Chapter XVI: The Cathedral

Give praise to the dreaded Rabbit of Caerbannog for he has ascended beyond the mines and unto the future. Drink deeply of the invigorating grey soup, and get back to work!

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(General POV, a few hours earlier)

Corvinus privately thanked the gods as he was gently landed atop a roof overlooking the thin wall once meant to guard the Temple District from miscreants, he nearly knelt to kiss the solid surface but managed to hold himself back.

Men were not meant for flying and that was that!

"A rather delightful sight, I have to admit." Lord Dagoth landed next to him with practiced ease "Though the marble paths really are just a tad too much."

"The Caro dynasty, current miscreants excluded, have been supporting the church of the Nine for centuries now." Corvinus explained as he had done hundreds of times by now "It is a show of devotion that our cathedral is one of the greatest in the Empire and beyond."

"Show of devotion, eh?" Reyvin quriks an eyebrow, his eyes patiently scanning the admittedly impressively large one tower cathedral in an approximation of the gothic style of architecture, the stained glass was arranged resplendently yet still remained tasteful "Rather easy to 'devote'" He airquotes "funds for such projects when they have been leeching funds off of most of Cyrodiil for entire eras at this point."

It takes the young priest a moment to process that and he blinks "Pardon?" 

"The bridge." Reyvin points out nonchalantly "You are a priest of Zenithar, no? You should have an understanding of how draining for the economy it is to have maritime trade cut off in such a manner."

Corvinus was about to reflexively retort that the goods were repacked into river ships just on the other side of the city but he knew the hypocrisy of such a statement so merely chose to remain silent and nod.

"The bridge will have to go soon." Reyvin spoke after a short pause "Replaced with one that can be drawn up when needed preferably."

That he said this so casually quickly informed Corvinus of just how influential the young elf seemed to be with the imperial regime, that or he was a liar of such caliber he could twist the wildest fallacy into truth with nary a blink.

"We can discuss the economics later, we came here for a reason." The elf interrupts the Imperial's thoughts "The guards seem well equipped for a simple city posting, too well equipped I would wager."

Steel plate and patrols of ten marching through the district at both regular and odd intervals.

"They are preparing for something." Corvinus noted.

"Mhm." Reyvin nodded with a hum "Either some big ritual or a trap."

"A trap, my lord?" The priest looked at him.

"The particular Daedra whose presence I am feeling within is an enemy of mine." The outrageous statement was declared with the ease of someone talking of the weather "I would not put it above her to orchestrate this whole thing simply to draw me in."

Corvinus couldn't help but direct a deadpan stare at the elf, the sheer arrogance of calling a Daedra his enemy as if one would name a mortal was galling to say the least.

"Am I really that arrogant?" Reyvin asked as if he had read the priest's mind "Or is Meridia really that petty? Who knows?"

Corvinus wisely chose not to retort, and focused on remembering whatever he could of the self proclaimed cleansing light.

"Hmmm" Lord Dagoth paused as his gaze swept the cathedral once more, no doubt seeing far more than Corvinus ever could. The elf nodded to himself and looked back to the priest, an odd smirk on his face "Want to hear the good news or the bad news first?"

That did not sound encouraging, Corvinus noted with a silent gulp "The bad?"

"It would seem that we are dealing with more than one Daedra." Reyvin told him matter of factly.

The priest's mind was nearly overtaken by terror at this reveal but the fact that a good part of the news existed kept him back from outright panicking "A-and the good news, my lord?"

Reyvin's smirk immediately split his face as he grinned widely and hungrily, ritualistically elongated canines glinting in the setting sun, grey wisps of something licking the edges of his robes and armor "We are dealing with more than one Daedra."

"Ah, I see." Feeling a veritable river of sweat suddenly pool down his neck, Corvinus almost regretted volunteering for his holy mission.

(Reyvin's POV)

Shaking my head at the poor man I focus back on the cathedral, I fully expected Meridia to seek some help but to get over her hatred of Molag long enough to propose an alliance is rather pragmatic of the bitch.

Seeing as I've already wasted enough time I began walking to the edge of the roof, only to pause as Corvinus lightly grabbed my shoulder "What?"

"I know of a secret entrance." He said, his eyes trailing to a side building attached to the cathedral "There is no need to alert the guards on our way in?"

