AN: Gimme stones pls. Thank you.
Anyways, hope you like this chapter, cheers!
...
4E 202, Shor's Stone
Gerron Ironbreaker
The final draugr fell with a wet, splintering crack as Gerron's Mercury Hammer came down. Bone and armor shattered on impact, the corpse collapsing into a heap of lifeless ruin.
For a moment, the battlefield around them was silent. Only for the distant echoes of battle to still ring across the city. The thunder of dragons that still roared in the skies and on the ground. But here at least, on this broken stretch of street, the battle was over.
Serana lowered her hands beside him, frost magic dissipating into faint wisps in the air before fading entirely. Her breathing was labored, shoulders rising and falling as strands of raven hair stuck to her damp face.
"That's the last of them," Balgruuf sighed, leaning heavily against an overturned cart. In his hands was Bonebiter, the dragonbone axe. "At least here…"
Irileth was at his side instantly, already uncorking a potion. Her own condition was far from pristine, walking with a limp as she was, but her hands were steady as she passed it to her Jarl.
Nearby, Legate Rikke surveyed the carnage with a hardened expression. Her armor was scratched and caked with grime, exhaustion clear in her posture.
"General Tullius should still be holding the remains of the Southwestern Gate," she said. "And it doesn't seem like the fighting has ended yet."
Gerron followed her gaze at all the fallen men around them, and even Gerron had to let out a grimace.
When Balgruuf and Rikke arrived as reinforcements to shield them from the wave of draugr, they did so completely outnumbered. Combined, they had around a hundred and fifty men between them, while the draugr that answered Durnehviir's call numbered at least twice that.
That difference had a cost as the corpses of Legionnaires and Whiterun hold guards could be seen littering the streets across the ruined buildings. The only reason they held out at all was due to superior armor and weapons, and even then, less than thirty survived.
"What of Ulfric?" Balgruuf asked, wiping blood from his brow. "Any news of the northwestern walls?"
"Few dragons came from that direction, but I saw plumes of ice lighting up the walls when Serana and I were running here." Mirabelle said, voice strained. "But it's stopped now."
Serana stepped forward, her crimson eyes sharp despite her fatigue. "With Savos keeping Morokei occupied, we should take this chance to finish the other Dragon Priests. Otar, Nahkriin, Krosis—"
As the discussions raptured around him, Gerron let it happen as his eyes went upwards at the battle still happening above the skies.
The sheer force of their battle sent ripples through the clouds, thunder cracking in irregular bursts as flame and lightning tore through the heavens.
"We need to help Kiera." Gerron's voice cut cleanly through the discussion. "Alduin is the last enemy Kruziik that's still standing, and if left alone, that fight will probably last for days."
"True enough." Serana looked up as well, her expression tightening. "It's been hours since the fight started and it doesn't look any closer to ending. Neither side even looks fatigued."
"How do we even help her?" Balgruuf asked, pushing himself upright despite the exhaustion weighing on him. "That battle is happening thousands of feet in the sky."
Gerron thought for a second, then his eyes fell upon the massive, lifeless corpse of Durnehviir, and an idea entered his mind.
"We bring her dragon souls."
Serana's eyes widened immediately. "Of course… If she absorbs them, especially the Kruziik—"
"She'll get a second wind and get stronger, hopefully enough to beat Alduin to the ground." Gerron finished.
Mirabelle frowned. "But how? Those bodies are massive, and carrying them will be difficult with fighting still all over the city—."
Gerron raised a hand, and Durnehviir's carcass disappeared into his inventory.
Mirabelle blinked. "…Right."
Serana huffed a faint, tired laugh. "I really should be used to that by now."
Gerron turned back to the group, "I'll get Odahviing and whatever dragon corpse I could find on my way there. Rikke, I need you to get back to the southwestern gate and reinforce Tullius."
Gerron turned back to them. "I'll go find Odahviing's corpse and bring it back.. Balgruuf, find Grogmar and get back to the Ebony Palace. There should still be some Guardians stationed there to guard the triage camp. Take them with you and sweep the streets clean of the undead."
She nodded instantly.
