dares, Knights started to pour into the palace grounds, their weapons drawn as they collided with the forces of Madness.
Nightmare smashed one of the Knights almost instantly, crushing it into the ground as its companions spread out, clashing their weapons with the soldiers. Several of the Aureals and Mazken pulled out their bows and focused on loosing them at the Knights, slaying some of them while the other Knights merely avoided them. Luna gazed down at them and threw lightning at some of their enemies, shattering their armor or weapons so her allies could cut them down. Nightmare nodded to her and continued the fight, severing the head of one Knight before turning the weapon around and cutting a second one in half.
As they fought against the first wave of enemies one Knight broke rank and approached the second obelisk, sacrificing itself to activate the obelisk and increase the number of Knights for them to fight. Nightmare growled and barked an order at the Aureals, ordering them to advance on the second obelisk while she and the Mazken stayed to fight off the Knights that continued to spawn from the first one. Luna, catching a glance from Nightmare, focused her energies on the second obelisk, blasting Knights here and there before they could overwhelm the Aureal that they were fighting. One Knight, seeing her focus on the obelisk, charged up the steps and passed her, intending to reach the doors of the palace, but Luna whipped around and tore its chest open with a lightning bolt, dropping it dead before it could reach its destination.
The Knights continued to pour into the palace grounds, though while Nightmare knew they could hold the line if it was just the weak ones that fought them she did spot several brutes appear as well. She knew that she, alone, could deal with three of them before they got lucky, but when she saw ten of them appear from the two obelisks she immediately knew that they were in trouble. That was before several large creatures made of flesh appeared around the palace grounds, though when she spotted Relmyna standing beside one she knew that allies had come to fight alongside them. The flesh constructs took on the brutes, either knocking them aside or smacking them hard enough to make them change who they were targeting, while Relmyna herself stopped by Luna's side.
"I heard the scream from my sanctum," she replied, blasting a Knight in the chest as it started to climb the stairs, "I've always hated this time in every era, but it seems like this time we may have a card to play that has not yet been played against Jyggalag yet. I decided that if the realm I strove to protect was going to die than I would be there beside those that were going to be defending it, so that I may have the satisfaction in taking as many of Jyggalag's forces as I can before the end."
"Your help is appreciated," Luna commented, tearing a hole into another Knights chest from afar with her lightning, "We're mostly stalling for time while Pandora forges the Staff of Madness anew, which is why we're not closing the obelisks yet. We know the moment they close that Jyggalag is sure to appear, and without someone to claim the Madgod'd powers we'd be unable to stop him. Nightmare and I many be able to hold him off, but we're not alicorns at the moment, so any attempt by us to stop him would only result in our deaths."
"Then we shall protect the palace as planned," Relmyna said, blasting another foe onto its back with ease, "One the Staff is reforged it will do some good in lifting the spirits of our soldiers, not to mention put someone on the throne for when our Enemy arrives."
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"Ah, it seems that Relmyna has arrived Lord Sheogorath," Haskill commented, watching the fight from inside the palace itself, "Curious; she's never taken an interest in the Greymarch, but here she is, fighting alongside Nightmare, Luna, and our guards to protect the Realm from destruction. She's even brought some of her Flesh Abominations to fight the Knights of Order... most interesting in deed."
He turned around to face Pandora, who was now sitting on the Throne of Madness with the reforged Staff touching the floor, exactly like what her predecessor would do at times. Laying across her lap was none other than the black and white chain that represented the binding between Nightmare and Luna, the one thing that was keeping their alicorn powers tied up. He knew what she was doing with just the glance; she was trying to shatter the chain so her friends could regain their full power and decimate the Knights of Order. As always he had been present when the chain had been forged by her predecessor, so he knew that shattering the chain would prove to be a challenge, but he also had an idea for Pandora to try out.
"Might I make a suggestion Lord Sheogorath?" Haskill asked, for the first time in his existence it seemed, though he waited until Pandora looked up at him and gave a brief nod, "Might I suggest that you take the chain outside, to where the fight is going on, and use the energy from Madness and Order clashing to shatter the chain. It would also give you the chance to proclaim that the Staff is reforged and inspire your soldiers to fight with everything that they have inside of them."
Pandora looked at him for a moment, wondering if he was losing his mind as well, before deciding that it was likely time for her to join the fight as well. She gripped her new staff, picked up the strange chain in her left hand, and then pulled herself from the throne before she made her way to the palace door. She stopped before the door and sighed for a brief moment, not knowing if she would have the strength to stand up to Jyggalag when he showed his face. She figured that, if she fought him and lost, that she could at least give Luna and Nightmare the chance to flee before they were consumed by the Greymarch.
"I'm as ready as I'll ever be Haskill," she admitted, beckoning for him to open the way for her, "but now it is time for us to stop sulking around in here and show the Knights of Order that we mean business."
Haskill, usually not one for combat, though he did have a few of his own tricks up his sleeves, nodded and opened the door for his Lord, who confidently stepped out into the battlefield.
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Nightmare smashed another Knight into the ground before tearing a second's head clean off, though she was getting tired from the constant fighting. Some of the previous Knights had scored lucky hits on her, cutting small gashes into her chest, arms, and legs, before she put them down like the rest of their kind. She knew that if she was at full power she'd be an unstoppable force, hacking their enemies to pieces while Luna would have blasted many of them into the walls in an instant. They couldn't do that until Pandora shattered the chain that bound their powers, which wouldn't happen until she completed the Staff of Madness.
Another one of Relmyna's flesh creatures fell under the pressure of the Knights, who were starting to rapidly increase in number while the defenders numbers were decreasing. Relmyna herself was backed up against a wall, having been injured on her right arm and forced to back away before she had been cleaved clean in half. Luna was at the top of the steps, throwing whatever magic she still had left at whatever Knights dared to step foot on the steps while hacking at the others with her sword. Their forces were down to half power, which meant that if Pandora didn't complete the Staff soon there weren't going to be any more people guarding the palace door.
Just as she was about to stand up and deliver another devastating blow to another enemy she noticed that the fighting had suddenly stopped, with everyone staring at the top of the stairs. She turned towards the top and found Pandora standing there, with the Staff in her right hand, exactly like Sheogorath did, a strange chain in her left hand, and Haskill standing behind her.
"The Staff!" Relmyna breathed, amazed by what she was seeing, "It seems that her predecessor was correct to put so much of his faith into her from the beginning."
Several Knights, seeing the Staff, charged at Pandora and raised their weapons to slay her, but she simply held it before her and smiled, releasing some of the magic stored inside to tear the Knights into pieces, which turned into chunks of cheese. The remaining soldiers cheered for their Lord, shouting Sheogorath's name, while she presented the chain that Nightmare and Luna had been staring at. They knew what was coming, so before she broke it they stood near each other on the lower level of the stairs, bowing respectfully to the new Lord of the Shivering Isles.
"Nightmare Moon. Princess Luna." Pandora said, her voice carrying as if she was, indeed, the Madgod reborn, "For the last couple of days you have fought by my side and protected me when I needed you most, and for that I am eternally grateful to you. But you were both separated from each other and had your powers bound up, all in the name of my predecessor's game. For your service to me, and by extend to my predecessor, I shall shatter the bond that has been placed upon you two and awaken who you really are on the inside."
Pandora raised her left hand above her head and lifted the chain into the air, causing everyone, not just Luna and Nightmare, to stare at it in wonder and confusion. Then she tossed it into the air and called on the magic around her, focusing the lingering power of Madness and Order onto the chain in an intense beam of pure energy. Before their eyes the chain began to rust under the power of the new Madgod, until it finally shattered and was reduced to nothing, returning to wherever it had come from. As the chain disappeared from existence Luna's and Nightmare's earrings began to light up, exactly like Luna had enchanted them to do when this happened.
Energy began to gather around both Luna and Nightmare, forming a small vortex around them as their bodies began to change before everyone's eyes. Luna's wings grew out of her back, exiting from the holes that had been left in her armor, and her horn grew back to its normal length, all while her hair returned to its natural flowing state. Nightmare grinned as her horn grew back in, growing to match Luna's horn, as her own mane returned to the flowing state that had been taken from it. The two alicorns looked at each other, grinning as their alicorn magic flowed back into their bodies, before the energy around them expanded, connecting the two in a pillar of pure energy.
Pandora had to cover her eyes as the energy shook the ground, telling her that maybe it would have been a better idea to do this when they had defeated Jyggalag. It was too late to stop them from merging at this point, so she held her ground and watched the magic happen, just like everyone else that was in attendance at that moment. Then, just as quickly as it had started, the pillar cut itself off, though something slammed to the ground, exactly in the middle of where her two companions had been. When the dust cleared Pandora's eyes widened as none other than Nightmare Moon, the Queen of Knights, rose into a standing position and grinned at her.
"It is wonderful to be one person again," Nightmare said, though Pandora detected two voices still with one lowering in sound, "We thank you, Pandora, for restoring us to our former glory. Allow us to repay you by shattering your enemy's forces and revealing their master!"
Before Pandora could stop her Nightmare burst through the air and appeared before one of the small groups of Knights, swinging her arm as her weapon of choice, the battleaxe, materialized and cut into them, severing them into pieces in seconds. She turned around and her horn lit up, streams of magic flying through the air and causing the brutes they touched to explode almost on impact. One Knight hit her in the back, but she quickly turned around and smashed its chest with the base of her weapon, causing a ripple effect that slew many of the other Knights in seconds. The remaining Knights, Priests, and Brutes came at her at the same time, but she whipped the magic out of her flowing mane and her daggers tore into them, though those that remained quickly fell before her might.
As she cleaned up the mess of Knights that remained, and cutting into their reinforcements, she took the time to close the two obelisks, effectively severing the Knights from their base of operations. One tried to flee, something that Haskill noted as extremely odd, but Nightmare tore them down and smashed them into pieces until she was sure that each and every Knight had been dealt with.
"He'll be here soon," Nightmare commented, landing beside Pandora and Haskill while looking over the palace grounds, "there is no way he'd ignore us trashing his forces. Mark my words, Jyggalag will be here..."
Before she could finish the air in the middle of the palace grounds split open, though as they watched a large crystalline warrior, baring a large two handed claymore, appear before them before the hole sealed shut behind it. Pandora's eyes widened the moment the creature looked up at them, because for a moment she could have sworn that she saw a glimmer of Sheogorath inside. She knew who the monster before her was, as it could only be Jyggalag, the Daedric Prince of Order.
"You hold the staff," Jyggalag said, his voice almost as cold as winter and calculating at the same time, "but you are no Daedric Prince! It was just another of Sheogorath's foolish schemes! Tell me, what chance does a mortal have against a Prince of Oblivion? I'll tell you what the answer to that is; none. You stand absolutely no chance against me, mortal. Order shall rule this world once more, and the Greymarch will be complete!"
"My predecessor trusted me with the safety of this Realm," Pandora shouted, her armor phasing a bit to resemble a different suit than what the previous Sheogorath had worn, "and I shall protect it until the end of time if need be. You can claim from now till the end of time that Sheogorath is dead and that the Shivering Isles has no master, but that is where your wrong Jyggalag. I, Pandora Silverarrow, have been chosen to carry on the legacy of the Madgod, so by effect, Jyggalag, I AM the new Sheogorath and the master of the Shivering Isles."
"We'll see about that," Jyggalag replied, slowly drawing his sword out of its sheath and pointing it directly at Pandora, "mortal!"
Pandora growled and burst into the air, sailing right towards Jyggalag and swinging her staff at him, which he blocked with the edge of his massive blade before pushing her backwards. She flipped in midair and landed near on the lower level of the stairs, close to where Nightmare and Luna had merged together, but threw herself into the air as Jyggalag smashed the stone with his sword. He then swung in her general direction and the ground broke open, grey crystals shooting out of the ground and reaching for her each time until one nabbed her. Jyggalag seemed to smile for a moment, but then Pandora appeared behind him and smashed a fireball right into his back, all while her fake image shattered as the crystals consumed it.
Jyggalag spun around and swung at her again, but this time Pandora ducked under the sword and landed right in front of him, her staff raised as she blasted him at point blank range. As he stumbled back to catch himself Pandora backed up, dodging his blind swings while looking for a way to end this fight as quickly as possible. Jyggalag regained his sight not a moment later and came at her again, this time clipping her in the back and sending her right into the stone wall of the stairs. She coughed blood as she straightened herself, annoyed that she had left herself get hurt when her enemy was showing no signs of slowing down at all.
She channeled more magic through the staff and sent the charge right at Jyggalag, blasting the area around his feet and creating a screen of dust that would block his gaze for a moment. Jyggalag, having expected some form of trickery, turned around and brought his massive sword down on the area behind him, grinning until the dust cleared to reveal that he had hit nothing. Another bolt of energy collided with his back, causing him to turn around and find Pandora, in the exact same place she had been standing previously. The area around him grew cold and small grey crystals sprouted out of the ground as he realized that he, the Daedric Prince of Order, had been fooled by a pretend Prince of Madness.
Jyggalag, tired of Pandora's games, threw his hand out and caught her with his magic before throwing it towards the sky, sending her high into the sky itself.
"He's getting tired," Nightmare commented, watching the battle unfold between the Princes of Madness and Order, "this next exchange could very well be the end."
"How can you tell?" Relmyna, curious as to how the alicorn could determine whether or not a Daedric Prince was getting tired, asked "He looks angry, but not tired."
"He expanded quite a lot of energy to overcome Pandora's predecessor," Nightmare replied, "so he's currently weakened from having to fight his other half. Pandora, on the other hand, has only just begun to tap into her powers as the new Madgod, but she's burning herself out with every move she's making. This next collision of attacks will be the end and will seal the fate of the Shivering Isles."
"Why don't you run now?" Relmyna said, crossing her arms, "Your part in all of this is done, so why don't you return to whatever realm you came from and leave us to our fate?"
"It doesn't work like that," Nightmare said, sighing slightly, "If Pandora loses then I'll be sure to flee before Jyggalag destroys the Shivering Isles, but not before we see the end of this."
Jyggalag pulled his sword back and stared gathering energy into the blade, causing the area around him to appear like it was going through an ice age. Pandora, still in the air, saw him doing this and pulled her own magic into her staff, causing the air around her to spin around like it was a vortex of energy. Once she was sure that she would have enough to defeat her enemy she thrust the head of the staff towards the ground, where Jyggalag stood, and released the energy, allowing a massive sphere of madness to descent downwards. Jyggalag, seeing it coming, swung his sword and released his attack, a wave of grey energy erupting from the blade and surging towards the incoming sphere.
The connection between the two attacks shook the area above the palace, as Madness and Order clashed in a violent display of power between the two forces. A few moments later the energy began to move down towards Jyggalag, though he grunted from the effort and pushed back, causing it to go back to where it had been before. Pandora, seeing that this wouldn't be as easy as she thought it would be, pulled her arm back and threw the staff towards the ground, though she was surprised by what happened next. The staff sailed through the air like an arrow, cutting through the two attacks before it collided with her target, as it pierced Jyggalag's right shoulder and knocked him to the ground.
Before he had a chance to regain himself Pandora appeared on top of his chest and wrapped her hand around the staff, holding her hand in front of his face with a small sphere pointed directly at him.
"Give up Jyggalag," Pandora said, fully prepared to blast him in the face with what little power she had left at the moment, "You've lost this war of yours."
Jyggalag broke into pieces and materialized before her, though this time he was holding the wound she had dealt him and continued to glare at her. She had no idea if he still wanted to fight, but they were both getting low on energy and whatever came next would mostly be them clashing their weapons against each other.
"Enough!" Jyggalag shouted, much to the surprise of those that were watching the fight unfold, "I am beaten. The Greymarch is ended. For millennia this drama has unfolded, and each time, I have conquered this land, only to be transformed back into that gibbering fool, Sheogorath. It was not always so. Once, I ruled this Realm, a world of perfect Order. My dominion expanded across the seas of Oblivion with each passing era. The other Princes, fearful of my power, cursed me with Madness, doomed me to live as Sheogorath, a broken soul reigning in a broken land. Once each era, I was allowed my true form, conquering this world anew. And each time I did, the curse was renewed, damning me to exist as Sheogorath.
Now, though, you have ended the cycle. You now hold the mantle of madness, and Jyggalag is free to roam the voids of Oblivion once more. I will take my leave, and you will remain here, mortal. Mortal...? King? God? It seems uncertain. This Realm is yours. Perhaps you will grow to your station. Fare thee well, Sheogorath, Prince of Madness."
With his little speech done Jyggalag continued to break about until he had completely disappeared, no doubt leaving the Shivering Isles to seek a new land to build his own empire again. Pandora laughed and canceled her magic, swaying as her body finally caught up with her magic and began to fall to the ground until something caught her. She looked up to find that Nightmare had caught her, though she smiled and closed her eyes, letting the darkness take her at long last.
"Goodnight Sheogorath," Nightmare chuckled, finding it odd to call her companion by another name now, "you've earned it."
Pandora woke up from what she thought was a coma of sorts, confused as to where she actually was until she saw a familiar person standing next to her. Reality started to fill her sights as she realized that she was inside the palace of New Sheoth, sitting awkwardly on the Throne of Madness with Haskill standing next to her. She gazed to the other side of the chamber as her vision came back to her, finding a pair of Aureals and Mazken standing guard, to protect the throne against the enemies of Madness. Energy surged throughout her body, awakening her bones from their slumber and giving her the necessary strength to rise to a proper sitting position.
It was then that she spotted the staff resting across her lap, letting her know that everything she had done previously; reforging the Staff of Madness, granting Nightmare and Luna the power to merge into one being, proclaiming that she was the new Sheogorath, and taking on and defeating Jyggalag, the Daedric Prince of Order, in single combat, had actually happened.
"So it really all happened?" Pandora weakly asked, not even trying to bother anyone and got Haskill to turn his head and look at her.
"Ah, good morning Lord Sheogorath," Haskill replied, beckoning to someone nearby to do something before turning his attention back to her, "I trust you had a good nights sleep?"
"I guess so," Pandora said, not sure what to make of anything anymore, "Am I really the new master of the Shivering Isles?"
"Yes, you are," Haskill swiftly answered, not missing a beat at all, "exactly like your predecessor planned. Splendid battle by the way, taking on Jyggalag's Order and beating him into submission. That will be going into our history books for future generations to discover."
Pandora turned her gaze back to the throne room, her eyes rolling over every detail as she matched its current appearance to that of when she and her companions first entered the room. Besides a few trophies to show her journey through her predecessor's missions it almost looked like the exact same chamber, though she noticed someone was missing. Try as she might she could not find Nightmare anywhere, which only told her that her former companion was likely masking her magical aura.
"Ah, I see your looking for someone," Haskill commented, noticing how she was moving her head and her eyes, "You companion went out for a walk and said that she wouldn't leave until you were awake. Don't worry, she'll be back."
Not a few minutes after he said that the door opened, though Pandora smiled when Nightmare Moon, in all her dark glory, walked into the chamber like she owned the place. Apparently the guards didn't care about how Nightmare walked, no doubt because they saw her fight off so many Knights of Order and completely decimated them. They clearly weren't going to take the chance to anger her, least she turn her weapon on them and smash them into the ground, like she did to everyone else. Eventually Nightmare came to a stop before the throne, respectfully bowing to her with a grin on her face.
"Glad to see your awake Lord Sheogorath," Nightmare said, causing Pandora to moan at the mention of her new name and the reminder of her new position, "What? I have to show respect, otherwise your guards might get over their neutral position and decide to try and attack me."
"I am glad that you stayed to say good bye at least," Pandora replied, shaking her head, "I have to say, I wasn't expecting this outcome when we left Cloud Ruler Temple to investigate the strange door. Imagine me, a mortal from Nirn, becoming a Daedric Prince of Oblivion and defeating another Prince in single combat... I never would have expected it. This almost seems like an unreal dream and that I'm back in Cloud Ruler Temple, dreaming of something while we waited for Martin to figure out what to do next."
"I'm sorry to be leaving you here, to deal with your new duties," Nightmare said, shaking her head slightly, "I'd love to help you settle into the role you've found yourself in, but, as you previously mentioned, it is time for me to take my leave and travel back to Cloud Ruler Temple. I'm sure Martin's made progress with Mankar Camoran's evil tome. I shall give Rend and Shadow your greetings and the apology that you can't continue to aid them at this moment in time."
"I wanted to bring madness to the Empire's enemies," Pandora sighed, lifting her eyes so she could gaze at Nightmare again, "Go Nightmare, tell our companions.... no, our FRIENDS, about our adventure in the Shivering Isles and explain to them why I am unable to return to their side. I'm sure that they will see the reason why. And Nightmare, when this madness with the Mythic Dawn and Mehrunes Dagon is done, do visit me again. BEFORE you leave for your home world I mean."
Nightmare nodded and bid her friend farewell, turning towards the door and leaving Pandora to her fate as the new Sheogorath and master of the Shivering Isles. The guards saluted her out of respect, to which she nodded to them in return, before she stepped out into the open air and spread her wings, something she had missed when her magic had been bound. Once they were open she took off, taking to the skies so she could traverse the distance between the palace and the doorway she and Pandora had entered to begin this quest. As she flew over New Sheoth she spotted several of its denizens looking to the sky and either salute her out of respect or wave their own good byes to her.
