Chapter 374 - The Castle Of The Dead

"You know, Xikil. I am actually feeling bad for you."

"Cut it, Mortal. I know you are scheming something."

"What? Me? How rude! I was genuinely honest with you."

"I don't think you were truly honest."

"What? Even you, Serana. I am officially heartbroken."

Back at Sir Cadwell's hideout, Jon and the party regrouped once again for rest. The trip to the Black Forge was full of surprises.

Jon learned the true nature of relationships between the Daedra of Coldharbour. It can simply be described as a dominative community which is a paradise for masochists where the strong dominate the weak. An unfortunate Daedra like Xikil will find himself being bullied by all sorts of higher ranking female Daedra and let's not describe the appearance of those creatures.

"So, our next destination is the Castle of the Dead formerly known as the Castle of the Worm, the former base of the most infamous Necromancer in history, Mannimarco." Jon recapped.

"Won't we rest before going there? The Lost Shrine of Kyne and the Black Forge are too much in one day." Mr. Skittles asked.

"Sadly, I am running low on time. Three days are the limit I have before something bad happens to my hometown in Nirn so I need to be there before the deadline and I don't want the news about our actions to spread around Coldharbour."

"The Castle of the Dead then. How marvelous! The ground there is lovely and all but it is chaos if you ask me. All the new Soul Shriven spawn there for the first time." Sir Cadwell added.

"Fine then… right, before we go. Xikil, do you have any girlfriends in the place we are heading to by any chance?" Jon asked.

Xikil remained silent for a while before nodding and replying.

"Two of them."

"Well, that's interesting. I am truly sorry but we will have to use you one last time."

"What? Didn't you say you feel sorry for me?"

"Cut the crap? A mortal feeling sorry for a Dremora! Now that's a funny joke. Let's go, Sir Cadwell."

"""..."""

***

*The Castle of the Dead, the Wretched Squalor*

At some place in Coldharbour, the Castle of the Dead stood tall and mighty while in its shadow was a town of fresh Soul Shriven who were being drilled in Coldharbour. Jon and his team made it to a certain abandoned ruins near that town.

"So, what is the plan?" Serana asked.

"Appearing in public will draw attention to us. By the initial recon, the place is guarded by Dremora scourges and we need to slip through them to get in the castle. The problem is, we won't be able to walk through the locked doors that easily." Jon said.

"Leave sneaking for this one. I can hide you all no problem." Mr. Skittles said.

"Good, invisibility is not my strong suit anyway." Jon agreed.

"Where is our exact target?" Serana asked.

"According to Xikil, the [Soul Sigil Stone] is located atop the Tower of Bones where one of his mistresses is supposed to extract the Essence of the thousand souls I killed for Molag Bal. Taking the Sigil Stone means that I will deprive Molag of the meal that he eagerly waiting for. It will be a good payback for handing me over to sending your father to capture me." Jon said.

Jon's payback against Molag Bal was not just done by that. He'd do more if he could but he needed more power first and also needed to rid himself of the Blessing of Molag Bal so he can be free from any unwanted influence.

"Now, Xikil. This is your turn."

Jon pushed Xikil out of the ruined building and the latter hesitated for a bit before walking through the Wretched Squalor.

Jon, Serana and Mr. Skittles were following not too far under the invisibility spell of Mr. Skittles. The illusions that he cast were all top quality.

Jon kept looking at the pitiful Soul Shriven that freshly arrived at Coldharbour. They were a sorry sight of how much dread can the Daedra cause to mortals, Jon never felt sorry for opposing the Daedra even though he didn't really hate them. The Daedra are forces of nature after all and they get empowered not by their forces but by the reflection of their spheres in Mortals as say, Molag Bal gets stronger when the people of Nirn are more into 'Shemes', 'Strife', 'Domination', 'Ra*e', 'Soul Harvesting' and 'Brutality'.

Around the Wretched Squalor, Jon could see some sights of Dremora patrolling the town and assaulting any Soul Shriven that behaves out of order.

None of that was unexpected in any way but a certain scene made Jon halt his steps. He kept looking at a certain Soul Shriven with an expressionless face which caused Mr. Skittles and Serana to halt too.

