• Welcome to Skyrim Forums! Register now to participate using the 'Sign Up' button on the right. You may now register with your Facebook or Steam account!
  • Hey there, thanks for visiting our fan fiction section. You should only write stories that aren't related to your character's encounters, if you wish to write a story about your character please post an entry in your blog.

    Before reading or writing a story, please make sure to read this thread. Thanks, Guest, and we hope you enjoy this section.

Onyx Black

Lord of Onyx
Bruh, thank you for this awesome series - kind of the reason I signed up here, keep up the good work.
 

ultimatedovahkiin

Now's not the time for fear. That comes later.
Bruh, thank you for this awesome series - kind of the reason I signed up here, keep up the good work.
Thank you so much, you have no idea how much those kind words mean to me. I'm really glad you're enjoying it and I hope you'll stick around for the sequel after this series ends in a few weeks.
 

Onyx Black

Lord of Onyx
You're welcome, great read, and I took a week to really get it in and once I did I loved it. I did send a message from my Gmail but I don't know if you got it or have Gmail.
 

ultimatedovahkiin

Now's not the time for fear. That comes later.
You're welcome, great read, and I took a week to really get it in and once I did I loved it. I did send a message from my Gmail but I don't know if you got it or have Gmail.
I haven't gotten any email. If you sent it to the email registered to here it likely went to my junk email, I use it to sign up for websites and stuff and keep my other email clean for actual messages. I checked both emails though and haven't seen anything.
 

ultimatedovahkiin

Now's not the time for fear. That comes later.
So I know it's been over a month since my last post and I have to apologize for that. I am nearing the end of the story in my writing and after writing a few of the chapters I noticed that the second half really starts getting just bland and boring and I hated it. I honestly felt guilty writing two of the chapters because they were just so terrible in my opinion. There is a chapter I just love that gives some great moments between Argon and Katja and how their lives took a sudden turn, but a few of the chapters before that and the ones after were just no good. I felt so sick after writing the chapter after that that I just couldn't take writing another one of that quality. So I looked at the document that has all of my chapters laid out and noticed that there really wasn't many good ones. I refused to write or even release another chapter until the next chapter I wrote was amazing and I brainstormed so many different ideas for how I could replace the next chapter with one of an actual good quality but I hated every idea I came up with. Finally, at long last I found inspiration for an idea that was so obviously in front of me and I had perfectly set up for I just didn't realize it. Therefore, I have revised the ideas for the remaining chapters of the story and I really like the way I managed to fix the terrible chapters (there was really only two bad ones left but still.... ugh...) and replaced them with something I think is way better I also decided give a few touch ups to another chapter because I liked the idea but I felt the way I planned to explain it didn't make much sense. I have not touched the ending of the story because the last two chapters are so amazing to me (I did take a little out of my ideas for ch 23 because there was some unnecessary stuff in there, but I didn't really change much either) and I am completely happy and satisfied by them. All that being said, I am finally back and the story can continue hopefully with no more road blocks I have begun writing chapter 21 at long last and I plan to finish it as well as post chapter 18 sometime this week (that actually happens to be one of the ones I'm not happy with so I apologize :/ I'll try to release chapter 19 the next day because it's actually a good one) after that I plan to continue releasing chapters each week until this story is over. I also want to apologize because I didn't do anything to the chapters I don't like but have written because they are somewhat necessary and I couldn't think of any way to make them better but everything from ch 21 onward will be great I promise. Sorry for not posting for so long and thank you for waiting patiently. :)
 

ultimatedovahkiin

Now's not the time for fear. That comes later.
Chapter 18: Snowfall

Less than two hours after their metting with Lydia, Argon and Katja mounted their horses and left for the Chantry of Auri-El. Katja rode alongside her brother as he led them to the Chantry.

"So this Gelebor guy, he's a Snow Elf?" Katja asked.

"Mm hm." Argon answered.

"But weren't they like wiped out or something?"

Argon explained to his sister, "In a sense, yes. After being nearly annihilated by the Nords the Snow Elves sought refuge with the Dwemer in their cities. In desperation they agreed to eat a plant native to Blackreach and the plant caused them to go blind. After losing their sight, the Dwemer forced the Snow Elves into slavery. Over time the once proud Snow Elves became the twisted and evil creatures known as the Falmer, but not all Snow Elves submitted to the Dwemer. Some of them sought out alternate solutions but for the most part the Snow Elves that refused the Dwemer were wiped out. My friend Gelebor, is one of the few Snow Elves that managed to survive his race's downfall."

"How did he survive?"

"The Chantry is pretty isolated, a lot of what went on during that war didn't effect him or any of the other Snow Elves at the Chantry."

"So there is more than one Snow Elf at the Chantry? That's great!" Katja exclaimed.

"No, there isn't. Eventually the Falmer found the Chantry and attacked it, every Snow Elf there was murdered except for Gelebor and his brother Vyrthur. Vyrthur was eventually turned into a Vampire and he went crazy. When I met Gelebor, as I was searching for Auri-El's Bow, I had to kill Vyrthur to take back the Inner Sanctum of the Chantry."

Katja frowned, "That's a disappointment. An army of Snow Elves could have really helped take down Lorkhan."

"One will be just as good." Argon assured her.

~~~~~~~~
After hours of riding the twins eventually reached the opening to a cave. A faint glow emanated from the cavern and gave the dark passage a low level of visibility.

Katja was confused. "Are you sure we're in the right place?" she asked.

"This is the place. We have to go through here to reach the Chantry." Argon explained.

"Ookay. I'm right behind you." Katja stepped aside so Argon could enter the cave before her.

Argon stepped into the cave and his foot sunk a little into the wet mud. Argon had been in this cave multiple times before, but this time it felt different. Normally the cave gave off an eerie but welcoming vibe. This time however, it felt dark and ominous, it felt as though Argon was stepping into an unlit room where there may or may not be a rabid animal directly in front of him.

Katja noticed her brother stalling before moving further in the cave. "Is everything alright?" Katja asked.

"There's something different about this cave. There's a dark presence here and I don't like it." Argon said as he looked around the passage.

"You think Lorkhan's here? Should we turn back?"

"No, we gotta keep moving. If Lorkhan is here then we have to reach Gelebor before he does."

"Alright, lead on then."

Argon slowly began walking through the cave, gradually he started moving faster and faster up to the point that Katja was having difficulty keeping up with him. "Could you slow down? I haven't moved this fast in years!" Katja called out as she struggled to keep him in sight. Argon completely ignored her and kept speeding through the cave. Finally, Argon turned a corner and stopped dead in his tracks. Katja caught up to him and stood next to him. They were both standing at the front of a large room. In the middle of the room there was a platform raised slightly above the water that surrounded it. On top of the platform was a large hexagonal structure with a dome top that appeared to be some sort of shrine. The structure had a style to it that Katja had never seen before. Strangely there was a small basin sitting on a pedestal in the middle of the structure, but the strangest part of the stucture was the back of the interior. The back wall and the side next to it appeared as though they weren't even there. Rather than be a solid wall like the rest of the walls, these back sides looked more like doorways and both of them lead to different areas.

"What is this thing?" Katja asked her brother.

"It's a wayshrine. There are multiple ones just like it dotted all over the vale. Those back parts are portals, one of them leads deeper into this cave and the other leads directly to the vale, that one was opened up for me after I beat Vyrthur."

Katja grasped her head and murmured, "By the gods, there is so much I don't know about this world."

Argon heard her and he smirked. "It only gets worse." he said.

Katja sighed and followed Argon as he walked through one of the portals.

~~~~~~~~
Argon and Katja emerged into a land dressed in white. Nearly everywhere they looked there was snow, snow on the ground, snow on the trees and plants, snow on the rocks, it was everywhere.

Katja was in awe of the land around her, the vale was so beautiful and peaceful. With the snow everywhere, the frozen lake off in the distance, the beautiful trees wearing coats of snow, and the bright sun lighting up the land, for once since she had awaken she felt safe and at peace. Everything here was so perfect, so secluded and untouched, inside of this vale time stood still and it was as if the world wasn't ending. Katja stood breathing in the fresh air and was captivated by the beauty and quiteness of the vale. As Katja was standing there she let her mind wander off and her cares drifted away, then she heard Agon's voice. "This is not good." Argon said. The urgency in his voice was enough to snap Katja out of her trance and she turned to her brother. "What's the matter?" she asked.

"Every time I come here the spirit of a Snow Elf Prelate is standing here tending to this wayshrine. There is a Prelate for each wayshrine so why is the Prelate for this shrine not here?" Argon said frantically.

"Maybe he wanted to explore the vale so he wandered off." Katja suggested.

"The Prelates have tended to the wayshrines for thousands of years they are so dedicated to their jobs that they protect the wayshrines even after death. There is no way that one of them would just wander off to explore."

"Do you think Lorkhan had anything to do with it?" Katja asked.

Argon gaved a straightforward answer, "I guarantee Lorkhan had something to do with it. It's no coincidence that the Prelates would disappear at the same time Lorkhan returns. He's here for sure, we don't have time to admire the view we have to get to Gelebor he could be in trouble." Argon grabbed Katja by the wrist and dragged her through a different portal in the wayshrine.

When they stepped out of the other side of the portal both siblings unsheathed their weapons and and exited the wayshrine. They were now standing on top of a large balcony that had been constructed with the same style as the wayshrines. In front of them was a large room that was filled with ice and had mostly been destroyed. Large chunks of the ceiling and walls were laying on the ground and a single throne surrounded by ice sat at the top of the room.

From behind the duo there came a calm and soothing male voice. "Argon?" the voice said, "Is that you?"

Argon and his sister turned around and faced the snow elf. Gelebor's skin and hair were both as white as snow, his skin appeared rough and weathered, whereas his hair was as soft and fluffy as a cloud. The irises of his eyes were slightly darker than his eyeballs were and the outter edges of them were surrounded by a thin black ring.

"It's been what, twenty years since I was last here and you still haven't fixed up the Inner Sanctum?" Argon joked.

Gelebor smiled and said, "I like it the way it is. It symbolizes the great battle that took place here between you and Vyrthur and it is a nice memory of the time I met one of my closest friends. Besides, there's only so much one elf can do on his own."

"It's good to see you again Gelebor." Argon said and he clasped his friend in a hug.

"It's good to see you again too, my friend." Gelebor said, "So, it's been twenty years since you last came here, I was beginning to think you had forgotten about this place. What brings you back to the Chantry after such a long absence? And who is it that you have brought along with you?"

"Gelebor, this is a my twin sister Katja. Katja, this is Knight Paladin Gelebor." Argon introduced the two.

"It's good to meet you." Gelebor said as he shook Katja's hand, "Argon never told me he had a sister."

"It's good to meet you too. Argon doesn't like to talk about me much." Katja smiled.

"It's a really long and complicated story." Argon told Gelebor.

"Well, I have time to listen." Gelebor said as he leaned back against the balcony's railing.

"Actually, you don't." Argon said in a serious tone, "That's why we're here. No one has time anymore. The world is ending Gelebor, and we need your help."

Gelebor straightened up. "What are you talking about?"

"Lorkhan is back and he is angry. He thinks this world is flawed since it has been so influenced by the Divines and he wants to destroy it and create a new world where he is the sole ruler of everything." Argon told Gelebor, "He's already captured Solitude as well as destroyed most cities in Skyrim and with each city he destroys he recruits more soldiers to his army. The world is tearing itself apart, Lorkhan is removing hope from the world and it's causing riots all over Tamriel. I've witnessed some of these riots first hand and let me tell you they are not good. Citizens in the Imperial City are resorting to cannibalism, Markarth has enforced a strict set of laws and the guards there have orders to arrest anybody who shows sign of even considering starting a riot and the city is on the verge of snapping. However, Katja and I are putting together an army with the help of The Blades and we need you to join it. Your magic along with your knowledge of Snow Elf armor and weaponry makes you invaluable to our army and without you on our side we stand no chance against Lorkhan's army. So please, we need you to join us."

"You're a good man Argon, not to mention you're the Dragonborn, so I believe everything you've told me but if it is all true then my duties are here at the Chantry. If Lorkhan really is back then I need to guard the Chantry more than ever." Gelebor said, "To save your world you need the help of the Divines."

Argon looked Gelebor straight in the eyes and grimly said, "The Divines are dead. Lorkhan slaughtered them, revenge on them was only the first part of his plan. He's finished off the daedra too and now he wants to finish the world. This army is our world's last hope and it is going to fail without you."

Gelebor was shocked, he couldn't comprehend the idea of the Divines being killed. "I, I, no... If Auriel is dead then that's all the more reason for me to stay and guard the Chantry. I am sworn to guard this Chantry no matter what and if Lorkhan is strong enough to murder Auriel then imagine what he can do here. I cannot leave, I'm sorry." Gelebor denied the request.

"I don't think you're understanding, Gelebor." Katja spoke up, "If the world ends, then so does your precious Chantry."

Gelebor was flustered by Katja's words but he knew that she was right, the end of the world meant the end of the chantry. It would also mean the end of millions of lives, and Gelebor had seen enough death over the years. "You're right, my apologies. I would be more than honored to fight alongside you Argon and Katja Stormblade." Gelebor extended his hand out to Argon and Argon clasped and shook it.