Eventually she reached the doorway and immediately landed without delay, where she ducked into the magic and found herself back in Cyrodiil, standing outside the original doorway they had used. The guard that was guarding the door glared at her as he prepared his weapon, clearly wondering if she was a friend or a foe, but she paid him no mind. She flexed her wings and took off, correcting her course as she began the lonely journey back to Cloud Ruler Temple, so she could be reunited with her other friends.
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Martin stared out at the mountain side while he thought about what he had read in the Mysterium Xarxes, thinking back to the items that they would need to follow Mankar Camoran into his paradise. He was sure that the two of them could easily find the items they needed, but the pair insisted on making sure he was safe before they learned where to go first. He and Jauffre knew that they were waiting for Pandora and Nightmare to return to them, so that the four of them could travel together again. He sighed for a moment, knowing that their enemy had yet to make a move in recovering the book he had been studying, almost as if they were waiting for something.
It almost seemed like the Mythic Dawn had seen Nightmare enter the strange door they all knew about and they were waiting for her to return to Cyrodiil before they made their move. He started to turn so he could return to his new bedroom, but then he spotted something black soaring through the sky that was heading towards the temple.
"Jauffre! Rend! Shadow!" Martin called, falling back towards the safety of the temple as the three showed themselves, "We've got something coming right towards us."
The three of them, not to mention the majority of the Blades that were currently standing guard, drew their weapons and prepared for whatever was coming their way. Rend and Shadow watched as the figure, for that was the only thing that could move with such speed, rapidly approached the mountain temple. As the duo watched Rend noted that the night seemed to aid the person in their flight, almost as if it was being willed to aid whoever was coming their way. Then, just as he was about to ask Shadow about the figure, it corrected its course and descended down upon the temple, heading into the area between all of the Blades. As the figure touched the ground the shadows around it faded away, disappearing into whatever realm they had been called from as the identity of the figure revealed itself.
Rend, Shadow, Jauffre, and Martin, not to mention all of the assembled Blades, were surprised to find Nightmare Moon standing there, in all her glory.
"It is good to be back," Nightmare said, stretching her arms as she tucked her wings back in, before seeing that everyone had their weapons drawn, "What? Is the temple under attack? Has the Mythic Dawn found us?"
"You nearly gave me a heart attack," Martin exclaimed, though a smile appeared on his face as Jauffre calmed the Blades down, "Where's Pandora? I don't see her anywhere."
"We should talk inside," Nightmare replied, turning her gaze to Rend and Shadow, "I have quite a few things to tell you and I'd rather be sitting down than standing out here."
And tell them she did, as she spent the next three to four hours telling them how she and Pandora had entered the Fringe, where she had been split into two separate beings, the meeting with Lord Sheogorath, aiding the people of the Shivering Isles, Pandora replacing one of the leaders of New Sheoth on Sheogorath's orders, and the confrontation between Pandora and Sheogorath's original form, the Daedric Prince Jyggalag. She ended her tale with her having to leave Pandora in the Shivering Isles, so she could fall into her new role as the Daedric Prince of Madness and master of the Shivering Isles. Despite it not being completely necessary she also told them about herself before she became Nightmare, revealing the darkest part of herself to her companions.
Rend and Shadow were saddened by the loss of Pandora, though they understood that she needed to lead her new citizens and protect them from the enemies that wanted to drown the Shivering Isles in destruction. Martin was annoyed that Jyggalag, one of the most dangerous of the sixteen Daedric Princes, which was now seventeen thanks to Jyggalag and Sheogorath being separated into two separate entities, had been released into the world again. Martin was also interested in this other personality of Nightmare's, the Princess that was apparently locked inside Nightmare, though he knew he'd never get a chance to meet her.
"So...we're down a member," Rend said, sighing as he looked over at Nightmare, who was just looking at the table, "but we still have Nightmare to aid us. We can honor Pandora's memory by saving the Empire from Mehrunes Dagon, exactly like the Emperor commanded us to do so."
"It makes you wonder though," Shadow commented, resting his right hand under his chin, "The Emperor said that he saw a certain greatness in each of us, meaning in you, Rend, in myself, and in Pandora, despite how mad she eventually became. He must have seen that Pandora was going to eventually enter the Shivering Isles, battle the Daedric Prince of Order, and take over as the new Sheogorath. It makes you wonder what the Emperor saw in Rend and myself, what future he saw for the both of us. It truly makes you wonder what our destinies are, doesn't it?"
"I won't be focusing on that until we're done with the Mythic Dawn," Rend replied, staring at the map of Cyrodiil, "Now all we have to do is continue our mission and see what danger awaits us. This time it will be the three of us, but I'm sure that we'll do just fine."
"As long as Nightmare is here I doubt you'll miss Pandora that much," Jauffre commented... though Nightmare held up her hand to stop them all in their tracks.
"I made a promise to myself in the Shivering Isles," Nightmare sighed, preparing herself for what she was about to do, "Allow me to show the four of you the real me."
Rend and Shadow watched as the years rolled back, aging Nightmare from someone who looked like they were in their thirtieth year to what they looked like in their twentieth year. Her armor merged into a whole suit for a moment before it resembled a much lighter suit of armor, while retaining its ebony color and the moon emblem. Her hair lost the magical aura that held it up and returned to normal strands of hair, though it was light blue colored and cut much shorter than it previously was. Her battleaxe faded into whatever realm it was called from as another weapon replaced it, which happened to be a silver longsword with a moon emblem on the hilt.
"This is the real me," Nightmare eventually said, her voice lighter than what it was in her Nightmare state, "This is who I once was once upon a time... I am Princess Luna."
There was an awkward silence as Nightmare revealed the real her to the rest of her companions, almost as if they hadn't expected that she could willingly transform like that. It was a simple matter in the end, as all she really had to do was contain the power, or rather her emotions that had caused the change in the first place. The price for channeling her Nightmare state back inside of her was that it actually weakened her, which was why her hair wasn't flowing at the moment. She rarely changed forms at will like this, as it was usually a burst of emotion and power that allowed her to change from Luna to Nightmare Moon, which was usually supplied by her sister.
It would take her some time to regain enough power to be able to summon her Nightmare form again, but in the mean time she'd be able to aid her companions with her magical abilities... something that she had seriously missed when she was running through the Shivering Isles.
"Well, I for one have no problem with this," Shadow eventually said, breaking the silence as he looked up at Nightmare, Luna he mentally corrected himself, "There have been rumors of warriors roaming the lands, looking for the Queen of Knights so they can test their mettle and then, as they say, 'put her in her place'. With your magic bound up it will be much easier for us to move past those that are looking for a warrior from the Arena, as they won't be expecting us to suddenly have a mage with us."
"Especially if she's wearing an enchanted necklace to conceal her true identity," Martin commented, causing everyone to look at him, "What? If she crafted a special necklace that hid her wings and horn, or even just one of them, no one would be able to tell the difference between her and the Queen of Knights. They'd be looking for an alicorn, not a pegasus or a unicorn."
"Plus the Mythic Dawn will be looking for you as well," Rend added, recalling how the cultists wanted her dead when they invaded their shrine, "I don't see a down side to wearing a disguise at all. The choice, however, is yours Nightma... I mean, Luna, so don't let us decide what's best for you."
Luna sighed for a moment, mentally debating with herself about which said she should take, concealing or keeping herself in the open, before she and Nightmare came to a decision. She tapped her hand against the air and a small opening appeared before them, one that was barely large enough to hide a small chest of treasures inside. It was a secret that she had kept from her sister, where she could store her plans or her most treasured items without the fear of seeing them destroyed. She briefly opened the small chest, found the silver and emerald necklace she had hidden inside it, and closed the opening the moment the treasure was in her hands.
There were some things that she could not tell her companions, such as the fact that they were truly traveling with Princess Luna of Equestria while her counterpart, Nightmare Moon, wanted to take a break and watch from the shadows. Rend and Shadow had accepted that she could change at will and had different names that were linked to each form, but she had no idea how they would react if she or Nightmare told them that they had two companions in the same body. Pandora was the only one who knew that secret and neither Luna nor Nightmare were planning on revealing it anytime soon, if they could help it.
"This is a special necklace that I crafted a few years before... my imprisonment," Luna told them, not liking the whole her attacking her sister and being sealed on the moon for nearly a thousand years, "it was designed to mimic the powers of a changeling, though without meeting the Queen I could only do so much with it. The only ability it has is to conceal the part of me that I did not wish others to see, so that I could walk among them as an ordinary pony without raising suspicion. I'm glad I could summon it from this world, otherwise I would have had to craft another one and we simply do not have the time it would require to make one."
"Is it hard to make?" Martin asked, curious as to how hard it could be to craft a simple silver and emerald necklace and enchant it with the desired enchantment.
"Actually, it would be impossible in this world," Luna commented, looping it around her neck before its magic activated, causing her wings to disappear and her horn to shrink just a bit, "the key component to making one of these is the blood of a changeling. Now I did not go out into the night one evening to hunt down, tie up, and drain a changeling of some of his blood so I could make one of these for myself. Rather I was attacked by one of them in the Everfree Forest and merely defended myself, though I ended up using his blood to make a charm that not even my sister knew about. I had the feeling that she would destroy the necklace if she learned how I had made it, so I simply hid it away and called upon it whenever I needed it."
Rend, Shadow, and Martin looked at her changes and the necklace with awe, clearly ignoring the majority of her story on how she gained the ability to make such a necklace, though she was glad to have told it anyway. She looked over at Martin and cleared her throat, hoping that he'd move on with what their next task was now that he had plenty of time to research the vile book they had taken from Dagon's shrine.
"Ah, yes, sorry about that," Martin said, pulling out a book for the three of them to look at, "I've deciphered part of the ritual needed to open a portal to Camoran's Paradise. The Xarxes mentions four items needed for the ritual, but so far I have only deciphered one of them: the 'blood of a Daedra Lord'. In fact, daedric artifacts are known to be formed from the essence of a Daedric Lord, from whence they derive their great power. Not an easy thing to come by, obviously, but we will need a daedric artifact. Bring one to me when you have acquired one, though this should help you find one."
Luna looked at the book and opened it up, her eyes rolling over the words as she looked for something that could tell them were to find one of the artifacts. It wasn't until she was nearly done that she discovered the location of one such relic, one that happened to reside high in the Jerall Mountains. She then beckoned to Rend and Shadow to show them her findings, where Shadow produced a map of Cyrodiil and slowly connected the clues together. Not a few minutes later they had the location of the shrine dedicated to the Daedric Prince of Dusk and Dawn, Azura, which happened to be a few hours ride to the east.
With their destination in hand the trio departed from Jauffre and Martin, leaving the safety of the temple so they could reacquire their horses and be on their way. Luna was a little reluctant to ride a horse, but she decided to follow in her companion's examples so they be on their way without leaving a steed behind. She knew that if they left Pandora's horse behind the people of Bruma would become suspicious, which would lead to the Mythic Dawn hearing about it and come running as fast as they could. Soon the trio was leaving Bruma behind, though the three of them hoped that whatever enemies were around the city would follow them away from where they were hiding Martin.
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It took them some time, with several glances at the map to make sure that they were in the right place, before they found the statue that had been mentioned in the book. Getting up to it proved to me much tougher, though after some time they eventually found the pathway that would take them right up to the shrine, and to the cult that worshiped Azura. They all hoped that this cult would be easier to work with, as they didn't want a repeat of their encounter with the Mythic Dawn that would cause them to lose the only way to contact the Daedric Prince.
As the trio started to approach the shrine Shadow pulled back, causing Rend and Luna to follow him back to where the fork in the road was for a moment.
"Look, I'm a priest of the Nine Divines," Shadow reminded them, though he was mostly telling Luna everything, "and as such I would rather have nothing to do with one of the Daedric Princes. Personally I'd rather destroy the shrines and find another way to acquire one of their artifacts, but this is the only way at the moment. So the two of you will have to go to the shrine alone and ask what needs to be done to call upon Azura, which will likely involve killing something for her. I will wait here for you to return."
Luna nodded and followed Rend back to the shrine, where they found a group of worshipers, which was led by a dunmer, sitting around the shrine and bickering among themselves. They dismounted and approached the shrine, causing everyone that was sitting down to turn and stare at them, as if they couldn't believe that outsiders were coming to their shrine.
"You have entered a holy place," the dunmer told them, his eyes resting on them without missing a beat, "What is your business here, at the Shrine of Lady Azura?"
"We wish to summon Azura," Rend confidently replied, standing his ground while his hands touched the handles of his swords for a moment, "we require her aid so we can stop Mehrunes Dagon from destroying Cyrodiil."
The dunmer stared at him, as if he was considering having his followers attack the two of them in an attempt to drive them off, but the moment his eyes rested on his akaviri blades he knew they didn't stand much of a chance. He sighed for a moment and then beckoned them to walk towards him, so he could privately speak with them without the others hearing what he had to say.
"If you wish to speak to the Lady," he eventually said, beckoning to the Shrine behind him for a moment, "visit her Shrine at dawn or dusk. Leave her an offering of glow dust, and perhaps she will deign to speak with you. This is all I can tell you I'm afraid."
Rend nodded and turned back to his horse, causing Luna to follow behind him in confusion, wondering what they needed when they were so close to the time the dunmer specified. They traveled back to where Shadow was waiting, though they found him on his feet with his weapon drawn and a dead ball of energy resting on the road.
"Darn Will-o-Wisp," Shadow commented, sheathing his blade as he returned to his horse, "came out of nowhere and attacked me. Only thing it had on it was the glow dust they all carry, though we can sell that when we get back to town."
That was when Rend approached Shadow and had a small talk with him, apparently telling him how they actually needed some glow dust and he had just solved the problem for them. It saved them the trip of having to go to one of the nearby cities, find a shop that actually carried some of the dust, and then get back to the shrine at the required time they were told. This one act saved them so much time that he and Luna could call upon Azura, right now, and ask what needed to be done to acquire her artifact. Shadow sighed as he handed the dust over, watching the duo return, on foot this time, to the shrine and to its followers, much to the dunmer's surprise.
Rend stepped up to the shrine, placed the glow dust upon it as the offering, as the dunmer had told him, and stepped back just once, waiting for a sign that it had worked.
I have seen your name, Traveler, a voice said, causing Rend to look around for a moment, and heard it whispered in twilight. I ask a service, which holds promise of fame and reward. Many years ago, five followers slew the vampire Dratik and its kin, but all were infected by the foul creature. Knowing their fate, they sealed themselves up in the vampire's lair. Their suffering weighs heavily on me. Travel to the Gutted Mine. The door will open to you. Bring the peace of death to my followers, and you shall earn my gratitude.
Rend returned to Shadow with Luna right behind him, though both she and Nightmare had heard Azura speak to Rend and had heard her request to recover her artifact. Though the two of them silently decided not to tell either of their companions that they had heard the Daedric Prince.
"Gutted Mine is to the southwest," Shadow commented, once he had heard exactly what Rend had been told, "we should be able to get there in a few minutes. We get in, put down the poor people that were turned into vampires, and then return for the artifact. Then we get back to Martin and never speak of helping a Daedric Prince ever again."
Finding the cave was easy enough, so the three of them got off their horses and stood outside the entrance, Rend and Shadow checking their weapons while Luna readied her magic. Once they were ready they entered the cave, though once they stepped inside they found a vampire that had been making his way towards the now open exit. They stared at each other for a moment, mostly because there was shock in the vampire's face, before their target turned to flee into the cave and escape them. Luna, not wanting to alert the other four, summoned the shadows and trapped the vampire before he could reach the intersection before him, giving Rend and Shadow plenty of time to hack him into pieces.
Shadow nodded to the left passage and walked down it alone, promising that he would erase the vampires and make sure that neither of them escaped from him. Rend nodded and led Luna into the other passage, making sure that they walked passed any traps that their foes might have placed to hinder any intruders. As they turned the corner they found two more vampires, one male and one female, sitting at a table, though their heads snapped up the moment the duo entered the room. The vampires drew their weapons and charged forward, causing Rend and Luna to pull out their own weapons and parry the incoming attacks.
Rend caught his foe's blade above his head, though he spun around and cut the vampire in the chest, causing him to back up and prepare another attack. Rend side stepped the next attack, which happened to be worse than the first swing, and quickly took the vampire's arm, while also taking his sword. The vampire growled and came at Rend again, swinging his left hand at him and trying to rake his claws against his foe, though Rend simply dodged until the opening presented itself. He spun his swords around and cut into the vampire's chest, causing him to back up for a moment before Rend delivered the final attack and took his foe's head.
Luna, on the other hand, simply ducked out of the way of her foe's attacks, wrapping her shadows around her whenever the blade came close to hitting her. It was a simple tactic in her book, as it gave her plenty of time to consider her options with some constant feedback and tips from Nightmare. Her foe managed to slip through the magic for a moment, but she whipped her hand around and her magic smacked the vampire in the chest, knocking the wind out of her body. Then Nightmare, growing tired of watching the fight, directed Luna's next attack, so they whipped their magic around and took the vampire's weapon, before she plunged her longsword into the vampire's chest.
Once they were both done with their foes they moved into the other side of the cave, where they found Shadow standing over the corpses of two vampires. Luna noted that he was quick to cover up his neck with the edge of his robes the moment they appeared, as if to hide something from them, but she had definitely seen the movement and was sure Rend had not.
"The deed is done," Shadow commented, beginning the burial procedures of Arkay, "Give me a moment to deal with them and we'll go back to the shrine."
Luna and Rend went outside, waiting for ten minutes in silence before Shadow appeared, carrying a small urn that the two of them assumed was filled with the ashes of the vampires. He quickly spread the ashes around and got onto his horse, choosing to remain silent as they rode back to the shrine of Azura, who Luna was sure would be pleased with their deed. When they arrived at the shrine ten to twenty minutes later Rend was the only was to get off his horse, walking forward as he waited for something, anything, to happen.
Thank you, mortal. Rend heard, though he had been waiting for it, Their spirits are free, and henceforth, above my shrine, five bright candles shall burn forever in memory of their sacrifice. For your service, take this token, that your deeds might be entered in the Book of Fate.
Rend looked in front of the shrine as a star appeared before him, though the light faded until a stone with eight tentacle like branches, with a smaller stone in the center, appeared before him. The cultists behind him gasped and bowed, telling him that the item before him was the artifact they had come to retrieve, the artifact known as Azura's Star. Rend pulled the star out of the air, thanked the dunmer for his aid in calling Azura, and then returned to his companions, ready to deliver their prize to Martin.
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When the trio returned to Cloud Ruler Temple, on foot because they left their horses in Bruma, they were saluted by the Blades and they hurried inside. They entered the main area and found Martin reading from the book once more, clearly working to decode the rest of it so he could determine what else they needed to recover the Amulet of Kings. Martin looked up from the book and beckoned them over, clearly glad to have some time off from his attempts, while no doubt curious as to which artifact they recovered for him.
"I'm glad to see that your alright," Martin said, though his eyes told that he was searching for the artifact, "but have you acquired a deadric artifact for us to use?"
"Aye," Rend replied, pulling out the star and showing it to him, "Behind, Azura's Star."
"Ah, Azura's Star..." Martin commented, taking the star into his hands and studying it, "it is as beautiful as all the tales tell. I shall keep this safe while I send you on your next task; I need you to retrieve an artifact from one of the Divines."
"I said that I need you to recover an artifact that belongs to one of the Divines," Martin said again, not understanding what was so hard to believe about his statement.
"And how are we supposed to do that?" Shadow asked, having snapped back to himself, "Because, last time I checked, the major difference between the Divines and the Daedric Lords is that none of the Divines have a relic that is associated with them. Personally, I'd love to use such a weapon against the daedra that are trying to break into our world, but no such artifacts exist."
"Actually, Jauffre solved it our problem," Martin replied, a smile appearing on his face, "The blood of Tiber Septim himself, who became the Divine known as Talos. This is a secret remembered only by the Blades, passed down from one Grandmaster to the next. Jauffre should tell it to you himself."
The trio turned to Jauffre, who was just standing next to the wall the entire time, listening to their short conversation, while Martin returned to his table and continued reading to determine what the third item they needed was.
"So, Martin wants you to recover the Armor of Tiber Septim?" Jauffre innocently asked, trying to cover the fact that he had been listening to them the entire time, "I wish there was another way. The Armor is in the Shrine of Tiber Septim, in the catacombs beneath the ruins of Sancre Tor. A holy place, once. But Sancre Tor became evil long ago. No one has returned from the Shrine of Tiber Septim for many lifetimes. I do not know such a thing is possible. The catacombs of Sancre Tor were sealed by the first Grandmaster of the Blades. The four mightiest Blades of Tiber Septim's day, Alain, Valdemar, Rielus, and Casnar, went to Sancre Tor and never returned. Here, this is the key to Sancre Tor's outer door. I fear I am sending you to your death, but we have no other choice. You must succeed."
