244 Chapter XLVIII: The Shroud
We spent a few more hours debating the details of the upcoming operation with Savos pointedly asking me about each and every protection I had against everything the Volkihar could try doing to me. It would have been endearing if it didn't remind me of the protection jokes my parents constantly made so long ago but I still thanked the old elf for his concern when he finally stopped.
Still, it isn't like he was wrong. Where I was going I would definitely need a way to protect myself, my soul specifically, and the enchanting session that awaited me filled me with both dread and excitement because if I didn't manage to do it myself I would have to ask for Daedric assistance and that was a terrible bloody idea no matter how 'close' I was to my patron.
As most of my guests/vassals shuffled out of the library I spoke up "Serana, a moment if you do not mind."
She seemed a bit startled by my request but stayed anyway and as Shalazar proclaimed his glorious exit and popped back to the college, thus leaving us alone, she asked "What do you need?"
"A certain... event has caught my curiosity" I begin slowly as she gives me her attention "When you were fighting Fura I noticed you doing something rather unusual."
"I drank her blood." Serana deadpans.
I nod "Exactly, and pardon my lack of knowledge but vampires are known to react rather... violently to such attempts."
"And yet I did not." She finishes for me.
"Quite" I offer a pleased smile "You can plainly see why that would make me curious."
"What does it matter to you anyway?" She asks defensively.
"Mere curiosity and a possible avenue of research if you are willing." I shrug "If you are not then I naturally leave you to your secrets."
She stares at me silently for a while and just as I am about to accept that she is unwilling to talk about it she finally speaks "When I... drained her fully." An important part of it no doubt "A part of her power was subsumed into my own blood. I thought it was temporary at first but it hasn't diminished even slightly since then."
I scratch my chin "It would seem that your liberation has had a couple of unsuspected effects. Did you notice any additional side effects?"
She looks away for a moment "Ever since then I have felt an urge to battle and hunt, some of my thoughts were almost eerily similar to what Fura used to say."
"Were?" I latch onto the word.
She nods "The effect has been diminishing slowly, it is still there but it will fade within a day or two at this pace."
"And you did say she was rather powerful, even if focused exclusively on physical power." I hum thoughtfully "Do you think you can do this again?"
"Yes" There is no doubt in her voice as she answers "The hole left by... him when you set my soul free has been slightly filled when I... consumed" She winces "Fura, and my very being demands that I see it till the end."
"Could it be some kind of ploy by Molag to see you tethered once more?" I ask simply because the whole thing sounded too convenient.
If she were physically capable she would have no doubt paled upon hearing me. She did jerk away violently though and stared at me, looking just about ready to have a panic attack "Sword." She practically orders.
Who am I to deny such a polite request?
With a flick of my hand, Blasphemy finds itself pointed at her core and she immediately grabs the blunt side.
When absolutely nothing happens for an entire silent minute she lets out a deep sigh of relief and falls limply into a nearby chair while palming her forehead following the instinct to wipe the sweat that wasn't there "Did you really need to do that?" She asks with a mix of exasperation and relief.
"One can never be too sure" I shrug "But I do apologize for scaring you."
She waves me off, all previous decorum forgotten in the face of existential dread "It is fine. You were looking out for me in the first place."
"That I was." I say genuinely "I will leave you to your rest now, there are a bunch of things I need to get done before we move out. We will reconvene in the evening and finish planning things out before moving out."
She just waves wordlessly and grabs a nearby book, a tome on sun magic ironically enough.
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An incredibly thin shroud as dark as the void itself and covered in barely perceptible purple magnusite runes lies at the enchanting table in front of me, it is so light that I barely even feel it when I touch it and it is so large it can cover me even when I am in full combat gear.
I have spent an immense amount of money getting the resources for making this item, made from the silks of specific spiders in both Morrowind and Black Marsh and imbued by umbral energies for a prolonged period of time. The Telvanni Magister that sold it to me was known to experiment with materials like this and knew that he was likely the only provider so the price he asked was a sum well into the upper six figures.
A price I paid gladly for the safety of my soul.
Just as I was about to begin the enchantment process I felt 'Mephys' materialize beside me, a curious look in her eyes "Keeping busy I see." She says in lieu of greeting.
"I am" I confirm easily while checking on the runic matrix one last time "The coming fight will be neither easy nor safe."
She hums and takes a deeper look at the shroud, her eyes drifting across the scribbles with visible curiosity "Oh my." She covers her mouth in mock surprise "You are going a bit deeper than merely sneaking into the castle."
"Yes" I sigh, completely unsurprised that she could connect the dots "Some things just need doing and this is one of them."
