My Older Siblings Cannot be the Dragonborn (Skyrim SI)

[shadenight123]

Chapter Forty-Six - Wilderness - 16th of Hearthfire 4E 201 - Umbra

Berry had made sense. It was a cold day in hell, but she had made sense. At the same time, I had rather wished she hadn't. As much as Hirume wasn't, to my mind, the older sister that Past-Umbra cherished, she was still a pregnant woman. Sending a pregnant woman alone in the wilderness of Skyrim, no matter how well equipped or armed was just asking for trouble to occur. Yet, at the same time, we had to get Septimus' keys to recover the Elder Scroll. There was no other solution but that of splitting up, and since I had no idea on how to travel the frozen tundra and icebergs of the Sea of Ghosts, while Berry had grown up near Windhelm and literally considered the ice her playground, we had to split up.

It was strange going somewhere without Berry. I had grown used to the quips, the tiny bits of sarcasm beneath her tough Nord exterior. Hirume was a driven woman, and if not for whenever she opened her mouth to speak, her eyes glinted with determination and her silver hair shone like beautiful sparkling diamonds. I could easily see myself get lost playing with her hair. Yet, at the same time, I dared not touch it.

It was silver hair, it was quite beautiful too, but touching someone's hair was a hint of familiarity that I didn't feel I had the right to possess. I wasn't the Umbra of her past, or if I was, then I didn't remember it. Once I recovered my memories, if I ever did, then I'd probably style her hair accordingly to ask forgiveness, but until then...I'd just treat her with the concern an Italian gives to his elder pregnant sister.

"I can carry that," I said. "I can do that. Let me do this. You sure you don't want to rest? I can take the first turn, wake you up later. You look like you want to rest. Do you want something to eat? I can—"

"Umbra, stop," Hirume giggled as all around us there was only white snow and cold, icy winds. "You've been saying the same stuff for hours." She shook her head. "I'm not some delicate ceramic plate!" she pouted. "I'm your big sister. I can handle this. I handled you and Mansel, I can handle myself."

I swallowed and emitted a half-worried gurgle from my throat, "Are you sure you don't need a hand?" I asked once more, and as HIrume sighed, loudly this time, she unclasped her backpack. I hastily grabbed hold of it and pulled it on one of my shoulders. "There we go, isn't it better?"

"Umbra," Hirume sighed loudly, shaking her head with a small grin on her lips. "I'm sure you'll be the sweetheart of quite a few ladies once you stop attracting necromancers, ghosts and vampires."

"I live to do my best, best sister," I smiled back at her, and Hirume rewarded me with a big smile.

"Now if only you remembered how to do my hair," Hirume said as we resumed our trek through the snow-filled fields.

Every now and then she would extend a hand in front of her, and tiny shining orbs would sail out and start to mark the ground in a specific direction, and then we'd resume our trek, following them.

"You see Umbra, Clairvoyance is quite the problematic spell," Hirume spoke to make conversation, since I was busy catching my breath. "It works easily when you're out in the open, but once you get in a city or close to the target it jumbles up, making it harder to find the one you're looking for." She sighed. "And sometimes they even ward themselves to prevent being found. Thankfully I've developed a special tracking spell that works with a marker set upon the skin," she grinned. "My Honey-Dove wasn't happy about his new tattoo, but it wasn't like I could do it while he was awake, it would have hurt too much to sear it on the skin!"

I awkwardly chuckled. "I see, best sister. So you just...tattooed his back?"

"It was just a bit of fire magic to sear the symbols on his skin," Hirume said with a bright smile. "He even wanted to call the guards to thoughtfully escort me back home since it was the middle of the night."

I blinked. "Best sister...aren't you perhaps...you know...being a bit too pushy?"

Hirume shook her head gently. "He said he loved me, so there's no limit to how far I can push my love," she grinned. "What about you and Berry-Berry? She's a cute girl isn't she?"

