Chapter 4: The Fate of the Skaal
Skaal Village, near the eastern coast of Solstheim, is home to an ancient offshoot tribe of Nords known as the Skaal."
Chapter 4: The Fate of the Skaal
They raced through the snowy tundras at sundown, that they were lead to when leaving the temple once and for all. The cold air and snow made the two outlanders feel more at home instead of the Godsforsaken heatwave on the other side of the island. They passed a nearby mountain and crossed a somewhat new bridge that looked like it was recently repaired. As they ran, they suddenly spotted a large pillar of green light.
"You see that green light?" Brandish pointed out "That comes from the Wind Stone, where my people work against their will."
"There's more of those fucking things?" Gajeel asked.
"Yes. They're all over the island of Solsthiem, they were created by the All-maker to protect us; but with God Serena corrupting them, my people remained enslaved. They must be freed soon."
Looking to her side, Levy noticed a tiny, yet quaint little village. As she looked in curiosity, she noticed a magical aura coming from the village. It was nothing like the one back at God Serena's Temple; this one felt much more calm and protective.
"That's the village!" Brandish smiled "It's just ahead, August has used his magic to raise a barrier around it, protecting the few of us left. That the barrier is still there is a good sign." She suddenly began to race ahead of the Nord couple "Come! My father needs to see this as soon as possible!" soon, they came near the valley where the quaint little village resided. The three walked through the village and found a large tribal circle in the center of the village. People were meditating, a large windy yet magic infused whirl blowing snow in every direction, the scent of cooked meats, firewood and furs filling the air. If they weren't so spoiled by their ways in Skyrim, Levy would have considered having her and Gajeel move here.
An old man sat at the beginning of the circle, wearing a light brown, heavy coat and seemed deep in meditation. He had long white hair, a long white beard, crows feet near his eyes and a look that showed he was knowledgeable. Brandish made her way over to the old man familiarly, this man had to be her father.
"Father!" she called out "I have returned! There is yet hope!" August came out of his meditative state and looked at his daughter with happiness and relief.
"Brandish!" August called out "What news do you bring? Is there a way to free our people?"
"No, but I have brought someone who has seen things; he has confirmed that God Serena is indeed behind the suffering of our people." August looked down with a somber look, as if he knew.
"I feared that it would be so." August sighed.
"But how is that possible?" Brandish questioned "After all this time-" her father held his hand up in a calming manner.
"I fear there is too much we do not yet know. Now, please introduce me to your friends." Brandish looked at Gajeel with a stern look
"Please, tell August what has happened." Gajeel slowly stepped forward towards the old man while Brandish began to join the circle of protection.
"So, you have seen things, yes?" he cross-examined Gajeel "My magic grows weak, and so does the barrier around our village. Time is short, tell me what you know."
"I saw that fucker God Serena." Gajeel explained. August looked at Gajeel with wonderment.
"Really?" he pressed "How?"
"My husband found this black book in God Serena's temple that allowed him to see him." Levy explained "We don't really know much about it though." the old man nodded and sighed.
"The legends speak of that place; terrible battles fought at the temple, the dragons burning it to the ground in rage, they speak also of something worse than dragons buried within. Difficult to imagine, but if true... It means what I feared has come to pass. God Serena was never truly gone, and now has returned." August looked at Gajeel with seriousness "If you could go to this place and see him... Are you like God Serena? Are you Dragonborn?" Gajeel looked at the old man with a serious glimpse before he replied.
"Yeah..." he huffed "I'm Dragonborn." the old man began to stroke his long beard in thought.
"Then perhaps, you are connected with him." August theorized "The old tales say that he too, was Dragonborn."
"So what the fuck does that mean?!" Gajeel tumulted. The old man looked at Gajeel with a puzzled expression.
"I am unsure. It may mean that you could save us, or it may mean that you could bring about our destruction." he let out a long sigh "But our time here is running out, the few of us left free of control cannot protect ourselves for much longer, you must go to Saering's Watch."
"Saering's Watch?" Levy questioned.
It's an old Dragon Lair our ancestors used to guard. Learn there the word that God Serena learned there long ago, and use that knowledge on the Wind Stone. You may be able to break the hold on our people there, and free them from control."
"Is it far?" Gajeel enjoined. Levy pulled out the map and soon found the place August was talking about.
