SamuraiCheem
patreon
I, Draugr Chapter 30
🕑 Added 2024-12-06 23:52:52 +0000 UTCSwordmanship is all about dancing. That is what her dearest mother always told her.
Be nimble on your feet, dance around your opponent, always move and never come to a halt, lest you grant your opponent an advantage.
Though, despite all that, Aurelia found herself unable to follow in her mother's footsteps, and instead followed her father's.
She picked up the greatsword, like he did, and started swinging it. Over and over, until her arms tired out.
She built muscle. She kept swinging.
She felt like something was missing. She kept swinging.
She trained and trained, wishing to be as strong as her parents. To join them in their adventures. To be like those characters in the bedtime stories her mother and father would read to her every night.
She wanted to be liked her parents… Yet, she couldn't.
Her mother was good at Magic. Aurelia wasn't.
Her father was good with a greatsword. Aurelia just relied on brute strength.
Her mother was good with dual blades. Aurelia felt like it did not match her.
No matter what she tried her hand at, she always came up short. Something would feel off, or her training would bear no fruit even after months of hard work, or she just didn't have enough Magicka.
She trained, and she trained and trained. And she kept training.
Her one desire, her one focus, was to simply be able to stand alongside her strong parents, and be a worthy daughter that could follow in their footsteps.
All she wanted was to fight alongside them, and protect them.
Yet, what she got was hiding away in the mud, tears streaming down her eyes, and filling her mouth with dirt to not let out broken sobs as she watched a Necromancer gut her parents and torch the village.
A ritual, he had said. A test for a new puppet he had made, that is all that was.
Dozens dead, just for a test. Out of pure curiosity.
Aurelia vowed revenge. Aurelia wanted to scream and curse and hate the Necromancer.
But said revenge was stolen from her when a Paladin of Arkay ended the filth right then and there.
Everyone was gone. She had lost everything. She had even lost her one chance at revenge. At perhaps making something of her life.
With that gone, she clung to that hatred, and she let herself be taken in by the Paladin.
She joined the order. Trained harder than everyone else. Still ended bottom of her class for her poor capabilities, but she passed.
Blessed with the Light of Arkay, and given an outlet for her hate and anger, Aurelia set off for countless years, hunting down Necromancers and Undead.
That was her life. If she wasn't hunting down a Necromancer or Undead, then she was hunting down information about them.
If she wasn't doing that, then she was taking a break to further train her body, having found herself lacking in the most recent battle.
Over and over she kept going with this same cycle. Never once did it change. Never once did she want it to.
Never once did she see herself living a normal life ever again.
And then a gut feeling sent her to Skyrim. A faint whisper shared between two elders in Riverwood sent her to Bleak Falls Barrow.
And a stupid voice singing without a care in the world in the middle of a crypt filled with Undead led her to Leonidas, and Aurelia's world was never the same again.
For some reason, she held her hand against the strange Undead before her, and that one action held immense consequences.
She found herself laughing a lot and very often, something that rarely happened. She found herself slowing down her life, actually taking her time in doing things, and…
And she wasn't thinking of finding the closest Undead or Necromancer to kill.
For the longest time, those thoughts never entered her head.
For her whole attention was captured by Leonidas. A man with a unique mindset, and that loved being open and direct with everyone, even if he appeared silly or stupid.
If her eyes couldn't rest on his form, then her mind wouldn't stop bringing him up.
Somehow, the very thing that ruined her life… Taught Aurelia how to live again.
He beat down her walls, dispelled her fears, brightened up her life, and made her stomach ache with constant laughter, or made her temples ache from the constant chaos he would unleash within seconds.
For the first time in her life, Aurelia experienced love. The love a woman would feel towards another man.
And she, funnily enough, fell for an Undead.
The very thing she swore to hate and hunt down until she died, somehow started making her heart beat quicken and her cheeks burn.
But also made her smile. Constantly.
Just one thought, and she is all smiles.
A content sigh leaves her lips, and Dawnbreaker roars within her grasp.
The ground collapses beneath her feet, and the wind screams by her ears as her form blurs across the ruined valley. Yet another battlefield that needed her presence.
A battlefield that needed both the Dragonborn and the Paladin of Arkay.
Dawnbreaker's brilliant blade slices through the air mercilessly, the overheated blade warping the air around it slicing through scales, flesh and bones effortlessly, sending a Dragon's head flying with laughable ease.
Its Dragon Soul is soon devoured, but Aurelia easily ignores that feeling as she rushes to the next Dragon.
