4th Era, Year Unknown - Skeletons

"We should look into those skeletons allegedly plaguing the city suburbs at night," Lena was saying as she and Scorpio were methodically putting down the undead along the road. "Ser Maximilian said it was more serious than the usual trouble."

"Well, we have so far not encountered anything out of the ordinary," Scorpio replied, not having much difficulty with his share of the undead. "Unless he meant the skeletons along the Deos Hills Road? That's not exactly city suburbs though!"

"And it's nothing new," Lena nodded. "Let's ask around first."

The road crossing Deos Hills was notoriously dangerous: it was plagued by bandits by day and skeletons by night, making for excellent training grounds. But, indeed - it wasn't near the city and it wasn't new. But which skeletons was Ser Maximilian referring to? The city suburbs had their share of troubles, but they were all of a far more fleshy nature: bandits by day and sorcerers by night, as Lena and Scorpio had recently discovered. Sorcerers with specific hatred towards the Arisen, sorcerers belonging to a cult or a group named "Salvation". Perhaps that was as good a start as any.

"Sewers," Lena suddenly stopped bashing the undead and turned around to go back to the city.

"What? Why?" Scorpio sent the last fireball and followed. "Explain."

"Mason," Lena continued in her cryptic fashion. "Remember him?"

"The assassin?"

"Yes. He was talking about Salvation," Lena hastened her step. "He'll be in the sewers."

"How do you know? Why?" Scorpio was trying to keep up.

"Because that's where I'd be," she grinned. "You'll see."

...

"Looking for me, friend?" Mason looked up from his meal which seemed unexpectedly healthy for the surroundings. "Trouble?"

"Salvation," Lena said simply.

"Naturally," Mason gave her a broad grin. "Here, take this - their badge. Makes them think you're one of them. Didn't fool them on my account, but who knows, you might do better. If you find out where they meet, it'll be a start."

Lena pocketed the badge and started asking around.

...

"Surely, an Arisen inquiring after a cult that aims to kill the Arisen would be rather suspicious even to the most idiotic of its members," Scorpio was sceptical. "If Mason couldn't get to the bottom of it, what chance do you have? I don't see it."

"Err... we'll see," Lena winked. "May be I've got a trick or two that Mason doesn't. Let's start with that fellow," she added approaching a guard on duty. "Hello, good ser," she addressed him amicably. "Might you know where the next meeting is held?" She opened the palm of her left hand to reveal the badge of Salvation, while at the same time making a small circular motion with her right hand. Her eyes sparkled and bright green mist surrounded the guard for a brief moment. Scorpio grinned.

"Oh, that," the guard looked overjoyed. "We meet in the city catacombs - there's an amphitheatre of sorts there. There's a meeting tonight."

"Thank you kindly," Lena replied politely and walked away, leaving the guard to enjoy his euphoria for a bit longer.

"Charming," Scorpio smirked. "That was an unusual spell."

"Getting a cure for vampirism does not remove your powers once they've been mastered," Lena winked. "We have a meeting to attend tonight, we should get ready."

...

The catacombs was an ancient burial crypt built well before the current "progressive" faith came to Gransys. For that reason it was now considered to be pagan and archaic, and hardly anyone came there to pay their respects to the dead or to tend to the crypt. As a consequence, it was swarming with undead.

"I wonder how the members of Salvation make it to that amphitheatre through all these hordes of undead," Lena was saying to the rhythmical swings of her fire-enchanted sword. "It looks to me like no living person had walked through these halls in a very long time."

"Well, either your spell backfired and it's a trap, or there is another way in that they are using," Scorpio replied, putting down half a dozen of undead in one twirl.

"Or both," Lena nodded. "Hey, look at that - treasure!" Indeed, the halls had a large amount of treasure among the sarcophagi, mostly consisting of sacks of gold coins, valuable pieces of armour and weapons, and enchanted jewellery. "Do you think someone uses the catacombs for safe storage?" She grinned.

"And I bet they are not paying taxes either," Scorpio was counting the coins. "We should levy some."

"Stay back! It's cursed!" Lena jumped back from a chest she'd just opened - dark smoke was coming from it. "Dark magic. Or just rotten stuff inside," she managed to say through the cough. The treasure turned out to be better protected than they had originally thought - they suddenly lost all desire to open any more chests.

...

"I hear voices," Scorpio said quietly after they cleared yet another hall. "From over there," he pointed into a dark corridor. "Sssh... Listen."

"...and what is the point of living?" An echoing voice was saying somewhere down the corridor. "There is none!"

That must have been the meeting they came to witness. They followed the voice and came to a gallery overlooking an amphitheatre. A large group of people in dark shapeless robes filled the circular arena, leaving the centre free where another man in the same dark robe was speaking. Lena noticed the knight from the castle among the cultists, the one that she had followed before. He wasn't wearing a dark robe, but his darkened plate armour fitted well with the surroundings. He had lowered the visor on his full face helmet, but Lena recognised his statue and his long blonde locks of hair. She smirked, pointing him out to Scorpio.

"Came to join our flock, dear ARISEN?!" Suddenly the speaker turned and pointed at Lena in the gallery. "Come, join in the chaos that is Salvation!" He raised his arms in an incantation, instantly summoning a dark dense fog over them all. People started screaming, and Lena noticed the knight quietly slipping away. Within a few seconds the arena was filled with undead rising from the soil. Lena jumped down from the gallery looking for the speaker, but it was impossible to distinguish one dark-robed figure from another, and with the undead attacking everything and everyone, the screams and the darkness, she stood no chance of catching the man.

...

"Now, that was something," she heard Mason's voice from one of the side corridors. "Probably an everyday occurrence to you, Arisen, but I've never seen such a massacre before. I would thank you to join me here for a moment."

Lena followed his voice and entered a small chamber where Mason stood over a person in dark robes who somehow escaped the slaughter.

"This is the leader of the local cell," he told Lena. "Tried to escape as soon as the speaker started his incantations. The speaker himself is gone, I am afraid, so this man is the best we've got so far. He's all yours." Mason walked out of the room.

"But no, he promised!" The dark-robed man was cowering on the ground. "Please! I never bought into any of that Salvation rubbish!" He was pleading. "It was just to make some coin, all in good fun!" Lena was circling him, not quite believing her ears. Scorpio stood back watching, his arms crossed. The man tried to plead with him as well. "Please! I shall make it worth your while! Salvation has funds! I'm sure we can come to an arrangement!"

"That does it!" Lena's sword came down hard.

"Excellent!" Mason stepped out of the darkness. "I wasn't sure what you'd do with an unarmed man... I am glad we are on the same page," he smiled at Lena.

"We are, Brother," Lena smiled back.

...

"So, Salvation is a dangerous cult," Ser Maximilian shook his head. "But that's no proof that they are behind the skeleton plague."

"Yeah, about that," Lena smiled. "Which skeletons do you mean, exactly? Because, you see, there are no skeletons in the suburbs of the capital, day or night."

"No skeletons?" Ser Maximilian looked puzzled. "But I had reports... Umm... I don't know what to say, Arisen. Have you not found anything strange around the capital, then?"

"Strange? Well, we did run into sorcerers intent on burning me alive, time and time again, but no skeletons," Lena offered.

"It must be related," Ser Maximilian seemed certain. "Follow up on Salvation once more. I hear they also frequent a few spots in the lower town."

...

"Fancy a spot of dressing up?" Lena held up a set of Salvation robes that she brought from the catacombs.

"No." Scorpio backed off. "I'm not touching that."

"Oh, it's just a piece of cloth, I'm sure it's not going to..."

"No."

"Suit yourself," Lena shrugged, but tossed the robes into a corner - she wasn't keen on wearing them either.

Dressed casually and seemingly unarmed, Lena and Scorpio were strolling through the streets of Gran Soren. To any uninformed observer, they would appear to be a couple just about to fall in love. To anyone who knew who Lena was, they were the Arisen and her pawn. To the pawns, they were a squad missing two members. But who were they to the Salvation cultists? That was the most important question of all, since it's Salvation that they were trying to find.

"Sssh... Listen," Lena stopped dead on the bridge linking the upper and lower town.

"I hear it," Scorpio nodded, taking her into an embrace. "Under the bridge," he whispered into her ear. Now they definitely looked like a couple on a romantic walk.

"Shameless..." A townswoman gave Lena a disgusted look. Decent folk did not fraternise with pawns.

"...I did think that the skeletons were a bit much," a somewhat frightened voice was saying. "But I suppose the Conclave knows best."

"It's a grand rehearsal, they say," another voice under the bridge replied. "Bigger things are yet to come, apparently. I can't quite see why we need it, myself. But the Conclave will surely have its reasons."

"It's them, go," Scorpio breathed into Lena's ear. "Before they split up." He turned his back to the passers by allowing Lena to slip out of his embrace without anyone noticing. She curled up in a ball and jumped off the bridge onto the walkway below. There she stood up and took a few steps towards two men in dark robes who were trying to melt into the shadows.

"Hey, where did you come from?!" One of them noticed her. "What are you doing here?!" He seemed frightened. The other man broke into a run.

"Why, it's a public walkway, so I am walking," Lena smiled. "When you talk right under the bridge, your voice carries."

"No! You are the Arisen!" The man had a look at Lena's face. "I... We... I didn't mean any of it! You can go see for yourself, I'll sell you something very important to give you entry! Nine thousand in gold, and it's yours!"

"Erm..." Lena smiled and opened up her jacket revealing her fire-enchanted daggers underneath. "You were saying..?"

"Here..! Take it! I want nothing to do with it! It's in the catacombs, in a closed off area, and here's the key! I was only trying to make some coin, is all!" And with that he ran off.

...

"It must be one of those doors that seemed to be rusted shut," Scorpio was examining the key. "That's a clever lock."

The catacombs were again teaming with undead, but this time they were mostly skeletons.

"A grand rehearsal for what?" Lena wondered aloud, smashing them with her mace. "Let's hope we'll find out in that locked up section."

Apart from the skeletons, the catacombs were completely deserted. The gate that appeared to be fused together with rust, opened smoothly with Lena's key, and she and Scorpio had another chance to practice their fighting skills on two or three dozen of various undead, predominantly in skeletal form. Finally they came to a door requiring five enchanted gems to unlock which sent them exploring every last corner of the catacombs in search of those gems. Another two or three dozen of skeletal undead stood in their way, but not for long.

"These maces are quite effective," Lena was grinning at the relative ease in dealing with the undead. "And you know what - this zombie shield actually works. Although, admittedly, the undead are not crawling back under the ground as advertised..."

"You shouldn't... believe... advertising," Scorpio replied, making a pause for each punctuated swing of his mace. "I see no difference between your shield and mine."

"Mmm... Perhaps the skill of the bearer outweighs any dubious enchantments..." Lena muttered under her breath, blocking a frontal assault by a skeleton knight and not seeing him crawl back under the earth from whence he came.

With the five gems collected, they placed them in the sockets carved into the door, the magic lock clicked and the door slid upwards to reveal a large chamber beyond. It seemed to be completely empty.

"It's a trap," Scorpio said quietly.

"Obviously," Lena nodded and entered.

"Ah, there you are, Arisen!" A man stepped out of the shadows and the door slammed down, locking them in. "I've been expecting you! Prepare to die! Your bones will strengthen my undead army!"

He raised his arms in an incantation, red mist filled the room and Lena and Scorpio braced for an army of skeletons ready to make them join their ranks.

Three skeletons appeared.

Scorpio twirled, smashing them in one movement, not even leaving Lena with anything to do.

The door slid open. The sorcerer had vanished.

"Err... That was all?" Lena looked around, not seeing any further threats. "Underwhelming..."

"Well, there's this pile of soot where the sorcerer stood," Scorpio pointed at a dark stain on the floor. "I think he joined them himself, it seems to have been a ritual of some kind, but since you didn't grace it with dying, someone else had to..."

"Dark magic will always claim a victim," Lena nodded. "Sithis always wins."

"We'll probably meet him again, he'll be a particularly angry skeleton mage, I warrant," Scorpio smirked. "We're done here."




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another baffling bit of story writing on the part of Dragon's Dogma. A trained agent named Mason was unable to get any information from the members of Salvation, a sect that seeks to kill the Arisen. Yet the Arisen herself would naturally have no difficulty in getting those cult members to talk... Huh? I don't get it. So in my story I had to have Lena cast Vampire's Seduction on them, otherwise it just makes no sense!

Oh yes, and the final battle with the big baddy and his Army of Three Skeletons. Huh? Getting there was far, far more difficult than the boss battle itself... So yeah, "we're done here". May be someone forgot to put a few more spawn points in that room...

Scorpio is learning to use his Magic Shield, he no longer hits it with his sword while blocking, and he is no longer trying to block while intoning a spell. However, I found that he is unable to use any of the special skills designed for that vocation, and I was hoping to learn from him how to use them... I guess they were simply too complex to put into the AI, so he is skipping them entirely and using only the regular fighter and mage skills. I too am finding them too complex to get my head around... It seems Capcom couldn't figure out how to program intelligent use of them, so they left it to the player to figure out.

These things are peanuts though. Do not let me discourage you from playing the game. It is in my opinion one of the absolutely greatest games ever, inconsistencies notwithstanding.

Does Cutter have that name for a reason? (I've never had anybody who wanted to go to Shivering Isles.) SI sounds pretty nutty though. I'm reading the dialog in which Lena's needing to revive after her huge fight.

Oh cool, Hauk is back. And so is Rayenna. Hmm. It seems Rayenna doesn't know how old Lena is?

"Surely that meant that Lena was a traitor herself? Except... that was two centuries ago, and the girl in Lucien's bed was in her early twenties" Rayenna thinks or says at one point.

Wow. She's trying to make it seem like Hauk goes away. What a coniving ... tart.


9/176

This post has been edited by Renee: Feb 11 2023, 05:28 AM

Cutter is a smith, she makes sharp blades which she tests for sharpness on her own flesh. So yeah, Cutter.


The Dark Brotherhood doesn't just take lives, it also deals in secrets. Any information is only available on a need to know basis. Lena looks young, but advertising her age is definitely not required! Rayenna only knows Lena as a Sister, they met in passing, so Rayenna doesn't know Lena's history. Besides, that was a very painful affair with the traitor and all, it's not something that people are eager to talk about.


She knows what she wants and she's determined to get it. "All is fair in love and war" - isn't it how the saying goes?

Ah, so that's why a lot of gamers are fascinated with Cutter.



Got it. So she doesn't know anything about the vampirism, none of that. She just knows her sister casually.

4th Era, Year Unknown - Wolves

"You are not using any of the special skills that go with your magic shield," Lena noted, having observed Scorpio's technique in a number of fights. "Isn't it the whole point of such a special shield?"

"You are not using any of those skills either," Scorpio pointed out. "And neither do I see you use your Magic Cannon or Perilous Sigil skills."

"Well, I'm an assassin! I poison people, I don't hit them with some ball of magic energy!" Lena pulled a face. "I like getting close and personal with my daggers... or shoot an arrow from a distance! I thought you're the one who knew how to be a Mystic Knight!"

"Your love of daggers is what made me into a Mystic Knight in the first place!" Scorpio replied hotly. "I'm a mage, remember? A sorcerer! And here I am, limited to the kindergarten level spells from a plain mage's staff, forced to use sword techniques with a mace or a glorified club, and robbed of any shield skills because these magic shields are too damned big and heavy to do any bashing with them!"

"I never asked you to be a Mystic Knight, it was all your own idea!" Their exchange was getting hotter by the minute.

"I have to protect you! Both with magic and sword! This was the only way to do it!"

"Oh please, don't make any sacrifices on my account!"

They stopped in the middle of the road, staring each other down.


"Direwolves!!!" Scarlet suddenly shouted. "Stop arguing and start swinging!"

"Should I equip my staff or my sword, Ser Arisen?" Scorpio inquired with exceptional politeness. "Or perhaps my club? My all is yours to shape, Master."

"Oh shut up!!! Arrrgghh!!!" Lena jumped onto three wolves that were attacking her simultaneously, only to see them split up and lunge into opposite directions. She didn't hit any of them.