"Want to spare the poor cunts?" I raise an eyebrow and he instantly nods, part of me wanted to call him out for his idiotic pacifism, having already seen him try and stop me from killing the same guardswoman who tried killing him back at the tavern.

The other and much larger part did not want to bother educating some random idiot I'd probably forget in a week or so, a wisdom I would follow.

"They are only following orders." He said simply.

"They are willfully following idiotic orders." I correct with a raised finger "But sure, it isn't like I am baying for their blood or something."

His shoulders sag as he relaxes.

'They aren't worth the finger snap anyway.' I shrug and levitate the two of us onto the ground within the walls.

Seeing me boldly walk forward, Corvinus panics for a moment but as an entire unit of guards pass us by without any of them noticing us he gives me another odd look before beckoning me to the side building.

He pulls out an almost comically large key and unlocks the way in with a loud clack, revealing what looked to be a woodworking and painter's workshop filled with half-finished icons and amulets, all of it organized so meticulously I couldn't help but nod in appreciation.

Corvinus' eyes brighten as he quickly finds whatever it was he was looking for, picking up what looked to be a simple smith's hammer if not for the obvious Aedric blessing placed upon it, a rather old one at that.

"I am no warrior" He looks to me solemnly "But a tool of the craft will aid us well in the domain of my Lord."

"That your hammer?" I raise an eyebrow.

He nods, a light smile on his face "Indeed, it has been with me ever since I swore my vows."

I just hum along.

"That is enough dallying." He says more to himself than to me "Follow me."

And so I do, the two of us slinking through the winding corridors before nearing an ornate doorway which led to the cathedral proper.

Except the doorway was not as empty as Corvinus may have expected, the way blocked by a duo of heavily armored warriors armed with maces and clad in obvious iconography of the Lord of Domination.

The enchantments and protections placed on their armors lasted for all of a second before their necks snapped under the pressure of my magic. 

A weakness that was annoyingly not shared by the rather robust ward I could feel a few steps away.

Stretching my neck until I heard a satisfying pop, I turned to the priest "Not going to try and persuade me to spare them I hope?"

He blinks, evidently surprised I even mentioned it, before scoffing "The mercy of the Divine does have limits, my lord."

Rolling my eyes I wave my hand and the way opens, revealing a grand expertly decorated chamber. The colorful light from the stained glass made the entire place look ethereal, or it would have if not for the fact that the masterwork pews which once occupied most of its space were shoved into the corners of it, all of them smashed at least partly as whoever did the moving paid little heed to their value.

Of course that was what I could see in the split second I decided to waste looking at it, as my eyes were swiftly drawn to something of a far more immediate concern. Dozens of cultists clad in either Balite or Meridian iconography stood in a vague circle around what looked to be a number of robed corpses with one actual living priest still living.

An older man, late middle age at the very least, whom I quickly recognized as Count Marius Caro, held up a ritual knife above him, chanting some asinine prayer to Meridia which offended the ears.

He looked just about ready to plunge it into the priest's heart but I would have none of that. A wave of telekinesis surged forth to break the cunt's hand but was repelled as the traitorous aristocrat reacted with surprising speed, summoning forth a ward of appreciable power and batting the attack away, even if he looked to be winded by the action.

"You!" He hisses at me, the cultists already moving in to guard him from further attacks "You were not meant to arrive for another day!"

"And hello to you as well, Count Marius." I grin at him and bow mockingly "And the rest of the mooks who will be drowning in their own blood before long." I look away from the snarling cultists and back to the count "Introductions aside, it is really nice of you to confirm my suspicions."

The man scoffs, realizing how obvious the trick was "It matters little what you've learned so far, you will not be leaving this place alive."

"Cute." I snort "And how do you plan to stop me?"

"I am but the vessel of your enlightenment." The pompous little shit spreads his arms "I know of your power, Dagoth but it is not up to me to defeat you." He looks down on the crowd below him "It is time my brothers and sisters, let us ascend to the heavens as one!"

A wave of Daedric power erupts from the priestly corpses while Marius plunges the dagger into the last priest's heart, my immediate response of 'a fuckton of fireballs' getting pushed back by the growing tumor upon reality, the cutlists plunging their knives into their own hearts only sped up the process.

