Murphy's Law

Chapter 50

Nothing happened.

Rex and Hermaeus Mora had both frozen when she'd shouted the Prince's name, both also expecting some burst of chaos that wasn't forthcoming.

Did Benny get it wrong? she wondered. Thank goodness she hadn't lost her momentum, at least, slamming into Emmet and tackling him away from the grasping tentacle. After determining he was out of immediate danger, she whirled around and sliced through the offending appendage. Mora shrieked, more in outrage than pain, and Lucy paled as it sank in what she'd just done.

"Lucy?!" Emmet squeaked, reaching to pull her back in turn before Mora could harm her.

She barely had time to gasp before that tentacle wrapped around her and flung her far off the platform. She could hear Kitty and Emmet scream after her, rushing to the edge to watch helplessly as she plummeted toward the bubbling tar below.

Then several things happened, almost too quickly to process. A strong gust of wind blasted up toward her, accompanied by a whirlwind of loose papers, carrying her back up to the platform. Mora roared in absolute fury, and the moment her feet touched the stone ground again, she heard- in a familiar voice but decidedly unfamiliar accent- "Well that was just uncalled for!"

"Benny," she breathed in relief. Except he wasn't, not quite. Not until she could see the familiar brown of his eyes again. Still, he was helping them for the time being, and she couldn't ask for much more than that. With the Mad God's attention turned toward Mora, heckling and harassing the demon into incomprehensible fury, she was able to get back to her fight with Rex. He'd taken advantage of Kitty's distraction and had her pinned, barely able to defend herself under his constant assault.

"Mul Qah Diiv!"

Lucy stumbled to a halt, glancing at Emmet. He blinked, surprised that whatever he'd attempted had apparently worked, then gave her a proud grin. Something glowed in her peripheral, and she glanced at herself.

It looked like armor, almost a mirror of Emmet's own, glimmering over her layers of leather to provide extra protection. She gave him a quick nod of gratitude before slamming herself into Rex's side, disrupting him so Kitty could get back to her feet.

Emmet chewed his lip as he watched, unsure of how else he could help. Benny seemed to have Mora well in hand; he couldn't see either Daedric Prince anymore, but it was enough that Mora wasn't trying to interfere at the moment. He really didn't want his friends to be fighting- and he still counted Rex as a friend, even after his admission. To have been trapped in Apocrypha for so long... Well, it was understandable that Rex had resorted to desperate measures to attain his freedom once more.

But was it really the only way he could escape? There had to be some other way they could manage it, one that wouldn't leave one of them trapped. He sucked in a sharp breath, biting his lip almost hard enough to draw blood, as Lucy made a particularly vicious jab toward Rex, the First Dragonborn just barely managing to deflect it enough so as not to be lethal, but it still left a nasty gash in his side. It finally occurred to him that Lucy might just be mad enough to actually kill Rex.

He had to do something.

Rex hissed, dropping his sword as Emmet Shouted at him. It was only one Word, and certainly not the most powerful, but enough that between the stinging it caused and the surprise that Emmet had actually Shouted at him, he couldn't keep a grip on his blade. Lucy swept his feet out from under him and crossed her blades at his throat, but made no further movement. Kitty had also stilled, magic at the ready but not casting. "Don't move," the warrior snarled at him as Emmet approached her side. Rex turned his gaze onto the Last Dragonborn.

"Please," Emmet added. "This can't be the only way. We'll figure something out."

"There is no other way," Rex spat back at him. "I've been here for four thousand years, Emmet, and I've spent all that time going through every scrap of knowledge Mora's hoarded. Don't you think I would have found it, if such a way even existed?"

"Not if Mora didn't want you to," Lucy said. Silence reigned as that sank in. Rex clenched his fists.

"You think I hadn't thought of that myself? I know he doesn't want to let me go. I know that it was a miracle that I even found that much. Of course he'd only ever let me know the worst possible scenario. I don't get to simply go free, after everything I've done. What's one more black mark on my soul?"

"But we have Benny! Or uh, Sheo-"

"Don't say it," Lucy interrupted gently. "It'll just make things worse, now."

"Point is, maybe he can help? I mean he doesn't really seem to like Mora all that much so maybe he'll be willing to do something." Emmet sat back down after that. Rex looked at him, seeming to study him and the determined look the younger Dragonborn was giving him.

It had been so long since he'd really hoped. It didn't come easily, not after so many millennia of disappointment. But Emmet seemed so utterly convinced that there was another way, for them all to get back out of there. Maybe, just this once, he could try to place some hope in the faith Emmet had in his friends.

"Alright," he agreed. "We'll try it your way." He glanced skyward at a distant rumble, unable to see either of the two battling entities. "Sounds like you're going to need some help bringing your friend back to himself, though."

"What do you have in mind?" Kitty asked, flicking her hands to put out the flames.

"We've brought him back before," Lucy reminded.

"Yeah, but I also had him trapped in a binding circle last time. I didn't exactly have the chance to make those preparations this time."

"Emmet, you'll have to use the Bend Will Shout," Rex said. Emmet frowned at him.

"I don't think I like the sound of that."

Unseen behind his mask, Rex smirked. Kid was starting to catch on quick. "Under normal circumstances, yeah, it would work exactly as you think it will. Against a Daedric Prince, though- it's more like a suggestion, than a command. I don't think you'll have to worry about enslaving him to your will, it'll be more of a 'hey, come back, would you?'."

"Alright," Emmet agreed reluctantly. "But- why do I have to do it? Why can't you?"

"Because I think he'll be more likely to listen to you than me. You're his friend, aren't you?"

"Wait," Lucy interrupted. "Not until after we all get out of here. His power is bound to his name, and if we bring him back to himself before we get out, this might not work."

"I'd really like to have that explanation sooner than later," Emmet pressed. "Also I feel like that's taking advantage of him."

"Better to take advantage of him than to leave you behind. Ready?"

"I guess," Emmet sighed, and turned to Rex. "You?"

"Yes. Let's just get this over with."

Lucy called out again, distracting the two Daedra. Benny came to them at the sound of his name, and before he could open his mouth to speak, Lucy asked, "can you take us back to Skyrim? All of us." She reached out, snagging Kitty's and Emmet's hands, and Emmet reached out for Rex's.

"Such a mundane request, don't ye think?"

"Please," Lucy insisted, hoping she was getting through to him on some level. It seemed to work, as Apocrypha faded around them.

"You'll not leave without my permission!" Mora snarled, reaching toward them. Emmet gasped in horror as he felt Rex's hand ripped away from his.

"No! REX!"

"Emmet! Gol Hah Dov!" Rex yelled back, very pointedly. Emmet swallowed hard, the last glimpse he had of Rex being the First Dragonborn twisting himself in Mora's grasp and snarling something at him that Emmet couldn't understand.

Then Apocrypha was gone, and they were dumped back in the snow outside the inn they'd departed from.