Four in total, three remaining. A brilliant sky-blue aura was attached to their forms, digging into their flesh and tearing at their very Souls like a terrifying parasite.
It was a most terrifying Shout. One borne from the hate countless Mer and Men Races experienced as Dragons enslaved them, and used them for entertainment and mere snacks.
And this unyielding Hate was aimed straight at the Dragons immortal Souls, making them experience what mortality is like.
What being weak felt like.
Their wings failed them, and they plummeted from the skies with roars of disbelief. Of pain.
Of Fear.
Her new target that crashed into the earth powered through the pain despite its broken and snapped wings bent at unnatural angles.
The proud scaled beast roared in defiance, jaws spread wide open for a Breath attack… Yet nothing came out, making the Dragon snap back in shock, confusion and more fear.
A blade sliced through its skull, and its Soul was consumed soon after.
The third Dragon was too consumed by the pain tearing its Soul apart to see the blade coming.
The fourth had tried to draw closer to the Dragon Priest slowly descending from the air, but it was too blinded by the pain to see the blade coming until it disemboweled it.
And with that, there were no more Dragons standing between the Paladin and the Dragon Priest.
Aurelia's sharp gaze lingered upon the armored form of the floating Dragon Priest, his form slowly descending down from the sky, greatsword in hand and held in a tight, seemingly shaking grip.
Her free hand moves to join the other in gripping Dawnbreaker's handle, but yet again, Aurelia feels like its wrong, so she keeps wielding it with one hand.
Greatswords weren't heavy for her anymore. Her strength had become utterly absurd after devouring so many Dragon Souls, so now the usual comforting weight of a greatsword is gone. They now were as light as a feather in her hands.
As if all the training she did to build muscles across the years was all for nothing.
Yet, Aurelia did not feel bad about it. This was due to her Dragon Soul. Her power. It was a part of her, so she shouldn't be angry about it.
Her posture relaxes, and her head turns to regard the distant pit still releasing a vile air of Necromancy, together with the constant army of Undead.
Luckily, the environmental hazard she had left behind proved to be too much for Undead lacking intelligence, so-
Her instincts suddenly flared, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end as she whirls around, Dawnbreaker cutting through the air without second thought.
Two greatswords clash against one another with immense force backing both blades, which was released as an enormous shock-wave that flattened the earth and made Aurelia's ears ring from the near deafening metallic ring.
Her whole arm came back numb from the clash, both her and the Dragon Priest having been forced back from the exchange, with the tall and imposing masked Undead now standing on the ground.
Aurelia hums and rolls her arm, flexing her numb hand a few times to get the feelings from it back before turning towards Rahgot and tilting her head, "...You're kinda weak."
That slash she used to parry his blow… She didn't put her back into it.
While Rahgot used both arms to deliver that blow.
Aurelia felt… disappointed.
Yet at the same time, she was surprised. Was she really this strong? Could she have handled Krosis if she wasn't scared?
Her words made Rahgot freeze, his massive form coming to a sudden halt, as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard.
Then his hands shook, and finally started shaking. His arms soon followed, then his shoulders.
Aurelia tilts her head further at the sight, "You having a stroke over there?" She questions, feeling the corrupted side of her – Leonidas's fault – come to the surface for some reason.
And the first and last time it did was against Krosis, when she joined Leonidas in utterly humiliating a Dragon Priest.
Aurelia snaps back into focus when Rahgot releases a noise that no animal or Human – or any of the existing known Races – would ever be able to replicate.
Still, it was some kind of scream, mixed with a bellow of pure anger, followed by an overhead slash that came for her skull and life.
Aurelia just sidesteps it with a low hum, Dawnbreaker slicing through the air and nearly taking Rahgot's head off as soon as his blade smashes into the ground, sending a surge of broken earth and dust high in the air.
The swipe is dodged with a simple tilt of the head, and Aurelia clicks her tongue, mentally admonishing herself. She should have gone for a shoulder or arm, not directly for the head.
Still, being in such close proximity to her was not advantageous for Rahgot. Dawnbreaker's radiance set his form on fire, the brilliant platinum-gold flames of Sunfire eating away at his robes and armor tainted with Necromancy.
Twisting the blade, the Dragon Priest wrenched it out of the ground while stomping to the right, dragging his weapon and ruthlessly hacking it through the air, aimed straight at Aurelia's hips, hoping to slice her in half.
Aurelia twists the Daedric Artifact, but knew she wouldn't be able to move sword wielding arm fast enough to meet the wild slash.
So she slammed her kneecap against the flat side of Rahgot's greatsword while leaning her upper body back, and she soon watched the blade go wide and miss her by a massive margin.
