The Story Of Iriisii Dovahkiin Book One Chapter Sixteen

The Story Of Iriisii Dovahkiin Book One Chapter Sixteen

                                                             Chapter Sixteen

     They continue watching the fire grow closer. For whatever reason it does not move as quickly as one would expect. There seems to be differences here that work against a fast spreading fire. The animals that live here are already passing to the side of them. They can look down off the side of the small cliff where they are waiting and gauging how close the danger is to them. For is also seems the danger has separated itself from the fire and is moving just to the side edge of it. Staying close to it but not a part of it.

     Rigmor looking at the sizes, shapes, natural armaments of these animals comments, "I do hope that portal opens soon, if not for the fire pushing them past us, we would be neck deep in trouble fighting these things."

     Iriisii: "They would not be interested in us. Now the ones behind them might be a different story, but I am not certain of that. They have more highly developed senses than our wildlife. They would know how dangerous we are and I think leave us for less dangerous prey. I am far more concerned about what came down with or was woken by that meteor. Desidarius, I know it is not likely but any chance can you sense anything about it?"

     Desidarius: "No, it hides itself very well from detection, and that bothers me greatly. I do not think its appearance has anything to do with the 'Hand', but I will still feel better when it is destroyed. If we have to fight it, and the portal opens, go through without me."

     Rigmor: "Whoa! How are we to know which way to go if we are separated?"

     Desidarius: "Shivista knows the way and can guide you if it comes to that."

     Rigmor: "Shivista! Who is this Shivista? How is someone who is not here with us going to guide us?"

     Desidarius looks to Iriisii, her face not betraying any emotion or question.

     Rigmor: "Riis, why is Desidarius looking at you?"

     Iriisii's voice changes.

     Shivista: "Because Iriisii is not truly aware of me yet. We have had a few interactions, yes, but she has buried them deep in her mind for now. She is not ready to become fully aware of me yet."

     Rigmor: "Then when will she and just who decides that?"

     Shivista: "She decides when. When she is ready, I will just slip into her awareness as if it has always been that way. As to who decreed this, well, we may never find that out. It will completely depend on how far and high we go."

     Rigmor: "Now I see it. She will become aware of you when she gets those missing memories back, right?"

     Shivista: "I knew you would figure it out sooner or later. But if we get separated, I will nudge her in the direction we need to go. And she will not know it is me doing it. And you will say nothing of it."

     Rigmor: "And why is that?"

     Shivista: "Because she will have a psychotic break if you do."

     Rigmor: "What is a psychotic break?"

     Shivista: "I forget your experience level is not as broad as mine is, she will go stark raving mad if you spill the beans. And by 'mad', I mean 'insane', not 'angry'."

     Rigmor: "Oh."

     Desidarius: "Those old wounds still plaguing her?"

     Shivista: "Yes, the fracture seam that formed when Darkstar was born is still there. It is quiescent and not healed. Somehow that thing has to be healed before the taken memories can be restored to her, or she risks that fracture reopening and swallowing all of us, leaving her...well I really do not want to think about that."

     Desidarius: "I understand. I did not anticipate that the 'Mother' of the Sinister Seven would go so far."

     Shivista: "It was not the Mother, it was Anias."

     Desidarius: "Ah, now I understand better. It is still possible to heal the fracture, but it will be extremely painful to her. And I cannot have a part to play in that. You can, having been with her in her mind for as long as you have. Darkstar as well will have a part to play. A few others as well although I cannot see who they will be. I just know that my part will involve another, someone close to her, but separate from her. The antagonist is also hidden from me, and that is as much as I know now. All I can do is wait until the time comes and everything plays itself out. If all goes well, I will return those memories to her at that time."

     Rigmor: "What made you choose to take those memories as payment anyway?"

     Desidarius: "I have thought about that very question many, many times. I have concluded that I was being nudged by outside forces who foresaw the need for her to seek her path forward without the anchor of the past holding her back. And there is a further reason as well, but it is very personal and something I will only disclose to Iriisii when the time comes that she should ask me."

     Rigmor: "You think you have a chance with her?"

