Dragonborn Rising Ch. 11

"Vex is interested, Delvin..."

"No. I'm far too old for all that traipsing about," he admitted.

"Are you thinking something?" Karliah wondered.

"Not really, but since everyone is now more than aware of us, I'm just wondering if anyone was showing an interest."

"I'll spend some time chatting with the group over the next few weeks."

"Bryn, you're going to be the face of the Guild in two ways. One, you'll be the link between myself and everyone else, though as I said, I won't be missing too often. But, two, and I think most importantly, I want you visiting our contacts, almost to reassure them from time to time that the Guild is here to stay."

"Sure thing, boss."

"Last issue, and this is for all four of you. Keep your ears open for anything, and I mean anything. I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I don't want to spend every day sitting in this bloody cistern, or on the balcony of my house. I like being out there, causing a little havoc and making plenty of coin. I want to keep my skills sharp at the same time. If the job makes coin for us and the Guild, and who knows, maybe a new ally, perhaps some influence, or we deal with a potential problem, even better. There are no stupid ideas, just those which won't be of real benefit."

It was rather easy to slip into a routine, and I quickly found being Guild Master... well, quite frankly, rather dull. Gone were the trips across the breadth of Skyrim, and I didn't find any jobs that caught my fancy. At least none that actually involved thieving anyway. It did mean I could spend more time in Riften, though. Haelga was a regular visitor, and we spent more time in the Dibellan room, where things slowly but surely got a little more... extreme, I guess would be the right word. I was left amazed at what she wanted me to do at times.

Though Karliah dropped by from time to time, I would visit her at Nightingale Hall more often. She spent a long time making it a real home, turning one of the rooms into a large bedroom for herself. She lived there by herself, so whenever we fucked, she could make as much noise as she wanted. And she certainly did, hearing her screams echo down the empty halls. Our sex life was in complete contrast to that I experienced with Haelga. Don't get me wrong, Karliah loved to fuck, but it was far gentler and tender, not to say Haelga didn't enjoy that too.

Then there was Ingun, who I spent less time with than the other two, but that just meant each time we were together was even better. She would occasionally tease me, suggesting her mother was still asking after me. I still found the whole idea rather weird, so did avoid their home. Ingun enjoyed coming to my place anyway, particularly sitting on the balcony, where we'd enjoy a bottle of wine and watch the sun go down. She was incredibly sweet, and we liked each other a lot. But in the back of my mind was the concern that, if it did wrong and I broke her heart, Maven would have my balls.

It must have been at least a month before I finally had a job worthy of my time. But, I'll admit, it wasn't what I expected. Wandering into the Flagon one morning, Vex and Karliah were waiting for me, looking rather impatient. Vex stated she had something that would interest me, and I know I smirked, thinking dirty thoughts. She just called me an idiot before we wandered into the cistern, where we sat at my desk. Handing me a note, I quickly read the details.

"Meridia's beacon?" I asked, looking between the pair of them.

"Do you know anything about Meridia?" Karliah asked. Shaking my head, she continued. "There's a reason why I've come to you with this. The beacon itself isn't the prize. It's what might lie in wait inside her temple."

"I'm assuming treasure..."

"You are correct to a point. Right, first, a little about Meridia. She's a Daedric Prince, though she's considered lesser evil than some of the others. What most know about her is her intense hatred for the undead, and her 'love' for all living things."

"A good Deadra? I find that hard to believe," I stated, holding back the scoff.

"She's not good. She's still all the things you would expect from someone from the realm of Oblivion, but I believe the prize you may receive if we get the beacon would be worth it."

"Okay, what's the prize?"

Karliah took a notebook from her pocket and laid it on the desk. Opening to a particular page, there was a drawing of a sword. A mighty fine sword. "It's called Dawnbreaker. And it should be carried by a warrior who may, just occasionally, deal with the undead."

"I assume you mean me. But why?"

"I called you a warrior posing as a thief. If you were to wield this blade, as either Guild Master and whatever else you happen to do, then I predict you will be victorious each time."

I looked between the pair of them. "Fuck it, sounds good. Where's the beacon?"

"It was taken by a bunch of idiot bandits," Vex replied, "They're in a camp north of Whiterun, attached to a mine."

