Chapter 9: At The Summit of Apocrypha
"Some tales tell of ancient Nord heroes whose Voices were powerful enough to tame and ride dragons."
Chapter 9: At The Summit of Apocrypha
His vision returned and Gajeel once again found himself in Apocrypha. Now with all three Words of Power with him, Gajeel was confident he could win this battle. He looked around the room and realized he was now in the place he first met God Serena. There wasn't much to interest Gajeel now that he got a good look at this part of Apocrypha; in fact, barely anything did. He found a nearby staircase and walked down it, finding an open book which took him straight to Chapter II.
Chapter II and Chapter III were really pretty much a breeze to someone like Gajeel. A few enemies here and there did give him some difficulties; but he managed to provail. While he was roaming the two chapters, he came across three books that took his interest: Boneless Limbs, Delving Pinchers and Prying Orbs. They were designed the same way as the Black Books, so Gajeel knew right off the bat they involved Hermaeus Mora. Without hesitation, Gajeel grabbed the books and took them with him to Chapter IV, feeling in his gut they'll come in handy.
When he reached Chapter IV, he found yet another book called Gnashing Blades.
"I already gotta feeling where the fuck this is going." Gajeel grumbled to himself. He then picked up the book and placed it in his bag along with the rest of the books "Too bad this place is a Daedric realm. Levy would love it here." he continued his journey until he came across the book needed to go to Chapter V. When Gajeel reached Chapter V, he realized he was in the right mind to take those books with him; because before him were multiple pedestals meant for a different book.
"Seems pretty fucking simple. Just place each book on the pedestal with the matching symbols."
Gajeel began to pull out each book one by one and placed them on their respective pedestals. Once the last book was placed in it's respective spot, the distinct sound of a Click! the doors in the center of the room opened to reveal another book.
"I sure as hell pray to whatever fucking Aedra is watching over me this is the last stop." he grumbled before touching the book and arriving into Chapter VI.
When Gajeel arrived in Chapter VI, he began to hear an all too familiar sound; chanting.
"Holy shit, there's one here too." Gajeel thought out loud. He made his way to the recognizable sound and felt his vision begin to black out. The chants reverberated into his very being until finally, an aura came from The Wall and entered his very being. The chanting stopped, Gajeel's vision returned and the Word Qah-Armor Dragon Aspect. As he studied what was left of the wall, he heard the flapping of wings; dragon wings to be exact. He looked behind himself to find a large dragon heading over to him. Gajeel recognized it as the dragon God Serena left on.
Shout at it. a voice in Gajeel's head rang Use the Bend Will Shout. It's what it's there for. Gajeel took a look at the dragon, took a deep breath and Shouted:"Gol...HAH DOV!"
The Shout hit the dragon dead on and right then and there, there was a change in the atmosphere.
"Hail Thuri!" the dragon complimented in it's hypnotized state "Your Thu'um has mastery." the dragon craned it's neck and rested it on the floor "Climb aboard and I will take you to God Serena." not hesitating, Gajeel climbed onto the dragon and watched as it took off into the air. They soared high through the green skies, giving Gajeel an amazing view of the black seas below and the islands that spread across the entire plain. It was incredible he admitted it, but truth be told he rather never come back to this Gods forsaken wasteland when he defeated God Serena. Hermaeus Mora was not someone he ever wanted to see again. The dragon soon arrived at the place where Gajeel was destined to fight God Serena. He landed on the ground where Gajeel managed to get off the dragon and looked around the area.
It was a place that had plenty of room to fight, in the center was a pool of black liquid and multiple other pool were in the area and Gajeel noticed two other dragons were sitting nonchalantly and eyeing his every move.
"Belserion." a voice called out. Gajeel looked to find God Serena waltzing his way over to where the small pool was "Are you so easily swayed? No, not yet. We should greet our guest first." Gajeel approached the pool and looked at God Serena with a nasty glare "And so the First Dragonborn meets the Last Dragonborn at the summit of Apocrypha. No doubt just as Hermaeus Mora intended. He is a fickle master, you know. But now I will be free of him. My time in Apocrypha is over! You are here in your full power, and thus subject to my full power!You will die, and with the power of your soul, I will return to Solstheim and be master of my own fate once again!"
"Ain't happening pal!" Gajeel growled at the First Dragonborn. He pulled out his two handed sword and prepared for the battle.
