Walk with the Shadows
Chapter Thirteen: The Sepulcher
Frigid waters seep in from the cracks in the cavern’s ceiling, Lucina and an invisible Mercer lie on the steps leading around an ancient Falmer Statue crafted from Dwemer Metal while Brynjolf and Karliah are locked in place atop a broken staircase. Cursed, by a mage, and unable to move. The mage is known to Lucina. Lucian Lebeau, Thane of the Rift. “Mon Cher,” Lucian says, “You just can’t keep out o’ trouble.” He turns her over and waves a glowing hand over her, lifting the curse that binds her. She scrambles to her feet, “MERCER! Mercer is here somewhere! He…” Lucian interupts her as he swings his foot on each step as he descends the staircase, “Easy! Easy, Cher. He ain’t gonna get far. Just you…” his foot hits something unseen, “Ah… D’ere you is.” Lucina watches as sparks jump between Lucian’s fingers and a continuous bolt of lightning strikes the invisible Mercer. “Come on, now. You can’t hide forever.” Lucina begins to smell burnt hair in the air.
Mercer reappears with light burn marks on the side of his face. “Now d’en…” Lucian says as he pats Mercer’s pockets, “Where is… D’ere she is. Come to ol’ Lucian, now. Can’t have d’em two still trying to kill each other. ” He takes the fabled Skeleton key from Mercer then waves towards Brynjolf and Karliah above, freeing them. They quickly climb down to meet with their fellow Nightingale. Lucina looks down on her father’s murder when Karliah and Brynjolf run up with ebony daggers drawn. Karliah shouts, “YOU! Give me that. You don’t know what..” Lucian twirls the skeleton key between his fingers, “What? D’is ol’ t’ing? Artifact of Nocturnal and key to d’e Evergloam? I t’ink I know plenty enough, Peti.” Lucina speaks, “What are you doing here, Lucian? How did you even get down here?” Before Lucian can answer, a large chunk of stone falls from the ceiling. The chamber begins filling up with water faster. “A tale for later. We need to find a way outta here. As for d’is one, well… Tu as fini… I leave him to you, Cher.” Lucina stares down at Mercer, “Can he feel anything, right now?” Lucian looks down, “He can.”
Lucian walks around behind the statue. “Brynjolf,” Karliah says, “Stay with him.” Brynjolf gives chase, “I’m on it, lass.” Karliah and Lucina look down on Mercer. “Any idea how long this will last?” Karliah asks. Lucina says nothing. Karliah grips her dagger, “Mercer Frey, For your transgressions against Lady Noc…” A gout of flame suddenly shoots out from each of Lucina’s palms. Karliah steps back and watches the expression of sheer malice on Lucina’s face. The smell of burning meat fills the chamber. Lucina uses every ounce of what little magicka she has on scorching Mercer’s body. When she runs out of power, Mercer is still breathing. She draws Reaver and Siphon from their scabbards and kneels over Mercer. She whispers in what used to be his ear, “This is for my father, you son of a bitch!” And she drives the blades into his chest. The enchantments burn and freeze his flesh and the Silent Night poison courses through his veins.
Lucina withdraws her blades and steps back. Karliah watches as the color of the blood pouring out of Mercer turns from a dark red to a dark green. “What did you do to him?” Karliah asks. Lucina puts her daggers back in their scabbards, “We came to kill him, right? He’ll either bleed out or the poison will eat him alive. Either way… He dies.” Lucina walks around to the other side of the statue to meet with Brynjolf and Lucian. Karliah looks down at Mercer’s charred bleeding body and says, “Bet you wish I’d killed you in Snow Veil Sanctum now, don’t you?” then she walks away, leaving the betrayer to die in unimaginable agony.
