The portal infront of me pulsed as I withdrew a piece of rubble I had placed/dipped into it.
I wrote down a few notes for later reviewing before storing the rock into my ring.
"Alright, good news, I was pretty much right on the money with our Aura." I clapped my hands, gaining their attention. Thorum hopped off the large stone, coming down next to me. Serena had been hovering near by, a visible anxiety on her face
"It is safe then?" Thorum asked.
"Well, safe is relative. Keep your Aura active and all that. If things look too dangerous….we may need to evacuate in a hurry." While I felt confident in fending for myself with my Campione physiology and magical resistance, I wasn't going to risk it if I didn't have to.
Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that we were going to find Serena's mother, and Thorum was being very adamant about this, I would have taken much longer to scope things out. Where we're at was basically – we won't die from just stepping in there.
That and the fact that Meridia hadn't come to smack me upside the head for even considering going there. I considered getting her involved, but I doubted she wanted anything to do with Serena or her mother considering they were vampires.
"Alright, be ready for anything, I got no idea what's on the other side besides what you've told me." I rubbed my storage ring and withdrew Dawnbreaker, clutching its radiant warmth in my hand.
I watched Thorum's Aura flare up around him protectively. Again there was that strange dragon-like appearance that definitely wasn't normal of how Aura should work.
Serena's eyes glowed slightly, as if she were ready to cast a spell at a moments notice.
"With you both at my side, I have little to fear." Thorum said warmly, easing the tension.
He had that big goofy smile of his.
"Alright, let's get going." I put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll go first."
Thorum nodded at me. "We will be right behind you, my friend."
"And thank you, Wilhelm." Serena had a rare smile on her face. She tended to keep herself from reacting overtly, but there was a genuineness to her.
I'm glad she apparently opened up more, especially around Thorum.
I would endeavor to tease him more after the matter was settled, especially when Serena's mother was in earshot.
As was my duty as his friend.
Without another word, I stepped through the portal.
***
Immediately, a deathly air slammed against me. My Aura sprang to life, forcing away the malicious energies of this place.
I paused to look at my surroundings just for a moment, and my eyes widened at what I saw. I felt a strange sense of unease, as if something was staring right at me.
I flicked my hand, four Talismans appearing between my fingers as I threw them to four corners of the area around the portal.
"The Sapling hides in the Tree's shadow. The Earth is overlooked by the heavens. The Wind leaves no traces. And the Fire fades from memory." I invoked my spells. "Four Elements Concealment Formation!"
A bounded field actualized through my Onmyoji arts. While Magecraft has a much broader spectrum of Bound Fields it can apply, it's hard to match such a specific application that I can get with my Onmyoji.
It's a rather intricate concealing Bounded Field that should hide the portal from most general prying eyes. I didn't know what was lurking around and I didn't want any wayward nasties to just mindlessly escape this place through a portal I created. Meridia would be most upset with me.
"This…" Thorum stepped through, having a near similar reaction that I did.
"This place feels like death." Serena even shuddered.
And that was coming from a vampire.
This place reminded me too much like the Land of Shadows. The vehement hatred that I felt, I think it was directed at me due to being a living being. I imagine that Thorum felt something rather similar at this moment.
Even without this oppressive feeling, this realm did nothing to make me feel at ease. There was absolutely no life within this place, a cursory glance could tell me that much.
A baleful purple hue invaded every corner, an aurora of necrotic energies hung overhead.
It wasn't just that either, even with my status elevated above most mortals, I felt a sense of...disorientation. Like my perception was being thrown off as I was not welcomed in this realm.
I was within someone else's domain, and I was most certainly not welcomed.
There were buildings in almost all directions, a strange mist disrupting a clear view, but I set my eyes on the largest.
"Chances that your mother is over there?" I raised my finger up, grabbing their attention.
"You mean the towering citadel that seems to be pulsing with an unholy energy that makes your skin crawl from just looking at it?" Serena asked.
"Yeah…..that one."
"Unfortunately…..high."
"Well….let's get a move on then." I didn't want to spend any more time here than I need to.
"Aye, this place gives me a bad feeling." Thorum pulled Gram from his back, holding it tight in his hand.