"No," I said flatly. "My belief is in clones, for the creation of a superior race, lead by a superior and charismatic leader who can unite the world under my banner," I raised a fist in the air, much to HIrume's giggling. I raised an eyebrow in her direction, "There is only my absolute greatness that can properly lead the people, Hirume." I nodded most wisely, already cracking a smile.

"You said that all the time," Hirume replied with a small smile. "It's nice to know there's still something of you inside of...well, you."

"What else did I say?" I asked, only for Hirume to narrow her eyes at me.

"Were you even listening when I told you? I've spent a week telling you things!" Hirume groaned, "Why weren't you paying attention!?"

"Well, best sister, I was...distracted," I said quickly. "Your hair was really pretty."

Hirume giggled, "Aw...you're forgiven, Umbra." She smirked. "Maybe I can buy you a few books on hair styles? I'm sure you'd quickly get back into it." She hummed contently as she came to an abrupt halt. Her eyes narrowed as she turned to look at me, and then behind me. She squinted her eyes. I turned too, seeing nothing but sheer white candor. The next second, a strong concussive blast of fire burst through my body, leaving me unscathed as it instead struck the ice a few inches away from me, melting it as a figure screamed in unholy verses, jumping out from beneath the packed snow as if it was water.

The figure wore dark leather, and had all of the pretenses of being a vampire, a vampire that was burning to death not just because of the sun's rays, but also because of whatever spell Hirume had thrown at it. Before it could as much as yell, or scream, a pillar of blinding white light gorily and messily speared him from top to bottom, before twisting the corpse as its limbs blew away.

I winced and closed my eyes as the vampire died horribly, much to Hirume's huff.

"And that, Umbra, is why you shouldn't have worried about me," Hirume said proudly. "I am, after all, a proud vampire hunter. It's more of a hobby though," she added with a small giggle. "My main occupation is being a concerned big sister," she neared to check on me, even though I hadn't been scratched in the slightest. "Good to see nothing happened to you," she smiled, giving me a light peck on the cheek. "Now let's keep moving before more pop up."

"Best sister..." I began, hesitantly, "When you mentioned bad things like stakes and pyres...you weren't kidding, were you?"

"Sometimes sneaky vampires fake being human so well you have to burn them and their entourage," Hirume replied with a charming smile. "It's the only way to make sure, Umbra." She giggled. "Now let's keep looking for my little Wuffle-Fluffle-Lovely Bunny! He can be so shy! Always trying to hide from me as if he doesn't want to love me," she smirked, "But he can't hide forever. They never can."

I was starting to think that I had made a terrible mistake.

Hopefully, Berry was having better success than I.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Forty-Seven - Sea of Ghosts - 16th of Hearthfire 4E 201 - Berry

She didn't know whether it was the Divines that intervened, or if it was a matter of luck. What she knew was that she had been kneeling to gather some fresh snow to melt later in water, and in so doing she saw the hand before it could as much as break through the ice to grab hold of her wrist.

Berry lunged back as the clawed hand shattered the ice and a figure wet with salty water emerged, the water freezing and shattering near instantaneously as the vampire's eyes seemed to radiate hunger, and fury.

"I haven't fed in days," Babette snarled, her voice predatory, powerful and without a doubt showing her elongated canines. Her skin burned, and yet at the same time closed sharply, the fury on her face enhanced by the scowl and the hatred that her entire body seemed to radiate. "You thought you could run away from the Dark Brotherhood," she hissed, "You thought you could lead my Nibblekins astray," her claw-like fingers twitched. "You thought you could force me to hunt you both down and tear at my Nibblekins," Babette hiccuped, "But I was patient, and I waited." She smiled as she took a single step forward. "I waited, and now there is nothing you can do." She extended a hand upwards, spikes of ice erupting from the ground to surround them. "My Nibblekins deserves better than you," she giggled. "After you die, I'll break the spell you have enthralled him with."

"There's no spell like that!" Berry snapped, letting loose an arrow, and as it harmlessly impacted against the leather chest-piece of Babette, it shattered abruptly, leaving not even ashes behind.

"That won't work," Babette smiled, licking her lips. She plunged on Berry like a feral sabertooth tiger, her eyes ablaze.