     Desidarius goes on about checking the approach of the fire and the unknown with it, besides ignoring Rigmor's question."

     Shivista: "It will do you no good Rigmor, she can tune you out and ignore you till the stars die out if that is what she wants. And I do not know the answer either, I stay out of other peoples feelings. I have found that to be a safer course to follow. And yes, I once has a body of my own, but that was a long time ago, long before I met Iriisii. And no, I am not telling any more about it."

     Rigmor: "Spoilsport."

     Shivista: "You do not enjoy it when others pry into your personal life, why should anyone else? Look, we have to live and survive together."

     Desidaris: "Shivista, wake Iriisii and bring her forward, the portal is about to open and I anticipate that thing out there showing up when it does."

     Shivista: "Waking her now, Rigmor, you will keep silent about this, too much hangs on everything going just so, no mistakes."

     Iriisii wakes up, "What is happening?"

     Desidarius: "The portal is preparing to open and I think that thing out there will show up when it does."

     Iriisii: "If so how do you want to handle it?"

     Desidarius: "We will have a few minutes to decide that, but if it does we have to delay it long enough that we can dive through the portal and leave it on this side."

     Rigmor: "Can it follow us when the portal opens again?

     Desidarius: "Good question, no. When the portal reopens it will be to a different destination. Knowing where a particular portal will open to and plotting a course through a series of them is something I learned a long time ago. It is still not an exact art, as the number of portals is almost infinite. But they have a finite range, so a particular portal will only have a certain number of destinations. You just have to know the particular dots you want to connect to get to where you want. And also what problems you can encounter along the way."

     Rigmor: "What kind of problems could we see at the next landing place?"

     Desidarius: "Another good question, you actually begin to surprise me. We do not have time to go into that here, but we will once we arrive. Ready your sword, for I am about to see if you are as good as Iriisii says you are."

     They all feel the portal's energies change the balance of time and space in the area they stand. It opens and stabilizes quickly.

     Desidarius: "When you hear me call out, get through the portal immediately, no matter what or risk being left behind to the tender mercies of that thing out there."

     She then grabs Iriisii's hand and together they raise a defensive shield just outside the portal's area of effect. Normally a shield like that is only visible as a wavering, like heat waves off of desert sands. This one however, they constructed to be more kin to a wall of bricks, each overlayed and interlocked to strengthen the whole. It can be seen as a wall of massive bricks, until the seams vanish as they fuse together. Then they see the thing come forward out of the smoke and burning sap fumes.

     Desidarius: "No, I do not know what that is, not for certain anyway. I think I read about one, but it has been so long ago I almost do not remember."

     It is half again as tall as Iriisii is, but there the similarity stops. It appears to be some kind of liquid metal, like a golem of some kind, constructed in some arcane workshop. But the intelligence in its eyes says different.

     Desidarius: "It is not a construct. It is somehow alive. What its purpose for being here I cannot say, but we cannot let it follow us."

     It opens its mouth and shouts at the shield. Iriisii and the First Dragon within listen to it but do not recognize the word or language its shout is from. But there is no escaping the effect it has on the shield. The shield vibrates with the power of its 'shout', the seams becoming visible for just an instant. Iriisii looks to Desidarius, who has a decidedly awed look on her face. And for the first time in a number of years, Iriisii feels fear creeping up her spine.

     Desidarius: "Go! Go now!! Do not even think of fighting that, just go! Shake it off and go! For the love of all that is holy and unholy, get through that portal!!"

     First Dragon: 'Go, my daughter, as Desidarius says. Grab Rigmor and go.'

     Iriisii: 'But...'

     First Dragon: 'Desidarius will follow. We must be prepared to force the portal closed once she passes through.'

     Iriisii: 'But I do not...'

     First Dragon: 'Another within you and myself together can do this. Once on the other side relinquish control to me and I will handle it.'

     The shield takes another hit as a different 'shout' hits it. This time cracks can actually be seen in its form. Desidarius is driven to her knees.

     First Dragon: 'We have to help her. Shout with me!'

     Iriisii: 'What shout?!'

