Power Corrupts: Next Step Forward (ch. 65) (Patreon)

"Mr. Jericho sure loves wandering into random caves," Lili remarked as we came to a stop while I cross-referenced my map. "That, and ruins."

"I'll stop wandering into caves and ruins when I stop finding stuff in them," I returned, moving my map to the side while I looked up at the mountain range. In the past month and a half, my map had filled itself out. Between following through with my deal with Azura, and getting things of interest, a fair bit was filled in. With the aid of the Marks Sheogorath had set up, getting around Skyrim wasn't as difficult as I feared it would be.

It started at cities, then branched out towards landmarks I knew would be there. Each one added a marker to my map and, using a grid, I could guesstimate where other locations were. Like a certain cave, or a burrow, or a tomb. The more of my map that was filled in, the better my guesstimations were. Which brought us here, to the base of a mountain range.

"What does Mr. Jericho expect to find inside?" Lili questioned from behind me, sitting in the wagon. After a month and a half, the snow… well, the snow got dealt with because it seemed determined to linger all year. Though, that was just in the mountains. Further south, the snow had thawed. Almost enough that the southern Jarls were going to begin the trek to Solitude.

I rolled my shoulders, "Hopefully an ally," I answered.

"Is Mr. Jericho still upset with Lady Kyne?" Lili hazarded a guess, making me scowl at the thought of the goddess while I pushed the wagon forward. She had been the first stop after we left the College of Winterhold because I wanted to get the Greybeards on board. I found her exactly where I thought I would -- inside the Evergleam Sanctuary, where she had seen fit to bestow a falna on every spriggan inside, and on the Evergleam tree itself.

The long and short of it was that she told us to get fucked. Oh, she phrased it differently, of course. Some bullshit about not abusing her authority over her worshipers and their chosen path. It was beyond annoying. Especially considering that the gods were determined to abuse their authority when it inconvenienced me, but never when it would actually be helpful.

So, the Greybeards were a wash. Arngeir seemed pretty stoked to meet Kyne though, so at least he was happy.

"Yes. Very," I admitted, entertaining spiteful thoughts of chopping that overgrown weed down. "But, who's inside is more of a kind of different ally. Might not be able to bring much to the table, but I'll take what I can get." Even if the help came with a potential reality spanning threat of a string attached to them.

Lili got out of the wagon, and I sealed it away. My enchanted armor did its job well. Dragging the wagon upstairs just for the added difficulty wasn't worth it anymore. She readied her bow, before looking up to the ancient ruins that were only marked by the stone stairs that were half-buried in the snow. "Silver arrows?" She questioned.

"Yup. Should be a fair few undead," I confirmed as we both started walking. In the game, the cave was filled with wild animals before the quest was active, but given it was a ruin… "And giant spiders," I added. Lili offered a nod and readied the quiver of silver arrows. A second quiver was attached at her side, the same place where a knife or sword would be holstered. It was filled with enchanted arrows. My handiwork.

The climb up the mountain was something that was familiar at this point. After a month and a half, it was pretty much all that we did. The snow and ice offered up some difficulties, but nothing that couldn't be managed between the two of us. If anything, it was much easier now rather than climbing up during the dead of winter.

Before long, we stood before the entrance of a seemingly innocent cavern. The only indication that it was important was a braizer that looked like it hadn't been lit in a thousand years or more. "Dimhollow Crypt," I informed as I unsheathed my sword from its place on my back. The Ebony sword wreathed itself in fire as I did so that cast long shadows into the cavern.

"Lili doesn't like the names that Mr. Jericho keeps giving these caves. They all sound like places Lili would never want to go," Lili remarked, a pout in her tone. She didn't believe me when I told her that I wasn't the one giving them their names. Or, she did, and she enjoyed fussing anyway because she knew she could get away with it.

"Eh, they're fitting though," I said, stepping into the cavern. My sword offered some flickering light, enough to cast away the darkness, but the Candlelight that Lili threw up was far more stable and brighter. The little ball of light hung above my head, slightly ahead of me to avoid casting a shadow. The soft white light revealed the age of the place.