"Fus Ro Dah!" Berry's thu'um shattered the icy prison as crystals sailed in all directions, the noise reverberating across the Sea of Ghosts as large chunks of ice began to crack and splinter, crafting icebergs that began to float away. Yet Babette stood unscathed, twin wards held in front of her. The vampire gritted her teeth only slightly, before breaking the ward and answering with a bolt of lightning, which shattered in half Berry's bow as it hit it right in the middle.

"Pathetic," Babette hissed, rushing forth once more. "I'll carve your face and bring it to the Night Mother!"

Berry watched with grim determination the claw that was just about to descend on her neck, and the next she rolled off her tongue the stream of fire that belonged to the Yol. The inferno of the Toor came next, and the finality of the deadly sun that was Shul. The flames burned straight through Babette, whose visage distorted into a wraith-like presence that still dug with its burning talons deep into Berry's chest, ripping her armor and sinking into her skin with ease.

She cried out in pain as she tried to wrestle her off, but the burning vampire refused to budge, her fingers trying to dig even further, straight for her heart.

"Shul!" she screamed even louder, the sun itself barging out of her throat in rays that slammed home into Babette's shoulder, ripping it off and allowing Berry to kick and crawl away from the burning undead, who yet refused to give up.

"He wouldn't want this!" Berry screamed, "He wouldn't want us to fight!"

"I don't care what he wants now!" Babette roared as she slowly came to stand, the burning of her skin dying out as cold, frozen winds seemed to snuff out the flames. Her missing limb regenerated, exploding out from her torn shoulder, lacking of armor as it was, the muscles beneath the leather were taut and wiry. Her skin healed itself as energy poured through her veins, the telltale signs of magicka being drained all around her. "Now it's time I get what I want," she laughed, her laughter maddening and echoing across the whiteness of the frozen sea. "And I want you dead."

Bolts of lightning arched out of her hands, only for them to hit a glittering green ward cast from Berry's left hand. The impact still sent her back, and as she wobbled to recover her step, Babette was on her once more. This time, the scream was music to Berry's ears. Her right hand had slammed straight into the vampire's neck with a silver knife. A silver butter knife. A silver, butter knife that the college of Winterhold had by the score.

Babette clutched at her neck with a gurgling scream, even as Berry snorted a half-broken chuckle. Her breathing returned as the restoration magic knitted her flesh to a close, sealing the bleeding wound, but not repairing the torn muscles, not yet. Her mind jumbled and tumbled, her throat constricting and widening as words came to her mind, words she could use, words tied to her knowledge, and beyond it. She felt the warmth spread out from within her stomach, emerging out of her mouth as sharp spears of sunlight.

"Fus Nah Shul." The furious force of sunlight slammed home into Babette's body, obliterating chunks of her flesh and leaving behind gaping holes that refused to heal. With wide eyes, Babette's mouth spluttered with blood. Her body slumped down on the fresh snow, her lower half missing a whole leg, her upper body having lost most of its stomach, and hanging by a thin thread to its lower half.

Berry coughed, blood spluttering out from her throat as she tried to swallow down the bile, pain lashing out at where the vampire had wounded her.

Babette simply laughed. She laughed as she slowly began to crawl forward, leaving a trail of blood on the ice. "Nibblekins...is mine," she gurgled. "I told you...Nibblekins..." she hissed, "is mine," she began to whine. "It's not fair," she cried out, a sob escaping her lips. "I did it all...all...all like he asked...Nibblekins..." she swallowed, "Don't leave me all alone again...I don't want to go...I don't want to go!" she screamed as her body began to flake, ashes slowly rising up in the air even as her fingers clawed against the ice.

Berry stumbled while she tried to walk away, giving her back to the dying vampire. In that moment, a chuckle left Babette's lips. Berry turned just in time to watch Babette's fangs sink deep into her neck, taking a deep gulp of her warm blood as Berry's body began to burn as if on fire, the fangs crushing through her bones as if they were crunchy bread-sticks. With a hoarse scream, the strength of the Dah pushed her off, sending her to sink past the shattered ice and into the cold waters deep below.