Argon released his friend's hand and said to him, "Then let's go we don't have much time, Lorkhan might already be in the Chantry, the Prelates were gone when we got here."

As Gelebor walked towards the wayshrine he said, "Then we must hurry before he reaches us. It pains me to leave the Chantry in the company of Lorkhan, but I know we'll take it back the day he falls in battle and on that day we will take back our world."
 

ultimatedovahkiin

Now's not the time for fear. That comes later.
Okay, I made an error. I guess I uploaded chapter 18 back in November and when I did I forgot to link the words "Chapter 18" in the main description post, and so when I went to check what my most recent chapter was, I saw the last chapter I linked was chapter 17 and figured chapter 18 was the next one I had to upload so that's why I uploaded it yesterday. I'll take down the older version of the chapter and keep the newer one up because I went through and proof-read it again and caught a few errors I missed last time I proof-read it. I'm so sorry for this mix up I guess being gone so long threw me off more than I realized. I'll take the older version down now and upload chapter 19 tomorrow, I promise to get it right this time. :p
 

ultimatedovahkiin

Now's not the time for fear. That comes later.

ultimatedovahkiin

Now's not the time for fear. That comes later.
Chapter 19: Remembrance

"Lydia, I would like you to meet Knight Paladin Gelebor." Argon presented the Snow Elf to Lydia.

"It's good to meet you Gelebor, I am Lydia, Grandmaster of The Blades." Lydia shook hands with Gelebor.

"This is a truly fascinating home you've made here. I would very much like a tour of it if it's not too much trouble." Gelebor said.

"I'd be more than happy to show you around, but that'll have to wait a little while." Lydia turned to Argon, "Argon, my scouts have returned and I compiled a list of all remaining factions. Surprisingly, quite a few have survived."

Lydia handed Argon a folded sheet of parchment. Argon took the parchment in his hands and unfolded it. It read:

Fallen Factions
Psijic Order
The Companions
All chapters of The Thieve's Guild
(possibly others)

Remaining Factions
Morag Tong
Vigilants of Stendarr
Knights of The Nine (Rumored)
College of Winterhold
Knight's of The White Stallion
Most chapters of The Fighter's Guild
Knight's of The Thorn
The Dawnguard


Argon read over the list. "I thought vampires wiped out the Vigilants of Stendarr years ago." he said.

"They've made a comeback. Those are all the factions whose fates have been confirmed, it's unknown about the fates of any of the others but I can send out more scouts to look more thoroughly if you would like." Lydia offered.

"No, this is good. We may be able to work with this." Argon said, "Send out scouts to all of the confirmed guilds, tell the guild leaders that The Dragonborn is requesting their assistance. If the scouts happen to run into anyone along the way who would be willing to fight, have them brought them back here and they'll be accepted with open arms. Don't send any scouts to the Knights of the Nine though, Katja and I will handle that personally."

"Understood." said Lydia and she turned and walked off.

Katja turned to her brother and asked, "Why are we going to the Knights of the Nine? Shouldn't we stay here and keep training the recruits?"

"If it was anyone else then yes, it would make more sense to stay here but I'd rather personally handle the Knights of the Nine." Argon said.

"Why? I don't understand." Katja asked filled with confusion.

"You know the Champion of Cyrodiil?" Argon asked.

"Yeah, I remember the stories. He fought on your team, right? Is that why you wanted to handle The Knights personally, because he was The Divine Crusader?"

"Sort of. There's a lot I haven't told you about Tamiir." Argon said, "I'll explain everything after this is all over. Until then, we should get some sleep, I want to leave first thing tomorrow morning. The Priory of The Nine is far into Cyrodiil and I want to get this taken care of as quickly as possible."

~~~~~~~~
The next day Argon and Katja set out on their horses at the crack of dawn. Together they began the journey from Sky Haven Temple to the area south-east of Skingrad in Cyrodiil.

After traveling in silence for a half hour, Argon finally decided to speak. "So, what are your thoughts on all of this?" he asked his twin sister.

Katja thought for a moment and then she answered, "Honestly? I don't know."

"What do you mean?" Argon asked.

Katja frowned and explained herself, "I don't know. I guess I should be terrified, but I'm not even sure if I even feel scared. I just don't know. Everyone keeps telling me, 'Katja, we're in danger.' 'Katja, the world is ending.' 'Katja, Lorkhan has returned and he is going to kill us all.' but the thing is, I haven't seen any proof of it. I haven't seen any destroyed cities. I haven't seen these riots, I'll admit back in Falkreath it was really eerie what with everyone locking themselves indoors. The entire city felt abandoned, but it wasn't destroyed. I haven't seen any displays of Lorkhan's strength or of his power. I haven't even met Lorkhan. I've only been told things. So are we really in any danger? I don't know. If we are in danger, can you really save us? I mean no offense of course, but I have never seen you fight. You showed me your thu'um so I believe you're Dragonborn, but I've never seen you in battle. I've only heard stories about your great battles and all of your heroic actions, but I've never seen them and I never saw any of those crises. Is everyone exaggerating you? Are people overselling or underselling you? I don't know. I haven't experienced any of this current crisis, I was just thrown into it halfway through. I want to believe everything, I really do, but over these last few weeks I've been told a lot of crazy things and I'm not sure what to believe. Should I believe all of it, or should I believe none of it? I don't know."

"I wanna say I understand, I want to tell you I get how you're feeling, but I don't." Argon said, "In my first adventure, when I became Dragonborn, I didn't have to decide what to believe. I had seen Alduin, I watched him destroy a city, I experienced the power of the Dragons and I saw just how destructive and terrible they can be. I experienced all of it, I wasn't thrown into the middle of it, I had been there since the beginning."

"I guess it's just my burden to carry." Katja sighed.

After five more minutes of silence Katja spoke again.

"Argon?" she said.

"Yes?" he answered.

"I know you said that you wanted to get this done as soon as possible, but I wanted to know if we could make a short detour?" Katja requested.

"To where exactly?"

"Bruma." Katja said, "I have to see it. Our house I mean, and the city I guess. But the house at especially. I have to know all of this is real. I need some evidence that what I'm being told is true, something to show me that I really did wake up decades in the future and this isn't all just some big dream. I want to see our home."

"Katja, it's been decades and the house burnt down, they probably cleaned up that mess and put something new in its place." Argon said.

"I know, but I have to see it. I need to know." Katja sighed again.

"It's a little out of the way, but sure. We can stop by Bruma on the way to The Priory." Argon agreed.

"Thank you." Katja said.

~~~~~~~~
It took hours of riding but Argon and Katja eventually reached the Jerall Mountains. By the time the duo reached the mountains night had already fallen so rather than go to Bruma while it was still dark, The Dragonborn and his sister set up camp for the night. Had it not been so dark Argon and Katja would have been able to barely see the city of Bruma from where their camp was set up.

Katja stood at the edge of the mountains and stared into the darkness, even though she couldn't see anything ahead of her she knew she was staring into the land she had called home for her entire life.

"When was the last time you visited Cyrodiil?" Katja asked her brother.

"Very recently, at least twice within the last few months. Things aren't well here either, last time I was here it didn't end well. I was arrested and thrown into the Imperial City Dungeon, my wife and the rest of my team with the help of a young woman had to break me out." Argon told Katja.

"Why in the world were you arrested?" Katja questioned.

"I was arrested for being Dragonborn. Everyone was still freaking out about Talos going rogue and they thought that since Talos was Dragonborn and Miraak was Dragonborn it meant that all Dragonborns would eventually turn evil and so I was arrested. No one knew that Lorkhan had been possessing Talos." Argon shook his head, "There's something we need to talk about, Katja. The riots in Cyrodiil are worse than the riots in Skyrim. I know you've heard rumors about them, but I'm telling you now that I witnessed the riots in The Imperial City first hand. They're not good, people were resorting to cannibalism and an angry mob was attacking the White-Gold Tower. I'm telling you this because I have no idea what state Bruma will be in, but whatever we find there it won't be good."

