Chapter 8: Arcane University
It was a cold and snowy day in the ruins of the Imperial City. Apocapher's attack had really taken its toll. Buildings were reduced to rubble, there were scorch marks in the ground. Blood stains from where people tripped and scrapped themselves, and even a few dead bodies that had yet to be carried off to the Hall of the Dead. Everyone knew what had happened, but no one could completely grasp who this man was or how he had so much power. The only thing they understood was, the world was going to end.
Kriid and the team wandered through the broken city, Kriid holding tightly to his Sigil Stone as if letting it go meant the end of the world. It kind of did, if something happened to this source of power, then they would have no chance against Apocapher and all would be lost. He wasn't even sure what they were going to do with the stone though. Some how use it to enchant a sword to defeat him? That seemed reasonable, but Kriid wasn't sure. This was a different Sigil Stone than the normal ones, this one held the power of the Void instead of Oblivion. But that meant they had to be extra careful around this stone as it held the power of chaos. This mysterious Sigil Stone was their ticket to saving the world. Wasn't it? Kriid wasn't sure, he thought it was and he wanted it to be, but he didn't feel it was. He knew why the Divines had thought Kriid was the key, they had sensed some sort of strange power in him. A power he no longer had, a power that while he still had it that maybe it would have been able to stop Apocapher, but it was gone now. That he was sure of. He didn't have the heart to tell this to the team because they were counting on him, relying on him, they knew all hope was with him. He couldn't break their hope, it was the only thing that kept them going. They knew they were defeated, they were fighting a losing battle, but if they had even the tiniest sliver of hope, it would carry them to the last layer of the Void and back. Kriid sighed.
"You alright?" asked Fayen
"Yeah, fine but---" began Kriid but cut himself off
"But what?" Fayen asked
"Nothing, its nothing..." Kriid said
"Damn shame aint it? This city being destroyed like that? I can't believe it, the whole place was so festive and happy, the next, people were dying, fires were burning, and an insane man with the power to destroy the universe was flying around on a dragon killing everyone." said Fayen
"You're just a big ray of sunshine aren't you?" joke Kriid
"I will admit, I am rather hot." said Fayen
Kriid laughed.
"So look, why won't you tell us who you are? It's not like we know you or anything, what's the harm in you telling us? Even if you are some sort of, I don't know, escaped criminal who killed a thousand people and some how got away, we won't care. We are a team. Besides, right now, with Tamriel in crumbles there is no law for us to turn you in to." said Fayen
"Look, Fayen, I like you and all, but its just not time." said Kriid
"Then when will it be time?" Fayen asked, "When the world is over and it doesn't matter anymore?"
"Perhaps it will be soon. Just not now." said Kriid
"Guys." Nerevar said, "We're here."
********
The Arcane University, Sheogorath's magic school. He had owned it before he became Sheogorath and he was still Tamiir. Come to think of it, he owned all big factions in Cyrodiil. Kriid was tasked with using the stone's power to make whatever it was that would be used to defeat Apocapher. He was based in the Imperial Orrery because from there he could use the power of the big machine to help assist him in his endeavor to build a powerful weapon that would be used against Apocapher.
"Alright, so everyone else go out and look around the University for supplies, like potions, or spell tomes, or scrolls, things like that." said Nerevar
"Excuse me Nerevar, if you wouldn't mind, this is MY University, so I will be giving the orders of what to do while on this campus." said Sheogorath
"Um.... sure thing." said Nerevar keeping the Madgod happy. He knew Sheogorath wouldn't hurt him, they were friends and Sheogorath was a hero of Tamriel just like him. But he was still unpredictable and Nerevar would rather have the same nightmare that Apocapher had been inducing on him each night, rather than even dream about what Sheogorath might do to him if he decided to go and do an unpredictable act like that.
"Thank you Debby." said Sheogorath bowing in front of Nerevar
Nerevar was confused "Debby? What the--"
"My FIRST order of business, is for you all to do exactly what Nerevar just told you to do, while I search each room for my hidden Eidar Cheese which I hid here a couple hundred years ago." said Sheogorath
"I'm gonna go and get to work now...." said Kriid stepping into the Orrery
********
Kriid was getting annoyed, he hadn't even began to tap into the stone's power. He didn't want to mess up, this was his ONE chance. He only got one of them, and if he messed up, he might as well pack his bags and kiss the Universe goodbye.
"THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING!!!" shouted Kriid throwing a dagger across the room
The dagger stuck deep into the wall, only the hilt sticking out.
"I would hate to be in a fight with you." said Sheograth taking a bite out of his Eidar Cheese
It seemed to have mold on it, or was it mold? You never could tell with Eidar Cheese, mold and the cheese look a like.
