Chapter XLI: Defiance

Not long after the deathly growling started, the first draugr made its appearance. Unlike the previous ones I fought in other burial grounds, these wore armor in an older yet still recognizable imperial style, embossed with Septim iconography much like the tomb's entrance.

I was not left will much time to ponder the artistic taste of my enemy, as mere seconds after the rest of my party entered the lower tomb dozens of the damned things charged at us.

With a furious battle cry, Bryling led the countercharge, followed by her housecarls and the palace guard, their enchanted weapons doing considerable damage to the horde. The rest chose to provide ranged support, as one would expect from Erikur's goons.

Seeing as the draugr were handily being dealt with by our companions, Sybille and I chose to conserve our strength for the moment and merely launched a fire or sun bolt here and there when our formation was put under pressure.

As we followed the winding paths, covered in some very annoying and potentially deadly traps, the constant assault started taking its toll on our group. Three palace guards and two housecarls lost their lives on the way, and I was forced to start providing greater support, while Sybille was focusing on healing the wounded.

The closer we got to our goal, the more oppressive the atmosphere became, and the more powerful our enemies. Thankfully there were no tongues waiting inside, as during the period in which they lived the way of the voice was very much a thing, otherwise we would have been neck-deep in shit by now.

We reached a sealed gateway controlled by different levers and decided that we would be taking a break here, as everyone was dead tired by now. As everyone slumped down I summoned up a bunch of the lesser potions I had with me like the damn hoarder I was, and offered them to those most in need.

Just as I was about to sit down and relax myself, a loud, cold chuckle reverberated throughout the tomb "Foolish mortals, so swift to rush to their deaths." the voice sounded amused?

I then felt the presence focus on me "Tell me little godling, what reason doth thou rush so boldly to fight for these fools? Leave them behind and swear thine self into my service, and I shall forgive thine earlier transgressions against me."

As some very confused stares find their way to me I scoff and roll my eyes "You just had to fucking say it."

"Why deny what thou are?" Potema tittered "Why settle for serving those so far below thee?"

A hollow laugh left my throat without any prompting from me "So you see yourself as above me then? A mere lich? Don't make me laugh."

"Thou did not deny my claims." the voice echoes calmly, but this time with less patience.

I raise a middle finger in the general direction of where I presume the deeper tomb is "Now listen here you damn bitch queen, I know how these things go so stop your damnable chittering and let me rest before I am nice and ready to skewer you once more!"

I feel her growl more than I hear it "Thou would deny thyself mine power over a temper tantrum?! What childishness!"

I now openly laugh at her as a fury that was not mine seems to overcome me for a moment "What a grand and intoxicating innocence! Deny myself your power? I spit upon any false power that you might offer specter! Now begone to your hole and wait for your end like a good little dog!"

There is an explosion of power as something attempts to pierce my mind, but I have long since trained myself to fight against such things and repel it with ease.

After a final "Thou shalt regret thine words soon mortal!" Potema retreats to her sanctum.

During my rant, I seem to have stood in front of the sealed passage and have been yelling at the stone like some kind of loon. Without turning around I scratch my chin in thought "Well if she is trying to buy me with promises of power it means she is desperate, good." I turn back to the rest and see them all staring at me with a mix of awe and confusion.

"What?" I ask dumbly.

Sybille laughs but doesn't comment.

Bryling on the other hand gives me an approving nod "You are either the bravest or stupidest mer I have ever met."

Ingvar Firebeard however seems to be stuck on something else he heard, he stares at me with some suspicion "She called you a godling? Why?"

I wave him off "If I wanted such things to be known, they would be."

He grunts "I am pretty damn sure that we deserve to know who exactly we are fighting with if we are to do this."

"No, I am pretty damn sure that you do not." I say firmly "All you need to know is that I am a powerful mage, anything else is private and I am under no obligation to explain myself."

In an attempt to no doubt force me to explain myself, he gives me a firm stare and says "The King will hear of this."

I snort at his attempt and shrug my shoulders "And when he learns the truth he will no doubt agree that such things are to be kept private." I turn to the rest "Now if no one else is about to question me about my family line or threaten me with snitching while we are neck deep in draugr, we really should move on."

There is some grumbling, but they all know we are here for more important things and after checking everyone for wounds one last time we activate the levers and step deeper into the catacomb.

The halls that follow the sealed passage are eerily empty, for what felt like minutes there were no signs of draugr, merely carved halls leading deeper inside, and with every step we took the presence pressed down harder and harder.

As we passed through one last door, the feeling of foreboding reached a crescendo, and the sounds of multiple coffin lids being blown off reached our ears. Inside awaited, sitting on a lavish throne a man looking old for even a vampire as that was what he obviously was.

He looked at us with amusement and slowly got up, while a veritable sea of draugr started entering the room "How kind of you all to join me for evening supper."

I roll my eyes "Really, vampire food jokes?"

Without a hint of offense in his tone, he chuckles "Hey if it works..."

I give him not a moment further to distract us and launch a burst of sunlight at him, but as expected he dodges near instantly. There is a moment of tense silence as our two forces stare each other down and then with a load roar from one of the more powerful draugr the silence is broken and the messy battle begins.

The fight starts off well in our favor, as the men that came with me were without any doubt elite warriors, Sybille is able to hold back the vampire with her own improved power and we start methodically cutting through the defenders.

Just when I am about to relax my strained mind, like some cosmic force was waiting for it, an orb of blue light bursts above the undead and the foes we put down start slowly raising up again.

Potema's voice echoes once more "None can pass through mine inner circle, thou have all come here to die."

