章節 632: Mount Kilkreath
A/n: 13 Early Access Chapters on P4treon and MORE! ➡️ https://linktr.ee/donovel ⬅️
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A/N: I haven't made it clear before but Jarl Elisif's death was actually cut-content from Skyrim. The Daedric Quest of Boethiah was originally made so that the player assassinates Jarl Elisif but it was changed for some reason. If you kill Elisif with console commands, there is a unique line that the Stormcloak Soldiers will say that "even the Nobility of Oblivion are on their side". Personally, I see that Elisif was a bad leader altogether despite the sentiment towards her. Many of you suggested that Jon would crawl in her bed and add her to the Harem but that would be an insult to his friend, King Torygg. Killing her in that way will guarantee her to go to Sovngarde since all Nords who get killed go there (I know it is supposed to be a battle but the game counts them as honored dead if you have the Afterlife mod). If you take a look at real world politics, you'd know that Elisif was surely lucky to survive this long.
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"By the skin of our teeth, we made it." Veezara said as he dragged his tired body off his horse.
"Scales… in your case." Serana replied nonchalantly.
"Very funny, vampire girl." He replied with a fake laugh.
"You're welcome, reptile." She said as an insult.
The Argonian and the Vampire made it back to the hideout of the Dark Brotherhood three days later after the operation of killing Vittoria Vici. They had to run in circles and diverge their path many times in order to shake off their chasers and return home.
"You've been avoiding my questions those past three days." Serana spoke.
"You think it is the right time to ask questions?" Veezara asked.
"We're home at last." Serana stated the obvious.
"At least let my mortal body rest first, you undying freak." Veezara insulted the apathetic vampire and took his gear off his horse.
"Eventually, all mortals shall rest."
"Bah!"
"Tell me about that woman!"
Serana seemed to have been asking questions endlessly about the woman that interrupted their escape in Castle Dour, the Dunmer with such a strong killing intent, Jullanar.
Veezara sighed and walked off.
"Imagine raising a child as an assassin, perfect in every way, then some fool with brainwashing ideologies and an endless amount of money comes and reaps the benefit. That tells you enough, vampire?" He said without looking back
"So she was your prospect? You trained and raised her?" Serana asked.
"She has the willingness to kill. All I had to do was to push it further. Her mother was dying, then just hasten that process, make the girl full of anger, and you have the perfect murderous child recipe. Cruelty breeds Cruelty." Veezara bragged about his methods.
"Then?" Serana asked more.
"Then put a knife in her hand and tell her to kill. How hard was that? If not for her falling into his hands, she would have turned just perfect. But he brainwashed her to no return."
"How can a woman that strong be brainwashed?"
"How can she not? She changed her name for him, kills in his name, wakes and sleeps in his name, she even worships him like some sort of a lunatic." Veezara shouted.
"I see. Quite unfortunate for you losing a prospect like that." Serana said and became no longer interested in what Veezara had to say.
She never had the pleasure to meet any of Jon's entourage other than Jullanar and she left quite the impression. If Jon, who is already this powerful, has a powerful lackey such as Jullanar, it would mean that not only Serana was weak, but totally outnumbered and outgunned against Jon's level.
She held him at the level she needs to at least reach in order to face her father, who is the strongest existence she knows of.
"Either way, this is the first of the remaining targets." Serana said and walked ahead of Veezara.
"Astrid gave you more targets." Veezara asked.
"Two more." Serana replied and reached the Black Door to enter the sanctuary report to Astrid.
As the two went in and descended the stairway, they were met with Astrid and Nazir.
"You two are back!" Astrid jumped off her chair as she was anxiously waiting.
"What's wrong?" Both Serana and Veezara asked reflexively.
"Wrong? Apart from everything, what's right?" Nazir scolded them, "As you two were taking your time arriving here, the world was turning upside down."
Serana had a bad feeling and didn't reply to know more about the situation.
"Your orders were to kill Vittoria Vici!" Astrid said, "Now I know you all are good assassins and everything but why did you have to go out of your way and murder the Jarl of Solitude?"
"Murder who?" Serana asked as she didn't believe what she heard.
"We didn't." Even Veezara refuted immediately.
"Don't play dump on me?" Astrid shouted.
"Astrid!" Veezara had to raise his voice, "We really didn't!"
