A.N. Hey guys.

Sorry I'm late, but life has been hitting me hard the last week or so. Just when everything calmed down, something else would come up. As a result, this chapter is a bit of a rush job.

Hope you enjoy.

(I own OC's and nothing else)

(Svarline)

I take a deep breath as Dusk and I exit the stone castle.

Dusk looks over at me and scrunches his eyebrows. "Are you alright?" He asks.

I nod, and wave him off. "I'm just a little tired, but I'll be fine. Now that we found Valerica we should leave here pretty soon, so I can deal with it until we get back."

Dusk studies me, unconvinced. After a moment, he nods slowly. "Ok, but tell me if you're having any problems. The portal's just a teleport or two away."

I nod. "I will." I walk over to a stone wall and take a seat. I pat the ground beside me, and look up at Dusk. "Take a seat. We've got some time to rest while those two catch up."

He looks around our surroundings, and shakes his head. "You rest. We don't know what could jump out at us in this place. I'll keep an eye out while you catch your breath."

He holds his hand out to me, and a rabbit leg appears in it.

One of these days I'm going to figure out how he does that.

I take the leg with a grateful nod, and lean back against the wall.

He takes a few steps away from me, and begins watching for any attackers.

I close my eyes as I take the chance to breathe a little.

I had no idea what I was signing on for. This whole walking around without a soul thing sucks.

It's not so bad that I can't function, but it's just a constant feeling that there's something important missing.

Makes sense really. Your soul is kind of important.

I let out a sigh as I open my eyes, and begin to chew on the rabbit meat.

I can deal with this. Besides, Dusk's right. If it gets too unbearable, he can just teleport me back.

Serana's back with her mother, so it was worth it. They'll talk for a while, and then we'll go.

There shouldn't be anything else that keeps us here.

My mind drifts back to Serana and her mother.

I wonder how it's going in there?

(Serana)

I hold my mother tight as I softly weep.

This moment is as if from a dream. I know what Dusk, Svarline, and I have been working towards these past months, but I do not believe the magnitude of what we were attempting had set in until this moment.

I've finally found my mother.

She pulls away slowly, and places a hand on my cheek. She stares at me as if she expects me to fade away without a moment's notice.

"I had resigned myself to never seeing you again." She says quietly. "I thought I'd destroyed the portal."

I smile at her, and lean into her touch. "We made a new one." I reply. "We've been working almost the entire time I've been awake."

She studies me a moment longer, before she leans forward and places a gentle kiss on my forehead.

"I am glad you are well daughter. I am glad I was able to see you once more, but you must leave. You must leave, and you must leave without me." She says sadly.

I blink through my tears and look up at her in confusion.

"What do you mean?" I ask. "Mother, we have a way out. This place is no longer your prison."

She shakes her head. "It was never a prison." She takes a step away from me, and holds my gaze. "Why do you believe I exiled myself here, when I only sealed you inside a tomb?"

I look at her with furrowed brows, and a creased forehead. "I don't understand mother. What are you saying?"

"I cannot leave this place Serana. If I do, you will be in danger." She says.

I shake my head. "Danger? Mother, you are not making sense."

"The prophecy." She says. "I cannot allow Harkon to obtain the Elder Scroll I possess. The only place safe from that madman is here, so here I must say."

I shake my head at her. "Mother the prophecy doesn't matter anymore. Harkon doesn't know what I know, nor does he possess what I possess. We are in no danger from him."

Mother sighs softly. "Serana, you don't understand. The prophecy…. if Harkon learns about the relationship between a Daughter of Coldharbour and…."

"Auriel's Bow?" I finish for her, making her eyes widen. "I know the prophecy already mother, so you can trust me when I say Harkon will not succeed. He is effectively neutralized."

Mother's eyes narrow. "How did you learn of the full prophecy?" She advances slightly. "I told no one of it's full scope, so how do you know Serana?"

I meet her gaze unflinching. "My companions. Both of whom helped me to reach this place I might add. Dusk is a seer. He knows many things, and he told me everything he knew of the prophecy. He has even trusted me with the bow's location."

Mother growls. "Are you blind?!" She yells. "A seer just so happens to know not only the location of Auriel's Bow, but details of a prophecy recorded in Elder Scrolls, and he has made you indebted to him! How can you not see that he is using you?"

I narrow my eyes at her. "Mother," I say calmly. "Dusk is many things, but a liar is not one of them. He is not using me, nor will he ever."

She seems taken aback by my statement. Her eyes narrow, and she leans towards me slowly. She stares deep into my eyes, and her own widen.

"Serana you deluded fool." She breathes out. "Tell me you don't actually care for this man?"

I stand tall as I respond. "He has been good to me. Him and Svarline both, and I will not allow you to slander them."

She practically seethes as she looks to the ceiling. "Oblivion damn it all girl." She turns back down to look at me. "You bring not one, but two strangers here, and you have allowed yourself to fall for both of them! Are you out of your mind?! Stop thinking with your vagina for ten seconds and think with your brain! What do these two owe you? What is their motivation for accompanying you here? The man is a vampire Serana! What else could they possibly want from you?!"

I bare my fangs as I glare at her. "Dusk is a vampire because I turned him mother. I turned him after he had nearly died saving my life, and Svarline outright refused to let me turn her. They do not care about the prophecy, and they don't care about the power they could gain from the Soul Cairn. They are here for me. They accompanied me because I asked them to, and I will not stand by and listen as you defame them."

My mother narrows her eyes at me. "It is quite clear that you trust these two, but why should I trust them? Why should I trust them with you?"

I growl at her. "I am not an item for you to pass to whomever you deem worthy mother. I will live as I choose, and I will belong to whomever I please."

She holds my gaze for a long moment.

She breaks eye contact with a weary sigh. "I cared the same way for your father Serana." She says tiredly. "I don't want to see you hurt the same way I was." She meets my gaze once more. "I do not trust them, and I will be watching them for any moves against us, but I will choose to trust you for now. Do not make me regret that decision." She says with steel.

"I will not have to do anything, mother." I respond with conviction. "Neither Dusk nor Svarline are Harkon. You may not like them, but you will respect them."

Silence falls between us as we hold each other's gaze.

Mother breaks eye contact first. She slowly walks over to me, and wraps her arms back around me. "I will not apologize for looking after your well being Serana," She says softly. "but I will trust you."

I wrap my arms around her in turn, and the tears return. "I missed you mother." I say softly.

She begins running her hand through my hair. "I missed you as well daughter."

Neither of us moves for a long time.

(Dusk)

Almost an hour has passed when Serana and Valerica emerge from the castle.

Valerica is no longer covered in blood. Instead, she now wears a black cloak very similar to that of her daughter.