"Balgruuf, find Grogmar and get to the Ebony Palace. There should still be some Guardians stationed there to guard the triage camp. Take them with you and sweep the streets clean of the undead."
"Aye, I'll get that done." Balgruuf said firmly.
Gerron then looked to Serana and Mirabelle. "Find a way to send word to Kiera. Have her fly near the palace when I give the signal."
"And that signal will be?" Mirabelle questioned.
Gerron just smiled. "You'll know."
Serana stepped close then, her hand rising to rest against the side of his helm. Even through the cold metal, he felt the warmth of her touch.
"Be careful."
Gerron leaned forward, resting his forehead briefly against hers. "I will."
For a moment, the chaos was lost as they stood close. Then, they parted.
Gerron watched as Rikke rallied her remaining legionnaires, moving out at once as Serana and Mirabelle turned, running off into the streets.
Balgruuf sighed as he looked at Gerron. "This will all be over soon, my friend."
Gerron nodded as he and Irileth led the half dozen Whiterun guards into the other street. Without further ado, he began running himself to the place where Odahviing had landed.
He had to pass Zenithar's Square to get there, which was riddled with signs of battle everywhere. Bodies littered the streets, both men and draugr alike, as they lay scattered across shattered stone and ruined buildings. Blood pooled in cracks between cobbles, dark and thick.
It felt odd to see everything like this, the city he's worked so hard to build reduced to a near ruin. Zenithar's Square was the bustling heart of Shor's Stone, where craftsmanship of all kinds toiled across the two dozen shops in the square.
But now it was nothing more than a wreck as Gerron slowed for just a fraction of a second, eyes sweeping across the devastation.
He shook his head, it didn't matter in the end. He could always rebuild.
That's when the sight of the man lying at the foot of Zenithar's statue crossed his vision, blonde hair visible beneath the helm, and ebony armor drenched entirely in red. His eyes were closed, and a pool of blood was forming under his head.
"Ralof!" Gerron rushed to his side, dropping to one knee. Relief surged through him as he detected breath, albeit faintly. Carefully removing his helm, Gerron saw the blunt wound at the side of Ralof's head. Blood trickled from it, matting his hair.
Taking out the last potion he had from his inventory, Gerron forced it down his gullet. The man coughed, sputtering, then gasped sharply as his eyes snapped open.
"Gerron…?" Ralof groaned, blinking rapidly. "What in Oblivion—"
"No time. Fights not over, brother," Gerron said, gripping his arm and hauling him up. "Can you stand?"
Ralof staggered, but steadied. "Yeah… yeah, I got it." He winced, pressing a hand to his head before looking up.
A dark roar echoed as the fight between Kiera and Alduin gained in intensity.
"…Are we winning?" Ralof asked.
Gerron glanced upward briefly, then shrugged. "Somewhat. For now, come with me. We've got work to do."
Ralof just nodded, focusing on his breathing and shaking his head to disperse the headache as they broke into a run.
…
4E 202, Skuldafn
Esbern
They had called it Alduin's Last Fortress.
Standing before it now, Esbern understood why.
Skuldafn was as magnificent as it was abhorrent, reminding Esbern everything he had come to despise about the Dragon Cult of old. Its cruelty, its dominance, its obsession with power. And yet still, he could not deny the brilliance of its design.
The last time he had been here, there had been no room for admiration. Only survival. and urgency. But now, amidst the assault, he saw it clearly.
The great Dragon Mound that stood at the outskirts, the layered temple complex rising beyond it. Aqueducts crossing open air through the structure. Towering platforms where dragons once roosted.
And at the very top, something important waited. He didn't know what it was yet, but it was important enough to even gain the attention of the Champion of Zenithar.
Weeks ago, when he, Mjoll, and Aerin had first found the hidden passage near Mzulft, he had not expected much. It started off as another cave, one of hundreds in this part of Skyrim. Then it led to a collapsed ruin, certainly not a path leading directly to Skuldafn.
But that was exactly what they had found.
A labyrinth of tunnels, half of it crumbling, barely wide enough for two men to walk side by side that narrowed even further the deeper they went. What must have once been a sprawling network had long since collapsed in places, leaving only fragments of its original design.