So much so that Rahgot stumbled from having the attack go wide in such a manner, the view making Aurelia release a light snort as she straightens herself.
Damnable Leo. She was starting to become unable to take things seriously now!
Another wordless howl of anger flowed out of Rahgot as the imposing Undead flipped around, swinging the blade in his hands down like a sledge-hammer.
Aurelia likened his actions to a tantrum from a child, making her wonder if this man had everything handed to him. Had everything go his way.
And when it didn't, he'd just go insane with anger, hence his name.
She sniffs, uncaring to find out the truth of her assessment as she lowers her stance and grabs Dawnbreaker with both hands before slashing it upward to meet the incoming downward slash.
The impact was near deafening, her form stumbling and nearly loosing footing as their clash ruptured the earth, making it burst upward like a wild geyser.
Aurelia clicks her tongue and narrows her eyes, the intense power behind the clash having sent Dawnbreaker flying out of her grasp.
She still wasn't used to her strength…
A wordless howl snaps her back into focus, with Rahgot's masked form bursting out of the thick cloud of dust and debris, blade still in his grip and once more coming for her head.
She side-steps the slash, then her fist smashes straight into Rahgot's masked face, sending his whole skull reeling backward together with his upper body from the force of the blow.
His right hand comes loose from the greatsword, freeing one arm, which she ruthlessly grabs and yanks with ease, lifting the towering Undead over her shoulder before slamming him into the earth.
A rumble echoes across the valley as she craters a pit into the earth with the Undead's body as a tool, her armored boot lashing out to swiftly kick away the now discarded greatsword, her gaze taking that chance to flick around to seek her own.
She saw it, dozens of meters away, stabbed into one of the earthen spires she conjured with her initial Shout.
She clicked her tongue again, then soon leap away from the rumbling debris filled pit she smashed Rahgot into just in time for her to dodge the upheaval of the very earth.
Another tower of dust and debris rose high into the sky as Rahgot came crawling out of it like a beast crawling out from the pits of Hell, his gaze never leaving Aurelia, not even bothering to seek his sword.
Slowly, the Dragon Priest stands, covered in dust and from still falling pebbles, hands clenching into tight and trembling fists.
The Undead rolls his neck, then his shoulders. A glowing pitch-black aura soon engulfs his form, and Aurelia curses beneath her breath as she feels her body be covered in goosebumps.
Ebony Flesh.
'I need a weapon.' She thinks, knowing that she wasn't that good in hand-to-hand combat, yet she still clenched her fists and raised her arms.
The Shehai. It was all about creating a weapon. One able to cut through anything.
A power that comes from the Soul.
But how the hell does she call it forth?
With gritted teeth, Aurelia stomps forward and swings her right arm – Her eyes widen slightly when Rahgot easily grabs and halts her fist, the impact of her punch against his palm releasing a muffled shock-wave.
With a click of the tongue, she stomps closer and swing her other arm while leaning her head back.
Rahgot audibly sneers, free arm rising up and grabbing her wrist before her punch could connect with his skull- And then said skull reeled back when she head-butted him. Hard.
His form stumbles back, releasing her wrist and fist, and her foot soon crashes into his chest with enough force to kill a normal man- Yet all it did was lift Rahgot off the ground and send him back a few paces.
He lands on his feet and dusts himself off, the protection offered by Ebony Flesh being far too great for her current physical strength to overwhelm.
She'll lose in a hand-to-hand fight… So she thinks on what Leo would do in such a situation.
The answer is instant.
Play dirty.
She kicked at the ground, sending a wave of dust forward, then flicked a bright ball of light straight through it and towards Rahgot, then she rushes forward as the cloud of dust lights up from the blinding flash that erupted from the other side.
She comes through to Rahgot's form stumbling back, as Undead being always make the mistake that they cannot be blinded.
They can, if Holy Light does the blinding.
"TIID-!" Time slows to a crawl, and her fist slams into the side of Rahgot's head, snapping it to the side.
It felt like she tried to punch a mountain, but Aurelia powered through.
Chest, stomach, liver, cheek, throat- She rained down at least three dozen blows in quick succession before time started flowing normally, and released a surge of shock-waves layered upon each other in a split-second soon after.
Aurelia shakes her arm as Rahgot is sent flying, armor torn apart and fully destroyed, the protective and empowering light of Ebony Flesh faltering and growing visibly weak.
But Aurelia curses under her breath when she notices Rahgot was sent flying straight in the direction of his discarded weapon.
His form flips through the air, feet, knees and clawed hands digging into the dirt to halt his momentum before he swiftly rises, "FUS-!"