As the two get closer, Valerica observes us from her place beside Serana.

Svar stands up from her place against the wall, and walks over to me.

"Mother." Serana says. "This is Dusk and Svarline. Dusk, Svarline, this is my mother."

Svar walks forward with her hand out. "It's good to meet you." She says.

Valerica studies her for a moment, before accepting Svar's handshake. "My daughter speaks highly of you. I hope you live up to her praise." She says coldly.

Svar narrows her eyes slightly, but doesn't say anything. She lets go of the vampiress's hand and walks back over to me.

I step forward and extend my own hand. "I'm Dusk." I say. "Good to meet you."

She doesn't take my hand. Choosing instead to stare at me. Her eyes narrow, and she leans forward suspiciously.

What the hell is she doing?

"How are you doing this?" Valerica asks out of nowhere.

"Uh… Doing what?" I ask.

She growls, and bares her fangs at me. "Do not play dumb boy. How are you…"

"Mother." Serana says terse from her side.

Valerica spares her a glance, and relaxes slightly. She turns back to me. "I apologize for my rudeness. Would you please enlighten me as to how you are blocking my telepathy?"

What? Game was she trying to talk to me?

[Yep, but I blocked it just like you said!]

[You're welcome!]

Uh, thanks Game, but for next time, can you let me know when someone is trying to talk to me telepathically?

[Will do!]

In other news Valerica is telepathic. As if I wasn't already terrified of her.

I focus back on Valerica, and see her starting to grow impatient.

"I have incredibly strong mental defences." I answer her honestly. "No one can take over my mind, or even talk to me without my permission."

Valerica hums as she studies me.

Huh. The humming must run in the family.

"While your defences are strong, do not believe yourself invincible." Valerica says. "All it takes is one being to prove your better, and you will die."

Cheery isn't she? I bet she's a real riot at parties. Then again I'm one to talk. I never really got invited to parties.

"I'll keep that in mind." I say non committedly. I turn from her to look at Serana. "Are we ready to leave then?"

Before she can answer, Valerica speaks up. "No."

All three of us turn to look at her.

"Mother?" Serana says. "I told you, we do not have to fear Harkon anymore. You are free to leave."

Valerica shakes her head, and turns to her daughter. "I may be free, but I will not leave my friend to his fate."

"Friend?" Svar asks, confused. "Who else is here with you?"

A loud roar echoes across the barren sand in response to her question.

Shit.

I enter my lightning form, and begin scanning the sky. "Does anyone have a visual on him?" I ask.

A loud crash sounds from behind me, and I turn to see a massive form resting atop the castle staring down at us.

A massive dragon stares down at us. It's entire body is wrong. Where it's scales should be vibrant, they appear almost rusted. Looking a mix of sickly green, and pale. The dragon has several small holes in its wings, and a faint black mist seems to seep from his body.

We found Durnehviir.

Just as I'm about to attack, Valerica speaks up.

"Serana, Dusk, Svarline, allow me to introduce you to Durnehviir." She says as she studies my lightning form.

"It is good to meet you." The dragon says as he flies down to the ground. "We so rarely receive visitors in this place."

What?

Shouldn't he be trying to kill us right now?

Svarline steps forward. "Durnehviir, zu'u los Svarline. Kogaan fah tinvaak voth mu."

The dragon regards her curiously. "It has been a very long time since I was addressed in the tongue of the dovah. Thank you for your greeting Svarline, but please converse in the common tongue. It will make speaking easier for our companions."

Svar nods. "Very well."

I exit lightning form since he doesn't seem to be attacking us, but I keep my guard up just in case.

Durnehviir leans towards Svar, and sniffs. "You smell of my kin. Would you perhaps know any dovah?"

Svar nods. "I'm being trained in the thu'um by Paarthurnax."

Valerica raises an eyebrow at the statement, but controls her expression quickly.

Durnehviir nods down to Svar. "It has been a very long while since I have seen my brother. Would you give him my greetings when you leave this place?"

Svar nods. "I will."

Durnehviir nods. "You have my thanks."

Caught off guard by the display, Serana turns to her mother. "I thought he was your jailor." She says.

Valerica chuckles. "He is, but as I told you, this place was never a prison for me. It was a haven within which to escape Harkon. Durnehviir and I have spent thousands of years within this realm together. It would be foolish to loathe each other when there is no need for conflict. So long as I remain here, Durnehviir's pact is satisfied, and I continue to disrupt Harkon's plans."

Serana shakes her head. "But Harkon has been all but defeated. It is possible for..."

"Forgive me," Durnehviir interjects. "but I must stop you from speaking further mon do Valerica. I may be friendly to you now, but I am still bound to honor my agreement. Should I hear certain things said, I will have no choice but to kill you."

Serana closes her mouth, and looks up at the dragon. "Thank you for the warning."

He nods. "You are welcome."

So Durnehviir is nice only so long as he isn't forced to be an asshole? It must really suck to be him.

"Is there anything we can do to help you?" I ask.

The dragon turns to me curiously. "Why would you seek to aid me? You have nothing to gain from such an endeavor."

I shrug. "Not necessarily. If you're free, Valerica will be able to take certain actions she would not be allowed otherwise. I might also earn the friendship of a dragon while I'm at it."

That and you're probably my favorite dragon from the game, and seeing you trapped in here is painful.

The dragon thinks over what I said. "I suppose your words hold merit, but I am afraid what you speak of is impossible. I will never be free so long as Valerica lives. Since I am not able to kill her, and I find her company enjoyable, I will be trapped for all time."

"Even if he was freed," Valerica says. "he would not be able to leave this place. His body and soul have both been shaped by the Soul Cairn during his imprisonment. I was able to protect myself from such alterations with my magic, but he was not."

"There's got to be something we can try." Svar says. "Could we maybe trade something to the Ideal Masters for him?"

"There is nothing you possess that the Ideal Masters desire." Durnehviir says. "Their only interest is the accumulations of souls, and you do not possess nearly enough to interest them."

Does the method that worked in the game not work here?

"Could we maybe bring you to Mundus somehow?" I ask.

The dragon shakes his head. "There is a way, but my time there would slowly drain my being until I am no more. I thank you for your wish to aid me, but I see no way to free myself from my contract."

Valerica turns to Serana. "I will not leave this place while Durnehviir is still enslaved. There are very few beings I still call friend, and he is one of them. You said you have created your own portal, so you may visit me whenever you choose. You may stay for a time, or return now. It is your choice."

"Mother I came to free you. I will not leave you when I have only just found you." Serana says.