We agreed to leave immediately, each of us heading home to gather supplies before meeting outside the city gates, at the stables. Each of us had a horse, as I'd suggested to everyone that they should purchase one, simply for ease of getting around. The journey to Whiterun took place without incident, barely stopping along the way, except to allow the horses a breather and a drink of water, making it to Whiterun stables just as the sky grew dark.

Choosing to stay in the city instead of camping, we headed up to the Bannered Mare, where we managed to snag a room each. Vex was surprised, figuring I'd want to bunk with Karliah, but I suggested all we needed was a good night's sleep and an early rise. I don't think she completely bought it, but I earned looks from both of them when Ysolda walked in, saw me, and immediately ran over to where we were sat by the fire and sat on my lap, laying a big, wet kiss on my cheek.

"Who's your friend, Ragnar?" Karliah asked, in such a sweet tone, even Vex laughed.

"This is Ysolda. Ysolda, this is Karliah and Vex."

"Friends of yours, Ragnar?" Ysolda wondered.

"Friends and colleagues. We work together."

"What brought you back to Whiterun?"

"We're heading up Solitude way. Broke up the journey from Riften, and figured we'd stop in here for the night."

She moved her mouth to my ear as she whispered, "And were you hoping to see me?"

I couldn't help smirk. "Maybe..."

Karliah and Vex laughed again as I signalled to Saadia for a round of drinks. Ysolda eventually sat down next to me, wrapping an arm around my waist. I glanced at Karliah, who simply shrugged, while Vex looked rather amused by it all, probably thinking a fight was about to start. Between who, though, I'm not sure.

Thankfully, my two Guild companions were friendly with Ysolda, though once the music started, Ysolda dragged me up to dance with her, ensuring my hands were in particular parts of her body. I had a feeling she was putting on a bit of show, particularly once she kissed me, and her tongue wasted no time requesting entrance into my mouth. Now, while I good kiss was enough to generally make me want more, I didn't particularly want to be distracted, nor did I want an awkward ride the next day. So I happily made out with Ysolda, but when she whispered in my ear, inviting me to hers, I had to decline, though quickly assured her that I definitely would next time.

"Is that a promise?" she asked, her eyes pleading with me to say yes.

"Of course. Next time I'm in Whiterun, and preferably alone," I said quietly back.

The four of us stayed up until the innkeeper said that was it for the evening, and I escorted Ysolda home, where she asked again if I wanted to join her. There was no doubt in my mind that, if I joined her inside, I'd be naked with my cock buried inside her within a couple of minutes. But... I declined again, so made sure the kiss we shared was a great one, leaving her wanting more.

"When will I see you again?" she wondered, standing on the threshold.

"I'm not sure. But I now have a good reason to visit Whiterun more often." After another soft kiss, I wished her goodnight, and headed back to the Bannered Mare.

To my surprise, Karliah was waiting for me in my room, though not for the reason people probably think. She was simply curious as to who Ysolda was, and I was honest about it. We'd flirted a few times when I'd been in Whiterun previously, and as for what she did, I knew she was a merchant, and even hoped to buy the Bannered Mare one day, once she had the coin.

"And I assume you had an invite back to hers?" Unable to stop the chuckle, I simply nodded my head. "Why did you say no? Because of me?"

"To be honest, that was part of the reason. But we do have an early start too, and didn't want to spend a couple of hours fucking before going to sleep. However, I will admit that if I were to visit Whiterun again, I'll do it alone."

"Well, at least you're honest," she said, kissing my cheek and heading to the door, where she surprised me by closing it... with her still in my room. Turning back towards me, I'm sure my face would have been priceless. "Ragnar, I know for a fact you wanted to fuck but stupidly said no. And no doubt you're probably nursing something hard in your trousers." She wasn't lying about that. "So I'm thinking you could do with some help regarding that, then we'll sleep."

"You're serious?" I had to ask, "You've just spent most of the night watching Ysolda throw herself at me."

"Yet here you are, with me. So... Are you really saying no to me too?"

"Definitely not."