"You could just ask you know." She says with a surprising seriousness.
"I could" I agree once again without turning around "But that would make me reliant on you, and that is not something I find palatable."
"And you are not already?" She asks rhetorically, though she makes sure it doesn't sound too demeaning "You use both your position and my worshipers for your ends, and now a projection of myself. Is that not reliance?"
"A rather unexpected tonal shift from you." I turn around with a raised eyebrow, completely unbothered by the turn of events "Why the sudden interest?"
She giggles "Maybe my poor maiden heart is shaken by your constant mistrust?"
"Maiden?" I deadpan.
"Well this one is." She winks.
I turn back to the shroud and start retracing the runes once again, just so I can keep busy and let my thoughts settle "I have no doubt that you have me exactly where you want me" I concede easily "You are a being older than the world itself and attempting to go around your schemes is no doubt just another one of them. A webweaver through and through indeed."
I do not need to look at her to feel the hungry gaze on my back "Do praise me more." She purrs.
I roll my eyes and sigh "Must you do this every time?"
"Yes." is the instant answer.
"Of course" I deadpan "Back to my point" I turn and give her a pointed stare "I can accept being partly entangled in your proverbial web-"
"Proverbial?" She raises an eyebrow, almost challengingly.
"Yes" I nod without hesitation, eliciting an amused smile from her "- but if the web becomes too tight I will not hesitate to burn it."
"How very defiant" She tuts and in the next instant her eyes narrow hungrily "And how tempting."
"You can look but not touch" I point at her, eliciting another mildly disturbing giggle "My point is" I give her a pointed stare so she doesn't interrupt me with more of her perversions and to my surprise she accepts with only a pout "This shroud is meant to guard my soul, and you know damn well I am not about to let anyone, not even you, touch it."
"Not even me" She quotes "How flattering."
"I try" I snark, much to her delight "I am going to enchant it now, you can watch from a distance but kindly do not ruin what little trust I have for you with a childish joke."
I may have said it as a request but the moment the words leave my mouth her body moves out of the way and blocks any energy from within her, rendering her completely powerless, or at least her puppet body.
I do my very best to ignore the disturbing heavy breathing that follows.
Finally certain of not being further disturbed I pull out Azura's Star, the ancient soul gem brimming with so much soul energy I could probably power the White Gold Tower's defenses for a good century, and without so much as a blink I direct the entirety of it toward the barely visible shroud on my table.
Hours pass.
The shroud hungrily consumes the energy from the star, gorging itself on more and more until barely anything is left, and even then the silken monstrosity demands more. So, still unwilling to taint my creation with Daedric power, I summon the Staff of Magnus and with a mental flick connect myself with his eye.
The endless torrent of pure Magicka slams itself into the enchantment, suffusing it fully with its power and making the runes upon it glow with its familiar light. My trepidation grows with each second that passes, a small part of me afraid of what I would have to sacrifice for this, but to my relief the moment I count five the enchantment clicks into place and sends a shudder of power through the room, shaking up many of the implements within but doing to actual damage as I was prepared for something like this.
A moment later the shroud disappears and reforms over me, perfectly covering my form and making me look just like a darkened silhouette.
The lightest gasp awakens me from the revelry of my success as I hear the sound of genuine surprise coming from the Daedra "I cannot see you." She mutters, genuinely astonished.
Obviously she was referring to her metaphysical senses as she can still observe me with her eyes.
I turn around and spread my arms grandly "Understand now?"
"I do indeed" She smiles, the hunger she showed previously a far more subdued yet present affair "I should not be surprised at this point but you somehow managed to do it again" She praises "Very well, I will admit my defeat this time." She inclines her head ever so slightly "Do enjoy yourself." And disappears.
'Thot' Scorch scoffs mentally.
"Quite" I snort and analyze the fruits of my labor.
[Mind: 53 => 57]
[Mag: 1080 => 1130]
[The Shroud of Reyvin: An item not meant for mortal hands yet one made by them, none may observe the bearer against their will while they are covered in its silken grasp.
Self-repairing, soul-bound, intangible, eternal
Lighteater: The shroud will consume anything that might make the bearer noticeable, whether it be light or sound, in such a way as to make physically detecting the bearer near impossible.
Hallowed Seclusion: Any kind of metaphysical sense is blocked completely. From mere magic sight to conceptual detection, not even death itself will find the bearer while hidden under the shroud.
Soulshroud: The bearer's soul is intangible to all and cannot be interacted with without their express permission.]
I take the time to blink away my astonishment before allowing the manic laughter to erupt 'Fuck you Death, my hallows are better!'
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