The look on Astrid's face was that of pure anger but she had to calm down and turn the other way. On the other hand, Nazir carried a piece of paper to both Serana and Veezara.
"They have posters of your faces spread all around the Imperial Holds." He threw a stack of paper at them which spread around them as they fell down.
"Interesting!" Veezara frowned as he caught a paper in front of his face.
Meanwhile, Serana felt that she went through a terrible shock and would have gone paler if she wasn't a vampire.
The fact that her face was put on a wanted poster only meant that the other vampires of the Volkihar Clan are going to pick up on her trail very soon. However…
"What is that?!" Veezara spoke in agitation.
"What's wrong?" Nazir asked.
"They got my face completely right but… her face…" Veezara raised the paper and Serana managed to see her face on the poster for the first time.
"That's…" She wanted to say something but her emotions which were running wild just now exhausted her brain.
"You're right. I noticed it too but they didn't get her right at all." Nazir agreed with Veezara.
"You were there with us. Why didn't your face get reported?" Veezara asked.
"Unlike you, my dear Argonian friend, my charming face leaves no witnesses alive." Nazir joked around but no one laughed at his joke so he awkwardly toned it down.
On the other hand, Serana managed to calm down at last. Her face was seen only by Jullanar who is one of Jon's people. The fact that Veezara's face was accurately reported while hers was completely wrong meant something very obvious. Jon Dare is sending her a message that he still has her back.
It is annoying to be supervised by him but getting her face revealed this soon is just problematic. For that, she calmed down and participated in the conversation.
"Unlike you Nazir, we survived our witness only by the care of Sithis." She said, "Still, we were too busy running away rather than chasing the Jarl of Solitude of all people."
"So you're saying that we're being framed?" Astrid asked.
"With all due respect, we're in bed with a member of the Imperial Council in this contact. It means that they will have their own turns to play while we play and they can just hide their cards in ours." Serana spoke out her insight.
"Indeed." Nazir agreed and Veezara nodded.
"I guess you are right." Astrid found no other way other than to agree with Serana at this point, "We should change our approach to the remaining two targets before the big job."
"Who's the next target?" Veezara asked.
"You'll have to remove yourself from the next few jobs since your face is known." Astrid said.
"Nords can't tell us Argonians apart, you know." Veezara protested.
"Exactly. A lot of your folk will be hunted so I am not risking you." Astrid said, "Nazir, I'll need you to manage things around here while I am away to bring some funds… As for Serana, your face is completely mistaken on the posters so we will use this in our good luck."
"Alright." Serana nodded.
"With Vici's murder, you've started us down a path the Dark Brotherhood hasn't traveled in centuries. The assassination of an Emperor. And now, your reward. A unique spell to summon a legend of the Dark Brotherhood. His soul serves us now in death, as his body once did in life. And of course, a bonus for killing Vici while she addressed her guests, as instructed. Gold... simple and pure. Spend it as you will and not all in one place. Now then, time to proceed to the next stage of the plan. Go and speak with Gabriella. She's been helping me arrange your next contract." Astrid said.
"Any details I need to hear before going?" Serana asked.
"The Emperor's arrival in Skyrim is now a certainty since he can ignore his cousin's wedding but not her funeral. The Imperial Legion will need to begin its preparations immediately. Security is being handled by a man named Gaius Maro. His job is to travel throughout Skyrim, and ensure each city is prepared for the Emperor's visit. You must find and kill him. Doing so will disrupt security sufficiently that we will be able to, eventually, get to the Emperor."
"Isn't it dangerous to target such a man who oversees the visit? The Emperor won't come if his planner is slaughtered, right?" Serana asked.
"That's why I took the liberty of visiting the cities and spreading some nasty rumors about the head of the Emperor's Security, Commander Maro. To make his treachery that much more… believable." Astrid explained.
Serana thought for a few seconds and nodded
"I see." She said, "I'll speak to Gabriella."
Serana headed in to speak with Gabriella and the two started discussing the plan. The head of the Emperor's Security, Commander Maro, had to be crippled somehow thus killing his son, Gaius Maro, and planting incriminating evidence on his body is the best way to ensure the man's destruction. The best evidence is by attributing the plot of killing the Emperor to Gaius Maro.
Aside from disturbing the Emperor's security detail, this will give the Emperor a false sense of security since the supposed assassination has already failed.