The cave was old. Which really didn't mean anything, because all caves were old, but the cave was old enough that a proper tomb had once been carved out of it. Millennia of neglect and exposure had left the interior looking like the stalactites and stalagmites were moving back in to reclaim lost ground. The floor was mostly even, and there were designs on the walls, but all were faded to the point I couldn't make anything out.

The darkness wasn’t enough to defeat my vision, letting me see a large, intricate door that more or less made up the far wall. It was half-covered in stone and ice, telling me that the door hadn't been open in a very long time.

"FUS," I shouted, the Word of Power slamming into the door and reducing it to nothing, revealing a tunnel on the other side that was infinitely more well preserved.

Lili made a chiding noise, "Mr. Greybeard says you shouldn't use the Thu'um so frivolously." She remarked, earning a huff from me.

"Are you going to tell?" I asked her as we walked further inside the cavern, my map drawing up a path. I took the time to inspect the walls. Most tombs like this were covered in depictions of dragons -- either dragons being worshiped, or dragons giving good reason as to why they should be worshiped by depicting the mass slaughters they inflicted on humanity. These, however, depicted nothing but men and women. At least, their shapes.

Lili let out a content hum, "Not if Mr. Jericho gives Lili reasons not to," she answered coyly. I sent her a look to see her smiling up at me. Another thing that had changed -- in the past month, Lili had gotten flirty.

"Then I'll be sure to give you plenty of reasons then," I returned, keeping my sword at the ready. The cave was almost completely silent. I expected to hear draugr or other undead. This place had been sealed up tight, I realized when I didn't see so much as a spiderweb. "Be a shame to lose my teacher," I tacked on, earning an indignant huff.

Though, calling Arngeir my teacher might be a bit of a stretch at this point. For the most part, he coached temperance to keep the influence of the Thu'um in check. He occasionally offered advice, but for the most part, I was on my own when it came to mastering new words of power. He was against the idea almost completely, something about learning too quickly being dangerous… but four out of my six months were gone. Time was the one thing I didn't have.

We continued to delve deeper into the hallways of the ancient tomb -- it was different in construction than the burrows that the Dragon Priests and Lords preferred. Clean the place up a bit, and add some decent lighting, and it wouldn't look out of place in a Keep or something.

"Lili?" I requested, earning a nod from her before I felt a ripple of magic brush over my skin. At the edge of my vision, I saw Lili's eyes gleam with a reddish-pink light, while wisps of the same color faded from around her hand. The detect life spell.

Lili had missed her calling as a mage, and she was making up for lost time. I had no clue how fast advancement in magic typically was, but Lili was proving to be abnormal with how fast she learned. So far, her repertoire had expanded, including Candlelight, Detect Life, Healing Hands, and she was able to cast illusions. I had no clue how good they were because I couldn't see them. But, more than once, I saw a bandit or undead rush towards a rock or tree instead of at Lili.

"Lili doesn't see anything, Mr. Jericho," Lili voiced, earning a frown from me. From my memory of the quest, there should at least be gargoyles or something. Were they so undead that they didn't appear with detect life? Or had the vampires brought them with them? I didn't know. I was a few years ahead of the quest traditionally starting.

"... Don't let your guard down," I decided, tightening my grip on my sword.

Lili nodded, "This place reminds Lili of the Dungeon when it gets too quiet. It either meant that the Dungeon was spent, or that it was planning something." She agreed with her handheld crossbow at the ready.

We traveled in silence, exploring the winding hallways that took us deeper into the tomb, and the mountain that it was built in. There was nothing but darkness and silence in the tomb. The only sounds there came from my armor, the enchanted dwarven metal clicking together or the chainmail jangling.

Then we caught the first glimpse of life. Cobwebs.

"Giant spiders," I muttered unhappily. Of all the creatures it had to be, it had to be spiders. How did they even make it down here? As far as I could tell, there was nothing that a hive of spiders could eat. Besides each other, that was. So, hopefully, the hive would be small?