With the last vestiges of strength, Berry fell down on one knee as she poured what little Magicka she had left in closing the wound earned from Babette's bite.

Perhaps telling Umbra to split had been a mistake.

Hopefully, he was faring better than she was.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Forty-Seven Point Five - Sea of Ghosts - 19th of Hearthfire 4E 201 - Babette

Children's day.

The day the fangs had come down on her neck. The night everything had changed. Enslaved to a creature who was both her master and her hated slaver. Bound by powerful magic that reeked of a curse, reinforced by the unholy will of a dark patron who did not care for anything but power, and domination. It was a sad day for her. It was a bad day for her. It was a horrible, horrible day for the likes of her.

She detested Children's day.

She hated it with a passion.

The cold of the depths of the sea didn't bother her, and neither did the lack of air, or of the sun. She stood there, in the depths, letting the currents drag her like a heavy weight without purpose nor direction. She twirled lazily due to the water, and not because she actually cared about heading in a direction, or another. She truly didn't care about what happened. She remembered.

She hated remembering, but she did.

In the darkness of the depths, it was the only thing she could do. The pressure did not crush her, but neither did it help her.

You're Babette, aren't you? I'm so happy to see you fellow sister! Ah, yes, it's kind of complicated how I ended up like this but, if you want, I can tell you the passcode of the Cyrodiil's sanctuary. We'll speak more there. Though I've yet to present myself to them too, which is kind of a good thing that we met like this! If we hadn't, well, I guess we'd have met later?

He had smiled at her.

The way I see it, contact poisons are quite the best possible thing an assassin should use. I mean, you don't even need to be in the same room as the victim, and if you just smear enough stuff in his house, eventually he's going to croak and nobody will ever suspect a thing. You have a different opinion?

He had intrigued her.

Well, if you want to renounce your vampirism and grow a bit, there's this charming, though not really, lady who could cure you of it. There's someone else though who'd like the cure. We could use that to curb favors, but the way I see it...people to whom we act with kindness will return the favor multiple times, especially when it's in their best interests to do so.

He had shown her a side of the Dark Brotherhood she hadn't explored.

We're family. Sure, the Night Mother killed her children for Sithis, but was it to satisfy him, or to protect them? In the embrace of the Void, who'd dare strike at them? It's just a theory though, I'd ask the Night Mother, but I doubt she'd have time for little me. I mean, I haven't killed enough in her name yet I guess. Though killing a Dremora should count ten times a normal man. Seriously, those things are tough!

He had become her everything.

Listen Babette, I trust you. No, to be honest, I feel something more. However...however I have to do what I must do. It's my duty. The Dark Brotherhood comes first and foremost, but Sithis comes even before them. The Void hungers, Babette. Dagon cannot be allowed to claim with Oblivion what doesn't belong to him. All souls must go to Sithis, thus...thus I must go. But we'll meet again. I'm sure of it. When this is over, when everything's over...in Skyrim, near the throat of the World. A Dragonborn will come and if I'm lucky, I'll be there too. It's just the way things go, Babette. Perhaps try to gain a few years by then. Being a child won't help you face off dragons.

She had foolishly let him lead her by the nose.

The Dark Brotherhood exists as a split-off of the Morag Tong, or so some stories say. The problem with subjective stories is that there isn't a proper answer, but at the same time...what you believe in is the truth. Why? Well, I'd say that the image of the angel becomes the angel itself, but you wouldn't understand that. It's a matter of perspective. The Wheel is a Tower, and the Tower is a Wheel. But then, why can't the Tower be a pin? I mean, it's a line. It could just as well be a number One, right? And what if it's a wheel of cheese instead? It could be a plate too! Think about it, Babette. Nothing is as it seems, and yet, at the same time...if it quacks like a duck, walks like a duck, and is called a duck...then it becomes a duck.

He had made no sense most often than not, and yet she had listened, shook her head, refused to understand his words.

Now there she was.

Her back hit the muddy ground, and as her eyes fluttered towards the surface, she couldn't help but smile sadly.