I reached down and took a handful of the sand, sealing it away and putting it in my ring. Never knew if I would have a use for it, but at the least it would be an interesting thing to experiment with later.
"Look out!" I heard Thorum shout, my head snapping up in time to see him cleave a Wraith in two with Gram.
The specter dissipating at the singular blow.
"There's more!" Serena hissed, her hand erupted with her blood magics. Several blood spears flew out, sailing through the air as they impaled a few more specters that came flying over the nearby hills.
I let go of Dawnbreaker, letting it soar through the air and cleave through the remainder. A bright light enveloped them and destroyed their forms – permanently.
"Annoying." I muttered as my sword returned to my grasp.
"I must thank you again for this sword, my friend." Thorum relaxed once the immediate danger passed. "Tis not my first time fighting a foe that normal steel would not work on, yet this blade has remained true."
Serena swept her gaze around but also relaxed a little. "It is a good sword, I can't remember seeing one that could match it even in my long life."
"And I'm sure its previous owner would be thrilled by your usage." I smiled warmly at him. Well, the original Siegfried that is.
He was a pretty swell guy, I'm guessing that his counterpart was too.
"FOR THE EMPIRE!" A battle shout grabbed our attention again, a…..spirit or something came charging at us, a cracked and broken sword in hand. It was nothing more than a vague purple silhouette of a person in some rusty armor.
"Another one, I'll –" I put my hand up, stopping Thorum.
I walked forward, infront of his charge. As he got closer, I stepped forward and wrapped my hand around its 'neck' before I lifted it up and slammed it into the ground.
"DAMN ELF BASTARD, THE EMPIRE WILL NEVER FALL!" It roared, squirming in my grasp.
"We're not elves." I looked down at it.
"I will avenge my brothers!"
"We're with the Empire!" I raised my voice, trying to see if would react differently.
There was no visible response, no indication of any true intelligence.
"My friend, what are you doing?" Thorum and Serena walked over.
"I wanted to see how much of the person here remained." I shook my head, stabbing Dawnbreaker down, ending its existence. "Its Ego had been completely eroded. It was nothing more than a blank soul living through remnant memories."
I stood up again, looking towards the citadel.
I was starting to put some pieces together.
And I did not like what I was seeing.
"Roooooaaaaar!"
I glanced to the side to see a Giant of all things staring at us. It let loose a roar of some kind as it came barreling at us.
Thorum, with Gram in hand, charged at it as well. The spectral creature swiped its oversized arm down at Thorum, but he ducked under it, slashing at the things legs, cleaving them from its soul-based body. The remainder went tumbling into the dirt and Thorum leapt up, slamming his sword down into its back.
The specter dissipated without much more fanfare.
"Have you noticed?" I glanced at Serena.
"Yes, it became obvious now." She nodded.
"Noticed what?" Thorum asked, returning to us.
"So far, only me and you have been the ones targeted." I let out a sigh, brushing the dirt off my pants. "The solider, the Giant, and even the specters, they never specifically went towards her. It could be coincidence, but I find that unlikely."
"We should keep going." Serena ushered forward, and we happily obliged.
The desolate landscapes seemed to continue forever. I didn't know if the citadel was actually in walking distance or not. Maybe it was simply 'there' and how much we moved didn't really matter.
As we moved onward, the rhythmic sound of metal hitting metal sounded out.
Maybe we were drawn to it, but we altered our course slightly to find the source.
There was a large silhouette of a man. He sat at an ethereal forge, slamming a ghostly hammer upon an equally ghostly piece of metal.
"This will be my greatest work." I could hear him mumble, never stopping in his actions.
I walked up to the specter again, inspecting what he was doing. He didn't even look up as I glanced over his shoulder, as if my existence was completely irrelevant.
No matter how many times he swung the hammer down, the metal never changed.
I reached out to touch him, but my hand just went right through.
I let out a sigh, taking out a Talisman and pushed it into the ghost's body. Its body began to glow bright and it looked like a flicker of life returned before dissipating.
To be honest, I didn't know if that actually put the soul to rest or not. This realm seems to be a prison of sorts, so it probably just got moved somewhere else like the others. But I very well couldn't just not do anything after seeing that.