Reaching out, I cut through the thick and ancient cobwebs, my sword burning them away. The flames spread to the rest of the cobwebs, releasing a foul-smelling smoke, but at this point I could say I've smelled worse. Beyond the crackling flames, I heard a deep hiss as a spider realized I was burning its house down. I gestured for Lili to back up, which she already had, choosing to hug the corner. I took a few steps back, my sword at the ready, as I gazed into the flames.

I saw the spider rear back through the flickering flames. It was a fairly large one. The tunnel was a dozen yards wide, and about half that tall, and the spider took up about half of that space. The spider must have seen me too because it lunged through the fire, intent on making me pay for setting its home aflame.

Suppressing a smirk, I dipped to the side while I brought my sword up in an upward slash. The Ebony edge of my weapon cut through the spider’s legs on the left side, one after another as it sailed harmlessly by me. Taking a quick step toward it, I spun my blade in my hand to plunge it down through its head before I yanked the blade up, nearly cutting the spider in half. The smell of a burning spider smelled like victory.

A month had passed and I wasn't completely awful with a sword anymore. I mean, I was still bad, but no longer awful. It was an improvement. Especially considering that I still wore my enchanted armor. At the start, it felt like I needed to switch to my Ebony every other fight. I wasn't weak, not even close, but compared to the ease that I had killed before, each anthill felt like a mountain.

Now, my Ebony armor was something I reserved for special occasions. A bunch of spiders? They didn't really qualify.

I waited a moment, expecting more to come, but they never did. Given the state of the place, there was a very real possibility that there was only the one. Still, the spider had made itself quite the extensive nest because the fire was still burning strong. Inside the flames I saw an egg sack burst, releasing countless baby spiders, but they all burned up in a few moments.

Eventually, Lili pulled out a staff from her backpack and aimed it at the hallway and wall of flames that blocked our path. Without a word, a spray of icy mist blew into the fire. A lot of it was reduced to steam, but it was enough to kill the fire after a short minute of use.

"Useful," I remarked, looking at the scorched hallway that was burnt and wet in equal measures. I recognized the staff. I had kept my end of the bargain with Azura and cleaned the area of threats. And there were a lot of insidious creatures hiding in the shadows in the upper rim of Skyrim. Perhaps it was the cold and mountainous terrain that prevented some places from being explored… but I had been busy. Very busy. The consolation prize I received was a plethora of good loot.

"Lili likes it," Lili agreed, tucking the staff away into an easy to reach loop on her backpack, joining two others. Lili didn't have a taste for destruction spells, but that's what staffs were for. Each was preloaded with a spell to be used and a set number of charges. However, those charges could be restored with the use of a soul gem. The game had gotten that much right.

With the way cleared once again, Lili and I continued deeper into the cavern. And time proved that had been the only spider in the place. There wasn't anything else. Or, at least, nothing attacked us until we reached the very heart of the tomb. Honestly, it was a little disappointing.

The main room was a large pocket in the heart of the mountain. It, at the very least, looked as the game had depicted it. A large round platform was placed in the middle of a veritable lake of water. Braziers were dotted around the circumference of the platform, as were looping arcs that stood over each brazier. Lili let out a muttered "Wow," while my gaze swept over the room.

This was way too easy. Something bad was going to happen.

“Keep your guard up, Lili,” I said, making my way down the steps towards a bridge that connected the platform to the wall and staircase. The cavern was huge. A hundred yards tall and maybe twice that wide in every direction. The sound of my armor echoed in the cavern as I approached the resting place of the one I was here to recruit.

“Lili doesn’t see anyone here,” Lili pointed out, keeping her guard up as she looked at the water with eyes filled with suspicion. She grabbed one staff from her bag… and I choose to have the Ebony Mail wash over my dwarven enchanted armor. Instantly, I felt my full strength return and it was a welcomed change from the weakness the armor inflicted on me. “Who are we supposed to meet here, Mr. Jericho?”

I started to solve the puzzle, lighting the braziers in order based on my memory of the game. “You’ll see in a moment,” I reassured, hearing Lili make a noise at that.

