Chapter LIV: Blasphemy

(Davos' POV, a bit before Reyvin flew away)

My crossbow produces barely any sound as I shoot down yet another idiot fighting to the death for no apparent reason. I reload my weapon with habitual ease, the bolt casings long since being spent forcing me to rely on manual loading, just in time to shoot another chucklefuck trying to backstab Jarl Balgruuf. His Dunmer housecarl seems to notice this and sends me a quick nod before returning to the fight.

I scan across the utter moshpit that the fight had turned into and lazily snipe yet another dumbass that chose not to flee, and then the boss runs back into the courtyard. He seems to be looking at something and my eyes instinctually snap toward his Vampire lover... who had just been run through by a fucking Daedric blade.

'Fuuuuck.' I growl mentally.

And like the world itself was angered by the deed everyone feels a sudden weight press on their shoulders. The feeling of utter dread completely paralyzes me and I can only watch as a massive firestorm forms around my veeery pissed off employer who proceeds to commit an impalement upon Meridia's little puppet that was so utterly perfect I would have clapped if I didn't feel like I would lose my head within that same instant.

No one says a thing as he slowly packs the vampire ash (and thank fuck most people will just believe she got burned to a crisp due to the sword's power), grabs the sword like it is a bloody stick, and then promptly butchers the remaining rebels like they weren't even worthy of being considered ants.

Reyvin flies off on Scorch without even looking at us and the aura of dread slowly leaves with him. I take a breath of relief and thank the Good Daedra for his self-control. 

The moment of relief passes and my brain finally catches up with what just happened. I immediately grab Nightshade who had been fighting near me and start dragging her away... only to get interrupted by the ever-immovable Bolgeir who silently points us toward the King.

'Fuck it, at least he might give us some horses.' I quickly rationalize and grunt affirmatively.

The exhausted King Torygg looks at me silently before letting out a tired sigh "What just happened?"

Channeling my best impression of my lord I smirk "Oh that? Just a Daedra enacting bloody vengeance upon my lord and him then proceeding to go do much of the same."

Poor kid blinks "You do realize how ridiculous that sounds?"

'Such sweet innocence' A broken part of myself voices but I quickly shake it away "Are you sure we are talking about the same person?"

He lets out a broken chuckle before shaking his head "I guess I am better off not knowing, just go and make sure he doesn't die, I need all the friends I can get now."

I raise a finger to get his attention but he simply waves me away "Take whatever you need just get going before people start asking questions."

"Thank you." I bow lightly and start moving "Come on then Nightshade, we need to make sure the lord doesn't summon an army of Daedra atop his head."

The supremely confused Falmer looks around dumbly for a moment before wordlessly nodding and falling in behind me.

Great, now I just have to bust my ass riding for three hours.

As we ride out of the gates of Solitude and down the freshly repaired roadway my pitiful magical senses inform me of something happening far off to the northwest. Nightshade's eyes snap in that same direction telling me that it wasn't just my nerves playing tricks on me. 

We ride around a corner giving us a good view of the distant temple... and the entire thing was turned into a massive light show with tendrils of shadow devouring the sun-like glow coming from within.

"Fuck." Nightshade wisely points out.

"Fuck." I nod in agreement and we ride on as fast as possible.

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(Reyvin's POV)

Scorch lands quietly before the entrance to Meridia's temple. A wave of sorrowful nostalgia washes over me as I remember my first time in this place, so very foolish even with all my paranoia...

'She took the risk herself.' The rational part of my mind assures me.

'We should have been more careful!' The wrathful young man shouts.

'You wanted to walk the path of immortality and to stand equal to the very gods, now pay the price.' The old man finally states.

I let out a long sigh, tragedy was something I was always preparing myself for... I just never expected it to happen so early.

Scorch shifts his size into that of a normal hawk and plops down on my shoulder. Even while silent I can clearly feel his rage simmering along my own, finally he asks "We finally gonna burn the traitorous bitch?"

I raise an eyebrow "What has you so motivated?" He was a part of me yes, but he never showed any sign of liking Sybille even a tiny bit.

"She might have been a filthy heathen." Scorch chirps with his usual pomp "But she was our filthy heathen damn it!"

I let out a mirthless chuckle, the Staff of Magnus appearing in my right hand "That she was." I nod "And Meridia is going to pay." And so, with cold rage flowing in my veins I glared at the door baring my path "FUUUS RO DAH!!!"

The stone gate is cracked open and its parts ground into dust as I slowly stalk within the temple.

The voice of Meridia attempts to connect with my mind through the Dawnbreaker still held within my hand but I ignore her pitiful attempts of bypassing my influence. As I descend deeper into the temple I start lightly waving Magnus' staff, copying the runes I translated off its surface and my memory of the eye and carving them into the walls of the temple.

As I walked ever deeper bright blue Magicka started making the runes behind me glow, and Meridia's attempts grew ever more forceful. Her power was mightiest within her own domain so she finally managed to get a command through "Cease!"

I do not.

Soon her power grew even stronger and the runes would take more and more of my strength to be carved, so after some quick thought I started bleeding myself and covering them in my own blasphemous blood.

