Emmet opened his eyes to find himself lying on the ground, and rolled over, emptying the contents of his stomach all over the temple floor. That was... not a fun way to travel. "Urgh," he said.
He glanced around, and frowned. The strange masked people were nowhere to be seen. It didn't seem like very long had passed while he was in Apocrypha; did time flow differently there? He patted down his pockets, making sure he still had his journal and quill on hand, then pulled them out to write down everything he and Rex had discussed.
"So what do I need to do to help you get out?"
"I need dragon souls. Obviously I can't leave to harvest them myself, but we share a bond now, you and I. I'll know when you- or rather, your friends- kill a dragon, and can sort of... project my presence there, for a short time, to absorb its soul. Once I have enough, I should be able to take on Hermaeus Mora and break free of this place."
Emmet gaped at him. "You- you're sure you can actually defeat a Daedric Prince? Is that even possible?"
Rex's voice became grim. "Oh, it's possible. It's been done before."
And then Rex had... Emmet shuddered. Rex had explained that the only way for him to leave Apocrypha was to 'die' there, as it was only his soul that had traveled to Oblivion- his body was still anchored in the mortal plane. Emmet was certain that was the cause for his sour stomach; that sensation of separation and reunion was wholly unnatural.
The masked strangers still hadn't reappeared. Emmet started to wonder if he'd have to find his own way out. He pushed himself to his feet, still feeling woozy, and stumbled his way toward another passage, hoping it was a shortcut back outside. Sure enough, it led back outside, but the temple was nowhere in sight. He fretted for a moment; he had no idea which way to go to get back to civilization, or how long it would even take, and he had no provisions to speak of. And it was bitter cold. He decided to go back inside and wait a while longer to see if his escorts would return.
~* *~
The Black Knight made his way to the next dragon mound that would be visited, curious to see a resurrection take place, and perhaps to test his skills. He crouched under the cover of some trees, and waited. He didn't have to wait for very long.
A massive black dragon, much as Lucy had described it, flew overhead, circling the burial mound. "Sahloknir, ziil gro dovah ulse! Slen Tiid Vo!" the beast spoke, voice thundering with power. The stone covering the mound shattered, and he watched as a skeletal dragon clawed its way out of the rubble, flesh and scales growing back.
"Alduin, thuri! Boaan tiid vokriiha suleyksejun kruziik?" the other dragon, Sahloknir he assumed, greeted.
"Geh, Sahloknir, kaali mir." The Knight stepped out of his cover, gaining the dragons' attention. "Ful, losei Dovahkiin? Zu'u koraav nid nol dov do hi." So, you are Dragonborn? I see none of the dragonkind in you, he translated, and smirked to himself. Well of course not. Interesting that Alduin assumed him to be the Dragonborn, though- he thought dragons could sense their kin? Perhaps it was his Voice the beast was picking up on. "You do not even know our tongue, do you? Such arrogance, to dare take for yourself the name of Dovah."
'I understand you perfectly, you great bastard. Divines, you're an idiot if you honestly think I'm the Dragonborn,' he signed back. The dragons seemed dumbfounded by that, unable to make sense of his gesturing.
"Sahloknir, krii daar joor," Alduin finally snarled, and flew away. That's right, run away, you big coward. The Knight drew his greatsword, ready for the fight. Sahloknir turned his attention toward him with a snarl, and took to the sky. He circled and swooped back down, aiming a blast of frosty breath at the human, only to have it deflected by a powerful ward.
He swooped again, talons ready to slash and tear, only to be fended off again- this time by the biting edge of the Knight's blade. He laughed cruelly. "A worthy opponent! I almost regret I have orders to end you!" The Knight only gestured rudely at him before swinging again, this time striking a wing and tearing the thin membrane. Sahloknir roared as he fell, plowing a deep gouge in the earth as he came to a rough landing. "So it's to be a real fight!"
Another blast of frosty breath, and this time the Knight simply powered through it to slash at the dragon, slicing through a vulnerable shoulder. Sahloknir snapped at him, missing as the Knight rolled out of reach- right under his jaws. He barely had time to react before the greatsword found its way into his unprotected throat.
He released his grip on his sword as he scrambled to get away from the dying beast, Sahloknir thrashing and scratching and making the most horrid sounds as he expired. Once he was certain the dragon was dead (again), he stalked closer to retrieve his favorite weapon, yanking it free from where it had wedged into bone.
"Well that was fun," he panted, and sat down hard. That frost breath had taken more out of him than he'd expected; he would have to rest for a bit before his legs would carry his weight again. Penn would no doubt give him an hours-long lecture on the stupidity of this whole venture, when he got back.
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Sahloknir, ziil gro dovah ulse! Slen Tiid Vo! (Sahloknir, I bind your dragon spirit for eternity! Flesh Time Undo!)
Alduin, thuri! Boaan tiid vokriiha suleyksejun kruziik? (Alduin, my lord! Has the time come to revive our ancient realm?)
Geh, Sahloknir, kaali mir. Ful, losei Dovahkiin? Zu'u koraav nid nol dov do hi. (Yes, Sahloknir, my Champion. So, you are Dragonborn? I see none of the dragonkind in you.)
YOU ARE READING
Murphy's Law
Fanfiction[Skyrim Crossover] As if Skyrim wasn't already hectic enough, with its inhabitants fighting both the Aldmeri Dominion and the Empire. Now there's dragons, too, and Emmet finds himself unwittingly roped into the whole mess. What else could go wrong?