Her eyes widen as the earth cracks, and she feels the world squeeze down around her.
"RO-!" The squeezing became near-suffocating, the air cracking and popping as it tried to tear her apart.
"DAH!" The Reality howled as it was commanded to PUSH, pulverizing anything in its wake.
"FEIM." Aurelia whispers beneath her breath, and smirks when the immense Unrelenting Force shout flattening the valley just flies straight through her ethereal form as she moves forward.
Erasing the distance in a single leap, her form turns material once more just a split-second before her fist, cloaked in surging Holy Light, smashes straight into Rahgot's skull with every ounce of strength she could muster.
His form his lifted off the ground and smashed into the earth, Ebony Flesh shattering from the impact.
It was one of the reasons why Aurelia never invested in Flesh Alteration Spells. A few blows, and they'd break, wasting useful Magicka.
Even Ebony Flesh, possibly the most powerful variant, still had such a glaring weakness.
Her boot, also cloaked in blinding Holy Light, slams into the downed Rahgot's stomach, kicking him through the torn earth, using his body to carve a trench as a pained grunt left his form.
Not afraid now that they were once more evened out, Aurelia stalked closer as Rahgot leaped to his feet, keeping him focused on her and not on his nearby discarded weapon.
Her senses extended, and she found Dawnbreaker. Behind her, but far to the right.
Aurelia fixes her position as Rahgot pounces forward. She ducks beneath the wide haymaker and punches him in the stomach hard enough to shake the ground, the Holy Light cloaking her body making the Undead experience and falter from pain.
But he recovers swiftly, and she grunts as his elbow digs into her spine, slamming her into the ground.
She doesn't try to stand and instead rolls to the side, avoiding the stomp aimed for her throat. Her fingers dig through cracked earth, and she whirls herself around, legs stretched out and lashing out.
Rahgot jumps to avoid having his feet kicked out from beneath him, giving her time to jump back to her feet, but the dark glow of Ebony Flesh cloaks his body once more.
Not as intense as before, but it still frustrated her to no end.
And from the way Rahgot was leaning, Aurelia could tell that he had taken notice of his weapon and was planning on grabbing it soon.
'I need a weapon.' Aurelia reminds herself, hating how light her arms felt.
Her fist weren't enough. She didn't like using them. She preferred a blade. One that could cut.
She snaps back into focus when Rahgot stomps forward, wide haymaker aimed at her head coming from the left.
Her arm comes up, blocking the blow, but she chokes out a gasp when Rahgot's knees her in the stomach.
It hurt, but not insanely so. She had grown a lot tougher, and the armor Hircine rewarded her with also blocked a great deal of the blow.
Still, she wasn't one to give up on an opening such as this.
Her free hand comes down and grabs the raised armored ankle, and a snap echoes as she shatters decayed bone and rusted armor with her strong grip.
She whirls around with a grunt, dragging the Dragon Priest with her, and wielding him like a flail as she smashed his body into the earth.
Then she spun around again, dragging his form along, and once more smashed him into the debris of the ruined valley that is their battlefield.
Again and again she slammed his body into the ground, pouring Holy Light through her limbs and into his body to make him experience pain, and to tear at the durability of Ebony Flesh.
With a final slam, his leg comes loose, which she swiftly turns to dust with her overflowing Holy Light.
Alas, she slammed the bastard right next to his blade, which bounced in the air from the constant crater-making impacts, giving Rahgot the chance to swiftly snatch it out of the air and turn his head in her direction.
Her boot smashes into his stomach just as calls forth another Shout- "FUS-!" And both of their forms were instantly sent hurtling into the distance, but in opposite directions.
Aurelia smirked right after a quick grunt as she was smashed into a certain earthen spire, the one with Dawnbreaker lodged into.
The force behind the Shout wasn't that great, so she easily pulled herself free and swiftly wrenched her Daedric Artifact out of the hard dark stone it was sent flying into, then giving it a twirl.
Aurelia breathes in and stares down at the once more glowing blade, radiating greater heat and Holy Light than before now that it was back in her hands.
Her fingers clench around the handle, her eyes sharpening as once more she feels that feeling that it's wrong. That she wasn't fighting the way she should.
It vexed her. This feeling just kept nagging her, and she just couldn't quite place the why…
No, it was something simple. Something silly, even.
Her other hand… It felt empty. Just hanging there, being useless.
She could grasp Dawnbreaker with both hands, but Aurelia felt like it would be useless, and she felt like it wouldn't match her current level of strength. It would be too overwhelming, it would easily throw her off balance. A missed swing would spell disaster, an opening she couldn't afford.