They spent days down there, and Esbern even had to use atronachs to clear up some debris in their path. Another week was spent mapping dead ends, doubling back when the trail went nowhere, again and again, until they finally found it. A path through the tunnels that opened into Skuldafn.
And so they sent word to Shor's Stone, and waited. Not two days later, three hundred soldiers appeared up the mountain atop massive constructs called 'Carrowhulks'. When they first saw it, Mjoll had paused in awe at such creations, claiming them to be similar to a Dwemer Centurion she once fought a long time ago. Esbern simply nodded and chalked it up to the magnificence that is the Champion of Zenithar.
The three hundred men were comprised of the Shor's Guard led by a Captain Marcurio, Legionnaires led by Legate Taurinus and Praefect Hadvar, Stormcloaks led by Stormblade Gonnar Oath-Giver, Companions led by Njada Stone-Arm, Vigilants led by Vigilant Marek, and the Dawnguard led by Knight Celann.
It was a mix-match of different people with different lifestyles, a coalition in all but name. What mattered to Esbern was that each one bore the look of a seasoned veteran, which was far more important than where they came from.
Mjoll was the first to address them. "My name is Mjoll the Lioness, Grandmaster of the Blades. For this campaign, I shall be taking lead, by order of the Dragonborn and the Jarl of Shor's Stone."
Everyone in attendance merely nodded and a small smile appeared on Mjoll's face. She began recounting the details of their work and what they should expect, and Esbern's face formed a half-smile as she saw Mjoll taking the lead like she was born for it.
'The Blades will be just fine under her leadership.' Esbern thought. A part of him even realized that despite being in the position for less than a month, Mjoll had already shown traits and qualities of a leader better than Delphine ever did.
Snow fell from the skies in equal measure, heavy winds forming as they were decently high up in the mountains. As Mjoll began speaking with the leaders of each contingent, the other men began dismounting their supplies from the Carrowhulks, aided by Aerin who began to form a small camp in this patch of rocky land where the mouth of the tunnels had opened.
Not half-an-hour later, they began the climb.
Esbern and Mjoll led the column as Aerin took the rear, as his sharper eyes would be able to tell if anyone strays. As it was dark, their only sight came from the magelight that Esbern had floating above his head. Captain Marcurio of the Shor's Guard, the Dawnguard Knights, as well as the Vigilants followed as the path began to get illuminated, shifting shadows being cast into the stone walls around them
The first thing Esbern realized was that walking through these tunnels when it was just the three of them was very different from when three hundred people made the climb.
It was slow and claustrophobic, every step had to be measured carefully or risk a collapse from the rapid stomping of feet. It took time, much longer than anticipated, but they eventually emerged into Skuldafn itself.
The end of the tunnel opened into one of the many entrances of Skuldafn that sat upon one of the wide platforms where a dragon would roost. The heavy snows that fell here would mean assaulting would be difficult, since there were no roofings or railings that would guard them from falling amidst the stairs and walkways that connected each platform. But it also meant their arrival would be hidden, the sounds of three hundred men hidden beneath the winter wind.
Esbern led out a breath as they went through the hard part. Skuldafn was a veritable fortress, but the lack of a clear entrance was the sole thing that would have stumped a large army.
Now that they were clear of it, all they had to do was to enact the plan that had been discussed in the entrance prior.
It was exceedingly simple. The core defense of the temple largely relied on having dragons as the defenders. Those narrow walkways were practically a death sentence should flying enemies be able to torch them at any point. But the dragons were long gone, having flown with Alduin to attack Shor's Stone.
So as they charged out into Skuldafn proper, only a hundred and fifty draugr was kept and left here as the garrison. But fighting them was not easy, for each one was the most dangerous set of deathlords and scourges that Alduin had in his employ. Each one had the purple tinted flames for eyes rather than the usual blue, which meant these were ones who had been raised by Durnehviir himself.
But the coalition of Skyrim proved to be just as capable, as Njada transformed mid-charge, her werewolf form tearing into a Deathlord with savage ferocity.
