Agents of the Queen Part 8- An Elder Scrolls Online tale

• Posted by Tenebrous June 7, 2016 - Filed in TSC: Long Story - 1,705 views

  The Battle for Mistral

   

  Ian S. McClure

   

  The bells rang, Khajiit citizens running for shelter as the soldiers- guardsmen of Mistral and Dominion marines alike- prepared as best they could. I found Elereth amidst the chaos- stringing her bow with a grave expression.

   

  “Ardolan.” she said, nodding at me. “Commander Karinith is waiting for us at the docks- the locals call it Cat's Eye Quay. She's holding the line there, but the damned Maormer are fighting hard. You ready?”.

   

  I sighed. “Elereth, one is never ready for the horrors of war. I learned that the hard way, when serving under Varen Aquilarios… This your first battle?”.

   

  “First major one, yes.” she said, grabbing her bow. “I've read about war, about battle, but… Being here, it's very different. I don't know if I'll make it- unlike you, I can die. The bad part about having a soul, I guess.”.

   

  Here I interrupted her. “Elereth. You will make it. Or I will go to Pyandonea and kill King Orgnum himself for causing your demise.”.

   

  Elereth was silent for a bit. “Come on, let's go.” she finally said. “The Commander won't wait forever.”.

   

   

  The armored Altmer woman swore, pacing restlessly. “Our forces are scattered too thin.” she said to us, as we approached. If we can't hold the gates, Mistrall will fall to the Maormer. I'll coordinate Dominion forces from here, but I can't lock down this gate until the survivors clear out of the market. Send them my way. We need everyone able to defend the city on this side of the wall.”. Nodding, we went to see to the survivors.

   

  The guard was wounded- a gash through her armor revealing deep red, forming a familiar pattern. “Those Maormer pirates came from the water.” the other man said, biting his lip as he looked at the wounded Khajiit. “They're all over Cat's Eye Quay! One must've struck me on the head- when I woke, Sea Vipers were carving runes on this woman! I hit the pirate with a broken spar and we ran, but… I don't know if she'll make it.”.

   

  “Of course she will.” Elereth said, observing the guard. “She's wounded, but she'll live. Get to safety.”.

   

  “By the Stars.” the man said, supporting the guard's weight. “It's inspiring to see you Dominion soliders. Maybe Sergeant Firion can pull off her counterattack.”

   

  “Firion?” I asked, recalling the Bosmer from the Shattered Shoals. “She's here?”.

   

  “Yeah- with some mage. Gathwen, or something. They're planning a counterattack- see if you can help.” the man said, taking the guard away. We rushed to the gate, where, indeed, Firion and Gathwen were standing.

   

  “What are you doing here?” Firion asked, battleaxe in hand. “Doesn't matter, I guess. If you're in the mood to cave in some Sea Viper skulls, I don't really care… You feel that cold air rushing off the sea? Just like it was before the hurricane. We can't wait for Karinith's plan. We are the Dominion counterattack. I sent my squad to scout ahead. Still, we should go poke around, see what needs chopping. Don't worry- your wizard friend can seal the gate behind us.”.

   

  “Shouldn't you hold the gate?” I asked.

   

  She scoffed, grinning. “I'll hold the gate. If you think you'll need a wizard. Or you could bring a Dominion marine. Up to you.”.

   

  Elereth lifted a hand. “We might, actually. Gathwen's a great mage. Let's talk to her.”.

   

   

  “You aided me at the Temple of the Mourning Springs.” Gathwen said, observing the gate. “I'd be a fool not to return the favor. Whatever the Sea Vipers plan, we should hurry.”.

   

  “Are you sure?” I asked. “The Mages Guild doesn't exactly train it's members for war, usually.”.

   

  “You've proven your courage. If I'm to die in this battle, I'd rather it be at your side than here. But we won't let it come to that. If you hold their attention, I'll keep you two on your feet.”.

   

  I nodded, making my decision. “Firion! Stay here, guard the gate. I'm taking Gathwen.”.

   

  “Fine.” she said, shrugging. “Have fun killing Maormer. And see if you can't find my squad while you're at it.”.

   

  “Dominion scum!” the Maormer mage cried, firing bolts of lightning at us. I dodged, as Elereth dispatched him with an arrow to the face. Another warrior appeared, charging- I sidestepped him, slashing his legs, then his neck. Yet more appeared, firing arrows and spells, but Gathwen waved her hand, and they were blasted away by powerful magic. But for every one we took down, another took his place- an endless legion of pale, blank-eyed mer.

   

  I sighted a house nearby- mostly intact, from the look of it. “Gathwen, Elereth!” I cried. “In there, more defensible!”.