It had happened to Rahgot too, right before her very eyes.
Aurelia breathes out, and her traitorous mind conjures the voice of her mother, past teachings of her ringing in her head.
"Wielding a greatsword is like being a bear. Constantly on the offensive, pure raw power behind each swing. You are the beast, powerful and ferocious… But also a big target. Each swing needs seconds to recover. Precious seconds that can spell life or death."
Staring down at Dawnbreaker, Aurelia gives it another twirl… Before passing it to her left hand, and holding it in a reverse grip.
"Dual Wielding instead gives you a weapon for attack, and one for defense and counter-attack. Both are light, giving you more freedom, allowing you to more."
Breathing in, Aurelia looks up as a wordless howl rings across the ruined battlefield, shaking the very air.
She feels an immense wave of heat slam against her, a pillar of roaring flames surging skyward, unleashing an immense conflagration that spread like waves crashing upon a beach.
The white-orange flames surged, popping and crackling like powerful explosives, and from within that storm of flames she could see Rahgot.
His mask was glowing a radiant white color, flames overflowing out of it and into his body, changing and morphing it.
His back was hunched over, his form bigger and more imposing from before, his limbs cloaked in hardened molten magma that dripped on the ground below, a powerful flaming dragon-like tail stretching out from his back.
His limbs had grown wider. Thicker. His hands became flaming claws, the nails a radiant white color that showed the heat overflowing out of them.
His blade glistened with the same heat, a coating of hardened flames wrapped around the edges, to perhaps overpower her own blade and ruin it.
Rahgot's appearance seemed… demonic. Aurelia could easily tell that the power of his Mask was some form of physical enhancement mixed with some kind of Flame Magic.
She could see the magma overflowing from the mask, hardening around Rahgot's form like a suit of armor, even giving the Dragon Priest another leg to replace the one she tore off and destroyed.
Her reverse grip over Dawnbreaker hardened as Aurelia changed her stance.
Her father taught her how to fight, how to find weak-spots and create openings, and how to cover her own and or use them to her advantage, taking a blow to deliver a more devastating one.
Her mother instead taught her how to move, and how to properly wield weapons.
"Right foot in front of the left one." Aurelia closes her eyes, the memory of her young self standing before her old home and being taught by her wonderful parents surfacing in her mind.
She could see their smiles, and this time she did not ward the memory away. She welcomed it, finding a form of… acceptance.
The hate for Undead and Necromancers was still there… But it didn't blind her anymore. It didn't lead or manipulate her life anymore.
Funny, how the one being that ruined her life, also managed to somehow fix it and change her.
She wondered if her parents would be proud of what she accomplished in life.
But she also had a lot more to achieve.
Her stance shifts, her right foot moving to stand before her left one. "Slightly bend your left knee, leave only the front of your left foot touching the ground, and lean on it. Like so, you can launch yourself in any direction."
She follows suit, and twists her body to replicate her mother's stance when she wielded her two blades.
Dual-wielding greatswords… She wondered if anyone ever did such a crazy did in the past…
Her right shoulder moved forward, hiding Dawnbreaker, held in a backward grip with the blade resting behind her arm, from view as its brilliance needed.
Her eyes remained close, but she could feel and hear Rahgot pounce forward. A disaster rushing through the earth in her direction, a roaring conflagration following in tow.
Right hand still empty, Aurelia's thoughts land back to the Shehai.
The power of the Soul, shaped into a peerless sword of her making.
The power of the Soul.
And her Soul is that of a Dragon.
Her empty fingers curl as she breathes out, all sound vanishing as she views herself holding the handle of a blade.
"Yol-Toor-Shul." She calls forth Reality, and Wills it to bend and shape the power of the very Sun to her whims.
Of course, something as overpowering and as domineering as the Thu'um is not meant to become controlled. To be tamed and cowed.
Dragons trained it by granting it greater power. By becoming more attuned to it, letting it radiate out of their scales, changing their mortal forms to better attune themselves to that wild, unrestrained power.
Yet Aurelia felt it. She felt it rampage against her, but something joined in. Something gentle, warm, like a mother's kind embrace.
It formed blueprints of what she desired. What she needed. It laid down the foundation, and used the surging power she called forth from her very Soul to make it take form. Giving it an outlet.
A weight settles in her empty hand, and Aurelia swings it without opening her eyes, meeting the falling blade with a casual slash of her new weapon.
A Sun bloomed into existence, and Rahgot felt like a meteorite smashed into his form.