"I see you found your cheese. How's it taste?" asked Kriid quickly pulling his hood up to shield his face from Sheogorath's wandering eyes
"It tastes amazing! Just as good as when I hid it centuries ago! I think... I can't really remember how it tasted back then." Sheogorath said
"Isn't it stale? I mean, its been hidden away without being touched for a couple hundred years..." said Kriid
"Yes, it is stale, so? Cheese is cheese whether melted, fried, stale, or molded." said Sheogorath, "You want some?"
"I'll pass, thanks though." said Kriid
"More for me." Sheogorath said "So how is the work coming?"
"Not very well, I don't know what to transfer the magic to. And I don't want to try because if I screw up, then we are out of hope." said Kriid
"There is always hope, even where it seems there is not. At the beginning of the Oblivion Crisis, there seemed to be no hope. Then I came along and started closing Oblivion Gates. Is there any free daedra in Tamriel now?" said Sheogorath
Kriid simply pointed at Sheogorath
"Okay you got me, so there is a free daedra, but my point was, even when there seems like there is no hope, there is. And a hero can come from anywhere." said Sheogorath
"When did the Madgod become so wise?" asked Kriid
"I don't know really, it sort of just happens. I'm unpredictable, remember?"
Kriid chuckled
Nerevar came in the room. "How's the work going?" he asked
"Not so well, I'm afraid I might mess up." said Kriid
"Well you need to suck it up and get to work! This isn't let's laugh and hang out time! All of Tamriel is hanging by a thread! The thread of us making a weapon and you using it against Apocapher!" said Nerevar
"Damn Nerevar calm down..." said Kriid
"No I won't calm down! Not while you two think that it's damn play time!"
"plops dude...." said Sheogorath
"Shut up right now!" said Nerevar
Kriid was growing angry, "You sit your fat elf butt down and stop yelling at everyone before I come over there and beat your ass!"
"I'm not an elf anymore I'm a nord, and how about you shut your damn whatever race you are mouth and start tapping into the magic!" said Nerevar
"I will fly over there and stab you before you can even count to three." said Kriid
"Calm down the lot of you, if you want some cheese you can have some." said Sheogorath
"And you! Thinking you get to take power from me just because you are a Daedric Prince and own this campus. You shut up!" said Nerevar
"I always knew you were a bitch Nerevar." said Sheogorath
"You wanna know a bitch?! Look at a mirror! You know why Arogn sacrificed himself?! Because of YOU! He hated you! He didn't sacrifice himself to destroy Xan and Alduin, he did it to get away from your dumb ass!" shouted Nerevar
Sheogorath was appalled. He got right up in Nerevar's face, he drew his sword and was about to slash his head off. Nerevar blocked the attack with his sword and the two got ready to fight. Kriid ran up to them and pushed them away from each other.
"Stop it now!" he shouted
"Go away!" shouted Nerevar "No one knows who you are! Nobody here trusts you! I bet you aren't even a real hero! I bet you didn't lose your family, I bet you abandoned them! I bet they hate you as much as I hate you!"
A tear ran down Kriid's face, he wiped it away and pulled out his sword, "Now you've done it..." he snarled
Kriid raised his sword and joined in the stance that Nerevar and Sheogorath were doing. The heroes charged. Right as they were about to run into each other, Fayen and Garnin who had heard the commotion burst through the doors and pushed the heroes away from each other.
"What are you doing?!" Fayen shouted
"Get out of the way." said Kriid
"Not until you explain what is going on." Fayen said
The three heroes went into a big ramble of he did this and he did that.
"Don't you get it? The stone is making you go crazy, Apocapher is using his power to release the hate and anger from the stone and use it on you!" explained Fayen
"You're wrong. Kriid is just a bitch and no one likes him." said Nerevar
"Yeah, well you think you are so high and mighty, thinking you can live up to Argon, you never will." Kriid said
"Garnin! Smash the stone!" Fayen said right as the heroes were about to attack again.
"Yes sir." Garnin said
Garnin drew his war axe, ran up to the stone, and smashed it to pieces.
Instantly the influence disappeared. Everything went back to normal.
"Son of a bitch...." said Kriid holding his head
"Geez, guys.... I'm sorry, I didn't mean any of that...." said Nerevar
"Neither did I." said Kriid
"Nor I." said Sheogorath
"It's alright you guys, it was Apocapher, he was trying to make you go crazy and kill each other. But for him to know about the stone and be able to control it, he must be close. Quick. Let's get outside." said Fayen
********
The heroes ran out side and through the gates, in the Courtyard behind the main building of the University, Apocapher floated on a dragon.
"So you seem to have not killed each other. How sad. I guess I will have to do this the old fashioned way." Apocapher said
He clapped his hands three times and grabbed the reins on his dragon.
"You clapped... So what?" asked Kriid
"You'll see..." Apocapher grinned and flew off
A few minutes later as the team stood there dazzed and confused, a dragon landed in front of them. A legendary dragon with scales as sharp as Mehrunes' Razor, and scales as red as blood. It let out a loud roar which was followed by a burst of fire.
*Sorry for the profanity in this chapter, it was to add suspense to their fight.*