Valerica studies her for a moment, then nods. "Very well. You are welcome within this castle, but you must not stay too long. If you do, the Soul Cairn will alter you as it has Durnehviir, and you will never again be able to leave." Valerica turns to Svar and I, and looks at us suspiciously. "I do not know your intentions towards my daughter, but she has placed her trust in you." Her eyes narrow, and the air seems to shrink down around us. "Do not make her regret it." Her eyes glow a deep red as she stares intently at Svar and I.

"She won't." I say seriously.

Valerica analyzes us a second longer, then the oppressive atmosphere clears.

"You are welcome to join us, but I will be watching you." She turns and enters the castle without another word.

Serana turns to us. "I apologize for her. She is… slow to trust."

I wave her off. "Don't worry about it. I am too, and I haven't lived a life nearly as trying as hers, so it's understandable. Go catch up with your mom. We'll be along in a bit."

Serana hesitates for a moment, but Svarline motions her forward.

Serana gives us a nod, then walks after her mother.

I wait long enough for Serana's vampiric ears to be out of hearing range before I turn to Durnehviir. "So you know of any way to restore your soul so you can leave this place?"

The dragon chuckles. "Thank you for your willingness to aid me, but there is no way to free me, young one."

"We'll figure something out Durnehviir. It might take a little while, but we'll do our best to get you out of here." Svarline says.

The dragon looks at her curiously, and nods. "If you are truly able to free me, I will be grateful, but forgive me if I do not hold much faith in your efforts."

"Don't worry about it." I say. "We'll do our best, but I'm not arrogant enough to conclusively say our best will be good enough."

The dragon nods. "I thank you once more for your efforts, but I must go now. I have duties I must see to." Without another word, the dragon leaps into the air, and flies off.

We watch him as he flies away, then Svar turns to me.

"Do you have any ideas for how to free him?" She asks.

I shake my head. "Not a damn clue. Like he said, we have nothing to offer the Ideal Masters, and I'd be hesitant to bargain with them even if we did. Almost every one of the Daedric Princes is honorable in their bargains. The Ideal Masters aren't. It should say something that I'd rather deal with a Prince than one of them."

Svar nods. "I don't really know all that much about them, so I'll defer to you, but I don't want to leave him here." She looks off in the direction Durnehviir flew in. "He shouldn't be trapped in this place. No one should."

I let out a long breath. "I don't know if it's possible, but I'll try to think of something."

"I know it's a long shot," She says sadly. "but I'd like to try nonetheless."

"Well, we've got some time to work something out. How are you feeling by the way?" I ask as I turn to look at her.

She gives me a smile. "Better now. I just need to take it easy for a while, and I'll be fine."

"Let me know if anything changes alright?"

She nods. "I will."

I look to the door of the castle. "I guess we should get going. We can give Serana and her mom some space for a bit, but we'll need to talk about what our next step is eventually."

"That woman is very interesting." Svar says contemplatively.

I raise an eyebrow at her. "Valerica? What about her?"

Svar shrugs. "She went from trying to eat you, to loving mother, to overprotective mother, to extremely dangerous and threatening all in the span of an hour. I get the sense that most people she meets don't get to walk away."

I chuckle. "I'm pretty sure the only reason we did is because Serana is with us. Even if you were at full strength I don't know if the two of us could take her out. She's way too old, and way too powerful. It would come down to what side Serana took, but I don't want to put her in that position."

Svar shakes her head. "I don't either, so let's play nice, and let them be for a bit. There's plenty of room in this fortress for us to give them some space."

I nod, and the two of us walk back into the castle.

(Serana)

My mother leads me through a series of corridors until we come to a large room that appears to be her workshop.

There are enchanting supplies in one corner, and alchemy supplies in another. Tall bookshelves line the room. They hold both books and ingredients of various types. On a small stone table at the far end of the room, I feel a great power emanating from a long box.

"Is that…?"

"The Elder Scroll?" My mother finishes for me. "Yes, it is. I notice you did not bring your own with you. Would you mind telling me where you have hidden it?"

I smirk at her. "We did bring it mother. Dusk has access to a pocket dimension of sorts. Both scrolls we possess are safe within it."

My mother's features go from inquisitive to shocked. "You trusted the seer with your Elder Scroll?! What were you thinking?!"

I control my anger, and do my best to respond calmly. "Mother, I told you already that he and Svarline will not betray my trust. It draws less attention for him to carry the scrolls than it would for me to wear it on my back. If I asked him to, he would give me not only both Scrolls, but the Staff as well."

My mother scrunches her eyebrows. "Staff? What staff?"

I smile. "We have the Staff of Magnus."

She looks at me in disbelief, but then her eyes widen when she sees I am being serious. "How?" She asks dumbfounded.

My smile grows even wider at her reaction. I do believe this is the first time I have ever seen her so shocked. It is rather amusing.

I move to one of the chairs situated in the room while my mother sits in another.

"As I told you, Dusk is a seer of sorts. He knows quite a bit about the world, and during our construction of the portal we needed components from a slain wispmother."

My mother nods. "Yes I remember that. It took me over a year to track one of them down."

I smile again. "It took us a little over a week. Dusk already had the location of one, and it just so happened there was also a dragon priest within the same ruin."

My mother's eyes widened in surprise. "You did battle with a dragon priest? Was it guarding the Staff?"

I shake my head. "No. It wielded the Staff."

My mother sits in stunned silence for a moment.

It is quite fun to get the better of her like this.

"Forgive me daughter," My mother begins. "but how do you still live? I do not doubt your power, but a dragon priest armed with the Staff of Magnus would have torn you apart. It would likely have defeated me as well. Did you steal the Staff and flee?"

I laugh. "I was not alone mother, and Svarline and Dusk have advantages you are not aware of."

She tilts her head. "While I admit your Dusk was surprisingly strong, the Svarline girl was far from impressive, and Dusk's strength is primarily magical if I am not mistaken. Something that would be all but useless against the Staff of Magnus. I fail to see how the three of you were triumphant."

"Dusk's sword is one of the most interesting artifacts I have ever seen, and Svarline did not impress you only because she is currently without her soul." I respond.

My mother raises an eyebrow at me. "I had assumed that was her typical state of being. Even I would have trouble removing a being's soul without harming them."

I smile knowingly. "She is special, and the method she used to remove her soul is irreplicable by any who are not like her. We will retrieve her soul and make her whole once we leave this place."

Mother smiles amusedly. "While I can appreciate building suspense daughter, I would ask that you tell me exactly why she is 'special'?"

"She is dragonborn." I say. "The last dragonborn if the legends are to be believed."

Once again, I delight in the shocked look upon her face as my mother realizes I am telling the truth.