"I bow to your superior skill," Scorpio went on one knee and bowed his head. "But perhaps we should try to actually hit those wolves next time."

"Staff!! Now!!!" Lena bellowed, as the wolves returned, in ever increasing numbers.

"As you command," Scorpio was still offended, but he quickly equipped his staff and started intoning a fire spell. In a few seconds they were surrounded by flames, sending the wolves reeling - the ones that survived, that is.

"Now sword!!!" Lena decided to give him his due. "Slash them!!!"

"Gee, can't he decide for himself what weapon to use?" Scarlet stopped for a moment, watching the wolves regroup for another lunge.

"Apparently not," Lena shrugged. "'My all is yours to shape' and stuff," she rolled her eyes. "Are you having the same arguments with your Arisen?"

"No," Scarlet's face fell. "She actually buys all that Pawn Legion rubbish," she sighed. "I'm just an animated object to her."

"Oh."

"Get ready!!!"

The wolves had regrouped themselves, with one much larger wolf appearing among them - the Alpha of that pack. Lena and Scarlet stood back to back, and Lena switched from daggers to sword and even took out her shield, matching Scarlet's loadout.

...

"Thirteen pelts, seven large fangs, half a dozen small fangs, a few bits of animal flesh and a handful of rift crystals," Lena was distributing the spoils of that fight between them. "How come we get rift crystals from fighting wolves? Wolves don't come from the Rift."

"But they eat monsters that do," Scarlet pointed out, stashing away the loot. "Have you two made peace yet?" She looked at Lena and Scorpio in turn.

"It is my duty to protect the Arisen, with whatever limited means are at my disposal," Scorpio glared at Scarlet. "And to obey Arisen's every command. You know our charter."

"I don't need a nanny, thanks," Lena was getting cross. "Especially one who waits for me to tell him when to switch weapons because he wanted to be a Mystic Knight!"

Scarlet shook her head and sighed. No, they hadn't made peace yet.

"Well, I hope you sort it out soon, because we can't have your bickering where we're going," she looked sternly at them. "The Bluemoon Tower, remember? The griffin? With a couple of heavy bandit ambushes in tight quarters and a golem blocking our way? With harpies and skeleton knights thrown in for good measure? We need cohesion, or else we'll be dead well before we even approach the Bluemoon Tower."

"Last time we went through that canyon, the bandits had some Magic Archers and Sorcerers among them," Lena shuddered. "Magic Archers! I didn't think bandits could wield magic bows..."

"Pawns are not allowed to wield magic bows, but bandits are not pawns and are therefore held in much higher regard," Scorpio said in a pleasant, dispassionate voice. "Why not switch your regular bow for a magic one, Arisen? You can be a Magic Archer too."

"What is he doing?" Lena turned to Scarlet, completely ignoring Scorpio.

"He is following our charter," Scarlet smirked. "Talks as we are trained to talk. He's being an exemplary pawn."

"Good, then there will be no bickering," Lena's face turned to stone. "Let's go."


...

The road to the Bluemoon Tower was taking them far North from Gran Soren, into the lands inhabited by snow harpies, direwolves and an occasional cyclops. Even goblins seemed to avoid that area. Direwolf packs were getting larger, and as the sun set, they were joined by undead warriors and skeleton knights rising from the ground at night. Lena was hoping to reach a roadside camp before nightfall, but all the fighting delayed them far more than she had anticipated.

"When starting a long journey of this nature," Scorpio was saying in his ever-dispassionate voice, "one should aim to set out at dawn rather than in late afternoon, so one might reach a safe location before all the nighttime monsters appear."

"I shall take it under advisement next time," Lena retorted. "It's too late for it now!"

"The choice is yours to make, Arisen."

"CYCLOPS!!!" Scarlet screamed. "Not bad, it actually hurt!" The cyclops propelled her through the air and she landed on a cartload of dynamite that exploded on impact. "Aaarrrgghhhh!!!"

Lena looked around quickly, Scarlet wasn't knocked out. "That girl is made of strong stuff," Lena thought, loading poisoned arrows into her bow. "Take that, cyclops!!"

The fight was fierce, and Scorpio did not need to be told which weapon to use. But may be that's because he didn't have to switch weapons either - he kept shooting lightning bolts at the cyclops, while at the same time raising flames around them to keep the wolves at bay. "How does he do that?" Lena wondered, catching glimpses of him in between shooting arrows at the cyclops and fighting off wolves, undead warriors and snow harpies attracted to the smell of blood. "And with a plain mage's staff, too? And also blocking when necessary?" She watched in fascination as Scorpio quickly drew his shield to block a wolf's lunge in between intoning spells. "Once a fighter, always a fighter, I guess," she sighed. She fumbled with her own shield that still felt heavy and unwieldy to her, then switched to her bow and daggers. "Stick to what you know."

The cyclops had fallen, but the fight wasn't over. As the night deepened, more undead warriors appeared from under the ground, now joined by skeletons of all kinds - from simple soldiers to knights and magi. The wolves redoubled their attacks - it seemed that another pack or two joined in the fun.

"Mace, please," Lena touched Scorpio's arm. "You're the only one with a mace. Skeletons."

"As you wish," Scorpio nodded, switching weapons. That meant they had lost their mage. Perhaps Lena should have swapped her physical bow for a magical one - going magical would have allowed her to use a staff as well... But it was too late for that.


As they continued going North slowed down by all the fighting, Lena kept telling Scorpio when to switch his weapons - from mace to sword to staff, depending on which threat was the greatest, as far as she could tell. She had put away her bow because it became useless in the dark, and kept swapping between shield and sword or daggers. With all that switching, Scarlet was the most effective member of the group since she didn't have any switching to do. "This isn't working," Lena decided, "We'll need to regroup and... Ouch!" A large Alpha direwolf lunged at her, knocking her on the ground and pinning her down, his fangs at her throat. "Let go!!!" Lena bellowed, but the wolf was unimpressed. She was surrounded, with other members of the pack biting her as well, easy pray that she was, wringing on the ground. Scarlet was too far away, fighting off her own pack of wolves. Scorpio was smashing skeletons - his heavy and slow mace wouldn't do much against the wolves. Lena was on her own. Her eyes met amber eyes of the Alpha wolf. He bared his fangs, ready to bite her neck, but she twisted away and the wolf sank his teeth into her shoulder instead. Searing pain coloured her vision red.

...

The undead were rising from under the ground - the night was at its darkest hour. Two humans with lanterns were fighting off the undead, the wolves and the harpies. The wolves and the harpies wanted a piece of the human flesh, the undead simply wanted anything that moved. Were those two people actually human? Were pawns human? They were to the wolves and harpies - their flesh tasted the same.

A small group of wolves attacked the undead that were slowly closing in on one of the humans - the one with the mace. The other one had a sword - a far more effective weapon against the undead of the fleshy kind that had replaced the skeletons for the moment. The one with the sword was dangerous to all, the one with the mace... well. He had more flesh on his bones anyway.

Crimson teeth cut through the undead, they were no match for a small pack of direwolves that wanted the same prey. Harpies attacked next, they too wanted the man with the mace, even in spite of his heavy cuirass infused with magic. He blocked them with his large shield, conjuring up flames out of nowhere... Two of them fell, the others took to the skies. Nothing stood between the wolves and the man anymore, his shield would do him no good when the pack got him surrounded - his back still remained unprotected.

The Alpha howled, signalling the other wolves to fall in. The small pack coordinated its efforts. The Alpha would mount a frontal assault, while the others would keep the man distracted, it was a tried and tested strategy that worked every time. The Alpha lunged - the attack had started.

...

"Wolves!" Scorpio saw out of the corner of his eye an Alpha direwolf attacking the undead. "Strange, but never mind!" He was too busy repelling an attack by snow harpies. The mace felt heavy and awkward in his hand, but he couldn't switch it for a sword or a staff - not in the middle of a battle anyway. He blocked with his shield. "It's supposed to be able to conjure up flames," he thought. "It's no staff, but let's see..." he froze in concentration for a few seconds, allowing the harpies to approach uncomfortably close, but the shield responded just in time, the harpies hit it... and fell to the ground as their wings caught fire. "Not bad, it actually works!" Scorpio smirked to himself. "Now for the wolves!"

He glanced around, looking for Lena. He was still quite cross with her, but duty was duty, and his duty was to protect her. She could not have been killed - he would have felt it. The terrain was rocky however, so Scorpio wasn't surprised that he couldn't see her.

A small pack of direwolves had him surrounded. He would have to get rid of them first, then go looking for his Arisen.

The Alpha wolf lunged - Scorpio put up his shield - the wolf went clean past him, landing behind him and attacking some undead that rose from the ground... The other wolves froze for a moment, then attacked all at once, knocking Scorpio off his feet as he got distracted by the strange manoeuvre of the Alpha wolf. "Damn, these direwolves are clever!" He cursed himself, covering his head with his arms and hoping that his armour would protect him from the worst of the bites.

The bites let up a bit, and Scorpio looked up. Amber eyes were looking into his, fangs covered in blood were bared, heavy breathing sounded hoarse. The Alpha wolf appeared out of nowhere, lunging itself onto Scorpio and turning him on his back, exposing his neck where it wasn't covered by armour. In a split second the wolf's fangs would be tasting flesh.

The Alpha wolf howled in pain, knocked on the ground, his belly sliced open. Several other wolves lunged onto the same spot, and Scorpio felt the weight of their bodies on top of his, as they rolled and tumbled, seemingly fighting between themselves. It was all over in a few seconds. Amber eyes stared into his again, fangs bared, fur covered in blood... Fur... Dark fur of a warg draped over the shoulders, not the white fur of a direwolf covering the entire body. Fire-enchanted daggers in her hands, Wolf gave a long howl and disappeared into the night.

...

"She's here somewhere, she wouldn't have gone far," Scorpio got up, his anger towards Lena evaporated. "What sort of trouble did she get herself into this time?"

The sky in the East was showing the slightest signs of light, but it wasn't dawning yet. Having switched to his sword and holding it at the ready, he was circling the area, checking every rock, every crevice. An occasional undead was still crawling from under the earth, but their time had passed. Carcasses of freshly killed direwolves and snow harpies littered the area. He noticed lights further up, sharp noises indicated a fight, but by the time he reached it, all went quiet. Half a dozen bandits lay dead in their camp. "Cauterised cuts," Scorpio observed. "Fire-enchanted daggers. She's here." He dragged the bodies away from the campfire, straightened out some skins on the ground and sat down to wait.

He heard a slight noise behind him but didn't turn around. He felt hot breath on his neck and smelled the sweet aroma of fresh blood. Wolf's amber eyes were looking into his, a suggestion of fangs in her mouth, blood covering her neck and dripping from under her feral cape. Her cheekbones were flushed, her cheeks gaunt and grey.

"You lost a lot of blood," Scorpio said, jumping to his feet and casting a healing spell. "Let me close your wounds." She lost consciousness before Scorpio's spell was done, but he caught her just in time. "Let's get you out of here. The army campsite is nearby."

...

"This campsite was set up on the orders of the Duke specifically to assist Ser Arisen in her travels," the soldier at the camp looked at Scorpio with suspicion. "You can't just walk in here like that. Even if you don't look like a bandit," he added with some doubt in his tone.

"This is the Arisen," Scarlet pointed at Lena, still unconscious in Scorpio's arms. "We ran into some direwolves on the way. She got bitten."

"Direwolves..?" The soldier shivered uncomfortably. "They were not rabid, were they?" He took a step back.

"Well, they attacked the Arisen," Scarlet smirked. "I would not vouch for their sanity."

...

When Lena woke up, it was already past midday. Scorpio and Scarlet had dressed her wounds and stopped the bleeding, and dressed their own wounds and stopped the bleeding too. The soldiers left them completely to their own devices, in case the wolf that bit Lena was in fact rabid. "Better her than us," was the verdict. Scarlet got bored and went picking apples from the many wild apple trees growing nearby - she was particularly partial to them, the apples themselves and the sweet white wine that could be made from them later.

"Are you still cross with me?" Lena touched Scorpio's hand. "You are a far better Mystic Knight than I could ever be. I just do daggers."

"You manage all right with those huge shields and maces when you have to," Scorpio smiled. "Especially considering that some of them are bigger than you," he smirked. "I wouldn't have your agility to use the daggers..." He touched her forehead, gauging her temperature. "Your fever has passed. Those wolves weren't rabid, so what happened?"

"I am not sure..." Lena frowned. "I didn't grow any fangs, so it wasn't vampirism... Err... After that Alpha wolf bit me, I just felt one with the wolves... It's strange, I don't know..." She paused, trying to make sense of her memories. "Then I saw you surrounded by a small pack, and had to intervene."

"But you fought them on their own terms, like you were one of them," Scorpio frowned too.

"I was one of them..."

"It's good to have you back." He took her in his embrace, and that embrace wasn't just for show.

4th Era, Year Unknown - Affairs of state

"Arisen! Your urgent attention is required at the Southern Waycastle!"

"Arisen! Ser! Fly to the capital at once!"

"Cockatrice! Arisen! To the Southern Gate!"

"Aaaaaaaahhhh!!!!"

"Wait, isn't the Duke a world-famous dragon slayer? How come it's all up to me then?!"

"Don't think - fight!"

"Here - I'm not losing you again! Petrification antidote!"

...

"Well, I supposed we irritated it enough, so that it decided to fly away from here," Lena was watching a cockatrice take to the skies and leave Gran Soren. It's been a crazy day.

It started simple enough - a messenger from the castle came to the inn looking for Ser Arisen because once again her services were urgently required. Lena grimaced - she didn't like her breakfast interrupted, but went to the castle almost straight away.

"Arisen, we have received an urgent message from the Southern Waycastle - it is extremely important, but the soldiers will only speak with you," the Duke's chamberlain told Lena. "Fly to their side at once and see what is the matter."

"Umm, don't you find it a bit odd that they would not tell you - the Chamberlain - what it's all about?" Lena squinted at him. "Especially after that high profile theft from the Duke's treasury that I had to chase up, and after that rebellion at the Northern Stronghold that, again, for some reason I had to see to? It does form a pattern."

"You are right, I know," the Chamberlain nodded. "But those are the Duke's orders. The other two matters were unrelated, I hope... although it is true that they both involved Salvation... Err... A bit odd, I agree," he looked concerned for a moment. "But I'm sure the Duke knows what he's doing! Off to the Southern Waycastle, please, Arisen!"

There was nothing else to it, Lena shrugged, picked up Scorpio at the gates and the two of them set off to the Southern Waycastle, arriving there a few hours later.

"Arisen, Ser!" An out-of-breath soldier stopped them near the entrance. "An urgent message from the capital! Return there at once!"

"Why? What happened?" Lena steadied him, trying to get some more information. "And what about the urgent message that was supposed to wait for me here?"

"Here?" He looked at her in surprise. "Nothing is going on here, Arisen. Even the bandits are staying away... I thought you were just passing, on your way South, like."

"Oh." Lena nodded. This had clearly been a ruse to get her away from the capital, and now something was happening there. So she and Scorpio turned around and ran back to Gran Soren.

As they approached the capital, giant wings were visible behind the city walls, flapping.

"A griffin or a cockatrice," Lena pointed them out. "Attacking the city. Finally the city guard and all the Ducal Knights get something to do!"

"They are likely just standing around waiting for you, I think you'll find," Scorpio shook his head. "It's a dangerous business, fighting a cockatrice."

"Its breath is both poisonous and petrifying," Lena nodded.

"This gate has been sealed," a guard informed them as they approached the nearest city gate. "To prevent looting, you know. Go to the other gate."

"Don't they want that cockatrice defeated?" Lena turned to Scorpio. "You'd think they'd let us through."

"Come on - the other gate. There will be time for analysis later."

The guard at the other gate informed them that the cockatrice in question started out dead, it was a tribute to the Duke, a gift delivered together with many other gifts from the adoring populace. Once inside the city gates, the cockatrice came back to life and started wreaking havoc, mostly targeting the other tributes. Apparently, the main concern was for the safety of the goods, and not so much of the people.

