King-Fall

VI. The Challenger

I stroked my hand on the wall as I walked through the halls reliving what happened here. The bones of the Shades were still below my feet as the battle of old echoed in my ears. I passed a blood spot where I had nearly bled out, my blood now black and an old stain. Charred corpses were here and there and if I remember correctly, they all had a lot of gold in them.

Passing through to the Kilkreath catacombs I passed more shade remains and stopped at the ashes of the mage that created the shades. Or more accurately, the ashes of the shade that came out of his body. I remembered with a frown that I howled in delight as I watched the shade burn from my shout. It was as if I could see myself, the pleasure illuminating from my eyes, the sheen of flame light making my smile look... evil. Why didn't I see what I was becoming then?

The light dimmed and a voice spoke,

"So the murderer of my messenger decided to heed my message? Oh, the irony... God-King."

"I have come for atonement-" I prepared to leave the Dawnbreakers but the voice said,

"You never told Hermaeus Mora, nor Boethiah, your masters, that you were finished. What am I to do with another's servant?"

"My silence, neglect and absence speaks volumes Meridia."

"You're right, that's what you had done to me. Now hold onto those blades, you will need them for the trials to come, mortal."

"But Meridia-"

The door behind me was kicked open and I spun on my heel at the noise. The sight before me quickly made my blood boil and I was shrouded in darkness. The Breton in black chuckled and unceremoniously tossed Serana's bleeding form atop another corpse.

"At last we meet," the Breton cooed, "champion."

"Serana!" I unsheathed the Bloodskal blade with such intensity it hissed from it's sheath. "I'm going to rip out your spine-" my voice shook, "and impale your desecrated, dying body with it!"

"Hmph," he shrugged casually tapping his feet but I noted a faint light when he tapped them, "no monologuing? Shame." He stood and he smiled, "Last one standing wins."

He snapped his fingers and instantly he was in glowing blue Daedric armor. He bound a greatsword in his hands as well. I hopped down the steps I was on, my usual technique befuddled by rage, and shouted fire his way.

"Yol-Toor-Shul!"

Confusion struck me as the flames hit nothing and realization really began to dawn on me of what I was doing and what I was up against. My throat and lungs tingled like strings from my Thu'um and I better wait before I can shout safely again.

"Sloppy." My enemy hissed from behind me.

Instinctively I weaved to the right and his blade pierced my left shoulder. I roared and twirled with my blade around and then saw him. A twinge of fear hit me when I realized that he was jumping over me, twirling in the air with grace as leaves during fall. I twisted back again, bringing my sword around but he blocked my attack and went for a counter swipe at my neck.

I leaned back just too late and his attack barely slapped my helmed head. Bleeding from my shoulder and face I tried for a tactical retreat, stumbling back into a burial urn as my foe laughed at me. Another thing I noticed was that my armor wasn't poisoning him. He was faster than he should be and it was apparent that the pool of magika he possessed was massive. I cast a fast heal spell as my armor slowly repaired itself and got ready.

I smiled, I've faced fast opponents before. It just means I need to... bend time a little bit. He's probably just a really powerful mage-thief, using a fighting style that relies on his speed to avoid attacks. If they can't hit you, then they can't kill you, right?

I glanced at Serana and the pool of her blood was growing.

"Sloppy." My enemy yawned as he hit me in the face with a lightning bolt while I was distracted.

I screamed in agony and hit my knees. He rose his sword to casually strike off my head. My face burning behind my mask, I ducked under his attack and quickly jabbed my sword upward at his throat. Blood spurt with enough force to land on me but he recoiled back and cast a spell with some sort of passive healing. Who taught this man his magic?!

"Sloppy." I spat but I had the shrewd feeling that he was smiling.

He casually tossed his bound greatsword back, dispelling it and conjured two swords.

Aw Oblivion, I mentally groaned. Glancing around at Serana, six torches lighting most of the chamber I made an impulsive plan and gripped my sword. My enemy strode towards me and smugly cooed,

"It's time to die."

"No, time listens to me." I said before charging and shouting my Thu'um like a war-cry as time almost stopped.

"Tiid-Klo-Ul!"

My enemy attempted to jump over me and I slashed him across his torso and did a backwards stab through him while blood slowly coated his armor and spilled into the air in dark beauty. Time was so slow that if I was fast I could leave my sword in the air for brief enough moments to cast spells and catch it before it fell to the ground. Then I shot chain lightning from both hands at the torches, advanced towards Serana and lightning bolted the last two before scooping Serana up and used my armor's stealth abilities to my advantage just as time was restored.

I couldn't use a healing spell on her since vampires are classified undead so I groped through my bag and, finding what I needed, I put a healing potion to her lips. She coughed and I sighed in relief, I wasn't to late.

My jubilee was cut short but the crazy man's chuckle.

"Getting some friends are we?!" He shouted at the shadows. Bones started clattering together, aw crap. "Two can play that game!" He finished with spitting what I assumed was blood.

The shades began to materialize, made up of bones, darkness and red glowing eyes. I sheathed my Bloodskal Blade and snuck back into the light at the front of Meridia's catacomb and I challenged,

"You want me!? Come get me!"

Unsheathing the Dawnbreakers I stabbed one shade and finished it with a slash from the sister-blade. So two strikes? Hmm, I thought. I double stabbed another as an attack came at my left. I quickly parried, stabbed and counterattacked but one of them got back up with a blue aura. Serana, I deduced spilt second before I killed three more, my muscles finally getting worn out. Serana raised another shade to my cause but the last one I killed activated the Dawnbreaker's ability and it exploded, killing all the undead around me; throwing bones, dust and weapons everywhere.

My dark shroud over me faded and my breathing was heavy but I tried to will the adrenaline to stay in my veins. I conjured a lopsided cream colored spell and tried to heal my face, still holding my swords. Serana called out from the shadows,

"I'm positive we're the only one's here!"

Realizing the maniac used his last bit of magika to remake the shades as cover for his tactical retreat I collapsed onto my knees. Sheathing the Dawnbreakers I went so far as to collapse on my face. Who in the Oblivion was that?! Was my last thought before I went unconscious.