King-Fall

XIX. Ascension

"You know," The Dragon Priest from my vision said, but with the voice of Herma-Mora, "the Bosmer worship me as a Divine, or The Woodland Man. I find it quite amusing..."

I didn't need to see his face to know it was him...

He was the same size. He walked just like him.

It was him...

There was no room left for doubt that it was my son.

Serana shouted my name behind me and came running to my side. She stopped and stared at the sight before us. I cried,

"What do you want with my son?!"

There was a smile in the sleazy Book Demon's voice, "Isn't it simple? I know everything about Apotheosis and how to manipulate it." The figure drew Dragonbane from the sheath on his back. "And I especially know how to manipulate you, mortal. You are just as Paarthurnax the dragon said, a plaything but not of fate, but the Prince thereof!"

Hermaeus Mora slashed but he had done something to the blade because when he slashed an arc of lightning hit us like the arcs of the Bloodskal blade. I staggered, Serana was behind a spectral version of me before it was destroyed, all my clones were destroyed actually, and I sheathed my swords. Then I cried, "Wuld!"

Shooting forward I tackled him in the shallow water and pried at the mask. "Let my son go!"

"Never!" His form sunk beneath the moat and tentacles wrapped around me. As I struggled, immobilized in the tentacles, my son-no, Hermaeus Mora rose up next to me and raised his sword-

Then Serana crashed into him, shooting him with frostbite. They disappeared in the Soul Mist and I cussed and screamed, "Serana that's my son!"

Ripping from the vine-like tentacles I heard the sound of a whip. Glancing around, I called her name and ran to the sounds of combat. There was a crack and Serana rolled past me. I helped her up and laughs emitted ominously from the shadows. The mist began to fade as Hermaeus Mora taunted, "Serana, helping your only love become a Vrythur?"

"You aren't a god! And you took his son!"

"And Akatosh took Vrythur's everything. I didn't take everything from my servant, did I Serana?"

"You snake!" I screamed, "Show yourself!"

A horizontal arc of lightning was the reply, I rolled under it whereas Serana slid under but once we got there a vertical arc came from behind. He's using his moat to avoid us, I deduced. I rolled over towards the throne. It was a moment until Serana joined me.

"What do we-"

I shushed her and then shouted, "Zul-Mey-Gut!"

My voice echoed intermittently, for the first few echos, tentacles whipped where Hermaeus Mora thought we were. The water in the moat wasn't that corrosive green water that acted as the ocean the plane of Apocrypha sat upon, but the moat was an ink black substance that didn't conduct the lightning from the corrupted Dragonbane. The moment that Hermaeus Mora, in my son's body, rose up from the depths I struck. While his back was turned I shouted,

"Wuld-Nah-Kest!"

Launching forward, I enveloped my son and we came flying from the moat. Tentacles slapped blindly at me as I tried to wrestle him into the hard... book floor. He attempted to break free by smashing the rear of his head into my armored face but even though I felt the metal coif underneath I held fast.

The tentacles from his arm coiled up mine and Serana came in front of us.

"What do I need to do?!"

"I got him!" I assured as his tentacles pulled at my right arm. Hermaeus Mora kept Dragonbane out of my reach with determination, laying harmlessly on the flat of the blade. He elbowed my chin and resisted but I held.

"Look," Serana said conjuring ice spikes, "I-I'm not trying to-"

Something inside me clicked and I leapt up.

"NO!"

"Talion!"

Hermaeus Mora, slashed my back and tactically retreated into one of the twelve pools surrounding the moat. I cast a fast-heal spell with a groan, even as an ancient Dragonborn came to my aide I self-chastised myself. Idiot! I could have just let Serana pin him down and then use healing hands! My conscience tried to argue back, but he'd have those scars when you impaled his limbs into the ground for the rest of his life! Serana was saying something when-

"My champion," He rose back from the moat, "enough of this, I have an offer for you."

Serana and I focused onto my son.

"You, my servant, have promised poor Elisif that you would do everything in your power to save your son."

I glanced at Serana and she tried to dissuade me but I said, "What is your deal?"

"I propose that you pass down your title of being my champion onto your son. I will allow him to return home this very day. However, it will cost you..." he finished deviously, "more."

"Talion-" Serana bade.

"What price?" I said.

"Knowledge." Herma-Mora hissed cryptically.

"That would cost me my life-"

"And save the life of your son."

There was a roar and the flapping of wings. We all watched as Altraius Morax landed atop the throne behind my Daedric possessed son. The residue of the Soul Snare mist lingered as he greeted,

"Drem yol lok, Dovakiin."

I focused on Altraius but said, "Hermaeus Mora, I have slain Alduin The World Eater. Are you sure that it'd be wise for a worm of books such as you to test me?"

"Altraius," Hermaeus said without turning, "you know them?"

"You turned my son against me, welcome to the betrayed father club."

Altraius shouted and his Thu'um, pale-green, shook the air and tentacles restrained my enemy.

"What?! No!"

"Now Dovakiin, use the power you obtained from the Kel."

I strode towards him, all the pain, anger, hate, lamentations, mourning, woe, self-loathing, guilt and more was painfully expressed in the form of my new Shout: Godrend,

"Rah-Ul-Vo!!"

A/N:
Rah=God/Gods
Ul=Eternity
Vo=Undone