The Daedra's infuriated shouting quickly turned into screams of pure rage.

I felt the temple shudder and a wave of power passed through the entire building, before finally Meridia's Dremora started manifesting all over the place.

That must have cost her a lot of power... Good.

Aurorans, golden armored demons of Meridia wielding weapons of arcane light barred my path, the host arranged into a staunch formation and glaring at me with hateful eyes of solar fire.

I did not hesitate for even a moment as I swung my staff and blasted them with fireball after fireball. They were, of course, far more resistant to incineration than most mortals but being bombarded by a Master wielding the staff of their master's master was not something they could just shrug off.

So as some of them fell to my spells the rest broke ranks and charged at me, the poor fools.

Destruction runes carved themselves into the floor before me with disdainful ease and I did not even blink as the eternal puppets of my enemy were disintegrated in the blasts. Yet even as I cut them down before they could even reach me there were always more to replace the fallen.

'Was she trying to exhaust me or merely delay me?' I muse as I launch a bolt of chain lightning at a group of greatspear wielding Aurorans, killing most of them instantly and leaving the final duo to a berserk Scorch.

'No matter, I would no permit her even the smallest victory here.' I declare within my mind and then chant "Arise!"

A unit of shades appeared around me and started battering the Dremora with spell and sword while a massive antlered beast did much of the same in a more brutal fashion, a veritable swarm of spiders crawled into the gaps of their armor causing them to wail out in pain.

Good, I might not be able to kill you permanently but I will at least grant you the trauma of getting devoured alive.

As the shades push my foes back I continue with my advance, my focus completely on the large scale ritual I was preparing save for instances where I would need to blast the Aurorans away.

An hour passes as I grind against the fanatical army of a goddess and as I approach the central chamber not even my blood is enough to stop Meridia from banishing my runes.

That is until something incredible happens... The Staff of Magnus starts glowing brighter and brighter and I feel a guiding hand fall on my shoulder, the runes I cast being carved deeper and deeper.

Magnus was helping me...

I cackle loudly as I hear Meridia's shriek of denial and press forward with renewed vigor. My supernatural mind easily allowing me to calculate the perfect way to proceed even with all the chaos happening around me.

Finally a circle forms around the podium from which I once raised Dawnbreaker, and where I now return it.

The temple pulses with power and I grasp Magnus' staff with both hands, with a mental command I connect to his eye and time seemingly slows down as I am assaulted by a near infinite surge of incredibly potent Magicka.

Tiny cracks start forming upon my skin as I channel the eye's monstrous power into the temple-wide rune sequence and I feel myself standing in front of the burning eyes of an enraged Meridia. 

The Daedra glares at me, her soul gazing directly onto mine with endless fury, something which would have ended me then and there if I did not protect myself properly.

I meet her gaze and with a smirk of contempt I command the Magicka surging from within me to assault her bond with her prized blade. The filthy creature's eyes widen but it is already too late and I feel complete and utter ecstasy as I permanently rip a part of her power away from her.

She screams and flinches away from me with fear in her eyes, likely experiencing true pain for the first time in her bloated existence.

I gaze at the metaphysical representation of Meridia's... no, of my sword and feel another energy attempting to detach itself from me. As I am about to investigate the Staff of Magnus pulses with powerful intent and information enters my mind.

I am stunned as it offers me two options.

Send forth the soul of Sybille still clinging to the blade into the true afterlife... or gain the staff's eternal allegiance.

'Fucking gods and their tests' I scoff derisively and without a hint of hesitation choose to liberate her soul. I feel another tug of power and sense the soul gazing at me curiously... before it is grasped with a power far greater than Meridia's and taken beyond the reach of any Daedra.

A bittersweet smile worms its way onto my face as I return to reality and look upon my new ,and much changed, sword floating in the air... and Magnus' staff still firmly within my hand.

I unsummon the staff and grasp the blade with my left hand, the moment it touches me I feel like a part of myself I never knew I had had just returned to me. 'And I just took something like this away from Meridia...'

What once was a double edged broadsword of shining moonstone was now turned into a single edged messer of blackened steel, yet it felt as powerful as its original form.

[The Blade of Blasphemy: A blade once carrying the sun's radiance now usurped by mortal hands, it shall forever carry the taint of such a deed.

Vorpal Blade: The smallest cut becomes grievous injury.

Bane of Undead: A mere touch destroys all but the strongest of undead.

Rule Breaker: No binding survives the strike of this weapon.]

A small part of me wishes to celebrate getting my hands on something this powerful, but instead I merely shove the sword into my inventory, only now noticing that I was under the open sky and that only a stone platform remained of the ancient temple.

With a huff I sit upon a large rock and light up a cigarette and stare into the distance, silent tears falling from my eyes.

I do not know how long I sat but a voice brought me back to reality "You... um, you doing okay there boss?"

I turn around and see Davos and Nightshade looking at me with a mix of worry and awe. I merely nod instead of answering.

Davos shuffles around uncomfortably before finally finding a topic he is willing to try out "Ummm... you might be happy to hear you no longer have the gold bits in your eyes."

I snort humorlessly "Good."

One more win for me bitch.

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