"What is with him?" Mr. Skittles asked.

"Don't know." Serana shook her shoulders.

Jon dispelled the invisibility and walked to the Soul Shriven that was sitting alone under some shed. The Soul Shriven was acting like a mad man holding his head and groaning, his strange actions made the other Soul Shriven distance themselves from him. Torture marks appeared on his body as it seemed that the Dremora were taking turns on whipping him because of his broken mind.

Jon arrived in front of the man and held [Krilon] away from his face. The man didn't seem to react or look at Jon so he simply kicked the man back.

Startled by the appearance of the sudden man in black, the Soul Shriven raised his head to see Jon's face. All the groaning and pain stopped all of a sudden in that man's eyes as he just stared to Jon's face.

Serana walked beside Jon and looked at the Soul Shriven.

"Someone you know?" She asked.

"Indeed." Jon replied, "All of my recent trouble started with him and he is here because of me. Isn't that right, Alaric?"

"..."

Alaric, Prince of the Forsworn and the enemy of Jon Dare was soul shriven and mind broken.

Jon looked around to see spot many familiar faces from the Battle of Forsworn - Jon Dare. All of the thousand he killed and offered to Molag Bal.

"Well, they are all nothing but husks now. I've already exacted my revenge." Jon said as he turned around to follow Xikil.

As he walked away, Alaric stood up and called Jon.

"Nord… Please… End it… I beg you. End that nightmare." Alaric pointed at his neck, he wanted Jon to kill him.

Jon turned around to see Alaric's complete white eyes and ashen skin. There is no waking up from this nightmare though.

"What is dead may never die." Jon replied and walked away.

There is no saving a Soul Shriven which is forever doomed to serve Molag Bal.

Jon left Alaric and entered into the invisible state once again as he hurriedly returned after Xikil. The latter was close to the castle's entrance and announced his arrival to a Dremora guard. Not long after, someone appeared to receive Xikil.

"Look who is it! Isn't it pitiful and wingless, Xikil?"

Xikil looked up to see the creature that came to receive him. It was one of his personal tormentors… or rather, one of his harem, the Winged Twilight, Verah.

"Verah, I came to see you and Ozazai."

"Ahahaha! You came? Fine, I'll take you."

The winged twilight, Verah, was larger than her regular kind. Her kind, which looked like harbies with scales rather than feathers, is a fearsome kind of winged daedra. She flew down on Xikil and carried him from his shoulders by her talons.

She didn't mind her talons digging in his flesh as she took him through the gate of the castle.

Jon and the rest followed and didn't utter a single sound. The castle of the Dead was filled with all sorts of horrifying undead creatures and Soul Shriven that worked on the assembly line of the Black Soul Gems extracted to power off the Daedric Machines in Coldharbour.

Jon took the chance to plant some remotely explosive rune traps in hidden places for a certain idea he had in mind. A few minutes later, Jon and his team arrived at where Xikil is.

It was at the top of the tower where a circular open room could be seen. Xikil was thrown on the ground and another female Daedra approached him.

"Ozazi!" Xikil looked at the Daedra in front of him with fear.

"Xikil, you came!"

That Daedra was a Harvester, one of the worst kinds of elite Daedra. Harvesters are half snake half females with four arms and the usual evil Daedric appearance.

"Yes, Ozazi. I ca- came." Xikil was horrified when the Harvester touched him.

She twisted her snake-like body around him and put pressure.

"It has been a long time since you were appointed to the Tower of Lies and didn't come to visit us. What makes you think we are not angry with you? Hissss!" The Harvester hissed at Xikil while asking him a question.

"Ah… well, you see. I wasn't really planning to come here but… you know. Lord Molag Bal has tasked me with a thing lately, you know this Soul Sigil Stone that contains a thousand mortal souls thing?"

"Hiss? Yes, I am seeing to it myself."

"Oh! Good… there is a situation you see. A group of mortals calls themselves the Sith or whatever have infiltrated Coldharbour seeking to steal the stone. I was told to deliver a message to you that you should keep it close just in case."

"What? A mortal foolish enough to sneak in my domain and steal the Lord's Sigil Stone?"