I don't know how much longer we continued. Various undead creatures would pop up occasionally, but there didn't seem to be any guiding hand to them. There were times we avoided them, times where there seemed to be a flicker of life in their eyes and they didn't want to be involved with us, or times where we just were unlucky and walked into their paths.
After what seemed like an eternity, we finally came upon the building we sought after. However, I had the sneaking suspicion that something had allowed us to simply walk over here. Not that something like that would have stopped me if I didn't want it to, but it was something to keep in mind.
"I…..think…" Serena jerked to the side, as if something was calling to her.
Me and Thorum shared a look, following after her. Serena's steps picked up as she almost broke out into a sprint.
"Mother!" She suddenly let loose a heartfelt shout.
Thorum and I stopped a few feet away, Serena slammed into a barrier that surrounded a woman I had never seen before. Though, many of her features were similar to Serena's.
"Maker, it can't be…..Serena!?" The woman put a hand on the barrier, looking at Serena from within.
"Is it really you!? I can't believe it, how do we get inside, are you stuck, do you need help!?" The usual stoic Serena devolved into a worried little girl infront of her mom. It was kinda sweet to see, ignoring the circumstances.
"Serena, my daughter." Her mom sounded….happy with a mixture of sadness. "What are you doing here, child? Please don't tell me your father found out where I am."
"No, no." Serena moved her hands up, wiping away some stray tears. "He's dead." She let out a chuckle. "That bastard is finally dead."
"Dead?" Her mother repeated. "How did he die? Who killed him?"
"That's….." Serena turned towards us. "It was….my friend." She gestured to me.
I waved, not really knowing what else to say, partly because of the fact that I noticed she had a Gods damn Elder Scroll on her back.
As if that didn't complicate the situation even more.
Those things were dangerous. I knew Jinn guarded hers religiously, speaking a few times of how dangerous it was.
Not that I needed to be told, I was well aware of what that kind of knowledge could do to a person.
"These mortals?" Her mother furrowed her brow. "Serena, it's no time for jests. Tell me truthfully, does Harkon know my whereabouts?"
"She speaks the truth, Lady Valerica." Thorum stepped forward.
I guess that's her name?
"My friend was the one to lay low that villain."
"And who are you?" She narrowed her eyes. "Serena, why have you brought these outsiders here?" She snapped back to her daughter.
"They're helping me free you. Without them, I wouldn't have been able to find you."
Hmm, it might not be the time or place, but my duties as Thorum's friend required it. "He is the Dragonborn!" I declared, gesturing to Thorum. "Destined to slay the World Eater himself." Gotta make a good impression on his girlfriend's mom.
"Dragonborn!?" Valerica exclaimed, though it was not the expression I was expecting. I thought some kind of surprise and interest maybe. Perhaps giving him another evaluating look, but no, she looked a bit frightful at the declaration.
"Mother….what's wrong?"
"I thought we would have more time before…..he appeared. But if you say he is Dragonborn, then I have no doubt he is already aware."
"You are correct." A voice boomed out as a massive figure descended from the sky, landing upon the walls above us.
"Dragon." Thorum hissed.
"Dovahkiin." The Dragon replied…..with a noticeable lack of hostility. It looked around, eyes even landing on me for a moment with a confused look before returning to Thorum. "Zu'u fent tinvaak ko joor" It spoke rather softly. "I shall speak in mortal tongue." It seemingly corrected. "Greetings, youngest."
Honestly, it sounded a little amused.
Giving the dragon another look, he didn't look to good. Like...its physical form was basically a zombie at this point.
"What is wrong, youngest of father's children?" It lowered its head. "I speak in a tongue more familiar to you."
"I…..never actually spoke to a Dragon before without it trying to kill me." Thorum scratched his head.
The Dragon let out a mirthful laugh. "Yes, our siblings are a vicious lot. But they have not taught you the old ways? It seems that many things have changed since my imprisonment. We would fight over any slight, but it was not the only means of battle. Long have we sought to battle our voices as well, to challenge each other in a verbal battle."
"I am Durnehviir, youngest. Remember my name." He added with a hint of pride.
"Aye, I shall remember it." Thorum was still weary, but wasn't twitching towards his weapon atleast. "Durnehviir then, for what matter are we speaking and not battling? Do you hold Valerica prisoner?"