“Mr. Jericho only gets cagey when he does something that Lili won’t like,” Lili pointed out. I would argue that point, but I kinda couldn’t.

“... Her name is Serana,” I began, continuing to light the braziers in order. So far so good. “And she’s a Vampire Lord,” I added, more or less proving Lili’s point.

I could feel her gaze on me before I looked at her, “Aren’t Vampires evil?” She questioned, sounding like she was starting to regret following me down here.

I shrugged. “In the same way that Werewolves can be, I guess. Her dad is a real piece of work,” I admitted. Imagining the scene of Volkihar castle, where you were greeted by a dozen vampire lords who might as well have been having a competition to see who was the messiest eater… It kinda put that whole scene in a much more grizzly context. “But, Serana should be fine. Plus, she has an Elder Scroll.”

Lili watched me light another brasier, “Another ingredient?” Lili questioned, earning a nod from me.

Sheogorath had kept the Eye of Magnus and the Staff of Magnus out of my hands, but instead she gave me a shopping list of various materials. The past month was largely spent gathering them up. The ingredients? The Crest of Aetherium, a Daedra heart, the blood of a High Vampire, a pinch of the space-time continuum, the first flower of spring, a blend of fire, void and frost salts, the most expensive jewel in Skyrim, a sliver of the Evergreen tree… the list went on and on. Some items were completely inane, while others were completely insane.

Still, as crazy as it might sound, out of all the gods, Sheogorath was the only one that had earned my trust so I was certain that there was a good reason for it. And whatever I would gain would be worth gathering up the items.

“Two, in theory,” I corrected. I’m pretty sure a pinch of the space-time continuum meant a pinch of an Elder Scroll. After all, for the vast majority of the things she told me to get, I at least had a rough idea of where to get them. And, in the end, there were quite a few Elder Scrolls floating around Skyrim at the moment. “Get ready. I’m not sure exactly how she’ll react to us,” I gave a heads up before lighting the final brazier.

The others that remained unlit suddenly sparked to life with dark purple fire. That fire then seemed to drip down from the braziers like water, landing on the floor into a crevice engraved into the ground. The flow of purple flames grew stronger as each brazier added more liquid fire to the engraving, letting it take shape as they all went to the center of the platform, revealing an intricate design on the ground as they did.

The fire pooled in the center, covering a manhole sized area. The pool of fire then began to swirl. There was some unseen mechanism below because the pool of fire seemingly caught on another circle of engravings, making it turn with the pool, then that one caught another. When the third had made a full rotation, the fire began to pour downwards as the floor began to rise.

A sarcophagus rose from the ground, covered with a stone door that slid open when it settled into place. Inside was a woman. She had pale skin, with short cut dark hair. She was wearing a wine-red dress underneath a dark cloak, clasped at her neck with a large ruby. Her arms were clutched protectively around a long scroll as she leaned against the side of the coffin. She didn’t move for a moment, but her eyelids began to butterfly open.

“Hmmmm…?” She questioned, sounding like she was waking up from a nap. Which, technically speaking, wasn’t that far off the mark. Her eyes fluttered open, revealing that they were blood red and seemed to glow in the low light. Her eyes narrowed reflexively at the brightness from the Candlelight, but she blinked a few more times, waking up in earnest.

Her grip on the scroll tightened when she looked at me, and I could have kicked myself. I got so used to the helmet, I forgot that I was wearing it. Grabbing it and taking it off, I offered a lopsided smile, not quite sure how to greet her. “Sleep well?” I questioned, deciding to break the ice.

Serana looked back at me questioningly, “As well as I could have, given the circumstances,” she answered somewhat hesitantly. "I don't suppose you could tell me how long I've been asleep for?"

"That's a matter of debate. Akatosh had a couple of seizures, so time got a little… weird," I began. I still didn't understand dragonbreaks. "But it's been… a long time. Thousands of years. At least."

She blinked slowly at that, trying to formulate a response. "And have things changed so much that my parents would send a mortal to retrieve me?" Serana asked, moving on from how long she had been asleep. I couldn't tell if it just didn't really matter to her, or if she just had a good poker face. It could be either, really. Or both. She had been asleep for millennia, but she was still centuries-old in the years she had been awake.