"That would explain why Paarthurnax would spend his time training her." She says after a moment.

I tilt my head at her. "You know of Paarthurnax?"

She waves me off. "My knowledge of the dragon is far from perfect. What little I do know was taken from various histories that all contradict one-another, and a few stories Durnehviir has told. The only unifying factor across all of my sources is that Paarthurnax is one of the strongest, and oldest, of his brethren."

I nod. "He is incredibly strong. Of the two dragons I have faced, he is the strongest. The one we have killed seems as if a child who never trained their power. Paarthurnax is a dragon that has learned. He was not content with what he was given, and has vastly improved himself. I do not believe the three of us would be able to defeat him."

Mother tilts her head inquisitively. "'Of the two dragons you have faced'? You have faced more than one?"

I nod. "Once again, Dusk knew the location of a dragon who resided within Blackreach. In an effort to increase Svarline's power, the three of us hunted and killed the beast. That is also where we acquired the second Elder Scroll."

My mother takes a long moment to process that.

She lets out a long breath. "Not only have you slain a dragon, but you have been to a hidden dwarven city I believed to be nothing but fable where you acquired a second Elder Scroll, and you have killed a dragon priest who wielded the Staff of Magnus." She focuses her gaze on me intently. "You still have not explained how you were able to accomplish such a feat. I would assume it has something to do with Dusk's sword?"

I smile. "I would not have attempted a direct confrontation with the lich without that weapon. It is called Yamato, and it is able to cut through almost anything."

Mother raises an eyebrow. "Define 'anything'."

I smile. "I have personally seen it cut through dragonhide, solid stone, a ward that protected the tomb in which the dragon priest was sealed, and a large number of ghosts. The only thing I have seen to outright stop the blade was the Staff of Magnus. The sword can also be used to cut things from a distance. That is how Dusk disarmed the dragon priest of the Staff."

Mother tilts her head as she considers my statement. "That sword would greatly increase anyone's martial capability. It sounds incredibly powerful, so why have I not heard of it?"

"It is not from this world, nor any I know of." I answer.

Mother raises an eyebrow. "How did he come to possess it if it is not of Mundus, nor of Oblivion?"

"He actually showed me how he received the blade." I respond. "He has an ability that pulls various items from a variety of worlds, but it is unpredictable. He can only use it at certain times, and he has no power over what he receives. He received Yamato from one use, and a rock from another."

My mother chuckles. "I have met beings with similarly unpredictable gifts. It is always a pleasure to watch their reactions."

I laugh. "Yes it is. While I watched, he believed he had received an incredibly powerful item, but it was merely a rather large lump of gold."

Mother raises an eyebrow at me. "Merely a lump of gold? Many would kill for such an item."

I scoff. "Mother, you know me. When have I ever placed stock in such materialistic things?"

She hums. "I seem to remember a certain necklace…"

"I have no idea what you are talking about." I say immediately with a straight face.

We are not discussing this.

Mother throws her head back and laughs.

I smile as I see the joy in her features.

A question wells up to the front of my mind, and I frown.

I have been asking this of myself since I awoke, but I am afraid to receive the answer.

Mother notices my discomfort, and quickly stops laughing. "What is wrong daughter?" She asks.

I look into her eyes. "Why did you leave me behind?" I ask quietly. "I would have come with you. I wanted to come with you, so why did you leave me in that tomb?"

She says nothing for a long time.

I am about to change the topic when she speaks.

"I wanted better for you." She says with her eyes focused on the ground. She looks up to meet my gaze. "Look around this place Serana. Can you truthfully tell me you would be happy if you were trapped in this place for all eternity? I sealed you away because I hoped to spare you from this fate."

I shake my head. "I would have come with you mother. I would have enjoyed it so long as we were together."

She shakes her head in turn. "You saw me when you first entered the castle did you not? I have been starved for nearly a thousand years. Every day is torture in this place. I must simultaneously sustain myself with blood magic, while also fighting off the Soul Cairn's influence with soul magic."

She stands from her chair, and walks to the table atop which the Elder Scroll rests. She places her arms on the table, and leans against it. "I sealed you with the Scroll I did to mislead Harkon in case he ever found you. Without this Scroll, he would have searched all of Tamriel for Auriel's Bow. Never knowing how to use it. I was content to guard this Scroll for eternity, if it meant that you would not be killed by your own father."

I stand from my chair and walk to the center of the room. "That thing is not my father. I have not cared for him since he offered us to Bal. Since then, I have only considered you family, and you left me." I try to fight the tears, but my efforts prove useless.

Mother turns around, and faces me. "I am sorry Serana." She says softly. "I wanted you to be able to live as you wished. Without having to worry about whatever he wanted from you. I thought that if he retrieved only your Scroll, that he would let you free. That you would finally be free of him. I gave up my own freedom to protect yours."

"I never asked you to!" I yell. "Had you told me of your plans, we could have worked something out together, but you pushed me away! You acted without consulting me, and left me in a dark abyss for millenia! And now when I come to free you, you tell me to leave without you! To abandon you, as you abandoned me! I will not leave without you mother, so gather your things and prepare to leave."

She closes her eyes, and takes a long breath. She opens her eyes once more, and focuses on me.

She slowly walks forward, and I don't resist as she pulls me into a hug.

"I love you Serana, and I am sorry for all of my mistakes, but I will not leave this place without Durnehviir. His soul will be forfeit for all time if I am able to escape his watch. There are so few immortals I call friends, and I count him among them. I will not abandon him to his fate."

"Even for me?" I ask, but I regret the words the second I say them.

Mother pulls back and looks down at me with narrowed eyes. "If I asked you to stay with me, to abandon your Svarline and your Dusk, would you? While I do not feel for Durnehviir as you feel for them, he is still one of the greatest friends I have ever possessed. Do not ask me to choose between the two of you."

"I am sorry mother. I am not thinking clearly right now." I say.

She smiles, and pulls me closer. "You are forgiven daughter."

I hold her tight.

She cannot come with me until Durnehviir is freed, and I doubt we have anything that will interest the Ideal Masters.

Perhaps we could bargain with another Prince to take possession of Durnehviir's contract before trading with us? We have the Staff of Magnus to bargain, as well as three Elder Scrolls. Dusk and Svarline may not be happy to give up such items, but I believe they would if I asked them to.

"Mother?" I speak up. "Could we possibly bargain with a Prince to take over Durnehviir's contract from the Ideal Masters in exchange for the Scrolls?"

My mother pulls back, and shakes her head sadly. "Daedric Princes care more for their souls than they do for artifacts. The only one who might be willing to make such an arrangement is Hermaeus Mora, and it will only fulfill the letter of the agreement, not the spirit. This is disregarding the fact that none would be willing to risk a bargain with the Ideal Masters."