"Amusing, would you fight me for the spawn of Molag Bal, youngest?" The dragon chuckled. "I am a guard, but I am also a prisoner. For she exists as my key to escape this realm, but I am bound to guard her as long as she lives."
"The Ideal Masters, they tricked him into guarding me, not knowing I was immortal." Valerica crossed her arms. "As long as I live, he can't leave. And I can't leave." She flicked the barrier in annoyance.
"A guard, huh? And since we've made no effort to free her, that means you aren't obligated to attack us." I stated.
The Dragon turned its head back to me. "Yes, strange creature. Just as the Masters of this realm bound me through deceit, I too will only follow the exact wording that bind me here."
Well, I could read between the lines easily. If Valerica was gone from here, he would be free. He was more or less asking for our help.
"It is a moot point." Valerica spoke up again. "They personally saw to my imprisonment. This barrier is beyond my means of breaking."
"And such a mighty dragon is also unable to break through?" Thorum questioned.
"Have you not noticed, youngest? Our Thu'um is weakened within this realm where Father's influence is miniscule." The Dragon replied.
Does Time not hold a baring here?
Interesting to know.
"S-so what are we supposed to do?" Serena frowned, looking a little…frantic. "Mother, how do we rescue you?"
"I….do not know, child." Valerica said quietly. "Perhaps it is best that you leave and forget about me. This place is not somewhere you should stay. If the ones who imprisoned me get their hands on you…."
"How heartwarming, but I have an alternative." I interjected, walking towards the barrier. "Thorum, do you think you can handle your big brother up there?" I glanced at the dragon.
Thorum quirked an eyebrow, a smile forming on his face as I thought he realized what I was about to do.
"Durnehviir." Thorum called out, pointing his Dragon Slayer sword at the large creature. "It appears that we must clash, let it be a fine battle!"
I didn't think the dragon had time to formulate a response in its confusion as I took out my Sword of Destruction.
"Let's see what's stronger, this barrier or my Power of Destruction." I grinned, igniting my bloodline along the sword as I swung it down, cleaving through the barrier.
There was a moment of silence as everyone registered what happened.
Suddenly, Durnehviir let out an intense roar and Thorum shot up, slashing his sword at the mighty dragon, knocking it off the wall before it could take flight.
The moment the barrier was destroyed, Serena shot forward, slamming into her mother, wrapping her up in a big hug.
"WHO DARES DISTURB OUR REST!?" A voice boomed out, it sounded distorted, like a million voices echoed from within it.
"Oh no." Valerica's eyes widened in horror. "The Ideal Masters. Quick, take my daughter and escape, I beg of you!" She practically shoved Serena into my arms.
"Youngest, it is too late." Durnehviir roared. "One of my Master's has awoken from its slumber. Escape, do not be trapped here like me." The Dragon, however, did not stop in its assault.
It swore to be a guard, and a guard it would be even if it conflicted with its own interests.
The pride and honor of a Dragon.
At the top of the Citadel, I could vaguely make out a new figure that appeared. Its presence was hard to ignore. Even with my perception being out of wack, I could lock onto that thing as soon as its form coalesced.
Well, in for a penny, in for a pound.
"I do." I stated, not backing down from the challenge. I would rather it focus on me than the others. "I'm taking Valerica and the Dragon with me." I crossed my arms.
The Dragon had been rather kind, so I didn't mind bring him along. He tried to help, so call it repaying a favor. Besides, I'm sure Thorum would want to save him as well.
"A powerful soul…." It didn't speak loud again, but its voice carried far further than it had any right. "You shall stay here forever, your soul now belongs to me." It declared.
"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow, inspecting him, trying to discern what exactly it was. "I think I figured it out now." I raised my blade towards the thing. "You were are the Gods of this realm, hell, you probably created it. But you're not a God, are you? These souls, this place exists to erode everything about them, to remove all the unnecessary bits. Because you feed on them, the pure energy that's left. You consume it, sustaining yourself on it. You ascended by absorbing so many souls that you lost your physical body and exist as a being of pure energy now."
I had a soul enhanced through the sacrifice of a God. A strong soul that was already touched by a previous life. And to top it off, I had Ddraig in my soul as a soul himself. I must look like a big ol juicy meal to this thing.
