81 Soul Cairn Battle pt. 1

[AN]: Just a warning, this one wasn't really edited so be gentle with the grammar errors. Also, sorry I haven't replied to the comments lately, but I will try and get better. I do still look at them though.

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Rictus was distracted while making his way back towards the keep and his companions. He just couldn't help replaying everything that just happened over in his head. It wasn't productive at all, but he couldn't help it. Some thoughts creep into the mind no matter how hard you may try and resist them. Walking and pacing had always helped clear his mind which was part of the reason he was caught off guard when Billy let out a cry and charged at a large group of boneman which just appeared near them. While he was watching his familiar trash the undead, he failed to notice how another one had snuck up behind him until it was already raising its weapon to attack.

Instinctively, Rictus reached out his left hand and caught the boneman's arm, stopping it from attacking him. While he was doing this, he felt a strange sensation faintly running up his arm. The struggling undead brought his attention back to his current situation as he cast lightning point black into the undead. The spell caused the boneman to shatter and turn into dust. 'Hmm. That is a little more powerful than I remember. I wonder…'

Before Billy could demolish all the remaining bonemen, Rictus telekinetically pulled one towards him. When it got near, he easily disarmed the undead, in the most literal meaning. The armless undead could not escape him as he grasped onto it with his left hand again. Now that he could focus more, Rictus could tell his arm was reacting with the undead. It almost felt like he was passively pulling something from the undead. Focusing on that feeling, he tried increasing it. A small rush of power entered him as the boneman dimmed before disappearing into dust and leaving him in a bit of shock. The veins of his arm were glowing slightly more than normal.

Seeing Billy advance on the last two bonemen, Rictus ordered his familiar not to kill the creatures. While he knew he needed to hurry back, this was too interesting for him not to experiment a little bit. Billy incapacitated the two bonemen by tackling them to the ground and laying on them. They tried biting, but it was ineffective on the buffed up familiar.

After casting a magelight, his magic hadn't felt like it dipped at all. Instead, the glow along his arm slightly dimmed closer to what it looked like before he drained the undead. A smile lit up Rictus's face as he thought on what this could mean. He knew the arm tainted by the Eye of Magnus had increased his magic abilities, but this was something new. It appeared he could use it as a type of magical absorber. At least, that is what he thought based off what just happened. Undead skeletons were primarily held together by magic. If his arm could absorb enough mana from them, then they would be destroyed. How this would effect other undead, spells, or the living, he wasn't sure, but he was even more eager to leave this place and find out.

Since Billy had so graciously trapped him two subjects, Rictus decided to try something else out with them. The primary thing he was trying was how far away he could absorb the magical energies. After some testing, he was a bit disappointed to find he had to touch them with his left hand. He tried with the right, but it hadn't done anything. There was a slight feeling that it was possible to use that hand or even drain from farther away, but it would take a lot more practice.

With only one boneman left, Rictus tried something else. Instead of touching it with his hand, he pulled out a ebony spike from his inventory. While holding it, he thrust it into the undead before trying to absorb its magic. It didn't feel like it would work, but then he started feeling the magic travel through the metal and into him. Laughing at the success, Rictus watched as the boneman disintegrated before giving Billy some pets.

"Well my friend, it seems like we have discovered something quite interesting. I wonder if I keep using this same piece for absorbing magic, if it will keep getting easier. Some magical items start off as more mundane things after all. Having a magic absorbing spear would really be something huh?"

Billy nodded along with him in agreement which caused Rictus to laugh. Sometimes he wondered if his familiar actually understood him or if it was simply his subconscious commanding the creature.

"I'm glad you agree. Unfortunately, I think our little experiments will have to be placed on hold. We've wasted enough time already, and I doubt they will wait for us too long. Let's go."

Instead of walking, Rictus mounted Billy who was more than happy at the change of pace. It didn't take them long at all before they were back at the fort. His traveling companions were waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs leading up.

Serana was pacing back and forth while Alucard sat on a very familiar looking undead horse. When he finally neared them, he dismissed Billy before Serana spoke out.