The land melted, a dazzling heated brilliance that hurt the eyes blooming forth like the Sun rising over the horizon, dispelling the darkness once and for all.
But this light was greater. Intense, wild, rampaging. The roar of a Dragon could be heard coming from it, shaking the very Heavens.
Aurelia felt like she wielded a part of Paarthurnax in her hands. A part of Yolosqah. Their very Will, the understanding and wisdom they left in her.
She felt Yolosqah's pride. His desire to become more. Greater. Become one with the Thu'um.
She also felt his respect in her. His joy in being defeated in battle. In having been her greatest opponent yet. One she overcame.
Then she felt Paarthurnax's overflowing wisdom. His patience. The immense power he tamed while mastering his nature and changing his ways.
The brilliance faded. The ground stopped melting, and her boots carried her out of the pool of molten slag surrounding her.
Rahgot had become a meteor, his form sent smashing through hills and earthen spires both, bouncing on the earth like a pebble skipping on water.
All from a casual swing of her new blade.
Aurelia looked down, eyes wide, her head throbbing in a violent and horrid headache.
In her hands lay a long greatsword, seemingly made out of glowing white-orange glass.
Paarthurnax told her that constructs made from the Shehai were transparent, and held no weight.
Yet Aurelia felt like she was holding a mountain. The weight pleased her, and the heat radiating from it and flowing through her arm comforted her.
A handle seemingly made out of scales rested in her grip, with a guard being a Dragon skull, jaws parted open to let the long blade flow out.
The heat radiating from it was immense, yet restrained within, ready to flow out with a simple swing of it.
Aurelia could tell that the power of the blade was finite. Each swing would consume more and more, but the power she'll be able to unleash makes it more than worth it.
This wasn't the Shehai. Not yet, at least. Aurelia could tell that she used that power, but it didn't come out as perfect, it merely acted as a stabilizing force for this creation of hers.
Still, for a first try, Aurelia was quite proud of the result, even if it tired her out a great deal.
Brandishing her new heavy blade, she smiles beneath her helmet, a low whisper leaving her lips- Before she vanishes from her spot.
Rahgot had just finally stopped his momentum by plunging his flame-coated greatsword into the ground, and used it to slow himself to a halt and lift his bulky form back up.
His head rises up just in time to see his opponent blink into existence, the strange crystal-like blade cutting down towards his skull, forcing him to hastily side-step.
The tip of the blade touches the ground, and a blinding flash erupts. A wave of immense heat is instantly released, causing the air to expand near-instantaneously in an immense compressed shock-wave that could be seen for miles.
An expanding dome of white that purged the clouds from the skies above.
And then the bone-rattling sound reverberated across the land, causing avalanches from the mountains surrounding the regions and glassing the earth below.
The once present environmental hazard left behind by Aurelia was scorched clean, leaving behind glazed and glassed bedrock.
At its epicenter, Rahgot felt Ebony Flesh be shattered once more, the bones of his ribcage hidden beneath his being nearly vaporized, leaving behind only his cracked spine.
Still he pushed forth, as he did not feel it, and he swiftly swung his blade to behead the bent over and open Dragonborn, capitalizing on that clear-as-day opening.
But the glowing golden blade that intercepted the blow with ease, held in a reverse grip and flicked out at the right angle to jab against the flat side of Rahgot's greatsword, sending the blow astray.
Aurelia spins her hunched over body, twirling around and cutting out with the crystallized flame-blade in her grasp, the vicinity forcing Rahgot to use his left arm and gauntlet to block the blow.
Contact with the blade instantly unleashed another devastating explosion of heat and force, but one tens of times weaker than the previous one.
Yet still strong enough to pulverize his arm and shoulder with little to no resistance.
He stumbles backward, liquid flames and molten rock flowing from his mask and across his body to reforge a new arm.
As he does so, he watches in glee as the crystallized blade shatters and fades into particles within his opponent's grasp, and he pounces forward once more, the constant humiliating failures and injuries only fueling his anger.
The golden Holy blade switches from one hand to the other, and their weapons clash once more, a metallic clang echoing through the air from the impact.
Rahgot growls like a beast as their blades drag against each other, sending showers of sparks raining down on their forms as they split up, then rushed in for another exchange.
Their blades were a flurry of steel and sparks, clashing together dozens of times in a matter of seconds, and with each clash, Rahgot grew angrier and angrier.
It was humiliating.
He was losing.
The Holy blade being so close kept tearing away at him, slowing him down by setting his form alight with Holy Flames, weakening him constantly as he experienced PAIN. Constant, horrid pain.
