Part 2 - Sheogorath and the Planewalker (Sequel)

Part 8 - Tribulations

SIGURD'S VIEWPOINT

The shadows were closing in on him, the air was stifling and he could hear sinister whispers in the winds Telling himself that it was only in his mind, he called himself a liar at this point. A hand beckoned from the darkness, inviting him into its cold embrace. Sleep. The winds whipped through his hair, periodically sending cabbages and honeycombs within the gusts.

"Damn you, Sheogorath! You bastard. You won't be satisfied until you've broken me. I know enough about you to know this, and although I have no doubt that you'll win, I won't go down without a fight!" The darkness gently caressed him, he was beyond exhausted. How long could a human go without sleeping?

As a response to his curse he felt a massive blow to the back of his head that sent him sprawling forward, pain and light exploding through his skull. Regaining his footing, he looked down at the offending object, which, not to his surprise, was a head of cabbage. Looking up into the sky, he shook his fist at the heavens.

SHEOGORATH'S VIEWPOINT

It had been a week and a half since his guest Dunmer and the Pest arrived. Speaking of the Pest, Sheogorath smiled. His toy had finally broke he believed. Now it was time for the maze, the last part. The Daedra would let the mage fall asleep and fall through the pits of madness once again. Was this the 3rd time or the 4th. Oh, it really didn't matter anyway.

A bad feeling had been building up within Sheogorath, like something was going to happen soon. He frowned1.

"Haskill, what is the report on the conditions of the Shivering Isles?"

"Peaceful, my Lord."

"Make sure it stays that way." The Daedra growled. "I have a bad feeling of things to come. Have my Auriel and Mezken guards keep extra vigilant."

"As you wish, my Lord"

SIGURD'S VIEWPOINT

Tattered clothing was his garb, cuts both deep and shallow, and he was hungry and thirsty, The honeycomb laden winds has left him sticky with honey. Flies were constantly buzzing around him, landing and giving him no respite. He had no energy left to swat them away. Every noise made him jump, and he was afraid to eat or drink His biggest fear, though, was cabbage. He was so exhausted he could barely keep his eyes, now bloodshot, open. Lying on the ground trying to rest, he drifted in and out of sleep.

Falling, falling, he felt himself falling. Just a dream, restless nightmare... no, his eyes snapped open and he screamed as he plummeted through darkness. Finally landing, he heard I sickening crunch beneath him and felt an explosion of pain blasting through his right leg. Shit... he broke it. He forced himself to roll off it, gritting his teeth and crying out in pain. A jagged piece of shin bone had ripped through his skin and was bleed profusely. He looked around for something to act as a splint, he found nothing. Ripping a strip of cloth from his robes he wrapped it around his broken leg tightly placing the bones back together. He vomited from the pain almost choking on the bile.

Slowly and carefully, he climbed to his feet leaning heavily on his staff. There was a tall and long wall before him with an entrance. He staggered towards it, pleading in his mind that this ordeal was almost over.

It was a maze, he soon figured out with, blood it seems dripping down the walls, he heard children crying out in agony, begging for whatever was happening to stop. The winds carried laughter, scornful laughter filled with derision. He stepped around the first corner and a table full of sweet rolls were tucked into a corner. In another corner was a table full of cheese wheels . Although both starving and terrified of what might happen if he ate, hunger took over and he started scarfing down the food. He found some ale and gulped it down. Despair overcame him and he could swear he saw something coming around the corner. He fled, dropping a half eaten sweet roll. The bones in his leg buckled under him and he collapsed again.

A rotten corpse, mostly skeleton, with strips of flesh hanging from the bones and glowing grey pinpoints for eyes approached him and he skidded backward against a wall.

"No, don't run" it whispered with a woman's voice. It sounded familiar "My sweet Sigurd. Do you not recognize me? It's been so many years" It reached toward him and he screamed with terror.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!!!"

"I'm here to help you find your way through the rest of the maze. My beloved, I died almost 50 years ago giving birth to our only child..."

"No! You're not my Jaqueline!" The old mage broke down into sobs.

"My dear, look " she extended a bony arm and he glimpsed the special wedding band he'd placed on his wife's finger so many years ago. He looked around the corpse's neck. Sure enough he saw her favorite pendant around it's neck.

"Jackie..." he whispered "No... is it true? Why do you come to me like this? Why do I need to see you in this condition? Take me with you. Let me die and join you, please!"

"It's not your time, my beloved" The corpse of Jaqueline responded sadly "But I can aid you, I know the way to get out. Let me help you."

Jackie pushed her scraggly hair out of her face and reached down to help Sigurd up. Wincing and yelping with pain. Taking her cold bony hand he stood up, wobbling.

This turn and that they went by, empty walls, he was starting to relax. This maze help no trials. Perhaps the Mad God was capable of mercy after all.

Just as he thought that, shadows swirled about in the room he had just entered, they danced and lunged in a most demonic way. Hands of the iciest blackness began to expand through the walls and reach, reaching for him, threatening to pull him into the slick oil like substances dripping down the walls. He screamed as the shadow people swam over him, through him, pulling at him, burning him. Launching a massive bolt of electricity at them, caused them to retract in pain.

"Let's go, Jackie! I can't handle much more of this. My Magicka is as weak as I am at this point" Panting, he leaned heavily at this point, wincing constantly. Fortunately the most painful part of this broken limb was stifled by still being in shock.

They eventually entered a small room with mirrors all over the place, many at odd dangerous angles, gleaming all colors imaginable. Dazzling the mind, Sigurd propped up against a wall sitting was a massive red Minotaur looking bored. He was dressed in an outfit resembling Haskill's and when he spoke, the voice, too, belonged to Sheogorath's Chamberlain. The center of the room held a tall narrow pedestal with... a red cabbage centered on it.

"Just take it. I couldn't care less about it. It's just a stupid cabbage" The beast lazily drawled without moving. He pointed at the vegetable in a half ass sort of way. Closing his eyes and willing himself not to scream and run from the cabbage, he forced himself to pick up the offensive object.

"I can go no further. Good luck my sweet". Jackie took the necklace from around her neck and placed it in the Planewalker's hand. "Give this to our child. Tell her it's from her mother" She closed her hands around his while he held the treasure. Finally, she just faded away from in front of him, leaving Sigurd all alone once again. Wiping tears from his eyes he choked out "Goodbye my Love" And that was the last thing he remembered before everything went black.