Chapter XIII: Conquest
Just as we discussed, the attack was quickly prepared for the following morning. The new arrivals eagerly signed up for the main assault, without any prodding necessary from our end, while the more veteran adventurers wisely decided to ask for more reasonable roles.
Even after all these years, the eagerness with which the people of Skyrim throw themselves into the jaws of danger continues to boggle my mind. I know I shouldn't be one to talk but I am a Divines damned master mage, some of these dumbasses came down here with iron weapons!
As we snuck toward the main city I couldn't help but think back on the end of yesterday's discussion. To say the Masters were miffed by the fact I wanted to kill a literal dragon would be the understatement of the century, even Tolfdir looked ready to whack me over the head for hiding such information.
Still, they agreed to it in the end, and I didn't even have to tell them about Minthara! Explaining the danger of it possibly leaving its abode on its own, and hinting at the value of a fresh dragon corpse was more than enough for the two mages to agree to risk a couple hundred adventurers.
We debated informing some of the more powerful warriors in our ranks about the upcoming danger but ultimately decided it was better to keep it to ourselves. After all, you never knew what kind of rumors might spread if people learned we had such information, and even if one of those present was a companion circle member no one cared if a werewolf got itself killed, the disdain for furries transcended even the great universe it would appear.
As my group and I snuck past the final small village to the south of the great city, I finally got a closer look at our target: Imposing stone walls surrounding large structures that stood in an almost circular fashion and themselves surrounding a large square at the center above which hung the false sun. Dwemer ornamentation covered every single inch of the construction, if it were not covered by dust and filth I might have mistaken it as being freshly built. The only oddity was the complete and utter lack of automatons... then again if those were present the Falmer would have long since been killed off.
The defenders were as numerous as we expected, my magic sight and clairvoyance easily informing me that many thousands of them crawled through the halls, easily able to overwhelm our force of a mere seven hundred... if we didn't come prepared that is.
About a dozen ballistae and a hundred spheres waddled behind my small unit, all of them stocked to the brim with ammunition and fully charged with energy, a unit of just under a hundred experienced rangers or hunters followed beside my own retinue.
The Falmer might have the numbers, but their patrols were disorganized and their warriors far weaker on average, a simple defeat in detail while they scrambled like headless chickens was going to work wonders here.
A sudden chill pulled me out of my musings as I felt the familiar surge of death erupts from the northwest, soon followed by a burst of steely Magicka coming from the main gate.
I look to my subordinates and eagerly clap my hands "Alright kiddies, are you ready to conquer us a city?"
Minthara deadpans "Aren't you like the young-" I interrupt her with a sudden bonk on the head, a surprisingly firm folded scroll in my hand.
She glares at me as I repeat, my voice just a bit more strained this time "As I was saying *Eh hem* Let us conquer us a city!"
A couple of those present snicker but no one earns themselves another bonk, the moment of levity passes as I turn back to the city, my Magicka roiling eagerly beneath my skin. It as time to hunt the biggest game of all.
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(General POV)
A sudden commotion draws all Falmer toward the gate, the sentries atop the walls grunting with panic at their grounded comrades, a loud BANG nearly shatters the eardrums of those closest to the gate as the Dwemer metal bends inwardly.
On the other side Tolfdir retracts his hand and takes a deep breath, mildly annoyed that his first attack was insufficient, not that the small army cheering behind him shared in his irritation. Some of the foolish youths even looked at him with childlike wonder...
Taking another deep breath he once more rose both his hands, completely ignoring the arrows flying around him, Magicka roiled off him like a thick vapor, soon a massive chunk of earth ripped itself out of the ground and with a flick of the old mage's fingers launched itself at the gate with a boom of sound.
This time the rock hit the metal gate with such force that it immediately vaporized itself on impact, the metal sheets that used to guard the city getting launched backward and landing atop the many Falmer standing behind it, flattening them all.
A short moment of silence passed before one of the more eager adventurers raised his shield and charged forward with reckless abandon, soon followed by more of the glory hounds.
Writing the fools off as already dead, Tolfdir started briskly walking toward the city, the more sensible mercenaries huddling behind him as they noticed that arrows seemed to glide away from the old man as if pushed aside.
As they crossed the threshold of the city, the old man suddenly stopped, surveying the thousands of Falmer streaming out from each of the massive buildings. The confidence of his men took a nosedive as they beheld the same sight but the old mage was not perturbed. Instead he took another deep breath, stretched his shoulders and growled as his form once again expanded massively.
The Falmer flinched as their instincts screamed at them to flee, but it was far far too late for that.
(Reyvin's POV)
I decapitate the last of the Falmer guarding the tower which we used to get on the walls, a raised platform of smooth stone stretching behind us, courtesy of a very tired looking Edrassa.
We waste no time and immediately proceed to the next tower, a number of bowmen and automatons staying behind just as planned. I do my best to conserve my strength as we start clearing out tower after tower, using spells only when my Magicka was topped up and allowing my guards and apprentices to fight whenever possible.