"What took you so long?"

He shrugged as he responded.

"I ran into some old friends."

The two looked at him in bewilderment at his statement. Comprehension came over Serana as she looked at him with sympathetic eyes. There was only one-way normal mortals could end up here in her mind, and it was nothing pleasant. Before more could be said though, Alucard spoke up.

"Well now that all the Keepers are dead, I at least assume you killed your Rictus, we should get going. I am sure Valerica is eagerly awaiting us."

At the mention of her mother, Serana's expression became more determined as she hurried up the steps with the two men following after her. Rictus couldn't help looking over appreciatively at Alucard's new mount, Arvak. Seeing his look, the vampire lord got a big grin on his face while whispering to Rictus.

"Pretty badass huh?"

Rictus couldn't help chuckling as he nodded in agreement. Arvak was pretty awesome looking. The purplish blue fire mane combined with its black bones was striking. Alucard actually looked like a proper vampire lord riding it. Even knowing what little he did about the man, Rictus figured he was geeking out over his new appearance. The fact he didn't dismount while going up the stairs may have given it away though.

The lack of magical barrier was proof enough of their success. Seeing them approach, a small smile appeared on Valerica's face as she looked proudly at her daughter.

"I'm impressed at how quickly the Keepers were defeated. Between your own strength and your insight into choosing companions, I was wrong to underestimate you, Serana. You have grown so much in our time apart."

Serana's face split into a large smile as tears gathered into her eyes at the praise. Even after all this time, hearing words of affirmation from her mother brought a wave a feelings she hadn't felt in a long time. Seeing the look on her daughter's face, Valerica let out a little embarrassed cough as she turned towards the door behind her.

"Right, let us go get the Scroll for you. Keep watch for Durnehviir. With the prison's barrier down, he's almost certain to investigate."

Her words caused everyone to tense up as they prepared for the worst. Passing through the door, they entered a large boneyard looking space with mist overing the ground. Thick metal walls surrounded the large open courtyard which was studded with small rock monoliths. It gave Rictus the feeling of a walled off graveyard, with giant piles of bones placed around the edges for some nice ambiance.

A Shouted roar drew their attention above them as a massive figure could be seen flying across the sky. Durnehviir had arrived and Shouted his challenge to the sky as thunder boomed and lightning crackled in response. He wasn't alone either. A familiar humanoid figure dropped from his back and onto the ground. Black soul gems could be seen on the hulking monstrosity of bone. Spikes covered its bone armor and a bone crown rested upon a slightly distorted head. It was almost like a fusion of a Keeper and a human. A single word filled with loathing emanated from the familiar being.

"Rictus…"

All eyes turned towards him as Rictus stared down at the familiar foe.

"Haldyn of the Blood Horkers…or should I say of the Ideal Masters now? It will be a pleasure killing you again."

The coldness of his voice and malice of his smile caused the vampires around him to shiver as they stared at the exchange. He didn't even bother looking their way as he stalked towards what was left of Haldyn, eager to unleash his frustrations out one the monster once again.

"I will assist you with Durnehviir once I am done with this trash. Try not to die."

Rictus pulled a massive hammer from his storage and held it in one hand. It had a core of ebony but was also surrounded in Skyforged Steel. It was as long as Rictus was tall, and the head was as big around as his chest. The size was comical, but a feather spell allowed him to wield it like it weighed nothing. Even though it wasn't very practical in a standard fight, it would work great as an opening move against a giant opponent.

As he was walking, he summoned Billy for the extra support. Instead of its previous lightning incarnation, bright red light pulsed from Billy as its body barely contained the fire inside. Each step created small fires while black smoke billowed from its nostrils. It looked like some great monster straight from the hellish deadlands. Rictus floated up and stood atop the broad back of his familiar as it started sprinting towards his opponent. He quickly summoned Maz with the Sanguine Rose and got her to handle any potential additional enemies which would interfere. Lightning lit up the dragonbone greatsword in Haldyn's hand as Durnehviir took to the skies. Rictus left his companions to deal with the dragon as he focused on his own opponent.