I scrunch my eyebrows. "Is there any other being we could turn to then? The Princes are not the only powerful beings who make deals with those they believe lesser than themselves."

Mother opens her mouth to respond, but stops herself. She gets a faraway look in her eye, and steps away from me. "I might know of such a being." She says distractedly.

She briskly walks over to her bookshelves, and begins scanning the spines of various books. She finds what she is looking for, and pulls it from the shelf. After flipping through the pages, she smiles.

She looks up at me with an expression of glee on her face. "Serana, you are a genius."

I smile. "I am your daughter."

She turns to me. "You said you have the Staff of Magnus yes? Did you bring it with you?"

I nod. "Dusk hasn't taken it out since he put it there."

My mother laughs, and begins gathering ingredients. "Using the Staff of Magnus as a power source, this may just work." She says.

I look through the book she set down, and feel my own lips pull up into an even greater smile.

This will do.

I look over to my mother. "Do you have any mirrors in this castle?"

(Dusk)

Svar and I are sitting in some chairs we found, when Serana bursts into the room.

"We need your help." She says quickly, and motions for us to follow.

Svar and I share a look, before we rise to our feet and follow after Serana.

"What happened?" Svar asks as we briskly walk down the hall.

Serana shakes her head. "Nothing malicious." She says. "My mother and I may have discovered a way to free Durnehviir."

I raise an eyebrow at her. "How exactly do you plan on doing that? We're not exactly fit to take on the Ideal Masters in any fashion."

Seranan smiles at me. "Correct. We are not, but there are others who are."

Svar scrunches her eyebrows. "Are you going to make a deal with a Daedric Prince? To circumvent the Ideal Masters? That doesn't sound like it'll end well."

Serana shakes her head. "We do not have anything a Prince would risk dealing with the Ideal Masters for, but there are other entities we can turn to."

I turn to Serana. "Not to be an asshole, but the way you said that makes it sound like whatever you're planning is an even worse idea than dealing with a Prince."

Serana smiles at me. "From a certain perspective, it is a worse idea."

This is going to end horribly isn't it? Is it Murphy's fault if I expect bad shit to happen? I'll figure it out later.

"You're really not filling us with confidence here Serana." Svar deadpans.

Serana's smile disappears, and she regards us seriously. "My mother and I have looked over everything we have on this entity, and we feel the risk to be minimal. We would not attempt this otherwise. The being in question always honors their deals, and so long as we are careful with our wording, there will be no loopholes to exploit."

"Who is this 'entity'?" I ask. "Have we heard of it, and are you sure it won't try to screw us over? I mean, what do we even have that it could want?"

Serana stops walking, prompting Svar and I to stop as well.

Serana looks between the two of us with something akin to… hesitation?

This can't be good.

"Answering your questions in order, I doubt you will have ever heard of him. He is from beyond Oblivion. It is normally impossible to call him from where he currently resides, but my mother has learned a significant amount about summoning in her time here, and those who summoned him before used similar methods. As I said, he has proven to be honorable so long as those he deals with uphold their end of the bargain, and we have four things he could be interested in."

I raise an eyebrow.

What the hell do we have that some being from past Oblivion could want? I mean, the only things that would interest something like that would be…

"The Elder Scrolls, and the Staff of Magnus." I say aloud. "You're saying we'd have to give this guy Elder Scrolls, and the Staff of Magnus? This being we don't even know, that will do god knows what with them."

Svar takes a deep breath. "Serana, how can you be so sure this thing won't take the Staff and absorb all the magic on Mundas?" She asks. "Even with Dusk's ability, we don't know all of what the thing's capable of, and now we're giving it to something that can deal on even terms with the Ideal Masters? I don't know much about the Ideal Masters, but in my head I've been likening them to the Princes. If this guy is even close to the same level as the Princes, giving him anything is a bad idea."

"Humor me here Serana." I say. "You know I know stuff I shouldn't, so give me his name or whatever you have on him. I might be able to give you more information about the guy."

She looks at me, and nods. "Very well. From what we have been able to research, he is a greater demon or something similar. We do not possess his name, but we do know that he is related to mirrors somehow."

Greater demon from The Elder Scrolls universe that likes mirrors huh?

"I have no idea who this guy could be." I say honestly.

My knowledge of the lore is far from perfect, so who's to say I didn't miss a mirror god somewhere?

I mean, I know Anu and Padomay are mirrors of one-another, but if anyone had a way to summon either of them there wouldn't be a world anymore. Anu is the world afterall.

Maybe Shor because of the whole Lorkhan relationship thing? Ya I don't know.

"We will work out the details later." Serana says. She looks between Svar and I. "My mother will not leave this place without Durnehviir, and I refuse to let her stay here any longer. We must free the dragon, and to do that we will need the Scrolls and the Staff as bargaining chips. Will you help me?" She asks.

Svar takes a moment, then speaks. "I'm in, but we have to be careful about this. I don't like the idea of giving the Staff to someone incredibly powerful only for them to kill us with it after the deal's complete."

Serana nods to Svar. "Thank you Svarline."

Both women turn to me expectantly.

This is such a bad idea. No, it's actually not a bad idea. Bad ideas have the possibility of working out. This is suicide. Plain and simple. We are asking to get ourselves killed here.

Why the fuck was there a 'we' in that last sentence?

Oh god fucking damnit.

I pull the two Elder Scrolls from my inventory, and toss them to Serana.

She catches them, then looks up to me surprised.

I look her in the eyes, and say, "I'm going to go on record here, and say if we try this we're all probably going to die. When everyone starts pointing fingers, and looking for someone to blame for the elder god getting unleashed, remember that."

Serana's eyes light up, and she smiles. "Thank you." She looks between Svar and I. "Thank you both. Now follow me. We are not yet ready, and could use your help preparing."

Serana leads us through the castle until we come to a high ceilinged room. Valerica is knelt down in the center of the room. Her hand is alight with magical energy, and she is tracing a shape.

Please tell me she's not drawing a pentagram.

Valerica finishes her drawing, and stands to face us. Her eyes fall upon the two Scrolls in Serana's hands, then look at me curiously.

"Serana said you had a pocket dimension of sorts within which you could store things, but I must admit I was skeptical. I have never heard of such an ability before. You are quite interesting Dusk." She says contemplatively.

Why is it that whenever an immortal says I'm interesting I always feel the need to flee in terror?

Valerica turns to Svar. "And you dragonborn."

Svar meets her gaze without flinching. "Yes?" She asks.

Valerica smiles at her. "You are interesting as well. I believe I see why my daughter chose to keep your company when you awoke her."