"I'm ready for that." Katja said.

~~~~~~~~
Early the next morning the twins packed up their camp and climbed back on their horses. After a tough trek down the mountain they began heading towards their old home. The cold wind of the mountains blew across Katja's face and chilled her cheeks to the bone, the breeze traveled along her face and lifted her ponytail inches above her back. The familiar feeling of the cold wind meant one of two things, either she had spent too much time in Skyrim, or, she was home.

"Here we are." Argon said as he stopped Shadowmere outside the North Gate to Bruma.

Katja also dismounted her horse and walked up to the gate. She stood there staring at the wooden gates unsure whether or not she actually wanted to go through with this.

"You ready?" Argon asked.

Katja took a deep breath and answered, "I'm ready."

Argon shoved open the gate and both he and Katja entered the city. Katja looked around the city with sorrowful eyes. The city looked almost the same as it had when she left it years ago, but despite this she didn't feel at home. Instead, she felt as though she were visiting a foreign land.

"How long has it been since you were last here?" Katja asked Argon.

"This is my first time returning here." Argon said, "After what happened, I never came back. This city held too many memories but they were all tainted by what happened on my last day here. I've never had the strength to come back here."

"So why return now?" Katja asked.

"I've wanted to return here for years, but I've never been able to bring myself to return. Now I have you though, and we can go through this together." Argon took Katja's hand in his and squeezed her palm.

"So let's go." Katja said.

The twins walked hand-in-hand through the city, as they left the gate Argon glanced up at the statue of their grandfather and a wave of great sadness swept over him. They walked in silence together through the quiet city, there were no civilians anywhere to be seen. No one was out in the streets, no doors looked to be barricaded, and the city looked untouched by any riots, it looked like everyone who had lived in Bruma had just vanished. Everyone probably fled the city after things got really bad in Skyrim, the city was close to the border between the two provinces.

As they walked, Katja looked around the city every bit of it was the same as she remembered. The Great Chapel of Talos still loomed over the entire city, but now the chapel felt ominous rather than hopeful. Slowly the twins walked through the city, looking at the houses and shops as they passed by them. Rather than making a bee line for their old house the twins decided to walk behind the chapel and stroll through the poorer area of Bruma.

The poor area of the city was a row of small houses in the shape of a U behind the chapel. The houses in the area were small houses with a big room on the main level and a small bedroom in what would be the basement of a regular house. The houses in the poor area increased in size and value as they grew closer to the city's Main Gate. The first house on the north side of the Main Gate had been the house Argon and Katja grew up in and as they walked along the eastern side of the U shaped area behind the chapel, the ruins of their old home became larger and easier to see. Katja kept her head down facing the snow covered ground as they came closer and closer to the house. Argon led his sister to the where their house once was and Katja squeezed her eyes shut.

"Here we are." Argon said, "You're going to have to open your eyes, Kat."

Katja shook her head, "No. I can't. I don't want to. This was a bad idea, let's just leave. I've changed my mind, I don't want to see it. I don't want to know."

"Katja, please. Don't make me go through this alone." Argon pleaded.

Katja slowly opened her eyes. "By the gods..." Katja squeezed Argon's hand tightly as they both stared at the burnt ruins of what had once been their family home.

The once grand house had been reduced to a few burnt wooden posts, a few charred bottom halves of walls, and a gaping pit where the house's lower level had been. A large portion of the floor had fallen into the pit and buried what had once been their father and grandmother's room. The stairs that had led to bottom level had collapsed and left a pile of ash, wood, and snow at the bottom of the pit. The room that had once been Argon and Katja's was nonexistent, all that remained was half a floor and half a wall. Four wooden posts had been set up in a square along the house and a thick rope connected all of them. On the burnt post of what had once been the front doorframe was a tarnished golden plaque that read "Childhood Home of Argon Stormblade". To Argon and Katja this house had only been a home, but to the people of Tamriel it was the place their greatest hero had grown up.

Katja hopped the rope and entered the house while Argon stood outside, stunned by what had become of his home. When he last saw it, the house had been up in blazes and Argon had been forced to kill a man in his own bedroom.

Katja slowly wandered the ruins of her home. As Katja walked down the front hallway towards her room, she began having flashes of the house as it had been before it burnt down. She saw a youner version of her and Argon running through the house yelling as they played together. The children ran up to their father who laughed and scooped them both up in a big hug. The memory then changed to that of a fifteen year-old Katja sitting in a chair in the hallway sharpening her dagger as Argon sat on their bed reading a book of The Dragonborn. The memory shifted again to a twenty-two year-old Katja arguing with her father about going to stop the necromancer threatening Bruma as Argon their grandmother sat downstairs listening to the argument. The final memory was of Katja sitting late at night in front of the fireplace in her room using the light of the fire to see her journal as she wrote an entry in it. After writing in her journal she silently crept up to the nightstand by her bed and she slipped the journal in the drawer and pulled out her glass dagger. After fastening the dagger to her belt she took a final look at her sleeping brother before sneaking out the front door to go kill the necromancer and save her city.

A tear rolled down Katja's cheek as she stared at the ruins of what had once been her bedroom and she stepped through what was once a wall and into the remaining floor of her room. The double bed her and Argon shared was gone, it had probably burnt up in the fire. Surprisingly, the nightstand had managed to survive barely singed by the flames. Over the years the nightstand had been weathered away by the snow and the wood was rotten and weak, but despite missing a leg and having a few holes the nightstand was still mostly there. Katja tried the drawer on the nightstand but it was stuck and refused to budge, she kept pulling on the drawer but it refused to come out. When she gave up on the door, Katja found a weak point in the top of the nightstand and smashed it in with her fist. Inside the nightstand there was one item, Katja's old journal the leather cover of the journal had some water damage and the sides of the pages were tearing, but the journal had somehow managed to survive years and years of snow. Katja opened up the journal and on the first page was a picture of a bunny that she drew when she was twelve. Katja sat cross legged on the floor and snow and began flipping through the pages of the journal. For years after getting the journal Katja did not write much in it and throughout the pages there were random jumps in months and years between each entry. As she aged she had gotten better at writing in the journal and entries became more and more frequent. The final entry of the journal was on the 15th of Last Seed, it read:

15th of Last Seed 4E 201
Valindril keeps threatening Bruma and I am beginning to fear that his attack is very imminent. I don't know if Bruma will be able to survive his attack or if I'll be able to stop him when he does attack. I can't take any of those chances, I have to go stop him now before the attack even begins. Valindril has proven himself to be a strong necromancer and any battle against him won't be easy, I'll have to sneak up on him and kill him before he even knows I'm there. If something goes wrong and I do have to fight him I can't guarantee I'll make it out of there alive. If I die and someone finds this journal, I'm sorry. I am so very sorry, I tried. Argon, if you're reading this, I want you to know I love you little brother. Don't let my death get you down, you have so much potential and I know that you can go far. It's a dangerous world we live in but if anyone can beat it, it's you Argon Stormblade. You're stronger than me, you always have been. I love you.


The last forty pages of the journal were empty, that really had been Katja's final entry. Katja closed the journal and slipped it into one of the pouches on her belt and she began to cry. Argon had been watching Katja and when she began to cry he walked up to her and helped her to her feet. As more tears began to flow from her eyes Argon wrapped Katja in a hug and the twins hugged in the ruins of their old home as snow began to fall upon them.
 

ultimatedovahkiin

Now's not the time for fear. That comes later.
Chapter 20: Cyrodiilic Knights

Argon and Katja stayed in Bruma for another hour or so and then they decided to get back on the road.

"How are you feeling?" Argon asked his sister.

"I'm feeling a whole mix of things, none of them good." Katja said, "I guess that I just hoped that maybe none of this was true. That maybe we'd go to Bruma and it'd turn out that our house was still there and that dad and grandma were still alive and that you were there and you were still the same frail boy I remembered you to be. After seeing our home all of my hope has been crushed. This is all real, everything I've been told is true, the world is ending, you are a hero, and I really am decades out of time. Everything I had is gone, all of my friends are dead or old, all my things are gone, and my family is all gone. My entire life is gone. I've really lost everything."

Argon shook his head and said, "That's not true. You've still got me."

"But for how long, Argon? If Lorkhan really is as bad as everyone makes him out to be, then how much longer will you last? How much longer will any of us last for that matter? What if he's too powerful and we can't stop him? Honestly, at this point the end of the world won't hurt me. My world has already ended." Katja stared down at her horse's mane.

"You need to stop talking like that." Argon said sternly, "That's not the Katja I knew. When things would get bad and the future looked bleak you never let it get you down. You would always say, 'It's just one more thing to fight for.' and you would keep going."

Katja sighed, "Whenever I said that I always had something to protect. I had a family to keep safe or a city to defend, but now I don't have either of those. You're the only family I have left and you clearly don't need my protection."

"You're right, you don't have a city to defend. You have a world to defend, and maybe you don't have to protect your own family but you have to protect every other family. All across the world there are families and cities that will be destroyed if you don't help stop Lorkhan and I promise you that we will stop him." Argon swore to his sister.

Katja looked up at Argon and said to him, "How are you doing this? How are you carrying on even after everything you've been through? Your friends and family have all been murdered and you keep fighting, you've lost more to this war than anyone has and yet you are still here, riding on your horse to go stop the badguy. I just don't understand."

Argon sighed and said to her, "Honestly? It's not easy, not at all. Every day I want to just collapse on the floor, roll into a ball, and just stay there forever. When my family was killed I lost my inspiration, Lorkhan had broken me and I crawled into a bottle. All the inspiration I ever had was gone it had all been ripped away from me, that is until my inspiration came to me and got me up off my ass. You're my inspiration, Kat. You always have been, ever since Bruma. I was always so in awe of you and how selflessly you acted. The way that you could go and throw yourself in the way of danger without a second thought always amazed me. You would have staring contests with Death and you always won, and even when I thought you had lost it would turn out that you actually won. After our home was destroyed and I was thrown into my destiny as The Dragonborn I was so scared. I knew that without me, Alduin would destroy the world but I didn't want the responsibility that would come with being Dragonborn, I didn't want to walk hand-in-hand with Death, I just wanted to live a normal life. Then I thought of you, and I would ask myself 'What would Katja do?' and I knew that you would have accepted this life in an instant. I knew that you would sacrifice all you had if it meant keeping the world safe. So I accepted my life, I accepted everything. To remind me of why I chose this life, one day I took a dagger and I made a cut down my left eye. After a while the cut began to heal and I was left with a scar just like the one you have on your left eye. Everytime I doubted myself and anytime I wanted to give up, I would just look at my reflection or I would touch the scar and it would remind me that I was doing all of this for you. Over time I forgot that you were the reason I accepted this fate and being a hero was like second nature to me, and after Lorkhan took everything from me I lost my faith and my spirit. Then you came to me in Falkreath, and seeing you again and feeling your touch it reminded me of why I became a hero in the first place. So how am I able to keep on going even though I lost everything? I keep going because you're here and without you I would still be at that damned bar getting drunk as a skeever."

Everything was silent as Katja thought about what Argon had just told her. Finally Katja opened her mouth again. "Argon," she said, "I'm sorry."

Argon was confused. "For what?" he asked her.

"For leaving, for failing, for not stopping Valindril. If I wouldn't have failed then you our home never would have been destroyed. Dad and Grandma never would have been killed. You never would have seen all of that and you never would have been forced to take a man's life. I failed you. I'm sorry, Argon. I'm so sorry." a tear rolled down Katja's cheek.

Argon directed Shadowmere to move closer towards Katja and he reached an arm out and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Don't you ever be sorry for that. It wasn't your fault, none of it was. It was all Valindril. What you did was the most noble thing anyone could do and maybe you failed to kill him but you did stop him. Thanks to you he was never able to attack Bruma, you saved the city. If you hadn't failed to kill him, and he hadn't attacked our home, then I never would have left Cyrodiil. I never would have been captured while trying to cross the border between Cyrodiil and Skyrim, and I never would have learned that I'm Dragonborn. No one ever would have stopped Alduin, and the world would have ended seventy years ago. It's because you failed to kill Valindril all of that was made possible and thanks to you, one of Tamriel's greatest heroes was born."

Katja nodded her head in acceptance. "Thanks." she said gloomily.

~~~~~~~~
It took another night of traveling but at noon the next day Argon and Katja arrived at The Priory of the Nine. As Argon and Katja came over the large hill in front of the Priory they noticed a strange purple and red glow coming from where the Priory should be. When they reached the top of the hill they saw the Priory and around the Priory was a large purple and red magic dome. At the bottom of the hill they both dismounted their horses and walked up to the dome. One of the nine knights who was on watch in the priory's garden spotted Argon and Katja and he drew his sword and ran up to them. "State your name and business. Now." the knight commanded from the other side of the dome.

"Um, well I'm Argon and this Katja and well we wanted to talk to you knights about possibly joining an army we're putting together." Argon said.

"Ha! We're the Knights of the Nine! We are far too mighty to join a mere commoner's army." the knight scoffed.

Argon looked at Katja with a confused look on his face. "What exactly is this army for?" the knight asked.

"To stop Lorkhan." Katja told him.

The knight laughed in their faces. "Ha! You want to stop Lorkhan? You're gonna have a hard time with that. Why not just leave it to us knights?"

Just then another one of the knights happened to be walking from the chapel and into the priory when he saw Argon and Katja standing outside the dome. Quickly the knight ran over to where the other knight was standing. "Sir Bigsley, what in Aetherius is going on here?" the knight asked.

Sir Bigsley laughed, "These commoners want to take down Lorkhan!"

The second knight shot an angered and confused look at Sir Bigsely. "Are you really that ignorant, Bigsley?"

Bigsely was taken aback. "I, er, what?" Bigsley floundered.

"You foolish person, those are no mere commoners. That is Argon and Katja Stormblade!" the knight shouted at Bigsely.

"Er, what?" Bigsely couldn't think of any words to say.

"You're relieved of guard duty. Go into the priory and stay there, send out Knight Cas." the head knight ordered.

"Yes sir knight." Bigsely ran off into the priory.

The other knight drew his sword and shoved it into the side of the dome, he moved his sword throughout the dome and cut a passage large enough for Katja and Argon to walk through. "Please, come in." the knight said.

Argon and Katja walked through the passage and the knight retracted his sword and the dome fixed itself. "I apologize for Bigsely's brashness." the knight said, "These end times have really got us all on edge. Bigsely finds comfort in humor and so he jumps on any chance he has to mock someone. Last week a Sir Lucan dropped his sword while sparring outside and Bigsely began to mock him relentlessly, in anger Lucan lifted Bigsely up and threw him into the horses' water trough."

"I suppose that's understandable." Argon said.

"I appreciate your understanding. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Sir Titus I serve as the Knight Commander here at the priory. While the Divine Crusader is not here I am the leader of the knights." Titus told the twins.

"I'm sorry, not to change the subject, but you told that other knight that my name is Katja Stormblade, how exactly did you know who I was? I'm not the most well known person these days." Katja asked.

Titus chuckled, "I know all about you Miss Stormblade, all of us knights do. Your grandfather was so happy the day you and Argon was born. Whenever he would visit he would talk endlessly about the two of you. He did it for years, and he would describe the two of you in great detail. You look exactly how he described Miss Stormblade."

Katja was confused, "Our grandfather?"

Seriousness filled Titus. "Have you not yet told her, Argon?" Titus asked.

Argon shook his head.

"Told me what?" Katja demanded.

"Maybe it's best if you two talked for a moment." Titus said.

Argon nodded and he led Katja to the garden. "I was going to tell you, I really was. We've just been so busy I haven't really thought of a good time." Argon began.

"Argon. Shut up." Katja's ice blue eyes stared through Argon's mask and into his pupils, "Just tell me what that man is talking about."

"Alright, so you know how the Champion of Cyrodiil is also the Divine Crusader?" Argon asked, "Well do you know his real name?"

"Well, no as a matter of fact." Katja said.

"Well I know it. His real name is Tamiir. Tamiir Stormblade." Argon said.

"Stormblade? But that's our name." Katja said.

"Where do you think we got it from? We got it from him, he is our great-great-grandfather from our mother's side. Dad took Mom's surname because of how much significance and power the name held, he didn't want to take that from her." Argon explained.

"So, that's why you wanted to handle the knights personally. Not because you fought alongside the Divine Crusader, but beacuse the Divine Crusader is our grandfather." Katja finally realized.

"I'm surprised how well you're taking this." Argon said.

"My life is so crazy right now that there is no other way to take it." Katja said.

"I'm glad you said that because there is one more thing I should tell you about our grandfather." Argon said.

"Of course there is. Let's hear it." Katja said.

"So you know how The Champion of Cyrodiil disappeared years after the Oblivion Crisis? Well he disappeared to Oblivion and became the daedric prince Sheogorath." Argon told her.

"Oh great. So my grandfather is not only The Champion of Cyrodiil but he's also the Divine Crusader as well as the Daedric Prince of Madness. Please tell me you have some sort of idea how crazy this all sounds. If it was anyone else telling me this I wouldn't believe them." Katja said.

Katja turned and walked off back towards Sir Titus and Argon followed after her.

"So I take it he told you everything?" Sir Titus asked.

"Yeah, my grandfather is the Champion of Cyrodiil who never actually disappeared, he just left for Oblivion so he could become a Daedric Prince. So I have a Daedric grandfather and a brother who is half dragon." Katja sighed.

"Yes well I want you to know that Tamiir cared very much for you. The day that Valindril put you in that magical coma he was so upset." Titus told her.

"HE KNEW?! AND HE DIDN'T TRY TO SAVE ME?!" Katja was enraged.

"Of course he knew, he never did tell Argon though. The reason he never saved you is because he knew that one day you would be needed. Tamiir knew that this conflict was coming one day, all the divinities knew a great evil would awaken soon, they just didn't know that it would be Lorkhan who would be attacking. Your grandfather knew that when this war did come that your brother would need you to help him save the world and you couldn't do that if you had already died of old age." Titus explained.

"So he just let me rot away in a cave for seventy years rather than just brining me to his Oblivion realm and letting me live there without aging?"