Karliah finds the others on the large stone tome in the statue's left hand. Lucian’s eyes are closed and he has a hand raised with an eerie purple energy flowing from it. “You!” Karliah calls out, “Hand the key over.” Lucian says softly, “Just a one minute, Peti… be right wit’ you. I just gotta find… huh” his eyes open and his hand lowers, “Right over the head… Alright d’en. Y’all might wanna stand back now.” Karliah draws her blade, “ I won’t say it again. The Key!” Lucian just shrugs, “Suit yourself…” fire surrounds Lucian’s hands and he begins casting several exploding fireballs at the ceiling. Large chunks of earth begin falling. Water begins rushing in faster. The Nightingales dive into the freezing water. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!?” Lucina screams. “Relax, Cher. You trust ol’ Lucian, now.”
The barrage continues until a small hole appears over the statue's head, “D’ere we go…” Lucian says as the fire in his hands dies and is replaced by a faint orange light. He reaches up towards the small hole and the rocks overhead begin to shift. “Grrrr… Come on…” Lecian feels the water rising over his ankles. The light in his hands gets brighter. Brynjolf says, “Leave him. When the water gets high enough we can go back the way we came.” Karliah turns to him, “We are NOT leaving without that Key!” Lucina is silently looking up. Brynjolf notices this and asks, “What is it, lass?” Lucina answers by nodding up, “The hole is getting wider… there’s air up there.” Several massive slabs of rock and dirt fall from the ceiling. Lucian dives into the water before they hit. Water pours in faster, filling the chamber. “Lucian comes up, “Just gotta wait now.”
The four adventurers climb up, when the water gets high enough, and follow a tunnel leading away. They come to a wider section and find two dead Brown Bears, a campfire, and a brute of a Nord woman cooking a piece of bear meat. “Seems you found some entertainment after all, Iona.” Lucian says smuggly. The warrior looks up from the fire, “There you are, Thane. I was getting worried.” She slices off a piece of the meat and offers it to Lucian. He accepts and warms himself by the fire. The Nightingales at his back attempt to make sense of their trials. Karliah looks to Lucina, “You know this man?” Lucina watches him and says, “I really don’t…” Brynjolf speaks up, “I know him… or know of him. He’s a Thane in Riften. Showed up about a month ago. He’s been helping people in the Rift with problems… I think he was just trying to prove himself to Maven for a Thaneship… I knew he was a mage, but...” Brynjolf looks down the tunnel, “...I didn’t know he could do all that. The lad is something else.”
Karliah approaches the fire, “Thank you… but I still need that Key.” Lucian looks up and pulls the Skeleton Key from his satchel, “You mean d’is? Troublesome little t’ing.” He flippantly tosses one of the most powerful Daedric artifacts to ever exist at Karliah and says, “D’ere you go.” then goes back to eating. Karliah is outraged at the disrespect shown to Nocturnals artifact, but keeps it to herself as she can see the Nord Warrior has her hand on her waraxe and is eyeing Karliah cautiously. She simply returns to her fellow Nightingales to discuss what is to be done next.
Looking at the Skeleton Key in her hand; Karliah says, “I can’t believe it’s over. Twenty five years in exile and just like that… it’s done.” She silently contemplates all that she has been through these many years, before continuing, “All that remains is to ensure the safe return of the Skeleton Key.” Lucina has her eyes fixed on Lucian, “That sounds simple enough.” Karliah replies, “I’m afraid it’s not that simple.” There is a starkness to her voice that draws Lucina’s attention. Karliah continues, “When the Skeleton Key was stolen from the Twilight Sepulcher, our access to the inner sanctum was removed. The only way to bring it back is through the Pilgrim’s Path.” Lucina says, “Well… that’s ominous. I take it you’ve never used the Pilgrim’s Path?” Karliah goes on to explain that the path was never meant for the Nightingales, but rather for priests of Nocturnal. Lucina says, “Well, let’s get started.” Karliah looks to her, “Brynjolf is needed at the Theive’s Guild to keep order while you’re away. And I…” Karliah looks down in shame, “I can’t bear to face Nocturnal again after my failure to protect the Key. You’ll have to face this journey alone.” Karliah hands Lucina the Skeleton Key. Lucina looks at ths Key in her hand and imagines all the power she could gain from this trinket. She looks back down the tunnel she came from and then imagines how wrong it all could go. She looks to Karliah, “Don’t worry. I’ll see this gets back to where it belongs.” Karliah nods, “Here. Take this with you. I’m not certain if it will help within the walls of the Sepulcher, but certainly I don’t need it as much as you.” She hands Lucina her bow. The bow is neither wood nor metal. Black with etchings of the Nightingales along its sides. It seems to be made of the same material as the Nightingale armor. Karliah continues, “I’ve had this bow almost my entire life and it’s never let me down. I hope it brings you the same luck.” Lucina takes the bow, “Thank you… Does this have any tricks like the suit? You didn’t tell me my feet wouldn’t make sound or that it would heal my injuries.” Karliah looks at her strangely, “Silencing your footsteps, yes, but it can’t heal you.” Lucina thinks a moment then looks over to the fire. Lucian has his hands over the flames and his head down, but she can see his eyes locked on her as a grin crept across his face.
