Surtr and Ralof make their way through the fortress, killing any Imperial that gets in their way, while also freeing those that were being tortured and interrogated underground. With replenished troops, it isn't difficult to eliminate the remaining Imperials that were taking refuge in the fortress...
Unfortunately, they hadn't managed to find Ulfric or Galmar, meaning that they were captured, dead, or managed to escape through some other way.
Surtr and the other Stormcloak run through a large hallway with a drawbridge near the end of it which allowed a stream of water to run under it. They all stop however as they spot another Imperial force running in their direction, led by General Tullius, Legate Rikke, and the Thalmor they had with them.
"Tullius! You'll regret making enemies of Skyrim! Nothing will stop us from putting your head on a pike!" Ralof growls as he readies himself for combat.
Tullius sneers back, "Skyrim belongs to the Empire! You dogs of Ulfric wouldn't understand the situation of Tamriel even if I tried to explain it to you!"
"General, stop conversing with these savages, we need to escape." the robed Thalmor remarks.
Tullius nods, "Yes, but first we'll get rid of them before they can strike at our backs. Men, kill them!" he commands, only for the charge of the Imperial soldiers to be cut off as the ceiling collapses, burying the drawbridge and cutting the hallway in half, separating the two groups.
Surtr looks up at the hole in the ceiling, spotting the dragon looking down towards where the Imperials were. "Ralof, ignore Tullius, we need to go!" he says, leading the Stormcloaks through an alternative exit that may or may not bring them to freedom.
Thankfully, after killing some Frostbite spiders and a larger than average bear, the group found the exit, only to be forced to duck and hide in cover as the dragon flies by overhead. It hadn't noticed them, but it was more than enough to scare them still for a while.
"N-No! It's headed for Riverwood!" Ralof utters in horror, scared for the safety of his friends and family that lived there.
Surtr rests a hand on Ralof's shoulder, "Even if we sprinted there we wouldn't make it in time. That's a day's travel on horseback..." he solemnly says. He also left unsaid the fact that they'd be useless even if they were there... What could they do against a beast like that? A beast which could smash its face through stone walls and act completely unbothered... A beast that steel literally bounced off of, with even its eyes harder than stone.
"B-but..." Ralof starts but trails off, "No, you're right... Their fate is in the Divine's hands now." he looks to the other Stormcloaks, "You all, make your way to Windhelm and search the roads for Ulfric if you have the chance. I'll head to Riverwood and catch up with supplies... Surtr, you come with me." he says, or more like orders as everyone quickly departs, not wanting to wait around for the dragon to return.
"Shouldn't I head with the others? I'm basically a Stormcloak now..." Surtr asks as he and Ralof begin walking towards Riverwood.
Ralof shakes his head, "You're not widely recognised as a Stormcloak yet, meaning you can do what I cannot... I need you to go to Whiterun and tell Balgruuf about the dragon. I would if he hadn't made his allegiances clear, but I'd rather not have a second chance at the chopping block." he explains.
Surtr frowns in slight confusion, "Wouldn't you want Whiterun to be unprepared for the dragon if it's under Imperial control?"
"No, this isn't just about Skyrim's independence anymore, it's about survival. That beast wasn't even trying and it tore apart Helgen like it was nothing. What if there's more? What if they decide to start waging war against Man like in the legends of old? No, we need to work together if we're to survive through whatever this is." he says, looking sure that the worst has yet to come.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*SHIIIING!*
Michael lets out a sigh as soon as he respawns, he couldn't even begin to speculate how many times he'd died, but he knew for certain that it was way more than he wanted.
Dagon had soon gotten bored of just instantly crushing him in favour of more 'creative' techniques... Tying him down and having him devoured by lesser Daedra, dealing small cuts until he eventually bled out, inserting molten magma into his open chest cavity, the list goes on and on.
To be honest, Michael had gotten bored of the whole charade... Pain wasn't really a factor that affected him much anymore. Sure, it was annoying, but 'effective', not really. If he was to put it into words, he'd say that the tortures were akin to a mosquito bite in his old world...
Shaking his head, he looks around for his captor, wondering why he was taking so long this time... Usually, Mehrunes Dagon already had him in restraints while inflicting a newly thought up torture.
Still, the fact that the god hadn't yet appeared was a boon in of itself... Shaking his head, he manifests his Book of Legends and decides to put a plan he'd thought up into action. While he had no chance against Dagon, that didn't mean that no one else did.
From his inventory, he pulls out the Skeleton Key, Ebony Blade, Azura's Star, and the Vessel of the Hunt. Each was a Daedric Artifact belonging to their respective Daedric Prince that Michael had basically stolen and hidden within his Book.
What purpose did this serve? Well... He'd gotten the idea when he thought back to the rules of the Hunt. Where it was made clear that any Artifact collected by a Champion would become their Patron's by right... Meaning, that they couldn't track it, couldn't summon it, couldn't alter it, and wouldn't be able to reclaim it without either dealing for it, or claiming it via conquest.
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Specifically, Michael was interested in the part that mentioned the Princes being unable to 'Track it'. This meant that outside of the Hunt, they could feel and track their artifacts, confirming what he'd already thought.
This meant that taking them out of his inventory here in the Deadlands revealed their locations to their masters...