"The Shivering Isles is a very dangerous place for mortals." Titus explained, "Any mortal who goes there and spends too much time over there is driven mad, Tamiir loved you too much to let that happen to you and so he refused to take you into his realm."

Katja huffed and said sarcastically, "I feel so loved right now."

Argon approached Katja and Titus and said to them, "I'm sorry, I know that there is a lot to talk about and a lot that needs explaining but we'll have to do that later, that's not why we came here."

"Of course." Titus said, "Walk with me, let us talk."

Argon and Katja followed Titus as he led them around the priory. "The reason we came here is because we want you and the rest of the knights to join our army." Argon said.

"Hmm, and where is this army based at?" Titus questioned.

"In Skyrim, at Sky Haven Temple, it's where The Blades are currently based at." Argon answered.

"And there is room to fit an entire army?" Titus asked.

"We're not sure, if it can fit an army it likely won't be comfortable but comfort is something that will have to be sacrificed if we're going to save the world." Katja said.

"How many members do you have right now?"

"At the moment we have thirty Blades but we have sent scouts all over Tamriel to recruit any surviving factions and anybody who would be willing to fight against Lorkhan. Hopefully that will boost our numbers." Argon said.

"That's a lot of hope you have there Argon." Titus said.

"Isn't hope all we have?" Argon asked, "With respect you seem to be relying a lot on hope as well."

"And how's that?" Titus asked.

"Well there are nine of you, and you are hoping that you will be able to not only ovecome Lorkhan's army but Lorkhan himself." Katja explained.

"That's not hope Miss Stormblade. That's knowledge. We know that we if we train we will be strong enough to take down Lorkhan." Titus stated.

"Then if you really are so great, wouldn't it make sense for you to join our army? If you really are as great as you claim then you and the rest of the knights would only boost the effectiveness of our army. Besides, having you on our army could save a lot of lives. We're going after Lorkhan with or without you and with your strength you could help keep our soldiers alive." declared Argon.

Titus rubbed his chin and then cracked a smile. "You are a smart one, Argon." he said, "Of course we'll join you, if not for the fate of the world then at least for Tamiir. We've heard of his demise at the hands of Lorkhan as the rest of Tamriel has, word has a way of getting around even with these vicious riots. Come, let me show you around."

Titus led Argon and Katja around the priory and introduced them to all of the knights. After introducing them to the knights Titus demonstrated their training methods to the twins and allowed them to watch two of the knights spar in order to show off their strength. Argon and Katja were very impressed with what they saw and they told Titus to meet them back in Skyrim in two days. Titus agreed to meet them at Sky Haven Temple and he dispatched the knights to round up as many weapons and as much armor as they could load on their horses.
 
Last edited:

ultimatedovahkiin

Now's not the time for fear. That comes later.
Chapter 21: The City of Stone

Have the gods abandoned us?
Were our heroes finally defeated, or did they just disappear?
Can no one save us?
Is this the end of days?


Fireballs whisked through the air at high veolcities, arrows soared through the skies followed by the screams as they pierced through human flesh, huge boulders were lobbed above citizens' heads and smashed the sides of the mountain, the sounds of steel hitting steel came from all directions throughout the city along with the cries of women as they held their dying husbands in their arms.

Lokvir ran through the city streets ducking as swords came at his neck and sidestepping every time an arrow came his way. He ran past his friends who were wounded and bleeding on the stone ground, people he could have helped he left behind in concern for his own life. At one point a hand grasped his ankle and squeezed tightly. Lokvir stopped dead in his tracks and looked down into the eyes of a kindly old man, as his eyes traveled down the man's body he saw the long gash in his stomach and one of his legs was missing. "Please... help... me...." the man pleaded as he gasped for air. Lokvir stared back into the man's blue eyes and without hesitation he stomped on the man's wrist. Instantly the old man released his grasp and pulled his arm back in pain. Lokvir turned and began running again, "I'm sorry..." he whispered as he ran and a tear trailed down his face. Lokvir looked up and saw a woman he once loved get shoved off of a pathway and he watched as her body fell to the ground and made contact with the stone below. The loud crack that rang out as she hit the ground made Lokvir shiver in his boots but he kept running.

"It's all over." Lokvir thought to himself as he ran for safety.

Finally Lokvir found the spot he was looking for, a small nook in the side of the mountain. He slipped into the cramped space and caught his breath. A small group of men in a type of that armor Lokvir didn't recognize ran past him without noticing he was there. Lokvir may not have known their armor but what he did know is that those men were the aggressors and if they had seen him he would be dead.

"Where are the gods? Where are our heroes? Can anyone save our world? Or is this truly the end of days?" whispered Lokvir to himself, as he whispered he turned and looked out from his hiding space and he watched as a blinding light came right at him. The light was so bright, it looked so warm and comforting, Lokvir reached out his arm to grab for it and that was when the ball of fire hit him in the face.

The end of the world had come. There was no hope anymore, only death and destruction. The world was beyond saving, it was already too far gone. Another city has succumbed to the wrath of Lorkhan. There are only two holds left. Two cities are all that all that remain of civilization, every city has fallen, every capital, every province, the entire world left barely hanging by a thread and when that thread snaps, so does the rest of the world.

Markarth has fallen.

~~~~~~~~
Over the past two weeks the size of Argon's army had nearly doubled. After returning from Cyrodiil Argon comissioned multiple squads of men all over Tamriel in order to recruit any able bodied men and women who were willing to fight against Lorkhan and his forces. The response was unbelievable. So many new recruits were added to the army and with some training they would become great warriors. Most of the scouts Lydia had sent to the multiple factions across the contient had returned and with them they brought trained warriors. The question is, would they be enough to combat Lorkhan? Argon believed so. Still, even with their great skills in combat and sorcery even they would require training. Therefore Argon and Katja sat down and together they planned out the training schedule. It was rigorous but these soldiers had to be trained as quickly as possible.

After training ended one Morndas, Argon and Katja stood together out in the temple courtyard. They watched in silence as the sun set in the distance and painted the sky shades of pink and orange. With the beauty of the sunset and the smell of the wildflowers it was easy to forget that the world was ending. There was so much life to the world and the idea of it dying could just slip away for a few precious moments. There was so much pain in the world right now but moments like these took it all away. Argon looked over at his twin sister as she stood there with her eyes closed taking in the smells of the world. The colors of the sunset glowed on her face and emphasized her shining radiance. Argon looked forward again and he too closed his eyes and took on the smells of the world. Mountain flower, dragon's tongue, honey, and was that smoke? Argon opened one eyelid and began sniffing the air. It was undeniable, there was smoke in the air. Argon opened his other eye and turned to Katja who was already looking at him, her face as puzzled as his.

"Do you smell that?" she asked her brother.

Argon replied, "It smells like..."

"Smoke." Katja finished his sentence, "But from where?"

The twins looked over the mountain and saw a large column of black smoke rising into the air.

"By the gods, that's coming from Markarth!" Argon exclaimed.

~~~~~~~~
Argon and Katja came crashing through the back doors of the temple, inside the army had gathered in the main room to eat that night's supper.

"Everyone stop what you're doing, go put on your armor and grab your weapons!" Katja barked as her and Argon rushed down the stone stairs.

Without hesitation every soldier got to their feet and ran towards the armory. Lydia frantically ran up to Argon and grabbed him firmly by the shoulders. Katja broke off from Argon and ran to their room to grab her glass dagger.

"Argon what in Oblivion is going on?!" Lydia shouted in the Dragonborn's face.

"It's Markarth smoke is rising from the city!" Argon shouted back and he broke free of the old woman's grasp. Katja came rushing back into the main room with her dagger on her back and Argon's sword in one hand and his bow and quiver in the other. "Catch!" she shouted and she tossed Argon his sword. Argon caught the sword and slung it over his shoulder and when Katja tossed his bow and quiver he caught them and did the same. The Dragonborn lifted up his hood and pulled Konarhiik from the pouch at his side and the mask over his face.

Soldiers began flooding back into the room, their armor on their bodies and weapons created by Gelebor on their back and hips. Argon adressed his army, "Alright everybody, I hope you all had a nice supper because things are about to get pretty crazy. While standing in the courtyard my sister and I observed smoke rising from what appears to be Markarth, for weeks the city has been on edge but it seems it has finally snapped, or worse it's being attacked by Lorkhan. If that latter is so then that means we are all in for quite a fight and I cannot guarantee we will all return from it. However, this is what you all signed up for and so I know you will proudly raise a blade against Lorkhan and his forces even if it means your demise. I hope that none of you shall fall and I wish swift arms and strong skin to each and every one of you."

~~~~~~~~
By the time Argon's army arrived outside the city the battle was already over. The smoke still rose from the city yet no sound came over the wall. Argon stepped forward and pushed open the front gates and a cloud of hot ash shot into his face. Behind the city walls was one of the most horrifying scenes Argon had ever laid eyes upon. Corpses hung from the cliffside with their guts hanging out and blood leaking. Burnt bodies littered the ground, some fully charred others only mostly. Market stalls had been overturned and city guards were laying dead in various places. Despite the multitude of corpses there was only one or two that belonged to soldiers in Lorkhan's army. The crackling of fire echoed throughout the city and the smell of smoke came from all directions, but there was no voices, no crying or screaming, no animals whining, only fire could be heard.

"Alright, everyone spread out and search the city entirely. Check every house, every shop, every building, and fully search them. If you find any survivors bring them outside the city walls, if you find anyone from Lorkhan's army do not hesitate to put your swords to their necks or arrows between their eyes." Argon drew his sword and he turned to his right and walked upstream of the city's river.

Katja followed alongside her brother, her dagger in her hand. In the hands of anyone else the small blade would be useless against any soldier from Lorkhan's army, but Katja had years of training with it and she knew all the right places to stab someone, all the slits in armor that she could fit it through, and she was quick and agile enough that she could stab you in the back and you wouldn't even realize until moments after it was done.

"What in Oblivion happened here..." Katja murmured.

"Lorkhan. It must've been. The city was already on the verge of snapping, all Lorkhan and his men had to do was introduce a little chaos and everyone would lose their minds." Argon answered her.

Argon and Katja crept along the city, past the temple of Dibella, up some stone steps, behind the waterfalls, and up to the doors of Understone Keep. Argon pushed on the doors to the keep but they were stuck, he kept pushing putting all of his might into it but they wouldn't budge. Suddenly from behind him he heard a gasp and a scream. Argon released the doors and spun around to see Katja with her eyes open wide, her hands over her mouth, and her dagger at her feet. Argon followed her gaze right to the small wall in front of the waterfalls. Upon the wall sat a severed head and at the bottom of it was a pool of blood that streamed down the wall and made a second pool on the ground. The head had long braids of brown hair, dark green eyes, and a gold circlet with emerald gems to match the eyes. It was the head of the Jarl. Next to the Jarl's head was a folded piece of paper, the edge of the paper was sitting in the pool of blood. Argon lifed up the paper and blood dripped of the edges, he opened it and in large neat letters were the words:
Meet me at the Guard Tower.

Argon showed the note to his sister and she was horrified. "Argon, you know who left that. You know we can't go to there." she said.

"We have to Katja." Argon declared.

Argon and Katja continued their walk through the city, and as they walked by along the walkway above the city's blacksmith they found a small nook in the side of the mountain and inside the nook was the body of a man who had had his face melted off. Katja nearly puked at the sight and she turned to Argon with tears pooling in her eyes.

"I've never seen anything like this... How are you so calm right now? How can you walk through the streets of this city and not take notice of the carnage all around you? Doesn't it horrify you?" Katja asked her brother.

"It does. You have no idea how much it does." Argon sighed, "But I am no stranger to sights similar to this. During my first days here in Skyrim I helped track down a murderer in Windhelm, when I finally found his lair it was littered with bloodied body parts. There were fingers on the shelves, spines in a bucket, skulls laying on the floor, and in the center of the room was a woman. She was naked and her stomach had been cut open and her ribs broken, the look of horror in her eyes was enough to send chills up and down my body. There were rope burns on her wrist and her feet were missing. It was the first time I had ever seen something so horrifying, and you know what made me keep on going? You know what motivated me not to quit? The thought of finding the man responsible and sending him to his grave. And that's exactly the way this war is going to end. We are going to find Lorkhan and I am going to kill him. He has taken so many lives, destroyed so many familes, and killed our world, but we are going to get revenge for everything that he has done. We will avenge the innocent deaths and we will rebuild our world. That is why I look so calm right now, not because I am, but because I know that the man responsibile for this mess will soon be taken down."

"Then let's take him down quick. I just want this to be over." Katja said solemnly.

~~~~~~~~
The door to the guard tower screeched as it slid across the stone floor. Argon first stepped inside and Katja followed behind him. The circular room they stood in had nothing more than a spiral staircase leading down to the bottom level. The twins walked down the staircase into a much larger and rectangular room. To the sides of Argon and Katja there were thin walls that divided up the room and in each wall were two empty doorways that led to the other sides of the walls where the beds were. At the very back of the rectangular room was another empty doorway and behind the doorway was a separate circular room in which stood a dark figure. The horns in Lorkhan's head were darker than ever and his yellow eyes glowed brighter.

