I try and hide my sudden bout of avarice with a cough, it doesn't work "Impressive collection." I let out an appreciative whistle as I observe the small library no doubt filled to the brim with all manner of research.
I can practically taste Serana's amusement as she smirks "Mother was a very dedicated scholar, whenever she finished her research on something she would immediately move on to something completely different."
"A genuine polymath, eh?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes." She nods with a hint of smugness "Though it seems finding her is not going to be as simple as I expected."
I lazily point at the stone circle in the room's center and deadpan "That is a portal."
She looks down and blinks, then looks away, hiding her embarrassment "It would seem so... She could be anywhere then." She adds with a sigh.
"If she is as meticulous as I believe her to be she has no doubt left some kind of clue." I mutter leadingly "I don't believe she would simply run off without leaving some kind of contingency for exactly this kind of situation."
"You know you can just say you already know what we are looking for without trying to sound mysterious." Serana points out wryly.
"Ruin all my fun, why don't you?" I huff "Fine, we are looking for some kind of journal."
"That is what I thought." She smirks "And do gather all of her books if you would be so kind. I don't want Harkon finding them."
I narrow my eyes at her for a moment before letting out an amused snort "Keep going, we shall make something out of you yet."
She giggles quietly "I don't think I would go quite that far, the world would not be able to handle it."
"Your mercy is inspiring" I nod sagely and point to one of the bookcases in the corner of the library "That place feels important, so we should start our search there."
With a newfound air of levity, we throw ourselves to work. It does not take us long to find Valerica's journal but as Serana needed to take some time to actually read it I left her to it while storing all of the books as carefully as I could.
When we got Valerica out I'd just delay giving them back so I could have my people copy everything important down. Sure, she was Serana's mother but she was at one point or maybe even still unironically a Balite so I had no qualms about stealing from her.
I was just about halfway through sorting through the mountain of stored books when I heard Serana quietly gasp "Found something?" I call out from across the room.
"Give me a moment." She starts flipping through a couple pages repeatedly before frowning and walking up to my side of the room "She was researching how to access the Soul Cairn, and something tells me that is exactly where she is hiding."
"What better place to hide than where none may go?" I muse "It was either that or a Daedric realm, that portal is way too complex for anything else."
"You've heard about it?" She looks surprised.
"I am one of the greatest enchanters alive and one of my colleagues is both a lich and a master necromancer." I drawl lazily "Of course I've heard of the realm of stolen souls."
"And you are aware that no living being may enter?" She asks pointedly.
But I simply wave her off "You let me worry about that."
"You already have a way to enter without dying, don't you?" She asks, somewhat exasperated.
"I am sure I have no idea what you are talking about" I answer with a wink "Now let us get back to work, that portal won't open itself."
She gives me a blank stare before letting out a huff and going back to looking through the journal.
Multiple tests and some minor ingredients wasted later, we stood above the tiny metal brazier above the portal, a bunch of very finely ground alchemical components mixed together. Without any prompting from me, Serana pulled out a knife and made a shallow cut in her hand, letting her blood flow over the contained ritual.
The moment the first droplet of sanguine crimson fell the entire room shuddered, a burst of otherworldly cold energy flashing out of the stone circle before the circle itself disassembled and the different stones floated up into the facsimile of a crumbled staircase.
The deep purple hole in reality that opened below the floating rocks was almost painful to look at "Well, that doesn't look one bit ominous." I grouse as I light up a cigar.
"Ready?" Serana asks, hiding her own apprehension.
"Nope." I pop the p and enter the portal.
----------------
It felt like moving through tar at first, both my movement and breathing felt so restrained a small part of me was about to go into a drowning panic. Thankfully, the feeling persisted only for a short while before I felt myself get both shoved and pulled forward and faster than I could blink I was standing atop a certain staircase.
I moved to the side just in time to stop a disoriented Serana from stumbling down, the vampire offering me a grateful nod as she regained her balance "Here we are... The Soul Cairn."
I squint "And what a shit place it is."
Grey ash covering most of the land, looking like some kind of macabre, colorless beach, rotten tree-like growths that were closer to stone than actual wood, and above it all a deep dark blue and purple sky with a swirling energy syphon to top it off.
The whole landscape was covered in cracks that seemed to leak soul energy, buildings of blackened stone brick made to look everything from small grave shrines to mausoleums and even towers jutted the land in a haphazard way, all of it made so much worse by the innumerable souls staring into the distance, their lack of hope tangible in the air.
Calling it a mere shithole was understating it but I didn't have all day to come up with sufficient insult so it will have to do for now.
"It feels... cold." I hear Serana mutter.
I give her a dubious look "Aren't you always cold?"
"Not what I meant." She grumbles "It is a deep, soul-searing cold."
"Very poetic" I snark "And since you aren't attempting to walk back up I trust you aren't in immediate danger?"
