Chapter 42: Anska Questions? This is just a pun.
Viree called out, "So we are really gonna enter another Nordic ruin?"
I nodded, "This one already has a useful damage slave inside it."
She blinked, "Wh-What?"
I corrected, "It has a Mage inside."
Viree stared at me, "How do you know this stuff?"
I raised my hands and casted them in an arc, "Magic."
Viree sighed, "Let's just go in."
As we entered a woman instantly shouted, her hands were glowing with electricity. "Who are you!"
I raised my hands up in the air. "Just some Adventurers. We are hunting a Dragon Priest named Vokun said to be buried here."
She paused, and then lowered her hands. "I am here for something else, why don't we help each other. Vokun is a powerful foe, that's why I haven't gone ahead."
Viree rolled her eyes and I gave a smile, "We would love the company."
Viree whispered to me, "Are we actually trusting her."
I laughed aloud, "She is clearly a mage. I am sure we can trust her to carry her weight." I spoke in a lower tone, "I'll take the rear with my bow, if she actually does anything. Pwang! You feel safe?"
She clicked her tongue at me. "Fine."
Anska nodded, "An Archer, A mage and a Vanguard. It's not a bad party. Let's go then."
Viree took the lead and asked me, "Is there gonna be another one of the stupid puzzle doors?"
I was about to answer, but Anska beat me too it. "The dragon priests were much like the modern day Jarls. In Vokun's case he died before the great dragon war. So the Puzzle door wasn't really made yet."
I pouted slightly as I shot a draugr. Thank god I actually hit it, I said I'd shoot Anska in the back, but I was a terrible archer. Thankfully Viree didn't seem to realize that yet.
I asked, "So Anska, I don't suppose you could reward us for helping you."
She looked at me and and gave a nod. "I suppose I could. Fighting Vokun alone is much harder. So I am glad you showed up."
Viree asked, "If Vokun is so powerful, why come here alone."
Anska paused, "Well I had assistants. However they ran away at the thought of fight Draugr. I suppose not every bodyguard is willing to fight the undead."
Viree looked at me, "Why is there so fewer Draugr here?"
This time I responded before Anska could make some comment. "Vokun means shadow or darkness. He was called the priest of shadows, basically the guy was actually a type of assassin for his dragon overlords. So he didn't really have any guards or large selection of subordinates."
Anska smiled, "Wow, it is rare to see someone so knowledgeable about the dragon language and culture."
I nodded, "I like to research my loot."
She laughed and Viree who knew the truth. Knew I was after a little more than the Dragon Priest. Anska looked me up and down, "Now that you mention it. You have a rather interesting set of equipment."
I nodded, "I made it myself."
The only catch to my armor was the fact I couldn't wear the Circlet version of the Clavicus Vile Mask. I would switch to it whenever I was in a city or needed to use it. If I wore it my speechcraft would reach 100 making almost all speechcraft checks work.
The party stayed silent other than the sounds of battle. Eventually we did arrive at the Vokun's burial room. Anska rushed forward, "This is it! Get ready!"
I silently stopped Viree, "Let her use her mana."
Viree's eyes widened and realized I was going to kill Anska and frowned. She made no comment however and readied her greatsword. I pulled abck an arrow and Anska spoke, "He will most likely break free from his coffin the moment we enter the room. Let's do this!"
She and Viree entered the Vokun's burial room. The dragon priest isntaly shattered through roof of his coffin and rose into the air. I sent an arrow straight into his chest and to my shock he spoke in dragon tongue. "Los Hi Het Fah Fin Kel? Zu'u Fen Ni Lost Naan Aar Krosis Wah Kren Kotin Dii Qoth Ahrk Gahrot Nol Zu'u!"
I got a rough idea of what he said. Anska and Viree attacked him. However I realized perhaps a little more about this sequence of events. I shot another arrow at Vokun and his attention turned towards me. A cloak of frost formed around him and Viree rolled back. Anska fire a lighting bolt at Vokun and he parried it with one of his own. Vokun began floating towards me and I knew he deemed arrows to be a more significant threat. I dodged a fire ball as Anska shot another lightning bolt at him.
This time he staggered and I pulled out the ebony war axe I got from Olaf and threw it into Vokun's shoulder. He made a cry of pain and the magic around him glowed more intensely. My eyes widened as he fired off 4 fire balls at the same time. I dove to the floor and felt the explosions cook my back through my armor.
I pulled out a healing potion and quickly casted an oakflesh spell. Viree slammed her greatsword into Vokun's back getting it stuck inside the undead. Anska fired a lighting bolt at the sword and Vokun exploded.
I breathed out a sigh of relief. Anska gave a smile, "Nicely done!"
I picked up Vokun's mask and tossed Viree her sword. Anska marched to the next room. "Now we just have to find what I came for."
I gave Anska a nod, "How about you prepare that reward and recover your mana? I'll find it for you. What are you looking for."
She paused and shined a smiled, "It's a sealed scroll and thank you."