Rend reached to take the key, but he stopped just short of Jauffre's hand and looked over at Shadow, silently asking him if he wanted to be the one to carry such an important key. Shadow simply shook his head and Rend nodded in return, taking the key not a few moments later and backing up to the rest of the group. With the key in hand Rend then beckoned for the trio of them to get some sleep, so that they could get an early start and make their way to Sancre Tor before noon was upon them. Luna stayed back with Shadow, interested as to what was so special about the armor of some nordic hero that became a Divine after he had died.
"It is an ancient relic of the first Emperor, who became the divine Talos, the patron of our Order." Jauffre explained the moment that Shadow began to ask him about the armor, "After the Battle of Sancre Tor, Tiber Septim gave his armor to the Blades in honor of our role in his victory. The Blades built a shrine in the catacombs of Sancre Tor, on the spot where Tiber Septim received the blessing of Akatosh. The Armor has been there ever since. Before evil came to Sancre Tor, this shrine was a place of pilgrimage for all Blades. But no one has visited the shrine and lived to tell the tale in centuries."
Shadow nodded and thanked Jauffre for telling him what he could about the armor, knowing that it must have been hard for him to give up the location of such an important treasure to the Blades. Luna watched him for a moment, to be sure that he was going to go to bed, but Shadow walked outside the temple and she immediately followed after him. They were greeted by several of the guards, to which they both waved back to, before they walked out of the temple grounds and continued down the path for a bit. Once Luna was sure that they were about a third of the way down Shadow stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her.
"Your hurt, aren't you?" Luna asked, causing Shadow to raise an eyebrow in surprise before a sigh escaped his lips.
"How do you know?" Shadow replied, though his hand reached for his neck as if he was covering something up.
"You were bitten by a vampire," Luna told him, not even bothering to tell him that she had seen the wound for a brief moment before he had covered it up while they were in the cave, "Shadow, you need to get that looked at before you become one of them!"
"In case you haven't noticed we don't have the time to search for a cure," Shadow replied, beckoning towards Bruma, "How long do you think it will be before one of the townspeople realize that someone important is staying at the temple and start to brag about it? How long do you think it will be before the Mythic Dawn hears about it and sends more agents to check and be sure that Martin is hiding out in this very temple? How long until they summon the Oblivion Gates and attack the town, knowing that it would be the only way to drive the last Dragonborn Emperor out of hiding so they can finish this game of theirs?
We need to move fast and make sure that we can construct our own portal to Mankar Camoran's Paradise before he and his followers figure out that Martin is still alive and come here to look for him. I would gladly become a vampire, if it meant that we would be able to do our duty to this great Empire that much better. Who knows, maybe the Divines intended for me to become one for some part of my future to come true."
"Very well Shadow," Luna sighed, turning around so they could walk back to the temple and get some rest, "I shall let you do what you wish, but I would tell Rend of this decision of yours so he knows that you willingly became one for the sake of the late Emperor's quest."
Shadow waited there for a moment, silently debating whether he was making the right choice in the end, but decided that his mind was already made up and followed his companion back to the temple. When they reached the temple they found that Rend was waiting for them, but he simply beckoned for them to join him before they made their way to their beds. Luna made a note that their sleeping arrangements were simply bedrolls, but even as she did she heard Nightmare growl at her in reply. Luna had to stop herself from chuckling, as it seemed that her other personality had no sense of humor or even cared for some of her small remarks.
Eventually the trio of them turned in for the night, so that they could rest and get an early start on their next adventure.
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Morning, as it turned out, really didn't bring them any new developments. So, once the morning meal was finished, Rend, Shadow, and Luna bid Martin and Jauffre goodbye and, once again, made their way down to Bruma. The moment they reached their steeds and exited the city Shadow pulled out his map and pointed to an area that was to the west of their current location. It told Luna that he had, after she and Rend had gone to sleep, asked Jauffre where the ruins of Sancre Tor were located so they didn't get lost searching for it. Shadow recommended that they follow the road, until they reached the immediate area that their destination was in and Rend was quick to agree with his idea.
As they traveled towards their destination Luna kept her eyes out for any enemies that wanted to hurt them, like when Nightmare had traveled with Rend, Shadow, and Pandora towards Cloud Ruler Temple. Eventually they reached the ruins, where they quickly dismounted before stepping inside, though before they could get very far they found a bunch of skeletons rising from the ground. Rend and Shadow pulled out their weapons and approached the skeletons, smashing their weapons into them as Luna blew some other ones to pieces with a lightning spell.
It was a simple matter to find the main door that went into the depths of Sancre Tor, though Shadow and Luna defended Rend from whatever skeletons remained as he unlocked the door. The moment it was open the trio advanced inside, leaving whatever skeletons were left to do whatever they wanted until they returned to the surface. They advanced down the hallway that they found themselves in, weapons at the ready as they looked out for more of the undead and any clues as to how to move on. The chamber they came to was nothing to laugh at, but as the trio walked around they found several more undead that wanted them dead, which they put down quickly.
They eventually walked into a second chamber, but Luna held them back and pointed at a wandering undead, one that was wearing a suit of Blades armor and carrying an Akaviri katana, though Luna was sure that it was enchanted. Rend approached the undead Blade and caught the incoming attack, deflecting the blade and swinging his own sword back at his opponent, to which the skeleton raised its shield and blocked him. Rend leapt back and then tried again, spinning around with his blades and catching the undead Blade in the side, where the force of his attack separated his opponent into two halves.
The moment that the undead Blade was dead, again Luna mentally added for Nightmare's clarification, the area in front of Rend shimmered and a ghost appeared before him. The ghost claimed to be the ghost of Rielus, one of the four Blades that had come to the temple a long time ago and never returned, and thanked them for releasing him. Then he disappeared, though his voice echoed that he'd return to the barrier and remove one of the seals that blocked them from continuing onward. As they moved onward Rend knelt down to the Blade's broken body and collected the weapon, no doubt to give it to Jauffre when they returned to the temple.
The next area they came to was a large open cavern like area that appeared to branch off into three separate directions, excluding the path in front of them that would lead to the actual tomb of Tiber Septim.
"Three different areas," Luna commented, looking at their options for a moment before returning to her companions, "and each of them will have another of those undead Blades somewhere inside. Now here's the question; do we separate into single adventurers for the moment and divide and conquer, or do we do this as a team and knock each one out together?"
"I propose that we split up," Shadow said, glancing down at the door that was on their immediate left, "If we divide and conquer then we can save some time, because as each of us releases one of the Blades we can simply return to the center of this area and wait for the others to show up."
"Very well then," Rend replied, tightening his grip on his swords, "then that is what we shall do. I only ask that you make sure that you release the spirit of the Blade trapped in your area and collect their weapons, as they deserve to be returned to the temple with the others."
Shadow nodded and headed for his chosen door, while Rend and Luna traveled to the other two, where Rend stopped at the first one and let Luna have the last one. The three of them opened their doors at the same moment and prepared to face whatever challenges their chosen area had in store for them.
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Shadow walked into the hallway and looked around, searching for any clues that would either reveal any traps that the untrained eye would miss or tell him where something was located. While he searched it gave him some time to consider why Luna would suddenly suggest that they could split up and tackle their own areas of the ruin, when they were a formidable team. At first he wondered if it was simply just her way of wanting to save time, as if she had suddenly felt that her time on Nirn was running out or something similar, but then he decided that it had to be about their conversation.
He sighed as he walked further into his area, wondering why he had not brought up the fact that he had been bitten by a vampire, while doing something for a Daedric Prince no doubt, to Rend while they were traveling.
He then came to a chamber that had one of the former Blades standing guard, though he was in no mood to be playing games with the dead and drew out his weapon and shield. The undead Blade noticed him approaching and did the same thing, its akaviri blade and shield appearing in its hands as it readied itself for his arrival. As Shadow stepped into the open chamber he noticed several more undead rise from their graves to join the fight, almost as if something else was commanding them to fight as well. He even spotted one of them carrying a large two handed sword, the only problem was that it didn't look like it belonged with the people that had died down here.
"So, you've got backup," Shadow commented, preparing himself as he stepped closer to the undead Blade, "am I supposed to be impressed? I have allies as well, but they are not like the allies that you have. My allies are the Nine Divines, each of whom give me the strength to face the Daedra that threaten our world and protect those that call Nirn home. Come and feel Arkay's embrace once more!"
The skeletons charged at him, but as they neared Shadow blocked some of their attacks immediately and replied with his own attack, his weapon smashing into one of the skeleton's heads and crushing it into pieces. Two more came at him the moment their ally fell to the ground, but he raised his shield and allowed their weapons to hit the edge, where he spun around and cut the two of them in half. As they fell to the ground he spotted several more of them trying to flank him, while there was several more advancing from the front and trapping him by forming a circle. The undead Blade, he briefly noted, was simply watching and waiting, in the off chance that the other skeletons failed to take him down and forced it to do battle once more.
Shadow smashed his weapon into the skeleton that was carrying the two handed sword and turned around to cut down another one, but as he did so he found them swinging at him, forcing him to bring up his shield to block them. The great thing was that he managed to stop them in their tracks, but the downside was that they put enough power into their attacks and their blades cut into his shield. He grunted and tossed his now ruined shield forward, forcing the two skeletons backwards and making them pry their weapons from the shield before they could come at him again. He then tossed his ordinary sword into the body of one of the undead, breaking through the rib cage and scattering its bones everywhere, before he backed up and grabbed the greatsword.
Before that day he had never tried to use one of the two handed weapons, though when he lifted the greatsword he swore that one of the Divines was aiding him as he stood confidently before his enemies.
The remaining enemies, apparently growing tired of this game, charged at him at the same time, where Shadow swung his new weapon and smashed one of them in half before turning it around and shattering the chest of a second. The undead Blade, the final enemy in the area, approached him, but he immediately approached it and swung his new weapon at it, catching the edge of its own weapon and knocking it backwards. He then spun around, the blade cutting through the air as he took the hand of his enemy, his sword scattering down the hall while the Blade knelt on the ground. Before the creature got back up Shadow removed its head, allowing the ghost of the ancient Blade that had been sealed away in death to rise again and thank Shadow for rescuing him, before disappearing once more.
"Great Divines," Shadow said, collecting the Blade's sword, as per Rend's request, and sheathing his own weapon, "I thank you for the aid once more."
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Rend walked into the hallway he had chosen and held his swords out, his eyes scanning for any enemies that wanted to prevent him from freeing their souls and reaching his target. As he looked around he noticed that he was in what appeared to be a prison area, which told him that there had to be a Warden walking around with a key that he might need. The first chamber he came to was pretty much empty, but as he waited he spotted an undead appear, wandering into his sight for a moment before spotting Rend. They stood in their respective places, staring at each other for a few moments, before the undead pulled out its weapon and began to walk over to Rend.
Rend, on the other hand, sighed and dropped down into the area that the undead was in, swiftly approaching his enemy and swinging his swords at it. The skeleton raised its weapon to block him, but Rend pushed and forced his enemy to back up, repeating the process until the creature was up against the wall. Once that was accomplished he spun his blades around and cut the Warden into pieces, scattering the bones everywhere and dropping a key to the floor. He scooped the key up and approached the iron door that stood in his way, opening it immediately so he could face whatever madness was waiting for him.
He walked around the area, cutting into each and every undead that he saw and searching each chest for anything that would be of aid to him, until he returned to where the Warden had been.
"Wait a minute..." Rend said to himself, turning around and looking for a hidden path, "...where's the Blade I've been searching for?"
He retraced his steps, keeping an eye out for the one skeleton that would be wearing a set of Blade armor, until he, once again, returned to where the Warden had been defeated. He sheathed his swords and traced his steps once more, running his hand over the walls until he finally found a hidden area that he had missed after he had entered the area the first time. It was tucked out of the way, so he drew his weapons and walked into the small area, where he finally found the Blade that he had been searching for the entire time. The undead Blade turned around and looked at him, his weapon at the ready, but Rend merely sighed and pulled his own weapons out in response.
His swords clashed with the Blades own weapon, sparks flying as they battled each other, but neither Rend nor the undead Blade were willing to give the other any ground. That was until Rend pushed the former Blade back and cut into its leg, causing it to stagger for a moment before he drove his swords into the chest. Then, to be sure that the deed was done, he pulled them out sideways, scattering the bones like he had done to the Warden and ending the fight in an instant. He sheathed his own swords and collected the fallen sword, where he found the ghost of Valdemar standing before him, giving him the same thanks that his companion had given him earlier.
With the deed done he turned towards the hallway that would lead him out and began the trek back to the middle area, where he knew his companions would be waiting for him. If they weren't then he hoped that they were doing just fine in their perspective areas.
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Luna walked into her area and sighed to herself, wondering why she had decided to mention that splitting up would have been a good idea for them to consider. Her companions had decided to split up rather suddenly, barely giving the idea any thought, but where they would be alone in their areas Luna was not. Thanks to her constantly sending thoughts to Nightmare, so they could best decide how to do something, her other persona had taken it upon herself to finally reply in full force. The only reason she had waited until now was because they would be alone for the moment, though Luna suspected that she would recede the moment they were in the presence of their companions once more.
So, Nightmare said, what did I miss?
"Just looking for the armor of Tiber Septim," Luna replied, glancing around for enemies as she walked, "and yes, that means that we're searching for the armor of a mortal that became a Divine. Oh, and Shadow got bit by a vampire."
Seriosuly? Nightmare exclaimed, as if she didn't believe it, Why has he not gone to a temple and asked one of the Divines to cure him of his ailment, or just drink a potion to be rid of it?
"He doesn't want to waste time on himself," Luna told her other persona, summoning her lightning and smashing a skeleton to pieces, "He's content to become a vampire, so long as we continue the mission that the late Emperor gave him, Pandora, and Rend before he died."
I guess I can believe that... Nightmare sighed, though Luna shivered in the process, Still, neither of us would have asked any of our servants or warriors to carry such an ailment while on one of our missions. Granted we sent our soldiers out at night and made sure that they were well hidden during the way. We should try to talk some sense into him before he fully becomes one of them.
"Already tried that," Luna said, jumping back while throwing another spell at her enemies, "and I just told you what his response had been. Now I need to concentrate, otherwise I'm bound to miss..."
That was before one of the undead, one that had more armor than the rest of his brethren and a more sinister looking weapon, appeared by her side and swung its weapon at her. She expected the weapon to hit her hard and send her into the nearby wall, but instead she found an ebony battleaxe blocking the weapon in its tracks. That was moments before a shadowy version of Nightmare appeared beside her, forcing the offending undead backwards and causing the others to back up for a moment. Luna also noticed that the shadow was attached to her in some fashion, which likely meant that she'd return to her body once the battle was over.
Seriosuly? Nightmare exclaimed, smashing her battleaxe into the skeleton, Watch what your doing next time Luna.
"You kept distracting me!" Luna shouted back at her other persona, watching one skeleton scratch his head in confusion, "I was trying to fight my way to the undead Blade that I'm supposed to free, but you just had to ask me questions to sate your curiosity. I have shared everything with you anyway, so why would you bother with asking me questions?"
Honestly, I missed most of it. Nightmare replied, glancing at the undead and finding the target in seconds, I wanted to sleep and only woke when you shared something interesting or needed my advice on something.
Luna sighed and spotted the undead Blade that Nightmare had spotted, lightning coursing around her hand as her alternate persona swung her battleaxe around. Even without the appearance of her other side Luna would have been able to smash the undead easily, but now that Nightmare was out for the moment they trashed them completely. Nightmare surged forwards and smashed her weapon into several of the skeletons, scattering the bones while more of them came at her with their weapons drawn. Luna, on the other hand, stepped towards the former Blade and let her lighting surge forward, though it moved to the side and her attack collided with the wall.
It went like that for a few minutes, where Nightmare finished up her enemies and watched Luna, who was having trouble hitting an enemy that wouldn't stand still. Eventually Luna snapped and stopped using lightning, switching to a much darker magic that she had learned from one of her friends, who she and her sister missed with all her hearts. Dark energy rolled out of her eyes as the darkness in the ruin came to life, stretching outwards until the entire room had been swallowed by the darkness. The undead Blade stumbled backwards, giving her the opportunity to wrap the shadows around it and crush its body into pieces, scattering the bones before stopping the magic.
Oh nice, Nightmare grinned, just as the darkness returned to its natural state and Luna's eyes returned to normal, I didn't know you still cared to use Somb...
"DO NOT SAY HIS NAME!" Luna shouted, turning to face her alternate persona, "My heart is in pain because we lost him, because we did not see how dangerous Discord's influence could be on someone who controlled Dark Magic. My pain is only a fraction of the pain that our sister feels, caused by our own betrayal and by the loss of a pony that she loved with all her heart. I will not have you opening any more old wounds right now, Nightmare."
Nightmare was used to being able to chill the air with a simple change of her tone, but to have someone, even her original persona, use it on her was unsettling. She could have sworn that Luna was assuming some aspects of her own form, such as the tone, almost as if they were becoming more alike then she was willing to admit. She floated before Luna for a moment, wondering if she should just assume control again, but sighed and sank back into nonexistence, returning back to a voice in Luna's head. Luna, once the deed was done, collected the fallen blade of her enemy and exited the area, wanting nothing more to do with this section of the ruin.
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"Luna!" Rend said, standing next to Shadow and watching their companion return to them, "I was beginning to wonder what happened to you and worried that we'd have to come looking for you."
"I... I am fine," Luna replied, beckoning towards the final door, "Shall we acquire Tiber Septim's armor and get out of here?"
Rend nodded and they began the journey to the final door, where they found all four ghosts standing their ground, moments before they knelt towards the final coffin. The shimmering barriers that were protecting the coffin from everyone phased in and out for a few moments, where the three of them wondered if they were going to fall, before they disappeared. With the deed done the trio walked towards the coffin, silently waiting for anymore enemies to appear and attack them, but as they approached their target they found nothing like that.
Luna had to admit it when she saw the armor of the mortal turned Divine, the golden armor with the symbol of the Empire, but she was impressed by what she saw. It reminded her of her sister's golden armor, to which she mentally heard Nightmare gag, while the only difference was that this armor was more decorated. Rend gently lifted the armor off of its resting place, waiting for enemies to appear, before he sighed and smiled to his companions.
"Success is ours," Rend told his companions, "Now let's get out of here and get this to Martin at once."
Luna, Shadow, and Rend left Sancre Tor, returning to where they had left their horses, where they geared up and began the journey back to Cloud Ruler Temple. As they rode along the road Shadow carried the Armor of Tiber Septim on his horse, studying the ancient armor of the man who had become the Ninth Divine. Shadow, being a priest of the Nine Divines, had read every book he could get his hands on that said something about any of the Nine, even the ones referring to Pelinal Whitestrake, the legendary Divine Crusader. A warrior that wore a special set of armor that was blessed by the Eight, before Tiber Septim became Talos and the Eight became the Nine, but the armor and weapons had been lost to time itself.
As they rode Shadow had to believe that the Relics of the Crusader, as the armor had come to be known as these days, were likely lost to history and would never see the light of day again.
"So, Luna," Rend said, turning to face his companion, who was riding alongside him at the moment, "What do you plan on doing when we're done with the Mythic Dawn and Mehrunes Dagon?"
"I'll figure out a way to return to Equus," Luna replied, glancing up at the night sky for a moment, trying to determine which star was her home, "and then I shall serve the rest of my sentence before I can return to my sister."
"WHAT?!" Shadow exclaimed, clearly shocked by what she had said while Rend just raised an eyebrow at her, "What do you mean by 'serve the rest of my sentence'?"
"I haven't been entirely truthful with either of you," Luna sighed, grateful that Nightmare was asleep so she didn't have to hear her tell their companions the truth that she should have told them before, "Back when my sister and I ruled over Equestria, which is only a continent of our world called Equus, our ponies worshiped Celestia as if she was a Goddess, all while ignoring me. In the beginning I didn't mind the treatment, as I was busy hunting down monsters that would ruin the lives of our ponies, but I still held their actions close to my heart.
Eventually I began to get angry with my sister for taking all the spotlight for herself, which, in time, led to me finally growing to hate Celestia for allowing our ponies to fear and shun our night. Then one day I snapped, allowing the darkness to overtake my mind and create a second personality, the one that ponies came to know as Nightmare Moon. In my rage I planned to bring about 'Eternal Night', where ponies would be able to enjoy my night and involved me tearing down my sister in the process. I so was blinded by my anger that I failed to account for the Elements of Harmony, which Celestia used as a last effort to make sure I didn't harm Equus in my rage.
And so I was banished to the moon, where I ended up spending the last eight hundred years pouring my magic into the moon so I could unleash a spell that would allow me to escape my prison. I'm sure that when my spell went wrong, and was sent across space to Cyrodiil as a result, the Daedra and the Divines felt my arrival in your world, in the Arena. The rest you already know, as we have shared everything on our adventure together."
"So that's the story we asked for in the beginning of this adventure," Rend commented, a smile appearing on his face, "but while I'm sure that we haven't heard the entire story I'm willing to leave it be. Whatever you did in Equus is your business, as your helping us defeat Mehrunes Dagon and not seeking to end our world."
Luna sighed and allowed herself to become silent, so that the three of them could travel without raising the alarm for any members of the Mythic Dawn that could be near them. There was so much more that she could tell her companions about herself and her various incursions into the night, where she defeated and imprisoned many of the horrors of the night so her ponies could live peacefully. She was sure that they would be amazed by quite a number of her tales, though she was sure that she wouldn't be telling them any of them anytime soon.
