An Argonian's Account, Haa-Rei's adventures in Cyrodiil Options

[hazmick]

Chapter 1

The room was furnished as most high ranking Imperial offices were – dragons everywhere. Dragon curtains (red), dragon floor mat (red), dragon banners (red). I wouldn't be surprised if the guards outside were wearing socks (red) with little dragons on them.

“So we just need to go over a few things here,” the clerk’s piping voice interrupted my thoughts. He studied the notes in front of him “you were born 3E 408?”

“Yes.” I wasn't half as nervous as I thought I’d be, but my mouth was almost too dry to speak.

“Our first official record of you is not until 19 years later. An Imperial prison transport fished you out of the Inner Sea of Morrowind and took you to the port of Seyda Neen. Yes?”

He didn’t look up from his notes, instead arching an enormous grey eyebrow. There was more hair on those brows than on the rest of his head.

“Yes.” Though my mouth was still dry my hands were now clammy. Please gods don’t make him go in for a handshake when this is done.

“Your occupation is listed here as ‘adventurer’. You also seem to have aided the Twin Lamps organisation, among others.” He licked a bony fingertip and turned the page. “This is around the time that you officially joined the Imperial Legion, rising to the rank of Agent.”

“That’s right.” My face reddened slightly when he looked up at me. Apparently a ‘yes’ would suffice.

He took a sip of his drink, a dark gold substance, and winced slightly as it went down. How anybody can enjoy that sort of thing was beyond me. I much prefer tea.

Looking back to his notes, the clerk continued listing various people I’d met who were considered important enough to have an opinion. Mainly guild leaders and Imperials.

I managed to steal a glance at the page, most of which was concealed with black ink.

“Well this seems to be in order. On account of your previous work for the Empire and the skills you have at your disposal, I have no doubt that you will do some good with us.” He stamped my file for approval with an official looking dragon stamp (red).

I grinned widely (any display of emotion towards humans must be greatly exaggerated) and thanked him as he shook my hand firmly.

“Welcome to the Blades, Agent Haa-Rei.”

This post has been edited by hazmick: Jul 9 2016, 01:03 AM

[hazmick]

ghastley- Yep, I wanted Haa-Rei to explore a gate, but I didn't want him to get too involved with main quest stuff. Kvatch soon though.

Acadian - When I think of Flame Atronachs, I picture the Skyrim variant. They way they move is just perfect for a fire elemental.

Darkness Eternal - Word count is always tricky to balance. My English language and literature teachers in school and college spent years telling me to go into more detail, but not to ramble. I'm just glad you're enjoying it!

Grits - It's a lovely area, but it's so far away from...anywhere...that it often gets overlooked. As for Eithne, being a fire elemental doesn't mean one can't also be an elegant lady.



Previously - Haa-Rei continued his journey towards Kvatch, but the appearance of an Oblivion Gate has interrupted his plans. Now he journeys to Oblivion itself, with Eithne the flame atronach as his guide...

Chapter 26

“So this is Oblivion?” I asked as I looked around, my body tingling with energy from the gate behind me.

We’d emerged on a hill overlooking a completely alien landscape. The sky was the colour of blood, with dark clouds sending forks of red lightning to and fro. The ground was dry, cracked, and scorched, with vast rivers of lava being the closest thing to liquid I could see.

Despite this though, the land was anything but dead. Strange grasses and vines clung to life wherever they could, and terrifying daedric creatures wandered around below. Several dark structures could be seen dotting the landscape, and I assumed that the more powerful Daedra and dremora lived there.

“This is the Deadlands. Realm of Mehrunes Dagon, Lord of Destruction, Change, Revolution, Energy, and Ambition.” Eithne explained in her usual songlike voice. I was glad of her company.

“How do we close the gate?” I asked, hoping that we could get back to Cyrodiil, no, Nirn, as soon as possible.

“Each gate is powered by an item called a sigil stone. If we find the stone and remove it from its bindings, the gate should close and you’ll hopefully be transported back to Nirn.”

“Wait. Should? Hopefully? You don’t sound very sure.”

“I’m not. I’ve never seen a mortal attempt it, so it’s just a theory.” Her use of the word ‘mortal’ always made me uneasy, and her blunt honesty wasn't filling me with much hope.

“I see. I assume this stone will be in a prominent, defensible position. Like that tower over there.” I pointed to the structure in question – A tall, dark tower which was decorated with dozens of large spikes. A perfect home for a daedric relic.

“That is a safe assumption.” Eithne began leading the way.

I stood for a moment longer before setting off. I’m not ashamed to admit that I was completely and utterly terrified, to the point where my legs could barely move. Having Eithne with me made me feel a lot better though, and as she twisted and danced through the air my legs began to move and we made our way slowly towards the tower.

We were making good progress, managing to avoid the various creatures which patrolled the wastes, when we came to a river of lava. The molten rock hissed and bubbled as it flowed slowly by, and gave off so much heat that I thought I’d faint at any moment. To cross this river I’d have to leap across several large rocks which spanned its width.

I was half way across when the scamp appeared on the far bank. In the haze of heat and sulphurous fumes I could barely see or think straight, and could only watch dumbly as the creature’s fireball whistled towards me.

Fortunately, I was not alone, and Eithne nonchalantly intercepted the projectile, catching it as one would a ball. Scamps can of course resist fire almost as well as a flame atronach, so even if Eithne favoured violence (which as I’ve mentioned, she does not) it would be a firefight without end. All she could do was act as a floating shield as I numbly jumped between rocks, landing on the other side with sword drawn.

Scamps may resist fire, but their bodies are fragile and a dwarven longsword will make quick work of them. Nevertheless, I was now tired, dizzy, and lightly singed in several places, and we were far from finished with our task.

We resumed our journey and once again managed to avoid the residents of Oblivion until we reached the tower. I knew there’d be no avoiding the creatures within, and readied my bow while Eithne heaved open the heavy doors with a strength that didn’t match her delicate appearance.

The inside of the tower was cooler than the wasteland outside, but only just. Despite being made from what appeared to be heavy black stone and metal, the tower seemed to have poor insulation. I took a deep breath of the hot, dense air, and crept further in. Eithne followed behind me, so as not to give away our position.

The source of heat in the tower was in the next room. The room itself was perfectly round, with what looked like the base of a fountain in the centre. Out of this base rose a pillar of white light, which gave off not only heat, but a shrill screaming sound which seemed to drown out everything else. A dremora stood before the fountain, and I wasted no time in loosing an arrow at him.

It struck him in the back, and he turned quickly with sword drawn. I fired again, hitting him square in the chest. This time he went down, or rather, backwards. He staggered back and tripped on the edge of the central structure, falling into the abyss from which the light pillar rose.

Eithne confirmed that the room was clear, and we moved on. The tower, unsurprisingly, had a great many stairs. We walked up and up and up until my muscles ached and my legs wobbled. Along the way we avoided and disarmed dozens of traps. Traps with fire, traps with spikes, traps with fiery spikes. There also seemed to be an endless number of scamps, who were easily dealt with but managed to drain my energy considerably.

Eithne, on the other hand, seemed quite at home. She danced through the hot air and fire like a fish through water, twirling and laughing as we moved further up the dark tower.

My heart sank even further once we reached the top. A large dremora waited for us. Covered in thick plate armour, leaning on an impossibly large greatsword of wicked black and red metal. A large spherical stone hovered behind him, seemingly being supported from below by the screaming pillar of light. The sigil stone.

“Mortal fool! You are in my domain, and will pay for your trespass!” The dremora roared. His voice sounded like fire and thunder and clashing steel all at once.

I readied my bow and loosed an arrow in one fluid motion, only to watch it bounce harmlessly off his cuirass. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy.

I drew my sword and moved to engage him, but he was faster than he looked. His sword carved a mighty arc through the air, and sent my blade spinning from my hand, across the room, and into the depths of the tower. A large boot kicked me in the chest, and I tumbled backwards. The dremora resumed his stance, confident in his strength.

“You can’t beat him, Haa-Rei.” Eithne’s voice cut through the hot air like a blade. I was momentarily stunned – she’d never called me by my name before. “Go for the stone. I’ll distract him.”

The usually elegant Eithne suddenly changed. Her feet firmly planted on the floor, her fiery body glowed white with heat. The dremora saw the danger and readied his sword as the flame atronach collided with him, sending a shower of sparks whizzing through the air. I took my chance and dashed across the room towards my objective.

I grabbed the stone and wrenched it from the fiery anchor which held it in place. Almost immediately the dremora let out an ear splitting howl. The air grew hotter, searing my scales and filling my vision with white light. Then, everything was gone.

This post has been edited by hazmick: Jul 9 2016, 01:16 AM