As the fourth tower falls I hear the familiar roar of Tolfdir and look down just in time to see the old beast rip an entire formation apart as blood and gore flies all around him, yet to my surprise the Falmer just keep throwing themselves at him, only the formation of armored mercenaries holding them back from drowning him in bodies.
We had underestimated just how many of the filthy things were living down here.
I launch a bolt of crimson lightning at the wave of enemies, and moments after my signal hundreds of arrows and bolts start peppering the horde, yet even that only managed to slow them down.
Deciding that the best course of action was to expand our coverage I immediately proceeded to the next tower, this time using all of my magical capabilities to clear them out as fast as possible, I wasn't about to let Tolfdir get killed because I was being cautious.
Tower after tower falls to our assault and soon the entire wall facing our fort is under our control, the constant ranged fire upon the endless sea of Falmer slowed it down just enough to allow the ground forces to hold the goblinoids off and even push them back at some instances.
The grinding battle went on for hours, we were only able to advance once I felt Phineas' undead legion burst from one of the buildings, forcing a portion of the Falmer to go and hold them off. We pushed them back methodically, never advancing past a building that wasn't cleared out of enemies, which proved to be the wise decision as many were connected to underground passages filled to the brim with snarling goblinoids.
After what must have been half a day our forces managed to reach the central plaza, the enemy numbers still not diminishing in any meaningful manner even after thousands had been ripped apart while our side had already lost over three hundred.
My group and I had long since abandoned the walls, leaving the archers and automatons behind to continue mowing down all enemy reinforcements as a constant stream of runners kept replenishing their ammunition.
Soon I stood before an exhausted Tolfdir who returned to his human form to take a quick rest, rising a stone wall to help the mercenaries hold the enemy off in his absence.
He looks up at me, his face completely covered in blood and Falmer bits "I do not believe we will be able to win at this rate." He states simply, causing my retinue to gape in fear.
I nod while looking over the battle "Indeed, our men would not ever be able to cut down so many, there is at least another ten thousand Falmer there and that is not counting their non-combatants."
Tolfdir smirks at me "It is lucky that we have positioned them in a rather convenient place then, is it not?"
I chuckle and then give him a serious look "Right now?"
He too takes on a serious expression and nods slowly "Right now."
I immediately turn to my people "Minthara and Davos are with me, the rest of you make sure that Master Tolfdir stays alive." Some look ready to protest but the firmness in my voice makes them think better of it.
I immediately rush off to a nearby building, the sound of fighting coming from inside. Without even looking at what is happening I blitz through the building cutting down anything that stands in my way, my two followers barely keeping up with my breakneck speed.
Many Falmer try and stop me, their equipment of a surprisingly high quality for a random building. Something that is explained as I enter a large debate hall, filled to the brim with Falmer shamans.
A beat of silence passes as the enemy magi scan me, but that is all I give them. I immediately blitz to a nearby creature preparing to send a blizzard my way and decapitate it, another tries to skewer me with a spear of ice but a lazy push of telekinesis sends it back into its head.
They start trying to overwhelm me with magic but my skill with shadow walking and clairvoyance has reached such a level that I evade them without even looking, reaping the barely above apprentice mages like grass.
As I cut another one in two I find myself staring at a duo of nightprowlers aim their rudimentary staves at me, a hint of glee in their disgusting faces. But instead of reacting at all I merely smirk at the creatures as two things happen.
The one to my left suddenly clutches its throat as a crossbow bolt nearly disintegrates it while the one to my right gets its head crushed to a fine pulp by way of Minthara's warhammer.
I do not pause and continue climbing the building, the number of defenders decreasing with each subsequent floor. As we finally ascend to the peak and I cut down the half a dozen archers shooting down at our forces we finally stand before the false sun.
I finally turn to my two rather breathless companions and ask "Are you ready for what might be the toughest fight of our lives?"
Minthara nods resolutely while Davos just looks at me with confusion, the two share a look and Minthara nods at me causing my fellow Dunmer to raise an eyebrow.
My crown hides my expression as I smirk maliciously and rapidly explain "Minthara is Dragonborn, the false sun contains a dragon whose soul she needs to consume if she is to stand a chance against the upcoming apocalypse in which the child of Akatosh shall return to consume the world, questions?"
He gapes at me like a fish out of water and before he can even respond I clap my hands "Excellent!" I turn to the eager demigod "You ready?"
She snarls eagerly "Born ready."
I nod and we both approach the edge of the balcony we stood on, we take a deep breath at the same time and as one shout ""FUS RO DAH""
A loud gong-like sound resounds across the battlefield, and a feeling of metaphysical weight presses onto all of us, causing the fighting to stop for a moment. A loud roar exploded outwardly as something crashed under the false sun.
I looked down and there he stood, atop hundreds of Falmer corpses he crushed by merely existing, twice the size of what I remembered, his scales bronze and black and his limbs six instead of four. Vulthuryol the coward had arrived.
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Toss a stone and you too may crush someone's gates! ;)
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