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When they finally arrived at Cloud Ruler Temple it was night time again, exactly like when they had returned to Martin to give him the artifact of the Daedric Prince Azura. The guards that were waiting outside saluted them as they climbed up to the training area, which they quickly crossed before they entered the main hall of the temple. Jauffre and Martin were where they had been when the trio had left the temple earlier that morning, though by the look on Martin's face it was clear that he wasn't having any luck on his end.
"The Armor of Tiber Septim himself!" Martin exclaimed, closing the vile book that he was trying to decode and approaching them, where he touched the armor that Shadow carried, "Jauffre will be amazed to see it. You can reassure Jauffre that I will not destroy the armor. All I need is a scraping of Talos's divine blood. The Blades are as touchy as priests about relics of Tiber Septim, it seems!"
Luna could have sworn that Martin ignored that Jauffre was even in the chamber to begin with, though she was quickly reminded that he was there when she heard him cough at Martin's comment.
"What's next on our agenda?" Rend asked, curious as to what they needed to do to acquire the third item that would allow them to open the portal they needed to open to get the Amulet of Kings back.
"I'm afraid that I don't know," Martin admitted, sighing as he faced the evil book, "It's only a matter of time before I decipher the third and fourth ingredients for the ritual, but I don't know how long it will take me to do so. I have heard rumors that some of the Divine chapels around Cyrodiil have been hit by some deranged cultists. I don't know if the Mythic Dawn are trying to weaken the people by attacking places of worship, but someone should look into it before it gets out of hand."
"I shall join the guards and make sure that the temple is safe," Rend replied, turning to Shadow for a moment as if a thought came to mind, "Come to think of it, this happened when we got the book the first time; Pandora and Nightmare, Luna I mean, left for the Door to the Shivering Isles and defeated the Daedric Lord Jyggalag. We're halfway through the book and now a new threat is knocking at our door, in a manner anyway, and we'll have to deal with whoever is doing this."
"It does seem odd doesn't it?" Jauffre commented, adding to the conversation as he approached them, "The door to the Shivering Isles opened and Pandora, who was infected with Sheogorath's Madness, jumped at the chance to travel there and see what was happening. Now chapels across Cyrodiil are being attacked, which is almost like someone is attacking the Divines themselves, and Shadow is the only one among us that is a Priest of the Nine. Shadow, you need to get to Anvil and speak to someone that the people refer to as the Prophet, who might be able to tell you what's going on."
"I shall depart in the morning then," Shadow said, bowing before Martin for a moment before turning to Luna, "So, Luna, seeing how you traveled alongside Pandora in the Shivering Isles, I have something to ask you. Will you travel by my side and see who's responsible for attacking the chapels?"
"I would be honored," Luna replied, surprised that he even had to ask her at this point, "We'll find whoever is behind these attacks and we'll put them in their place."
Shadow nodded and beckoned to the table where they had been eating their morning and evening meals for the last couple of days, where Martin and Rend were moving to. While they ate their evening meal Rend began to tell Martin of the tale that Luna had briefly described to them on their way back, to which Luna told him everything that she had told Rend and Shadow. It was clear that Martin was worried that they had someone like Luna aiding them, to which she told them that her sister could handle things for two hundred more years, when her official banishment would end.
While they spoke Luna mentally sighed and wished that she knew how to return to Equus, so that when they saved Nirn from Mehrunes Dagon she had the knowledge to open the way.
When the evening meal was over Rend, Shadow, and Luna excused themselves, returning to where their bedrolls were located and prepared themselves for some rest. Rend fell asleep in seconds, though while Luna stayed awake for a few minutes, to make sure that nothing was wrong, she noticed that Shadow got up and left the room. She sighed and pulled herself out of her bedroll, silently following after her friend until they reached the area she had confronted him earlier, though she didn't let him see her. Shadow stopped after a moment, as if making sure that the coast was clear, before he dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around his body.
Even from where she was waiting Luna could hear the sounds of Shadow biting back his cries of pain, as his body was twisted as he became a creature of the night. It pained her to see it happen to her friend, the shadows wrapping around Shadow's body and empowering him, while distorting the color of his eyes to a blood red color and sharpening some of his fangs, but he had chosen to go through with it. After a few moments of making sure that he wasn't going to charge down the hill and tear open someone's neck, as was the custom of many few vampires on the night of their creation, Luna sighed and returned to the temple, where she settled into her bedroll and dozed off.
A few minutes later she heard the door open and close, all while hearing Shadow settle into his bedroll, though she had to wonder what he had done before returning to the temple. She sighed and closed her eyes, drifting off into the dream world until morning came to her and her companions.
When the morning arrived Luna wasn't surprised to find that all of the Blades that guarded the temple were already out and about, while Rend was strapping on his own set of Blade armor. Luna felt that it was appropriate, as he had been welcomed into the Blades and was no doubt ready to continue protecting the next Emperor of Tamriel. As she got out of bed and stretched her arms she glanced over at where Shadow was, who was beginning to stir and gave her a short glimpse of his new eyes.
"Jauffre informed me earlier that two members of the Blades were slain to the east," Rend commented, not turning around to face his companions as he tightened his swords to his belt, "I'm heading out with him to recover their blades and give them a proper burial, where we'll be sure that the Mythic Dawn won't discover them."
"We'll be sure to return to the temple when we're done with whoever is behind these attacks," Shadow replied, though Luna noticed a small change in his voice, "Don't worry about us Rend; we'll be sure to kill the Daedric worshipers that are behind this when we find them."
Rend nodded and opened the door, before turning around for a moment to wish the two of them luck on their quest and then walking out into the training grounds. Luna cast her head around and made sure that they were the only ones left in this section of the temple before making Shadow stay where he was standing.
"We have to get moving," Shadow said, wondering why Luna wanted them to wait a moment before leaving, "I need to find whoever is behind these attacks and then make sure they're removed from Cyrodiil."
"You need protection," Luna replied, her magic opening her storage area and allowing her to remove a second necklace, which she presented to Shadow, "This is a very special necklace I created for vampires, which will allow them to look normal while it is worn and receive no damage from the sun. Before you tell me you don't need it I'll tell you something; I saw you change last night and I don't want you weakened from having to deal with the sun. You'll still need blood, but this will allow you to be as normal as possible."
"Is there anything you don't have in that storage area of yours?" Shadow asked, taking the necklace and slipping it on.
"There's plenty it doesn't have," Luna commented, sealing the storage area again as she faced her companion, "Let's head to Anvil and see whose behind these attacks. I'm itching to put some more Daedric Worshipers down."
The duo left the temple and traveled to Bruma, where they picked up their horses, where Rend's was currently missing, and got on the road almost immediately. When Luna asked where Anvil was located she learned that it was the city passed Kvatch, just along the coast, and that it would take most of the morning to reach their destination. While they traveled to Anvil Luna was surprised to find that there wasn't too many bandits or wild creatures that wanted them dead, as she had seen when Nightmare had started her journey with Rend, Shadow, and Pandora.
To pass the time Luna inquired about the Nine Divines, wanting to learn as much as she could about the mysterious beings that many people in Tamriel worshiped. It was during this that she learned that Shadow had been in the process of a pilgrimage to the Nine, where he planned on asking them for guidance. He had visited eight of the nine shrines, but before he could visit the ninth one he had returned to the Imperial City, where he had been arrested with the rest of their companions. His plan, he told her, had been to save the shrine of Talos, which was close to the city, for last, as it would take some time to reach the other eight and he wanted the ninth to be easy. The only reason he hadn't completed the pilgrimage was because he was fulfilling the wish of the late Emperor.
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When they arrived in Anvil, and left their horses at the stables until they found the Prophet, they weren't surprised to find so many people gathering around the chapel. It was clear that they wanted to see what had happened to their place of worship, but Luna could tell that they were also scared for their own safety. As the duo walked around the assembled group, which ended up blocking their view of what happened inside the chapel, they also asked around for the person they had come to see. Many of them had absolutely no idea who the Prophet was, despite the fact that he was reported to be in the city somewhere, until they neared the chapel doors and asked one of the guards that prevented people from entering.
It was then that they were told that the person they sought was actually across the street, preaching about some mythic and terrifying entity that had returned and that a champion was needed to defeat it. Shadow glanced across the street and noticed the person almost immediately, wondering how they had missed the man in the first place. They cut through the crowd and approached the man, who was finishing a segment about someone known as Umaril the Unfeathered, someone that Shadow believed was connected with Pelinal Whitestrake, the Divine Crusader.
"And what can I do for you?" the man asked, beckoning them closer as the crowd began to disperse.
"I wish to stop whoever is behind the chapel attacks," Shadow responded, bowing his head slightly, "I may not be a knight, or have any accomplishments like my companions, but I am a Priest of the Nine and I will not stand to see their places of worship attacked and their priests slaughtered like cattle."
"Maybe you are the one," the Prophet commented, studying Shadow as if he was trying to determine something that only he knew about, "Yes, maybe you could recover the Relics of the Crusader and defeat Umaril the Unfeathered. I would ask of you one thing, visit each of the nine wayshrines and pray to their respective Divine, so that you might receive a vision and begin your quest."
Shadow nodded and accepted the parchment that the Prophet wanted to hand him, knowing it would likely show where one wayshrine, belonging to one Divine each, would be located. His plan was to finish his own pilgrimage, in the off chance that visiting Talos' wayshrine could show him exactly what he needed to know. He beckoned to Luna and they immediately departed from Anvil, returning to their horses before beginning the ride back to the Imperial City. This time when they traveled on the road Shadow remained silent the entire time, leaving Luna to wonder what was going on inside his head.
The only down side to Luna wondering about her companion was that it woke Nightmare up, leaving them to get into a mental conversation that lasted until they reached the Imperial City.
Instead of heading into the city Shadow led them around the long way, passing a couple of people that were getting ready to depart to some part of the province. As Luna discovered some of the wayshrines weren't that hard to find, as Shadow easily traced the way down to the south a bit and they found what they were looking for. Luna had to admit that, while it was okay for the chapels to be fancy and whatnot, the wayshrines were basically a circle that consisted of white pillars, which spoke to the humanity behind the Divines. Shadow told Luna to wait by their horses and approached the wayshrine of Talos alone, kneeling before the shrine and beginning his prayer almost immediately.
Before he knew what was happening his vision dimmed and he felt himself being moved, before his vision was restored and he found himself above the Imperial City, high in the sky above it. In front of him stood a lone figure, one that was dressed in armor that appeared to be different than any he had seen before, yet strangely familiar. That was before Shadow realized exactly who was standing before him and bowed his head in respect, for he was in the company of Pelinal Whitestrake.
"Hail knight!" Pelinal called to him, as if reciting something that he had memorized at one point in his life, "You seek my Relics with a worthy heart! Your prayers have woken me from my endless dream. Or perhaps you have entered my dream, and I still sleep. I think others have sometimes spoken to me, others like you, but my memory is doubtful. Perhaps the others came after you. Your need must be great for the gods to allow us to speak. Has Umaril the Accursed found a way back? The foulest of a foul race. A thousand curses upon his unholy name! I thought I'd won. But I should have known. The Slavemasters are a cunning breed. Umaril found a way to cheat death, as I could not.
If you would seek for my Relics, I know little that can help you. All that has passed since my death is like mist that my mind cannot take hold of. My friends built a shrine upon the site of my death, where the Elves tormented me in a final act of revenge. I can show you where it once stood. Perhaps it is there still. Fare thee well, sir knight. May the gods grant you to destroy Umaril utterly, as I failed to do."
Then, before Shadow could even say anything, he disappeared and his eyes snapped open, revealing that he was still kneeling before the wayshrine. He pulled out his map and found a new location, one that hadn't been marked before their departure from Cloud Ruler Temple, clearly marked for him. He smiled and returned to his horse before leading Luna towards the ruin that had been marked for him, telling Luna about his vision and his meeting with Pelinal himself. Not ten minutes later they stood above the location of the ruins, which was under water at the moment and forced them to dismount the instant they arrived.
Luna, seeing the path to the entrance, summoned her magic and pushed the water back, creating a dry path that they could easily take without drowning the inside as well. Once they were inside Luna released the magic and they moved on, their weapons at the ready as they searched for any enemies that wanted them dead. The first chamber they came to had nothing in the way of enemies for them to fight, which only confused Shadow when they entered the second chamber and found no one as well. As Shadow searched for a way to open the door, of which he sure existed, Luna sighed and touched a spot on the wall, which opened the door for them.
The next area they entered had the enemies they sought, which converged on them the moment they passed through the now opened secret door. Luna smiled and summoned her magic, smashing several of their enemies with lightning and scattering their bones, while Shadow easily carved his foes into pieces. It was during this time that Luna watched her companion wield his new weapon, to which she was surprised to find that he could easily lift and swing it, something that she contributed to the Divines. Once the wave of enemies were taken care of Luna cast a spell and allowed them to levitate to the lower floor, where they found a tunnel that led to another area of the ruins.
They took their time searching the immediate area, cutting and smashing every skeleton that came their way as they considered what they needed to do next. After a few turns they found a camp that looked as if it had been taken apart, with the skeleton of someone resting on the ground and a shield resting nearby. Shadow, feeling that the fallen skeleton was important, searched the bones and removed three items; a special custom made ring, a key to something, and the warrior's skeleton. Once the items were collected, with Shadow slipping the ring on in case it was something needed for the relics, he moved to the railing and looked down at the lower level, his jaw dropping the moment his eyes noticed what was down there.
"What's up Shadow," Luna asked, wondering what was taking her companion so long to move from the railing.
That was before Shadow, not caring for his body at the moment, leapt over the side and hit the floor, picking himself up and approaching the item he had seen. Luna sighed and cast the levitation spell once more, floating down to see her companion standing over a stand with a helmet resting on the top of it.
"The Helm of the Crusader," Shadow said, awe filling his voice as he gently removed the Divinely blessed artifact, "I honestly wasn't expecting to find one of the artifacts here, yet I am pleased to say that I have never been more glad to be wrong in my entire life. This is the first of the eight relics that were lost to be recovered, so we had best get out of here and find where that knight came from."
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When they emerged from the ruins and got on their horses Shadow admitted that he needed some time to read the journal they had found on the knight's body, as he had no idea where to go next. Luna decided that Anvil was a good place to start, as it meant that they could ask the Prophet any other questions that they might have had still. Though not ten minutes later Shadow closed the book and told her that they needed to head to a location near Skingrad, which meant they had to go back near Kvatch.
As it turned out they didn't stay on the road when they neared the city, as Shadow continued off into the wilderness as the day slowly turned to night. They silently road into the countryside, making sure that the nightlife stayed away from them until they came to a set of buildings that looked like the Weynon Priory. Shadow beckoned to it and they found a place to rest their horses, before climbing off and heading into the main building, which looked almost deserted. As they walked inside Shadow found a symbol engraved on the floor, but he wanted to be sure the coast was clear before they tried to open it.
Once they were sure that they were safe Shadow approached the symbol and pressed the hand wearing the fallen knight's ring against it, allowing the secret passage to reveal itself. He steadied himself before walking down the steps, where they found an undercroft that was protected by eight ghosts, each that looked like they were waiting for someone to arrive. Sitting at the back of the room, protected by an enchantment that was no doubt connected to the eight ghosts, was another relic that Shadow had read about and thought to be lost by many; the Cuirass of the Crusader.
"By the strength and guidance of the Nine," one of the ghosts said, stepping towards them, "who comes before us upon this sacred ground seeking the Cuirass of the Divine Crusader?"
"Sir Amiel?!" Shadow exclaimed, having recognized the ghostly knight due to the journal he had finished reading earlier, "I Shadowscale, Priest of the Nine Divines, have recovered the Helm of the Crusader and have come here, to the Priory of the Nine, to learn what must be done to recover the rest of the Divine Crusader's armor."
"Step forward, adventurer," Sir Amiel replied, beckoning Shadow to step forward, "and face us each in honorable combat. For the vows we failed to revere in life, we shall uphold in death. No unworthy soul shall lay hands upon this sacred artifact without the leave of the Knights of the Nine. Sir Gregory, you are up first."
Sir Amiel moved to the side of the chamber while Luna leaned against the wall that held the door they had used to enter this area, but Shadow wasn't afraid to face this trial alone. As one of the seven remaining ghostly knights stepped forward Shadow reached into his robe and drew out the greatsword he had picked up in Sancre Tor. He spun it around and swung it at the ghostly knight, Sir Gregory, who parried the attack with his shield, though it was clear that the power behind the attack was more than he was expecting. It was then that Sir Gregory pulled his arm back and swung his longsword at Shadow, who raised the handle of his weapon and blocked the blow before it could touch him. Then Shadow forced the knight back, opening him to being wounded, and swung his greatsword, cutting into the knight's chest and knocking him to the ground.
"Sir Gregory, you are defeated," Sir Amiel called out, the fallen knight getting onto his feet and returning to where he had previously been standing, only this time he was kneeling, "Sir Casimir, please step forward."
Shadow beckoned the second knight forward, politely waiting for him to draw his weapon and shield before even thinking of swinging his own weapon at him. When Sir Casimir drew closer to him Shadow's greatsword was in motion, bashing against the shield before he leapt backwards to avoid the longsword. Then he drew closer once more, allowing their weapons to clash with each other before Shadow smashed through his defenses and defeated the knight. Once Sir Casimir was defeated Sir Amiel called the fallen knight to rest, which resulted in the knight kneeling before them, and then called the third knight into battle.
That's how it went for the next forty-five minutes, where Shadow spent some time studying each ghostly knight to see what they're fighting style was, but then noticed that they all fought in the same manner. He gave them a chance to defeat him, though after knocking the fifth knight onto his rear he realized that he had the upper hand, as if the Divines were backing him. Once the seven knights had fallen in battle and were kneeling before them Sir Amiel drew his sword and challenged Shadow, acting as the last line of defense between the Cuirass and those that wanted to take it.
In the end Shadow pushed Sir Amiel backwards and disarmed him, allowing the longsword and shield to hit the ground away from the knight before the ghost surrendered to him.
"Sir Knight," Sir Amiel said, kneeling like the other knights, "in three hundred years none have stood against us and lived. Step forward and claim what is yours by right. May your faith be true."
Shadow leaned his greatsword on the wall and approached the Cuirass of the Crusader, awe clearly filling him as he drew the second Divine Relic from its resting place. He stared at it for a moment, in both awe and wonder, before he sighed and gently set it down where it had been resting, though he followed it by taking off the top of his robes. A moment later he picked up the Cuirass and slipped it on, awe filling him even more as it fit him perfectly, almost as if it had been made for him and not for Pelinel. Once the armor was on he picked up the section of his robe and draped it over his body, using it to cover the majority of his chest so none would see the suit he wore.
"I have found the Helm and the Cuirass," Shadow told the ghostly knights, all of whom turned and faced him, "and I shall do the same with the remaining relics. Tell me about your individual quests and I shall seek out the relics that were lost."
Luna stood beside Shadow as he listened to four of the former knights; Sir Casimir, Sir Ralvas, Sir Henrik, and Sir Juncan, explained what they had done on each of their quests, using the journal of Sir Amiel to write down each of their details for when they left the priory. It was during this that Shadow learned that Sir Casimir lost his temper and killed a beggar in the Chapel of Stendarr in Chorrol, causing the Gauntlets to fall from his hands and turn as heavy as stone. Sir Ralvas reported that he fell hundreds of times to recover the Mace of the Crusader, located in Leyawiin's Chapel, and that to claim the weapon one must 'walk in the faith', which the knight claimed he didn't know the meaning of. Sir Henrik told them that he died defending the Shield of the Crusader at Fort Bulwark, near the Black March border, and had no idea what would be waiting for them. Sir Juncan, the last of the four knights, claimed that he had no idea where to find the Boots, but did tell them that they would need to find a Priest of Kynareth before they could find the relic.
Shadow thanked the four of them and beckoned for Luna to follow him upstairs, where he planned on telling her which of the four relics he would be going after first.
"Chorrol is to the north of Skingrad," Shadow said, placing his greatsword back in its holder, "so we can recover the Gauntlets first and then head to the Imperial City to ask around for a Priest or Priestess of Kynareth. I have the suspicion that to recover the Mace we'll need to find and use another of the relics, which ties into the 'walk in the faith' line."
"Sounds like a plan," Luna replied, making sure that her gear was in order before they left, "I hope that we get to the city quickly, that way we can ask around and figure out if there is anything more to this particular relic than what the former knight was willing to tell us. Or rather if anything has been added since he went questing with it and lost it in the first place."
"I wouldn't have guessed that you were interested in ancient relics," Shadow commented, just as they left the building they were in and began their journey to their chosen destination, "but then again, after seeing all of the items that you have, and those that are kept in your storage area, I really shouldn't be surprised by this turn of events. Are there any interesting relics that you've discovered in your world? Anything similar to the Relics of the Crusader?"