*RUUuuuuuumblllleeeee!*
"Huh, they act faster than I thought..." he mutters to himself... Though, he shouldn't be surprised, if what he knew was true, the presence of the artifacts basically served as a backdoor into the Deadlands. And with Mehrunes Dagon being distracted by something, he was sure it'd buy him enough time to escape this shit hole.
But first, he needed to reach a certain area... He vanishes from his position, spamming Blink to move as quickly as possible... He'd memorized a good portion of the Deadlands with his constant random spawning, so he knew generally where he is.
It doesn't take long to reach his destination... A large flat ground with a towering Oblivion Gate in the centre of it. This was one of the only remaining intact Oblivion Gates he'd seen, and from his basic knowledge of Tiffania's magic, this could serve to massively shorten the time it takes to cast Dimension Gate due to the preexisting link that was present. Sure, the Dragon god's barrier stopped it from working, but Dimension Gate bypassed it completely, which should allow him to use this as intended.
Not wasting any more time, he begins casting the spell after donning his Morokei Dragon mask that'd expedite his casting speed.
All the while, the Daedric Princes were dealing with the problems he'd caused...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Four separate tears in reality open up along the skies above the Deadlands, each allowing a Daedric Prince to step forth in all their majesty.
Mephala.
Hircine.
Nocturnal.
Azura.
Each appearing and staring comprehendingly at each other, they'd each detected an artifact of theirs in this realm, yet it'd already disappeared, meaning that someone was hiding them. Obviously, there could only be one culprit considering just where they were.
Mehrunes Dagon.
Only two of the gods present actually realised that this may not be the case... Hircine and Nocturnal who were more familiar with the one who 'possessed' their respective artifact suspected a scheme afoot, one created by Michael Tahlin, the World Hopper.
Before anyone's able to say anything however, the red-skinned horned giant appears before them with rage clear on his face. "WHY HAVE YOU INVADED MY REALM!? DO YOU SEEK YOUR DESTRUCTION!?"
Mephala folds her arms contemptuously, the six spider legs sprouting from her back twitching as if they had their own consciousness. "You will return my Blade, Dagon. It is not yours to keep."
"As will you give up my Star." Azura growls, in a terribly foul mood due to recent events.
Mehrunes Dagon chuckles, "YOU TWO WEAKLINGS DARE FACE ME!? I WILL TEAR YOUR REALM APART AND DEVOUR YOUR ESSENCE FOR THIS SLIGHT!"
"Don't forget about us, Dagon. We all felt our artifacts here, if you want to wage war with all four of us then so be it." Hircine remarks, curious as to who would win in such a conflict. Dagon was more powerful than each of them individually, but that didn't mean much when so outnumbered.
Dagon gives a vicious sneer, "SO BE IT? LET IT BE SO!" he shouts, blasting all of them away with his full power, launching them back to their respective realms while taking command of his realm.
He'd been momentarily distracted by the events in Mundus, the return of the World Eater, but he wouldn't let that stop him from putting his arrogant and unruly kin in their place. A few seconds later many more tears in space open up, allowing Hircine, Mephala, Nocturnal, and Azura's servants to charge through, intent on reclaiming their artifacts.
While each Daedric Prince had weaker forces than Dagon, Michael's recent massacre in the Deadlands had eliminated quite a lot of the God of Destruction's forces.
While the Daedra and lesser Daedra begin fighting amongst each other, the Daedric Princes also began to clash. Not in any physical way someone of Earth would recognise, but one of Spirituality, Divinity, Concepts, Domains, and pure power.
Even Michael who had his full concentration on casting Dimension Gate could feel the rumblings of said power echoing in the skies above. This of course, only prompted him to go even faster, not wanting to get caught by the angry Daedric Princes who were searching for their artifacts... He'd experienced the gentle hand of Dagon, so he was unwilling to see what the others thought on the subject.
*CRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAASSSSHHHHHHHH!!!!*
A huge volcanic erupts in the distance, spewing ungodly amounts of magma and ash into the sky. It all continues upwards, however, not descending as you'd expect. Indeed, the whole of the Deadlands was reacting to the invasion, the environment itself turning into a weapon to force away the intruders.
It was cataclysmic in its proportions, causing even the ocean of magma to rise up and cover the shorter islands. Undoubtedly, if this occurred in Tamriel every race would be annihilated... It was simply just completely on another level.
Finally, the Oblivion Gate opens up, the chaotic swirling entrance clearly displaying just how rushed the spell was, but Michael was sure it'd work anyway... Not that he had time to test it out, since as soon as it opened he could feel a baleful glare upon him.
He throws himself through the portal without hesitation, glancing behind him at the suddenly manifested Mehrunes Dagon that was reaching for him.
"MOOOOORRTAAAAALL!" the god roars, absolutely furious at his escape.
"HOW'S THAT YOU BIG DUMB ANIMAL! GO FUCK YOURSELF!" Michael cackles as he's swallowed by the portal, which self-destructs as soon as he's through, preventing Dagon from attempting to follow.
"MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTTTTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Dagon lets out a realm shuddering roar, mindlessly slamming his fists on the crumbling Oblivion Gate like a mad beast.
"Hmph! Seems that even a mortal can overcome you, Dagon." Mephala sneers, causing the red-skinned god to furiously turn in her direction. Making her realise that antagonizing a furious God of Destruction probably wasn't the best idea, even if she was invading his realm at the same time...
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
Hope you bois liked the chap, if I missed anything please let me know. Thanks!
Also, thanks to my patrons for their support :
ShinAmazake
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Faruk Ereng
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