Metal spikes were launched at Haldyn who parried them with his sword. None broke through his defense, but they did stop him from advancing and focused on defense. Jumping into the air, Rictus slowed himself down as Billy ploughed right into the undead with a loud crash. Haldyn tried bringing his blade down on the familiar, but it dodged to the side. This moment of distraction was all Rictus needed for his attack.

Pushing himself forward with telekinesis, Rictus drastically increased the weight of his hammer as he swung. Armor and metal shattering rang across the battlefield as the hammer impacted Haldyn in the chest. The hammer was bent and dented while the chest plate was severely cracked. The blow was also strong enough to send the monster staggering backwards but not falling down. Billy was upon him quickly though with flame enhanced stomps, headbutts, and tail whips. While distracted and trying to defend, Rictus hounded him with a huge volley of lightning and flame blades.

It didn't take long for Haldyn to recover though and kick Billy away while starting to unleash its own lightning blades towards Rictus. The metal spikes he threw earlier were moved in front of him and redirected the lightning towards the ground. Seeing that lightning was not as effective, fire blades started shooting out. Fire blades exploded at the site of impact when Rictus brought forth more objects to block the attacks. He was regretting the difficulty of manipulating the ground in this plane of Oblivion since that would have made things significantly easier on him.

A poisonous looking mist began swirling around Haldyn as he tried charging Rictus. Staying just out of reach using telekinesis, Rictus called forth his own cloak spell to counteract it as the space around him started cracking. Interestingly, the effect was much greater here than back outside the Soul Cairn. Probably because the space here was not quite as stable as it was back home.

The fight continued to be a stalemate as each side fought back and forth. Rictus had better speed and manuverability while Haldyn was tankier. Too much time had already been wasted on this fight though, especially considering there was still a massive undead dragon his companions were struggling against. Deciding to try out one of his trump cards, Rictus had Billy stall for a moment. Billy valiantly fought against the stronger opponent but could not hold him back for long. Thankfully, Rictus did not need a lot of time. Metal flowed from his storage like a river. It flowed around his body and raised him up into the air. The metal soon stopped coming from his storage as a spiked metal monstrosity stood where Rictus was previously at.

It was 12 feet tall and a mix of dark black ebony and polished silver steel. Large spikes covered most of the shoulders and arms while the breastplate appeared much smoother and thicker with overlapping plates. Its helmet was almost completely closed off beside a small slit at eye level and around the throat. The large hammer from the initial strike was back in its right hand while a massive shield was in its left.

Rictus had made himself a mech suit.

It took a lot of mana, control, and internal runes, but Rictus could manage. Unlike the last time he had battled the abomination Haldyn had become, he had plenty of time to prepare for a major fight, so there was a plethora of mana stones he could pull from. Hidden away inside his armor, Rictus couldn't help the childlike glee on his face at using his new magical mech suit for the first time. With their sizes about the same, Rictus charged. While their battle before was a deadly dance, this was more like a tavern brawl with the two massive titans bashing on each other.

Haldyn's bone armor was slightly tougher, but Rictus was still more maneuverable and could easily reshape and replenish his. Despite being more skilled, the undead abomination was being driven back by Rictus's ability to utilize his magic for faster and more powerful blows.

Just like in their last fight, the deciding factor was neither of their martial skill. It was Billy. Getting so caught up in the fight, Haldyn hadn't payed enough attention to the familiar yet again. Billy rammed its horns into the back of his knees while Rictus landed a devastating blow with the hammer. The undead fell on his back as both Billy and Rictus pinned him there. Rictus then shoved a spike into the cracks along the dragonbone breastplate. He then nailed it into the monster with his hammer. His armor peeled back along his arm as a hand reached out and grabbed onto the exposed part of the spike. Last time he had done something similar and dispelled the magic inside, now it was different.

Using what he had learned earlier, he Pulled. An anguished scream came from the former pirate as power rushed through the spike and into Rictus. The power was intoxicating. All too soon, it came to an end as the body started disintegrating. Combining the previous damage with this was simply too much. Rictus revealed in his victory for just a moment, taking a deep breath to steady himself after the fight.