   

  “They'll blow it to smithereens!” Gathwen cried, blocking a sword swipe with her staff before blinding her assailant with light and fireballing him to death.

   

  “It's our best shot, come on!” Elereth yelled, dashing inside. I followed, pausing only to stab a woman through the heart. When Gathwen entered, we closed the door, barricading it with a heavy bookcase. Only then did we see Edhelas and Onglorn, two of Firion's squad.

   

  Onglorn was gasping, a great wound in his side. “Squad got seperated. Onglorn's hurt bad.” Edhelas said, feeding him some healing potion. “I grabbed him- Nistel held 'em off.”.

   

  “Where is she?” I asked, scanning the house.

   

  “Hunting Sea Vipers. Take the back door- less chance of being noticed. And, if you see her? Tell her Onglorn will be alright.”

   

  We did as Edhelas instructed, keeping an eye out for any Maormer. Luckily, they were all focused on fighting other marines, and did not notice us. Elereth clambered up a hill, drawing her bow again. “I'll be right with you two.” she said, notching an arrow. “Going to thin them out a bit.”. I nodded wordlessly, as Gathwen and I looked for Nistel. We eventually found her, when we entered another mostly-intact house.

   

  She was dead. Covered in wounds- sword slashes, broken bones, even fang marks. And yet she did not give up easily- her weapon was broken, and she was surrounded by dead Maormer and giant snakes. One hand limply held a bloody bandage, the other gripped a piece of paper. I silently grabbed it, reading: “Maormer at docks. Planning something in the cave. Lots of dead. Some Altmer wizard went in- look for him. Hidden tunnel in house- leads to cave. Won't make it. Sorry we couldn't go drinking, Firion.”.

   

  Gathwen read the note over my shoulder. “Ealcil.” she said, low. “He must be the wizard Nistel mentioned. He's an ass, but he's a genius. Let's get in that cave, see if he has a way to stop this hurricane.”.

   

   

  Inside the cave, Ealcil stood, observing an electrified totem, crackling with energy. “These totems seem to harness a combination of wind and spirit!” he said, excited. “I wonder if I can-”. Here he turned, quirking a brow. “Excuse me. Do you mind?”.

   

  “We're here to stop the Sea Vipers, Ealcil.” Gathwen said, rolling her eyes.

   

  “Indeed! I suppose that's optimal. These Sea Vipers are barbaric, but effective. The hurricane they summoned before? Nothing, compared to their current efforts… You see these serpent statues? 'Storm Totems', they call them. They collect spirit energy from their rune-marked victims and channel it. Like water through a funnel. The Maormer use a specialized lodestone to block the channel if things go wrong. I have one- you should be able to harmlessly siphon the energy away. In theory, anyway.”.

   

  “In theory?” Gathwen asked, incredulous. Ignoring her, I grabbed the stone, and focused. The energies dissapated from the statue, leaving it inert.

   

  “Phenomenal!” Ealcil cried happily. “And look at you, not even a hint of electrocution… Listen, you handle the Storm Totems. I'll figure out what they're up to, and stop it before they destroy Mistral. Does that seem equitable?”.

   

  “I can't stand that man.” Gathwen said as we left him to his devices.

   

   

  Elereth returned, and the three of us went to foil the Maormer's scheme. The first totem was unguarded, but the rest were heavily guarded. Over the battle, we amassed minor injuries, of course, but were lucky enough to avoid major ones. At one point, a warrior's sword was inches from Gathwen, before I yanked her aside and beheaded her. Another frightening point was when Elereth was cornered- she took an arrow and gored her enemy's eye out. And, eventually, we disrupted the Storm Totems, leaving a mass of corpses in our wake.

   

  Then, we heard Ealcil again, in our minds. “This is Ealcil, speaking directly to your mind.” he said, announcing the obvious. “Find my projection near the cave exit. I know how to stop them!”. Sighing, I led the group over, where the floating, translucent form of the mage hovered. He wasted no time in explaining: “Through my projection, I observed an old ritual site near Mistral. The Sea Vipers summoned a powerful creature- a storm atronach of considerable power. They're funneling all that energy into that storm-slave! The creature can only hold so much power before it discorporeates. All the energy will wash over Khenarthi's Roost, killing anything it touches. Except the thunderbugs. Oh, and the mountain north of Mistral will shatter. There will be no trace of it.”.

   

  “They're mad.” Elereth whispered, looking terrified.

   

  “How do we stop them?” I asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

   

  “If you hurry, you can access the Wind Totems used to hold it in place. It will shed it's corporeal form, and the energies will safely release. 'Safely', of course, in relation to the island. I recommend keeping a fair distance from it when that happens. You'll have no trouble, of course… But, in the event you do, I've opened a portal, exactly one league away. I'll tread water in the sea until I know you're succesful. Merely a precaution- I have every confidence!”.