And each clash rattled his bones, cracking them further and further, putting him on the losing side as his decaying body couldn't handle the strength he used to wield in life.
But would it have mattered if he still had his body of flesh and blood…?
That traitorous thought made him come to a momentarily halt. A short one, yet a moment of weakness that is instantly capitalized on.
His world explodes into horrendous pain as a dagger made of Holy Light is stabbed into his exposed neck faster than he could react or recover.
He stumbles back, the pain almost blinding, leaving him unable to think.
"FUS." Aurelia chants once more, her headache growing worse while her throat starts aching, yet another crystallized blade appears in her grasp, same as the previous one, but now a dark-blue in color.
And she brandished it in a backward grip while rushing forward, planning on finally ending this battle once and for all.
Rahgot howls in anger, a wild predictable slash aimed at her neck. A desperate attack to put some distance between them, so that he could work off the pain flooding his senses.
Aurelia doesn't let him. Dawbreaker hacks down mercilessly, and a hand is sent flying through the air together with the sword in its grasp.
The howl of anger becomes one of pain, and Aurelia twirls around- "Insolence-!" The Dragon Priest finally speaks, but his words do not have the time to end before the sharp edge of a crystallized blade impacts with the side of his mask.
An ear-splitting popping sound rings out as the crystallized blade collapses from just one use, Rahgot's body bending at an unnatural angle as the flames around his form sputter out.
He is nearly sent stumbling over, his arm and leg made of molten slag collapsing into powder as his mask is hurled off his face from the sharp impact.
Aurelia smirks at her successful gamble, but curses herself for having done such a thing so late into the fight.
Still, she powers through- "ZUN-!" Aurelia blinks when Dawnbreaker is forcefully sent flying out of her grasp… But she just clenches her now free hand into a fist and punches the absolute shit out of Rahgot's face, sending rotten teeth flying and dislodging his jaw.
"As someone I dearly love once said to Krosis…" She speaks, a smirk into her voice as she stomps forward, left hand clenched into a fist, "You ain't shit!" She cackles out, uppercutting Rahgot in his freely hanging jaw.
The bone is pulverized and fused with his nose, lodging the few left-over teeth into his nasal cavity while his form is lifted several meters off the ground.
Jumping up, Aurelia grabs at the Dragon Priest's scorched robes and falls back down with him, landing on one stretched out knee and smashing Rahgot's spine into it.
A sickening crack fills the air as the spine shatters, and Aurelia mercilessly rips the filthy bastard in half, setting the lower part alight with her Holy Light while tossing the upper part on the ground.
She breathes out, feeling the adrenaline pumping through her body slowly come to a halt as her body relaxes.
The battle is as good as over now.
Aurelia straightens herself and rolls her neck, a faint smile on her face, "I must thank you." She starts, feeling a strange sense of… freedom.
Of acceptance.
Of… Finality.
Her hands rise to remove her helmet, and she lets out a breath as she shakes her head, ignoring how Rahgot is trying to desperately crawl away while whimpering.
She wasn't worried. The previous immense explosion had even evaporated the Pit, so it was all over.
"I hate your kind." Her boots move, bringing her towards the fallen glowing Dawnbreaker. "I forever will."
"But I won't let this Hate blind me anymore." She crouches down and grabs the blade, its glow resurfacing once in contact with her. "I won't let it hold me back. Let it create fear in me."
"So I must thank you." Aurelia turns and starts walking back towards the crawling Rahgot, one lone arm desperately clawing at the glassed earth, and towards his discarded Mask.
"Your weakness opened my eyes to my strength." Her boot falls down on his back, pinning the half-corpse to the ground.
"My duty does not scare me anymore. I welcome it. I embrace the challenge." She grins. A proud, toothy grin that reaches her bright eyes, "Like a Dragon should."
Her boot lashes out, and she kicks the Dragon Priest on his back, allowing her to stare into his flame-like eyes.
They are blue. Not green.
They are cruel.
Not wonderful, like his.
"You've been a decent enough grindstone, Rahgot." Her blade plunges down, stabbing clear through the Undead being's chest.
He howls. He howls and screams and trashes as his being and Soul are set alight with blinding flames.
She lifts his form up, holding him high in the sky, against the light of the sun shining down on them.
"But I hope you suffer." Aurelia coldly and ruthlessly states. "I hope you face eternal torment. That the gates of Sovngarde slam shut before you, and that you experience unspeakable horrors for each innocent life that you took and ruined."
Rahgot howls. A sound of madness, anger and pain. A sound filled with desperation.