"Arisen, go and slay it, Ser!"

Naturally.

The fight with the cockatrice wasn't easy. It was just Lena and Scorpio, they didn't have any other pawns with them, and although there was a small army of pawns stationed in Gran Soren, and there was also a small army of soldiers and members of the Ducal Guard watching the cockatrice from a safe distance, none of them actually engaged the creature. Well, there was nothing else for it, such was the fate of the Arisen.

Cockatrices were known to be weak to magic, and so Scorpio was constantly shooting fire and lightning at it, which required him to stand still while intoning spells. Which made him into a perfect target for the dreaded petrifying breath of that beast. Once affected, the victim would turn to stone within 30 to 40 seconds, and there was no spell to dispel it, no hope for a human and no return from the Rift for a pawn. Only an antidote taken before the process was complete, would dispel the ailment. The problem was, the cockatrice blew that stuff with every breath it took...

It didn't take long before Scorpio ran out of antidote vials, even though he did delay taking them until the last possible moment. The beast simply had more petrification on offer than there were antidotes in his pocket.

"But he's still casting," Lena noticed Scorpio's movements slowing down, yet the pool of fire still growing - he was intoning a spell. His light coloured coat and white direwolf cape got a dusting of grey... But no, it wasn't just dust! "He's out of antidotes!" Lena realised. She couldn't care less for the Duke's treasure, she bolted towards Scorpio, fumbling for antidotes in her bag, grabbing a handful to stick into his pocket, then realising that she had to administer one immediately and hope it wasn't too late...

Fire shot from Scorpio's hands, hitting the cockatrice flat between the eyes and sending it reeling, but his hand remained raised, his mouth frozen still speaking the words... He had turned to stone.

"Nooooo!!!!" Lena didn't know what to do. How do you administer a potion to a stone statue? "Oooh it better work!!" She broke off the neck of the little bottle and carefully dropped a little of the antidote onto Scorpio's lips, trying not to touch him, as victims of petrification were known to shutter into dust at the slightest touch...

But he didn't shutter. The antidote worked. First his lips, then the rest of his face regained colour, and Lena poured the rest of the potion into his mouth. A few more seconds, and Scorpio could move, although the dusting of grey on his coat and cape kept reminding them just how uncomfortably close he came to actual death. From that moment on, Lena wasn't leaving his side, shooting arrows at the cockatrice and pushing Scorpio out of the way of its breath, even if it meant that some of his spells got interrupted. After a while the cockatrice simply took to the skies and flew off.

"You did it!" A very excited Ducal knight ran up to them when all was quiet again. "All of the Duke's tributes are intact!" Lena looked around, and only then did she notice stacks of crates along the city walls.

"The tributes... Of course."

"The Chamberlain needs to hear of this! It is your duty to report on this mission!" The knight saluted and ran off.

"Has everyone gone mad, you think?" Lena squinted at Scorpio who was trying to dust off his coat and cape.

"There's only one way to find out - go talk to the Chamberlain," he grinned. "Ser Arisen. I've got a coat to dust off. Oh, and we pawns are not allowed in the castle."

...

"Amazing success!" The Chamberlain was ecstatic. "All the tributes are safe!" This was getting repetitive. "The Duke is very impressed with your excellent service! He wishes to entrust you another extremely important mission - an archeological excavation expedition!" The Chamberlain was positively beaming. "And he wishes to speak to you first! Personally in person! Follow me!"

Wow. Yeah. Lena followed. An archeological excavation sounded exceedingly urgent, considering that the dragon was threatening the very existence of the land... Or at least, that's what everyone had been led to believe. Things just didn't add up. Again.

"The office of an Arisen comes with a great valor, but also ambition," the Duke addressed Lena when the Chamberlain delivered her into the Duke's illustrious presence. "I have something to give you. Follow me."

Another slow and dignified walk through the castle followed, with the Duke leading Lena into the treasury - or perhaps rather one of the many rooms that were the treasury. Everything there was for her to take, comprising some nice armour and weapons and a lot of money. Fair enough. One of the chests had been magically sealed, and the Duke used his signet ring to unlock it. The item inside was a cape, a nice cape as capes went, a very useful cape, no doubt, with some unique enchantments... "Is that the Duke's old cape?" Lena wondered. "From the time when he was an Arisen? Did he confront the dragon wearing this cape?" It could have well been true. She took it with thanks.

Just as she was about to leave, a messenger ran up to the Duke with an urgent message of outmost importance... Lena pursed her lips. But this time the message was genuinely important - Salvation had attacked one of the Duke's strongholds and overwhelmed the soldiers. As that was the largest stronghold, Salvation must have been planning something big. "The skeletons were a grand rehearsal," Lena remembered. "Perhaps the real thing is soon to take place." Naturally, she were to drop everything and fly to that stronghold with all haste...

"Archeological excavations will keep," the Duke smiled at her. "Salvation needs to be dealt with." For once, Lena agreed.

...

"The office of an Arisen..." Lena shook her head, wondering about that turn of phrase with which the Duke had greeted her previously. "Some office! I've got a scar on my chest from which the heart is missing. Valor and ambition? Well, no, I'm just after my heart..."

"Pssst, Ser Arisen!" She heard a woman's voice call to her from the bushes. "Please!"

She recognised the Duke's wife's chambermaid. For some reason no one referred to the Duke's wife as the Duchess. How odd.

"My mistress is in grave danger!" The maid looked frightened. "The Duke flew into a rage again and sent her off to the Northern Prison! She's locked up in that fortress, I fear for her life!"

"That does sound ominous..." Lena agreed.

"Please, you must rescue her!" The maid pleaded. "Here, I stole a suite of armour that the soldiers wear, please, wear it and go to the fortress, they won't let you in otherwise! Rescue my mistress!"

"Umm... Err... Well... I can get to her, I guess..." Lena squinted. "But how am I supposed to 'rescue' her? I've got nowhere to take her, exactly."

"Oh, you'll think of something!" The maid beamed at her, pulling a large bundle of armour from behind the bush. "You're so brave and strong and..."

"...male?" Lena was about to say but kept her tongue. That again. But she took the armour thinking that even if the compliments didn't really work, the Duke's wife probably still didn't deserve to be killed for no good reason.

...

"What's that?" Scorpio took the bundle of armour from Lena's hands as she came out of the castle gates overloaded with gear. "Soldier's armour? Could the Duke do no better than that?"

"That's for something different," Lena shook her head. "You won't believe it..."

...

The matter of damsel in distress had to be addressed first, Lena decided the following morning. Realising that she would have to go into the fortress on her own, and cursing the weight of the soldier's armour, she had to pay close attention to her own armour and weapons, as well as potions and ammunition. She decided to leave her bow and arrows behind and to wear a light silk robe and hydra skin boots instead of her usual reinforced leather armour. She'd carry a shield and take a staff and a mace as well, just in case.

"Ah, the enchanted pants outfit," Scorpio looked her over when she was ready. "At least the shield is protecting your modesty," he grinned.

"Do I have a particularly large and vicious mace here to convince you otherwise?" Lena grinned back, placing her hand on the handle of her morgenstern. "I have to go light. Robes can be worn by Mystic Knights, which is what I am doing."

"You could just wear that soldier's armour, you know," Scorpio thought it was reasonable. "The way to that fortress is long, so why carry it as dead weight?"

"I am not wearing that for any longer than I have to!" Lena said defiantly. "It makes me look fat!"

...

The soldier's armour did come in handy for getting into the fortress. There it wasn't too hard to find the tower where the Duke's wife was being held. Lena looked for a way out that didn't go through the front gate as well. As any fortress, this one also had dungeons with holes in the walls. The only remaining question was what to do once they were out. Lena brushed it aside for the moment.

As Lena walked up the stairs to the lady's tower, she remembered the last time she saw her: it was in the castle dungeons. The lady had brought Lena some keys to help her escape, having betrayed her to the Duke in the first place... "Why did she ask me to join her in her bedchamber? Did she know the Duke would attack her? Was she planning to betray me all along?" Lena wondered. "There is of course something wrong with the Duke, but his wife is hardly any better. Why am I even helping her?" But by then she stood in front of the door into the lady's chamber, and there was nothing else to it but to go in.

The scene that followed was... strange. As soon as the lady recognised Lena under the soldier's armour, she flew up to her, embraced her and kissed her, then pushed her onto the large feather bed and... umm...

...

A few hours later it was really time to get going. Lena felt like she had been hit on the head with a rock again. May be she had been. She was naked and couldn't remember what happened, the Duke's wife kept chattering about their great escape and how she had loved her "warrior" from the moment she first saw her, and all that... "Big and strong" compliment came out a few times as well, and Lena wondered whether the woman had been delusional. Quickly getting dressed, they needed to get out of there. "There will be time for analysis later," Lena remembered Scorpio's phrase from before.

The soldiers in the fort did not take kindly to their prisoner escaping, and Lena had to kill them all. Strangely enough, they presented no challenge... "Weaklings," Lena snorted. Suddenly, the "big and strong" argument started making sense, at least the "strong" part of it, as Lena was still only a short Breton female...

Once they had climbed through the hole in the wall, they found themselves in the sewers with half-demolished bridges that required walking ankle-deep in water and jumping over some rotten planks and potholes. Their damsel in distress couldn't do it, and Lena had to carry her... "Big and strong" started making even more sense at that point. About half way through, Scorpio appeared out of nowhere, or rather from the other end of the tunnel, which was a great relief because he helped Lena fight bandits that inhabited the sewers. Lena tried to suggest that it would be far more practical if Scorpio were the one to carry their damsel in distress over the potholes, but the lady flatly refused, she wouldn't let another man touch her, she wasn't that kind of girl, etcetera, etcetera, and Scorpio looked like he was being forced to touch some rotten fish or worse... And so it was Lena who continued carrying the lady over potholes and puddles of water.

Finally the exit was in sight, and lo and behold, there was the welcoming committee: the lady's maid with two knights from their native land who were there to take the Duke's wife to safety and to make sure that no unwanted "warrior" lovers would follow her. More declarations of eternal love from the Duke's wife ensued, with tears of separation, embraces and attempts at kisses, but Lena strategically lowered the visor of her helmet to stop any such nonsense from taking place. She knew there was a reason why she had put on the soldier's armour again when she woke up naked on the lady's bed a few hours before.

With the Duke's wife and her guards departed, Lena and Scorpio turned to leave as well, only to get attacked by a chimera that jumped out of nowhere... "Where were you when I was getting all those unwanted kisses?!" Lena bellowed at the chimera, attacking the lion's head.

With the chimera slain, she and Scorpio could finally leave too. Lena was spent. There was an army camp nearby, the very same where just a few days ago Scorpio brought her unconscious after that direwolf fight. Now, as the two of them walked in, the soldiers simply pointed them to a tent, having recognised the Arisen and her pawn in need of rest after a hard day at the office. And what a day it had been.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Feb 13 2023, 03:13 PM

Rayenna thinks she can just kill Lena, or get her killed, ha. She's so obsessed!



Magic. Magic explains everything, at least in an imaginitive way. We never see any stone masons or magicians performing repairs to crumbling foundations and whatnot (well, in ESO we do). But I like to think that in the I.C., all the resources to maintain this sort of stuff are always fully there, whereas out in the countryside, those ruins & forts only have a few outlaw wizards or marauders at best. These folks are too focused upon survival. They are transients, in some cases. They haven't got all the tools and manpower and resources to keep those structures from crumbling and whatnot.

Anyway, this episode's intense. UH oh, Rayenna's been paralyzed. I actually hate this woman for her desire to kill Lena, but now I feel sympathetic toward her.



I know, right?

Bookmark

This post has been edited by Renee: Feb 15 2023, 03:03 PM

Some would call it "driven". Or perhaps "in love"?


She's a victim of of a fat little imp with a poisoned arrow.

4th Era, Year Unknown - Romance

"Must be nice to walk with a female who has no qualms taking her clothes off in your presence," said Ser Octavio at the camp where Lena and Scorpio had stopped for the night. "Do you to do 'it' a lot?" He grinned.

"We do not do 'it' at all," Scorpio answered coldly. "Not that it is any of your business."

"Oh come now!" Ser Octavio was still grinning, not offended by Scorpio's rebuff. "You pawns may not be human they say, but I don't see any difference. And neither do the girls in the lower town in Gran Soren."

"Yes, we have the same bodily functions and needs," Scorpio softened his reply. "But it has nothing to do with anything. Wolf and I have a different type of relationship altogether."

"As long as it is one that involves her taking her clothes off, I wouldn't mind it either," Ser Octavio kept grinning. "I wish we had women in our ranks," he sighed.

"It's probably best that you don't," Scorpio said quietly and returned to the tent where Lena was just waking up. "Coffee?" He handed her a cup. "Ser Octavio does make a decent brew, even if I can't say the same for his conversation."

"Oh, do not let me stop you from tending to your bodily needs," Lena grinned. "Even if there are no women around except this one who sleeps with a dagger under her pillow."

"But who cannot resist being hit on the head with a rock," Scorpio smirked. "I told you - some women prefer..."

"Yeah, I get it!!" Lena cut him off, nearly spilling her hot coffee. "I didn't think she'd actually do it! I never gave her any reason to think I'd be even remotely interested!!"

"No, let's see," Scorpio looked pensive. "You chatted her up in the castle gardens to start with. You agreed to meet with her maid after dark. You accepted her invitation to visit her in her bedchamber at night. You actually showed up! And then you came all the way to this remote Northern Prison to rescue her, while again visiting her in her bedchamber... What else was the lady to think?"

"That I accidentally bumped into her in the gardens to start with and was simply making polite conversation? That I thought her request was odd, having met the Duke before, and went to investigate? That I was actually more interested in the Duke's behaviour than in her person? That I didn't think she deserved to die even after she betrayed me?" Lena glared at him. "None of this implies any kind of romantic attraction! She's a woman, for gods' sakes! And I..."

"...prefer men, I noticed," Scorpio grinned. "Don't think I didn't see the way you looked at that knight from her guard, visor or no visor."

"Well, yes, I might have found him appealing," Lena grinned too. "But I didn't hit him on the head with a rock for it."

...

"Another day, another cyclops," Lena sighed after yet another fight on the way back to Gran Soren. "Let's take a break and actually eat some lunch for a change..." She motioned Scorpio towards the hillside. "Before Ser Octavio's excellent pies go stale."

Scorpio didn't argue. He too was feeling tired - perhaps Lena's emotional ordeal of the day before was rubbing off onto him after all. They cleared the hillside of snow harpies, picked a nice spot among the meagre greenery and spent a relaxing afternoon overlooking a Northern landscape with its tall pines, wild apple trees, short dry grass, thorny bushes and rugged rocks protruding from the earth at odd angles. They watched a pack of direwolves lazily lounge on a rock formation, a flock of snow harpies circle around an ox carcass and a group of bandits ambush the road. The air was cool but not cold, the food was plentiful, and for once Lena decided that chasing the dragon could wait.


The nightfall caught them by surprise. Normally Lena would have welcomed the opportunity to travel at night and face nighttime foes, but she felt reluctant to do so that evening. Perhaps she was still tired, or perhaps something else was weighing on her. There was no camp nearby however, nowhere to spend the night, and staying on the hillside was counter-productive if one wanted to avoid the fighting.

"The cave of the Dragonforged is just North of here," Scorpio reminded her. "Perhaps he'll let us spend the night there?" It was worth a try.

...

"What brings you here, Arisen of the present day?" The Dragonforged greeted Lena as they entered. "Do you already know what it is you wish to know?"


"Some of it, yes," Lena smiled. "Forgive me if it sounds too forward, but is your companion in fact your pawn?"

"That is an unexpected question," the Dragonforged raised an eyebrow. "Do you not wish to ask aught of the dragon? No? You wish to know about my pawn instead?" Lena felt his piercing gaze on her but didn't lower her eyes and did not falter. "Very well," the Dragonforged smiled. "Yes, this is my pawn."

