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Arc 7 Chapter LXXIX: To Deny A God
🕑 Added 2024-08-17 01:38:54 +0000 UTCA/n: Previous two chapters have been slightly edited (mostly for better flow but if I had to name the most impactful change is Reyvin and Minthara spending an hour going around the Kynesgrove camp and fucking with the mineshaft entrances)
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(Reyvin's POV)
While the crowd gasped and exclaimed at the sudden arrival my mind went into overdrive as I began observing every single bit of the upcoming battlefield. The entire camp was growing restless and some of the idiots outside the inner walls were throwing themselves on the ground and crying out in terror.
...And one of them just got beaten to death for babbling something decidedly unwise in his panic.
Inane distractions aside, I am really lucky my brain can compute all of that in the fraction of a second, I also noted the two other Dragon Priests flanking the central clearing while focusing their intent stares at the cultists gathering around us.
Even Ottar, whose madness was of such renown that it surpassed his title in Dovahzul, was radiating an aura of immense focus, not something that the crowd would ever notice what with the otherworldly weight pressing down onto all of us being so overwhelmingly powerful one could only ignore it by quite literally being built different.
Something was not quite adding up here... Why gather all of the most powerful cultist in one spot and then surround them with the pri-
Never mind it just clicked.
I shook my head at the cartoonish evil on the proverbial stage and began to tense my reserves ever so slightly, the connection with the runes I planted simmering into focus just one mental click away from activation.
"Alduin Thuri!" Raghot cried out with pure exaltation in his voice and threw himself onto the ground. It took most of the cultists a moment to follow after him but they did.
Minthara almost growled at the idea of either of us following through but seeing as the big bad and black was currently focused on the mound I decided that a simple illusion in our spot would suffice. There were certain boundaries that I would never cross, and bowing to this little shit was among them.
The World Eater landed and the entire hill shook with his weight, a silent moment passed before his powerful voice smashed through it like a hammer "Stand Sonaak."
I'd have been intimidated as well, had I not been internally giggling at his missing horn.
All three priests stood "What is thy bidding, Thuri?"
Alduin gazed across the gathered crowd and spoke, his voice laced with utter disdain "My faithful servants-"
I tuned him out and listened to a now darkly chuckling Minthara "Dumb bastard doesn't even know we are here."
"What a great achievement, oh Dragonborn of legend." I drawl, giving her a pointed look.
She huffs with a smile, still making sure to keep as quiet as possible "An Empress is nothing without capable minions to steal achievements from" She nods smugly.
I flick her forehead lightly, and before she can react I lean in to whisper "I left a neat little surprise in that mound."
"What?" Her head twitches in my direction "When?"
"Years ago." I suppress a giggle "I though it would be funny and it will."
"What did you do?" She asks with a hint of worry.
"Nothing terrible I assure you." I wave her off, she was not assured "However, my little gift leaves us with an opportunity."
She stares at me tiredly before wisely accepting her fate "And what great cunning plan did you come up with this time?"
"It is a rather simple one actually" I grin cruelly "You see-"
A good minute later we were in a general agreement so I tuned back to the sermon. All of the cultists were still pressing their heads to the ground like their lives depended on it, it probably did, and Alduin had just finished proclaiming his endless glory to the masses as if their opinion mattered.
Not that he would waste time with it if he wasn't about to extract the price for their audacity of making him leave his hidey hole, a fact proven almost as soon as it entered my mind "You claim to be faithful to me, that you desire to serve me with your very souls." He growls hungrily "Prove yourselves then, let a dozen of the most devout step forward!"
For a short moment no one moved, an insulting duration naturally, insulting enough for Raghot to slam his staff into the ground and incinerate the cultist kneeling right in front of him "Are you cowards or heathens!? Step forward!"
Slowly, one by one, a group begins to form as men and women old and young begin to step in front of Alduin, all of them shaking in fear as the dreadful creature's aura becomes greater with each step.
Finally a dozen form up in front of him and he smiles a disturbingly hungry smile "Goood" He growls, sounding just a slight little bit less hostile than before "You will serve me well indeed." He chuckles darkly and shouts "SLEN TIID VO!"
The crimson shout-wave slams into the small group and continues into the mound, the mortals all drying up like all the water was taken from their bodies and turning to fine ash before disappearing in the wind, the energy stolen from them following the shout into its final destination and causing the pile of dirt to shudder.
And do nothing more.
An awkward silence descends upon the field as fuckmothering Alduin just stands there, completely confused and staring at the mound like it was some kind of divine mystery.
Another shudder quickly draws him from his fugue though as he begins frantically digging the dirt out, though I doubt the sudden flurry of movement was out of any real worry.
Soon enough a good chunk of the mound lay uncovered, revealing an oddly twisted light grey scaled dragon, its flesh bulging at numerous spots, most of which were also bleeding rather profusely.
Oh and he was also screaming in pain and terror as he squirmed due to the stone embedded into his very bones.
Tehe~
Before Alduin can understand just what the fuck was going on I decided it was time and hissed "Now!"
Minthara did not need to be told twice and both of us immediately stood up and burst into motion, myself aiming for Alduin and her aiming for poor little Sahloknir as we both took our deepest breath and shouted ""JOOR ZAH FRUL!""
Just in time for a distant war horn to answer our call.
(Raghot's POV)
'What madness is this?!' My aged mind is awhirl as I behold my lord's grand plan become threatened by what looks like a pair of children. My weathered arms twitch and my magic surges as I aim to destroy them for their blasphemy.
Just as my aim finds the false Dovah, a living insult to my lord, a premonition of danger assails me and I flinch back, barely evading a volley of firebolts. My retreat ends not there as golden projections of those pretentious Akaviri begin assailing me from all sides, the shadowy forms of elves following them not stopping once in their endless bombardment.