Why am I going towards the giant four armed monster, Babette? It's not just for Sithis, you're right. It's not just for you either. I'm going, because someone has to. I'm going, because I can make a difference. I'm going, because true courage is being afraid, and yet rushing forward with a scream in our throats. And I'm going, because though I am a flea compared to him, a flea that spits one in the eye still makes the eye close. And I've got to stop Martin from doing something foolish. He and...

She closed her eyes.

...would make for a great...

Her eyes snapped open.

So promise me, Babette.

Her body began to lurch as she pushed herself off the muddy seabed, swimming towards the surface with powerful swipes of her arms.

Promise me you'll remember the truth, and tell it to me when the time comes.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Forty-Eight - Wilderness - 21th of Hearthfire 4E 201 - Umbra

Ancano hadn't gone far. He had gone past Saarthal though, and as Hirume's spell kept tracking him, we came to an abrupt halt in front of a Dwemer ruin deeply encased in ice. No, to be honest, we came to a halt in front of the one place I knew the Divines had set on my road for a reason, whatever that reason could be. Shouldn't I have come here with Berry? Hirume, please, don't go where I think you want to go. I mean, yes, we're already trekking through the ruins of the digging site and the burned corpses, but we don't really have to.

If there was one thing I was starting to dislike, it was the ancient and most dishonored tradition of ruin-hunting. I didn't like ruins, I didn't like them at all. I didn't like Dwemer ruins either, especially those that had maddened and homicidal survivors of the expedition roaming the halls, burned to crisp corpses beneath tents, and countless skeletons picked clean by the beasts of the wilds.

No, honestly, I didn't like Alftand at all, and I didn't like the exterior of Alftand to begin with. I also didn't like the hanging walkway of wood that Hirume seemed set on stepping upon.

"Best sister!" I half-whined out, "How about I go first and you wait out here?"

Hirume stopped and raised an eyebrow in my direction, before scoffing. "No, Umbra. Don't be silly. You stay behind me and let me protect you," she huffed as she settled the thick wool scarf she had managed to knit from the pelt of a sabertooth tiger tighter around my neck. She had even made fur gloves, and had in no uncertain terms ensured I'd wear them. Somehow, I didn't want to risk her actually gluing them to my fingers as she had threatened.

Still, the icy chambers of the Dwemer were a dangerous proposition for the two of us to face. When it came to Draugrs in an infested tomb, the legion sent a whole platoon to deal with them such was the peril. A big Dwemer ruin that lead straight into Blackreach? Preposterous! I could just as well be immortal, but even I knew when to fold my hand, and if it came to protecting Hirume, I couldn't protect her if I was pinned to the ground by constructs.

The frozen tunnels of Alftand's entrance were oozing with droplets of blood, corpses of miners and mercenary guards massacred and left to rot, some parts chewed messily by sharp teeth. The stench in the air was unbearable, and swept by the cold air that seemed to come from further within. The low hiss of steam ruptured the silence of the still air, and as we both advanced amidst the corpses, the temperature took a sharp rise as stone pavement took the place of the ice slabs.

Pipes hissed bubbling with steam as small rivers of water slithered like transparent snakes across the ground, soaking the remains of carpets eaten by whatever form of insects would survive such a place. Glinting bronze caught my eye, coming from the corpses of Dwemer spiders, shattered and broken across the ground. There weren't just a couple though, but a dozen or so.

Their corpses had been cast aside, leaking dark oil which glinted under the pale lights of burning blue flames. At the very least, we wouldn't need a torch to cast a light on the surroundings of the ruins.

"Do you want to hold my hand, Umbra?" Hirume asked, "If you're scared, just say so."

I sighed, "No, I'm not scared."

"Aw, you don't have to fake it with your big sister," Hirume said with a giggle. "There's nothing to be afraid of, I'll make sure nothing hurts us. Or I'll make them regret it. I'll make them all regret it."