Brynjolf, steps up to his fellow Nightingales, “We will have to part ways here, lasses. Take care. I’ll see you back at the Guild.” and the trio split off. Once Brynjolf and Karliah leave, Lucina removes her mask and cowl then stands next to Lucian. She warms her hands a moment before asking, “I take it you are what was healing me down there… Just how long were you following me?” Lucian shrugs, “Hard to say…” Iona takes a bite of her Bear steak, “Since you stole my horse… I want him back.” With a nervous laugh, Lucina says, “Oh…right. He was yours then?... Sorry about that. He’s tied up not far from the entrance… Wait… How did you know to be in this cave? How did you even know this cave was up here, Lucian? You could have brought the entire lake down on us!” Lucian plays coy, “A… little bird told me.” Lucina scowls, “You do know that my blades still have poison on them, right.” Lucian smiles, “Look, you got yourself a supernatural benefactor lookin’ over your shoulder… and so do I. Trust me, Cher. Leave it at d’at. You got more important t’ings to worry ‘bout right now.” Lucina reluctantly accepts this. Returning the Key is top priority… for now.
Lucina pulls up her cowl, “I need to get moving.” Iona says, “Oh yeah? You even know where you’re going?” She pulls a folded up map from her steel breastplate and hands it to Lucian, “I’m going to find my horse. Try not to kill each other.” As she leaves, Lucian smiles at Lucina and holds up the parchment, “She’s got a point. Where ya goin’?” Lucina hesitates, “It’s in Falkreath… in the South West of the hold... somewhere.” She grumbles to herself, “You know where it is… What do you want?” Lucian puts the map in his satchel, “I need to go wit’ you a ways is all… I got a horse I didn’t have to steal...” Lucina thinks about the proposal, “Fine… Let’s go, but only because I don’t want to walk across half of Skyrim.” Lucian smiles, “Whatever you say, Cher.”
After Lucian’s clothes have had time to dry, they exit the Bear’s den and see his horse is tied up just outside. They ride around the lake following Iona’s footprints. They come across three dead wolves and a troll with its skull split open. Lucina says, “Just how mad is she about me taking her horse?” Lucian laughs, “Don’t you fret none. She’s just fussy sometimes, is all. I t’ink d’em bears got the worst of it.” They meet up with Iona shortly thereafter and begin their trek down to Falkreath.