"According to the map, it's only a half hour walk." Levy explained.
"Looks like we're gonna be kicking ass in the dark." He looked at the skyline and noticed the setting sun "Fine by me, let's go do this wife." with that said, the two began to leave the quaint village for Saering's Watch.
The sun was setting lower and lower into the horizon which lead to Gajeel having no choice but to use the spell Mage's Light to help guide the way. As they walked up the mountain, an old fortress that looked as if it was abandoned long ago stood.
"I think that's it!" Levy exclaimed "Come on!" she began to race ahead of her husband at that moment.
"H-hang on Lev!" he gasped. As they raced across the snowy tundra, a familiar sound ripped through the air; the Skyrim natives looked up to find a dragon soaring in the air.
"Shit!" Gajeel hollered "The dragons here are alive too?!"
"I think Acnologia may have awoken other dragons besides the ones in Skyrim." Levy realized "He must have went to other dragon graves around the world to get his whole army back instead of just his supporters in Skyrim!" just as she said that, several draugrs appeared out of Saering's Watch, making their way to the Nord couple.
"Gajeel, I'll handle the draugrs, you handle the dragon!" she pulled out a shield and sword and raced towards the draugrs, hitting them and blocking their attacks and then clotted them with her sword. She charged at several draugrs with her shield before putting her sword away, conjuring flames and soon, disposing of all the draugrs on the battle field.
Gajeel pulled out Auriel's bow from his bag and targeted the dragon , shooting it while it was in the air before he took a deep breath.
"Jul...ZAH FRUL!" he Shouted into the air and forced the dragon to land on the ground unwillingly. Gajeel charged at the beast and began to slash away at it. Stabbing it every possible chance he got, stabbing it's mouth and eyes until finally, the bloodied creature fell still, dead. Putting his sword away, Gajeel watched as the dragon's corpse began to burn, ready to take the creature's soul until a glow of light appeared near the dragon and took form; it was God Serena.
"Not this time, Dragonborn." he smirked devilishly "This one's mine." as the soul of the dragon began to soar into the air, instead of going straight to Gajeel, it went straight to God Serena.
"What the fuck?!" The aura soon surrounded the enemy and soon dissipated. He took the soul right from under Gajeel.
"One step closer to my return." he laughed before disappearing completely leaving a stunned Gajeel. Levy ran over to the scene before her, in just as much shock as her husband.
"What just happened?" Levy cross-examined.
"Fucker took my dragon soul!"
"I saw, by the Gods this is worse than I thought- we need to get that Shout right away."
"It's nearby I can tell ya that." Gajeel confirmed "I can hear the Word Wall." He then raced towards Saering's Watch and made his way up the seasoned staircase and soon came across the Word Wall... along with a draugr coffin that had an undead draugr in it (which was killed with one stab of Levy's sword). As Gajeel made his way over to the wall, his vision began to blur, darkness took over his sight, he grew sluggish until an aura from the wall surrounded him. When the aura dissipated, the word from the Word Wall reverberated in his head: Gol-Earth.
"Got the Shout." Gajeel smirked.
"Thank the Gods." Levy sighed "Now we can go free the people near the Wind Stone."
"You sure it can't wait? I'm getting a bit tired after everything from today." Gajeel took his sword and planted the blade straight into the ground.
"I agree, I'm getting tired myself; but everyone is counting on us and those people don't have much time." Gajeel thought for a moment and looked out to the skyline, noticing the tinges of red are now disappearing into the darkness.
"Looks like it's getting close to like eight or whatever." he theorized "How about we eat something and then help those fuckers out?" she thought for a moment before nodding.
"Yeah," she smiled "I'd like that."
They had a quick dinner of grilled leeks, cooked chicken breast, tomato soup and some Nord's mead before making their way over to the Wind Stone. Just like the Earth and Tree stones, people were surrounding it and creating very odd architecture.
"Alright Gajeel," Levy swallowed while patting her husband's back "just Shout at that stone and we can see if that shout really works." nodding, Gajeel took a deep breath.
"GOL!" he Shouted at the stone. The moment the shout hit the stone, the work all the enslaved villagers did suddenly exploded, freeing the people and the stone "Well, that solves that." Gajeel dusted his hands off when suddenly, he noticed black liquid coming from the waters surrounding the stone and then a large fish-faced, lurky creature appeared out of the black waters "The fuck is that?!"