"Tsk." I click my tongue as I fail to save the priest, even as more important things became apparent and I felt a Daedric projection attempt to latch onto my mind, the familiar searing light of Meridia making the 'caller' obvious.

I punted that shit away the moment it came close and focused on the spell I began weaving.

"Really should have warded the place first." I mutter in hindsight as a fucking oblivion portal begins forming in the middle of the gods damned cathedral.

"Lord Zenithar!" Corvinus, who had by this point rushed to one of the nearby altars to his god shaped as an anvil "Heed the words of your servant! Permit not this malformed and ill made blight into your home!" He cried and smashed his hammer against it, the tool glowing with bronze-gold power.

The anvil took on the same glow and a wave of power much more natural power spread through the cathedral, stifling the growth of the Daedras' presences and containing their attempt at an invasion within the building itself.

'Not like they could have kept it open indefinitely.' I note idly as I see Dremora and Arorans begin to surge through the portal as quickly as their feet could carry them 'Even if the city would probably get decimated before they were pushed out.'

Uncontracted Dremora had a very hard time remaining on Nirn these days, what with Minthara carrying around a fully charged Amulet of Kings and all that.

The wave of Daedra both lesser and greater surged at me in what momentarily resembled a massive wave of demonic flesh, their weapons glinting with barely contained power as some of them literally walked over each other in an attempt to get closer to me.

Narrowing my eyes at the blind charge I began gathering Magicka for a grand spell, some cursed flames ought to show the idiots the error of their ways... Only for the wards across the cathedral to surge in power, the distinctive slimy presence of Hermaeus Mora joining the other two as I felt a hypercharged silence spell hit me from all sides.

"How... irritating." I grind out as I feel my Magicka gain about ten times of its metaphysical weight, without any of the density, the firestorm that would have taken out the entire army before me only managing to kill about a hundred before they closed in on me.

My shades burst from beneath me, the constructs having their own reserves after feeding of me for so long managing to keep themselves strong even under our current circumstances as Akulakhan joined them a moment later, his own warding presence managing to counter Mora's attempt somewhat and giving me a bit more freedom to do my work.

Corvinus wisely kept himself back, not even noticing the skittering swarm of shadowy spiders beneath his feet as he stood tall in front of the glowing altar, no doubt believing himself to be the only thing between his city and a literal demon army.

'I am curious though.' I ponder as I bisect a particularly large specimen of Auroran who tried to skewer me with a greatspear 'What is the idea here?'

I held myself back for a while longer, expecting the Daedra to spring something new on me but all they did was just feed more and more of their minions into the grinder, all of them getting slaughtered just as quickly as they came as no matter how much more difficult my spells were made by Mora's meddling, I still regenerated more Magicka in a second than most people had reserves.

Deciding to play along I began adding shouts to my battle strategy, pretending to slow down over time as if I were getting tired by all this 'Come on now you cunts, give me a fun surprise!'

(Corvinus' POV)

My blessed hammer sends another Daedric miscreant reeling back, its vile armor snapping apart under my Lord Zenithar's might. He, or rather it, was one of the rare ones who managed to pass through Lord Dagoth's wall of might.

How the legendary elf managed to fight so many off I would never understand but I would not question the providence of the divine, lest they not gift us with such a hero again.

With each swing, a demon was destroyed, with each twitch of the fingers a storm of flames summoned, and with each breath a word of power invoked, akin to the Septims of old he brought down the fury of the world upon the wicked and left them bereft of their offensive existences.

And yet for each foe laid low, an entire slew of new invaders surged, only the grace of Zenithar and the might of a god slayer holding the tide back from devouring both the guilty and the innocent.

Lord Dagoth rose high his single edged blade and called "Auri-El!" A wave of fire as bright as the sun itself blasting forth from him and into the portals, scorching all that awaited beyond.

The invaders paused for but a dozen seconds, more than long enough for a rejuvenating wind to enter the cathedral, filling it with scents of the forest and meadow as I felt my bruises knit together and the fire in my heart be reignited.

But even as we were rejuvenated and a new wave of demon filth fell upon us, I could see Lord Dagoth slowing down, his attacks missing their alignment every so often and the frequency of his spells fizzing out just a second faster than before increasing with each minute passing.