Right. Here was the delicate part. "Your parents didn't send me," I began, wishing there was an easier way to ease into the topic. Serana's eyes narrowed, so I continued. "Your father is still at Castle Volkihar. Your mother fled to the Soul Cairn to avoid him… and she sealed you here because your father is planning to use you to find the bow of Aruriel, so he can then shoot some arrows into the sun and cast all of Nirn into eternal darkness so he can rule the world."

Lili made a strangled sound at that, but I ignored her. Serana searched my face for any trace of deceit, her red eyes glowing ominously. "And you are here to put a stop to that plot?" She questioned her tone even.

"Uh… no, not really." My answer must have surprised her because she frowned at me.

"Then you don't understand the threat that my father posses," Serana said with a shake of her head as she finally stepped outside of the sarcophagus. "If… if what you are saying is true… then he must be stopped."

"Oh, I know that he's a threat. He's just not the one I'm dealing with right now," I clarified. "Alduin the World-Eater is about to pop back into reality after getting tossed into the time stream. He should arrive in about two months. I've been preparing for him so he doesn't eat reality and end life as we know it. If everything goes well, then I can stop your dad after."

Serana opened her mouth, a hint of her fangs peeking past her lips. "Oh," she uttered, and I felt a bit bad. I mean, if I woke up after a millennia-long nap by someone I didn't know and the first thing they opened with was how a couple of apocalypses are on their way… I'd go back to sleep.

"Yeah… it's been a whole thing," I agreed.

Serana's head bobbed, "Then why have you awoken me?" She asked, casting a look at Lili before she frowned. "And how did you know the correct combination? I see that none of the traps have been activated." Ah. So, there would have been a lot more fighting if I didn't know the combination. That explained some things, I guess.

In the original quest, the vampires had probably triggered the traps and caused the whole mess.

"Long story short? I had a peek inside an Elder Scroll," I started, gesturing to the one in her hands. "And I'm looking for allies to help me fight Alduin," I figured telling her I wanted some of her blood and a corner piece of the Elder Scroll wouldn't go over well.

Serana didn't look like she bought it, "And your first thought was a High Vampire? It seems a little odd," she remarked.

"Not our first," Lili spoke up. "Lili and Mr. Jericho have been traveling all over Skyrim, looking for allies and cleaning up problems so that when the Moot happens, no one can drag their feet and keep from helping."

"One would think if a threat like Alduin appeared, petty squabbles would be put aside," Serana commented, frowning deeply.

I let out a small laugh. "Yeah, you would think," I muttered a reply. "But, no. It's just a bad case of really bad timing. There's been a civil war in Skyrim brewing for about a decade, and then the gods descended to Nirn… so, Skyrim is pretty much on fire at the moment. The Moot is where we're hoping to put out the fires and pull together."

"The…" Serana shook her head, "I've been asleep for some time. Things seemed to have changed a great deal." She muttered to herself before she looked at me, her lips pressed together into a thin line. "Have… all of the gods descended?" She questioned and it was easy enough to guess her motivation for doing so.

"No," I quickly reassured. "A few of the Daedra and Akatosh haven’t descended. Akatosh is maintaining the barrier around Nirn, while Mehrunes Dagon and Molag Bal haven't agreed to give up their power to live on Nirn as a mortal," I explained.

"Things have changed a lot," Serana muttered. "You've woken me up, and I sincerely doubt I'll be able to go back to sleep after hearing all of this. I would like to help you… but my mother…" She shook her head and closed her eyes for a moment. "You said she is in the Soul Cairn, correct? Is she safe there?"

I nodded, "She is. Your father can't get to her there… and he's spent the past few millennia looking for you." I offered, hoping that would help. Serana scoffed ever so slightly.

"Looking for this, more likely," Serana remarked, clutching at the Elder Scroll she had been charged with protecting. "My father might care little for mortals, but he would not miss my appearance should I be seen aiding you."

