bookpower Chapter 229: Chapter XXXIII: Molag Flips the Table
Chapter 229: Chapter XXXIII: Molag Flips the Table
Chapter 229: Chapter XXXIII: Molag Flips the Table
(General POV)
A trio of guards armored in Markarth steel and wearing the city's livery huddled near each other as they grit their teeth at the chill of the autumn night, the metal they wore did not help with the hold and what little mead they were allowed to imbibe was not enough to stave off the onslaught of uncomfortable shivers.
"Three stinkin' days and still nothin'!" One of them grumbles while nursing a bottle of diluted mead. "What are we even doin' here?" He asks his frowning superior.
"That Court Wizard Calcelmo says the King's Court Mage wants the area quarantined." The leader, a veteran Lieutenant of some repute, answers simply "And you should feel lucky nothing has happened yet, assignments where mages get involved are never safe."
"Quara-what now?" The inquisitive guard who must have been sneaking in a fair bit more of the mead than permitted slurs out.
This time the officer gives him a pointed stare, wordlessly reprimanding him for already forgetting his task and promising punishment for later "No one is to enter or leave this place, especially not the house."
"Come on Hjolvi, stop being such a wuss." The third guard cuts in "If the bloody Royal Court Mage says something needs guarding then it bloody well needs guarding."
"Bah!" The now named Hjolvi scoffs "If he wants the damn place guarded he should guard it himself, what even is inside, some evil temple or somethin'?" He asks intending it as a joke.
The now deeply pointed stare his superior gives him quickly wipes the smirk off his face as both he and his other colleague mumble out an "Oh..."
They return to their silent vigil, only internally cursing their lot in life instead of aloud this time, for a while longer. Nothing seems to happen for hours to come, leaving the guards overly relaxed and all around uncaring about their job.
That is until one of them hears shuffling movement in a nearby alley.
"You hear that?" The third guard whispers to his comrade while grabbing his gleaming dwarf metal axe.
"Hear wot?" Hjolvi gets up from a pair of crates he'd stacked up in the meantime.
"Someone is doing something in that yonder alley." His comrade points, and then shifts his gaze to his commander who was currently having a conversation with Court Wizard Calcelmo who had joined them sometime in the past hour to kill some time as even the old mage was annoyed with the posting "Oi, bossman! Come here for a moment."
Calcelmo raises an eyebrow toward the veteran who immediately rounds on his subordinates and gives them his signature harsh glare for their unprofessional behavior, still he does jog up to the duo and they quickly explain the situation to him.
Instead of reacting in any way he simply explains "It could be pickpockets or someone curious trying to sneak into the quarantine zone, do not leave your posts. Worst case possible it is some kind of trap."
Just as he finishes speaking a muffled scream comes out of the alleyway and he fails to notice his two subordinates suddenly looking a lot less focused and their eyes becoming completely blank.
"We've gotta see what's going on in there boss." Hjolvi implores him while the other nods robotically. Even the veteran feels a slight need to go with them but his years of experience taught him to not always trust his guts but it was already too late for by the time he had regained his focus his two men had already run off toward the alleyway.
Unknown to them at that moment was the fact that this sealed their fates to something much worse than death.
"Master Calcelmo." The veteran makes a split second decision and returns to the Court Wizard "We have a problem."
It takes him moments to explain the situation to the mage but by the time he did he already felt something was very, very wrong all around them. The distant whimpering coming from the accursed alley and the sudden shifting in the shadows followed by silent but numerous footsteps did not help his mood.
"I would harden your heart Lieutenant." Calcelmo says and pulls out a gnarled staff from somewhere "We are guarding a shrine to Molag Bal, and there is a certain creature under his yoke that can cast compulsions like those that took your men and are also known for attacking at night."
"Vampires." The guardsman spat and immediately downed a strength potion those of his rank were provided for such situation.
"Indeed, my good man." Calcelmo nods gravely "I'd gather the rest of your comrades who are still of a sound mind and make way to guard the door, the vampires must not get what lays within that accursed house."
"Yes sir." The guardsman salutes and runs off to gather whoever was left alive.
"Fucking Dagoth." Calcelmo curses and starts summoning his Dremora.
(Reyvin's POV)
My nose itches slightly as I ride up to the city with my escorts, odd considering my resilience but after a quick scan of my body nothing was wrong so I just shrugged and continued on my
way.
The knights wanted to visit the Jarl and personally deliver the news of their newest victory to him which I did not mind at all. The squires we had to leave at the camp however, no reason to flood the city in the middle of the night and all that.
Fuck do I love double standards when they are in my favor.
The tensions between us had lessened somewhat the closer we got to the city as while their pride was a bit hurt by the reprimand I gave them their reputation was quite safe so they were content to just forget it all ever happened.
"You will tell me what you know or I will slit this one's throat!" The vampire points her clawed hand at the bound guardsman, it the officer from earlier, the only one the vampires even considered worth capturing.
The two prisoners shared a grave look before Calcelmo sighed a tired sigh "It has been an
honor serving with you Emryn."
Scoffing disdainfully at the exchange the vampire prepares to slash open the Breton's throat but at that same moment all of her subordinates jump away from her. She attempts to do so as
well as her instincts scream at her to move but something was seemingly stopping her from
moving at all.
The last thing she saw before golden light took her entire world were tendrils of shadow twisting around the entirety of her body.
"Well, well, well." The sound of slow clapping came from behind the now fertilizer-rated vampire "I did not know ole' Molly was pathetic enough to ask for help."
The other five vampires who had managed to get their bearings by now all take combat
stances, completely ignoring the duo of prisoners, and as one charge at their new assailant.
(Reyvin's POV)
I must have pissed them off something fierce because these crazy motherfuckers were throwing themselves at me like rabid beasts. They were far stronger and faster than their equipment and skillset would imply and I was thus forced onto the defensive, only delivering
glancing blows and the like with my sun magic as I did not want to hurt Calcelmo and his friend with anything more destructive. 'Something is empowering them then?'
The answer came to me readily as I suddenly summoned my sword and stabbed it through the neck of an overenthusiastic, and probably young, vampire and set off a minor magical explosion due to my own power connecting with an uncontrolled blob of Daedric energies.
It would seem Molag was not content to simply play ball tonight. Which is why, the moment I managed to get myself some breathing room by casting a cloak of
solar power and sending Scorch to heal and release the prisoners I did a rapid scan of the house and its basement, and immediately found out what was happening.
The little group out here wasn't even the main force! They were a delaying tactic while the
rest attempted to unbind the damned mace!
We can't be having that, now can we?
I send out a omnidirectional telekinetic blast followed by an enlarged solar cloak, taking the
opportunity to dash toward the brass doorway.
One of the vampires seemingly realized what I was doing and pointed at me "Stop him now!"
I simply shake my head, mutter an "Arise." and turn to the heavily trapped and fortified door.
In truth I was not so worried that the vampires would succeed in unbinding the mace, nor would they get all that much use from it if they did, but giving Molag Bal a single tiny victory
was not acceptable so I fully resolved myself on fully defeating all of his slaves as quickly as possible.
I take a moment to appreciate the ingenious trap array that whichever vampiric tinker had
managed to set up in the short time they had since the start of the attack, then I take a deep,
long breath.
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