His arm, lacking a hand, lashed out desperately, hitting at her face and shoulders and whatever it could reach.
Aurelia didn't even blink or twitch from the weak blows, watching as the limb disintegrated into sparkling dust with each passing second.
"And remember this, as you pass on…" She smirks cruelly, staring straight into those blue flames as she does so.
"You ain't shit."
She twists her blade, and a blast of Holy Light disintegrates the Dragon Priest.
A quiet falls on the battlefield as Aurelia's arm slumps down.
She lifts her head and closes her eyes, feeling the warmth of the Sun against her face.
'Tell me, is there anything you enjoy?'
She remembers that question from Leo. He wants to know more about her, and Aurelia… Aurelia finally feels herself free enough to learn more about herself.
She opens her eyes, and the world looks… Brighter. Wonderful.
"I like the feeling of the Sun's warmth on my skin." She muses softly, a gentle gust blowing against her face, dragging with it a scent that comes from the forest.
'Do you have a favorite scent?'
"This scent…" She breathes in, her smile blooming, "I like this one. The scent of the forest."
'A favorite sound?'
Her ears perk up, the roaring cheers coming from the people of Riften reaching her even from this distance, the populace of the city having watched the battle from the walls.
"This." She smiles, closing her eyes and enjoying the sounds of happiness filling her ears, "I like this sound."
Aurelia slowly lowers herself until she sits on the ground, resting Dawnbreaker to her side as she leans back to enjoy the sun and the air.
And for the first time in many years…
Aurelia takes a moment to enjoy what the World has to offer.
A.N. People wanted a chapter where Aurelia shines.
I wrote that, and more.
She's finally letting go of the shackles binding her form, and all because Leonidas just… exists.
Also, hope y'all enjoy her new power! I've mixed the Shehai with Dragon Shouts, creating what I've dubbed 'Dragon Blades' – still seeking a cooler name – which are basically Shouts, but condensed into the form of a Blade.
Trust me, this shit will get even more OP. Aurelia is gonna be insane in the future.
Leo is also gonna go all monke mode when he sees her again. Poor dude.
Either way, hope y'all enjoyed this!
Toodles!
Comments
TooLazyToLogin
That was incredible. The power demonstrated, the emotions of Rahgot, the second stage of the fight, the dawning realization that she's stronger than even a dragon priest which is supposed to be the strongest type of undead creation and letting the pain of the past fall behind her... *wipes away tear* it's just so peak.
Blorgus Gaming
This was beautiful for her character
Soarion
I am late but this was absolute CINEMA
Bradley Chandler
YES best girl gets a fuckin lightsaber.
James French
WOOOOO, fantastic way to wake up this morning- thanks for the chap!
BillyBT of the DragonGT
By the light Auriel, this was glorious. Looking forward to when the divine crusader gives her THE SWORD OF THE CRUSADER (flame on edition from sheogorath’s expedition into the 1st era as the Lord commander of the knights of the nine revelation mod)
The Foreign Traveler
By the Aedra…that was fucking awesome! THIS is what I always imagined just how strong the Dragonborn, even a hatchling, to be and she’s still growing! And I can clearly see you’re not going to slow down. The Dragonborn is pretty much a Demo-God if you think about it. While I haven’t read Elder Scrolls Fanfics in years, I’m happy this is among the first to get back into it. But I’ve always wondered just HOW powerful a Dragonborn can become… Let’s find out!
Spartan593
Thanks for the chapter, Musa! Dragon Blades are a cool as fuck idea. I love that Aurelia has been corrupted by Leo's shit talking and how badass she was this chapter. I also liked that she was able to learn to start enjoying the good things in life.
MrWottle
That was fucking awesome! 👌
Deathknight134
How about calling it a Dovah Tuz? Dragon for Dragon Blade. :v Though Zahkrii means sword too, so Zahkrii Dov? Also, AMAZING chapter! Very hype!
Jadin Jacobs
Phenomenal chapter. Thank you so much.
Based_Bass
Fucking hell that was peak. So eventually she’s gonna figure out her Shehai and also refine the Thu’um blades. Too OP plz nerf.
Kz3838
Thank you for the great chapter, love that Aurelia really got her time to shine. Making Shouts into Dragon Blades (name pending) via Shehai is awesome and I am very excited to see what combinations she can come up with. What would the full Slow Time Shout look like and do? The Storm Call Shout? Regardless, I am super excited to see where you take this next. Stay safe out there and keep up the good work!
One Winged Angel
More please, am addicted...please more
Darendarus1
Good for her! Thanks for the chapter. Looking forward to the next!
White Wolf
Great chap