Legate Taurinus and the Unbroken Sword held the center with the Legionnaires as they were the most disciplined heavy infantry unit they had. With the Stormcloaks forming the left wing and the Shor's Guard forming the right, their formation would be ironclad.
The problem came from the numerous archers that rained death on the high walkways, but Dawnguard crossbows proved to be superior as they answered with deadly precision, clearing them out one by one.
The Vigilants and the Companions, who were inexperienced in formation fighting, were instead ordered by Mjoll to spread out. Individually, each one was more skilled than the average legionnaire and stormcloak, and it was proven, for the straggling of scourges proved to not be a match for them.
Esbern instead led the Shor's Guard mages, along with Captain Marcurio as they bombarded the enemy lines with large area spells. With a single swing of his hand, three frost atronachs answered his call that charged towards the heaviest of the fighting.
"FUS RO DAH!"
One of the deathlords retaliated with a shout, but Esbern reacted instantly. The massive shockwave that would have annihilated an entire Stormcloak line was instead stopped in its tracks as he deflected it with a ward. Beside him, Marcurio did the same for another flank, aided by two vigilants who stacked his ward with their own.
Slowly, but surely, they advanced. Step by step, they continued towards the summit of Skuldafn towards the thing that awaited them.
"Gonnar! Target your archers on that high ridge! Celann, get some knights and help the Shor's Guard in the right flank to reinforce from breaking! Hadvar, make sure to–"
Mjoll, who had remained in the front the entire time, screamed out commands till her voice suddenly stopped.
Esbern's head whipped around, worried if she had fallen. She didn't. Instead, her eyes were wide with surprise as she gazed at two more draugr who just appeared from the right walkway, leading a couple more of their number to the fight.
But they were not just any draugr, for the sight of them froze Esbern in his tracks.
'No…'
The two wore the styled armor of the Blades. The woman, clearly a breton, had powerful violet flame burning in the eyes of her sockets. The other, a broad-shouldered man, whose skin had strange icy blue lines as if the entire body was stitched together.
'It did.' Esbern realized. 'Fultheim's body had shattered to pieces, and Delphine…'
He realized then that he didn't know exactly how she died.
Yet the two of them now stood opposite them, and rage and grief twisted together in Esbern's chest at the fact that the dragons would dare desecrate their bodies like this. Esbern didn't know what to do.
But Mjoll did. All hesitation left her face as she brandished her Blades' katana and charged at them, the Legionnaires following at her back. Two arrows were loosed from behind their ranks that went towards Draugr Delphine, which told Esbern that Aerin was still in the fight and had noticed them as well. Much to his chagrin, the undead Grandmaster deflected each arrow with quick swipes of her blade, telling him that draugr version held the skills she had in life.
Esbern prepared his magic, ready to join the fight. Only for an explosion to tear apart the Stormcloak lines as a massive blast of lightning fell from the skies.
Esbern gazed upwards. It was difficult to see from the thick snow that continued to fall, but Esbern saw the lone figure who slowly floated downwards, a staff in hand, an ebony mask affixed to his face.
"DRAGON PRIEST!" Aerin screamed.
"Esbern! Get on it!" Mjoll screamed as her blade fell and clanged on Delphine's own sword. "I'll handle this!"
While he wanted nothing more than to end his friends' suffering, Esbern knew that duty came first.
Ice formed in his hands—two jagged spikes—and he hurled them upward. A ward appeared on Nahkriin's left hand that covered a wide area, the ice shattering upon impact.
That was fine, the attack was not meant to kill, but to gain the Dragon Priest's attention. And he did, as Nahkriin turned to gaze at Esbern, and the true battle for Skuldafn began.
…
AN: Here we go, a new chapter!
The assault on Skuldafn happens in the background as shit hits the fan in Shor's Stone. Gerron is gonna be busy yoinking up dragon carcasses as Kiera fights for her life in the skies above.
Ralof fell unconscious when a draugr slammed a warhammer to the side of his head during Gerron's fight with Otar the Mad.
More chapters are available on my P-word. Chapter 131 should be available by the time this chapter is posted. Just look up my name, TeemVizzle, and you'll find me. An extra 2 chapters are available for free users, if anyone is interested.
Cheers people and have a nice day.