God Serena sent out a blast of lightning towards Gajeel, which he blocked with the use of his sword. He ran towards God Serena and hit the man with his sword. God Serena used this moment as a perfect opprotinity to use the Fire Breath Shout. The Shout left a few small burns on Gajeel's face; but thanks to his armor being enchanted, it barely scathed him. God Serena then took his left foot and kicked Gajeel in the stomach, but Gajeel bashed God Serena in the head and then stabbed him with his sword, causing him to bleed out.
"Enough of this!" God Serena hollered "Levia, ziil los dii du!" he Shouted at the dragon and Gajeel witnessed something he never would imagine in his entire life: God Serena took the dragon's soul with just a Shout.
As God Serena absorbed the soul, his wounds began to heal and he looked as he did when they started.
Shit! Gajeel thought It's like I didn't do anything!
God Serena struck Gajeel with another bolt of lightning but he dodged it.
"Ven...GAAR NOS!" God Serena Shouted those words and a cyclone appeared out of nowhere, taking Gajeel into it and taking him by surprise.
"Fuck!" he growled to himself "He's stronger than he appears. Looks like I'm gonna have to bring out the big swords for this guy." he jumped out of the cyclone and took a deep breath.
"Zun...HAAL VIIK!" he disarmed the First Dragonborn as if it was nothing and then swung his sword at God Serena, giving him a nice gash across his shoulder and causing blood to spurt from his body. Gajeel then took the opprotunity to stab the First Dragonborn in the stomach, causing him to cough up blood. He clutched his shoulder and his stomach, trying to stop the bleeding and took a deep, breath: "Mother Glare, ziil los dii du!" he Shouted at another and just like before, he took it's soul. The wounds dissappeared and the man's strength returned. He pulled out his odd looking sword and stabbed Gajeel in the gut with it. Fortunately, the dragonbone armor he was wearing prevented him from recieving any damage. Gajeel once again headbutted God Serena and then quickly switched to a one handed sword and a dragonbone shield.
He deflected all of God Serena's attacks and looked to the skies for a brief second.
What I'm about to do, I pray to whichever of the Nine watching over me it works. Gajeel thought to himself.
"Strun...BAH QO!" a light grey Shout passed Gajeel's lips and the normally green skies began to turn a deep dark grey. Thunder rumbled through the air and bolts of lightning hit God Serena. The First Dragonborn was electrocuted a heterogeneous amount of times, and Gajeel took this as an opprotunity to strike. He took his one handed blade and sliced God Serena in the stomach.
God Serena slit Gajeel, aiming for his eye but instead cut the Nord's cheek and a small amount of his hair. God Serena continued to try and stab Gajeel with his sword, but the Last Dragonborn easily dodged the attempts at his life. Quickly, Gajeel placed a small amount of poison onto his blade when God Serena wasn't looking and stabbed the Daedra worshipper with the blade. He pulled the blade out of God Serena and watched as the poison started to take effect on him. He fell to his knees and looked up at the dragon who helped Gajeel make his way here.
"Belserion, ziil los dii du!" Gajeel watched as the dragon collapsed to the ground and then have his soul ripped right out of him and be absorbed by God Serena. God Serena at that moment stood up, all his wounds healed, the poison in his blood dissappearing. This was his last chance to defeat Gajeel and take his soul.
"Yol...TOOR SHUL!" Gajeel Shouted at his enemy, flames passed his lips and began to burn the former DragonPriest.
"Fo...KRAH DIIN!" God Serena Shouted at Gajeel which encased his right arm in pure ice. He broke the ice his arm was encased in and hit God Serena with his shield. The First Dragonborn stumbled back until Gajeel slashed the Nord in the leg and stabbed him in his left side.
God Serena fell to one knee and clutched his side, looking at Gajeel. He realized that The Last Dragonborn before him was just too powerful for him to fight. He scanned the area and realized he was now out of dragon's to use for his disposal. Seeing only one way out, God Serena took a deep breath and let out a Shout.
"Fiem...ZII GRON!" at that moment, God Serena became ethereal and was now untouchable "Wuld...NAH KEST!" in a burst of speed, God Serena faclitated past Gajeel, much to his chargin.
"The fuck-" Gajeel cut himself off before witnessing God Serena sink himself into the black waters nearby "OH SHIT! YOU AIN'T GETTING AWAY YOU FUCKER!"