Unfortunately, his work was not done. Roars and shouts disturbed his moment of silence as the battle between the Vampire Lords and a dragon raged on without him. Seems it was about time for him to join the party.

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[AN]: Well we are now getting close to finally getting out of the Soul Cairn. Next chapter should be the last one here and then we are off to other things.

I do want to take a moment to thank every one who has read the story and those who have commented on it. I have liked writing this and interacting with you all far more than I had ever thought. So in this time of thanksgiving, I want to thank you all for your contributions to the story. It would not be what it is without all the feedback I have received.

Just for fun, I wrote a tiny little extra part just for fun for the holidays. I decided to share since it was already written.

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(In an Alternate Universe of Altering Skyrim)

"Ehm. Thank you all for taking the time to gather together here in this time of Thanksgiving. We have all been through a lot, and I am thankful for every single one of you here. My life would not be the same without you in it."

Rictus stood down to light applause as he looked around the Thanksgiving dinner table. Soon Ken also rose and spoke.

"In these troubled times, it does one good to take a moment and remember the things that are important in life. None of us would be here without you Rictus, and though I may not always say it, I am thankful to have met you."

Rictus smiled at the heartfelt words of his closest companion. Ken for his part let out an embarrassed cough before sitting down and taking a bit swig of his drink. He never was real big of the sentimental things. Danica patted his arm as she declined speaking to just take everything in. Moira was not one to let the silence last too long though.

"My darling is truly the thing I am most thankful for in this world. Without him, I never would have been in the position to gain all the power and followers I have or make them bow before me. It truly is the most wonderful thing anyone has ever done for me."

Illia quickly spoke up after her teacher.

"I never would have gotten the chance to interact with Master Moira either without Rictus. If that hadn't happened, who knows what I could have been doing instead?"

Moira let out a little laugh at that.

"Haha exactly my dear. You may have even been in a much worse situation. Heck, things could have been so bad you could have wanted to kill your mother!"

Everyone laughed at that crazy idea. Mathred the Mute stood up and began making some elaborate and passionate gestures while motioning towards Rictus. Everyone stared at him blankly except Rictus and Aela who had tears in their eyes. Maes interrupted him though.

"Who even are you and why are you here? Does anyone know this guy?"

Aela let out a scoff as she scowled at the young mage.

"He's at least made a difference in Rictus's life unlike you. No one even knows your name or who you are."

Laughs abounded as Maes's ears turned red in embarrassment. Rev just patted his fellow mage in a comforting manner as he tried making him feel valued. Instead of talking though, Rev just enjoyed the ambiance and sent a silent prayer of thanks for Rictus who had so drastically changed his life.

Reysera and Dravynea were sitting off to themselves as they drank wine and reminensed about the good old days back in Morrowind. Faralda was eating food with one hand while holding Korir's hand with the other. Both trying and failing to hide their blushing. Ma'randru-jo was scarfing down fish faster than they could be supplied. Serana sat off by her self watching everything go on with a slight smile. Such revelry and comradery had been sorely missing form her life and she just wanted to drink it all in.

A heavy arm landed on Rictus's shoulder as some liquid sloshed onto the table. Looking up revealed the smiling face of Sanguine.

"Now don't tell me you forgot to invite you good pal Sam to this little party?"

Looking around nervously, Rictus tired and failed to find an excuse. He decided a different tactic.

"How about we share a drink instead as thanks for all you have done for me?"

The daedric prince let out a loud laugh as he pulled a massive tankard from no where.

"Now that sounds like a good idea to me!"

Cups with mead filled everyone's hands as they all raised up a toast and cheered. As Rictus brought the cup to his lips he paused and looked at Sanguine with confusion.

"Ummm why does mine taste like cheese?"

A mad cackling laughter filled the room as everyone shrugged their shoulders and continued enjoying their cheese flavored alcohol and the fine company. Sometimes it is nice to just relax with the people you care about. A small smile appeared on Rictus's face as he looked around.

"Happy Thanksgiving."