Luna remained silent for a moment, thankful that the Nightmare had returned to her rest and wouldn't be woken for some time, because there was only one set of relics that were even interesting to talk about. To be fair she couldn't even classify the Elements of Harmony as relics, as neither she nor her sister had any idea who had created them or what their true purpose was. There was actually not a lot she could tell her friend about the Elements, mainly because she didn't know too much about the six mysterious gemstones. Though as she thought about the Elements she remembered speaking with Starswirl about the weapons he carried, the ones that seemed to radiate with pure magic.
"One or two," Luna finally replied, sighing as she walked along side her friend, "Starswirl the Bearded, who taught me and my sister about magic when we were younger, always carried with him two special weapons that he had created; his sword, the Magistrate, and his staff, the Conclave. The Magistrate is said to be able to cut through most magic like butter, having the capability to unravel spells by simply having it touch whatever is coming towards him. Once my sister and I locked him in a barrier, to see if our training had paid off, and we managed to keep him inside for a hour before he used that blade to undo the entirety of our combined spells."
"And the Conclave?" Shadow asked, though it clear that he was amazed by the power of the sword and it made him wonder what power the staff could possess.
"Ponies have many names for that weapon," Luna chuckled, recalling some of them herself, "some refer to it as the 'Staff of the Storms', speaking of the fact that Starswirl could command the weather from time to time. This was before the pegasi took to the skies and tamed the weather, so it is said that our teacher used the staff to aid the Three Tribes until he was no longer needed. Unlike the Magistrate, I have actually never seen the Conclave in use, so I have no way of confirming or denying those stories... though considering the power of the sword it would stand to reason that the staff's power is real as well."
"Any idea where Starswirl and his weapons vanished to?" Shadow inquired, because if Luna was able to come to Nirn, by accident anyway, than maybe her mentor had figured out an actual spell that would allow the caster to cross between worlds.
"He disappeared a year or two before the Crystal Empire vanished," Luna replied, shaking her head as she remembered what they had to do at the Empire before it vanished, "which was roughly a year before I was banished from Equus and trapped on the moon. You and Rend know the song and dance from that point onward."
Shadow nodded and silence gathered around them, but Luna was thankful for it because it made her wonder if Starswirl had actually come to Nirn at some point. There wasn't any prof that her mentor had come to this planet, but even remembering what her mentor was capable of doing made her wonder if he hadn't come here at one point, studied up on the magic around him, and then disappeared after a few weeks. If that was the case than she was sure she would be able to find the area he had entered the world through, but at the moment she felt nothing but the residue of her own entrance, which could have very well washed away anything that her mentor might have left behind if he had come to this world.
Despite the fact that her mentor might have come to this world for a brief moment in time, and might have left a way for her to leave whenever she desired, she knew that she wouldn't leave her friends behind until they had put Martin back on the throne and had sealed the Gates of Oblivion. Martin was working on the way for them to follow Mankar Camoran to his Paradise, so they could recover the Amulet of Kings and restore the barrier before Mehrunes Dagon could step into Nirn. She knew that they would be able to stop Dagon's foul plans, but they needed to be patient until they could find where their enemy had disappeared to, where they could bring this game to an end.
She followed Shadow as they walked towards Chorrol, where they could begin their quest to recover the missing Relics of the Crusader, so her friend could use them for whatever he was destined to do.
Luna and Shadow traveled to the northwest of the Priory of the Nine, where they planned on visiting the chapel in Chorrol so they could find another of the armaments that the Divine Crusader used in the distant past. During their trek Luna listened to everything that Shadow had to tell her about the artifacts that they were supposed to be seeking and the ones that they had already recovered. She was interested in what the artifacts were supposed to do, as she had experience using several artifacts and was on the receiving end once back on Equus, though as she listened to her friend she could feel Nightmare stirring and listening as well.
At one point they returned to the road and found several bandits blocking their way, though they appeared to have no regard for who was standing before them.
"If you value your lives you'll hand over all of your valuables," one of the bandits said, extending a hand to them as he approached them, "otherwise my friends and I will have to relieve you of them... the hard way if necessary."
"I'd love to see you try," Luna replied, stepping forward and pulling her sword out, spinning it around for a few seconds before she faced the bandits, "Come on, show me what the five of you are capable of!"
"It seems that someone can't count!" the bandit retorted, to which Luna noticed more of the bandits step out from their hiding places and surround them, "You don't stand a chance at beating all of us. You would need someone like..."
"...the Queen of Knights, perhaps?" Luna asked, a grin appearing on her face as the darkness of her alter ego appeared around her, transforming her bracers and shoes into the metal pieces of armor that Nightmare always wore.
"Please, as if the Queen of Knights would be walking on a random road, with an argonian no less." the bandit said, to which the rest of his buddies laughed as they drew closer to Luna and Shadow, "Kill the both of them and take whatever they have on them... we've got several caravans to raid and dozens of people to slaughter."
Two of the bandits approached Luna with their weapons raised, but before either of them could reach their target Luna swung her arm and both of their heads went flying into the distance. Several of the bandits stepped back as an ebony battleaxe replaced the weapon that Luna had been carrying, the sheath melting into the shadows as she started to laugh. Luna removed the necklace she had been wearing and tossed it to Shadow, who caught it as he wondered what his friend was doing at the moment, though that was when he noticed that her wings had revealed themselves. Shadows wrapped around Luna and consumed her clothing, leaving behind the familiar armor that Nightmare Moon wore in the arena all the time, along with the proper skin color and hair color.
When the shadows pulled back Shadow's eyes widened as he realized that he was no longer staring at Princess Luna, but instead he was staring at Nightmare Moon, the Queen of Knights, in all of her dark glory.
"Much better," Nightmare said, spinning her battleaxe around as she faced the group of bandits, a grin appearing on her face, "Come then, fight the Queen of Knights and see if you can withstand my power!"
The moment she issued the challenge the bandits ignored Shadow and charged at her, completely ignoring the fact that she was well known for taking out whole groups of enemies all by herself. Nightmare spun her battleaxe round and blocked the first wave of attacks that came her way, even shattering one or two of the weapons that her enemies held without trying to, before she brought it down on one of them and cut him clean in half. Three more of them came at her from behind, though as they did so Nightmare let out a chuckle as she spun her head around, throwing shadowy daggers out of her mane that pierced the three of them multiple times. One of them got back up, despite the amount of daggers sticking in her body, and charged again, though Nightmare merely dodged the attack and took the bandit's head off.
Another bandit came at her and almost hit her, but Nightmare rewarded the bandit by shattering her weapon, before spinning her weapon around and taking her head. The rest of the bandits seemed to be concerned for their chances, because some of them actually backed up as Nightmare approached them. One of them even tried to run away from the fight, and Nightmare was going to let her flee and rethink her life choices, but then the leader took the bandit's head off himself and joined the battle. The remaining five bandits charged at Nightmare, but four of them fell within seconds of them reaching her as she carved them open, before she faced the leader himself.
The leader charged at her and swung his weapon at her, but Nightmare merely lifted her battleaxe and blocked the attack as if it meant nothing to her. He then pulled his weapon back and approached from a different angle, though Nightmare parried that attack as well and proceeded to block every single one that the bandit threw her way. After about a minute of following the same pattern Nightmare decided that it was time to bring an end to the fight and disarmed the bandit, of both his weapon and his right hand, before shoving him to the ground. He landed with his back on the ground, though it was clear that he was outmatched and that he should have not started a fight with the two of them, or with Nightmare for that matter.
"Mercy!" the bandit cried, apparently on the verge of breaking down, as if he believed that the Queen of Knights would be an easy person to fight and had his reality broken all around him.
"And why should I show you 'mercy'?" Nightmare asked, pointing the head of her battleaxe at the bandit's face, "I showed mercy to a bandit that wanted to better her life after seeing what becomes of those that decide to rob others, and yet you killed her without a second thought. No, I will not be showing you any mercy today."
Before the bandit had a chance to scream Nightmare brought her battleaxe down and took his head clean off, executioner style, letting it roll away for a few seconds before she sighed and sheathed her weapon on her back.
"You okay Nightmare?" Shadow asked, knowing that his companion preferred to be called by the name of whatever form she was taking, so seeing how she had changed form once more he knew that the 'Nightmare' was back and that 'Luna' was resting.
"I'll be fine once we fight some daedra to kill," Nightmare commented, not bothering to loot the bodies as she continued on the path they had been following, "after all, we've got an artifact to recover before our enemy finds us."
As it turned out there was a pair of Oblivion Gates open right outside the city they were heading to, so Nightmare smiled and headed inside one of them while Shadow sighed and went into the second one. After ten minutes Shadow reappeared outside Chorrol with a sigil stone in his hand, though he merely stashed it away as he waited in front of the other gate. He expected Nightmare to be done with her enemies and have the gate closed before he had finished with his, but as the minutes ticked by he had to wonder if something else was going on inside the gate.
After what seemed like twenty minutes of waiting he finally gave up and walked inside the gate, though when he appeared in the fiery area that Mehrunes Dagon controlled he spotted two Nightmares arguing with each other. It was clear that they had dealt with the daedra, and might have access to the sigil tower, but at some point they had started arguing and failed to lower the gate. He also discovered that there were actually two personas, as is two separate minds that inhabited a single body, which made everything he had seen up until this point make more sense.
"Oh... Shadow..." Nightmare suddenly said, to which both she and Luna stopped arguing and looked at their companion, "we weren't expecting you to follow us into the gate... we can explain."
"Maybe when we're done gathering the artifacts and put down Umaril," Luna added, suggesting to her alter ego that they finish their task without saying anything, "We'll be right back."
Not five minutes later Shadow and Nightmare were standing outside where the second gate had been standing, though Nightmare dropped the sigil stone to the ground and smashed it under her boot. Shadow, after a moment of consideration, decided not to mention what he had seen in the gate and let her smash the stone that he had taken from the other gate. Once both stones were broken into pieces, and Nightmare was certain that they couldn't be reformed, the two of them entered Chorrol and began the walk to the chapel. They had come to the city for a reason, though they had gotten sidetracked thanks to the Mythic Dawn trying to burn the city, and its inhabitants, to the ground.
It was quite easy to find the chapel, though when they entered the building Shadow immediately noticed the pair of gauntlets sitting near a wall with a circle of candles resting around it.
"The Gauntlets of the Crusader," Shadow told Nightmare, pointing to them for a moment, "they haven't moved from that spot in a long time, not since Sir Casimir was alive at least. Neither of us will be able to remove them without overcoming whatever magic is at play, so we might as well ask around and see what I need to do to recover them."
That was when he noticed an altmer priest walking around, so he put on a smile, approached him, and simply asked about the gauntlets that Nightmare was standing near. He hoped that he'd be able to find out something that would tell him how to lift the gauntlets, though he had the feeling it would take some time to get to the end point.
"Ah yes. The Gauntlets have been here for ages." the altmer replied, a small frown appearing on his face for a moment, "I know only the basic story behind them; they're more of a novelty these days. My only real involvement with them these days is keeping the youngsters from hurting themselves trying to pick the gauntlets up. What is your interest in them, if I may ask?"
"I'm just a pilgrim, asking about Divine artifacts," Shadow replied, making no mention that he was here to take the gauntlets on a quest to destroy an ancient foe, "Surely there's something you can tell me about them?"
"Yes, well, I don't know the whole thing." the priest replied, appearing thoughtful for a moment before continuing, "A great many years ago, a knight of the old Order did something terrible, and the gauntlets just fell off. They dropped to the floor right where he stood, and no one could lift them. It was a sign of the curse placed upon this knight by Stendarr, I think. That curse still lingers on today, in fact. Poor Kellen."
"And who is this Kellen?" Shadow asked, though he had the feeling that, by the way the altmer mentioned his name, that he had to be a descendant of Sir Casimir.
"Oh, why he's a descendant of that very knight from so long ago." the priest answered, again not looking happy about something, "The curse has affected his family all these years. He suffers from it now. He came here from Hammerfell seeking a cure, but, ahh... well, there's really nothing that can be done for him, I think. He may know more of the story than I. Perhaps you should speak with him, if he's feeling well enough."
"And what exactly is this curse?" Nightmare asked, beating Shadow to the punch, though she was interested if she might be able to do anything to speed their journey along.
"It's a horrible thing, truly." the priest replied, though it appeared that his answer would not give them any information on what the curse actually did, "One cannot help but pity those such as Kellen, who have such a burden placed on them through no fault of their own. But... But if it is the will of the Nine, then there is little that can be done."
Shadow could immediately tell that the only way to remove this strange curse might be to take it upon ones own self, though he needed more information before he made such a decision. He asked where they might find Kellen and found out that he was in the basement of the chapel, where all the priests slept during the nighttime, to which he walked to where the young man was waiting for someone to save him. What he found, on the other hand, was a young man that seemed suspicious of the priest that was allowing him to sleep at the chapel because of his ancestors curse.
"What is it? Is there a cure?" Kellen asked the moment Shadow appeared before him, as if he believed that he was another priest that called the chapel home, "Has Areldur found a cure? I know there's something he's not telling me!"
"You seem suspicious of Areldur," Shadow commented, glad to have picked up the altmer's name, because he had been so occupied with the gauntlets that he had forgotten to ask the priest's name, "Is there something you wish to tell me?"
"Areldur has let me stay, mostly out of pity I think, but there's something else." Kellen replied, sighing as if he was collecting his thoughts before telling Shadow everything he felt, "I swear he knows more than he tells. I've seen plenty of pity in peoples' eyes over the years. I grew up recognizing it. But with Areldur... There's something else there. And when he speaks to me, there are times I'd swear he sounds... Apologetic. Guilty, even. Why would that be? What reason does he have to hold back information? I know I'm a doomed man, one way or the other."
Shadow turned right around and headed back up to the main area of the chapel, to which he looked around for the altmer priest before he spotted him standing over the gauntlets... with Nightmare still standing next to them. He walked up to them and asked Areldur about what Kellen had told him, to which the priest broke down and told him something that he wasn't expecting to hear from a priest that serves one of the Nine Divines.
"I... I cannot face him." Areldur admitted, appearing to sigh for a moment as he looked at the alter in the middle of the chapel, "I know what might be done for him, but I haven't the will to do it. I wish I could help him, truly I do, but I cannot muster the strength to damn myself on his behalf! The curse... I know what would lift it. But I cannot do it. The only way to free Kellen of his curse is to take it on myself. I am not strong enough to do this, and so I am a failure. I fail Kellen every time I speak to him, and I fail Stendarr every time I pray to him and do not ask for the power to lift the curse. Do you know one who would do such a thing? One who would pray at this Chapel's altar, pray to Stendarr for the power to lift this curse?"
Shadow smiled and approached the alter, kneeling before it and silently praying to Stendarr to remove Kellen's curse and place it upon him instead, though he felt something wash over him as he finished. Once his prayer had been answered he stood up and approached the gauntlets yet again, but this time he reached for them and lifted them off the floor with ease... much to the amazement of Areldur.
"I can't believe you were willing to do that for Kellen." Areldur said, though it was clear that he was shocked that a complete stranger would release the man from the curse he had been baring for some time, "To sacrifice your own well-being without hesitation... What business do I have acting as a priest if I'm not willing to do all I can in helping those who need it? Perhaps I need to re-think my calling."
As the priest left and went on to his own devices Shadow slipped the gauntlets onto his hands, somewhat amazed that he was holding yet another of the Divine Crusader's artifacts. Now all he and Nightmare had to do was check their list of remaining artifacts and choose their next destination... and then they would being their journey to find the next missing piece of the original Crusader's armor.
"So, where to next?" Nightmare asked as she and Shadow stepped outside the chapel, after collecting the pair of gauntlets that once belonged to the original Divine Crusader.
"We're heading to a shrine of Kynerath that sits outside the Imperial City," Shadow explained, shifting his robe around a bit, so that he could keep the armor he was wearing hidden better, "According to Sir Juncan the priestess in charge of the shrine is supposed to know where to find the Boots or the Crusader, the next piece that we will be recovering. After that we'll be heading to Leyawiin, where the Mace and the Shield of the Crusader are supposed to be waiting for the worthy to find them."
"And the reason your not wearing the Helmet?" Nightmare inquired, knowing that it was the first one they had picked up and Shadow had yet to put it on, as if he was waiting for something to happen.
"It... just doesn't feel right to put on the Helmet just yet," Shadow admitted, letting out a sigh as they left the city and returned to the road, "I'd like to have all of them before I place that one on my head. Also, I think this belongs to you."
Nightmare looked at the necklace he was handing her, the one that Luna had summoned to hide her identity while they were on the road, but she merely accepted it without a word. Then, before they moved on, she conjured the chest that the necklace had been removed from and returned it to the collection, before closing it shut and banishing it once more. She honestly had no idea what Luna was thinking when she used the necklace, taking the amount of power they had into consideration, but the deed was done and now Shadow knew the secret that only Pandora knew... which made her wonder how long it would be until Rend knew as well.
"So, what happened in that Oblivion Gate?" Shadow asked as they walked, as he was curious as to what had happened to his companion, "Why were there two of you?"
Nightmare was silent for a few minutes, because she had no idea how she was going to explain that she and Luna were essentially two separate beings sharing the same body, but then she got an idea that she believed might actually work.
"A mere side effect of traveling through the Shivering Isles," Nightmare explained, using the best excuse she could come up with in such a short period of time, "Think of Luna and I as two sides of the same coin, though when I entered the Shivering Isles I was separated into the two beings that you inside the Oblivion Gate. It seems that I might have gained the ability to separate Luna from myself inside one of the Daedric Realms, which happened to catch the two of us by surprise."
"And why were you arguing with your alter ego?" Shadow asked, wondering why Nightmare and Luna would have been at odds with each other, though he had the feeling that Nightmare wasn't telling him everything.
"We got into an argument as to why we had separated from each other like that," Nightmare told her companion, because it was the truth about the subject, "that was just a simple disagreement. Trust me on this Shadow, if Luna and I had actually been disagreeing on our views we would have been fighting each other with our alicorn powers... which could have destroyed the Oblivion Gate on accident I think."
What she failed to tell him was that a battle between alicorns had serious consequences for the area surrounding them, as she was sure something had happened to the area surrounding their old castle. It still annoyed her that she had lost her fight with her sister, but she was beginning to see that it had enabled her to visit this world in its time of need and aid its heroes. Equus might forever remember her as a villain, but Nirn, she was sure, would remember her as a hero that aided the group chosen by the late Emperor.
When they finally arrived outside the Imperial City Shadow had them circle the area, as he was making sure that there weren't any Oblivion Gates that needed to be closed before he figured out what to do for the next artifact of the Divine Crusader. To Shadow's relief, and Nightmare's annoyance, there weren't any gates that needed to be closed, which allowed them to begin the hunt for the person that Shadow needed to speak to. It took him some time to figure out that the Shrine of Kynerath was further to the south than he had originally realized, much to Nightmare's amazement considering that he could find a wayshrine for each of the Divines and hadn't known where Kynerath's shrine was located.
As they approached the shrine Shadow nodded to the priests and priestesses that tended to the area, though it was clear that he was looking for someone that could tell him where they needed to go next.
"What brings you to the Altar of Kynareth, my child?" one of the priestesses, an imperial Nightmare noticed, asked the moment Shadow entered the area near the shrine.
"I have come seeking the Boots of the Crusader," Shadow said, cutting to the heart of the issue in seconds, "and I was told that someone here knew something about where it was last seen."
"You would seek the holy relic Kynareth has bestowed upon the world?" the priestess replied, which was swiftly followed by a nod from Shadow, "Then you must prove yourself worthy. Kynareth's creations guard her relic, and you must pass the test before you may be granted the boots."
"And what test would that be?" Nightmare asked, curious as to whether it was one that would require some fighting or if it was specific to the goddess herself.
"I cannot say what it will be, for I do not know." the priestess admitted, sighing for a moment as she turned back to Shadow, "Kynareth herself will decide in what manner you shall be tested. All I can do is direct you to the Grove of Trials, and remind you to heed Kynareth's teachings: fear and respect Nature and all Her Creations. Its located not far from here, to the west. Nestled within the Great Forest, it is a place many would overlook. I warn you that it is unwise to take anyone with you. You should go there alone."
Shadow and Nightmare shared a look with each other, knowing that Shadow would have to do this one alone, but Nightmare was curious as to what the test would be and knew that she could slip into the shadows and watch from afar.
"Very well then, I accept the test of the Goddess Kynareth," Shadow said, knowing that this might be the only chance he had at getting the next artifact of the Divine Crusader.
"Then proceed directly to the Grove, as your test has begun." the priestess replied, beckoning in the direction that Shadow needed to head in, "Kynareth may choose to guard you along the way; that is up to her. Good luck."
Shadow nodded and turned to Nightmare for a moment, though he was just in time to watch her fade into the shadows on the ground around them, which told him that she would be watching in case he needed some extra assistance with his trial. As he walked in the direction that the Grove was located in he already knew a piece of the puzzle that many would have overlooked in their haste to finish the test. The priestess had said to respect and fear Kynareth's creatures, which essentially told him that the test wasn't about fighting his enemy, but rather respecting them in some manner. He knew that Nightmare was going to be disappointed when she learned that this wasn't about fighting for once, though at the moment he decided to focus on the matter at hand.