Lorkhan opened his mouth and a cold voice full of malice came forth from it, "So you found my invitation. Good, I was afraid you might miss it. Thank you for not bringing anyone from your army, no use making this more complicated than it needs to be. It's a cute army I'll give you that, but it doesn't stand a chance against my own."

"Your plan ends here." Argon pointed the tip of his blade across the room at Lorkhan.

"No, it doesn't. This little dance we've been doing? That will end, but my plan won't end until this world has been destroyed and that will happen very soon. Only then will this battle be truly over." Lorkhan said.

"That will never happen. Everything ends here, right now. Your destruction, the death of innocents, and this entire war ends today!" Katja shouted.

"This War?!" Lorkhan let out a dark laugh, "You'd call this a war?! No, this is not a war. All this is is me trying to get things done and you two being little pests meddling in something that is none of your concern. If we were at war Miss Stormblade, you'd already be dead! I'll admit it is annoying have the two of you trying to stop me but I am not at war with you! If we were at war I would already have sent my army to wipe out yours at Sky Haven Temple! No, we are not at war you are simply flies waiting to be swatted."

"So swat us then, we're right here." Argon said.

"Oh I plan to." Lorkhan growled.

Argon and Katja raised their weapons and ran fullspeed at Lorkhan in the back room. Lorkhan simply waited for them to reach him and as soon as he did he blocked Argon's sword with his wrist and with the other arm he shoved Katja halfway across the room. Argon raised his blade again and swung at Lorkhan's legs only to have his sword stopped by Lorkhan's own. Katja regained her composure and she ran at Lorkhan and tried to stab him in the neck. Lorkhan shoved Argon back and caught Katja's blade in his hand, he gripped Katja by the throat and began to squeeze. Katja gasped trying to take in air but it was useless as her throat was being crushed. Argon balanced himself and looked on in horror as Lorkhan held his sister.

"Fus Ro Dah!" Argon shouted at the god. Lorkhan let go of Katja and raised his hands to block the shout. Lorkhan's arms blocked the thu'uum like a shield and the power passed right by his body. The fallen god pointed both of his arms at Argon and Katja and lifted them up in the air with his telekinesis. He threw the twins to the opposite end of the room and they tumbled across the floor tightly gripping their weapons.

Argon stumbled to his feet and then held out a hand to Katja. She closed her fingers around Argon's palm and used his hand to push herself up. Katja shook her head and looked back up at Lorkhan. The twins tightly gripped their weapons and ran at Lorkhan for one last attack. As they ran Lorkhan stared them down, in his hand he held a green orb of magic that he readied to throw. The twins got closer, and closer, and closer... Lorkhan raised his hand at Katja and flung the spell in her direction, it hit her right in the chest and she fell backwards. Argon kept running at Lorkhan and swung his sword at him, this time when Lorkhan raised his sword to block, Argon quickly pulled back and swung at his other side. Argon's sword caught Lorkhan right in his side and knocked him too the ground. Argon stood before Lorkhan, his blade hovering abover and pointed down at the god's head. Lorkhan rolled out from under the blade and swiftly rose to his feet, Argon tried to stab Lorkhan's skull but his blade entered solid rock, before Argon could retract his blade Lorkhan grasped him by the neck and and lifted him off his feet. Lorkhan began walking towards the door to the tower and as he passed Katja he grabbed on of her arms and dragged her unconcious body behind him.

The god brought the twins to the cliffside overlooking the city's market where Argon's army was regrouping. Lorkhan raised both twins high into the air and called out the army.

"Look upon me!" he shouted, "See the ones you have put your faith into, the two you have trusted to lead you, the very people you hoped would be capable of stopping me! Look upon us and see how I have over-powered them! In my hand I hold your last vetige of hope, between my fingers I possess the life of the man you look up to and with one squeeze I can obliterate him. But no, I won't kill him, not now at least. I want you to watch as your hope decays before you, as he falls apart before your very eyes. Therefore, I will kill her," Lorkhan raised Katja higher. "the sister of your hero! She is the only thing keeping him going, the only one holding him steady, and I will take her from him so that he will once again regress into the sorry shell he was before and this time you will all watch as he breaks in front of you. You will watch on as your hope slowly dies and then I will crush his skull and annihilate the lot of you. Now, CATCH!" Lorkhan flung Katja over the edge and her unconcious body shot through the air and fell towards the stone ground. Argon's eyes popped in horror as he watched his sister fall to her death. An evil smile covered Lorkhan's face and he released Argon's neck then disappeared into thin air.

As Argon sat there helplessly watching his sister's death, a brave soldier from his army suddenly broke from his mesmerized state and ran at one of the over turned stalls. The stepped up onto the stall as he ran and used his speed at the stalls height to propell himself into the air. For a moment the entire world seemed to be in slow motion as Argon watched the soldier fly at Katja and catch her in his arms. The two bodies fell out of the air and the soldier manuvered Katja and himself so that his body shielded her from the impact and only his own back would hit the stone ground and take the impact. Argon managed to regain control over his body and he rushed down to Katja and the soldier. Argon lifted his sister off the man and offered a hand to help the soldier to his feet. "Thank you." Argon said after pulling him off the ground. Two soldiers from the army came to the man's side and helped him walk.

Argon looked Lydia right in the eyes and said to her, "We have to get back to the Temple."
~~~~~~~~
When they got back to Sky Haven Temple, Argon still holding Katja's unconcious body rushed to his room and layed her down on his bed. Lydia followed by multiple mages came into the room to help Argon. "We'll take care of her, don't worry." Lydia assured the worried brother.

Argon explained to Lydia everything that had taken place inside of the guard tower, from the note Lorkhan left to him grabbing him by the throat and dragging he and Katja outside.

After a bit, Argon had been sent out of the room so that Lydia and the mages could examine Katja. During the time Argon was waiting he decided to find the man who had saved his sister. It didn't take him long to find him layed out on a bed with a healing mage by his side. It turned out that the one who had saved Katja was no man at all, rather he was a khajiit which explained why he managed to jump so high.

"Who are you?" Argon asked the Khajiit.

"My name is Ra'san, I come from the province of Elsweyr where I had a family."

"Had?" asked Argon.

Ra'san took a breath, "I had a wife and three children. Our home was nothing special, but it was our home and it was special to us. My family and I lived happily up until this war started and the riots broke out. Each night we had to barricade our doors to keep out unwanted guests, but one night a Redguard man managed to break through. I grabbed my sword to try and kill him but he knocked me aside and I hit my head on a wall and blacked out. When I awoke the man was gone and my house had been ravaged, furniture was broken, books were ablaze, and our weapons including my sword were gone. None of that mattered though, I searched the house for my family and I found their corpses all laying in a room. The children were huddled together in the back corner with arrows in each of their chests and my love was laying near the door with her neck snapped I guess she was killed trying to protect our young. After finding them I tried to bury them but a rioter beat me and stole their corpses. I searched the city and found no sign of them, but what I did find was the man who killed them. He wore my sword on his belt. I charged at him and tackled him to the ground and clawed his eyes out then while he lay there screaming and writhing in pain I drew my sword from his belt and stabbed him in the heart with it. After than I left and began to wander the province aimlessly. After a few weeks I encountered your men and they brought me back here to be a soldier in your army."

Argon knelt by the Khajiit, "I'm sorry about your family. But Ra'san, I can't thank you enough for saving mine. You're not just a soldier, you're a knight."

~~~~~~~~
Five hours passed before Lydia reemerged from Argon and Katja's bedroom and when she did a grim look was plastered to her face.

"How is she?" Argon asked hopefully.

Lydia frowned, "My maged managed to heal any wounds sustained during your fight with Lorkhan but the spell that's holding her uncouncious is similar to the one that she was put under by the necromancer."

"So pull her out! You've done it before!" Argon demanded.

"It's not that simple. The last one she was in had been designed by a necromancer, he may have been a master necromancer but he was just a mortal. This one was designed by Lorkhan, by a god. Breaking the spell isn't going to be easy." Lydia explained.

"So what do you need?"

"Honestly, we don't know. We've tried everything. Figuring out a way to break the spell could take months, years even!" Lydia proclaimed.

Argon got right in her face and said, "I don't care how long it takes, you are going to find a way to save my sister."

Lydia took a step back and sighed, a tear rolled down her cheek as she looked back at Argon and gave him the final blow, "That's the thing... We don't years or even months to spare. This time the spell has an added side-effect, this time the spell drains her lifeforce. If we don't save Katja within a matter of days, then she is going to die."
 

ultimatedovahkiin

Now's not the time for fear. That comes later.
Chapter 22: Chaos

Three Days Later
The sheet covering Argon and Katja's doorway had been closed since they got back from Markarth. Every so often it would be moved so someone could come or go, but it was never pinned back. Argon's armor sat on his bed and his weapons were in the same spot as usual against the wall. Upon the small end table was a lit candle and next to the candle was Katja's glass dagger. Argon sat in a small wooden chair facing Katja and he craddled her hand in his. A tear emerged from his eye and slowly climbed down his face until it fell off and splattered on the floor. Katja laid on her back with her eyes closed and her body still and unmoving, the only motion came from her chest slowly rising and falling but between each breath was a longer pause before the next. Three days had passed and there had been no improvement in Katja's condition. In fact she was only getting worse. When the mages first told Argon she was getting weaker he didn't believe them but now he could feel it. Her arm had gone limp and her muscles were getting smaller, a faint grey was growing in her cheeks and the redness of her lips was fading away.

"C'mon Kat you gotta wake up." Argon pleaded with the dying woman, "You have to fight this. I've lost so much lately, I can't lose you too... Not again... Please Katja just get up, I know you can. Katja, please." Argon squeezed her hand as another tear climbed down his face.

Argon sat there with tears pooling in his eyes as he held the hand of his dying sister. This war had taken so much from him and despite all his sacrifices he had made no steps towards defeating Lorkhan, in fact, with each sacrifice made Lorkhan only grew stronger and the chances of stopping him grew thinner.

Another tear streamed down from Argon's eye and he squeezed Katja's hand tighter. "It's kinda funny if you think about it," Argon said as he fought a losing battle with his tears, "as kids you were always the strong one, the tough one, you would always save me and protect me when I needed it. To me you were immortal, innvulnerable to the world, no one could touch you or hurt you. I used to think that one day I would die, whether it be from disease, or age, or I was killed, but even though I'd die you would keep on living forever to the end of time. I guess I was partially right. Here we are at the end of time and now you're dying. But me? I'm still here. I'm the one who gets to live, not you, but me. Why me? You deserve life more than I do. I've done terrible things, horrible things, but all you have ever done is worked to make the world a better place. Now you're dying because of a war I brought you into, but I promise you I will save you I will do whatever it takes to free you of this spell; and if I fail, I will take down Lorkhan and I will save this world, I will do it for you. I'll do anything for you."

A few moments passed before Argon again began to speak, "When we were children you were always the greatest person in my life. I didn't have a plethora of friends, but I didn't need to. I didn't need to because I always had you and with you around it never mattered how many friends I had because the only friend I ever needed was you, Katja. You are my best friend."

The sheet hanging over the door was pulled back and Lydia quietly stepped into the room. "How's she doing?" Lydia asked.

"She's dying." Argon said grimly without even looking back at Lydia.

Lydia bit her lip. "You've been in here for three days, Argon. Why don't you go get some air? I'll stay with Katja."

Argon nodded. "O-okay... Take care of her." he said as kissed Katja's forehead and rose from the chair.