"Tha- That what I was told. Please, let… me… go! Don't squeeze!"

The Harvester squeezed the ever living out of Xikil with her body then threw him on the ground.

"Pathetic! Hiss! Verah, secure the stone and bring it here."

"Yes."

As the Winged Twilight left the room to bring the Sigil Stone, Jon and his team sneaked in. The harvester was still planning to torment Xikil. She carried him up and pinned him to the wall with her face sticking closer to his.

"Pathetic, Xikil. So you didn't come back to see us! You little piece of dung. Do you know? Do you know?"

"... Know w- what?"

"Hehe! Ahahahaha! We replaced you! We found another pathetic kyn to torment. Way much better than you! Ahahaha!"

The Harvester spoke to Xikil with an elated tone that was still scary to listen to. She kept laughing so loud too. Still, Xikil's face twisted in one go.

"You did what?"

Rather than being relieved that another bullying victim was found, he became angry for the fact.

"You replaced me with some loser, you unfaithful bitch!" His voice carried a deep grudge as he quivered and tried to break free from the Harvester.

"Ahahahaha!"

The Harvester, however, was still laughing in a good mode.

"Yes, Dremora. You feel the rage? Ahahaha! Your favor is long gone. There is another pathetic fool who is taking your place now."

As the scene continued, someone middled in.

"Excuse me, but I have a question." It was Jon.

"Mortal?" Xikil reacted with familiarity, "... I mean… A Mortal?"

The Harvester turned to Jon to see him walking close to her with a girl behind him holding her head down.

"How did a little rat like you come to my domain? Speak, Mortal."

She threw Xikil hard on the ground then crept towards Jon with strong killing intent.

"I was just asking, how do the relationships work here? I mean, they are built on domination like anything else in Coldharbour but how do you guys are supposed to feel about them?"

Jon's question caused the Harvester to stop her charge.

"Puny mortal! What makes you think you can understand?"

"You don't need to ask them." Serana stepped forward, "The Relationships between the Daedra are twisted. In Coldharbour, romantic relationships are forbidden so the Daedra can only dominate and ra*e each other for the sake of having fun."

"Yikes!" Jon became disgusted.

"Your Daedric friend here may feel bad about being bullied but that's the normal nature of relationships here. Still, getting dumped is as bad as it is with normal mortals. The only way for him to redeem that relationship is to ra*e those who dumped him and dominate them himself. This is the nature of the minions of the King of Ra*e, Molag Bal."

"Okay, this fucked up realm can officially kiss my ass."

Jon was about to evoke his magic and battle the Harvester but a figure flew into the room, it was the Winged Twilight.

"Ozazi, I brought the stone." Verah said then noticed Jon, "What? A mortal?"

Jon saw the [Soul Sigil Stone] and his eyes lit up, he used [Telekinesis] and snatched it from the talons of the Winged Twilight, right away.

"No!"

"Return it!"

The Winged Twilight and the Harvester charged at Jon at the same time but it was already too late as the Sigil Stone was finally back at his hands. With a little push of his Magicka, the Sigil Stone reacted right away.

A violent wave of Magicka assaulted the two Daedric creatures and causing the energy inside them to overload. That caused a sudden *bang* to happen within their bodies and they exploded to fine pieces.

That's how powerful the essence energy of the thousand souls inside the [Soul Sigil Stone] was. Jon only needed a small bit of Magicka to do tap into the stone's hidden powers and do that. Of course, he had studied the Sigil Stone many times before he could hand it to Molag Bal.

"It is over." Jon said as he flicked his fingers and the Rune Traps he planted in the Castle of the Dead started to explode one by one.

"Let's run." Mr. Skittles was terrified by the shaking explosions and wanted to run right away.

Jon grabbed Xikil up and spoke to him.

"I know you feel bad that you got dumped but I will help you with that matter later, let's run now."

"Truly, Mortal?"

"Yes, let's talk about it when we get out of here."

Jon and the team ran and jumped from the balcony of the tower as the fire started eating it.

Only one piece of the puzzle was remaining.

It was waiting for Jon inside the Hollow City. The Ancient Artifact of thousands of years old which was used by Sir Cadwell and the Soulless One.

The Light of Meridia.