When he reached his destination he stopped before a clearing that had a massive stone sitting in front of him, though he could clearly see the outline of an entrance of some kind. He looked around for a moment, spotting the smoky mist that he had come to associate with some of Nightmare's abilities, which told him that his companion was close at hand. He waited for a few seconds before a large bear, one larger than most he had seen across Cyrodiil, walked out into the open area and stared at him. The bear growled at him, though Shadow made no move to pull out his greatsword and strike at the creature as it walked around him, as if it was studying him.
There were several instances where the bear came close to him and cut into his legs with its claws, but still Shadow made no move to draw his weapon as he let the bear do whatever it wanted. Eventually the bear grew tired of what was going on and growled once more, before turning around and disappearing into the wilderness around them. Shadow remained where he was standing, waiting to see if anything else happened, before the outline he had seen opened up before his eyes and revealed the path he needed to take to recover the artifact he had come for.
He walked into the hidden vault and found two spriggans standing guard over the Boots of the Crusader, though as he collected them and put them on he was glad to find out that the creatures didn't attack him at all. When he walked back outside the cave he spotted Nightmare stepping out of the shadows, though she didn't seem annoyed that there wasn't a fight.
"So, respect and fear nature's creatures... I'm going to have to remember that one," Nightmare commented, sighing for a moment before she looked to the southeast, "I guess our next destination is Leyawiin?"
"For the Shield and Mace of the Crusader," Shadow confirmed, though he made no attempt to hide that he was excited for the prospect of gathering all of the artifacts for the first time in a long time, "and then we'll see about finishing off the Divine Crusader's enemy."
Only three more artifacts remained before he and Umaril would fight, though he was confident that he would emerge victorious in the coming conflict.
Nightmare was pleased to hear that they were actually close to the end of their journey for the relics of the Divine Crusader, as the only ones that remained at the moment were the Mace, the Shield, and the Sword. She had to admit that she was curious as to why they had no clues as to where the Sword of the Crusader was located, though she assumed that the fallen knights hadn't told them for some reason. That made her think that the four relics they were hunting down were a test of sorts, mostly for the fallen to see whether or not Shadow could recover what they had lost. Whatever the reasoning for not receiving the information on the Sword had been didn't really matter at the moment, because she was glad to see that Shadow was pleased with their progress.
Instead of heading to Leyawiin immediately the two of them rented two rooms at one of the inns in the Imperial City, where they could get a good nights sleep before collecting the remaining two relics. Nightmare didn't mind the rest, because it had been some time since they last took a small break and she knew that Shadow's vampire nature had to be having some effect on him. When morning arrived they had some breakfast, where Shadow briefly went over what they were searching for in case Nightmare forgot, which she didn't, before they departed from the city and began their journey.
For the first time, since Nightmare could remember in all the time she had in Cyrodiil, they encountered no bandits or creatures that wanted to kill them. Nightmare considered the fact that Kynareth was being nice to them for Shadow playing through her trial and not attacking the large bear that had been guarding the Boots. She also wondered if the bandits knew that the Queen on Knights was randomly walking across the land and were making sure to stay away from her and Shadow, just so they could live to see another day. It annoyed her that there weren't any enemies to fight at the moment, but she knew that they would find something to fight when they attempted to recover either of the next relics.
It was just passed noon when they arrived in Leyawiin, though when they did Shadow stopped by one of the guards and asked him a few questions about the area. He already knew where the chapel he needed to visit was located, but he wanted to be sure that his information was correct before they moved on. He also inquired about the Oblivion Gates, trying to see if Dagon had opened any in the immediate area that they needed to close, but he was surprised to find that the Gates that had been opened had been sealed by a lone orc warrior who was seen carrying two katanas.
Both Shadow and Nightmare knew who the guard was referring to, though they knew that the reason that Rend was away from Cloud Haven Temple was because Martin needed him to do something while he deciphered the tome he was reading from.
When they entered the chapel Nightmare discovered that it was identical to the one they had walked through back in Chorrol, which she figured made some sense. She looked around as they walked into the main section of the chapel, though as they did so she noticed an armored person that didn't look like he belonged in such a place. She assumed that because of the recent attack at one of the chapels, so he could very well be someone that was merely trying to protect his chapel from any threats.
"It's you! I've heard of you!" the man said, approaching Shadow for a moment, almost as if he knew exactly who he was, "You're the one restoring the Knights of the Nine, aren't you?"
"I know nothing of the Knights of the Nine being reformed," Shadow said, wondering what the man even meant, "I am merely a servant of the Nine."
"Such humility -- I admire you." the man said, a slight smile appearing on his face for a moment, before be beckoned to himself for a second, "I am Carodus Oholin. I originally came to this chapel in search of the Mace of Zenithar. I tried, but I could not pass the test. My faith was weak. Or perhaps Zenithar decided that it was not I who should carry the mace. He has found a use for me, however. The priests have asked me to stay to protect the chapel. After what happened in Anvil, they are afraid."
"And what do you know about the Mace?" Shadow asked, merely curious if Carodus knew something that would aid him in his mission to recover the weapon.
"Legends say that when Pelinal Whitestrake was slain by the Ayleids, a messenger carried the Mace to the human settlement of Leyawiin as a message." Carodus replied, shaking his head as he recalled the information, "Centuries later, the master craftsman Saint Kaladas built the Chapel of Zenithar in Leyawiin as a tribute to the legend. When Saint Kaladas was laid to rest, those who prayed to Zenithar at his tomb began to receive visions of the Mace of the Crusader."
Shadow nodded his head in understanding, because the man had revealed that he had already attempted the test to recover the Mace and had failed. That also included the method for how someone could begin their own test, which meant that he was in the right place and all he had to do was figure out which tomb was Saint Kaladas'. He had Nightmare wait in the main chapel area, mostly because he had the suspicion that something was going to happen in the time it would take him to figure out how to recover the Mace and wanted her to be on guard in case he was right.
It didn't take him long to make his way down to where Saint Kaladas was buried, nor did it take him long to reach the actual tomb and kneel before it. Once he had accomplished his task he closed his eyes and prayed to Zenithar, though he felt a gust of wind and snapped his eyes open, to which he found himself in some strange area. He was clearly on a platform of some kind, though there was a gap between where he was and the tower that he assumed that the Mace was housed in. The test must have been something along the lines of a leap of faith, though he wondered what he would have to do so he could actually cross over to the tower and claim the Mace.
He spent some time walking along the platform, studying the gap between him and the relic he had come for while trying to figure out how to get across. At one point, when he was near the middle of the platform, he put his left foot over the gap on accident, but before he could stop himself his foot stopped on top of some invisible walkway. His eyes lit up as he realized why Carodus had failed the test, because this one was designed to only allow someone wearing the Boots of the Crusader cross to where the Mace was housed. With the way revealed he quickly crossed to where the Mace was and picked it up, to which he was teleported back to the waking world... with the Mace in hand no less.
He smiled as he picked himself off the ground and walked back to where Nightmare was waiting for him... to which he found that the chapel was under attack by enemies that were wearing golden armor. Before he could even attack one of them he noticed that Nightmare was already in motion, her battleaxe removing the head of her current enemy before she took the arms of the one behind her. Shadow charged forward and swung the Mace into one of the warriors that were advancing towards Carodus, hitting the creature so hard that he was bashed into the wall moments later.
Together he, Nightmare, and Carodus managed to wipe out the entirety of the enemies that were trying to attack the chapel, much to the amazement of the priests that called the place home.
"I... I can't believe it! We survived! By the grace of the Nine! We survived!" Carodus proclaimed, sheathing his weapon as he turned to Shadow and Nightmare, though he was clearly focused on Shadow, "In no small part to you, Sir Knight. By your will and the will of the Nine, the chapel of Zenithar has held against this blasphemer! Sir, I pledge you my sword. I wish to join you in your quest to restore the Knights of the Nine and defeat this... Umaril."
"Very well, I will accept your aid in our time of need," Shadow said, still having no idea where he had gotten the idea that he was reforming the Knights of the Nine, though he wouldn't turn away help.
"I can only hope to match your bravery and valor." Carodus replied, a smile appearing on his face, "I am honored to serve by your side. Allow me to fetch more suitable equipment. I shall return shortly."
Once Shadow informed the man of where they were currently stationed, the Priory of the Nine, he and Nightmare departed from the chapel and left the man to his own devices. When they were outside Shadow walked up to another of the guards, where he quickly asked where Fort Bulwark was located and discovered that it wasn't far from where they were at the moment, to the northeast to be exact. With the location of their next destination in hand Shadow and Nightmare departed from Leyawiin, where they walked through the forest and kept their eyes open for additional enemies.
They both found it odd that there weren't any Oblivion Gates in the immediate area, especially after the fact that they had been attacked by dremora in the chapel, but Nightmare silently guessed that they were remnants from whatever Gates that Rend had closed before they arrived.
When they finally reached their destination they found a conjurer waiting outside, though Nightmare was faster than their enemy as she threw shadowy daggers out of her mane and struck the man down before he could do anything. Once the man was dead, and Nightmare had retrieved the shadowy daggers, they entered the fort and began their search for the puzzles that would allow them to, eventually, end up where the Shield was located. They followed a path on their left and spotted another conjurer ahead of them, though this time Shadow clashed with the wizard and used the Mace to put an end to him before any damage could be dealt to him.
As they walked forward Shadow spotted an enemy that was hanging at the end of a passageway, though Nightmare stopped him from moving into the passage for a second. She then grabbed the wizard with her magic and dragged her towards them, to which she revealed that that hall way filled with dart traps as the wizard died on her way towards them. Nightmare then smiled as she walked through the passage, allowing her magic to protect her, and then Shadow, from any damage they might take, before they continued their search for any additional clues their enemies might have left behind.
That was before they came to a large chamber that had one raised drawbridges, which told the two of them that they needed to throw a switch or two if they wanted to move on.
"It appears that the knight wasn't lying when he mentioned that there would be some challenges to reach the Shield," Nightmare commented, following Shadow towards another passage that they would have to investigate.
They then came to a room that had two more wizards waiting for them, though they separated from each other and fought their enemies one on one. Nightmare was quick to kill her enemy, as she had the skill and talent to do so, but she stayed out of Shadow's way as he used his new weapon to disarm his opponent and then put her down. They then searched around the immediate area, but when they found nothing they retraced their steps until they came to where the dart trap was. Once they passed the trap a second time they found a walkway that would allow them to walk by the raised bridge and approach a large door that would no doubt bring them closer to their goal.
They followed the passage to another room that had two more enemies waiting for them, but in a matter of minutes both Shadow and Nightmare looked around for the device that would allow them to move on. Nightmare found the switch they were looking for in no time, though she had to wonder how they had overlooked it for the first minute of their searching. Once it was pulled they retraced their steps a bit and walked into another passage that had a locked door, which had been lowered the moment they flipped the switch. At the end of that passage was another switch that, when activated, opened the locked door they had passed by and lowered two more drawbridges that they hadn't noticed before.
They quickly retraced their steps once more and came back to the area with the two drawbridges, where they immediately found a tunnel that had a set of pressure plates that had to be a puzzle of some kind. Shadow tested the pressure plates one at a time, taking note that some of them made a softer noise while the majority made a rough noise that didn't sound good. He then returned to Nightmare and started to solve the puzzle; where he pressed the plate on the left in the first line, the middle one in the second line, the one on the right in the third line, and the one on the left in the final line. The moment he was done the gate in front of him opened, to which he beckoned for Nightmare to join him before they progressed further into the fortress.
The next area they entered was somewhat larger than the one they had previously been in, though they had barely took a few steps before four more wizards came out to fight them. Nightmare would have none of the annoyance the wizards presented with their presence, as she used her battleaxe to remove their heads and clear the area once more. As Nightmare searched for anything that would allow them to move on, or more enemies to remove from their path, Shadow walked backwards for a bit and found a nearly naked man trapped in a cell. He sighed and pulled the switch to release the man, who was immediately thankful for someone coming to rescue him, which led Shadow to assume that the wizards had captured him.
"Thank you for rescuing me. I've lost track of how long they've held me here." the man said, a smile appearing on his face as he spoke, "I am Sir Thedret. I came here seeking the Shield of the Crusader, and was ambushed by these... these cowards. They've held me here since. They want to know how to reach the Shield, and believed I would help them. When I refused, they locked me here, and only let me out to torture me. They got nothing from me. But the knowledge I've gained may be of use to you."
"And what might that be?" Shadow asked, knowing that anything would be better than searching in the dark without any sense of direction, though he assumed that Nightmare did her best work without knowing all of the details.
"Before finding this place, I learned a bit about those who created it." Thedret explained, sighing for a moment as he prepared to tell her what he wouldn't tell the wizards, "It's designed to keep the Shield hidden and safe. A phrase kept coming up in the writings I found: 'When the eyes of the Guardians are upon you, Julianos will show you favor.' I'm not sure how, but I just know it's a clue for making it safely through these ruins. You're the only one I have told. I hope it helps you."
Shadow thanked Thedret for the information, because he knew that he would be able to figure out what he had just been told either before they reached the final puzzle or right as they discovered the end. He heard some fighting in another area of the fort and headed in the direction it was coming from, to which he arrived in time to see Nightmare ending another wizard that was trying to run away. They then followed the passage that was behind the door that Nightmare had found, where they ended up removing another enemy before they came to an area that was below a set of drawbridges.
Once they walked up the nearby staircase they pulled the switch and lowered the first bridge, though as they walked over the bridge Nightmare summoned a shroud of darkness that protected them from behind hit by flying darts. They then lowered the second bridge and left the darts behind, allowing Nightmare to retract her magic as they moved even closer to where the Shield was located. The passage at the bottom of the nearby stairs led them to an open chamber that had two more enemies waiting for them, though they once again proved to be no challenge for the pair.
When Shadow was sure that their enemies were dead, and that there were no more coming to fight them, he sheathed his weapon and turned to the five statues that the chamber had, though he realized that this had to be where Thedret was talking about.
"So, what's the puzzle this time?" Nightmare asked, placing her battleaxe on her back as she looked around, though she could tell that Shadow was looking for something, "Maybe the four smaller statues have to look at the area between them all... where this strange circular piece of metal is located."
Shadow smiled as Nightmare figured out the puzzle, one that he had been handed on a plate thanks to Thedret, all without knowing the key piece of information. He continued to be impressed by how skilled his companion was, though he had to assume that it was because she was an alicorn and not a normal creature from her world. The two of them then spent some time moving the four statues until they were looking at the plate that Nightmare had mentioned, though once they had done that he stood on top of it. He waited for a few seconds before the lights went out and a section of the wall on their left opened up, revealing a hidden passage that hadn't opened in some time.
They followed the passage until they came to an area that had a chest or tomb in the center, with what appeared to be eight more of them scattered around the walls. Shadow opened the chest in the middle and found eight items waiting for him, though it appeared that only one of them could be removed at a time and had to be put in one of the chests that lined the walls. He stepped back on a pressure plate and noticed that one of the statues on top of the chests lit up, though when he pulled one of the items from the chest he knew what he needed to do. He grabbed whichever item appeared in the main chest and put it in whichever chest was resting in front of the glowing statue, until he had put something into all eight of the chests.
Once that was done the lights went out again, something that Shadow was expecting, and the door in front of them opened up, so he and Nightmare followed the newest path that was available. That was when they approached what appeared to be the final chamber, because at the end of the room laid the Shield that they had come for. Shadow smiled as he walked up to the Shield of the Crusader and slipped it on, his mind racing at the fact that he was nearly at the end of his quest, before he turned back to his companion.
"Just one more," Shadow said, grinning as he spoke, "just one more relic and then we can put an end to Umaril the Unfeathered."
With their business in Leyawiin concluded, and both the Mace and Shield of the Crusader acquired, Nightmare and Shadow began their journey back to the Priory of the Nine. They followed the road this time, as they didn't want to head into the wilderness and get lost on their way back to where the fallen knights were waiting for them to return. By staying on the road they knew that they wouldn't run into any of the bandits that roamed the wilderness, as Nightmare's reputation would make them think twice about attacking them. Shadow, on the other hand, was pleased with their progress, because all he needed was the last piece of the set and he could finally call himself the Divine Crusader, a title that he never thought that he would ever have the opportunity to take on in his entire life.
Nightmare didn't have the heart to tell her friend that he was missing another section of the armor, because she noticed that Shadow was missing the Greaves that should have come with the chest piece, but she had the feeling that they would find it before she decided to tell him that they weren't at the finish line yet.
Eventually the night was upon them before they could reach their destination, so the two of them set up a small camp by the side of the road for the night, though Nightmare made sure to have a barrier surrounding their camp to prevent any enemies from harming them. This was similar to what she had done before they had taken Martin to Cloud Ruler Temple, though at the time Nightmare had wondered how he had noticed that the barrier had been there. Now, however, she knew that he was destined to be a powerful emperor of sorts... if they actually survived the ordeals that were ahead of them at the moment.
She would never tell Shadow and Rend the truth, because they needed her help to save Nirn from destruction, but the more time she spent in this world the more she started to miss her own home. She couldn't believe that she, the Queen of Knights and the Princess of the Moon, was actually feeling homesick at the moment. She sighed as she looked up at the night sky, once again trying to determine which of the stars was Equus and wondering, for maybe the hundredth time since she arrived in Nirn, if Celestia even knew that she was no longer trapped on the moon. Even now she could muster the anger to be angry at her sister, which made her wonder if Shadow was beginning to rub off on her more than she even realized.
When early morning arrived Nightmare was up before Shadow was, which she thought was odd considering that her companion had changed his lifestyle after becoming a vampire. They were fortunate that she could access her storage area from this world, something that she still didn't understand, but that didn't help the urges that she knew that her friend had to be resisting at the moment. She considered lowering the barrier for a moment, but as she prepared to do so she noticed a group of bandits smacking it with their weapons, almost as if they were actually trying to get in and rob them.
She grinned as she lowered the barrier and picked up her battleaxe, beckoning the bandits that were so eager to meet their deaths forward, to which they charged at her. She swung her battleaxe at the first one that reached her, severing the person's hands from his body before she kicked him away from her so could could turn to the other ones. Two of them came at her at the exact same time, to which she parried their attacks with the length of her weapon, though before they could back away she twisted her battleaxe around and cut one of them down. She then repeated the same process with the third bandit, cutting him down where he stood, though that was when she stopped smiling as she discovered that the bandits that had been watching her had disappeared.
"Cowards," Nightmare remarked, letting out a sigh as she gathered up the coins from the dead.
It was some time before Shadow emerged from his tent, again making Nightmare wonder if there was something wrong with her companion, but she decided not to ask they gathered up their camp and got on the road once more.
It was evening when the duo arrived at their destination, the Priory of the Nine, though when they arrived they discovered that the place had been cleaned up and repaired in the time they had been away. It was kind of odd that this would have happened, considering that the only people who lived there were the fallen knights that had sent them on their quests, but they were prepared for anything when they entered the actual building. Inside the building they found quite a number of new faces, or rather old when Shadow realized that they were the people that had helped them recover the various relics that he was now wearing, before he spotted someone that neither him or Nightmare knew.
When they approached the redguard, however, they discovered something that would likely hinder their progress in figuring out where the final relic had been hidden.
"Sir Knight! Thank Arkay you're back. I have terrible news." the redguard said, though they could tell by his expression that whatever he had to tell them had to be as bad as he claimed it was, "Sir Roderic... I think he's dead."
Shadow looked at Nightmare for a moment, though it was painfully clear that neither of them knew who this 'Sir Roderic' was, so he took the only available path that was open to him.
"And who is Sir Roderic?" Shadow asked, because he was sure that some information would be better than merely guessing.
"A holy knight, like you, questing for the Relics at the Prophet's call." the redguard answered immediately, as if he had been expecting this answer and had come prepared, "I was his squire. I believed he was chosen by the gods to reclaim the Relics."
"So what happened to him?" Shadow inquired, though what little information he was given on the knight made him wonder if there was something else that he should have been told.
"At first things were going well." the redguard replied, letting out a sigh for a moment, "He prayed at all the shrines, and received a vision. A disturbing vision. 'The shade of Sir Berich spoke to me,' was all he said. 'We must put him to rest.' We travelled back and forth across Colovia. He was always asking about an old noble family, the Vlindrels. Finally he found what he was looking for. We went to Underpall Cave, and there... he fell."
"And what exactly was he looking for?" Shadow continued, though he had the suspicion that the item that Sir Roderic was searching for was the Sword of the Crusader.
"He said that Sir Berich's tomb was in Underpall Cave," the redguard said, though behind him Nightmare had to resist the urge to bring her palm to her face, "which is no cave, but some kind of buried keep. He had learned that Sir Berich had once been a questing knight, like us. He had found the Greaves and Sword of the Crusader, but then turned to evil. Sir Roderic hoped to find the Relics within Sir Berich's tomb. And he did. But we also found a terrible guardian -- the wraith of Lord Vlindrel -- Sir Berich."
"Then am I correct in assuming that you know where the relics are?" Shadow asked, though it was clear that he had forgotten that the Greaves weren't attached to the chest piece.
"Yes, my lord." the redguard replied, reaching into the pack that he carried for a moment, "And I brought you... Sir Roderic shouted for me to take them... the Greaves. The holy Relic. They're yours."