   

  “You selfish bastard.” Gathwen spat. “Rurelion wouldn't have stood for this. Come on, let's go.”

  .

   

  The storm-slave stood on it's massive pedestal, a mass of rock animated by lightning and bound by solid streams of wind. The three of us observed the Maormer work their rituals. “I've read of such things.” Gathwen said, awed. “But to see it in person… The books don't do it justice!”.

   

  “Come on.” I said, leading the group down the hill to the first totem. “We have an island to save.”.

   

  I, as silently as I could considering the plate armor, slit the first wizard's throat with my sword, as Elereth stabbed the massive, sleeping serpent in the eye. We disrupted the first totem easily. The second one was more prepared, unfortunately. A horde of Maormer charged us. Elereth and Gathwen fired spell and arrow, and quite a few of them fell. I lifted my shield, and charged the group at full speed. Many were knocked over- easy prey for my companions. And then I reached the wizard, severing his head like I had so many others, then turning and slicing across the giant serpent's body, felling it.

   

  One totem was left. The wizard- an old Maormer woman, saw us coming. “We are the rightful rulers of this island!” she cried, as her serpent slithered towards us. “Your precious Dominion of mongrel High Elves cannot stop us!”. With that, she fired lightning at all of us! I dodged, as did Elereth, but Gathwen was too slow- blasted away, her robes on fire. Not a fatal wound- yet.

   

  “Roll, damn you! Roll!” I cried, blocking the serpent's bite. As Gathwen rolled on the floor, screaming in pain, Elereth fired arrows at the faraway wizard, who deflected them with a ward. She cackled- a horrible thing. I crushed the serpent's neck beneath my armored boot, snarling at the woman. “You'll die for that, witch.”. Elereth's arrows whizzed by me as I charged, stepping aside only slightly so that the Maormer's bolts only grazed me. And then, I ended her cruel life, and disrupted the final totem.

   

  “Children of the sea!” the massive atronach bellowed. “Your bonds cannot hold the Tempest!”.

   

  With that, massive surges of energy circulated around the ritual site! Grabbing Gathwen, I ran with Elereth in tow. In the distance, a familiar friend was beckoning us, in front of a small cliff. “You've done it, friend!” Razum-dar cried, grinning. “Hurry! You must leave this place!”. With that, he leapt off, a faint splash audible despite the surging lightning. “Here goes nothing!” Elereth cried, as we jumped into the warm waters.

   

  “My friend!” Raz said, helping me and Gathwen out of the water. “To escape death so triumphantly is constant thrill, yes? Not so thrilling for Maormer, of course.”. The healers ran towards us, muttering spells on Gathwen's burnt body. Razum-dar smiled. “She'll live- this one is sure of it. The Maormer are fled or dead, thanks to your efforts. Khenarthi's Roost is safe, and voluntarily a part of the Aldmeri Dominion… You remember, you asked Razum-dar who he was? If you must know, Razum-dar keeps an eye on promising people.”.

   

   

  Firion approached, then, followed by Headwoman Harrani, Captain Jimila of the Prowler, and the Green Lady. Firion sighed. “Nistel didn't make it, then?” she asked.

   

  I removed my helm, sighing. “She didn't. Fought bravely, though.”.

   

  Firion nodded. “Damn right she did… I'll miss her.”.

   

  The Green Lady scowled, looking at a Maormer corpse. “If you find any more of these scum, let me know. Haven't killed enough today… I suppose I'll mourn the Silvenar. Got to find oils for the body, tools for the rites. I can almost… Almost feel his hand on mine, hear his voice. 'All things find their way', he'd say. But they won't. He's gone, and I'm to follow.”.

   

  Elereth nodded, looking at me. “It's their life-bond. The Green Lady cannot exist without her Silvenar, and vice-versa… Won't be long before she joins the Green.”.

   

  I left the Green Lady to her grief, returning to Razum-dar. He said: “Next time, the Roost will be prepared for Maormer. Other places, not so much. All the southern seas are in danger. The Queen is on Auridon now, beginning a royal visit. Raz would ask you head there, to Vulkhel Guard, and report this to Watch Captain Astanya. The Prowler-”. Here he signaled at Jimila, smiling- “-will take you. What do you say?”.

   

  I looked to Elereth, who nodded, smiling. “We'll be off as soon as we're ready.” I said. “Hopefully Auridon will be a more peaceful visit, eh, Elereth?”. We laughed, then- in relief, in victory- and left, preparing ourselves for the next part of our already-storied lives.

   

  I will write again when he have reached Auridon. Until then…

   

  -Ardolan Larethbinder

   

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