I don't know how to respond to that. Is that a compliment? An insult?

I'm just going to assume the answer is yes and move on.

"What exactly do we need to do here?" I ask as I walk forward. "Serana gave us a basic rundown of what we're attempting, but Svar and I aren't really clear on our role in this."

Valerica turns to me. "For now, your aid is unnecessary. My daughter has told me of your respective talents, and they are not suited for creating a bridge with which to summon the entity. However, you Dusk, will be instrumental in powering the spell." She turns to Svar. "If you are able to use your thu'um Svarline, you can assist us with opening the gateway."

I don't like the sound of that.

"I'm aware I'm not the expert here," I start. "but 'gateway' doesn't sound good. We're only opening a path for the one guy right?"

Serana nods to me. "We are being extremely cautious Dusk. He will be the only being allowed through, and we will be able to repel him if he proves too powerful."

Valerica nods. "Now Dusk, I do not presume to order you, but the Staff of Magnus will be required to power the ritual. It must contain a large amount of mana in order to work however."

"So my job is to fill the thing with magic?" I guess.

Serana nods. "Yes, and when the ritual starts, we will need your electromancy to begin the process."

I shrug. "Alright. It gives me a job to do, and keeps me out of your hair. Let me know when we're starting this thing."

I walk to the far corner of the room, and pull the Staff of Magnus from my inventory.

"Bon appetit Mr. Staff." I say, and begin filling the thing with spells.

I spend the next few hours standing in the corner, and filling the Staff with magic. With my insane MP regen it takes only eighty seconds to completely refill my MP pool, so I don't have all that much trouble pouring a large amount of spells into the Staff.

"Dusk." I hear, and turn to look over my shoulder.

Svarline stands there with Yamato out. "Apparently we're ready." She says.

I nod, and follow her back to the center of the room.

"So be honest," I say. "is the Staff actually going to help or did you just want me to shut up?" I ask looking pointedly at Valerica.

She smiles. "Both."

Serana turns to glare at her. "Mother..." She growls warningly.

I wave Serana off. "So long as this works, I don't care. We'll save the posturing for when we're out of this place." I turn to Valerica. "Fair?"

She thinks for a moment, then nods. "Very well. Now, the Staff if you would?" She holds out her hand.

I hold in a sigh, and pass it over.

If she wanted to kill me, I'm willing to bet I'd be dead already. Hell, she probably would've if Serana hadn't stopped her. Her having a powerful weapon in hand isn't going to lessen my chances all that much.

Valerica nods in thanks, then motions to the Elder Scrolls. "Please put those in your other space, and the second the Staff has been used, place it within your space as well. It is best that we do not tip our hand early. The less the entity knows of our possessions, the less he will ask in exchange for what we want."

I do as she says, then walk back over to Svar.

"And what precisely is that?" Svar speaks up. "I get we're trying to free Durnehviir, but is there anything else you two are going to ask for? I'd rather know now, than have that just randomly dropped on us in the middle of negotiations."

Valerica shakes her head. "My only goal is to free my friend. You can be assured I will not attempt to use this to my own advantage."

I raise an eyebrow at her, then turn to Serana. "Not that I don't trust your mom, but I don't trust your mom. Is she trying to screw us over?"

Valerica looks to me with an amused expression, while Serana turns to me.

"She is not attempting to deceive us." Serana says with conviction.

I let out a sigh. "Alright, let's get this done."

Valerica nods, then points to a position on the floor. "Please stand there, and be ready to use your magic on the circle." She indicates the circle on the ground, and I look down at it.

It's a pentagram. Of course it's a fucking pentagram. I was already doubting this bullshit, and now there's a god damn purple hued glowing pentagram on the ground.

I sigh again, and stand in the indicated spot.

If we summon Cthulhu, I'm leaving Valerica and teleporting Serana and Svar out of here.

No hard feelings Valerica, but if you thought summoning Cthulhu was a good idea, then you deserve to be left behind.

Everyone else moves around. Svar steps back from the circle, while Serana and Valerica move forward.

"Before we begin, are there any questions?" Valerica asks.

"I'm only firing a few spells right? After that you and Serana take over?" I ask.

Valerica nods to me. "Yes. The two of us will be able to complete the casting by using the Staff. Be ready to send it away when I return it to you."

I nod. "I'm ready."

Valerica looks at Svar and Serana, but neither of them speak up. "Then let us begin." She says. She pulls a small hand mirror from her robes, and places it down in the center of the circle. She then turns to me. "Please unleash your magic on the center of the circle."

I nod, and begin channeling my electromancy.

I charge the spell for nearly half a minute, then say. "Now." I let loose the spell into the mirror in the center of the circle, and the lines change from a faint purple hue, to a vibrant blue.

The instant the spell hits, Valerica slams the Staff of Magnus into the ground.

I feel a veritable ocean of mana flood out of the staff into the circle. Valerica keeps forcing magic into the circle, and turns her head to Svar.

"Now." Valerica says.

Svar leans forward, and shouts, "BEX!" Once the shout is complete, she leans against a support column as the exhaustion sets in.

I start to move towards her, but she waves me off.

She takes a seat on the ground, and the two of us look back to the ritual.

In response to Svar's thu'um, a small violet sphere begins to open in the center of the pentagram.

Serana reaches both of her hands out, and forces her own magic into the sphere, causing it to slowly grow.

Valerica changes targets, now focusing the Staff's power on the sphere, and causing it to grow at an absurd pace.

The last of the mana, slowly drains from the Staff, and Valerica tosses it to me almost as an afterthought as she focuses on the steadily growing sphere.

I place the Staff in my inventory, then walk behind Serana.

Her teeth are grinding together, and her arms are shaking. She's on her last legs.

Shit. Is there anything I can do?

I remember back to Labyrinthian just as Morokei was about to overpower me.

She helped me then right? She used soul magic to help me.

No better time to learn than when you're summoning an elder god.

I place my hand on Serana's shoulder, and careful not to let the Soul Cairn overload my senses, I reach forward with my soul magic.

I feel Serana's soul tiredly throwing mana into the circle in an effort to complete the ritual, but she's slowing down. I imagine a chain connecting the two of us, and begin pouring my mana through it. My MP rapidly drains, but Serana becomes reinvigorated.

Neat trick.

I pour all of my mana through the connection, then convert my SP to MP and send her that as well.

Another few seconds pass, before a loud *BOOM* emanates from the sphere. The sphere wobbles in mid air, then collapses into a pancake before disappearing completely.

Serana and Valerica stop sending magic through the portal, and begin looking around.

"Did it work?" Svar asks. Once more on her feet.