"I think that's the creature helping to control the stone!" Levy screamed "and he don't look happy!"
"NO SHIT!" the creature then made its way over to Gajeel and Levy, ready to strike with all its might.
Gajeel blocked an attack which caused him to be shoved back, leaving marks in the ground. Knowing this enemy was one not to be toiled with, Gajeel swung his great-sword and hit the creature in the leg, causing it to roar in anger.
"YOL...TOR SHUL!" Gajeel Shouted at the beast, setting it ablaze "Levy! Get the Skaal villagers to a safer distance! This thing is out for blood!" nodding at her husband's demands, Levy gathered the Skaal villagers and began to evacuate the area. Gajeel continued to fight the beast with all his might until he got to a point where he was now able to use the Shout needed to end this:"RII...VAH ZOL!" a purple aura omitted from his mouth and hit the odd creature, taking it's soul and ending the battle once and for all; the stone was now freed.
"Gajeel!" Levy called out "Are you alright?!"
"Yeah!" he puffed "It's dead. The old fart doesn't have to worry anymore!"
"Thank Gods!" just then, the people of the Skaal village began to thank the Dragonborn and his wife for their kindness and their work before returning to their loved ones in the village.
"So now what?" Gajeel questioned.
"We try to get some rest now." Levy sighed "It's been a long day. We need as much rest as possible." Gajeel nodded in agreement to his wife's words.
"I'll get the tent, you get the fire started." Agreeing to her husband's orders, Levy began to gather dried wood in the area and both started setting up camp.
Early the next morning, Gajeel and Levy took down their tent, put the fire out and began to make their way out to the Skaal village. The village was quiet and peaceful, the protective spell around the village had been dispersed and all things were now calm.
"Looks like things can go back to normal for them." Levy sighed happily. Just as she said that, August left his small cottage and spotted the Dragonborn and his wife.
"The air is different." August smiled "We are safe, which means you have succeeded."
"Freed the damn stone," Gajeel smirked "Your people are safe another fucking day."
"So it is. You have proven yourself an ally to the Skaal, and so the Skaal shall be allies to you. Come inside for something to eat, my treat." not arguing, the couple made their way into the small cozy cabin where August gave the outlanders some horker meats, ash yams and some mead.
"If you have released the Wind Stone and broken the hold on my people," August sighed "perhaps you can do the same for the rest of Solstheim. I doubt it will fully stop whatever God Serena is doing; but it may slow his progress."
"It seems like a start somewhere;" Levy admitted "but we need a permanent solution to ending God Serena's tyranny."
"I cannot help with that, no one here can. You will need the knowledge God Serena himself learned." Gajeel suddenly began to dig through his inventory and pulled out the black book he dealt with back at the temple.
"Then what the fuck's this shit we found in his temple?" he questioned. He slammed the book on the table and automatically, August's complexion paled at the sight of it.
"God Serena had this?" he queried. He tried to touch the book only to take his hand away as if the book would bite him "This does not look like something of the Dragon cult. It is a dark thing, unnatural. I would have nothing to do with it!"
"Well, do you know anything about it?" Levy asked.
"I'm not sure if my suspicions are correct; but if it is what I believe it is, I am forbidden to speak of it due to my position as Shaman."
"Well who the hell knows what the fuck it is?" Gajeel interrogated.
"I'm not sure..." August thought for a moment and then it hit him "But the Dark Elf Wizard, Jose... He came to us some time ago, asking about Black Books. I believe he knows a great deal about them- perhaps too much." the Dragonborn then looked to his wife the moment he heard that name.
"Ain't that the chump who gave us directions to the temple?" he asked her.
"That is!" Levy remembered "If he knows what this is, maybe he can tell us who's really pulling the strings!" she looked at August for a moment and asked "Do you have any idea where he could be?"
"Seek him out to the south." August further explained "He lives in the mushroom city Tel Mithryn. Be cautious, Dragonborn. There is something else at work here." heeding the older Nord's words, the Skyrim natives thanked the Skaal villager before finishing their provided meals, leaving the house and fast traveling to Ravenrock to get a head start.
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