It explained why they were intent on keeping the Dragon here. A piece of Akatosh's soul would be a substantial meal for them. They must require a constant supply of souls to sustain their existences at this point.
I wondered if they even remember who they were before they ascended in this horrific way.
"If you want my soul." I raised my hand up, The Sword of Destruction launching at the figure. The Power of Destruction burst out, and the silhouette was cleaved in two. "Come and get it."
Even if the realm didn't shake, and the foreboding feeling didn't diminish, I would not believe it to end that quickly.
"Was it wise to taunt the entity that rules over this realm!?" Valerica hissed.
"Yes." I replied. "Now it's focusing on me and not you. Thorum will probably need a little bit to beat the Dragon, and I want you both to get away for now so I can focus on this thing. I don't think it's as simple a matter as bring you away, it's probably already got its claws deep in your soul."
A contract, a curse, or some kind of soul magic I was unfamiliar with. There could be many things that leashed Serena's mother, and I was going to have to convince this 'Ideal Master' to relinquish her.
The ground cracked and sundered as thousands upon thousands of souls burst out like a geyser. It was just as I thought before, carved away everything that made a person a person, and left it just an almost pure power source, though corrupted by this entity for its own purpose.
"Wilhelm, this is…..a God-like entity, are you sure you can handle it?" Serena clearly looked hesitant in my plan.
I couldn't help but chuckle. "Wouldn't be my first time fighting a God." I shooed her off. "Now get going, let me fight without distractions."
A silent nod followed by Serena pulling her dumbstruck mother away. I didn't pay them anymore heed for now, I needed to focus.
As confident as I sounded, I didn't actually know this things limitations. I could guess it was more or less on the level of a God. A God without a domain or Authority, just the pure power that came with it.
The Souls didn't stop rushing out, they filled the sky and circled around above before finally slamming down on the ground. They all seemed to come together, forming one giant mass in the familiar shape from before. The former silhouette that the Ideal Master used, though a similar heigh to Susanoo when I fought him back in my birth world.
I wonder if it was just a common method to use when you had obscene amounts of power at your disposal.
That purple, baleful, aura formed a coherent mass quickly. Made up of an uncountable number of souls that bared right down on me.
"Surrender yourself!" The mass exclaimed through a myriad of voices. "And I will let those others walk free."
Hmm, trying to bargain huh? Or maybe an intimidation tactic?
I wonder….
Does it not want to waste power? It would make sense, I'm sure this realm was hard to maintain, in addition to itself and any other 'Ideal Masters' that exist. Everything they gain must go into sustaining what they already have.
They pretty much locked themselves into a cycle of trying to keep themselves alive.
And it was willing to give up all the others just for me?
How strong was my soul now?
Questions for later.
I reached deep inside, touching upon my Authority, about to call upon it until I felt a trembling within my Storage Ring.
Something forced its way out, turning into a bright light and slammed into the entities' 'arm'.
The True Longus was impaled into the creature's arm. The conglomeration of soul's in the immediate area of the spear began to shimmer in holy light, a stark contract to the baleful hue it usually held. And I was overcome with shock as I witnessed the spear absorb a good chunk out of its arm.
The following roar didn't even seem to break me from my stupor.
The Spear dislodged from it, a swing of its arm to fling it away, only for it to slam into the ground right infront of me.
With a hesitant action, I slowly reached my arm out. I had the strange feeling, that the spear wouldn't reject me this time. The Holy Power was welcoming even though it should be poison for me.
My fingers griped around the shaft as I pulled it out of the ground.
The entity looked at my spear, with a little bit of hesitance itself.
"Well, isn't this something?" I lifted it up with a wide grin of my face. I felt some strange presence seep into me, not malevolent by any stretch of the imagination. Words entered my mind, a feeling of warmness that touched upon my own soul. A realization dawned on me of what was happening, and the ramifications that it held. But I would dwell on those later.
There were four words that the Spear was practically screaming in my head, asking for my help.
And I was more than willing to oblige.
"True Longinus, Balance Breaker."
***
Friday Chapter.
Sorry for the super late post, things happen. Will still be a Saturday chapter, don't worry.
If you want to read 7 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m. / astoryforone