"Yes." Valerica says with certainty. "Something came through."

Fuck.

I begin scanning the area, and listening for anything that might be around.

I hear… bells?

"Does anyone else hear that?" Serana asks calmly.

"Yes." Valerica and I say together.

I listen more intently, and hear the whispering voice of young children drifting through the air.

Huh, this tune seems familiar. Where the hell have I heard it before?

His smile fair as spring, as towards him he draws you;

His tongue sharp and silvery as he implores you.

As the words continue, the picture becomes more and more clear. I know where this song is from.

I know where this song is from, and we're summoning a guy who is connected to mirrors…

"Oh fuck." I say aloud.

Serana and Svar snap their heads in my direction. Both having recognized my tone.

"I know who this guy is." I say.

Valerica now also snaps her head to look at me. "You what?" She asks.

Before I can answer, more singing voices whisper around the area.

Your wishes he grants, as he swears to adore you,

Gold, silver, jewels - he lays riches before you.

Dues need be repaid and he will come for you

All to reclaim, no smile to console you.

"There." Svar says calmly as she points up.

The rest of us follow her direction, and see a man standing on nothing near the ceiling. Leaning casually against a support column.

The man has sunburnt skin, and wears his hair in a buzzcut. He wears an orange shirt with a large brown collar, as well as a pair of blue pants.

Holy shit it's actually him.

He'll snare you in bonds, eyes glowing afire

To gore and torment you till the stars expire!

The man smiles jovially down at us, then slowly begins walking down to meet us. He doesn't fly, nor does he fall. He walks down the air as if down a staircase.

Even with Gamer's Mind, I'm starting to freak out. If this guy wanted to, he could probably kill every single one of us without anyone knowing it.

How the fuck is he even here?! This shouldn't be possible! We're in the goddamn Elder Scrolls! There's some pretty major laws and beings stopping him from getting anywhere near here!

The man finishes his descent, and comes to a stop in the center of the pentagram.

He bends over, and picks up the mirror within. He brushes it off, and places it in a satchel hanging down by his side.

The man looks around the room and sighs contentedly. "Ah, what an interesting place." He waves his hand through the air, then leans forward to inspect the space his hand just passed through.

He turns to the four of us with a grin. "Interesting indeed."

(Interlude: Sybille Stentor)

I stand next to Elisif as we stare down at our 'guests'. Mirabelle stands beside me

"You were to come with your generals." Elisif calls down coldly from the ramparts.

The black haired vampire grins. "I have brought the only one who needs to be present. Movarth is preparing my forces for when you spring the inevitable trap."

Ulfric growls as he glares at the woman. "You might lack honor fiend, but we do not."

The vampire raises an eyebrow at him, before turning back to Elisif. "You have heard my terms. You will surrender the city to me, and be gone within one week's time. If you are not, we will slaughter you all."

Elisif's eyes narrow, and she calls back down, but I'm too distracted to listen to what she says.

The Crone has stood in silence at Potema's side for this entire parlay. There were moments where she attempted speech, but more than likely the witch has prevented her from speaking.

She's trying to tell us something. Something Potema wants obscured.

Potema and Elisif continue to trade words, but I am focused on every one of the Crone's movements.

She sees me watching her, and her eyes lock onto mine.

She brings her hand to her wrist, and slowly drags her finger across it.

Understanding her meaning, I bring my claw to my wrist and cut it open.

Blood starts to flow from the wound, but quickly stops. My blood flows up slowly in an organized pattern, and it starts to form letters.

'Movarth in Potema's escape passage. He will strike from behind while we strike from front.'

My eyes widen as I read over the words.

"It's a trap!" I yell. "Movarth is using a forgotten tunnel to enter the city!"

Potema's head snaps in my direction, before she slowly turns to face the Crone. "You." She growls.

The Crone stares forward. She doesn't react in any way.

Potema reaches out and grabs the woman by the throat. "I have given you too much leash it seems." She seethes. Potema looks up, and yells, "Advance!" She takes one last look up at us, and speeds away. Dragging the Crone behind her.

"Mirabelle," Elisif speaks quickly. "find where Movarth will enter the city, and get as many of our troops there as possible. Ulfric, you are in charge of holding the wall. They cannot be allowed to enter the city."

The man nods. "They won't make it through us."

The four of us turn as we hear a horn blow.

Looking out over the field, I see an organized column of undead marching directly towards us.

"Go." Ulfric says terse. "Give Movarth my regards." He steps forward as the archers resume their positions, and begins barking orders to the troops.

"We found him." Mirabelle says. "He's about to break through a wall into the Blue Palace."

Elisif nods. "Then go. We can't let them overwhelm our forces from behind."

"I'll escort you to the Temple of the Divines, then go after Mirabelle." I say.

"No." Elisif says quickly. "You must stop Movarth now. I will manage on my own."

I regard her for a moment longer, then move next to Mirabelle.

Elisif can handle herself.

"Do we have forces ready to meet Movarth?" I ask Mirabelle as she begins casting a teleportation spell.

She shakes her head. "Savos is gathering what warriors he can, but they will not be there in time."

"So it's just us then?" I ask.

Mirabelle nods gravely. "We need to buy Savos time to reinforce us."

I take a deep breath, and allow myself a small smile.

I've been waiting for a chance to cut loose.

Mirabelle reaches her hand out to me, and I take it.

After a short buzzing sensation, the two of us reappear in the kitchens of the Blue Palace.

What staff are left, are quickly fleeing.

Mirabelle must have passed along our information.

"Ma'am!"

I turn to my right and see four of the palace guards standing at attention.

"Where are the rest of you?" I ask quickly.

"At the wall ma'am. We're only here because we were injured."

Glancing over their bodies, I see various wrappings soaked through with blood. One of the men is struggling to stand.

If they stay here, they'll die.

I shake my head. "Leave. We will handle this."

"With all do respect ma'am, if those vamps make it through here the city's lost. We're staying." All four look resolute in their decision.

I hear something impact the opposite side of the far wall.

They're here.

I turn back to the men. "Guard the exit to this room. You are not to let a single one of them through, understood?"

They salute, and hobble off to guard the door.

Another, much louder impact connects with the wall.

Mirabelle and I begin channeling our magic, and two elementals come into existence directly in front of the wall that is about to be breached.

No one speaks as a third impact connects with the wall, and it falls inward.

A bald man with angular features, and pale skin steps through the debris. "I wasn't expecting company so soon." He says conversationally. "Which one of you will be my partner?"

I charge towards him as more vampires spill out of the hole in the wall.

The elementals lash out, and Mirabelle begins supporting me with her magic.

As my blade locks with Movarth's, I grin.

I've been looking forward to this.