In the thick forests of Falkreath, they follow the map that Lucian has not seen fit to disclose the origin of. It leads them to a tucked away cove with a black door leading into a cliff side. Lucina thinks to herself, “I could have been wandering around here for weeks and never found this place.” They dismount and Lucian says, “Mind d’e horses, Iona. We get d’is done quick, yeah.” Lucina says, “Look, thank you for bringing me here and… all that back in the ruin, but I should do this alone.” Lucian smiles, “D’ere you go frettin’ again. I got someone inside I need to talk to is all. You do what ya want from there.” Lucina looks at him suspiciously, “Meet someone? Who?” Lucian smiles, “Someone just like you. Can’t seem to keep d’emselves out o’ trouble. Let’s go, Cher.” Lucian walks towards the door. Lucina looks to Iona, “Is he always like this?” Iona is leading the horses to drink from a pond in the cove. She replies, “No… Sometimes he’s arrogant and pushy. Jarl Maven simply loves that part of him.” Lucina just stares blankly at her. “He knows exactly how smart he is and doesn’t mind telling you. Worst part,” Iona says, “Despite his flaws of morality… He’s actually a pretty good guy. Maven doesn’t care for that part so much.” She returns her focus to the horses. Lucina just stands there a moment then shakes her head, “... Okay…”
The door closes behind them when they enter. The path is cold and dank, but there is a light coming from further down the path. They carefully step out into a large cavern with several lit braziers leading across the darkness to stairs leading up into the Twilight Sepulcher. Between them and the temple, the shade of a fallen Nightingale stands. He approaches Lucina and a spectral voice says, “I.. don’t recognize you, but I sense that you are one of us. Who are you?” Lucina steps forward, “I’d ask the same of you…” The spirit replies, “The last of the Nightingale Sentinels, I’m afraid. I’ve defended the Sepulcher alone for what seems like an eternity.” Lucina asks, “The last? What happened to the rest?” The Spirit pauses a moment looking at the man behind Lucina, “We were betrayed by one of our own. In fact, I’m to blame for what happened here.” Lucina is surprised by the statement, “You’re to blame? How?” The Spirit laments, “I was blinded. Blinded my dark treachery masquerading as friendship. Perhaps if I had been more vigilant, Mercer Frey wouldn’t have lured me to my fate and stolen the Skeleton Key.” Realization falls on Lucina and the few memories she has of him flash before her eyes. Standing before her is the Spirit of Gallus Desidenius, or as Lucina knows him, “...papa…” she mumbles. Gallus looks on her curiously, “What?” Lucian speaks, “You’d be d’e Nightingale called Gallus d’en?” Lucina turns to look at Lucian and sees him staring back with a knowing expression on his face. The Shade replies, “I haven’t heard that name in a long time. How do you know of me?”
Lucina’s voice carries the tone of accusation, “You!… You knew he was here?” Lucian hesitates before answering, “No, Cher… I did not -know-, but... D’is place.” Lucian looks around him somberly, “D’is is where all d’e Nightingales come when d’ey die. And here d’ey stay ‘til d’eir service to Nocturnal be done and she calls d’em home. D’en off to the Evergloam…” Lucian looks in her eyes with sincerity, “I didn’t know he’d be here, Lucina… But I hoped, for your sake...” Gallus looks on, “Lucina?... My Lucina? It can’t be.” She takes down her cowl. In the little light that the braziers provide in the cave, her features are unmistakable. Gallus is silent for a moment before saying, “You’re as beautiful as your mother, my… daughter.” He tries to touch her face, but the dead feel nothing. Lucina, however, does. She holds the translucent hand to her cheek a moment before he pulls away. Gallus looks to her companion, “Your voice, though deeper and aged, is familiar to me… Is that you, Boy?” Lucian steps forward, “Yeah ol’ Man, it’s me.” Gallus looks at the two of them, “You found, My Lucina.” Lucian rubs the back of his head, “She found me… tried to steal from me, actually. She’s every bit as good as you were. Maybe better.” Lucina looks at the Shade in front of her and whispers, “…I found you…”
The story so far:
Walk with the Shadows Ch 1 Walk with the Shadows Ch 2 Walk with the Shadows Ch 3 Walk with the Shadows Ch 4 Walk with the Shadows Ch 5 Walk with the Shadows Ch 6 Walk with the Shadows Ch 7 Walk with the Shadows Ch 8 Walk with the Shadows Ch 9 Walk with the Shadows Ch 10 Walk with the Shadows Ch 11 Walk with the Shadows Ch 12 Walk with the Shadows Ch 13 Walk with the Shadows Ch 14 Walk with the Shadows Ch 15
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