I nodded nonchalantly even as I gave a hesitant twirl to Chorrol's Honorblade, the path ahead of us blocked by sharp metal bars. "Ralvas would have melted them into slag," Hirume pouted, huffing and shaking her head. "We'll have to find another way in."

I turned my sight from the table with the remains of the Dwemer spider workers, ignoring the thick leather-bound journals as I simply pocketed the small soul gems as big as the palm of my hand. A couple of golden Septims followed them in my pockets, and as I took a step away from the table and towards the general direction where I knew we'd find the maddened Khajiiti. The humanoid cat in question wasn't however willing to do its monologue to the dead corpse of its brother.

"Let's go this way," I said as I took point, slowly eyeing the crates that seemed stuck against a wall, and which I knew were simply hiding a pipe meant to carry spider workers to their destination. The moment we'd pass it by, it would burst, allowing the spiders to emerge and attack us. I cast my eyes behind me as we passed the pipe, Hirume waving at me with a grin on her face.

"You're so cute trying to act all tough and grown-up, Umbra," Hirume said with a teasing tone, a bubbling giggle leaving her lips. "You need to find yourself a good girl, I could present you some cute ladies. Like, Miss Elenwen is clearly so pent-up she could use a hand in getting rid of some of her stress."

"No," I said flatly.

"There's darling Adandora too, a bit of a bookworm, but a nice head on her shoulders—"

"No," I continued.

"Estre is a bit of a stick in the mud, but she's really good with the sword. You could use someone like her to keep you safe," Hirume continued nonchalantly.

"No?" I said, "You are hearing me when I say the word no, right?"

"Best sister privilege," Hirume replied petulantly, "I get to vet the future wives of every single one of you little brothers! Mansel would be better for Estre, though since you're the youngest, you have to go first." She tapped her chin. "Ah! I know! Landare! She's split from her boyfriend recently because he didn't want her to leave Summerset Isles. She's just looking for some fun, but it could become something serious and then she'd stop playing pranks on me if you and her went out together! Oh, Umbra, do this as a favor for your best sister? You just need to speak to her, I'm sure your silver tongue will work out the details!"

"No," I said resolutely. "My answer is no," I continued, "It will remain no, and it will forever be no, for as long as the stars soar the sky and the heavens above witness me, the answer is no, now and forevermore." I huffed.

"Umbra," Hirume sighed. "I know you're still angry that I chose Ancano, but you can't do this to yourself! You were just a kid, saying silly stuff like 'I'm going to marry you, big sister!' and you can't keep yourself away from love just because of that. You've got to live your own life!" she nodded eagerly. "I'm still going to hook you up with some of my friends. You need an older lady's touch to keep you in check."

The snow crunched under the sole of my boots as we passed by the camp that should have held a Khajiit mad with the loss of his brother, and that instead didn't hold neither him, nor his brother's corpse. There were other corpses though, and they all looked like somebody had taken a bite out of them. No, not just a bite, but quite the feast.

Perhaps it had been Falmers, or Trolls? Still, the defensive automatons didn't spring to life as we trudged through the stone pavements, the steam hissing into the pipes, the Dwemer Centurions silent and still within their chambers. Or had they already emerged, and had gone elsewhere to deal with more pressing concerns?

It was disquieting. The Elder Scroll deep within Alftand was the closest one, the other firmly in the hands of a certain vampire lady deeply encased in Dimhollow Crypt. Knowing my luck, she'd be out and about too, but hopefully I wouldn't have anything to do with her.

I shook my head as my mind turned to Babette's situation. She could be tracking me, spying on me from the shadows, but with Hirume nearby I had the feeling she wouldn't dare show herself. After all, Hirume was apparently a really good vampire hunter. She didn't have a crossbow though, but I reckoned she hadn't thought she'd need one.

My right foot landed on a tile that sunk into the ground, and as my whole body froze, I held my breath.