"I will." Lydia sat where Argon had just been.

~~~~~~~~
The sunset was no longer beautiful. The flowers no longer smelled nice. The peaceful view no longer took Argon's mind off things. As Argon gazed at the sunset all that caught his eye were the shades of red. There was no hope, no peacefulness, the world had died, any "hope" was just a cruel ruse. Argon stood there thinking about everything Lorkhan had done to him. Everything he had taken. His friends, his family, his world, and now his sister too. Argon clenched his fists and pure rage swelled inside of him; he picked up a stone brick from the ground and threw it across the courtyard.

"What do I have to do?!" He shouted to the wind, "Why can't I just finish this?! Why do I have to lose everything?! I can't save my family, I can't save my sister, and I can't save my world! Why do I even try?! There's no hope! No chance of surviving this! I'm not even delaying the inevitable! All I've done is gotten more and more people killed!" Argon threw another brick before he himself collapsed to the ground. "Please, someone tell me how to save her...."

A deep and dark voice echoed off of the mountains. "I know how to save your sister." the voice said.

Argon jumped to his feet. "Who's there?!" he demanded. There was a dark laugh, this one was deeper and more profound than Lorkhan's, it boomed off of every rock and every pebble across the land. The sky suddenly turned red with streaks of black and Sky Haven Temple disappeared along with all of Skyrim. Argon now stood in a plane, the grass he stood in matched the color of the sky. Wandering around the plane were hundreds possibly thousands of human souls. Each soul walked with their backs arched over and a limp in their legs, the moans of those who were suffering filled the plane. As Argon looked around all he could see for miles were souls wandering aimlessly around the plane. There were no trees, no hills, and no mountains. The entire place was one giant void.

"Hello Argon." said the same voice he heard in the mountains.

Argon turned around and before him materialized the Dread Father, Sithis himself. Sithis wore exactly what he had worn when Argon last met him during the Soul Wars. He wore a robe with the hood pulled up over his head, where his face should be were bandages crossing in all different directions, his bony hands emerged from his sleeves, and in his chest was a large hole with a missing heart.

"Welcome back to The Void." Sithis said in his normal dark voice.

"Sithis, why did you bring me here?" Argon said enraged.

"Calm yourself Argon. I mean you no harm in fact I want to help you." Sithis told the Dragonborn.

"Help me? Why exactly should I trust you? A few years ago you tried to suck my world into The Void."

"True, I did and I'm not sorry for that. However you and I must work together if you want to destroy Lorkhan." Sithis told him.

"You and I working together? To destroy Lorkhan? Tell me, why in Oblivion would you want to do that? No only is he causing chaos which you thrive off of, but you also created him!"

"Lorkhan has become powerful. Too powerful; and with his newfound power is a newfound arrogance. In his new world Lorkhan wants to be the sole exisiting diety however, for that to happen he will have to destroy me which he plans to do when the time comes. When he destroys your world he will destroy me along with it and I cannot allow that to happen. As fate would have it my only chance of surviving is if you manage to destroy him. In other words you, Argon Stormblade, are my only hope."

Argon scoffed, "There is no hope."

"You're right. There isn't, not now at least which is why you and I must work together." Sithis said.

"What exactly do you have in mind? You want to be partners? You want me to let you come to Tamriel so that you can help lead my army? Is that what you want? Because that will never happen." Argon said bluntly.

Sithis shook his head, "No, no, if I wanted to come to Tamriel I'd do so myself, there's more than enough chaos to allow for that, but right now The Void is the safest place for me. What I want Argon is to merge with you. I want you and I to be as one. I will connect with your body and lend you my strength and power and with it you will be able to stand up to Lorkhan. Separate, Lorkhan is able to defeat both of us, but combined together our divine power might just be enough to resist Lorkhan's power."

A shocked expression covered Argon's face, "You want to inhabit my body? How stupid do you think I am? There's no chance of that ever happening."

"You're not understanding. I won't be inhabiting your body completely, only a small portion of me, this portion will allow me to give you my strength which will protect you from Lorkhan's powers, yet I will still be able to remain safely in The Void entirely free of his influence. Keep in mind, this is the only way to deafeat Lorkhan. You cannot beat Lorkhan on your own, you need the power of a god in order to stop him and as it turns out I am one of the last ones left." Sithis pointed out.

Argon rolled his eyes, "Maybe you're one of the last gods alive but you are also one of the most untrustworthy. I'd be better off taking my chances."

If Sithis had a face he would have grinned, "Perhaps you would, but would your sister?" Argon's shocked expression told Sithis he had struck a nerve. "I know that right now she lays dying in her bed, I know that if she doesn't wake up in the next few days she is going to die, and lastly, I know what spell Lorkhan used on her. I may not be strong enough to overcome all of Lorkhan's powers and strength, but as luck would have it the spell he used may be impossible for a mortal to bypass but it is relatively easy for a god to break. However I will only save her if you agree to let me help you. If not, then neither of us will be strong enough to remove the spell and Katja will die by morning."

Argon was petrified, could Sithis be trusted? What if he was lying? If Argon alligned with him he could potentially unleash another evil into the world and Argon would be hand delivering this evil to his own front door. But if Sithis wasn't lying, then this would give Argon an advantage and potentially he would be able to defeat Lorkhan. What Sithis said was true, Argon can't defeat Lorkhan on his own but would siding with the Dread Father be the way to go? Argon crushed all of his conflicting thoughts with a single truth, that if he aligned himself with Sithis he would be able to save Katja. With that thought in mind nothing else mattered, Argon had to do it, if there was any chance that he could save Katja he had to take it.

Argon gritted his teeth and held out his hand, "You have a deal."

"Excellent." Sithis said and he took Argon's palm in his own bony hand and the very essence of Sithis flew forth into Argon's face and up his nostrils. Argon fell to the ground screaming in pain as Sithis merged with him. The process caused a burning sensation in Argon's very soul and his entire body felt like it was being stabbed by a thousand needles. It all lasted two minutes but when it was over Argon felt better than ever, he felt stronger, faster, tougher, and all around more powerful. The Void had faded away and Argon was once again standing in the courtyard of the temple.

"It's been too long since I've been out here." Sithis said inside Argon's head.

"Don't get used to it. After this is all over you're returning to The Void." Argon said back.

From his back Argon noticed a blue glow, he reached his hand behind his head and grasped what felt like the hilt of a sword, he unsheathed the blade and held it in front of his face. It was a beautiful greatsword, made with Dwemer craftsmanship, the hilt was long enough that Argon could fit both his hands on it and from the handguard emerged two strips of metal that looked like horns, from the hilt came a long thin and triangular piece of dwarven metal and from both sides of the metal up to the tip was a glowing blue gem that served as the blade.
Argon ran his finger along the sharp blade. "This is beautiful, is this what I think it is?" Argon asked Sithis.

"It's aetherium. Lorkhan's one weakness, our powers combined are enough to resist Lorkhan's powers but not enough to actually defeat him. Lorkhan may the be god of trickery but he is a fool and eventually everyone makes a crippling mistake, Lorkhan's was when he reunited with his heart. In his haste to be reunited with his heart Lorkhan forgot to remove the spells the Dwemer had put on it all those years ago. Those spells allowed the heart to be manipulated by aetherium which was used in the artifacts Keening and Sunder. This sword has more aetherium than both of those combined, therefore it is our best and only way of actually deafeating Lorkhan and not just resisting him. We can go on resisting him forever, but unless he is actually defeated then this battle will never end."

"So, let's put an end to Lorkhan. But first, we're going to save my sister." Argon commanded.

"As you wish."

~~~~~~~~
Argon stood above Katja as she lay there on the bed, the greyness had nearly taken over her face and her lips were white as the snow. The woman was nearly dead, if Argon was going to do anything he had to do it now.

"How do we know that removing the spell will restore her life force?" Argon asked.

"We don't, but do you want to take that chance?" Sithis answered.

"No, you're right. So how do I do this?"

"Just run your hand over her face and let me do the rest."

Argon reached out and placed his palm on Katja's forehead, her skin was cold as ice. Argon slowly ran his hand down her face, his fingertips tracing every feature of her smooth skin. When he reached her chin he lifted his hand off her head and stood there waiting. Nothing happened. As Argon's heart began to break all the color rushed back into Katja's body. The greyness left her, the red returned to her lips, and her eyelids fluttered open revealing her ice blue irises.

Katja's full strength had been returned to her and she easily lifted herself up from the bed. "Argon? Is everything alright?" Katja asked as she stood up.

"By the gods, it worked...." Argon was breathless. For a few moments time seemed to stand still and Argon stared at Katja in awe much to her confusion. Time began to move again and Argon wraped his sister in his arms and held her tight. Katja was confused but she wrapped her arms around him too.

"Argon, what's gotten into you? What happened in Markarth? Did you beat Lorkhan?" Katja said as she hugged her brother.

Without breaking his grasp he said back to her, "None of that matters, not right now. All that matters is that you're alive and pretty soon we're going to win this war."
 

ultimatedovahkiin

Now's not the time for fear. That comes later.
Chapter 23: Endless Night

2 Days Before the Battle of Morthal

Sky Haven Temple had transformed since Katja's revival. A lot had happened over the past week and a half. Weapons and armor were produced quicker yet with better quality than ever, training sessions were longer and more rigorous, soldiers fought harder and they tired less, archers shot straighter and with greater accuracy, and the overall morale was at a high point despite the looming threat; the army finally seemed to have the hope it had been severly lacking.

Argon, Katja, and Lydia had divided up the Temple and they each trained a group of soldiers in different tactics. Argon took the courtyard where he taught mages how to make better use of their spells as well as teaching everyone how to use two handed weapons and have the advantage in a fight.

Lydia was outside the temple where the old Forsworn camp was, she used the camp as a makeshift battlefield where she then divded her soldiers up into two separate teams and made the teams fight each other. In these battles the soldiers would use the tactics that they had been taught by all three teachers and they would fight in the style of the class Argon had decided was best suited for each individual soldier. Each sword was padded and rather than actually kill each other, Lydia had created a system which relied on different areas of the body and how deadly a wound to a certain area would be. If a soldier were hit in one of their vital spots then they were "dead" and they had to raise their arms and leave the battlefield. When it came to fighting tactics Lydia demonstrated how to use an Akaviri sword as well as explaining the best types of armor to use depending on how each soldier planned to approach a battle.

Katja, who was proficient in both archery and sneaking, made use of the defenses set up at the temple's entrance to teach the soldiers how to sneak around and avoid traps. She taught her soldiers the proper archery techniques, as well as how to sneak, and how to fight with a dagger. Using the temple's defenses, Katja had created a training game that involved two different teams, one side would try to defend the path up to the temple door as best as possible using traps, sneak attacks, and bows with non lethal arrows. The other team would try to get past all the defenses as well as getting past the guards by sneaking past or incapacitating them using the tactics Katja had taught.

In order to ensure everyone received the same training, Argon, Katja, and Lydia would rotate their groups every few hours and each day the groups would be mixed up so that the soldiers would learn to actually fight in Lydia's battles rather than just learning the other team's tactics.

Argon paced back and forth across the courtyard as his soldiers sparred with each other and with training dummies. The mages had magic duels and tried to avoid each other's spells as they sparred with their magic. As Argon monitored his students he was content with the progress they had made over the last week yet he still felt that they needed to be pushed even further if they had any chance of standing up to Lorkhan's army of savages.

Argon spoke to his soldiers, "Remember, keep your swords raised. You must never open yourself up to the enemy, stupid mistakes like that are how heroes die. Lorkahn's army continues to grow and they increase their strength each day. When the time comes to take back Solitude you must be ready for a heavy battle. Nothing I teach you here can mentally prepare you for that fight, but I can teach you how to survive in a fight of this magnitude."

~~~~~~~~
Rising above the makeshift battlefield was a tall hill with a giant stone foundation poking out of its side. Lydia stood on this foundation watching her soldiers as they engaged in another training simulation. The progress she had seen out of all the soldiers was phenomenal. In every group the two teams were reaching the point in which their battles were so closely matched that they would go on for hours rather than minutes as they had when they first started. One soldier came up to the spot Lydia was at and reached for a quiver of non-lethal arrows.

Lydia smacked his hand away and he looked at her in disbelief. "In the battlefield you won't have a supply of arrows you can draw from each time your quiver runs dry." Lydia said to him, "You must learn to scavange from the battlefield, you will have to take discarded weapons and arrows or learn to loot your fallen enemies."

"Loot the dead? Isn't that wrong?" the soldier asked.

"In war, anything goes." Lydia answered.

"Yes, Grandmaster." the soldier bowed and ran back to the battlefield. As Lydia went back to surveying, one soldier managed to strike another soldier and hit one of her vital spots. The first soldier started cheering and threw his arms in the air. "Don't get cocky, Rylan." Lydia called out and just then another soldier from the opposite team came up and struck Rylan in the neck which counted as a vital area.

~~~~~~~~
"Remember, you're using daggers they are much smaller and not as powerful as a sword. Therefore, you must strike quick and you must strike smart." Katja explained to her group, "What I mean by that is that daggers are wonderful weapons for getting in close to an enemy and striking them multiple times, but since they don't do as much damage to non-vital areas, you have to strike smart and either hit them multiple times in the same area, or land a good hit right in a vital area. You have to be quick though because obviously vital areas are the most protected areas."

Katja called up a soldier to demonstrate and she handed him a wooden sword and told him to attack her. The man began swinging at Katja using tactics taught to him by Lydia. Katja used her dagger to deflect one swing and then she ducked under the next. Each time she avoided his weapon she took advantage of the small window it opened and used it to get closer to her oppnent. When she was close enough to him she spun around him and landed her dagger right on his neck.