I had a gorgeous and very naked Dunmer underneath me a few minutes later, cock buried inside her tight, warm pussy. There was little foreplay, as Karliah admitted that watching me dance with Ysolda had excited her, wanting it to be her. I promised we'd do that as soon as possible. With her legs wrapped around me, her mouth was desperate for mine as I slowly thrust into her. We both tried to make as little noise as possible, as we knew Vex was in the room next to us, though the headboard may have occasionally banged the wall, leaving both of us in fits of quiet giggles.

Karliah knew what I loved though, and she eventually ended up on top of me, riding my cock slowly, watching her grind and slowly bounce as I hit all the right spots inside her. My hands caressed her body, running my fingers over her stomach or I'd gently grab one of her breasts. I eventually shuffled so I could sit up and use my mouth of those or kiss her at the same time. She couldn't ride me forever, and once she enjoyed a rather nice climax, we flipped over again, pushing her legs back, so I could pump her hard for a few minutes until I enjoyed my own.

"So, glad you said no?" she asked as we cuddled after a quick clean up.

"Definitely. We still have to see how flexible you are, though."

"Ankles behind my head, Ragnar. Just imagine how I'd look."

"Don't give me thoughts like that! I'm trying to sleep here."

At breakfast the next morning, Vex gave us looks and eventually asked flat out if we fucked. Neither of us denied it, as what was the point. Everyone in the Guild was now more than aware that we were intimate, though I had a sneaking suspicion Vex was a little jealous. However, while we had flirted constantly, and Vex had stated more than once she was interested, she hadn't given any suggestion was actually serious. And with everything on my plate, I liked the flirting but, frankly, would leave it to her.

The sun was still rising as we departed Whiterun in the direction of the bandit camp. Vex knew exactly where it was, but on the flat, featureless plain, lookouts were always bound to see our approach. Thankfully Karliah was a crack shot with a bow, so after finding a solitary tree to keep our horses safe, we carefully as possible approached the camp. Karliah lined up and sent an arrow into the chest of one lookout, though that sent at least three more charging in our direction. I thought they were idiots, giving up the safety of their walls to take us on head first. Three on three, we were always bound to win, Karliah quickly unsheathing her blade, Vex weaving two short blades, I was armed with my usual sword and shield. We made short work of the three bandits before moving on.

With no sign of the beacon in camp, we headed for the mineshaft. We didn't hear anyone working, and was surprised to see it was rather empty. It wasn't a large mineshaft, eventually rounding a corner to find a lone bandit sat at a table. "Who the fuck are you?" he asked.

"That's not important. What is important is that we're here for the beacon. I will ask you only the once. Where is it?"

"Fuck off."

"Wrong answer." Karliah put an arrow through his throat.

We found the beacon in a chest behind him. If the idiot had said that, I might have let him live. Oh well... But that wasn't the strange part. I know all three of us shared concerned glances when we heard the voice, almost as if it flowed from the beacon I was now holding.

"A new hand touches the Beacon. Listen! Hear me and obey! A foul darkness has seeped into my temple. A darkness that you will destroy."

"I take it that was Meridia?" I asked Karliah. Her look was my reply.

The three of us quickly headed back for our horses, amazed at how quickly we'd found it, and quickly found ourselves on the road heading to Rorikstead. The land west of Whiterun was mostly flat, able to see for what felt likes miles around. Mist rose from the ground at this early hour, giving it an eerie though beautiful feel. We rode by herds of deer and more than a few rabbits and foxes. It was amazing how nature took over barely a few minutes away from a large city such as Whiterun.

Making Rorikstead for mid-morning, we continued on, pushing our horses hard, as Karliah knew where we were headed, not requiring us to actually stop in Solitude itself. Crossing the Karth River over Dragon Bridge, passing through the small village on the northern side, it was afternoon by the time we turned off the main road towards the temple.

I could see a statue at the top of the temple, Karliah mentioning it was Meridia. But that was only the first thing that took my attention. Dismounting our horses, I could hear... chanting... Chanting vaguely similar to that time I was in Snow Veil Sanctum. "You hear that?"

"Hear what?" Vex asked.

"Chanting. You can't hear it?" They both looked at me as if I was insane. Following the sound, we ended up at another word wall, and within the writing I couldn't understand, a small section of it was glowing. As I walked towards it, my vision darkened so that only the word was glowing, and after a few seconds, it was as if my mind suddenly clear.

"Su..."

"What was that?" Karliah asked.