"Umbra!" Hirume tackled me, throwing us both down on the ground as a gust of thundering fire burst from the sides of the wall and the eerie-looking statues of bronze and copper. "Be careful!" Hirume snapped angrily at me, taking a deep breath. "Dwemer ruins are trapped!" she grabbed hold of me, hastily hoisting me back up, the flame wall behind us dying out after a few seconds of intense heat. "You could have hurt yourself!" Hirume harshly spun me around, checking for signs of burns. "You're all red by the neck! You're lucky it's just a minor burn! Think about what would have happened if it had hit your face!" she groaned, pushing a hand against her forehead. "No, no, I've got to find my darling, but I can't risk your life like this. I'm such a stupid woman. Listen Umbra, you have to wait here, all right? I'll go on ahead. You just sit here, anywhere but there on the tile, and touch absolutely nothing."

"I can't let you go ahead alone," I replied, shaking my head firmly. "It's out of the question! What if something happened to you? I'd never forgive myself. It's no big deal if I get hurt, because I've got this sort of...well, let's say immortality, so even if I get hurt really, really badly, I don't die!"

Hirume stared at me briefly, and then slapped the side of my cheek with enough strength to make me see stars. "Stop saying foolish things!" Hirume yelled back, tears in the corner of her eyes. "Of course you can die! Everyone can die! And I won't allow you, or anyone from our family to die! Willow wouldn't forgive me for this! I wouldn't forgive me for this! We're family, Umbra. I'm a foolish woman, and I know it! I know I'm a fool who's madly in love with someone who always runs away from me, but I don't care because I love him! And he'll love me too if he sees how earnest I am! But I'm not going to let my love take precedence over my family! It's either both or nothing!"

She slammed her index finger against my chest, tapping me repeatedly. "So now you stay here, and you wait. I'll look just a tiny bit ahead, see if there are any other traps. Then I'll come back and we'll proceed together. If you hear sound of battle, then you come have a look. If there are too many, I want you to run." She swallowed. "I want you to run and not do any foolish thing, and I want you to get out of here, get to Willow and she'll know what to do next," she hiccuped. "I just...I just can't stop here. Not when he's so close. I can feel it. He's got to be close!"

Hirume stared at me with a firm glint of determination in her eyes, and as she waited for my answer, I took a deep breath, and then I nodded.

She smiled the next second, and gently pushed me down to sit on a stone nearby. "You wait here, keep your ears sharp," she said with a small smile, using the back of her hand to wipe away the tears. "And be a good boy, Umbra. All right?"

I numbly nodded once more, and as Hirume's smile threatened to split her face, she sauntered off just around the corner. In that moment, I stood up and made to follow her.

Hirume's head reappeared from behind the corner, her eyes narrowed, and with a singular and powerful blast of concussive, frozen ice she slammed me straight against the wall with my entire body, neck down, frozen and stuck.

"Stay. There. Umbra." Hirume glared at me, her head disappearing past the corridor once more.

I blinked, and looked down at my body.

I was frozen against a wall, stuck to it, in the middle of ruins that had an active defense system and traps, while the Divines-only-knew-what was going around eating things and destroying stuff. Hirume, you didn't think this through, did you?

No, seriously Hirume, come back and free me!

This isn't how you're supposed to go dungeon delving!

Gritting my teeth, I began to push and pull, throwing my entire body weight right and left, the ice starting to crack and break as I finally freed one of my hands, only to unsheathe a blade of Woe and proceed to pick the ice off me. I snarled angrily as I broke free after a few minutes, landing roughly on the ground as my skin had turned an unhealthy color of blue. I was trembling way into the far depths of my soul, but I had to catch up to Hirume before she ended up doing something foolish.

Seriously, why couldn't people just frigging understand that running on ahead all alone was akin to madness?

It's like they wanted to die, these damn morons!

As I rushed past the corner, ready to dash, a figure tumbled straight against me and we both fell on the ground. The figure screamed in pain, quickly turning on itself as I hastily stood back up, the thalmor clothes the first thing I saw.

"Big sis—" the words died in my mouth.

Staring at me was, without a doubt, an Altmer.

He was also male, and his skin rather than golden was quite pale.

"Out of the way," he snarled, trying to rush past me.

I remembered Spider-Man.

The Blades of Woe knew what to do better than I.