"But he has no pawn print," Lena walked up to the pawn and asked him to show his hand with a polite bow. "He is a pawn no longer."

"He is, and he is not," the Dragonforged continued in his ever-enigmatic manner.

"Are you still a pawn?" Lena decided she'd paid enough courtesy to the Dragonforged and could now address his pawn directly.

"It is as my master says," he replied. "I am, and I am not. I no longer answer to the Legion, yet I exist only in the shadow of my master. Were he to perish, so would I."

"This is confusing," Lena had to admit, looking at each of them in turn. "But you are immortal, are you not?" She asked the Dragonforged.

"I am bound to the dragon," he replied, as if that answered Lena's question. She shook her head and looked at Scorpio in desperation.

"Perhaps the meaning will become clear later on," he said quietly. "Remember Selene - her pawn print also disappeared after her Arisen had died of old age."

"Yes, about that," Lena turned to the Dragonforged again. "Forgive me - but does an Arisen continue to age even without the heart? Like that..."

"...like the Arisen of Selene?" The Dragonforged sat down on his favourite chair. "I know of her. Yes, you continue to age and can die of old age if you decide not to pursue the dragon. As the dragon only comes every fifty years, it is entirely possible to die of old age before the next Arisen slays the dragon."

"Before the next Arisen slays the dragon?" Lena repeated his words, letting the meaning sink in. "Because the dragon has the Arisen's heart... So should the dragon die, so will the Arisen." The Dragonforged inclined his head in agreement. "...so will all Arisen whose hearts the dragon holds..." Lena walked around the room, stunned by the meaning of this. "Does the dragon still hold your heart as well?" She faced the Dragonforged.

"Indeed he does," he replied. "I fell in the duel with the dragon, I should be dead. I failed to retrieve my heart. The dragon made me into what I am now."

"And that was a very long time ago," Lena prompted him.

"A thousand years or more," he nodded. "I lost count. Very few Arisen live long enough to even face the dragon."

"And many don't even try," Lena added. "But..." She looked at him with worry.

"No, that question is best left unasked for now." Scorpio stood behind her, with his arm around her waist, and she understood what his words meant - the question about the Duke and his purported slaying of the dragon, if asked and answered aloud, would put events out of sequence. It was enough that everyone in the room knew what she was about to ask, and also knew the answer.

"He who knows what I know, knows it well," the pawn of the Dragonforged said quietly.

"Might we spend the night in your home?" Lena suddenly changed the topic, turning to the Dragonforged. "I feel the dangers of the night might overwhelm me at present."

...

"What do you make of them, master?" The pawn of the Dragonforged asked, once Lena and Scorpio were asleep in the adjoining chamber. "Her pawn's hand print is very dim."

"He's still a pawn and she's still his Arisen," the Dragonforged looked pensive. "The Legion still has hold on him. I don't understand why they released Selene... Her Arisen certainly did nothing for it to happen. We don't have all the answers, my friend," he looked at his pawn with fondness of an age long friendship. "But these two... who knows. Perhaps they will learn more than we ever could."

...

"You seem wistful and distracted lately," Scorpio started carefully as he and Lena were crossing the mountain South of Gran Soren. The narrow mountain pass wedged between high walls of rock made the place feel private somehow, harpies notwithstanding. "What is weighing on your mind?"

"Bonds," Lena answered absent-mindedly. "Several people, including the Duke's wife, have entered my life recently, with needs of love, lust, protection, or... I don't even know what! Why did Selene take over my house?" She looked at Scorpio in confusion. "I don't understand... I never led anyone on... or so I thought..." She shook her head and resumed walking.

"You are the Arisen, the hero of this time," Scorpio caught up with her. "Some of those people simply want to be connected to the hero, without caring too much for your person."

"Now, that I can understand!" Lena smirked. "Madeleine, for one. Asking for fifty-five thousand gold coins to offset her travel expenses!" Lena scoffed. "At least with Madeleine you know where you are - her affection has nothing to do with love what-so-ever."


"But you didn't give her the money."

"Obviously not."

"Even though you have more than ten times as much in the bank, and so many bits of armour and weapons as to raise double that amount."

"True."

"Then why did you not help her out?" Scorpio squinted at Lena.

"Because why would I?" Lena squinted back. "Who is she to me, exactly? A shop keeper. No more."

"Hmm."

They walked in silence for a while.

"Yet you gave gifts to several other shop keepers," Scorpio said suddenly. It seemed he was trying to work it out as well.

"Travelling merchants, yes," Lena nodded. "And I didn't give them money, but something that they could actually use."

"Health and stamina potions."

"Exactly."

"But why?"

"Because I found their services valuable and their manners pleasant. Because I want them to continue providing those services. Because they never asked for any intimate favours!" She finally burst out. "May be that's it."

"So, it bothers you when people ask personal things of you," Scorpio concluded.

"Some people, yes," Lena nodded. "Well, most people."

"Hmm."

The secluded corridor between two walls of rock was about to end and open to the Southern Waycastle. Lena slowed her steps, then turned around and started walking back.

"Ser Maximilian," Scorpio said casually. "You like him, don't you?"

"I like him more than most, yes," Lena nodded. "He's got a good head on his shoulders. But he's a soldier and has to follow orders. He's got the right balance though, I think."

"You will need to give him more gifts and pay him more attention if you want anything to come of it though."

"What?!" Lena stopped dead, staring at Scorpio. "What come of what?"

"You have to be honest with yourself. You know very well what I mean," Scorpio looked at her sternly. "Think on that. Come on, we were going South." He turned around and started walking South, with Lena eventually following.

...

The Witchwood was foggy, as always. They walked through the woods looking for a rare herb that someone wanted for their cooking. It made no sense to Scorpio, other than that Lena wanted to get away from it all. There was no one in the woods, it was quiet and peaceful, apart from a few wolves.

They came to the grave of Selene's Arisen, but no ghost appeared this time. Instead, a person of flesh and blood was sitting by the grave. Lena wanted to turn around, not wishing to disturb him, but he got up, greeted her and pointed at an ancient tablet resting on the gravestone.

"This is an ancient text in wyrmspeak. You should take it, Arisen. The Faith knows how to read such texts, and their services are free. I could read it for you as well, but my fees are highter. What will it be?"

"Err..." Lena was taken aback. "Do I know you? Are you trying to sell this tablet to me?"

"Not at all," the man shook his head. "I am just a traveling scholar."

He offered no further explanation of his presence there, and Lena thought that he didn't look like a scholar at all... But she took the tablet, nevertheless. Something about it was intriguing.

South of Witchwood lay Cassardis, and Lena suddenly felt the need to return there, even though it wasn't her birthplace at all, and "her" house was now Selene's. Still, everyone called her "cousin", and she could use the friendliness. Scorpio too liked the village, it seemed. They spent a few days there doing practically nothing, sitting on the beach, chatting with the locals, eating fish... "An Arisen's life is hard, come, rest a while, cousin!" People thought it was only right. At some point Lena thought that perhaps the priest at the local chapel would be able to read the strange tablet in wyrmspeak. They brought it to him, but he couldn't read it. "I know someone who can, however," he said, somewhat uncertain. "That is, I never met him myself. But there's a hill North of Gran Soren, with a drawing on the hillside, and there..."

"The old man on the hill, of course!" Lena beamed at him. "Indeed. Thank you." It seemed they had to return to the Dragonforged.

...

"Ah, the tablet presented itself to you as well," the Dragonforged held it for a moment, then returned it to Lena. "I held it once before, too. It represents whatever you hold most dear."

"A stone tablet?" Lena was confused. She held it in both hands, and suddenly there was a flash of light, the tablet vanished, and Lena held a golden ring.


"A ring," the Dragonforged nodded. "What you hold most dear, is other people."

"So? Am I to wed?" Lena was even more confused now. "What is the meaning of this?"

"It is called an Arisen's Bond, not quite a wedding ring," the Dragonforged explained. "More powerful than that. Give it to the person you wish to have an eternal bond with, and if they accept, the bond will be sealed. The magic within is immensely strong."

"Oh, this is easy," Lena smiled, turning to Scorpio. "I never wish to lose you again, my friend. Will you accept this bond?" She held the ring in her open hand.

"Never to lose you again," said Scorpio, taking it.

There was a flash of light and the ring vanished.

"You cannot give it to a pawn," the Dragonforged said flatly. "No point - he is already bound to you anyway."

"But I nearly lost him once!" Lena exclaimed, remembering the ordeal in the Rift after Scorpio fell into a deadly abyss and could not return. "He did not return to the Rift!"

"And you got him back?" The pawn of the Dragonforged asked in surprise and amazement. "You offered a piece of your soul?"

"I have," Lena nodded. "But they said they already had my heart."

"You do not need that ring," the pawn shook his head. "Your bond is stronger than that already. Choose someone else," he pointed at Lena's hand - the ring was there again.

"Choose an actual person," the Dragonforged joined in. "The bond will be either your shield or your undoing, it is a test."

"The Legion surely loves its tests!" Lena exclaimed in indignation. "They've been testing me from day one! Whether I am in truth an Arisen! Whether my will is strong enough! Whether I've got the resolve!" She was turning red with anger at first, but now she started turning pale with rage. "Well, I've got an ugly scar on my chest and an empty space where the heart should be. I am an Arisen in truth! Enough tests!" She flung the ring behind the rubble in the cave. It made a noise, then went quiet. "I do not want anyone else." She put her arm around Scorpio's waist. "Thank you," she said to the Dragonforged, her voice sounding perfectly calm now. "Thank you for the explanation, but if I cannot give it to the one I choose, it is of no use to me."

...

"Stubborn," the Dragonforged smirked when Lena and Scorpio had left. He stood in the doorway, watching them walk away. "Well, they can't say we didn't try," he looked at his pawn. "What was that about the soul?"

"If a pawn perishes, the Arisen has to choose a new one," the pawn explained. "It is rare, but it occurs. What is more rare still, and almost never happens, is when the Arisen protests the loss of a pawn. The Legion will ask something in return to bring back the pawn, such as a piece of the Arisen's soul. I haven't heard of an Arisen before who would accept the exchange... until now."

"Stubborn, like I said," the Dragonforged shook his head. "Women." He snorted. "Good thing I never bound myself to any of them... or to anyone else for that matter..."

"Her pawn does not seem to mind though..." He stood next to his master, watching Lena and Scorpio walk away, the road stretching before them.

4th Era, Year Unknown - Escort

"Ser Maximilian is requesting an escort," Lena was reading notices on the billboard in the Union Inn in Gran Soren. "Interesting."

"Aha," Scorpio grinned. "Do I get the night off?"

"Not that kind of escort!" She grinned back at him. "He has orders to march to the Greatwall Encampment by way of training," she shook her head. "But he questions the sanity of going alone."

"He does have a head on his shoulders," Scorpio nodded approvingly, peering over Lena's shoulder to read the notice. "That trek is very dangerous and will run into the night even if we set off at dawn and jog most of the way."

"Three cyclopes, two chimeras, three or four groups of bandits..."

"...five if we are unlucky," Scorpio reminded her.

"Five if we are unlucky," she nodded. "Wights, undead warriors and skeleton knights if we tarry, any number of snow harpies, several large groups of hobgoblins..."

"...a debilitating lake that poisons, blinds and silences all at once..."

"...with spirits and phantasms because it will be already nighttime..."

"...and a few packs of direwolves too, let's not forget about them!"

"Oh yes, let's not forget them," Lena nodded. "So, what do you reckon? Take Rook with us?" She looked at Scorpio.

"Rook?" Scorpio was taken aback. "A mage, yes, but Rook isn't strong enough for all of that. He trains beginners."

"You'll see," Lena winked and marched to the Pawn Guild.

...

"Hello, Rook," Scorpio greeted them when Lena and Rook emerged from the Rift at the Pawn Guild.

"Not here," Rook said quietly and walked briskly towards the exit. Once they were sufficiently far away from the Pawn Guild, he turned to Scorpio and said, smiling: "I know you think it's mad for me to join your party. But I am not really as weak as I might appear. Not that Barnaby needs to hear of it, mind."

"Oh, your secret is safe with me," Scorpio grinned. "Been training, have you?"

"There will be no new Arisen as long as this one is still chasing the dragon," Rook nodded. "So the Legion leaves me alone for now. I've been helping Olra on the Bitterblack Isle."

"Wow!" Scorpio was taken aback. "You're not exactly level six then any longer."

"I have not been level six for a very long time already," Rook rolled his eyes. "It's just what the newly Arisen are led to believe. But even so, I wasn't supposed to gain too many new skills... So Barnaby doesn't need to hear of it. By hiring me now, the Arisen simply wanted cannon fodder, as far as he is concerned."

"Happens often enough," Scorpio nodded. "All right then! Let's go!"

...

Escorting Ser Maximilian to the Greatwall Encampment started off as a lengthy jog along a largely empty road.

"We want to get through this part of the way as quickly as possible," Lena was telling him. "The 'monsters' around here are mostly just wild animals, they don't attack unless provoked. Which we won't do."

"For once," Scorpio smirked.

"For once," Lena nodded. "This isn't that kind of training. We'll face plenty of trouble further on."

"Good thing they didn't require us to wear full suits of heavy armour," Ser Maximilian patted his coat. "I couldn't jog all morning with that on."

"I do hope you have at least something under that coat though," Lena looked him over without stopping.

"I'll let you find out if we make it there alive," he winked.

"Hmm."


The jog continued, with Scorpio leading and Rook staying close to Ser Maximilian in case of adversity - Rook's primary task was to keep Ser Maximilian alive. It proved more challenging than expected, as Ser Maximilian got into the fun of things and insisted on joining every fight that they encountered along the way. "I need practice," he was saying. "Standing still in the Castle Grounds dispatching orders got me out of shape." Lena objected that he should have brought potions, but he flatly refused anything she tried to give him. "Your mage is healing me already, that's enough!" Lena shrugged and gave up eventually. Rook had his work cut out for him.

Two cyclopes and three groups of bandits later, Ser Maximilian was getting complacent, she thought. Next up was a chimera.

"There's a chimera lurking in these woods," she told him as they were climbing a winding mountain path. "We'll try to avoid it, but there are also bandits there, it might get messy."

"Bring it on!" Ser Maximilian grinned. "This sword could use some action!"

"That may be more action than you're used to though," Lena shook her head. "Chimeras can be overwheeeeee...!!!" A giant lion jumped out of nowhere, a goat sat on its back, his tail a giant snake. Chimeras could overwhelm, yes.


"Whoah!!!"

There were several strategies for fighting a chimera, but none of them involved also trying to protect an eager knight who was constantly underestimating the danger. Plus, there were bandits and direwolves to deal with as well. Lena shot a quick glance at Scorpio who was already climbing on the chimera's back in order to try and hack off its snake tail, thus stopping it pouring poison, even though it was a partial blessing as it affected the bandits and the direwolves as well, except that they were smart enough to avoid most of it. Rook was too busy shooting lightening at the lion's head in order to stop him jumping around quite so wildly - Scorpio was hanging on for dear life, never mind hacking anything. Ser Maximilian lunged towards the chimera, his sword drawn, his shield up, but the shield would not protect him from the snake's poison or the goat's magic... or the bandits' daggers and arrows from behind, as it turned out. He was hit, but not too badly, and Lena dealt swift justice to the bandits, but more were coming in, and with the rampaging lion it would not take long before the fight was lost to the opposition...

"Not on my watch!!" She bellowed, grabbing Ser Maximilian around the waist, hoisting him over her shoulder ("Heavy!!") and running off towards the edge of the cliff. The drop to the lower level was only small, Lena jumped off, still carrying bewildered Ser Maximilian over her shoulder. There she sat him down, took out her bow and started shooting poisoned arrows at the chimera from a reasonably safe distance.

"Stay here and don't charge the chimera!" She ordered him. "I don't know if I can carry you again. We'll rejoin the fight once the snake is done, at least."

"Damn, I should have brought some arrows with me as well," Ser Maximilian sighed. "I didn't expect this..."