Pointing at the no longer glowing word, I said, "Right there. It says 'Su'. It's not our language though."

"What language is it?"

"I have no idea. I can't read the rest of it, but I can understand the word that was highlighted. Strange..."

Vex and Karliah shared a glance, shrugged, and we headed back to the temple. Placing the beacon on the pedestal, a bright light immediately shot into the sky, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one blinded by a bright light that seemed to flow from the statue itself. It was then that a vision appeared in front of us. She looked female. In fact, she was rather beautiful. Pale skin. Blonde hair. And still that otherworldly voice that promised so much.

"It is time for my splendor to return to Skyrim. But the token of my truth lies buried in the ruins of my once great temple, now tainted by a profane darkness skittering within. The Necromancer Malkoran defiles my shrine with vile corruptions, trapping lost souls left in the wake of this war to do his bidding. Worse still, he uses the power stored within my own token to fuel his foul deeds. I have brought you here, mortal, to be my champion. You will enter my temple, retrieve my artefact, and destroy the defiler. Guide my light through the temple to open the inner sanctum and it is there that you will receive your boon."

The light disappeared as we headed downstairs, back towards the entrance. The doors opened for us, I assume done so by Meridia, and I wasn't the only one to almost gag at the stench that filtered up our nostrils. A thick, black fog hovered not far from the floor, and the first thing we noticed, apart from the fact the temple had fallen into ruin, were the bodies of desecrated soldiers.

"By the Eight, what sort of vile magic is happening in here?" Karliah muttered.

Descending further into the temple, we had to move beacons at occasional points, helping Meridia's light flow. Doing that only attracted the attention of shadowy creatures Karliah called Shades. No idea what in oblivion they were, but they were vicious bastards, so the three of us worked in tandem to take each and every one down.

I'm not sure how many bodies we passed, but I did stop to take a quick look at one, and wished I hadn't. Horrifying only begins to describe what had been done to the body. With each beacon we raised, it attracted more and more attention of the Shades, who started to attack in packs. Vex and I continued to work together, Karliah taking out her bow to help with those not within our range yet. That tactic worked in the larger chambers, not so much when fighting our way down narrow corridors.

The temple was enormous, assuming most of it was dug into the mountainside, left wondering why Meridia needed such a large building to begin with. It certainly felt we were going around in circles at times, backtracking on ourselves more than once. But we continued to guide her light through the temple, passing by even more bodies, killing endless number of Shades. Arriving at a large pair of doors, Karliah suggested Malkoran would lie in wait for us.

I suggested Karliah use her bow on him, and if there were any Shades, Vex and I would deal with those. A good idea, and for the most part, it worked. Karliah had three arrows buried in Malkoran as Vex and I handled the Shades. Malkoran managed to get off a spell, causing Karliah to leap out of the way, and as the necromancer dropped to the ground, another Shade formed, and this one had even more powerful magic.

Ordering us to pull back, we funnelled the Shades into a narrow corridor, and from there Vex, Karliah and I could work as one. The Shades fell to our blades, and once we had Malkoran's Shade alone, we could hit it from all sides, and while the magic it wielded was dangerous, all of us taking a hit, the Shade eventually disappeared in a black mist.

"It is done. The defiler is defeated. Take Dawnbreaker from its pedestal."

I hadn't even seen the sword, walking towards it, noticing the same light emanating from it, similar to the light we'd helped flow through the temple. Taking the sword from its pedestal, I held it so I could look at the blade. I had never seen such intricate artwork on a blade. The design of the hilt was beautiful, and the light appeared to come from a jewel within the blade itself.

The three of us were then enveloped in a bright light, and we found ourselves standing in front of the statue again, it too shining brightly in the now night sky. "Malkoran is vanquished. Skyrim's dead shall remain at rest. This is as it should be. This is because of you. A new day is dawning. And you shall be its herald. Take the mighty Dawnbreaker and with it purge corruption from the dark corners of the world. Wield it in my name, that my influence may grow."

"It shall be done, my lady." What else was I going to say? No? What she was requesting was actually something good.

"May the light of certitude guide your efforts."

Her light disappeared, and that left the three of us alone. I couldn't help look upon the weapon again, and I knew this would be a weapon I would continue to wield for many years ahead.