"Just like that." Katja she as she pulled her dagger away from his neck. "Now you try." Her soldiers broke off into small pairs of two and began practicing the manuver Katja had just demonstrated.

~~~~~~~~
"It's not going to be enough."

"What do you mean it's not enough?"

"Argon's army might have good numbers and good training, but it is still far surpassed by Lorkhan's army. Lorkhan is building an amry of savages. Cruel and blood thirsty men that are bent on destruction and anarchy and are empowered by an angry god. If Lorkhan's numbers matched Argon's then there would be no question of the Dragonborn's victory. But Lorkhan has close to a thousand men and Argon only has four hundred. Not to mention that they are training them as if they are students and rather thsn soldiers. There's no guarantee they'll hold up in a real fight, and the coming battle cannot be lost."

"Give them some time. In a matter of weeks they should be more than capable of dispatching Lorkhan's army."

"They don't have a few weeks! Lorkhan is preparing his army to launch their assault on Morhal, they'll strike any day now!"

"So what do you propose, Nerevar?"

"We have to help him." Indoril Nerevar backed away from the crystal ball he had been watching Argon on and addressed all the souls of Sovngarde.

"Help him? That would require us going down to the mortal world! Do you know what happens if you die as a soul on Nirn? You're erased from existence!" an angry gruff man yelled out.

Sheogorath spoke up, "Yes, I remember from the Soul Wars. Do you remember the Soul Wars? Three years ago? The Divines and Daedra battled over the soul of Argon Stormblade? Well I remember it. It was our first conflict together as a team. During that war Tamriel was being used as a battleground in a divine war and it was almost destroyed! No one in this room fought in that war except for me and my team, even when Sithis emerged and tried to pull Nirn into The Void you all sat here with your thumbs in your ass while we fought to save the world. You're supposed to be some of the greatest heroes to have ever lived yet here you sit even though the very universe you live in needs you help. You all can complain as much as you want, but I'm in."

"Bah what do you know, you're supposed to be crazy. How'd you get into Sovngarde anyways? Shouldn't gods go somewhere else? Aren't you a Breton for that matter?" the same gruff voice called out.

Sheogorath smiled, "Perks of being related to Argon Stormblade."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing." Fayen stepped in, "You all got in here not because of your strength and prowess, but because of your honor and your spirit. Yet here you are, a bunch of spirits who can't even honor the ideals that got them acess to here. I'm in."

"You're a bunch of wimps." Garnin said, "I'm in."

"If you can't join in then you don't deserve to be called heroes." Kara stood up and walked towards the team, "I'm in."

Hakon One-Eye stood along with his sister Gormlaith Golden-Hilt and Felldir the Old. "I'm in." the three heroes said at the same time.

Kodlak Whiteman stood and joined the group. Then Ysgramor. Next all the honored members of The Companions.

Mjoll the Lioness walked forth and said, "I'm in."

Jarl Balgruuf the Greater spoke, "Argon once saved my city, it's only right that I now save him. I'm in."

More and more souls stepped forth and promised to assist the Heroes of Tamriel in helping Argon during the final battle. Finally after many more pledges, the entirety of Sovngarde, including the reluctant souls, had pledged to fight alongside Argon's army in the final battle.

"So, I guess we've all come to an agreement." Garnin said.

Nerevar looked at Tsun who was standing near the doors with a solemn expression. "Tsun, when the time comes, will you send us to Nirn?"

Tsun sighed, "I will send you to the battle, but I will not join you. I cannot lift my blade against Shor, even if he has gone mad."

~~~~~~~~
2 Days Later

A cloud of black smoke floated above Solitude and flames ripped through the city. Furniture littered the streets and crumbled structures were strewn about. Weapons, arrows, and armor had all been tossed about and the smell of sweat and smoke filled the air. Lorkhan had called for his army to be gathered in the courtyard of Castle Dour and all the soldiers were packed tighter than a bale of hay. Lorkhan stood on top of the Castle with Artis at his side as though they were a royal family.

"For months you have fought bravely for me. You all have done exactly as I commanded and because of that it is almost time for your reward! First, we must carry out one final task... The destruction of this world and everyone in it! And in the ruins of this world, in wake of its destruction, I shall create a new world! A beautiful place where I am the sole deity! No longer shall there be Divines or Daedra, just me! And for you? You all shall be kings! When my world is created I will be its god, and you shall serve me as its kings. You will be richer than you could ever imagine, you will have endless wine cellars, and anything you desire will be available to you. So, let us march on Morthal and I can harness the power hidden in the swamp and build a new and perfect world!" Lorkhan threw his right fist into the air and his soldiers held their swords in the air and cheered. A malice filled grin covered Lorkhan's face and he turned and began walked towards the stairs. Artis walked besided him and spoked in a hushed voice, "You will let them believe that?"

Lorkhan chuckled, "I could control their minds and make them fight for me, but I'd rather they have that thought in their heads. They fight better if they don't know the truth; when my world comes, you will be the only one to follow me there."

Artis grinned like his master.

~~~~~~~~
A few hours after Lorkhan's departure

Argon, Katja, and Lydia had awoken early in the morning in order to go over battle plans. The three leaders gathered around the stone table with a map of Solitude laid across it.

"So here's the way it will go down," Argon began, "there will be a major fight to get into the city gates so we need to have the archers and mages shoot down Lorkhan's archers along the city walls and it wouldn't surprise me if he had a score of men waiting outside. If I can get up to the gate I should be able to shout it open. After that we pour in and secure the major areas those being, the marketplace, Castle Dour, and the residential area. After that, I'll go inside the Blue Palace and take Lorkhan down. You two will stay outside, I cannot risk Lorkhan using you against me."

"Are you sure we're ready for this?" Lydia asked, "We only number four hundred and if Lorkhan truly has gone across the map and recruited people, he could his amry could be in the thousands."

"Can Solitude really hold that many people?" Katja asked.

"They'd have to be really cramped." Lydia said.

"You have to go. NOW!" Sithis yelled inside Argon's head.

Argon yelled out in pain.

"What's wrong?" Lydia questioned.

"Must be Sithis." Katja murmured.

"I still can't believe you made a deal with him." Lydia said as she went to check on Argon.

Argon pushed her away. "What's going on?" Argon asked Sithis.

Sithis spoke grimly, "It's Lorkhan, he and his army left for Morhal last night, I just now detected him. If you're going to stop him it's now or never, Morthal is where he plans to destroy the world."

"Morthal? Why there?"

"In the swamp outside Morthal there is a stone circle, over the years that circle has been used for all kinds of rituals and not only have the rituals rendered that area as the place where the fabric of the universe is thinnest, each time a ritual is performed there the circle absorbs some of the power that it channeled and since so many rituals have been performed there, that stone circle possesses the power that Lorkhan will need to destroy our world and build his own."

Argon was beside himself, "Why now? Why attack now of all times?"

"Now that Markarth has fallen Morthal is all that stands of civilization, Lorkhan has completed his task and made your world bleed. He's had his fun, now it's time he got to work. I suggest you get to work too. Lorkhan is more than halfway there, if you leave now you should be able to get there by nightfall and just after he arrives. It's no use trying to intercept his army it will only waste time, face him at Morthal or not at all."

Argon looked at Katja and Lydia, "Round up the army." he told them, "We're going to war."

~~~~~~~~
Within twenty minutes the army had gathered their gear and departed Sky Haven Temple. They marched for hours across Skyrim's landscape, they climbed the cliffsides, walked across the plains, and when they finally arrived at Morthal's southern end, night had fallen just as Sithis had predicted. The city was in a state of disarray, large storm clouds poured down lightning and rain as they swirled towards a fixed position above Morthal's swamp. Large fires devoured shops and houses; the screams of men, women, and children echoed through the city as Lorkhan's army killed and destroyed anyone and anything in sight. The city guard had launched a desperate assault on Lorkhan's army but they were quickly being beaten back. Citizens kept their families close as they hopelessly searched for a hiding place, some citizens tried to flee the city but they were swiftly taken down by the soldiers.

At the southern edge of the city there was a mountain and a path that wraped around it, the path turned towards the city and went between two rocky cliffs overlooking the city. This is where Argon's army had congregated, all the soldiers stood with their swords drawn and prepared to charge. Argon and Katja climbed ontop of one of the cliffs as Lydia stood in the army's front line. The twins looked out at their army and Argon began to speak.

The Dragonborn cleared his throat as he gazed upon his men in their shining armor. He took a moment to gather himself then he began his speech, "Men and women, over the past couple of months our world- nay, our very universe has been suffered from a plague. A plague who wants nothing more than to end our lives and our world. He has come to our place of refuge and called it his own! He has launched an attack against us and began a massacre in his attempts to take back what he thinks is his! Tonight this god has decided that it is time to finish what he started but if he believes that we will just roll over and let it happen then he has mistaken. At this very moment he is out there in that battlefield enacting his terrible plan. Right now, as I speak to you, he is gathering the power he needs to annihilate our home! You all have pledged your lives to putting this villain down and after months of training it is time that we finally let him know that we will not give up, we will not rest, we will not just accept what is coming! We will show him that this world that he so strongly desires is ours, tonight he will learn that he is in OUR house, in OUR world, and he will see who truly rules Nirn! You all have pledged your lives to this world, you are willing to die on the soil you wish to save, at this moment you are soldiers in my army, but what you do here tonight will make you heroes! You will go down in history as legends! For ages stories will be told of the brave men and women who saved our world! Yes, there will be casualties on both sides of this battle, but those of you who leave this world will not enter into an eternal night, you will enter into a land of revelry and you will dine among heroes! None of you shall be forgotten, your sacrifices shall not be in vain, for we will save this land and your name shall be sung forever! Now, let us take back our world!" Argon held his sword high above his head, the lightning striking off in the distance causing its blue blade to shine brighter, and the soldiers cried out in enthusiasm and charged to engage the enemy.

Katja began to run down the cliffside to join the battle but she was stopped by Argon thrusting his arm across her chest. She looked at her brother in confusion and said, "What are you doing?"

Argon reached into the pouch on his hip and produced a shining circlet from it. "After you woke up the second time, I had a small team go to my home and retrieve this. I made this years ago on an adventure to a Dwemer Forge. The jewels inside of it are made of aetherium, a very powerful material which comprises my blade. I need you to take this. Aetherium is Lorkhan's one weakness, therefore his powers are affected by it and rendered useless. I've already lost you once, almost twice, and I will not lose you again. I know you can hold your own in a fight, but if Lorkhan were to turn his powers on you then he could kill you an instant, but not if you have this, I promise it will protect you." Katja grabbed the circlet from her brother's hand and placed it on her head. The golden band matched her hair and the shining blue jewels complimented the color in her eyes.

"How do I look?" she asked her brother.

"Beautiful as always." Argon cracked a smile, "I love you."

Katja wrapped her arms around Argon's neck and he wrapped his around her waist. "I love you too." she whispered in his ear.

As the battle raged on the twins held each other in what might be their final hug. Katja released her arms and broke free of the hug. She untied Konahrik from Argon's belt and handed it to him saying, "Now, go save the world."
 

ultimatedovahkiin

Now's not the time for fear. That comes later.
So that's it then. Two chapters remain. Two more chapters until this story is over and I conclude my first ever series of stories.

In the next chapter we'll see the Battle of Morthal, both Argon's and Lorkhan's armies finally fight each other in the battle for world and neither side is willing to lose.

Then in the next chapter, as Morthal burns and the two armies continue their clash Argon fights Lorkhan in their final battle, the battle that will decide the fate of the universe and into whose hands it will fall. Only one of two will win and the universe will never be the same. But during their fight Katja and Lydia are faced with a conflict of their own and the rest of The Heroes of Tamriel struggle to defend Morthal's civilians. Then finally when the dust settles and a victor has been decided, the Epilogue begins and we are given a hint to what the future has in store.

Also, keep an eye out during March-April for the beginning of the sequel series which follow a new team of heroes.
 

ultimatedovahkiin

Now's not the time for fear. That comes later.
Sorry about the long delay, I found it harder than I thought it would be to start writing the end of this series but I finally finished writing chapter 24. Tomorrow I'll do the proofreading and it should be posted by tomorrow night. I can't guarantee any date for chapter 25, because it is going to be a really long chapter and I want it to be perfect since it is the series finale so there will likely be another delay there. However, unlike chapter 24 I am going to start with 25 right after 24 is posted so maybe two or three weeks from when 24 is posted is when I'll be done with and posted 25.
 

ultimatedovahkiin

Now's not the time for fear. That comes later.
Chapter 24: Ragnarok
Anguished cries echoed throughout the city, fires burned and devoured homes, children screamed in horror as their mothers were hacked apart in front of them, arrows and spells broke through the smoke that filled the air, and the city guard retreated to the Jarl's Longhouse, only a few brave men and women took up arms against Lorkhan's men and they were quickly done away with. Two days ago Morthal had been in a tense but peaceful state and now all Oblivion had broken loose. Slashed apart by steel swords and riddled with arrows, hope had been the first thing to die. There was nothing to do but run and pray to whatever gods remained that an arrow did not strike you down or a soldier did not block your path. A single unspoken truth floated thorugh the city; the end of the world had arrived and nothing could stop it, there would be no heroes today.

No one heard the heavy footsteps of metal boots off in the distance, the screams drowned out the sound of steel swords slapping against armor, and everyone was too distracted to see the army congregate at the southern edge of the city. Though when the army unsheated their blades and thrust them into the air and charged forth with a loud battlecry it covered the city like a blanket and everyone heard as the Dragonborn's army fearlessly rushed into battle.

The soldiers of Lorkhan's army clashed with the soldiers of Argon's army and the battle of Morthal began. The screams of the citizens were masked by the sounds of steel swords smashing together and sound of spells being tossed around.

As rain poured down on the battlefield, dark clouds swirled off in the distance and began funneling down to a fixed point. Argon fought through the battlefield slashing at anyone who dared to stand before him as he made his way to the funneling clouds. Arrows flew past his head and swords came flying at him but none of it dissuaded him from going further into the battlefield.