Shadow was impressed that the redguard managed to get the Greaves away from such a terrible guardian, one that he suspected was still guarding the other one, but he felt compelled to ask anyway.
"And the Sword?" Shadow asked, taking the Greaves for a moment, but he made no motion to put them on until he had all the information that he needed, "What happened to it?"
"The wraith. It used it against Sir Roderic." the redguard said, letting out another sigh in the process, "I don't know how that evil thing could use the holy weapon, but it did. it screamed as it struck... I'm sorry. I already failed Sir Roderic once. I don't want to fail him again. I remember he said something about the Sword, before we... He was worried that the Sword may have been turned to evil. That it would have to be reconsecrated on the alter of its creator, the Divine Arkay."
Shadow nodded his understanding, because now he knew exactly where to go to find the final relic that he needed to challenge Umaril the Unfeathered and stop him before he enacted whatever plot he was building up to. Before he and Nightmare could depart for Underpall Cave the redguard, who finally identified himself as Lathon, asked Shadow for the opportunity to become one of the Knights of the Nine. Shadow considered it for a moment, though he also took into account that the others that had helped him had also become knights in their own way, before he merely nodded and accepted the man into the order. Once that was done, and before Lathon could walk away from them, Shadow made sure to have the man mark the location on his map before letting him go.
With the location marked on the map Shadow and Nightmare departed from the Priory, where they began their journey towards their next destination and the final relic they needed to recover.
As it turned out Underpall Cave was near Bruma, and Cloud Ruler Temple as a result, though neither of them dwelled on that fact for very long. They had come here to recover the Sword of the Crusader, which they knew would involve trekking through the keep that Lathon had discovered and defeating the wraith that was waiting for them. As they walked into the cave the two of them drew their weapons, because they both knew that they would run into something that was going to fight them the instant they discovered it... while not counting the wraith that was at the end of this.
The first chamber they came to had a lowered area between where they entered and the path that would allow them to go forward, though there was quite a number of coffins scattered around the floor. They crossed to the other side and followed the path until they came to another opening, where they discovered that the story about a buried keep had been true. This area was actually much larger than the previous one, though they paid no attention to the group of tombstones that rested in the middle of the room and walked through the large iron door that was ahead of them.
Now that they were in a proper keep area they walked down the pathway and came to a room that had a few skeletons walking around, though the instant the undead noticed them Shadow and Nightmare were already in motion. Shadow slammed the Mace into the one that was the closest to him, where he shattered the skeleton's skull and scattered the bones in one swift motion. Nightmare, on the other hand, used her battleaxe to smash her opponents with the handle, then flipped it around to finish the job by taking their skulls clean off. Once they had cleared the area they moved into the tunnel that was ahead and to their right, though after some time they found a headless undead that Nightmare merely cut in half.
They then followed the staircase until they came to a room that had two more undead creatures that were headless, to which the they got rid of them before they climbed the other staircase and continued forward. Their path ended with a door leading them into another section of the keep, where they found a crypt like area that had several undead walking around the place. It was easy for Nightmare to take out the ones that stayed at the back and used arrows against them, as all she really had to do was call upon her magic and strike them down from a distance. The moment the room was cleared they continued searching, following another passage until they came to a door that allowed them to cross over a walkway.
The next passage brought them to a small room that was guarded by a lone skeleton, which Shadow broke down with the Mace, before they spotted a locked door that was blocking their way, though Nightmare tore it out so they could press on once more. They found three more skeletons patrolling the area that the locked door was connected to, though the two of them easily destroyed their enemies and followed the path again. They passed through another door and walked out on the walkway that was above the large chamber that had allowed them to discover that Lathon's story had been true, though they discovered that this was a dead end and then retraced their steps until they were back at the beginning of the keep.
They found a door near the entrance they entered through, where they followed the passage and found two statues that were waiting on both sides of a staircase. While Shadow studied the area, to be sure that they were on the right track and weren't wasting time, Nightmare took care of the undead that revealed themselves. Once the dead were put back in their graves the two of them moved down the stairs and opened the door at that was at the bottom of them, where they encountered three more enemies that were waiting for them. Shadow took to the offensive immediately, using the Mace to scatter his enemies' bones while using the Shield to protect himself from any sort of harm.
When the area was clear they found an old wooden door that took them into what appeared to be a cave area, which told Shadow that they had to be closer to their true destination. They turned to their left when they spotted an opening and followed it until they reached an area that had a stone coffin, where they discovered Sir Roderic's body.
"We are in the right area," Shadow commented, after saying a prayer for the fallen knight, "We had best be careful, there's no telling where that wraith is."
The moment they opened the door behind the coffin Nightmare had them stop in their tracks, because further ahead of them was a ghostly figure that she knew had to be the creature they had come to kill.
"Or its right in front of us," Shadow amended, sighing as he held out the Mace and Shield for the moment, "Wait here... I'll take care of the wraith and then we'll get out of here."
Shadow walked into the area that the wraith called home and tapped the Mace on the Shield for a moment, to which the wraith turned and looked at him for a moment. He watched as the creature, who looked more like a fallen king than a fallen knight in his opinion, drew the desecrated blade and screamed at him for a few seconds. Shadow charged forward and met the wraith in the middle of the chamber, where their weapons clashed with each other and he forced the wraith back just a bit. Before he could launch an attack at his enemy the wraith swung the Sword at him, to which he raised the Shield and blocked the attack before it could hurt him.
Shadow then pressed the attack, using some of the basic moves he had seen Nightmare use during the time that she used a one handed weapon instead of her battleaxe. It was a good idea that he did so, because in the end the Mace brought an end to the wraith, which screamed as its unholy existence was brought to an end. With his enemy defeated he collected the desecrated Sword, knowing that there was one last thing they needed to do before they were done with gathering the relics.
"To Cheydinhal next," Shadow commented as Nightmare stopped beside him, who had an eyebrow raised at the moment, "there's a shrine to Arkay there... where we can restore this weapon and get to ending our fight with Umaril."
Shadow and Nightmare breathed a sigh of relief when they emerged from Underpall Cave with the desecrated Sword of the Crusader in hand, because it meant that they were near the end of their mission. Their next destination was Cheydinhal, where there was a chapel to the Divine Arkay that they could access to restore the Sword to its holy purpose once again. Nightmare had the uneasy feeling that their enemy, Umaril the Unfeathered, would likely send some of his forces to attack the chapel before they arrived, something that Shadow agreed with as they swiftly returned to the road and started the journey towards the city in question.
Unfortunately the road seemed to be plagued with bandits, because they were attacked the instant they returned to the road and then attacked again not ten minutes later. Nightmare was fine with removing the bandits, as they were a plague on the fair people of Cyrodiil, but she was somewhat surprised by the fact that none of them were running scared at the sight of her. That was until she noticed a hint of magic around the eyes of one of her victims, which caused her to throw up a barrier around her and Shadow so she could investigate it in peace. She quickly discovered that it was a spell that was designed to get rid of fear and install a sense of courage, though she also noticed that some dangerous creature had to have created the spell.
That was before she dropped the bandit to the ground and turned to Shadow, who seemed pleased that she might have uncovered what was actually going on at the moment.
"They are all being mind controlled," Nightmare commented, waving a hand towards the bandits that were smacking her shield, "No doubt that our enemy is trying to stall us so he can destroy the chapel... which means that we must hurry."
"And how would we get around them?" Shadow asked, eying the bandits as they tried, in vain he mentally added, to breach the barrier that was surrounding them.
"I'll fly us to our destination," Nightmare replied, flexing her wings as she readied her magic to lower the shield, "Be ready Shadow, because the moment I lower this barrier they'll come at us like an angry tide."
Shadow recalled the last time that one of him and his friends got a ride from Nightmare, back when she and Pandora went to the Shivering Isles, so he knew that he was in for a ride. He made sure that all of the relics were either safely stored in his bag or attached to him in some manner, before he nodded to Nightmare and watched as the barrier came down around them. Before the bandits could reach them Nightmare grabbed onto the back on his armor and burst into the air, allowing them to get above their enemies in a manner of seconds. Once they were in the air, and Shadow made sure Nightmare was pointed at the direction of Cheydinhal, they got underway and left the mind controlled bandits behind.
Shadow had to admit it, but he could see why Nightmare had preferred to fly when she had first joined him, Rend, and Pandora at the beginning of their quest, because it almost made him forget that they were on a mission to stop both Umaril the Unfeathered and the Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon.
When they reached their destination, and landed outside the city of Cheydinhal, Nightmare gently set him down on the ground before landing beside him. Shadow could now see how Nightmare had managed to reach the door to the Shivering Isles and get back to Cloud Ruler Temple so quickly, though he knew that now was not the time to get distracted from their mission. Since they both shared the same feeling that the chapel they were about to visit was going to be under attack, and they were willing to bet that they were right, the two of them drew their weapons as they walked into the city.
The guards seemed to think that they were out of their minds, but when they realized that they were heading to the chapel, which was definitely under attack, they rushed in to help them. Nightmare found some familiar enemies waiting for them, the golden clad warriors they had fought earlier in Shadow's holy quest, so she grinned as she met them in the field of battle once more. She, Shadow, and the few guards that accompanied them fought against the servants of Umaril the Unfeathered, cutting them down one by one until they were sure that none of them were alive anymore. With the chapel saved the priests thanked them and the guards, who seemed happy to lend a hand as they slowly left the chapel, leaving Shadow and Nightmare to their task.
Shadow knelt before the alter and pulled out the desecrated Sword, to which he asked for Arkay to restore it to its former glory while Nightmare made sure that they were actually safe for the moment.
"The task is complete," Shadow said after a few minutes, turning to face Nightmare with the restored Sword of the Crusader in his hand, "Now then, we had better return to the Priory and see if there is anything else that must be done before we can stop Umaril the Unfeathered and his army of daedra."
Nightmare nodded, because she was eager to bring this quest to a close and because she really wanted to see how dangerous this Umaril was if it required Eight Divines to temporarily defeat him.
Night was slowly creeping up on the Priory of the Nine when Nightmare gently placed Shadow on the ground, as they had once again taken to using her wings to get from place to place and not have to walk everywhere, not when Shadow was carrying all of the Divine Crusader's Relics on his person. Time was of the essence now, because it was only a matter of time until Umaril the Unfeathered realized that Pelinal Whitestrake's weapons had been gathered together once again, and that he was truly no longer safe in whatever realm he was currently residing in. As the duo approached the Priory, however, they spotted one of the new Knights running towards them, as if he had witnessed their arrival and wanted to greet them himself.
"Lord Crusader! The Prophet is here -- he's just arrived!" the knight, Sir Thedret, exclaimed the moment he was standing before Shadow, "He seemed to know you were coming... told me to wait for you. And here you are! Come. He is preaching to the assembled Knights in the Chapel. You should speak to him at once."
Nightmare wasn't surprised to find that she was ignored by the knights, though her reasoning was because she didn't actually worship the Nine Divines or something like that. She was, however, surprised to hear that the man that had gotten Shadow started on this quest, who told them to go on a vision quest of sorts, was here and that he was waiting for Shadow. Apparently Shadow was surprised as well, but he merely nodded his head and the three of them quickly made their way to the restored chapel, where they would discover what their next plan of action would be. The Prophet just happened to be wrapping up his speech when Shadow and Nightmare walked in behind Sir Thedret, though he seemed quite pleased to see them again.
Shadow decided not to waste any time and approached the old man, wondering what he had to tell him before they planned out their attack on wherever their enemy was hiding, though as he did so he pulled out the Helmet of the Crusader and, at long last, slipped it on over his head.
"You have stepped from the humble shadows of obscurity and into legend." the Prophet told him, to which Shadow took off the cloak the had been concealing the Divine Crusader's armor and revealed it all for the assembled knights to see, "No feat you have accomplished in your life compares to what you have become. You are an embodiment of Pelinal Whitestrake, the bane of Umaril the Unfeathered. The time has come for you to fulfill your destiny. Umaril lies hidden in the ancient fane of Garlas Malatar. You must go there and destroy him."
"Am I ready then?" Shadow asked, wondering if he was now destined to meet the same fate as Pelinal did, though he would gladly give his life if it meant that Umaril the Unfeathered would have to wait until he could try his invasion again.
"No. Should you face Umaril, you would suffer the same fate as Pelinal." the Prophet replied, though it was clear that something had occurred to him that might aid Shadow in his quest, "But times change and even the shape of the divine itself must change with it. Where once there were Eight, now One more now stands with them, and they have become Nine."
"Talos... of course!" Shadow said, not believing that he had forgotten about the man turned Divine whose armor he, Rend, and Nightmare had recovered some time ago.
"Aye." the Prophet said in agreement, clearly pleased that Shadow was paying attention to what he was saying, "With the apotheosis of Tiber Septim, the face of the divine was transformed. Talos ascended and the Eight became Nine. So, although you wear the armor of the gods, it is incomplete --- a relic of the old ways and the old gods."
"Then how do I destroy Umaril?" Shadow asked, though he was getting the feeling that the old man was deliberately not telling him anything so that they could have one last conversation before they went off to war.
"As a proven guardian of this realm," the Prophet replied, as if he had been expecting that sort of reply, "and a warrior the likes of which have not been seen in millennia, Talos grants you his sacred Blessing. With the ancient gifts of the Eight, and the new gift of the One, you are ready to face Umaril. The Blessing will allow you to follow Umaril into the spirit realm upon his death. It will allow you to destroy him, body and soul, utterly and for all time. You must first kill his living body. While beyond the power of most mortals, this is only the lesser of your two tasks. His Daedric nature allows his spirit to escape into Oblivion after death. This is what Pelinal Whitestrake learned upon defeating Umaril the first time.
But you can do what Pelinal could not. The Blessing of Talos will allow you to follow Umaril's spirit when it leaves his body. This you must do, and you must not fail. You will not, for the Nine fight with you."
Shadow nodded and turned to Nightmare for a moment, though they both knew what their next task was, as this was the one they had been expecting the entire time. Now it was finally time for them to take the fight to Umaril the Unfeathered, strike down him and the soldiers that were under his command, and then slay him so his spirit could be destroyed forever. Shadow knew that it sounded like a lot for him and the other knights to accomplish, but with Nightmare at their side he knew that they could reach their target without any problems. He truly almost felt sorry for the daedra that were waiting in Garlas Malatar, but then he remembered everyone that they had killed up until this point and decided that now wasn't the time for him to get emotional.
Once Umaril was dead, and his spirit completely destroyed, Shadow knew that they would rejoin Rend and continue their efforts into figuring out how they were going to recover the Amulet of Kings so they could stop Mehrunes Dagon... before he brought about the end of Nirn.
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.
With Umaril the Unfeathered defeated, and the chapels of the Divines safe once more, Shadow and Nightmare departed from the Priory of the Nine and began the journey back to Bruma, or more accurately Cloud Ruler Temple, where Rend and Martin Septim were waiting their return. Nightmare, once again, decided that the best course of action would be to simply fly them to their destination, which Shadow seemed to be fine with as they rapidly made their way to where their friend was waiting. They passed over some bandit camps, who actually ran in terror at that sight of Nightmare flying over their camps, as if they actually believed that she was coming to bring an end to them and their thieving ways.
Nightmare would have laughed at the thought of making the bandits run like chickens with their heads cut off, but she decided to save it for when they were done with defeating the Mythic Dawn and the Daedric Lord Mehrunes Dagon.
When they finally reached the city that Cloud Ruler Temple overlooked they found that there were plenty of camps scattered around the inside and outside of the city, all of which happened to be filled with soldiers from the various cities that were scattered around Cyrodiil. They knew that Rend had been busy during their absence, considering that he closed several Oblivion Gates by himself while they were gathering the artifacts of the Divine Crusader, but it almost looked like he had recruited an army to help him. Nightmare even spotted several markings where she believed three Oblivion Gates had been opened, though in the center of them was what appeared to be the ruins of an even larger Oblivion Gate.
Nightmare then corrected her course and flew up to Cloud Ruler Temple, where they found the Blades patrolling the grounds and looking for additional enemies that they might need to take care of. The Blades seemed to think that they were enemies, which Nightmare remembered from the last time she had flown back to the Temple, but then they noticed who was coming their way and sheathed their weapons once more. Nightmare then set Shadow down on the walkway before dropping down beside him, to which the two of them stretched their arms for a few seconds before they entered the actual Temple.
What they found inside, however, was what appeared to be a portal to some plane of Oblivion, but as Nightmare drew her battleaxe so she could destroy it Jauffre stepped forward and started to explain what they were seeing. Apparently what Martin had been doing was gathering the necessary ingredients to build a portal to Mankar Camoran's Paradise, where their enemy had taken the Amulet of Kings. Rend had, while they were gone, gathered the missing two ingredients that Martin needed to open the portal, one of which happened to be a Great Sigil Stone, which could only be taken from a Great Oblivion Gate. Nightmare was able to deduce that the army they had seen outside the city was for the purpose of holding off the daedra until Rend acquired the necessary stone, which he had been successful in getting by the looks of it.
Jauffre finished his explanation by telling them that Rend had already gone into Camoran's Paradise, as they had no way of telling when the two of them were going to return to the Temple, but as he finished explaining everything the portal rippled and Rend, in all his glory, appeared before their eyes as the portal slammed shut behind him. That was seconds before Nightmare spotted the necklace that he was holding in his right hand, the very same necklace she had seen when she had first met Rend and his friends; the Amulet of Kings itself.
"You found a way back! Does this mean... ?" Martin asked, apparently not seeing the necklace that Rend was holding, as it appeared that he was focusing on whether Mankar Camoran was alive or not.
"Mankar Camoran is dead," Rend replied, raising himself to a full standing position again, all while sheathing the weapon that was in his left hand, "He will trouble us no longer."
"You did it. You defeated him." Martin said, joy appearing on his face for a brief moment, but then it disappeared as he remember that there had been a second reason for sending Rend into Camoran's Paradise, "Then you have it... you have the Amulet of Kings?"
"Its right here, your majesty," Rend answered, holding out the Amulet of Kings, allowing Martin to take it in his hands and stare at it, "It belongs to you now."
"Belongs to me? The Amulet of Kings? So you and Jauffre have said." Martin said, letting out a sigh as he stared at the necklace, as if he was lost in thought at the moment, "If it is true, if the Emperor really was my father, then I should be able to wear it. Only those of the Septim blood can wear the Amulet of Kings. To tell you the truth, I don't really need the Amulet to tell me that. I've known it was true since you first told me back in Kvatch. But it is one thing to talk of becoming Emperor, and quite another to actually be the Emperor."
Jauffre seemed to relax as Martin slipped on the Amulet of Kings, as now they were one step closer to bringing an end to the entire Oblivion Crisis now that there was someone who could light the Dragonfires.
"Our next course of action is to head to the Imperial City and speak with High Chancellor Ocato." Martin said, though he immediately noticed the confused looks on most of the faces around him, save for Jauffre, "Chancellor Ocato is the head of the Elder Council. The Council rules in the Emperor's absence. I don't expect any objections from the Elder Council, but we should defer to their authority. Let's go to the Imperial City at once, before the enemy can recover from Mankar Camoran's death."
"Then we had best no waste any time," Nightmare replied, sheathing her battleaxe as she turned back to the entrance of the Temple, "because if I'm right in my thinking, and I'm sure that I am, then Dagon won't wait for you to light the Dragonfires and seal the veil between Nirn and Oblivion... he'll attack the city itself in the attempt to destroy you first."
Martin nodded and the assembled group made for the entrance of the Temple, to which Jauffre called for the Blades to follow them so they could deal with any enemies that interfered with their journey to the Imperial City. The soldiers stationed at Bruma, on the other hand, were also asked to come along, because Jauffre was thinking that Nightmare might be right in her thinking and wanted to be sure that the citizens of the city were safe in case the forces of Oblivion attacked them.
It took them the better part of the afternoon to reach the Imperial City, though to pass the time Shadow and Nightmare told Rend and Martin, and by extent Jauffre, about the gathering of the Divine Crusader's artifacts and then the defeat of Umaril the Unfeathered. Martin seemed impressed by the feat that Shadow was able to full off, defeating another enemy before he could announce himself to the whole of Cyrodiil, just like Pandora defeating Jyggalag in the Shivering Isles. Even Rend seemed impressed by what they had done, though Nightmare wondered if it was because of the fact that Shadow had recovered an ancient suit of armor and weapons, or if it was because of the fact that he had defeated another enemy while he was busy.
When they actually reached the city Jauffre got the soldiers into position around the various districts, where they could be of service and protect the citizens like they had originally planned. Martin, Rend, Shadow, and Nightmare continued towards the center of the city, where the palace was located, so that they could meet with Chancellor Ocato. As they approached their destination they found a familiar face, as Baurus had been patiently waiting their arrival, though it made Nightmare wonder how long he had been guarding the actual palace.
"Sire, Chancellor Ocato is expecting you." Baurus said the moment he spotted Martin walking towards the entrance of the palace, "He had word of your arrival in the capital."
"Very well." Martin replied, allowing Rend and Shadow to open the palace gates for him, "Let's finish this."