She was willing to help. I… honestly thought I might have to go deal with Harkan before she would agree.

"You don't have to worry about that. High Vampires have mostly withdrawn from the world, leaving behind the lesser kind. The last thing he would expect is for you to appear after millennia of being missing," I pointed out. "We can help you hide your identity too, just to be sure. If all else fails… then I can deal with a few vampires."

To that, Serana cocked an eyebrow, clearly feeling like I was underestimating them. However, Lili spoke up in my defense. "Mr. Jericho is really strong," Lili offered. "Lili doesn't know how strong High Vampires are, but the weaker ones are no match for Mr. Jericho, and that's inside the armor that makes him a lot weaker."

There was a beat of silence and I could practically see Serana picking apart that statement, looking to me for context. I shrugged. It was true.

"It's a long story and explaining the context would take as long as the story," I said, "but if you'll come with us to stop Alduin, there will be plenty of time to explain."

A small, charming laugh escaped Serana, her lips curling up into a slight smile. "As if I could refuse to hear a story like that," she agreed, and I felt a knot of tension uncoil from my chest. "I will help you. After all, it would mean little rescuing my mother if Alduin eats reality." That was the practical attitude I was looking for. If only the rest of Skyrim shared it rather than their suicidal determination to die setting themselves on fire.

Lili made a noise and I glanced over at her, seeing her giving me a Look. It was easy enough to guess that she was jealous, and I would have to spare a moment to tell her that she didn't need to be. People did act differently than they had from the game, but with Serana… I doubted that she would welcome a romantic relationship.

I had no idea if there was a sliding scale of how awful rape could be, but I had to imagine being raped by the God ofRape was at the extreme end of that scale. She had rebuffed any advances in the game, and I would imagine that trait would hold true in reality. That was fine. I was more concerned with what she could do, rather than with sleeping with her.

"Great," I said, "Then let's get out of here. We need to head to the College of Winterhold to meet Sheogorath."

"This should prove interesting," Serana remarked. "But we can't go the same way you came in. It's trapped. If the gargoyles sense me walking through the halls, they'll assume I'm being escorted by my father."

"Is there another way out, then?" I asked, earning a small nod from Serana. As if on cue, the sarcophagus began to sink into the ground, and the bridge that connected the platform began to move as the water began to drain from the pool around it. I looked over to see that an entrance had been revealed on the far wall. A staircase located underneath a Word Wall that the bridge would take us to. "Convenient."

"If my family is good for one thing, it's grandstanding," Serana remarked lightly as she began to lead the way. "If you would follow me… I believe I've spent enough time in caves." She decided as she walked, still clutching her Elder Scroll.

I followed her, and Lili fell in step next to me. I could feel her gaze burning a hole in the side of my head, so I looked down. There, I saw her pouting at me. "It was a woman," Lili pointed out.

"A High Vampire that's a master of destruction magic," I corrected.

"A woman High Vampire," Lili pointed out, not moving past that sticking point.

"A woman High Vampire that can hear the both of you," Serana pointed out, casting a look back at us, her tone thoroughly unimpressed, if slightly amused. Probably by the fact that Lili was more upset about the woman part rather than the vampire bit. That might change when Lili saw Serana in action, so I should probably give her a heads-

My train of thought came to an abrupt end when an expression of alarm crossed Serana’s face, making her whip around. My hand curled around my sword, looking for the threat, but nothing stood out to me. I couldn’t see anything in the shadows, I didn’t hear anything. Following her gaze, I found Serana looking at the word wall.

“What… is that sound?” Serana questioned aloud, walking towards the word wall, and my heart started to drop as I watched her move to it. There was no way. There was absolutely no way…

Serana approached the word wall, zeroing in on a word in particular as she slowly reached out to touch it… the moment that her fingers brushed the stone surface, the vampire crumpled like a puppet with her strings cut. Without my armor slowing me down, I was able to catch her before she fell, the Elder Scroll cluttering the ground as it fell from her fingers.

I suppose Paarthurnax had been right.

I would meet the Dragonborn eventually.