"No one ever expects a chimera," Lena smirked.

...

"Phew!" The chimera was slain and Lena and Ser Maximilian joined Scorpio and Rook dispatching the remaining bandits and direwolves. Rook had his hands full casting healing spells now, as Ser Maximilian was still refusing potions that Lena tried to give him.

"That's wine," he said, sniffing a bottle. "No drinking on the job!"

"That's wine, aye," Lena nodded. "It keeps you alive. Otherwise there's no job to begin with." But no, he wouldn't have it, not until they were safely at the camp... Lena shook her head at that logic, but gave up.

After the chimera everyone became more cautious, Ser Maximilian included. They dealt with a few more bandits along the way, but otherwise proceded peacefully.

"The next bit is a danger onto itself," Lena warned Ser Maximilian again. "There's a cyclops further up, but the most dangerous thing about this stretch of road is the cliffside. The path is narrow and uneven, one slip, and you're dead. Watch out when we engage the cyclops - the fall is what is likely to get you first."

"Nah, I walked mountain paths before," Ser Maximilian started argueing, but then they made another turn and the full scale of the drop became obvious. "Oh... I see. What a drop." Lena was only hoping that the caution sank in.

An armoured cyclops was towering in the distance, completely blocking the path. There was no other way but to fight it.

"How did you know there would be a cyclops there?" Ser Maximilian squinted at her.

"There's always one there, it belongs to the bandits that hold that fortress," she pointed at the fortress at the end of the cliffside climb. "That waycastle. The cyclops is their guard dog."

"But you've killed it a few times already, haven't you?" Ser Maximilian didn't give up. "So where do the replacements come from?"

"A cyclops farm? What do I know?" Lena shrugged. "Smuggled over the border? Beats me."

"There is a cyclops farm further up, remember?" Scorpio joined in. "It only had one cyclops there last time, but he was quite tame - friendly to the keeper, that is. I bet that's where they get smuggled." That was indeed very odd, but they had to stop their deliberations because they'd neared the cyclops and it started swinging its giant club... The fight had begun.

...

By the time they defeated the cyclops and dispatched another group of bandits further up the path, the sun started to set.

"Well, that was fun!" Ser Maximilian was in good spirits - they were once again on solid ground past the waycastle, without any danger of falling into an abyss.

"No, the fun is only just beginning," Lena pointed at a flock of snow harpies. "Don't rush them. There's another chimera to the left and a poisonous lake just ahead. You don't want to fall into either, but the harpies will bring it on."

Everyone had to exercise some restraint and avoid chasing the harpies, although letting them come too close seemed like a dangerous idea as well.


"Wait for it..." Lena stood still, watching the harpie approach. "It will try to grab you..." She put her hand on the hilt of her fire-enchanted sword. "Now!!" A swift strike threw the harpie on the ground, the fire enchantment setting its wings ablaze. "It doesn't always work, but is always worth a try," she grinned.

"Help me!!!" Scorpio was less fortunate, another harpie grabbed him and was carrying him towards the poisonous lake.

"No, you don't!!" Rook's fireball hit the harpie in flight, singing Scorpio a little, but mostly making the harpie release its grip as it fell to the ground. Lena dashed to it, making sure it would never fly again.

"Ugh, twisted my ankle," Scorpio swore, trying to set it as best he could - they still had quite a way to go.

"Right, everyone fall in and follow me," Lena said sternly. "The slope is slippery, the ground is soggy, and I don't want to see any of you fall into that lake, harpies or no harpies!" They nodded and followed, picking their way as close to the rising hillside as possible.

After some time walking in silence, they found the hillside opening up to a valley.

"Home stretch now," Lena turned to Ser Maximilian again. "Hobgoblins and direwolves ahead, possibly spirits and phantoms, undead warriors or skeleton knights, we'll see."

"Charming."

"Quite," she nodded. "Watch your step and try not to die this close to our goal."

"Let us take the lead," Scorpio joined in. "We've done this before. Heroics are not called for."

Ser Maximilian was going to protest, but changed his mind. Perhaps they had a point.

"Keep your calm about you," Lena patted him on the arm. "Here we go. Remember, I still want to see what you've got under that coat." She winked and charged into the darkness - hobgoblins were ahead.


"Are all Arisen like that?" Ser Maximilian asked Scorpio who was watching Lena's movements closely.

"No, she's one of a kind," he answered without turning, but stopped Ser Maximilian from interfering.


"Holy fury!"

"Fury - yes, holy - unlikely," Scorpio grinned. "Direwolves!"

The battle continued.


"Watch out!" The wolves were going for Rook. Wolves always went for mages, either because continued use of magic made their flesh taste better, or because they had to stand still while intoning their spells. Lena lunged, leaving Ser Maximilian to his own devices, but the wolves were already tearing at Rook's clothes, then jumping back in pain. "Armour," Lena realised. "Clever Rook!" Mages could not wear most of the armour available to buy - iron and steel interrupted their magicka flow, while bone armour carried curses. But the Bitterblack Isle held ore with unusual properties, ore that could be made into armour suitable even for mages. It wasn't a full body suit, but it was enough to make a difference. "Leave... him... alone..!" She bellowed, and the wolves suddenly stopped their attack...

"Help me..!" She heard Rook call - his armour failed to protect him. Holding her blade in wait and watching the wolves, she moved towards Rook lying on the ground. The wolves followed in fascination, their eyes on hers. She reached Rook and helped him up, then pushed him away. She faced the wolves.


Later on, when asked about what happened, she couldn't quite explain it. She howled, and the wolves howled with her. She bared her teeth - not fangs - and growled at them, and the wolves stopped growling and one even turned around and ran, tail between its legs. She was the Alpha.

Until the real Alpha jumped in, that is. A wolf twice as big as any other, he lunged at her, but she flicked her sword aiming to slice open his belly... and missed. It was a sword, not a dagger. She had expected a dagger. The sword did make a cut, but it only angried the wolf even further.

Landing behind her, the wolf turned and lunged again, knocking her on the ground. The other wolves were watching, transfixed. Dark fur of Lena's warg cape mixed with white fur of the direwolf, and both turned red with blood.

"That does it really!!" Another white wolf jumped into the mix, his silver rapier reflecting the light of the lantern... A silver rapier? Flames erupted around them, the wolves in the circle whined and were finished. The Alpha lay dead.

"Wolf? It's over," Scorpio held Lena in an embrace, she was shaking. His white direwolf cape overlapped the dark warg fur on her shoulders. Rook was casting healing magic at them, and for a moment the night was perfectly still.

"Wow." Ser Maximilian came closer. "Is she all right?" He asked in a small voice.

"She'll recover," Scorpio nodded.

Lena was calming down. She held her cheek pressed to Scorpio's chest, listening to his heartbeat, fast at first, and gradually slowing, the longer they stood still. His armour was only a half-plate, protecting the clavicle and the shoulders and running under the ribs; she slid her hands under his cape, she could feel his muscles under the jerkin... She closed her eyes, letting the last of the shaking dwindle. She felt his cheek brush against her hair... did she imagine a kiss?

...

"What are those?" Lena heard a voice a little further away. Ser Maximilian.

"Spirits and phantasms," she heard Rook reply. "They only appear at night."

"And can only be defeated with magic," Ser Maximilian's voice was getting stronger, although he didn't seem to be coming closer. Lena was recovering.

"Yes, that's why you always need a mage with you," Rook's voice was getting stronger too.

"The Duke does not like magic."

"Then prey, never travel at night."

"I'm all right," she looked up at Scorpio. "We should get to the camp."

"We should," he nodded, releasing his embrace.

The camp wasn't far, but there was no need to rush. They walked at a leisurely pace, Lena and Scorpio leading, Ser Maximilian following a short distance behind them, and Rook following Ser Maximilian, who stopped several times to watch the phantasms in the valley below.

"What is that light?" He asked Rook pointing at an eery illumination seemingly coming from the earth itself.

"It's that poisonous lake that we tried not to fall into," Rook scoffed. "Very dangerous. Avoid at all costs."

"Are they close?" Ser Maximilian jerked his head towards Lena and Scorpio who were by then out of earshot. "Are they..?"

"They are close, but not in that way," Rook was looking at them too. "She must really like you, you know."

"She does..? How d'you work that out?"

"This is the first escort request that she picked up. She hates escorting people places."

"Well, in that case..." Ser Maximilian hastened his step, catching up with Lena and Scorpio just as they were crossing the barricades surrounding the camp, with the soldiers greeting them, then switching to salute Ser Maximilian because of course he was a commander. He came up to Lena, may be a little too close for a formal acquaintance, and said: "That was some trek. With all that I am, I thank you."

"I am glad we made it here in the end," Lena smiled. "Shall we see what Ser Alfonso has cooking in that pot? I am starving."

4th Era, Year Unknown - Choices

"And now again, the choice is yours, Arisen," the dragon folded his wings and looked at Lena with interest. They had arrived at the end of their journey - they were facing the dragon on top of the Tainted Mountain. The dragon that could have burned them all to a crisp with a single breath - this was no drake in Devilfire Grove, this was the real thing. And he wanted to talk.


"Are you unique?" Lena walked around his head which was the size of two oxen. "Do you have a name?"

"Grigori," the dragon was watching Lena's movements. "I am as unique as you are, as any living creature. Or perhaps you wish to know if there are other dragons like me? There have been, and there will be, but at each given time there is just the one."

"So, Grigori," Lena squinted at him. "What is it that you want of me? Why did you bring Selene here?"

Selene was cowering on the ground a small distance away.

"She is what you hold most dear, is she not?" Grigori's eye came close to Lena. "She was in your house. You must choose now: sacrifice her and live as the ruler of Gransys, or save her and face me in a duel."

"Err..." Lena was trying to find the right words to explain to Grigori where he went wrong. "Selene was living in my house, yes. Because we rescued her from the woods, and it seemed like the right thing to do to bring her among people. I myself don't live in that house though. Got it? She isn't what I hold most dear."

"Oh... should I have brought someone else then?" Grigori seemed nervous, fire started gathering in his mouth. "Speak up!"

"There is no one in this world you could have brought, who isn't already here," she looked straight into the dragon's eye. "You have my heart. Can you not feel it?"

"Your heart is confusing," Grigori admitted. "I've got so many other hearts, they are plain to read. Yours... you bound yourself to a pawn?"

"I chose a pawn," Lena nodded. "We started out as strangers, then grew close in our time together. He is what I hold most dear. And yes, he happens to be a pawn."

"A pawn won't work," Grigori said flatly. "You cannot have your own pawn as a part of the choice bargain. Selene comes closest, so choose now - sacrifice her and live as the Lord of this land, or save her and face me in a duel."

Selene was watching the dragon transfixed, but now started making small noises.

"Did the Duke face the same choice?" Lena squinted.

"Of course he did," Grigori sounded surprised. "Did the Dragonforged not tell you? Oh, he didn't want to spoil the surprise!" The dragon smirked, and small flames spilled from his mouth. "Yes, this is how it works. You make your choice. Sacrifice your beloved... err... well, Selene in this case... and I shall go away for some fifty years, you will become immortal and will not age and will replace Duke Edmun as the Lord of Gransys. Everything will become normal again. Oh, and you will lose your pawn," he clicked his tongue. "So perhaps the choice works after all."

"So, this is what the Duke chose."

"Yes."

"But I do not get back my heart."

"No. And you can get replaced by the next Arisen."

"This explains why the Duke was trying to get you killed," Scorpio said quietly. "But it is an easy way out. Do not be too hasty to reject it."

"Hush," she shot him a glance. "You already know what I choose, but Grigori needs to understand it... and I want to know more first, now that we're talking."

"You have to say it out loud, Arisen," Grigori was getting bored. "For the spell to work. Come on, what is your choice?"

"Not yet," Lena shook her head. "Tell me first..."

"I do not need to understand your choice!" Grigori was gathering flames in his mouth again. "I grow bored with you, Arisen! What will it be?!"

"You can't just kill me, can you?" Lena squinted. "That'd be against the rules... You'd get punished... A great big dragon like yourself - punished? I wonder who is that powerful... No, wait - I know. The Legion."

"The dragon serves the Legion after all," Scorpio said mostly to himself. "Interesting."

"Nothing interesting about it, pawn!" The dragon spat fire, but not enough to actually burn anyone. "I am an Arisen! I defeated my dragon! You bow to me!"

Scorpio didn't bow but stood there, watching the dragon gathering more and more flames in his mouth.

"Watch out - you'll choke," he said derisively. "I now know what you are. You are an Arisen who got back his heart from the previous dragon but failed to return it to his chest. You forgot what it was for! You fought your dragon for all the wrong reasons!"

The dragon flew into a rage, it seemed. He breathed fire, and Lena dashed to Selene to protect her from the flames. However, the flames were cold.

"So, this is where the Legion gets its replacement dragons," Lena smirked. "Arisen who fight the dragon for all the wrong reasons. Regardless whether they live or die, they would make perfect dragons themselves. Clever."

"A never-ending supply," Scorpio nodded.

"Make your choice!!!" The dragon bellowed. "Now!!!"

"Or what?" Lena put her hands on her hips. "You'll spit more cold fire?"

...

"Stubborn," the Dragonforged and his pawn were peering into a crystal ball, watching the events on the Tainted Mountain. Someone in the Legion was watching it too. "She's taunting the dragon."

"She's taunting the Legion," his pawn objected. "That is most dangerous."

"Stubborn," the Dragonforged repeated, shaking his head in disapproval.

...

Back on the Tainted Mountain Lena was trying to learn from the dragon what was supposed to happen after their fight, in case she won. The dragon wasn't telling; perhaps he did not know.

"It depends on you!" He rolled his eyes.

"All right, tell me how it went for you, then," Lena insisted. "You fought your dragon as a human, then something happened and you got this form..."

"That's personal, that is!" Grigori sounded offended. "That's my business! You'll have to see for yourself what happens to you! Chances are, I'll kill you and you will never find out!"

Lena wasn't getting anywhere with him. Perhaps it was time to make her choice.

"Get Selene out of here," she told him. "I choose the duel."

"Finally!" The dragon sighed a sigh of relief and Selene vanished, teleported away. "Prepare yourself, Arisen!"

...

"She is not dragon material," someone at the Pawn Legion was peering into a crystal ball. "Her heart is still beating inside the dragon, it didn't turn to stone like the others. If she gets it back..." The person looked at another, also peering into the crystal ball.

"She is of no use to us," the other person agreed. "Grigori will kill her."

"And her pawn?"

"And her pawn," the other person nodded. "Before his print goes out. He'll make a decent wight."

...

The fight had begun. It was an epic battle, or rather it started out as an epic battle. Grigori was breathing fire, Scorpio was shooting at him from a ballista, Lena... Well, Lena was no where to be seen.


"Where is the Arisen?" Someone peering into a crystal ball asked nervously. "Dead already?"

"Grigori hasn't started yet," the other person came closer to the ball. "Can't be!"

"Nooooo!!!" They cried in chorus as Grigori faltered and fell, white tendrils engulfing his body.

"You always meant to kill me then," he said, looking at Lena as she lowered her bow a short distance away. "The Maker's Finger..." He squinted at a large white arrow in his chest. "Assassin."

...

"She cheated!" Someone pushed the crystal ball off the table. "The Maker's Finger! Bah!"

"She is an assassin," the other person objected. "She took the easiest way out."

"Giving up Selene was the easiest way out!" The first person exclaimed in rage. "Now what are we going to do?"

"Well, there's always the Final Solution..."

"She cannot be allowed to get to the top."

"Then we'll need to make sure she doesn't."

...

"I cheated." Lena turned to Scorpio. They stood in her house in Cassardis, they were all teleported there by some unknown magic. Selene was there too, still in shock. Rook and Scarlet stood a short distance away. Lena felt apologetic. The fight with the dragon was supposed to be an epic battle, culmination of their long and arduent training, but instead... Was it all for naught? "I took an easy way out." She looked at him with a little smile.

"You killed the dragon," he said quietly. "You won."