I wished to rush forth and help this hero but I felt a familiar gaze fall upon my back, and it bid me wait for it held wisdom greater than my own.

A fresh surge of power came from the portal, making me stumble back and almost fall if not for the divine invigoration surging within my soul, and a massive figure walked out.

My eyes itched as I beheld the abomination, a large reptilian creature I knew as a Daedroth of the darker Daedra, but clad in the resplendent plate of Meridia, an image which was further marred by formless tentacles which changed position near constantly making me genuinely regret looking at the thing.

The savior of our city, who looked to be beleaguered but a moment prior, straightened his back and leaned upon the swordstaff with which he had slain a slew of demons, a loud scoff came from his crown-masked head as he demanded "Is this all you fools could offer? After all that effort to slow me down?"

But the Daedra cared not for what they believed to be his platitudes, and the creature surged forward, its charge swiftly stopped by the one known as Akulakhan as Lord Dagoth immediately rammed his glaive into the creature's head, the powerful weapon passing through the armor as if it were not there in the first place and carving a rightful gouge into the vile thing.

A whistling noise filled the air as the remaining lesser Dremora began to fall while clutching at their throats, a blur of grey silver passing through their formation and cutting them down like a scythe taken to wheat, soon leaving only the Daedroth as its target.

The beast attempted to trash around and resist its inevitable end but the moment it stepped onto Nirn its cursed existence was fated to the torment it deserved, as each second cut off another chunk of its vile flesh, and each moment saw it howling in greater agony.

It took but a dozen moments for it to fall upon the marble floor of the blessed cathedral, silent and unmoving.

"No!" A loud snarl came from the darker side of the portal "I refuse to accept this insolence any longer!" 

"Stop you fool, you will ruin everything!" A feminine voice came from the lighter side, sounding almost panicked as it demanded once more "Stop!" 

But the dark one would not listen, for he stood from his throne which now suddenly stood before the portal itself, and plunged his hand forth to grasp the elf who defied him again and again, the pressure in the air growing to the point I could no longer breathe and could but hope that a miracle would occur.

Lord Dagoth scoffed and calmly took a sideways stance, his blade positioned vertically next to his chest as he stared down one of the avatars of all that was vile and unholy. A grey flame surged upon his sword, and its power was akin to the gaze I felt upon my beleaguered back, making me squint in confusion and awe.

The hand of the monstrosity left the portal and I felt my breath leave me as my soul attempted to escape my body, only the gentle light of the craftsman saving me from an instantaneous death.

But Lord Dagoth was no coward as I was, and he swung his sword akin to a one handed flick, releasing the power he had built up and making me think I was dreaming for a moment, for I saw him let loose a wave of grey tinged flame and cleave the hand of the Daedra in twain and heard the scream of the heart of evil as it recoiled.

The other devil, disguised in a blinding light to hide its vileness, cursed at its ally of convenience but all it did was speed up the creature's retreat, leaving the portal half powered and unable to remain open for much longer.

Before the portal closed I saw the bane of false gods raise his empty gauntleted hand towards the demon... and present to it his middle finger.

The demon's shrieks of outrage brought a smile to my face, and then I knew no more.

(Reyvin's POV)

 "Fucking bitch." I spit on the ground and quickly move to Corvinus, casting a few diagnostic spells on his unconscious self I nodded in relief as I realized he was alive "Guess you earned some babysitting kid."

I looked up to the still glowing altar and inclined my head "Thanks for the help, probably could have done it myself but I get to keep some subtlety this way."

The stern yet approving look of Zenithar was momentarily tinged with appreciation before I felt a divine equivalent of a head shake and a spark of flame jumped from the anvil and onto my palm, the offer of a blessing rather obvious.

Bowing a bit more sincerely this time I grasp the ember and crush it in my grip, feeling a surge of inspiration enter my mind but filing it down for later as I had more immediate things to worry over.

My eyes scanned the near-ruined cathedral, at least on the inside, and I quickly realized that Marius, the little bastard, was missing "So much for 'reaching the heavens as one' fucking hypocrite." I scoff and lean my sword on my shoulder, spending all of three seconds on divining his location "Oh well, you can run but you can't hide~" 

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Gods and demons

naught but stones for the mine

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