Serana took this information back to her room in the sanctuary and started to plan her actions. In order to know where her target is, she must steal the traveling schedule of Gaius Maro which is located in Dragonbridge.
Still, something was very disturbing happening in her room.
On her small wooden table, there was a journal with a cover made of sheepskin. Attached to it was a note and on it was a very disturbing line.
[I took the liberty of visiting the Penitus Oculatus outpost and took out Gaius Maro's schedule with me as a gift to you, Cute Little Fangs.]
Just thinking that this man can breach the entire security of the Dark Brotherhood and deliver her a letter in the deepest part of the sanctuary… the thought was just provoking.
[P.S. Don't mind the black cat fur. Actually, you may consider it a blessing.]
Black fur?
Serana looked around and on her bed, there was a black cat peacefully taking a nap.
The security of the Dark Brotherhood… that's certainly considered a joke to some people.
***
Away from all the drama in the universe, Sir Jon Dare and Lady Bryling traveled through Haafingar's mountains along with 20 Guards.
"It is mighty exciting to be a travel planner for the first time, my Lady." Jon spoke.
"A man with your fame must have traveled a lot, my Lord. The two years in exile must have been filled with adventures." Bryling replied.
"So you have heard of my endeavors?" He asked.
"All of Skyrim found out when you became the Grand Champion of the Imperial Arena defeating the previous Champion Darius in an epic battle." Bryling replied.
"Yes, yes. Those were the days I spent on the road. My friend Vittoria Vici received me that day in the Imperial City in a grandiose gala." Jon said, "Heavens bless her soul."
"She will be missed." Bryling said.
"She will. How hard it is… finding kindred souls in this world." Jon said in a saddened tone, "Alright… ehem… we're almost there."
"That is… Mount Kilkreath." Bryling noted.
"Yes, the mountain where the old Shrine of Meridia lies." Jon said.
"You know your Daedra, my Lord." Bryling said.
"Well, for a guy who came from Winterhold, I walk outside my balcony every morning and see the fascinating Shrine of Azura towering over my lands. I might have grown a bit used to the Daedra." Jon laughed.
"Dangerous words." Bryling smiled as she said so.
"Either way, there is a Shrine of Meridia up there, my Lady. The main Shrine of the Daedra in Skyrim. We go up there and…" Jon started explaining his plan.
"My Lord." Bryling interrupted him, "I know your plan was to pile up achievements but I thought this has to do with the situation of Dragonbridge village."
"True. That's why we have to come here first before seeing the situation of Dragonbridge." Jon nodded, "In this shrine, there is something we need to pick up first."
"I am just not sure dealing with the Daedra is the best achievement we can accomplish at this moment." Bryling expressed her worries as a normal person who would go to far lengths in order to avoid the Princes of Oblivion.
"Don't worry. Meridia and I go way back." Jon eased her worries casually but then looked back at her, "Just mind your eardrums."
The group reached the entrance of the shrine and Jon led them on top of it in order to find the Statue of Meridia, Daedric Prince of Infinite Energies.
The statue was that of a woman dressed in large robes that moved around her to form what can be seen as two wings. She raised her arms above her head and an aura of white energy gathered atop of it.
"What are we doing here?" Asked Bryling.
Jon started searching his Storage Cube and retrieved an item that he kept hovering above his hand.
"Hold this please." He said.
"That is?"
"A gemstone. Very pure as you see."
Bryling hesitated a bit before taking the gem from Jon.
It was a white gem of a strange rough shape yet it had a very pure luster to it. Bryling wasn't particularly impressed by it but she felt that such a big gem is by no means ordinary.
At that moment, her expressions turned strange and started sweating amid this snowy day as if it was midsummer. After a short while, the look on her face became natural.
"Good!" Jon nodded and took the Beacon of Meridia towards the pedestal in front of the statue then placed it there.
"Aaaaaand up we go!"
At that moment, both Jon and Thane Bryling felt that the level of their vision had reached the sky and a powerful voice spoke to them.
After a long time of acquiring the Beacon of Meridia, Jon has finally decided to challenge the Daedric Quest of Meridia to acquire a very powerful weapon.
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A/n: 13 Early Access Chapters on P4treon and MORE! ➡️ https://linktr.ee/donovel ⬅️
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