"Have I?" She pressed her hand to her chest and felt a faint heartbeat inside. "This doesn't feel right."

"Let me see," Scorpio took her in an embrace. "You should have your heart back, that was the deal." He pressed his hand to her chest. "It's there, but it's very faint. Give it time, perhaps?"

Lena nodded.

"So, what now?" She raised her eyes to his. "Is this the end?"

"If you want it to be."

"No... wait... that's not right! I cannot lose you again!" She exclaimed with worry. "I meant it, what I said to the dragon." She looked into his eyes, but his expression was closed.

"You have your heart back, you've achieved your goal," he said in his dispassionate voice. "You do not need me any longer. You will return to your world and your friends there, and I shall stay behind. Isn't it how the story goes?" He smiled.

"I want to return home, yes," Lena nodded. "But also... No, this is not right." She stepped away from Scorpio who promptly released his embrace. She was pacing the room, her head in her hands. "Not right at all," she was talking to herself, it seemed.

She stopped in front of Scorpio, her face set in resolve.

"I shall release you if you wish it," she said. "But know that in this world or elsewhere, a piece of my soul belongs to you. The choice is yours to make."

"But... but he is a pawn," a small voice said behind them - Selene. "He cannot decide for himself... He cannot make a choice... You have to decide for him, Arisen."

"The choice is easy," Scorpio smiled, taking Lena into his embrace again. "You offered me your Arisen's Bond and I took it. I see that it still holds."

"He kissed her... he made his own choice..." Selene was watching them, in shock once again. "And I..." She rubbed her hand but her pawn print did not reappear. "It seems I am a pawn no longer... in truth... and yet... I did not resist the dragon... I avoided making a choice..."

"It'll come to you one day," Rook put his arm around her shoulders, leading her out of the room. "You'll learn. Come. This night belongs to them, and them alone."

Oh my gosh! And then it took her two days to get back to health. Am wondering if you're gaming with Rayenna or if this is just Lena's story. Pretty sure you've gamed with Hauk as a PC, though i Might be wrong.

Uh oh, she's attacking another DB member. Naughty, naughty. And she got poisoned. Tsk tsk.

Bookmark (hope you don't mind. Easier to get back where I was if I link to it.)

This post has been edited by Renee: Feb 20 2023, 12:09 AM

Wow, what an ending. Well done.

Yeah, I played the Mephala quest with Rayenna, but it was a fudge because I dislike her too much to actually play the whole game with her. But for the same argument, Lena would never do such a quest as what Mephala required, so it had to be Rayenna doing it. As for the trolls episode, that actually happened to me on my first playthrough or so, I was exploring and entered that cave... Ouch! Those are some very mean trolls!!! So I figured as Rayenna was getting desperate, she'd just go into every cave, over-confident as she is, and get her ribs kicked in by the trolls.

As for Hauk, yes, I started a brand new game for him - he's doing Morroblivion. I also started a new game for Geralt and one for Lucien... but sssshhhh... didn't get very far in those two yet, that's still to come.


She didn't get poisoned, she's a Redguard, they are almost completely resistent to poison. So what happened to her? If the hint wasn't clear, you'll find out in the next couple of episodes.


Don't mind at all. Helps me too - I can jump back in and refresh my memory.

Thanks, Macole!

In this part of the game I have to give it to Capcom - their concept there is brilliant. The Maker's Finger is an actual item you can procure in-game, it is so to speak a legal cheat. It is extremely expensive, heavy and not always available, so you'd have to really plan and prepare if you wanted to use it against the dragon. Not every vocation can wield a bow either, there are many things to consider. And then you stand there and the dragon offers you that bargain... What? I don't have to fight you at all?

Suppose you take the bargain, as the choice of "beloved" is rather odd, especially if you didn't have a beloved. It doesn't matter really, you're asked to sacrifice another person, but what is one person's life on the balance of safety of Gransys? Plus, you get all the money and power you could ever want, for the whole of eternity? (Unless the next Arisen dares to dislodge you, that is.) And so you say yes, you accept the bargain. A cutscene plays out, a decent end for the game, no judgement there, for men are weak... titles roll... music plays... you are enjoying the last sip of your coffee as you prepare to hang your controller...

BZZZT... "Retry" screen pops up!

What?!

You hit retry and are permitted to make your choice again. However, if you had the Maker's Finger in your inventory before, it is now gone and you have to do battle the hard way. And what a battle it is! You better have many wakestones in your bag, for you'll need them, Arisen!

The original game does not have a save history, so you cannot go back and reload an older save. You have to live with your choices. Of course now there's a mod that makes backups, but I really like the original concept, so I only use backups as backups - in case the game crashes or the save gets corrupted, which again doesn't happen with the clean game, but can be caused by mods.

Once you kill the dragon, one way or the other, there again there's a cutscene, titles roll and it generally feels like the end of the game. You got your heart back. You won. Is there anything else to say? Wait and see.

No kidding! Wow. I've also had a couple characters I didn't like too, yet I did enjoy gaming with them to an extent. Nice to hear someone else has done this as well.

4th Era, Year Unknown - The Final Solution

Lena woke up late in her house in Cassardis, Scorpio lay beside her.

"Good morning, Assassin," he smiled. "How does it feel to have your heart back? You certainly slept soundly."

"Shall we go see what Pablo has cooked for breakfast?" Lena stretched, but sudden pain in her chest made her crouch and cough.

"What's wrong?" Scorpio caught her. "It still hurts?"

"Give it time, perhaps," Lena smiled at him, the pain subsiding.

They got dressed and went outside, it was a beautiful morning. The sun was shining, the sea was calm, people were celebrating. But Lena felt a disquiet in her breast that she could not explain. "Just nerves," she thought. "I've been with a man before of course, but not like this... This time it meant something... sealed a bond..." She watched Scorpio take a swim in the sea and remembered one other time when love making actually meant love... Love she could never pursue, she thought, even if she did find a way to return to her world somehow. Her Speaker was out of bounds. "And yet... there he was, in Bravil, in my house. Came to tell me that the traitor was finally dead, that our names had been cleared, that the Brotherhood was ours again... My Speaker... My Brother... My friend..." She sighed. "And he was all of that and none of that..." She watched the seagulls steal fish from the boats. "So long ago... Why did I run away? Pretended it never happened?"

...

Time is a curious thing - it warps and turns, yet always remains linear, except in our memories. The day when Lena fell into the portal in Sheogorath's Palace and landed in Gransys, was a day in a year unknown, yet it was after the Oblivion Crisis was done with, after the Greymarch on the Shivering Isles, after the dreadful events with the treason within the Dark Brotherhood... All of that was behind her. Her vampirism cured, her looks restored. She could breathe easy again... She could have returned to mundus any time, but she didn't, she stayed in the Shivering Isles where time flew by as fast as you wanted, assisted by liquor and felldew. Her duties as Lord Sheogorath were light, and Sanguine's presence turned everything into one constant party.

Gransys was a wake-up call of sorts. Lena found herself in a strange world, embroiled in events she didn't understand, her heart missing, her life in danger. She shook off the felldew and rose to the challenge. She killed the dragon and got back her heart... What now? Should she perhaps just stay? Leave behind everything she knew in Tamriel? Give up that love she could never pursue anyway?

...

The seagulls were fighting in flight over the stolen fish. "That night in Bravil did seal a bond," she nodded to her thoughts. "All that went on before... all that we meant to each other... That bond still holds. The same as this one," she pressed her hand to her chest - her heartbeat was faint, but it was there. "This bond... A bond to a man who is here... in person... in the flesh..." Scorpio was swimming back to the shore, he would come out of the water in a few moments, he would walk over to Lena and stretch out on the sand next to her... "Enjoy the bliss while it lasts," she told herself, for she knew that the disquiet in her breast had nothing to do with nerves.

...

"The dragon is well and truly dead, you did it, cousin!" The people were jubilant.

"Prepare well, child," the old woman at the textiles shop patted Lena's hand. "You have defeated the dragon, now the true fight begins."

"I feel it too, the disquiet in my breast," Scorpio stood behind her.

"It won't still," Rook appeared in the doorway.

"Come, Master," Scarlet stood next to Rook. "Let us face the consequences."

Lena turned around and looked at them in turn. She was still the Arisen, they were still her pawns, her heart was beating in her breast and it made no difference. The fight continued.

...

"What happened? Is this truly the world the Arisen was meant to unleash?" Scarlet got knocked to the ground for the third time, by a mere goblin, it seemed.

"These are no common goblins!" Rook exclaimed, shooting yet another fireball at it. "Grimgoblins or some such! Like I've seen on the Bitterblack Isle!"

The skies were dark, the wind was howling, nature itself seemed to scold the Arisen for destroying the dragon. Beasts that had never been seen before, roamed the land. Hellhounds, succubi, giant undead...

"There is a chimera on the beach!" Scarlet pointed it out.

"Not a plain chimera either..." Rook shook his head. "This is the kind that regrows its tail and kills outright with its magic."

"Just how much time did you spend on the Bitterblack Isle?" Scorpio was taken aback.

"Enough to know the danger we're facing," Rook answered evasively. "Let us focus on the fight! And make for Gran Soren!"

"No, we are going back to Cassardis," Lena turned and motioned them to follow.

"Master?" Scarlet looked up in disbelief.

"I need a word with Olra first," Lena winked. "It is only a fool who rushes into battle unprepared. Isn't it what you always say?"

...

The young woman with a lantern stood on the village pier every night waiting for the Arisen to ask for transport to the Bitterblack Isle. The locals got used to her and paid her no mind. "I am but a shadow, here to serve for transport. My flesh resides elsewhere."

"Hello, Olra," Lena greeted her when they got teleported to the Isle. "Tell me about this place."

"But Ser! I do not know it myself," Olra objected.

"Oh, but I think you do..." Lena walked around her. "You are with the Legion, are you not? A pawn or perhaps an Arisen... You are the siren that calls the Arisen here, to their doom. And so I ask again: what is this place?"

"This is... this is a trap," Olra nodded. "But I know not its purpose!" She exclaimed hotly. "And what I said before... it is all true! I am lost... My hope is that I rediscover myself as you explore the labyrinth's depths and bring me back my memories. And I pray that my goals align with yours, Ser!"

"She speaks the truth, she does not know," Rook said quietly. "They wiped her memory, it seems..."

"If there is aught I can do to help, say it!" Olra seemed genuinely perturbed.

"All right," Lena softened her tone. "Perhaps things will transpire as we go on. I need you to..."

...

"Olra must not betray us," someone at the Pawn Legion was watching the events through a crystal ball. "It is bad enough that this Arisen's heart is still beating - and Grigori will pay for that. But we cannot have Olra talk."

"She won't," another person sounded certain. "She's been purged so many times already, she is truly nothing but a shell now."

"Did you know this about Rook?" The first person looked at the second with worry. "That he goes off on his own? Exercising his will?"

"Yes," the second person nodded. "He keeps Barnaby in the dark, but that's easily done. Rook is no threat to the Legion, he is a pawn, through and through."

"Well, if you say so," the first person shook his head in doubt, but dismissed the matter. "We have bigger fish to fry. Is everything ready?"

"Events have been set in motion," the second person nodded. "She won't survive Gran Soren."

"Well, it better work..." The first person got up from the table. "I am no fan of the Final Solution, it's so much work to put everything back together after that..."

"She won't survive it," the second person got up too. "Quince is already in place."

...

When Lena and her pawns left Cassardis for the second time, they were much better armed and their bags were bulging with salves and potions.

"The Everfall is the key," Rook was saying as they picked their way through hellhounds and succubi. "That light that you've seen in its depths before, those tentacles growing from the ground..."

"It's a gazer," Scarlet nodded. "We've seen one on the Bitterblack Isle."

"We ran from it," Lena reminded her. "We ran for our lives, remember?"

"There's nowhere to run now," Scarlet smirked. "We'll have to stand and fight."

...

Gran Soren was a sorry sight - most of the city had been wiped out, a huge hole gaped inside the city walls, a seemingly bottomless abyss... Beasts rose up from it every now and again, taking to the skies - beasts that now held Gransys. Yet apart from the hole in the ground, the city was unchanged... quiet... peaceful... secure... No beast roamed the streets, and those citizens that had not perished, had nothing to fear. Gran Soren's great walls still served to keep the monsters out, it seemed.

"How is this possible?" Lena was gazing into the abyss, watching the harpies, gargoyles and succubi rise from its depths and take to the skies, yet not one of them land in the city. "Why are they not attacking anyone?" She looked at her pawns in astonishment. "I mean, it's good of course, but..."

"It's like they are being controlled," Rook nodded. "Directed..."

"Like when they descended onto Cassardis together with the dragon," Lena was still watching the beasts. "Not one of them hurt anyone..."

"The purpose being to scare and to impress," Scarlet agreed. "But it ends with the city walls - Gransys has been overrun elsewhere."

"The Duke failed to keep us safe," a bystander nodded. "All his talk of building walls... And the ground caved in under us instead!"

"I shudder to think of the taxes they'll grab from us to rebuild it!" Another joined in.

"The Duke has failed us," another person echoed the sentiment.

"We're all done for! It's the end!"

"Oh shut up!"

Subdued or not, opinions still differed.

"You should go to the castle and confront the Duke," Scorpio said in Lena's ear. "Don't expect it to be a friendly meeting."

"Oh, I have no illusions," Lena nodded. "I'll go in the morning, it'll keep."


It was late and they were tired from their difficult journey from Cassardis that had taken them far longer than it would have done before, especially since Lena had to pick a fight with a dragon along the way... When Scarlet asked her later what possessed her to do such a thing, all Lena had to say was that it looked like an overgrown dragonfly from the ground, it wasn't red and it didn't seem to be that big... It was all true, except the size. It wasn't a great dragon like Grigori, but a dragon nevertheless. "A drake," Lena corrected herself. "It was but a drake."

All in all, taking a break to eat and sleep was the right approach.

...

When Lena came to the castle the next morning, she found it eery empty. No guards, no nobles, no staff were anywhere to be seen. The Duke's Chamberlain was in the throne room. Lena was to go to the Duke's Solar. "Solar?" She scratched her head, climbing the stairs. "Oh, his office. The room with thick curtains in front of huge windows... Solar... A sun room... Except that the present Duke did not enjoy the sun..."

She pushed the door to the Solar. The room was dark, the curtains not only keeping the sun rays out, but the light itself.

"I know you, Arisen," she heard the Duke's voice but could not see the Duke anywhere. "Your avarice, your ambition... You took the dragon's bargain! You came to seize my throne and take my land!"

"Err..." Lena was still trying to locate the Duke. The voice seemed to come from behind a large writing desk in the darkest corner of the room.

"The dragon cannot be defeated!" The Duke stepped into the scarce light in the middle of the room. "A beast like that cannot be slain by man!" He looked old. His hair was white, and although his hand held a mighty sword, his arm had no strength to lift it. His eyes were white as well...

"But you are blind!" Lena exclaimed. "An old man... Your age... You must be ancient!"

"I have ruled this land for many a year!" He might have been weak with old age, but his voice still carried. "You will not take my throne from me!"

The Duke attacked, but Lena could not fight an old man. "Why is he still alive?" She wondered. "He should have perished with the dragon, for the dragon held his heart..." She dodged another attack. "Unless... No, wait..." At that moment the Duke made another lunge at her, but his sword was too heavy for him and he faltered, grabbing at the curtains in an attempt to steady himself, tearing them down, then being blinded by the sunlight flooding in... He fell forward, breaking the glass...

Lena rushed out onto the terrace of the Solar, but the Duke was already rising after his fall, his face contorted with rage. The guards ran in, alerted by the sound of the glass breaking.

"She is a traitor!" The Duke bellowed. "A witch!! She put a curse on me! Seize her!!!"

"Oh, the W-word," Lena smirked. "Sure. Why not." She jumped off the terrace of the Solar and ran out of the gates of the castle.