Before Gajeel could even think about going ater God Serena, he felt the earth beneath him begin to rumble and he looked behind himself. Although, he isn't sure right now if it was a good idea; because Hermaeus Mora appeared and God Serena was now levitating in the center of the small pool of black ooze.
"Did you think you could escape me, God Serena?" Hermaeus Mora growled in his slow monotone voice "You can hide nothing from me here."Gajeel then watched in abhorrence as Hermaeus Mora stabbed God Serena straight through his heart with one of his tentacles "No matter. I have found a new Dragonborn to serve me."
"May he be rewarded for his service as I am!" God Serena hollered before distintergrating into nothing but a skeleton with only his belongings left on him and all the souls that he collected found their way into Gajeel, offically declaring him the most powerful Dragonborn in existence.
"God Serena harbored fantasies of rebellion against me." The Daedric Prince said to Gajeel "Learn from his example, serve me faithfully, and you will continue to be richly rewarded."
"Oh fuck you pal!" Gajeel yelled while giving him a one fingered salute.
"Quite a temper, I will have to work on that when the time comes." he dissappeared into the nothingness just before Gajeel could land a hit with his bow and arrow.
"Damnit I missed!" he tossed the bow and arrow onto the ground before picking it up again. He looked up and watched as a pedestal with a large black book appeared: The way out of this hellhole! The Nord raced to the book and opened its contents. He watched as green auras appeared the surrounding area, revealing constolations.
"Holy shit." Gajeel realized "These are all my skills and how powerful I am at them." He looked through each one before coming to a decision "Nah, I'm happy with the way I am. Now I wanna get the hell outta this place and never come back." The book complied to Gajeel's wishes and soon, his vision turned to black.
"Gajeel..Gajeel..." he heard a familliar voice call out to him "Gajeel!" his vision returned to the icy tundras of Solsthiem and there, standing there with a concerned look was his wife Levy "Are you ok?" he swalloed his saliva and and looked at his wife.
"Yeah." he smirked "I'm fine." Brandish made her way over to the outlanders with a questioning look.
"I can feel it. " she smiled "The Tree Stone is free again, the Oneness of the land is restored. Does that mean... is it over? Is God Serena defeated?"
"He's dead." Gajeel confirmed "But that son of a bitch Hermaeus Mora is still out there."
"It was God Serena who threatened Solstheim. With him gone, Herma-Mora has been foiled once again. " Brandish pointed out "Tell me, though, my father's death- was it necessary? Was there no other way to destroy God Serena?" Gajeel thought his words out before replying.
"Without your old man, I wouldn't have been able to kick that bastard's ass." he finally declared.
"Then... it was the All-Maker's will, as he said. I know I should not doubt it. But it is good to hear, all the same. Thank you." she began to walk away when she suddenly stopped in her tracks.
"One more thing, Skaal-friend, if you will." Brandish turned around "I know it is not my place, but... may I offer a word of advice... of warning?"
"Go for it." Gajeel shrugged.
"As shaman of the Skaal, I am charged with the spiritual well-being of my people. While you are not of the Skaal, you are Skaal-friend, and so I give you this warning; Herma-Mora forced you to serve him in order to defeat God Serena. Do not let him lure you further down that path, The All-Maker made you Dragonborn for a higher purpose, do not forget that. Walk with the All-Maker, Skaal-friend." she walked away at that moment, back to her cabin. Gajeel thought for a moment and realized something. Something he was secretly thinking about the whole time but never realized it. Everywhere he went the past year, they spoke about what his Fate would be. Gajeel being Dragonborn was Fate, The All-Maker made him for a certain Fate, and that tentacle bastard was claiming it was his Fate to join him.
But Gajeel remembered a set of words that Makarov, the speaker or the Greybeards said to him a year ago:"Let the Way of the Voice be your guide, and the path of wisdom will be clear to you. Breath and focus, Dragonborn. Your future lies before you." a smile appeared on Gajeel's lips and then he grabbed his wife's hand gently.
"Come on Levy." he smiled "Let's go."
"Home?" she questioned.
"No, I wanna word with that jack ass elf on the other side of the island." she looked at him questioningly but didn't question his motives, Gajeel tapped the map and was Fast Traveled to the other side of the isle.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone