In service of a fallen god., Yup, I don't know how to quit. Options

[jack cloudy]

You know the drill, I finish one story and begin with the next. Meet my latest character and headremover, Morvayn Dres.


In the service of a fallen god.

Morvayn Dres took two deep, silent breaths. He filled his lungs till they were about to burst. In one smooth motion, he stepped out of the shadows behind the pillar and drew his sword at the same time, already swinging it at his first victim before the Orc could blink. He pressed the point of his saber in the arm beneath the pauldron, just deep enough to draw blood. Smoothly, he pulled his sword back a bit, flicked his wrist to aim the blade and performed a backhanded slash that neatly separated the head from the neck.

The entire time between Morvayn stepping into view and the Orc’s head flying away could be counted in a single heartbeat. The other Orcs in the room hadn’t noticed anything yet. Morvayn calmly walked towards the back of the nearest one. He enjoyed the look of surprise and then horror when the Orc turned around. Behind Morvayn, the corpse of his first victim noisily dropped to the floor.

,,In the name of my lord, I bring justice! You will join your unholy master in Oblivion!” Morvayn shouted and raised his saber. He ducked the Orc’s warhammer and cut through his opponents legs. He raised himself, cut off another head and turned towards his next victim. Magical mist poured out of the two Orcs and entered the man who had slain them.

Morvayn felt the mist filling his veins and with it, the power it gave him. When he was two steps away from the third Orc, he acted. He moved faster than anything the Orcs had seen before. In their eyes, he was death turned into flesh and blood, with a grim face they only knew too well. All three remaining Orcs died before they could raise their weapons.

The power his sword had granted him fled and he turned to watch how the corpses fell to the floor. Morvayn removed his helmet and wiped the sweat from his forehead. His red eyes blazed with a fanatical anger when he turned to the statue that dominated everything else in the room. If it was meant to intimidate, it failed to serve its purpose on the Dunmer.
,,Mehrunes Dagon, this shrine shall no longer worship you. For the glory of my lord, I have brought justice.” He said to the four-armed statue of the Daedra and walked out of the room.

Outside the shrine, his face was covered by his helmet again. He gave a few quick orders to the group that had waited outside for his return. Morvayn had concluded they would only get in the way during the fight and told them to stay at the entrance.
,,You, pick up the heads of the outlanders and put them on stakes in front of the entrance. That should serve as a warning to any cultist who wishes to rebuilt the shrine. The rest of you, destroy the shrine. When we leave, I want that accursed place to be in pieces.”

[jack cloudy]

Yeah, Nords can be evil. I first thought of an Orc but that would be cliché. Just look at LOTR. All the Elves are good and all Orcs are absolute evil. No exceptions.



Slowly, the tree of them walked through the open gate. Hands ready to draw weapons, they looked like your typical gang of rough people who knew they were unwanted yet refused to leave.
,,Keep your eyes open, who knows when another Daedra challenges us.” Morvayn commanded sharply. Luper grinned and Jarik frowned. No further words were exchanged. They stepped further into the dark halls of the shrine.

Without warning, panels in the walls slid away and a group of Clanfear poured out. Hands grabbed weapons, a single look was exchanged. Without words, they came up with a plan. The plan was simple. Hack everything that got in the way.
,,Now, charge! For Vivec!” Morvayn shouted and took the lead.

The Dunmer spun around as his blade carved through the snout of the nearest creature. Once again, the Ebony saber drained the essence of its victim and transferred it to the Ordinator. His strikes became more rapid. Morvayn tore a path through the Clanfears who moved far too slow to even touch him. He reached a massive door at the other side of the room where he turned around, ready to fight again. Jarik crashed through a few of the Reptilian monsters with brute force. Luper was a few steps after him.

,,Now I am really enjoying myself here but maybe opening the door would be a good idea?” The Redguard joked. They were now standing with their backs to the black door. The remaining Clanfears continued to assault them, without any result other than being sent back to Oblivion.
,,Cover me.” Morvayn answered. He turned towards the door and raised a hand.

,,In the name of the Tribunal, by the grace of Vivec. I command you, open! Reveal your secrets!” There was a flash of Magicka, and the lock clicked open. The Dunmer pushed against it with all his weight. Slowly, he managed to push it open far enough to pass.
,,Come on!”

Behind them, the door closed and locked once more.
,,Great Ancestors. From the frying pan into the fire.” Jarik noted with a wry grin.
,,You could take that literally.” Luper added with a raised eyebrow. This room was just as large as the first, only it was almost entirely taken up by a pit filled with boiling lava. Fire Atronachs stood in countless rows, waiting for them to cross the wooden bridge that extended across the pit.

Morvayn sat down. So far, the beasts hadn’t attacked so he would take the time he’d been given and come up with a plan. He carefully took in their surroundings.
,,Clearly, the bridge is a trap. It would burn easily from the spells those abominations wield. As a Dunmer, I can endure the flames longer than any of you yet even I would not survive such an onslaught.” He said slowly. His eyes picked up the ridges running along the walls. They were just wide enough for a single man to stand.
,,A test of observation?” He now inspected the ridges further. There was a stepping stone of sorts at each corner of the room. If he jumped from there, he should be able to grab the ridge.

,,Let’s try it out.” The Dunmer stood up and climbed onto the nearest stepping stone. He calculated the distance and jumped with all his might. His fingers grabbed the slippery rock. Gripping the stone as good as he could, he pulled himself up. Once on the ledge, he took a deep breath and sprinted to the other side of the room. The sound of fireballs slamming into the wall rang in his ears. He ignored the noise till he was safely on the other side of the room where he could jump down.

Luper came next. He needed help to get on the ledge with his heavy armour. Help that the Nord reluctantly provided. During the dash across, the enchantment of his armour proved its worth as the fireballs were harmlessly absorbed by the energies that whirled around the Redguard. Jarik came last, running fast enough to keep ahead of the fire. The door opened, granting them passage into the next room.

The place was bathed in the cold glow of a Frost Atronach. It watched the intruders silently.
,,You have passed the test of strength and the test of speed. Now take the test of the mind. Answer me!” It howled. Morvayn forced himself to sheath his blade and stepped forward.
,,Ask your questions, Daedra.”

The Atronach seized up the Dunmer before speaking.
,,You, I know who you serve and why you’re here. All of you have the exact same goal, for a different purpose. You hold the greatest threat to Tamriel within the grip of your hands. What shall you do?” It spoke without emotion. Morvayn looked down at his feet as he thought about the riddle, if it was one.
,,I would leave it in a secure place.” He answered, his voice barely more than a whisper and his hand near the hilt of his sword.

,,You have answered well. Warrior of the north, step forward. Answer me.” The Atronach commanded. It waited till the Nord had stepped in front of him before continuing.
,,You have served your master. He is grateful for what you’ve done. Yet you have paid a great price for your deeds. Your master is willing to reward you. What do you wish?” Like with Morvayn, Jarik was silent for a long time.
,,I would ask him to give me the reward I need so I can serve him even longer.”

The Atronach didn’t show either pleasure of or disappointment. He beckoned Luper to step forwards.
,,Come, master and slave of time. Neither mortal nor immortal. Answer my question!” The Atronach blew out the words. The room had noticeably become colder since the three men entered.
,,Time has cursed you yet put itself into your hands like the hilt of a sword. How will you use it?”

Unlike the others, Luper answered almost immediately. He knew himself very good so he didn’t need to think it over.
,,I would use the time I’ve been given to deal with the big things. Like beating up big old baddies who threaten my home.”

The Atronach nodded. He stepped out of the way, letting them pass.
,,Go now, claim your prize. It has been decided that we Daedra may not pass beyond this point. You, men of Tamriel can. Go, do what you must. Once again, fate shall be decided as the scrolls have written. Know one thing. The future is not fixed. Endless possibilities exist, each leading to a different future. Choose your possibility wisely.” It spoke for the last time before vanishing.

Silently, they entered the last room. Titanic statues lined a path. Each statue represented one of the Daedra. At the end of the room, their purpose for coming here revealed itself. Jarik walked among the statues in awe. Morvayn didn’t even notice them. He chose to speak to Luper.
,,Not mortal and not immortal either? What was that thing saying?” He asked, for once without a hint of annoyance in his voice. Luper shrugged.
,,That’s not something I like to tell people. I bet you can figure it out by yourself.”

Jarik smiled. Finally, his quest had come to an end. He had needed two companions to enter, only he would leave. His hand closed around the shaft of the staff.
,,Goodbye!” He shouted before disappearing in a shower of purple sparkles. He did not notice the cracked plate in the floor, or the symbol etched into it. A symbol showing the sun rising over a tree. He also didn’t know about the wave of Magicka shooting forth, creating a rip between Tamriel and somewhere far away.