"Arisen! How could you... No, what am I saying..." A confused but determined Ser Maximilian was barring her way, his loyal troops with him, swords drawn. "I cannot believe it... Yet I am duty bound to heed the Duke's words... Forgive me..." He looked at his men, most of whom seemed as confused as he was. "His Grace commands the Arisen's capture, men!"

Lena knew that it wasn't a bluff. Her pawns gathered behind her, and as she broke into a run, they followed, but the soldiers attacked the pawns while they had the chance... Ser Maximilian himself was chasing Lena, but his long commander's coat was slowing him down somewhat. Or it least he made it look like it was his coat.

"This way, they've sealed the other gate!!!" Lena heard Scarlet shout, but she was already too far away, almost near the wrong gate. "Help me..!" Scarlet's voice sounded hollow. What just happened? But there was no time to think. The gate was sealed indeed, Ser Maximilian was hot on her heels, she dived out of the way of his sword and sprinted in the opposite direction. Scarlet and Rook were both on the ground, she helped them up, sprinted on towards the other city gate...

The abyss of the Everfall released another flock of monsters, and this time they were flying low, close to people's heads, making everyone back off or run for cover... Again, no one was actually hurt, but everyone was scared.

"Ser Maximilian trained his troops well," Scorpio caught up with Lena at the edge of the abyss. "The other gate is also sealed, and they've got us surrounded."

"Follow me," Lena briefly squeezed his hand, then nodded goodbye to Ser Maximilian and jumped into the abyss.

4th Era, Year Unknown - Riddles

Lena was falling into an abyss. She wasn't trying to commit suicide, she was quite sure it was a portal. But she'd been falling for a while, and nothing was happening.

"Am I supposed to do something?" She wondered. She tried to pay attention to the walls, but the fall was really fast and she couldn't make anything out. There seemed to be platforms, lights... "Err... Stop!!" She shouted, but continued falling. There seemed to be objects in flight as well... "Jars of marmalade?" She wondered. One was falling right next to her. "Or-... orange... Orange what?" She read the label. "Hmm... Perhaps I should taste it..." She grabbed the jar... And found herself land on a platform, her pawns landing next to her. "Hmm." The jar was empty.

"This is a test of your strength," she heard a voice coming from the abyss. "Pray, show that you have the resolve to throw off your yoke."

"What?! Another test?!" Lena was outraged. "You destroyed this world just to test my resolve?!"


There was no answer.

"Arisen, I would ask aught of you," a voice came from behind, making Lena jump. "Please take these." A woman with a bow and daggers stood before her - a pawn. She was holding three wakestones, offering them to Lena. Nay, ordering Lena to take them. "I am Quince," the woman continued. "My master was like you - she fought the dragon, only to find the same disaster befall the world as now. She set out to collect twenty wakestones, but died trying. For her sake, continue her search."

Lena looked at the wakestones in her hand, they seemed genuine. She put them away.

"Three stones was as far as your Arisen came before she perished?" She looked at Quince with suspicion. "That isn't exactly encouraging... But why collect them at all? And why twenty? What will it accomplish?"

"I know not, Arisen," Quince shrugged. "It was my master's wish."

"Strange, isn't it?" Scorpio said in Lena's ear. "Very strange."

"Pray, explore the Everfall and bring me twenty wakestones." Quince's eyes were cold, too cold even for a pawn. "I'll wait for you by the entrance."

There was a flash of light and Quince vanished. "Teleportation," Lena thought.

There was just one door leading from the platform into the rock, they braced for monsters and entered.

The room beyond had no monsters in it. It was an old crypt with broken down sarcophagi arranged in rows. Two pawns were walking among them. "My master perished in his pursuit of the dragon," one of them said. "I am now left behind to forever wander these halls. My existence lost its purpose." The other pawn was equally depressed. "Some pawns have gone mad with the infinite wandering," she said. "They now attack anything in sight. Be watchful."

Lena spotted another door at the end of the crypt. Monsters or no, she pushed it.

"Gazer!!" Scarlet was the first to spot the danger. The room was an arena, it had another door to the side, locked. There was nothing else for it but stand and fight.

...

"A wakestone," Lena was collecting the loot that fell out of the gazer's pockets, or perhaps detached from its skin. "So this is how we are supposed to collect them." She put it away. "I still don't understand why though."

"Or how to get out," Scorpio put in. "We're done here but we're also out of potions."

They walked through the crypt and out the other door, they stood on the ledge again.

"We must jump," Rook suggested. "Look - there are lights and other ledges along the walls."

"With more arenas and monsters," Scarlet smirked. "It'll be our death. We need to leave the Everfall and return to the world of Gransys."

"I know," Lena fumbled for a polished stone in her bag. "Let's see if this works." She tossed a ferrystone into the air, shouted "Gran Soren", there was a flash of light, and they stood at the portcrystal by the Pawn Guild. The ferrystone had worked.

...

"She cheated - again!" A person pushed away his crystal ball. "Who allowed Fournival to sell ferrystones?"

"Now, look here - we do not control the populace!" Another person was getting defensive. "Fournival will sell anything - he sold her the Maker's Finger too!"

"Damn," the first person was calming down. "You're right, some things are still out of our control."

"Do not worry, she will never collect twenty wakestones," the second person tried to sound soothing.

"Even Fournival cannot supply that," the first person nodded. "If she doesn't jump right back into Everfall, we'll have to force her hand."

"What do you propose?"

"Gifts. And more dragons."

...

It was late evening, but there were still people about. Guards, too, but no one was trying to arrest Lena any longer. "We aren't with the Ducal Guard, we are just here to keep the peace," the guards were saying. "We have no grievance with you, Arisen." What a relief.

"But perhaps you should stay away from the castle for now," Scorpio put in. "Until things get settled."

"It is so confusing," Lena was shaking her head as they walked through the Craftsmen's Quarter where tents were set up for those who lost their homes. "The Duke still alive with Grigori dead... The Everfall opening up and swallowing Gran Soren and Gransys with it... The monsters, the dark skies... I never expected this! The world was not supposed to end!"

"The world didn't end," Scorpio thought she was overreacting. "Most people are still here. In fact, very few people have died. The Duke... Yeah, that's strange, I have no answer to that."

"It's a curse of some sort, it must be," Rook joined in. "The Duke was acting strange since Grigori came, and I don't just mean by trying to get you killed - that was the logical bit."

"Yes, his Chamberlain mentioned that the Duke had been ill... And then that attack on his wife in her chamber..." Lena was rubbing her chin, calming down. "Perhaps his bargain was not with the dragon..."

"His bargain was with the Legion," Scarlet seconded that. "The dragon was just the messenger."

"'We do not need your soul, we already have your heart.' This is what they told me when... you know..." Lena blushed. "'We' they said, not 'the dragon'. It is the Legion that owns the hearts, and the dragon is just a vessel."

"It is the Legion that decides what happens to the Arisen," Scarlet nodded.

"It is the Legion that turns an Arisen into the next dragon."

"It is the Legion that tends to the Everfall." Scorpio shot a glance at Barnaby, as they had now entered the Pawn Guild. "Keep your voice down."

"The Maker had truly forsaken us this time!" Asalam greeted them at the guild. "I have to run my inn from here..." He shook his head. "The Duke was building walls, but instead the very ground fell away from under our feet! It is a miracle that we're all still alive somehow... The Maker's joke, one can only laugh!"

He wasn't laughing, and Lena tried to make some polite noises.

"But not to worry, friend, we shall survive. My inn is gone, but here, your trunk is still intact... What magic is this, I wonder..."

"Take out what you need and let's walk over to Ser Alfonso by the tents there," Scorpio whispered in Lena's ear. "Asalam still charges you 500 gold coins to sleep on a mat in one of the chambers of the Everfall."

"What?" Lena exclaimed in surprise. "Sleep between the skeletons in the crypts down there?"

"Now, look here, Arisen, I have a business to run," Asalam shuffled uncomfortably. "It is skeleton-free, guaranteed! We've got pawns standing watch..."

"Err... I'll pay for using your storage, but I'll sleep in one of Ser Alfonso's tents, I think," Lena shook her head. "Now, let's see what we need..."

...

Half an hour later they sat comfortably by the tents enjoying Ser Alfonso's cooking.

"It's simple army cooking, but skeleton-free, guaranteed," he joked. "No point guarding the Tainted Mountain any longer - we are needed here instead."

"Now, let's see what we got here..." Lena was finally taking the time to look at the gifts of the dragon - items that miraculously appeared in her storage after the battle. "A sword... a bow... and another sword?" The second sword was short, more of a long dagger. "There is an engraving... 'Exclusively for the Arisen'... And on the other side: 'Gifts ultimate freedom'."

"No." Scorpio sat up. "Put that away."

"What a bad joke," Scarlet grimaced.

"There's no call for that," Rook looked grim.

"You know of this?" Lena looked at them in turn.

"We've heard of this," Rook answered for all of them. "It is called 'Godsbane'. This sword is meant for you to kill yourself."

"What a gift," Lena shook her head. "Is that their way of being subtle?" She grimaced. "First an Arisen's Bond with rules on who can have it and why, and now a sword to commit suicide?" She took a closer look at the sword. "It is ceremonial, not useful for battle." She flung it behind the crates and it vanished from view.

"So, what do we do?" Lena looked at her companions in turn.

"We train." Scarlet straightened her back. "The Everfall must hold some answers."

...

"Where are all the monsters?" Scarlet was looking around in huge disappointment. "Isn't Gransys supposed to be overrun with them?"

"The road from Cassardis to here certainly was," Scorpio echoed her sentiment. "But this... is strange."

They stood just outside Gran Soren, on a vista that was normally home to several packs of goblins, wolves, harpies and an occasional griffin, but now it was completely deserted. Even bandits were staying away.

"How are we supposed to train if there are no monsters around?" Scarlet pursed her lips.

The skies were overcast and may be a bit too grey, but other than that, everything was much more peaceful than before...

Until a dragon swooped down on them, that is.

"DRAGON!!!" Scarlet got excited, even though technically it was only a drake, but this one was red, and therefore of the fire breathing variety. Finally! Something to train with.

The dragon presented a decent challenge, and they geared for a long and protracted battle with many hits. Lena had switched to a magic bow previously, even though she always felt that magic bows were cheats because of all the enchanted enemy-seeking bolts, you didn't have to actually target anything. She also felt that they delivered far too much damage for the effort you had to put into the shooting. But after their extremely difficult journey from Cassardis to Gran Soren followed by the fight with the gazer, she was ready to take any help she could get, cheats or no cheats. And so she took out her new ice-enchanted magic bow and started shooting at the dragon, with the pawns doing their thing as well.

The real danger of this dragon was its tail. One sweep, and you were knocked out, as Scarlet and Scorpio found out repeatedly, and Lena had to dash to help them up. Rook shouldn't have had the problem, but in his enthusiasm he would often stand too close to the dragon, unnecessarily close since his spells did not require bodily contact. After Lena helped him up a few times, she started looking out for him preventively: if he was too close, she'd grab him and carry him over a bit further away.

"You're enjoying it, aren't you?" She winked, putting him down at a safe distance from the dragon yet another time.

"Makes me feel wanted," he grinned.

The dragon seemed to be getting annoyed however. After Rook set its wings ablaze for the third time, the dragon had had enough. It breathed fire knocking everyone off their feet, flapped its wings a few times to put out the flames, and took to the skies... never to return.

"We scared it off!!" Scarlet was shaking her sword at it.

"Well, this one flew off, but the next one won't," Lena didn't like it. "What monsters we do come across, are all much tougher than before. It's like the Bitterblack Isle descended onto Gransys. Each of you needs an upgrade or two, and high level gear is ten times more expensive than the usual stuff..."

"I don't want any new armour, thanks," Scarlet shook her head. She was still wearing the lightest of heavy armours, which had been her choice. "I need to remain agile. Bulky armour will hinder me more than help. I could use a better sword though," she grinned. Yeah, they'd seen one at the smithy, and couldn't even remotely afford it...

"I could use a better staff," Rook said timidly. "This one's Ok, but you can now get those twisted ones..."

"Yeah, we've seen one at the smithy," Lena nodded. "I know..."

...

"Well, and..?" Someone was clearly expecting Lena to come to a certain conclusion. "Did you drop some high level gear in the Everfall to tempt her to go back in?"

"I have... here and there," another person nodded. "Although admittedly may be not in the first chamber she visited..."

"Idiot!!! And who allowed the harpies and succubae to fly back to their nests? They were supposed to prevent her from leaving Gran Soren! Hellhounds, giant undead - where are they?!"

"Staffing the road to Cassardis... We don't have enough for the whole of Gransys."

"Arrggghhhh!!!"

"We'll use Plan B, Master."

"It better work!!"

4th Era, Year Unknown - The meaning of life

"Two arenas, eight wakestones," Lena counted their trophies after a foray into the Everfall. "I don't get it. The fights were tough, yes, but it won't take forever to collect twenty wakestones at this rate... I hope."

"What happens once we've collected them?" Scarlet mused.

"Quite."

"I think the purpose of this is to get you killed," Scorpio looked straight at Lena. "Senseless fights against tough enemies... Gransys isn't exactly terrorised by monsters, except for some pockets. I bet as soon as you are dead, everything will be back to normal. Including the Duke and the Dragonforged."

"It certainly looks like it," Lena agreed. "Duke not dead and all... I wonder whether Grigori is actually dead."

"Even if he is, he can be brought back to life," Rook put in. "If the Legion could transform a dead Arisen into a living dragon, they could raise a dragon from the dead as well, if they wanted to."

"We should pay a visit to the Dragonforged, see what happened to him, don't you think?" Lena squinted at her pawns and they grinned. They didn't think she was supposed to do that.

...

On the way to the Dragonforged they got attacked by a wyvern and later on by a griffin. But both creatures flew off after a short while.

"We'll have to be a lot more deadly if you want to kill them," Scarlet said watching the wyvern hover over the bay and periodically dive into the water. "That wyvern is simply gone fishing."

"I don't see any reason for killing them if they are not bothering anyone besides the fish," Lena shook her head. "What's the point in that?"

"It's making about as much sense as those 'training' notices on some of the billboards: kill 29 oxen, kill 23 deer, kill 15 seabirds... How does it go? 'An Arisen must rise to every threat!' The threat of 45 rabbits, among others," Scarlet mocked the stuck-up tone of some of those notices.

"Well, the rabbit one was at least making some sense - the smith wanted the skins for the armour," Lena objected. "The rest... That's why I didn't take on any of them."

They stood by the entrance to the cave of the Dragonforged. Everything looked the same as before, the fires were burning, there were supply crates and barrels by the entrance, the place still looked lived in. They entered.

The pawn of the Dragonforged stood in the room reading a book, but the Dragonforged himself was no where to be seen.

"Hello," Lena greeted him. She realised that she had never asked his name. "The dragon is dead..."

"And so is my master," he replied. "I've come here in the fullness of time..." He smiled at Lena - that was the greeting of the Dragonforged.

"But you have not perished."

"Strange, isn't it?" He looked at Lena in surprise. "I wonder if I am the Dragonforged now? But I have no wisdom to impart to you, for you know more than I."


"Another instance of 'bestowal of spirit', perhaps?" Rook was watching him with interest.

"Don't say he looks just like his old master!" Lena smirked. "He is a man wearing a toga, and that's where the resemblance ends. What will you do now?" She turned to him.

"The same as what I've been doing for the last thousand years or so: nothing. Watch the direwolves lounge on the rocks, the snow harpies pick at an ox carcass, the bandits ambush the road... with an occasional griffin or wyvern making an appearance," he smirked. "And tell enigmatic truths to an Arisen that might pop in for a visit."

"Do you think you're still immortal?" Scorpio wondered.

"Who is to tell?" The pawn of the Dragonforged shrugged his shoulders. "Should I die of old age one day, the answer will be 'no'. You are the first Arisen to kill the dragon since my master was an Arisen himself," he looked at Lena and smiled. "What happens next, is a mystery."

...

"We should not rush to collect the wakestones," Lena said decisively when they stood outside again. "I have a feeling that will force the hand of whoever is in control here. They haven't killed me yet... we should look around some more."