A large man with an even larger axe stood before Argon preparing to send the Dragonborn to his grave. Argon readied his sword and the man raised his axe but before he could swing it a sudden figure shot forth and tackled the man from his side. The woman who had tackled the axe wielder stabbed him in the neck three times before climbing off of his corpse.

"You're welcome." Katja said with a smile. Twenty minutes into the battle and Argon's twin sister was already covered in crimson. Her hair was a mess of blood and mud and her ponytail was singed on the end. Katja's clothes were stained red and she had splotches of blood on her face. But her blue eyes shinned through and she had a hopeful smile on her face. Katja noticed her brother staring at her messy state and she said with a giggle, "The sad part is, none of this is mine. Wait, hold that thought." Katja suddenly turned around as one of Lorkhan's soldiers came at her with a sword. She grasped the soldier's wrist and twisted his arm in a way that forced him to drop his sword. Then she raised her dagger and repeatedly stabbed him in the chest until he was dead. "These guys have plopsty armor."

Argon frowned behind his mask. "The battle is too thick and Lorkhan's men are too many. At this rate I won't make it to him before he destroys the world."

"I'll do my best to clear as many guys as I can, but you have to keep fighting." Katja said as she turned and ran off to rejoin the battle.

Argon watched Katja as she disappeared into the sea of fire and steel. He took up his sword and charged deeper into the battlefield.

~~~~~~~~
Lorkhan's army was more than double the size of Argon's and despite the bravery Argon's soldiers demonstrated and how hard they fought for their world's survival, Lorkhan had the upper hand. As time passed and the battle raged on Argon's army was forced further and further back out of the city and Lorkhan's men gained more ground with each soldier they slew. Argon himself was forced to fall back towards the city's edge and further from where he needed to be.

As quickly as they had arrived Argon's soldiers retreated. "Forget about it, we're done for!" a soldier from Argon's army shouted as he turned and retreated with the rest of the army. One by one soldiers turned and took off in the opposite direction and Lorkhan's forces closed in on them. Argon did all he could to hold off Lorkhan's men but it was to no avail. Argon unleashed a flurry of shouts but each time he made a dent in the oncoming wave of soldiers it was quickly refilled by more men. Finally Argon himself turned and retreated along with his men. When he reached the city's edge he turned and watched as soldiers wearing Snow Elven Armor charged out of the dark sea of soldiers.

Argon's eyes scanned the battlefield until he finally caught sight of Katja's blonde hair. He watched as she ran not towards the edge of the city but further into the battlefield. Despite her army's sudden loss of courage she never retreated; Katja kept on fighting and even though she was all that remained of Argon's army she refused to back down. Argon hung his head in shame as he turned and looked at his men.

"Do you not see this? Are you blind to the fact that this battle decides the fate of the world? You all know the stakes of losing yet you turn and run away when things gets tough. And despite the fact that you abandoned her, my sister keeps fighting down there because she knows what will happen if she doesn't at least try. Death may be knocking on her door but she doesn't run away, she just ignores it and keeps on going. Here we all are, standing and watching as our world ends and she is down there trying to make sure it doesn't. I know I ran right along with you but that was a mistake. A mistake that Katja refused to make and I don't know about you all but I regret making that mistake. Now, I am going back down there and I am going to fight until the world ends and even when things get rough I will not back down. You all can stay here and watch and wait for the sky to fall but I am going to go and try to hold it in place." Argon drew his sword for the final time and he ran alone back to the battle, his men watching as he slashed his way past Lorkhan's men.

For a moment the army was silent; they all stood and watched as the two twins fought to save the city. The silence was broken when one weary soldier stood up, "He's right. We joined this army so that we could save the world, not abandon it. We all knew the risks going in to this and we all told ourselves that we would stand up for the world even if that meant dying. We've only been together for a few weeks but I know you all by name and I know your stories and I know that we have all lost somebody to this war. Be it a family member, a friend, or someone you swore to protect, we have all lost somebody. The reason we joined Argon's crusade is because we promised that certain somebody that we would make things right, that we would take down the man, or god, responsible for their death. So when things got tough we should have fought on and done everything we could to keep that promise, but instead we not only abandoned the world but we betrayed that person who we lost and we refused to avenge their death. No longer, though. No longer will I stand by while my world is ravaged and while my home is destroyed. I know that by going down there I am shaking hands with death and agreeing to go with him, but dammit we made that agreement the day we were born into this once green world." the soldier paused a moment, "Whether we stay up here or whether we fight down there we are going to die. So let's go out the way we want rather than the way Lorkhan wants, and let's show that piece of plops that we refuse to accept his wishes."

There was a murmur of agreement throughout the army and the sound of swords being drawn echoed off the cliffside. The soldier who had been speaking turned and followed after Argon's example and trailing behind him was the rest of the army.

~~~~~~~~
Argon ducked under blades and caught arrows in his hands as he fought his way to his sister. Off in the distance he heard his sister's battle cries as she fought back against Lorkhan's men but with each yell she got quieter until Argon could no longer hear her. Fueled by desperation he shoved past Lorkhan's men to get to Katja. He slashed and he hacked and he chopped and finally he found his sister pinned back in a burnt down house on the northern side of the Jarl's Longhouse.

Katja swung he dagger and stabbed anyone she could but Lorkhan's men kept closing in on her and backing her closer and closer against the old fireplace. The burly soldiers got closer and closer despite Katja's attempts to repel them. She kept swinging her dagger and making contact with their armors but she knew it was over; she had tried and lost. A soldier lifted his sword and pointed it at her chest, he tucked the hilt of the blade under his right arm but in the split second before he moved to finish her the soldier's head flew off his neck and his body dropped to the ground. Katja looked up and she saw her brother standing before her with his blade held high to strike down another enemy. Lorkhan's soldiers were caught off guard by Argon's sudden appearance and they scrambled to get to their senses and attack him. Katja sweep kicked one of the soldier's legs and he fell backwards on top of the one behind him and both of them hit the ground hard. Katja pounced on them both and stabbed them in the throat and then jumped to her feet and stabbed another one in the back of the head. Argon swung his sword and hacked a man's arm off before cooking him inside his armor with a powerful fire spell.

Katja looked at her brother, "So, you left but I stayed behind."

"I told you that you're the better hero." Argon said.

"Well, once this is all over you're going to have to make it up to me." Katja laughed.

Argon sighed, "Even with their newfound courage I don't know how long our soldiers can hold out for, we've barely made a dent in Lorkhan's numbers. I can't leave unless I know that Lorkhan's army won't be a problem for me, if our army loses while I'm still fighting Lorkhan then all his soldiers will march at me and take me out. If our army fails then so will I, and we're going to need a serious advantage if there is any hope that we come out on top."

"What we need is reinforcements." Katja stated.

As if on queue a bright blue column fell from the sky and crashed in the middle of the battefield crushing a group of Lorkhan's soldiers. A flood of men and women decked out in various types of armor and weapons came forth out of the column of light. Without hesitation the men and women that came out of the column of light began attacking Lorkhan's men and fighting alongside Argon's soldiers. Argon and Katja watched on in awe as they got their wish of reinforcements.

Katja turned to Argon, "What do you think, friend or foe?"

Argon cracked a grin, "Friend. Definitely friend."

"What makes you so sure?"

Argon pointed his finger at the column. "Look." he said as the final five soldiers stepped out of the column and set foot back on Nirn. Argon took Katja by the land and led her across the battlefield to meet with these soldiers as the column of light retracted into the sky.

"Well well look who it is, our favorite Dragonborn." Nerevar said as Argon approached.

"You're a little late to the party." Argon joked.

"Well Tsun was a little reluctant to send us." Fayen said.

"But he wasn't all that partial to having an angry immortal skip rope with his entrails." Sheogorath chuckled.

"Eh, better late that never though am I right?" Garnin said.

Kara ran forth and wrapped Argon in a tight embrace. The couple held on to each other as tears welled in Argon's eyes. "I thought I'd lost you forever." said Argon as he held his wife.

"I'll always find my way back to you." Kara whispered in his ear.

Argon let go of Kara and turned to his team. Argon noticed as Katja stood by watching and with a small hand motion he directed attention to her, "Guys, this is my twin sister, Katja It's thanks to her that I'm not still getting drunk at the tavern in Falkreath; she brought me back from the edge and because of her this army was possible. In my time as Dragonborn, I've saved many lives but Katja finally saved mine."

Sheogorath stepped forth and placed his hands on his granddaughter's cheeks and held her face. "It's been so long..." the madgod said with tears in his eyes. "I know Argon already told you the truth about me, but I can't help but introduce myself. I am Tamiir Stormblade and I am your great-great-grandfather." Sheogorath wrapped his arms around Katja and she hesitated for a moment but then she hugged him back.

"It's nice to finally meet you." Katja said.

After Sheogorath released her Kara stepped up and put her arms around Katja and Katja hugged her as well. "Thank you for saving my husband." said Kara to Katja.

"While this is all lovely, should I remind you that there is a battle going on around us?" Fayen reminded the team.

"He's right, we'll have time to do all this later. Right now we have a world to save." Argon said.

"So what's the plan, boss?" Nerevar asked as he unsheathed his swords.

Argon looked over his team, "With you guys here the tides of this battle are sure to change. Therefore I feel confident with leaving this battle to you while I go take down Lorkhan. That being said, we have to remember, we're not just fighting in some field outside Whiterun, Morthal is a city and who lives in cities? People. People who have no part in this battle and are just trying to survive and protect their families. Most of the civilians are holed up inside of the Jarl's Longhouse along with the city guard. Get in there, inspire the guards to return to battle, and do whatever it takes to protect the people inside. If you see any civilian in need of saving then rescue them and get them back to the Longhouse. If for some reason the Longhouse falls then you have to get as many civilians as you can out of the city and away from the battle."

"Sir yes sir." Garnin said as he took his axe off of his back.

Argon said one final thing before parting ways with his friends,"And guys, listen, this is worse than anything we've ever faced. We've all been through a lot together and I am confident that this won't be our last fight, but if for some reason something happens, or something goes wrong and we fail, I want you to know that it has been a pleasure fighting alongside you all and whatever happens tonight I will never forget the things we have been through. We are Tamriel's greatest, we fight together..."

"...We die togehter." the seven of them said in unison.

They all drew their weapons and prepared to go off to fight. Argon shook hands with Nerevar, Sheogorath, Garnin, and Fayen as they all passed by him, Kara held Argon between her arms and he held her back. Once the five had started off Katja turned to her brother and gave him one final hug. Again, Argon held his sister for what might truly be the last time.

"Thank you for everything you've done, Katja. You brought me back from the edge of a very dark pit. I mean it when I say that none of this would have been possible if not for you."

"You're welcome," Katja answered, "and thank you too."

Argon pulled back and looked at his sister. "For what?" he asked.

"For believing in me and showing me that I don't have to let my past haunt me. Maybe it was my fault what happened in Bruma and maybe it wasn't, but that doesn't matter. All that matters is what I do now and who I choose to be today; you taught me that and it is the most valuable lesson I've ever learned." Katja said with a smile.

Argon released Katja from his arms and she let go of him as well. "Well, I guess this is it. Time to go save the world." he said as he looked off at the swirling clouds.

Katja looked at Argon and admired the man he had become. She thought of how small and frail he had been back in Bruma and looking at him now was like looking at a completely different person. Argon had changed a lot over the years, but Katja knew that he had changed into the man that the world needed the most and she was confident that he would save the world. Before she left to join the rest of the heroes and Argon went off to fight Lorkhan, Katja kissed her brother on the cheek and said, "Good luck baby brother."

~~~~~~~~
Argon had to fight across the bridge and past Lorkhan's men at the mill, but once he had got past them he entered the swamp and made his way towards the stone circle. As he entered the swamp the entire universe shook and he watched with the rest of the world as a great crack opened up in the sky and a dim white light emanated from within. Lorkhan had done it, he tore a hole in the very fabric of the universe and soon that crack would grow to encompass the enitre world. The time had come for the final fight, no more games, Argon had to stop Lorkhan or let his world be destroyed. Whatever it took, no matter the sacrifices that must be made, Lorkhan had to be defeated.

The Dragonborn trudged his way through the frigid knee high water until he finally reached the stone circle. Around the stone circle was a ring of stone structures, a tall stone pillar with a bird's head carved into the top stood in the center and on either side of it were two more pillars that slanted and pointed at the bird's head, directly across from the bird's head was another pillar half its size that stood straight up and with no bird's head, and on both sides of that pillar was another pillar that was half its size. In the center of it all was the stone circle made up of two touching rings that had strange carvings pointing towards the cross in the middle, and standing in the direct center of the stone circle was Lorkhan. A glowing blue mist emerged from all the pillars and surrouned Lorkhan as he drew upon the magics trapped within.

Argon took a deep breath, then with both hands he lifted his sword and ran forth to the center of the circle as he cried out, "LORKHAN!!"
 
Last edited:

ultimatedovahkiin

Now's not the time for fear. That comes later.
So it's taking longer than promised, but the final chapter is being worked on. At the point that it's at and the rate it is going, I'd give it until the end of the week to be finished. After that I'll take a week to tease it, and then if all goes according to plan this series will conclude next Saturday April 16th.
 
Last edited:

Latest posts

Top