"No, I would have to stay here for a very long time for it to have any effect." She explains with a shake of her head "Speaking of... How are you not feeling it?"
"Oh I know it is there." I nod eagerly "I just have multiple layers of protection on me at all times."
'How responsible' Scorch snarks as I feel him metaphorically glare at the entire place. Something told me he was going to complain a lot if I summoned him here.
As if that would stop me.
"How lucky." The thousands of years old vampire pouts at that, suppressing a cold shiver all the while.
I chuckle and point a thumb at myself "Enchanter, remember?"
She narrows her eyes "Maybe I should also get into enchanting?"
It was obviously supposed to sound like a threat of her surpassing me but unfortunately for her I was not about petty pride and merely spread my arms welcomingly "By all means."
She grumbles something to herself and wordlessly starts descending the stairs.
As we pass through what I can only describe as a mockery of some kind of street, the souls all stare at us with sluggish confusion, none of them even capable of growing excited at something in their environment finally changing.
And that made me supremely pissed off.
Before I could truly consider things my hands were already moving, Blasphemy flicking outwards and carving a set of runes as my sight gave me a full bird's eye view of the area.
"What are you doing?" Serana asks cautiously.
"Don't worry about it." I wave her off, sheathing my blade and already planning the next spot along our path.
"That does not look like something I should ignore." She points out.
"Don't. Worry. About. It." I grind out with narrowed eyes, but sigh as I realize I was being a dick "Sorry about that, I just feel like I need to do something about this disgusting place. It won't get us killed... probably."
She palms her face "Just... just make sure to tell me if we are about to get noticed. I'd rather have some warning before my soul was ripped away from me. Again."
"But of course madam" I mock bow "Tis' the most basic courtesy to tell someone if they are about to die a horrible death."
We share a morbid chuckle and continue following the path, my hand flicking out from time to time as if I was marking the distance of our journey.
As we passed a small area of stony shrubbery I could hear a very distinct voice cursing at something. One shared look later and we were both heading that way.
And as we stepped into the clearing our eyes were blessed with a most magnificent sight for there he stood, his voice that of a centurial chainsmoker, his build the most magnificent among the Dunmeri, and his glorious bald head marked with the scars of battle.
The captured soul of St. Jiub turned its eyes upon us, the glorious wisdom held withi-
'Just stooooop' Scorch groans as if in pain.
'Fine, fine.' I cackle mentally.
"You, who are you? Another jealous interloper here to interrupt my work?" Jiub asks us, hiding his obvious panic behind false bravado.
A cruel smile spreads on my face as I introduce myself "Lord Dagoth III."
The dead saint screams like a little girl and jumps away, before seemingly realizing that we were in the open and scratching the back of his head "What do you want?"
"Do you know where you are?" I answer his question with another.
"Some kind of prison?" Jiub shrugs "One moment I was being stared at by a Dremora wielding some kind of funny back rock and the next I was stuck here."
"Yeah, I don't know how to tell you this Jiub, but you were murdered and your soul trapped." I tell him solemnly.
I can see the hope drain from his semi-ethereal eyes, his desire to just curl up on the spot turning palpable. But there was still some steel in the slayer of the cliff racers as he forced himself to ask "What do you want? And how do you know my name?"
"I want to offer you a way out of here." I offer sincerely "One of your stature should not wallow down here for all eternity."
"Ah, so the stories of St. Jiub have already spread far and wide I see!" He stands a bit prouder "Makes dying in pain and getting my soul ripped away almost worth it."
"It really isn't" I deadpan "You are a household saint only known to some."
His smile cracks a bit but that lasts only for a moment "None may take away the glory of Jiub! Not even the servants of the Sharmat!" He proclaims proudly.
"Do you want out of here, or no?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.
His bravado crumbles instantly and he bows lowly "Yes please."
I flick Blasphemy into my hand and touch his form, setting him free from this place "Follow the path behind us, there is a stairwell there that will lead you to Nirn. Your soul should go to the afterlife after you pass through."
"You have my thanks." He bows even deeper and immediately runs off.
"Finally done with your adorations?" Serana quips, referring to the massive icon of St. Jiub I had in my manor.
I shrug "Eh, I could save him so I did."
"Of course." She tuts at me like I was a child.
We continue exploring the cairn, witnessing many despair-inducing scenes of ghosts calling out to someone, of those still begging for their lives or at least the freedom of their souls, even of a group of ghostly children playing around a spectral campfire.
"I fucking hate this place." I mutter as yet another rune is placed on the ground.
"Then we should hurry up and get out as soon as possible." Serana prods, though even her voice is filled with disgust.
We step through a gate of blackened stone, our eyes immediately drawn to a massive mausoleum surrounded by bone standing at the center of this part of the cairn like some kind of hub.
"It would seem we have found our destination." I note, and start preparing myself for what was to come.
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The troll is now cursed to immortality by the Ideal Masters
it will chase you for an eternity
that is unless you pay the toll, of course.
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