"You might be forcing their hand by not obeying orders already," Rook objected. "Quince is obviously their agent."

"As is Olra," Lena nodded. "And Barroch on the Bitterblack Isle."

"I'm not so sure about Barroch," Scarlet shook her head. "Perhaps we should have a word with him first?"

"Let's go."

...

"You brought some armour forged in the fire of the dragon's breath for me to upgrade, have you not?" Barroch's eyes were positively sparkling. "Hand it over, let's see!"

Lena handed him her gear.

"That's why you stayed here, isn't it? You're a smith."

"An apothecary," Barroch corrected her. "I was an apothecary when the dragon decided to make me into an Arisen. I still prefer alchemy to smithing, but the real fun is to combine the two. This place has materials that'll keep me busy for an eternity and a half..."

"So, it is knowledge you're after," Lena nodded. "That's why you accepted the curse."

"Curse? What curse?" Barroch looked up in surprise. "You think the creatures don't attack me, is that it? They do. But I've learned to stay out of harm's way and I can defend myself if I really have to. The armour I'm wearing, isn't just for show!" He pursed his lips for a moment, then his expression cleared again. "No hard feelings, friend. I have to thank you for coming here. All the Arisen that fall for Olra's trap, make more than enough kills for me to scavenge..."

"Where is your pawn?" Lena asked again.

"He perished," Barroch looked rather sad saying it. "Fell into the abyss in the Rotunda of Dread. I believe you know what it does to pawns..." He squinted and Lena blushed. "Well. I didn't just leave him behind like some," he looked at Scarlet and her face turned grey. "But when he perished, I didn't pick another."

"I killed the dragon but the world did not return to normal, in fact it is gone dark and monsters from here overrun it," Lena changed the topic.

"Really?" Barroch seemed genuinely surprised. "Forgive me, friend, but I would not know what happens after you kill the dragon. I never went after mine."

"All right. What is the purpose of this place, then? What is its secret?" Lena was still trying to get some answers, although her hopes were dwindling fast. Barroch seemed to be only interested in alchemy and smithing.

"This place is a trap for the Arisen and pawns alike," he answered. "Aye, as far as I can make out. Is there a purpose to all the killing? If there is, I haven't found one. Not that I was even looking..."

...

"We're not getting anywhere," Lena was disappointed. "I have a feeling there's another Arisen somewhere on the Bitterblack Isle, and so what? Even if he is a monster."

"Olra is probably a pawn," Scorpio nodded. "That Arisen's pawn, perhaps? We've seen pawns gone mad in the Everfall, who is to say the same thing cannot happen to an Arisen?"

"And she wants to 'save' him? Perhaps," Lena agreed.

"It's a trap designed to kill the Arisen who are of no use to the Legion, simple as that," Rook put in. "I wouldn't bother with it."

"But what is the Legion's purpose?" Lena wondered.

"Control, what else," Rook shrugged. "Isn't it what makes the world go 'round?"

"Asking these questions will get you killed," Scorpio looked at Lena with worry. "Or worse."

"Worse?"

"They'll make you immortal."

...

Lena decided that it was time to start collecting the wakestones, and so they returned to Gran Soren and entered the Everfall.

"We don't have to deliver the wakestones as soon as we've got them collected, do we?" She winked. "But I'd rather get it over with."

She also had quite enough of being a Magic Archer, she thought that surely she should be able to manage everything with her two swords, three sets of daggers and a dragon-gifted bow with seven different kinds of arrows. Scorpio would carry the largest Morgenstern they could find, Scarlet would be the agile fighter as usual, and Rook - the mage and healer. What could possibly go wrong?

They did a few chambers with grimgoblins, succubae and hellhounds, and everything was fine. They did one with goblins, a cyclops and a golem, and they managed. They even did a drake... But then they faced a hydra. Having spent a long time at it and only managed to keep one head out of five cut off, they gave up. The heads were regrowing faster than they could destroy them, and Lena insisted they should leave the hydra be. The next room didn't look all that dangerous - gargoyles and succubae... But Scorpio's giant Morgenstern was making him too slow, and Rook's primary skills as a healer made his offensive magic weaker in comparison... The flying creatures swarmed. They attacked with a kiss - a deadly kiss, different from creature to creature. They would knock out their victim, and if uninterrupted, they would suck the very life out of them, or else they would trample them with their talons afterwards for good measure. Lena had been unconscious for too long. Rook got the kiss of death.

"We lost Rook," Lena realised when the fight was over.

"He'll be all right," Scarlet was drinking deep from her wine bottle. "These kisses are not fatal to us pawns. Not like petrification can be sometimes..."

This was welcome news, but still, a change of gear was needed. Scorpio took up his sorcerer's staff with his offensive spells, and they found a fellow with a huge ice-enchanted blade to be their heavy fighter. They lost their healer, but decided to compensate with extra potions instead. Something had to give. They returned to the Everfall with this new party. After two days they were done.

"Twenty five wakestones," Lena counted the stones in the box. "Wow!"

"It was good thinking to focus on collecting the wakestones and wakestone shards during the fights rather than afterwards. Those stones tend to vanish after a short while," Scarlet nodded. "And we didn't have to fight the hydra," she grinned.

"No need to make it any more deadly than necessary," Lena grinned back. "Now, I am famished. I wonder what Ser Alfonso has cooking in that pot?"

...

"She collected the wakestones!!" Someone at the Pawn Guild flung his crystal ball into the far corner of the room. "She cheated!!!"

"No, she just..." The other person broke off, it was best not to argue. "Plan B has been set in motion, Master."

4th Era, Year Unknown - The life of a pawn

"I have a feeling this might be goodbye," Scarlet said quietly when they finished their meal. "Once you deliver the wakestones to Quince, something will happen and I shall never see you again. I want you to know..." She broke off, noticing Lena's bewildered expression. "I want you to know that walking with you has been an honour and a privilege, truly." She paused. "I shall be reliving these memories for the rest of the eternity, it will be enough to keep me away from the Bitterblack Isle after my master finally dies."

"Scarlet..." Lena barely found her voice. "I wish I knew what to say..."

"You don't know what will happen," Scorpio gave Scarlet a meaningful look. "I think you are right that a change is coming, but you don't know what happens after that."

"Oh but I do - for me, that is," Scarlet smirked with sadness. "I shall resume wandering the Rift waiting for my master's call... which will never come. Not written off, not released from service, neither here nor there... I shall be walking the streets of Gran Soren looking for a new Arisen to pick me up... For I am certain that the world will be restored once whatever they have in store for you, is done."

"How do you know all of this?" Lena was dumbfounded.

"I don't," Scarlet shrugged. "I've never witnessed a dragon's death, I don't know what will happen."

"But you are immortal..."

"Yes, it means my life has no end. But it did have a beginning."

They sat quietly, each thinking heavy thoughts. Lena couldn't see a way out, a way that would lift the hold that the Legion had on the pawns. Why the charade with the dragon? Why repeat it every fifty years? Especially since most Arisen either died too soon or never bothered with it to begin with... What was the meaning of it all? Rook thought it was control, but control over what?

Lena got up and hugged Scarlet tightly.

"Something will happen, I agree," she said. "I too have this feeling of foreboding. But there is no point in delaying. We've explored everything we could, talked to everyone, followed every lead... We still have no clue what is going on. The only lead left to follow, is the one with the wakestones. I'll give them to Quince in the morning. Perhaps we'll meet again in what comes after that."

Lena lay down on a mat in a tent pretending to sleep. She couldn't sleep, her heart was heavy. Scarlet had become such a good friend... Rook, too. Would she lose Scorpio as well, she wondered? Was she now supposed to venture forth on her own? Perhaps it was better to never deliver the wakestones after all?

All was quiet, and most people were sleeping in their tents. People who lost their homes when the Everfall collapsed. They weren't dead, but their lives were shattered. Everyone's lives were shattered, even when the monsters did not attack, their oppression was palpable. No, that would not do. She could not leave all those people to suffer the world that she had unleashed. She just wanted her heart back! How selfish.

"What happened with the previous Arisen?" She recalled a conversation with Ilona, the old woman at the textiles shop in Cassardis. "Nothing happened," Ilona had said. "The dragon goes away after a while all on its own, and things get back to normal." So, all of it was really Lena's fault. "Because you cannot leave it well alone," Ilona had said, and although there was no reproach in Ilona's words, Lena still felt guilty.

She didn't take the dragon's bargain, either. Perhaps there was wisdom in Duke's words after all. He took the bargain out of fear, it seemed, but it granted the people of Gransys happy and prosperous life for many years... Until Lena had to destroy it all. "Avarice and ambition," he said. Avarice - no, but ambition... self-righteousness... self-importance... yes, she was guilty of that. "The bargain with the dragon was not just about sacrificing the beloved - it was about sacrificing my own heart as well," Lena thought. And she couldn't do it, not even to grant the whole country a happy life for many years.

A sharp pain in her chest made Lena sit up.

"Self-doubt will get you killed. It is a luxury we cannot afford," Scorpio said in her ear, paraphrasing something she told him in the early days of their partnership. "You are no saint, thank goodness for that." He put his arm around her shoulders, drawing her close. "Martyrdom seems like a noble way out, but it is not a solution. We'll have to fix this world through different means, somehow."

"I am afraid I shall lose you this time," Lena pressed her cheek against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"You won't," he said quietly. "I am still bound to you."

"What?!" Lena sat up. He wasn't talking about the bond she had offered him, this was something else, something she never considered.

"Why do you think Scarlet cannot leave her master?" He smirked. "Why a pawn in your party can never turn on you, whatever you do?" He smiled at Lena's bewilderment. "When you take on a pawn, the Legion binds us to you. We must follow the Arisen's every command and can never turn against the Arisen, as long as that bond holds. That is, either until you release the pawn or until you die. My bond to you still holds. I shall be with you in whatever comes next."

"But you are more than just a pawn, you are and have been my friend..." Lena was still stunned.

"Yes," Scorpio nodded. "This was my personal choice."

...

"You want to make her into the Seneschal," someone at the Pawn Legion grinned, looking into his crystal ball. "That'll certainly stop her asking questions."

"Indeed," another person nodded. "She will either perish in battle, or die of boredom later."

"We can start rebuilding as soon as she jumps into the Everfall."

...

Lena delivered the wakestones to Quince, and nothing happened. Nothing at all! The world looked the same as before. Scorpio and Scarlet were still standing next to her, the other pawns were still walking around.

"What happens now?" Lena asked Quince, but Quince didn't know or didn't wish to say.

"Have you completed all you wanted in this world, Arisen?" She asked. "How about on the Bitterblack Isle? All done?"

"Why, what is it to you?" Lena squinted, she didn't like it.

"It is just something I have to ask you, is all," she smiled, but her eyes looked empty. "What happens next... the choice is yours, Arisen."

Lena turned to her pawns - her friends.

"What kind of a choice is this?!" Tears were swelling in her eyes. "I cannot allow this world to remain broken! Should I just kill myself now? I'm sure any sword will do, not just that 'Godsbane'!"

"You will do no such thing," Scorpio said sternly. "No martyrdom, please. The Everfall is the key, it is a portal, we've seen it already. Look how it transformed - it defies space itself. I wager, were you to jump now, you'd enter another plane."

"Yes, you are probably right," Lena nodded, looking into the Everfall again. "The lights and ledges are gone," she observed. "It's just the blackness of the abyss now... I'll see you later, I hope," she turned to Scorpio. "Remember our bond." And with that she jumped.

...

"Well met, Arisen," a luminescent figure was seated on a throne of white marble in a place covered in fog. "You made it this far. I have a few tests for you."

"Tests?" Lena said warily. "Haven't you tested me enough already? What do you want?"

"Your death, if I may," the figure was mocking her, it seemed. "I am the Seneschal, the Maker, the Keeper and the Guardian of this world. You will do as I say. Defend yourself, Arisen!"

The figure attacked, and Lena quickly responded. It was absolutely surreal. A duel with God? What manner of madness was that? Besides, if this was God, why was he bleeding?

After a while he called off the fight and offered Lena a choice: return to Cassardis at the moment just before the dragon's attack and live a peaceful life, or continue on, towards more tests, deeper into the Rift. He showed her a vision of herself in Cassardis, surrounded by the locals, everyone calling her "cousin", there's more fish than she could possibly eat, there's no scar on her chest...

"Nice try," Lena smirked. "But this has never been my past."

"I can return you to Tamriel, if you prefer," the Seneschal conjured another image: the New Sheoth Palace, festivities in full swing, someone about to push her into a portal... "That statue will just be a statue, you'll get a bump on your head, and that will be all," he said. "The choice is yours, Arisen."

"Remember our bond."

Her own words sounded in her head. She closed her eyes and tried to listen to her heart, but her heart was confused. She tried to listen to her soul, but a part of it belonged in Tamriel, yet another part here in Gransys. Not just in Gransys, she noted.

"There are no pawns in your vision of Cassardis," she said.

"Indeed," the Seneschal nodded. "They are but shadows of life. They have no place among humans."

Lena looked up at the luminescent figure of the Seneschal. He had the form of a man, yet his features were all but erased. "He speaks for the Legion," Lena thought. "I must accept nothing he has to offer."

"I refuse," she said.

"Then pray, proceed with your test."

Illusions of people she knew in Gransys appeared before her, each trying to make her return to Cassardis. She had to evade them or parry their attacks. "Have you no heart that you are attacking your friends?" A voice asked. But she knew they were not her friends, but mere shadows conjured up to confuse her. She pressed on.

"You are getting close!" The Seneschal stood before her again, raising his sword. "Stand against me!" But this time another person was with him, another fighter.

"You made it this far," she heard a familiar voice - Scorpio stood beside her. "There is nothing left to do but fight!"

There was no time to think about it either. "Clear your mind of all else, focus on the fight," Rook's voice sounded in her head. "This isn't a bluff."

It wasn't. The fight was fierce. It was really hard. But eventually Lena and Scorpio prevailed, no small thanks to Scorpio's superior fighting skills.

"Congratulations, Arisen, you passed your test," the Seneschal got up from the floor where he was lying dead a moment ago. "You cannot kill me," he smirked. "Immortality is a curse." He unbuttoned the collar of his jerkin and pulled out a sword. Lena could have sworn that the sword had been inside his chest, not just inside his jerkin. "Take this," he offered her the sword. "This is the only blade that can kill me. My personal Godsbane. Please, release me."

She took it and pierced his heart.

...

"Well done, Arisen," a voice sounded a few minutes later. "You are now the new Seneschal. You will dwell in this chamber for the rest of eternity."

...

"The Legion won," Lena looked at Scorpio in desperation. "I am stuck here now, and you with me."

"You were not the first to fall for it either..." Scorpio was looking at the corpse of the previous Seneschal that had lost its luminosity and now looked like a corpse of a man, an Arisen. The other fighter must have been his pawn, his corpse was also there, the print on his hand extinguished. "You have released them both. But what of you?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Lena shook her head.

...

Days had passed, perhaps weeks. They had nothing to do. No where to go. They said all there was to be said and revisited every memory multiple times. Lena could not imagine doing that for the rest of eternity. She did not tell Scorpio of her life in Tamriel - it hurt too much. He understood.

"I don't see a way out," she said to him. "I have to kill myself."

"Then they will have really won," he objected.

"But what do you propose?"

Alas, he saw no way out either.

"I hope... somehow... this isn't the end," Lena looked into his eyes and took his hand. "It's wishful thinking, perhaps... Just promise me one thing: do not bury yourself on the Bitterblack Isle. Become a trader in the Everfall if you have to, that'll give you something to do..." She broke off. "I don't know what I'm saying."

"I wonder..." Scorpio squeezed her hand. "They say an Arisen's Bond carries immense power. Look." He opened his hand, his pawn print dim but visible. And there, on his finger was the Arisen's Bond. "It appeared when I was summoned here," he said.

"All right, wish me luck." Lena kissed him and quickly stabbed herself through the heart before he could protest. She was, after all, a skilled assassin.