(Interlude: Hulda)

I block another strike from the attacking guard, and slide my sword under his arm. I impale him, then kick him away.

"How many more?" I call over my shoulder.

"There's only half a dozen left!" Saadia calls down from the roof as she readies another arrow.

I was pretty surprised when the girl proved to be a good shot. She's obviously had weapons in her hand before, but I'll ask her about it when my inn isn't under assault.

"Gotta say Ears," I say as I cut down another brainwashed idiot. "This is a right clusterfuck."

A torrent of ice swallows two more of the idiots as Irileth walks forward. "Talk later, kill now!"

Can't argue with that.

Saadia takes down one more with her bow, and Irileth and I dispatch the two who are left with our swords.

I pull a rag from my belt pouch to clean my blade with, and turn to Irileth. "You wanna explain what's goin' on Ears?"

She takes a look around us, but relaxes when she sees there aren't any reinforcements on the way. "Farengar's gone insane." She seethes. "He had Proventus killed, and is using some kind of daedric magic to influence everyone who's left over to his side. I don't know how he's doing it, but we have to stop him."

I raise an eyebrow at her. "'We'? I'm retired Ears. I can just move cities. This is your problem."

She gives me an unimpressed look. "You wouldn't leave me to deal with this on my own. Besides, heading to another city might be a death sentence for you. You heard Falkreath was burned down right?"

I sigh, and look up at Saadia. "Make sure the bar's clear, then get me a bottle of something strong."

She opens and closes her mouth for a bit, but eventually climbs back through the roof hatch to do as I say.

I look out at the street, and am met with a lot of locked doors, and pulled drapes.

"You'd think one of the fuckers would've at least thrown stuff at 'em. How many times have I comp'd their drinks?" I say to myself.

"Hulda!" Irileth grabs my shoulder, and shakes me. "I need your help. Whiterun cannot remain under Farengar's thumb. He'll tear the entire city apart! The man's gone crazy!"

I let out a long sigh.

I opened a bar because I didn't want to deal with shit like this anymore. Sure you get drunken brawls every other night, but that just keeps the more serious problems away.

Saadia emerges outside through the front door, and holds out a pitch black bottle to me.

Oh thank the divines! She brought the good stuff.

I pull the cork off, and take a long drink of the liquid fire.

I breathe out contentedly, then turn back to Irileth. "What do you need me to do Ears?"

(Interlude: Gynri)

I struggle against the ropes binding my hands and legs together as the robed men drag me towards the altar.

I try to scream, but the gag does a very effective job of cutting off my voice.

The men throw me to the ground next to over a dozen similarly tied women, then step back.

I keep struggling. Trying anything to get free.

I don't know what these assholes are doing with us, but it can't be anything good.

I'm still fighting against my bindings when a man in a white robe steps forward. He holds a book in one hand, and a staff in the other.

"Lord of Domination!" The man says in a deep voice. "Accept these, our offerings to you. Let their bodies and souls sate your desire."

"Let them sate your desire." The other robed men all echo.

This is bad.

I redouble my efforts, and feel the ropes on my wrists give slightly.

"Open the way to your divine realm so that you might accept our meager offering." The man in white continues.

"Open the way." The rest echo.

The ropes binding my hands come loose, and I start pulling at the ones around my legs.

Either no one notices that I have freed myself, or no one cares, because the white robed man continues speaking.

"Open the way great Lord, so that we may lavish you in our worship."

"Open the way." The rest echo.

I pull the ropes off my legs, and pull the gag from my mouth. I reach up to the altar and grab the iron candlestick off of it.

I run straight towards the man in white, but I collapse as something wraps around my legs.

I look down, and see a black tendril wrapped tightly around my leg. I frantically look around, and see the other tied women in a similar position. They are all now writhing uncontrollably as the black tendrils wrap themselves around the women's body's.

I scream, but I'm cut off when more of the black ichor covers my mouth and nose. Blocking my airway.

"Lord of Domination!" The man in white screams "Open the way to your realm! Let us...ack"

I look towards the man just in time to see his head fall away from his body. The black robed men around me start screaming.

I try to look around some more, but the ichor restricts my movement.

"Get that putrid filth off of them!" An authoritative female voice calls.

I feel the black goo pull back, and struggle my way out of it.

I take in several deep breaths, and look around.

Every one of the robed figures lies dead on the ground. Lightly armored men and women in hoods stand over the corpses, and begin to untie the other women.

I turn back to the altar, and see a large circular hole in reality.

I stare transfixed at it, but a new terror fills me when a powerful voice comes through the hole.

The first of my unwilling brides returns to save others from their fate.

Have you nothing better to do with the gift I bestowed upon you?

A woman walks forward until she is mere feet from the portal. "You gave me no gift demon. I will not rest until you lie dead at my feet King of Rape."

The voice chuckles.

You are unable to kill me Lamae, but it will be most enjoyable to watch you try.

Until next we meet.

The portal rapidly closes, and the woman turns around.

It's now that I'm able to get my first real look at her.

She has silver hair that frames her face. Pale skin and lips, and dark red eyes. She wears nothing but a simple white dress with a red sash.

Her eyes find mine, and she tilts her head curiously. "You fought your way free?" She asks perplexed.

Unable to speak due to the magnitude of the situation, I simply nod.

The woman smiles, and kneels down to look at me. "You are a fighter. I need those who are willing to fight. Will you join me?" She holds her hand out to me.

I don't know why, but I know what the right choice is.

I take the woman's hand.

A.N. Hey again.

I know what I just did spits in the face of a lot of TES lore, but oh well.

Thanks to everyone who's leaving me feedback. It's appreciated, and really helps me out.

Thanks to said criticism, I've realized that while I know how strong respective parties are, I've done a pretty shit job of communicating that to you guys. I'll work on that in upcoming chapters.

I've gotten a lot of complaints about how Felix Felicis is practically worthless. The reason for this is I roll actual dice for my gacha system. Felix Felicis increases the likelihood of something good coming out. The x2 version makes it a 50/50 shot, so I have to roll a 51 or better on a d100. My luck is crap though. I've been rolling a lot of 10's and 20's. Might not be the answer you wanted, but that's what's happening.

Thanks for pointing out the clavicus vile/Dagon mishap. I felt really stupid when I realized I mixed those two up.

Dusk hasn't levelled from the Keepers because he gets his EXP after the 'dungeon' is done. Once the Soul Cairn quest finishes, he'll get his EXP.

Not sure when I'll be able to update again because I've got a lot on my plate irl right now. One problem gets resolved, only for three more to take its place. I'll do my best, but no promises.

Thanks for reading, stay safe, and have a good one!