I motioned for Viree to follow me and I saw her twitch slightly. However she followed after me, I talked loud enough for Anska to hear me. "You wanted to learn about some more draconic right?"
Viree gave a nod following my lead. However she spoke in a low tone, "Can you tell me what you are planning?"
I whispered back, "When Vokun woke up he spoke in Dragon Tongue. Let's just say he said something interesting." I picked up the sealed scroll. However I checked the quest log and it said bring the scroll to Anska or read the scroll.
I would certainly bring it to Anska. I motioned Viree to loot the chest in the room and she sighed. I walked back to Anska who was leaning on the wall. I held out a hand and pulled her to her feet. "Here's that scroll."
She smiled and she pulled out a spell tome and a sack of coins. "Here, That fight was harder than I thought. It made me realize I had no chance in killing Vokun alone."
I gave a smile and grabbed the spell tome. Sure enough it was Conjure flaming familair, she also gave me 500 gold. I pocketed both and Anska bowed. "You can loot the rest of the dungeon too! I got what I came for." I gave a nod and as soon as she turned her back I used the Libra spell and grabbed her. She made a sound of shock at first, but I stabbed the Oathblade in her back.
Leading her to just mumble, "Wh-Why?"
She dropped to the ground and Viree walked up behind me. "Is it worth it?"
I picked up the Sealed Scroll again and pulled the seal off. Looking at the scroll it was in draconic. I gave a smirk, "Of course it was."
I had long since remembered the original quest. If you ask her what the scroll was she will mention how it connects her bloodline to Ysgramor. What Vokun said set me off. Making me think the scroll had nothing to do with Ysgramor.
Sure enough I was right, it had nothing to do with Ysgramor. It was... a head scratcher actually. Certainly something to keep secret, but not something I knew how to use or planned to. "This scroll dictates the ceremony and temporal magic behind obtaining the status of Konahrik. Reading this through I realize Anska likely didn't have to die. However she also couldn't have this scroll."
Viree looked at me, and shook her head. "What I am hearing is you killed an innocent woman."
I laughed, "A little secret, Anska believed this connected her bloodline to Ysgramor. Funny thing that, Borgas the last of the Ysgramor Dynasty had no kids. To the point where many believed he was infertile. Second, Vokun died before the end of the dragon war, this predates Borgas. Tell me how a scroll would connect her to the Ysgramor Dynasty. Specially when the last remaining bloodline of Ysgramor lives in Atmora..."
I paused for a moment and then continued. "Its a disrespectful to the bloodline." I think i actually killed her due to that. Some part of me connected the information and decided to investigate for my own greed. Half of that was knowledge that came from the Atmora Inheritance effect, after all. It felt weird just knowing that though. It was far different than having memory of learning it. It was just a sort of certainty of information.
Viree however sighed, "It's fine. Not like I actually care. I'm just feeling a little... Is it a full moon?"
I froze and stared at Viree. I closed my eyes, "Fuck, it is."
Viree seemed to smirk, "That explains my knotted emotions."
I took out my physical journal and added a note to it. "I'll add a note that you try to be more humane as your transformation into a werewolf. It makes sense that you do, specially when you spent so long as a werewolf trying to retain your humanity."
Viree nodded, "Looks like we aren't going to Dawnstar to sleep."
I laughed, "You are gonna have to strip."
Her smiling face turned to one of discomfort. We approached the entrance of the tomb and i peeked into the sky. Sure enough the sun was setting. I pulled out something I had prepared when i was making armor.
Viree frowned, "Is that... a collar?"
I nodded, "Yes. I made it from Silver. It's adjustable and connects to this harness, also made of Silver."
Viree frowned, "You son of a bitch. You plan on riding me like a fucking horse."
I shrugged, "A little bit of column A, little bit of column B. It can be used in that manner, but it is also to prevent you from... friendly fire."
She sighed in understanding. We couldn't be 100% sure she could control herself. When we first met she was certainly hostile and barely sane enough to equip Hircine's ring. Not to mention it was an Daedric artifact made by the Daedric Prince who made lycanthropy. So it basically called out to her for her to use it. We needed to establish a better method. This was my version of that method.
Viree had begun taking off her armor revealing she wore only her underwear underneath. Perhaps I should've bought an undershirt or something for her. I tossed her a blanket and she covered herself with it. "Gee, thanks."
I smiled and she shook her head. She pointed to me, "While we wait for me to... shift. Explain that scroll. What's Konahrik mean, and what about that other stuff."
I gave a nodded, "Okay, well to begin with. Konahrik means Warlord. The mask that indicates this status isn't worn by any priest. Instead it is protected in a sort of temporal vault. You equip the corresponding mask to unlock the vault and you will go back to the exact time the vault was made and Konahrik was sealed inside it. However according to this scroll, its a little more complicated than just that."
Viree nodded her eyes were sparkling a little. Truth be told I think Viree had a bigger interested in the Dragon Tongue than the Common one. So I explained in a little more exaggerated detail.
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