As they walked inside the palace Nightmare noted that there weren't many guards around, which actually annoyed her considering that the previous Emperor had been killed with only three guards to protect him. She drew her battleaxe and extended her magic, making sure that they were alone and that there were no enemies waiting in the shadows to strike at Martin when they were least expecting it. They swiftly entered the main area of the palace, which Nightmare deemed was safe at the moment, where they met the person that they had traveled so far to meet.
"I have been expecting you. The full Council has already considered the matter of Martin's claim to the Imperial Throne in detail." the man said as they entered, confirming that he was, indeed, Chancellor Ocato, "Martin Septim, on behalf of the Elder Council, I accept your claim to the Imperial Throne. We should arrange the coronation ceremony as soon as..."
"Chancellor Ocato!" a soldier shouted, running into the room and approaching the Chancellor without wasting even a second, "The city is under attack! Oblivion Gates have opened, and daedra are inside the walls! The guard is overwhelmed!"
Nightmare couldn't believe what she was hearing, because they had literally just arrived and it had been perfectly fine when they had entered the palace not five minutes ago. She considered that this attack had likely been planned in advance, in the off chance that Mankar Camoran had been defeated before Mehrunes Dagon could do whatever he was planning, but for the guard to already be overwhelmed made her wonder if they even stood a chance at this point. She knew that she could fight off as many enemies as she could before exhaustion claimed her, and that was quite a number of enemies thanks to her status as an alicorn, but none of her friends could match her speed or endurance and would likely fall long before the city did.
They were going to have to fight to the bitter end, because she knew that they didn't have enough time for her to fly to the door that led to the Shivering Isles and ask Pandora for assistance in this matter.
"Courage, soldier. We have an Emperor again." the Chancellor said, turning to Martin without wasting a second, "Your Highness, what are your orders? Shall the Guard fall back to the Palace?"
"No. If we let ourselves get besieged in the Palace we're doomed." Martin replied, looking down at the Amulet of Kings for a moment, to which a plan appeared to form in his mind, "We must get to the Temple of the One immedia..."
Before Martin could even finish what he was about to say the ground seemed to shake for a moment, but as everyone gathered themselves Nightmare's eyes widened as she felt something that made her shake for a moment; the presence of Mehrunes Dagon himself. She immediately knew what that meant, as it was the sign that the barrier between Nirn and Oblivion had failed now that one of the Daedric Princes was walking the world in his physical form. She threw open the doors and ran outside, where she stopped the moment she spotted a massive creature, roughly the size of the palace itself, with deep red skin and four arms attached to his body. Dagon appeared to be wearing a loincloth and nothing else, though the amount of power that Nightmare could feel was making her worry about their chances of actually defeating him.
"We're too late... Mehrunes Dagon is here!" Martin said, looking at the Prince of Destruction as he began to lay waste to the district that he had appeared in, "Lighting the Dragonfires will no longer save us... the barriers that protected us from Oblivion are gone..."
"There must be a way for us to cast him back into Oblivion," Shadow said, drawing forth the Sword and Shield of the Crusader, though it was clear that he was wondering if they even stood a chance at harming the Daedric Prince.
"I don't see how..." Martin replied, shaking his head as he searched for something that could actually help them in this situation, "mortal weapons may hurt him, but now that he is physically here in Tamriel, they have no power to actually destroy him. I doubt that even the mighty weapons of the Divine Crusader would do more than scratch him at the moment."
"Then what about the Amulet of Kings?" Rend commented, drawing attention to himself once more, "It was given to Alessia by the Divine Akatosh, so doesn't it hold some power that we might be able to use to defeat Dagon?"
"But how to use this power against Dagon?" Martin said, though it was quickly becoming clear that he was losing faith in his ability to save both the Empire, but also the entirety of Nirn, "The Amulet was not intended as a weapon... wait, I have an idea. One last hope. I must reach the Dragonfires in the Temple of the One."
"Then go and do whatever you need to do," Nightmare replied, tapping the bottom of her battleaxe on the ground, "I'll fight Dagon and give you as much time as I am able."
Before anyone could say anything to stop her, not that she would have listened, Nightmare spread her wings out and took to the skies, leaving Shadow and Rend to protect the Emperor from Dagon's minions. She flew right up to the Daedric Lord and swung her weapon at him, cutting a light gash into the side of one of his arms before he even knew that he was under attack. Once she was passed him Nightmare landed on one of the rooftops, so that she could see if she had actually done anything or if she had only made him much angrier.
"Who dares to challenge the Prince of Destruction?" Dagon shouted, completely ignoring the fact that Nightmare was standing on a nearby rooftop, though she was more than willing to reveal herself.
"I am Nightmare Moon, Princess of the Night and Queen of Knights," Nightmare shouted, causing the Prince to turn towards her, "and I DARE to challenge the Daedric Prince of Destruction."
"As does the Prince of Madness," a voice said, just as Pandora, dressed up in the same clothing she had worn when she defeated Jyggalag, appeared beside Nightmare and tapped her staff on the ground, "and let me tell you something Dagon, I'd love to skip rope with your entrails... a pity that I can't actually remove them though."
"Sheogorath... this is unexpected," Dagon replied, almost sounding pleased that one of the other Princes had shown up in the end, "but not unpleasant at all. Now I can crush you into the ground and burn YOUR realm to..."
That was seconds before a large swirling sphere of gray and orange energy barreled into Dagon's chest, forcing him backwards for a brief moment before he looked down at the two that dared to challenge him. More specifically he seemed to be staring down at Pandora, completely ignoring the fact that Nightmare was even standing next to her at the moment
"Ah ha! I knew that would hurt him..." Pandora said, grinning like a madman as she stared at the smoke coming off of Dagon's chest, "I mean, if it was enough to hurt Jyggalag during our fight then it should be enough to hurt Dagon... and it appears that I was right! Cheese for everybody... except for Dagon anyway."
As Pandora finished the sentence Dagon brought his arm down on the building that they were standing on, forcing the two of them to move as he smashed the building into pieces. Nightmare flew through the air and swung her weapon at the Prince, but this time Dagon seemed to be expecting it because one of his arms slammed into her and sent her flying into another building. The unfortunate part about that was that her weapon was sent flying in a different direction, so thanks to the current situation she didn't have an opportunity to go get it without leaving Martin open to attack.
Nightmare cut her thumbs on her teeth, drew a small diagram on both of her palms, and pressed her hands against the ruined building around her, before she drew out two of her unique swords. These special azure colored blades had been used in her battle with Celestia, though when she had lost the fight, and was sent to the moon, she sealed them away in her rage. They were designed to hurt godly creatures, mainly her sister, but she had forgotten about them when she discovered that Dagon was attacking quicker than any of them had been expecting.
"I see you had another trump card," Pandora said, landing beside Nightmare as she stared at the weapons, as if she would actually feel their power, "I wonder how much damage they'll do if I imbue them with the power of Madness itself."
Nightmare watched as the dual colored magic was weaved on top of her weapons, allowing the two to merge into one entity, before Pandora's spell was finished. Nightmare then sighed as she opened herself to her full power, which happened to be aided by Luna's own abilities, until the two of them were on the same level. Magic surged around her swords as she burst into the air, to which she swung her arms and released two waves of magic that barreled into Dagon and pushed him backwards. Before her enemy had a chance to regain himself she charged forward and slammed into him, cutting into his chest and arms before she was thrown to the ground once more.
Nightmare then called upon the power of the storm, lightning flashing in the sky as she used her magic to attack the Prince of Destruction, knowing that none of her attacks would actually harm her enemy. Pandora weaved her way through the air as well, shooting dual colored arrows from the top of her staff that contained the power of madness and using small explosives to tear Dagon's attention in half. The two of them forced Dagon to choose who he wanted to attack, whether it was actually Nightmare or Pandora, so that they could make sure that Marin was safe to do whatever he needed to do that might stop Dagon from destroying all of Nirn.
Pandora got a lucky shot and blasted Dagon back into the building that was behind him, where he crushed the top of the building with his body, but before he turned his gaze towards Pandora he looked into the building and seemed to stop moving. Nightmare's eyes widened as she realized what that building had to be, because there was only one thing that would make Dagon stop his fight with the two of them; Martin himself. He turned to the building and started to tear it apart, but then a surge of energy poured out of the Temple of the One and a large red dragon, equal to Dagon's height, emerged from the wreckage.
It was the Avatar of Akatosh, Nightmare knew that was what it had to be, and it immediately attacked Dagon, tearing into the Daedric Prince of Oblivion multiple times before finally stunning him. Then the large dragon loosed a mighty roar that tore Dagon to pieces and sent all of the daedra that had accompanied him back to Oblivion, before taking a breath and turning to stone. Nightmare let out a sigh as she sheathed her weapons and summoned her battleaxe back to her side, though she looked at it for a moment before she made it disappear as well. She then stared up at the massive frozen dragon for a few minutes, wondering if it was still alive or if it had been a one time deal with the Divine Akatosh, before Rend and Shadow walked over to where she and Pandora were standing.
"Where's Martin?" Pandora asked her former companions, tapping her staff on the ground as they approached her and Nightmare, "We must congratulate him on defeating Mehrunes Dagon!"
"Gone," Shadow replied, shaking his head as both he and Rend sheathed their weapons, "The joined blood of kings and gods. The Amulet of Kings. The divine power of Akatosh. Martin became the Avatar of Akatosh and sealed the barrier between Nirn and Oblivion. Mehrunes Dagon and his ilk can never threaten Tamriel again. Martin is dead. But he died an emperor, and a hero to rival Tiber Septim."
"Then I must depart for the Shivering Isles," Pandora said, tossing her staff into the air and catching it, before turning towards one of the nearby gates, "I have not fully grown into my form as the Daedric Prince of Madness, so I was not immediately blasted back into Oblivion like Mehrunes Dagon, but I should not stick around for it to remember that I'm one of Dagon's ilk now. Oh, and Nightmare... the next time you manage to find your way to Nirn, do look me up in New Sheoth."
"I will Pandora," Nightmare told her friend, though she knew that it was likely going to be a lie in the end, as it had been by random chance that she had come here and had no idea how she was going to return if she had the desire to do so.
"Well then, I hope you don't miss your ride home," Pandora said, smiling the instant that she noticed that they were all looking confused, to which she pointed up at the sky above them, "Check out the moons."
Nightmare looked up at the sky and noticed that the two moons had formed some sort of eclipse, which she had assumed had been because of Dagon when she had seen it the first time, but now she had to wonder if there was something else she was missing. She could feel the magic in the air all around her, though as she noticed the magic she realized that it was akin to the magic of her home world. She had no idea how that was possible, but she had to wonder if the Divines had managed to build a temporary bridge for her to return home, almost as if they were silently thanking her for helping their champions save the world.
Up until now she had no idea on how she was going to return home, and had actually forgotten to search for such a method while she was traveling with her friends, but she was actually happy to have a way home.
"Well then, I had better get going," Nightmare said, opening her wings as she turned to Rend and Shadow, who were both sad at the idea of her departing from their world, "I know not when we'll meet again, or if we'll meet again, but know that I will remember the three of you and hold our adventures close to my heart."
Rend looked like he wanted to say something, and even Shadow looked that way as well, but in the end the two of them merely nodded their heads and remained where they were standing. Nightmare, with a mixed bag of feelings, flapped her wings and headed towards the moons, where she knew the magic of her home world would call her home. As she neared the eclipse she felt her body being pulled on by the magic in the air around her, though this time she merely closed her eyes as the magic worked whatever spell it was designed for.
When Nightmare next opened her eyes she found herself in what appeared to be an old ruin of sorts, though as she looked around she almost immediately recognized where she was standing; she was in the castle that she and her sister had lived in so long ago. It actually brought tears to her eyes to see her former home in such a state, though she figured it would have happened eventually, whether or not she had been there to see it happen. She then looked up at the sky and noticed that her moon was hanging in the sky, leaving her to wonder how she could have been released from her prison, before she looked down at herself and found that she was a pony again.
"Your thousand year sentence is over, dear sister," a voice said, causing her to snap her head to the room's entrance and find Celestia standing there, though she was without any visible weapons or armor, "Whatever you did while you were away was enough to grant you the release that you desired so badly... and I am glad to have you home once more."
"I've... been gone a thousand years?" Nightmare asked, knowing that she had been on the moon for about eight hundred years before she attempted her spell, which meant that the Divines of Nirn must have let her jump forward in time, to the end of her sentence.
"Yes Luna, you were gone for a thousand years." Celestia answered, walking up to Nightmare and wrapping a wing around her, "I can see that you didn't flinch when I said your name... which means that the two of you have learned to coexist without hating each other. Before we go home, and get started on teaching you what you missed, there is one small favor that I have to ask of the two of you."
Nightmare didn't like the look in her sister's eyes, and even Luna mentally voiced her dislike of the look as well, but they knew that Celestia was planning something... which they were likely going to find out in the very near future.
"And that, dear Twilight Sparkle, is the story of my adventures during the Oblivion Crisis," Luna finally concluded, taking a sip of her tea as she brought her story to a close.
Luna was sitting in a room at the top of one of Canterlot's towers, which she had designed for whenever she had guests and didn't want to meet them in her bedroom, with three other ponies sitting around her. Her sister, Celestia, was sitting to her right and eating one of the various cakes that Luna had made for this occasion, though to her sister's right was her husband, the recently healed Sombra. It never ceased to amaze Luna that they had managed what she originally deemed was impossible, healing the darkness that had rested inside Sombra and restoring him to the stallion he had been before Discord had interfered with their lives. Sitting directly across from Luna, and taking notes on everything she had said over the last few hours, was Twilight Sparkle, who had insisted on hearing of Luna's own adventures, which she eventually agreed with and invited her sister to hear the tale again... as well as giving Sombra the chance to hear it for himself.
In truth there was a fifth pony in the room that Twilight was, thankfully, unaware of, though Luna was sure that both Celestia and Sombra had noticed her the moment they walked into the room.
"But what was the favor that Celestia asked of you?" Twilight asked, knowing that her notes would be incomplete if she didn't have that piece of information included in the piles of papers that she had been writing the entire time.
"To let Nightmare Moon test you and your friends," Luna replied, cutting a side glance to her sister, who merely nodded her head for a few seconds, "She played the part of the villain, smashed the stones that used to represent the Elements of Harmony, and then you did what came naturally to you... you harnessed the power of the Elements and 'defeated' Nightmare Moon."
Twilight nodded and started gathering her notes, mumbling something about binding them into a book and keeping the adventures of the royal sisters under lock and key, so that other ponies didn't know it was possible to travel between worlds. That made Luna raise an eyebrow for a moment, because shortly after her return, and Nightmare's 'defeat', she had learned of a mirror that connected to a different version of their own world. It was there that one of Celestia's past students had run off to, though her sister seemed hesitant to mention the mirror or the other student to Twilight, so Luna decided to say nothing about it.
It took Twilight a few minutes to gather the rest of her papers, put away her writing quills, and make sure everything was in her saddlebags, before she respectfully bowed to the three of them and departed from the tower by teleportation. Once Twilight was gone one of the shadows moved from its place on the wall and the shadowy form of Nightmare Moon emerged from it, though she left her armor behind, as she was merely made of shadows and not physically there.
"I never thought she'd leave," the shadowy mare said, walking up to where Luna was sitting and connecting to her shadow, where she would disappear until it was night once more, "Hearing the story again... it sure brings back memories."
"I'm sure it does," Celestia commented, turning to Luna and Nightmare, "So, now that we know that Sombra can build a temporary bridge between worlds, when do you think you'll be heading back to tell Pandora about the death of her friends and whatever else she might want to know? I mean, you did promise her and you didn't fulfill that when we were in Skyrim."
Luna had thought about visiting her friend ever since they had returned from Nirn, and there were some days where she had nearly caved in and asked for a portal to be built, but she had been waiting for Sombra to recover from their return. Her sister's husband had, before their departure from Nirn, fought one large battle with their enemy, using the most of his power to ensure that said enemy would never threaten the world again. She wanted to be sure that he was fully rested before she had asked such a favor of him, but it had been almost two months since their return to Canterlot and Sombra had regained most, if not all, of his formidable powers.
She also considered that she had also been waiting until she told young Twilight of her adventures, another promise she had made back in Nirn, and now that she had done just that she knew that it was time to fulfill the other one.
"I guess I've just been waiting to tell Twilight the story," Luna replied, letting out a sigh as she turned to Sombra and Celestia, "No... if I'm going to be completely honest with you two... I've put off returning to Cyrodiil for too long. Pandora's likely wondering when, or if, I'm going to return and celebrate our victory over Dagon... so I guess I had better get going before she starts to really go mad."
"Well then, seeing how you'll be returning to Nirn, is there any specific location you'd like to return to?" Sombra asked, shadowy magic gathering around his horn for a moment, "I'll keep it open for a week... so that will give you enough time to visit the Shivering Isles and do whatever you want."
"Just put it at High Hrothgar," Luna answered, smiling as a section of the floor gave way for a crystal gate structure, to which she got up and stretched her legs, "I'll be back when I've told Pandora what happened since my departure."
"I'd tell you to be safe, but I doubt that will be necessary," Celestia commented, a smile appearing on her face as Luna approached the gateway, "I'll see you when you get back sister."
Luna nodded and walked through the gateway, where she knew that she could travel back to Nirn for what would likely be the last time in her entire life.
When Luna appeared at the peak of High Hrothgar she made sure that she was back in the body that she assumed whenever she came to this world, though when she was sure that everything was in place she opened her wings and took off. From the air she could see the destruction of the fights that Sombra had been a part off, though she was glad that he was back on their side again. She paid the ruined areas little attention as she angled herself towards Cyrodiil, giving her time to consider what she was going to tell Pandora when she returned to the Shivering Isles.
She knew that she would have to apologize for not returning when she came to free Sombra from his inner darkness, but there was also how she was going to start her story. She already knew that Pandora would ask to hear the tale that brought her to her world again, so she started piecing together what she was going to tell the Prince of Madness. She also reminded herself that she would have to address her friend accordingly, as she was likely still Sheogorath, so it wouldn't do to call her by the name she had known her by so long ago.
As she crossed into Cyrodiil, and flew over where Cloud Ruler Temple used to be, she heard Nightmare sigh inside her head, as if she was sad to see the place in such a state. Nightmare also made several comments on the states of the various other areas that they flew over, including the Imperial City when they neared it, but Luna let her counterpart speak her mind the entire time. She was curious if there was still a guardian that was standing guard outside the door to the Shivering Isles, or if they had decided to stop guarding it.
When they arrived outside Bravil, in what was called Niben Bay, Luna spotted the door to the Shivering Isles almost immediately, because it was hard to miss the two stone faces that made up the door. She then spotted someone standing beside the door, who happened to be dressed in a suit of armor that reminded her of the person who originally had been assigned to the door. She pulled her wings in as she spun around and landed before the figure she had spotted, which was actually a female Imperial that happened to be wearing the armor of the city that was to the west of them.
"Wh... who are you?" the woman asked, taking a few seconds to draw her sword and point it at Luna.
"Princess Luna, though you'd best know me by my old name..." Luna replied, taking a moment to add some drama to the reveal, something she knew that Nightmare would enjoy in the end, "...Nightmare Moon, the Queen of Knights."
The guard seemed to faint as she fell back onto the ground, to which Luna sighed and made sure that she was safe before nodding her head in silence. She then walked into the door to the Shivering Isles, where she appeared in the same room that she had appeared in the first time Nightmare had walked through the door. She noticed Haskill sitting at the same desk that she had seen him sitting at the first time they walked into the realm of Sheogorath, though as she looked to her left she noticed Nightmare standing beside her once more.
"My Lord was wondering when you would return," Haskill commented, seeing the two of them walk through the door as the room around them fell to pieces, "Please, proceed to New Sheoth and speak with my Lord."
Luna and Nightmare spread their wings and took off, flying through the air as they flew over the Gates that people could pass through to actually enter the Shivering Isles. They took in the familiar sights that they had gone through when they had been here an era ago, spotting several of the soldiers that served Sheogorath running around and taking care of whoever dared to attack them. There wasn't much that actually acquired their attention, as the forces of Jyggalag were nowhere to be seen thanks to his defeat so long ago, so they could fly to New Sheoth in peace.
When they landed in front of the actual palace the guards immediately drew their weapons in case they were enemies, but one look from Nightmare, and the reveal of her seemingly legendary battleaxe, seemed to tell them that it would be a bad idea to mess with the two alicorns. They entered the palace and spotted someone sitting on the throne, who at first appeared to be a man that reminded them of the old Sheogorath, but the moment he raised his head to see who was entering his palace a smile appeared on his face. That was soon followed by a mist wrapping around him and changed how he appeared, which remained in that state for a few moments, until the mist was gone and Pandora, in all her glory, was sitting before them.
"I was wondering when you'd fulfill your promise," Pandora commented, beckoning them forward as she used her magic to summon a pair of chairs and a table for them to sit at, "I am most eager to hear about your adventure in Skyrim... before I tell you about the madness I have had to deal with over the last era."
"We would be happy to tell you everything," Luna replied, smiling as she and Nightmare took their seats near their old friend, "It all started with the return of the Crystal Empire..."