Before panic can spread through the Nords I yell while channeling a bit of my thu'um "Don't listen to her! She must be using a lot of power to bring them back!" This seems to thankfully embolden them enough not to immediately break.

The grind continues, and I see a couple of palace guards fall, no doubt getting caught off guard due to the exhaustion that was setting in. I knew that we would never be able to outlast a force of the dead, endless endurance is their greatest advantage after all.

So the time came for stupid decisions.

I turn to Sybille and yell "I am going to cut off the head, you protect the rest!" and before she could even protest I levitate above the formation, swatting away a couple of rogue arrows with my constantly active wind-cloak and look to the gate leading to Potema's chamber.

I take a deep, calming breath and shout "WULD!" launching myself across the battlefield.

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As I cross the precipice to Potema's sanctum, the sound of battle quietens down. In front of me is an opulent throne made of stone and bones, and sitting upon it a dark purple specter bearing a crown and wielding a staff.

Potema stares at me for a while in silence "I see that thou hast chosen to sacrifice thine companions to slay me then."

"Oh come off it bitch queen." I retort immediately and venomously "No one is buying into your royal thee-s and thou-s act, now as I said be a good little dog and die for me!" and without waiting for a response I start barraging her with solar magic while summoning scorch.

The royal specter growls in irritation and starts swatting away my spells, but her power is greatly diminished from when she fought Savos and I stabbed her with the ultimate weapon of undead slaying, so even now she seems to falter.

A couple of soul-cairn mist creatures get summoned but Scorch turns them to ash with gusto, all while laughing maniacally and for some reason imitating a chicken?

He really needs some friends...

I deflect an ice storm thrown by Potema and with a "WULD!" appear next to her with an unsheathed, and loudly screaming, dawnbreaker aiming for her head.

But foolish I was to expect I could outdo a Septim with the voice, as she whispers out "Tiid" and deftly dodges my attack. Before I can even react she shouts "FUS!" at me, sending me flying into a wall and swinging her own spiked staff for my head.

As the spike is about to pierce my left eye I pull myself downwards with telekinesis, her surprisingly firm weapon cutting my ebony mask apart and leaving a long gash across the left side of my face, but thankfully not reaching its original target.

Before she can pull back I take the opportunity, and with all considerable strength boosted by a rapid and costly cast of giant's might, ram dawnbreaker into where her heart should be.

She screams in unimaginable pain and her spectral form erupts with magical power, leaving only her crowned skull on the ground.

I quickly down a healing potion just in case and go to destroy the skull and finish this, but an odd feeling stops me.

Her soul is still inside...

I could make something ridiculous with it...

I drop dawnbreaker on the ground like the piece of cursed junk that it was and immediately pull out my carving knife and start drawing containment runes. Her soul screams in pain, but I have no qualms torturing creatures like these, so after a minute of some very careful bonework I have in my hands an item of such great power, kings and emperors would kill for it.

[Dread soul: A potent soul with a hint of draconic power, stronger than any black soul gem and almost truly permanent in its application]

I pocket the desecrated skull, only to note that I am no longer in the burial ground but standing once more in Meridia's projection.

The lady of Life stares at me judgingly, fury practically radiating off her form "What are you doing with that soul?"

I tilt my head "Taking it for my use of course."

She grabs the edge of her throne in anger "That soul is meant to be mine! Unleash my blade upon it now!"

This damn bitch... you know what? I am done.

A cruel smile spreads on my face "No, I don't think I will."

(Sybille's pov)

As the undead all fall to the ground with their strings cut and Potema no doubt killed for good, I rush into her chamber while paying no mind to the celebrating Nords.

The moment I enter I once again find myself bewitched by Meridia's projection.

I find her grasping her throne while glaring at a Reyvin, who is smiling at her mockingly.

He spits on Meridia's marbled floor "When I first came to you I came with honest desire to work with you, but no! You just had to play your damned games with me." He kicks dawnbreaker toward her "Well I am done playing! Take your damned sword and shove it where your sun doesn't shine!"

The impotent Daedra, for they cannot ever cause harm in these projections due to Martin Septim's sacrifice, seethes in fury and turns to me "You, slay this insolent fool now and I will grant you the perfect immortality you desire!"

I feel dawnbreaker slide into my hands of its own volition and turn to Reyvin who is still smiling mockingly at Meridia.

The thoughts of what it would feel to be truly alive again assault my mind unbidden, to feel the sun on my skin once more without being stung by it, to not need to feed on the lifeforce of others...

Maybe... I look to Reyvin who has by now turned to me, he doesn't say anything, just continues smiling mockingly while now pointing his open army to Meridia, almost as if that itself was the joke.

Gods fucking dammit.

With a deep sigh I look to Meridia who is staring at me expectantly, and with venom in my voice I say "First it was Bal, and now you. Truly you are no better than the rapist himself." And with all my might I hurl the sword that singed my hand halfway through my words, at the now seething Daedra.

She grabs it without issue and it disappears. Meridia stares at us both and her presence starts pressing down on our very souls "I will remember this betrayal mortals! My servants will hunt you down and you will fear my name!" the presence becomes overwhelming as she continues seething "And when I finally have your souls in my hands you will beg for a release that will never come!"

Her fury reaches its peak as her true power starts seeping into the world, I feel my skin starting to burn and Reyvin does as well, if his smoking form and pained grunting is anything to go by, but by the covenant of Akatosh a Daedra cannot enter Nirn and Meridia is banished back into her domain.

Finally, with a flash of light I find myself back on Tamriel, and standing in front of a madly cackling Reyvin holding some kind of tome in one hand, and the bound skull of Potema in the other.

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Grant me stones so I might throw them at the Daedra!

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