As I fend off the abominable conjuration I behold the army coming from beyond, accompanied by their grand war machines made to slay a Dov. Before wrathful indignance consumes me I retain enough presence of mind to order "Hevnoraak! An army marches upon us! Lead the defense!"
My brother, who had been gathering blood for his magicks halts his work and offers a singular nod, before levitating himself away and heading west to lead the new cult of the righteous.
Many a projection and shade is blasted back by my prowess but as I keep fighting I begin to falter, my balance suddenly feeling off. Curious as to why I suddenly felt the sudden lightness I blast the force before me with a force of my own tongue and look down only to gape behind my mask at the sight.
A veritable sea of shadowy spiders, their tiny eyes aglow with Daedric might, all of them fully focused on devouring me. They were long since past my legs and yet even now I failed to detect their presence, nor did my body inform me of the damage I sustained.
As they inevitably reached my heart and throat I could only lament the fact that my rotten heart would not even permit me fear in my final moments.
(Ottar The Mad's POV)
I giggle as my scratchy little cords of voice permit, the cacophonous noise pleasing to my desiccated ears, my blade feeling light in my hand as it hungered for the sweet flesh of my masters' enemies.
Oh how she shall sing once I punish her for daring to strike at a Dov, no matter how indisposed, Kavozehn's Fang will sing today, and it shall do so beautifully!
My exaltation is halted, a light tremor in the ground and a shimmer in the air whispering into my delicate self the sudden dangers of a FILTHY FUCKING HERETIC charging at me.
Gently, elegantly, I shift my well mastered footing to deflect the DAMNABLE BACKSTABBER's most wise strategic assault.
Only, to my pique I find that my arm is now missing, and that a rather large fellow made of what looks to be Shor's own blood is staring down at me with some rather neat purple peepers.
Oh boy, that is a rather large fist, isn't it?
(Hevnoraak's POV)
'Foolish Raghot, so very devout in his service' I scoff and had I phlegm I'd have spat for good measure. Go ahead then fool! Die on a battlefield we have no place standing upon, I will survive as I always have and earn the lord's favor later.
Now then, to scramble the pitiable idiots believing salvation awaits them. I consider briefly before moving to the mines, the Draugr and warriors within shall be more useful than ten times the rabble.
Though as I walk I suddenly feel the noise of the battle become distant, the silence stretching around me making me tense and grab my staff, the blood I gathered from my foes forming into a shield just in time to deflect a wicked Akaviri blade.
The woman, a Breton going by the slight shimmer of magic upon her skin, frowns at my defense but she does not speak, a gaze of hate and determination burning in her eyes as she begins a flurry of rapid blows, forcing me back with each step she took.
Suddenly, as if the obviously pre-planned ambush was not enough, I feel a massive shudder shake the entire campsite and to my muted horror I see the entrance to each and every mineshaft explode with crimson lightning.
My sudden stumble leaves me open to attack but thankfully my blood magic saves me once again. How lucky for me that only one fool decided to ambu-
The last thing I hear is a boom of noise behind me and then static envelops my head.
(General POV)
The World Eater barely had the time to twitch to the side before the sudden ambush slammed into him, once more cursing him with the withering weakness of mortality. He growled in fury, his eyes blazing a murderous red as he recognized the sole creature who had ever humiliated him and lived to tell the tale.
He was no fool however as he prepared himself for further trickery and immediately moved his head out of the way of a disintegration beam going for his eye "Mortal. I see you are not quite as cowardly as I remembered." He taunted and at the same time tried blasting the filth with a wordless unrelenting force.
He growled in budding frustration as the elf merely stepped into a nearby shadow, completely avoiding the attack and not caring one bit for the fifty or so cultists who were now left acting as a nice long red carpet.
"And you are just as cowardly as I did." The elf mocks, raising a mound of earth and transforming it into sharp points of steel aiming for his underbelly.
Already wise to the creature's wily tactics Alduin decided to for once not play with his food and immediately shouted "VOKRII MULAAG QAH!" Forcing more of his divinity into the mortal plane and lashing at the suddenly very slow elf with his claws and teeth.
But to his greatest frustration the elf went fully onto the defensive, leading him into crushing his stumbling cultists and slamming into their defenses, not once striking back nor even considering it as his entire reserve of Magicka was fully dedicated to evasion and teleportation.
The frustration soon turned to anger and anger turned to fury as he began throwing more and more power into his attacks, not deigning to care for one moment as he felt the ground shuddering in an attack not of his own making.
Soon he turned to shouts, devastating the area around him without a singular care but the elf evaded him once more, even sprouting wings in a mockery of a Dovah's might as he avoided a particularly well placed thunderstorm.
"You can flee all you want elf, but no matter what you d-" His attempt at provocation was interrupted as a gargantuan bolt of crimson lightning slammed into his snout, making him recoil in genuine pain and surprise and making his entire vision go red with unending frothing rage.
His entire being was focused on punishing the filth before him and washing his shame away in blood.
So focused on his target was he that it was far too late to remember that the elf was not the most dangerous enemy he planned on facing. In fact his newborn sibling had selected this as the perfect moment to bring down her new hammer upon his freshly revived brother and champion,
His head twisted and his eyes widened as he beheld a truly loyal soul be devoured like so much mortal flesh in a near instant "Sahloknir, NO!"
His distraction lasted for but the blink of an eye, but a blink was all Reyvin needed as he shadowstepped forward and Alduin felt a stinging sensation in his neck as a dagger slid in between his scales.
And then in an explosion of power, both Divine and Daedric, Alduin's world became pain.
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SLEN TIID VO = Flesh Time Oppose
SAH LOK NIR = Phantom Sky Hunt