     First Dragon: 'Link with me! Now do it, there is no more time!'

     As they link together, Iriisii gains an image of the First Dragon around her. It only extends for an inch or so, but to anyone else it appears to stretch into infinity.

     First Dragon/Iriisii: "Si relgr wer maulk di Lloth / Zu'u bel faal ah do Lloth."

     An epic storm of whirling winds forms outside the shield. The thing stops and gazes at it, sensing an enemy of power enough to be a threat even to itself. From the winds swirling in the upper clouds a mesh of lightning, eerily like a tunnel of spider webbing drops down to the ground. Something like unto a Drider steps out, but this is no Drider. Once it was, yes, but Lloth once found herself in need of something more when she sought to enter the Abyssal Blood Wars, or rather the Wars spread into her Realm and threatened to destroy all she had built up.

     Who 'she' called upon to help her create her 'Hunter', no one knows and she will never tell. Nor is it known how it was accomplished, even though a few dare to say they know, but will not say how. Not after what happened to the first few who did say what they knew of how it was done. Even so it was recorded, and the scrolls hidden away.

     The 'Hunter' has the base form of a Drider, but without the jointed limbs. Thus it is much faster, more flexible, and even more deadly as its limbs are coated in a paralytic slime, and armed with fanged spikes that eject a virulent toxic venom. Its physical weaponry is coated in its secretions so that they too are deadly weapons. And its spellcasting is the stuff of nightmares, sharing the knowledge of both Lloth and its other parent. It feels the ones who called it, that Lloth gave her permission for him to go and fight for. He sees the one he knows is his enemy and the enemy of his mother. He farspeaks to his summoners.

     Osaquen: "I am Osaquen Osugrenvon, son of the Goddess called Lloth. I am the one who she has sent to aid you against our ancient enemy. This one is far from his home and not pleased to be here. He feels it is because of you that his presence was brought here, but he is mistaken. Rather it is because of the one whose relic you hold that is the cause. And to deny him the power he foolishly placed in such an unhallowed artifact so long ago is a burden worthy of the great ones of Eternity. I will turn this one away from his goal and walk with you for a while along your path. My only purpose is to see you succeed in this endeavor and assist you in walking the path that even now cries out for your footsteps to trod upon."

     Desidarius rises from the stone she was driven to by the power of their pursuer's 'shout'. She wonders why the shield is still holding and sees their pursuer in battle with the 'Hunter of Lloth'. Each attacking and defending as the raging fire comes ever closer. Small glowing embers like torchbugs lighting up the darkness that is night are dropping and then caught up by the winds flowing around these two combatants. They appear to be dancing around and around, watching the spectacle before them. Spells of arcane and eldritch power go head to head one against the other. Yet it is the paralytic secretions and toxic venom spraying across the air as Osaquen whips his limbs, limbs armed with deadly weapons feared even by gods, that is turning the tide.

     Desidarius looks toward Iriisii and sees the First Dragon riding her, sharing his power and knowledge with her. As she looks to Rigmor, she sees her frozen in place, eyes locked on the battle. As she calculates how long the portal will stay open, and glances at the battle to gauge how long it will continue. She feels it will be close but it looks to go in their favor. A few more minutes should tell the tale, one way or the other. She looks back to the First Dragon and Iriisii, the question of 'why' apparent on her face.

     First Dragon/Iriisii: "We summoned him to come to our aid."

     Desidarius: "But that would mean..."

     First Dragon/Iriisii: "Yes, Lloth allowed him to come. She too knows what is at stake in the greater game of existence. And so she has chosen the side she will support. She is many things, both terrible and sublime, but ignorant and blind she is not. She knows where her survival lies, not to mention we have common enemies."

     Desidarius thinks for a few seconds, "I see, 'He' must have crossed her path a very long time ago, and Lloth does not forget such things. I guess we wait then, it would be very rude and insulting to turn and run before the fight is done. It will not be long now."

     True to Desidarius words, the fight is over with, as the combination of Osaquen's fighting skills, his natural secretions effects, and the strain of blocking his magic spells finally cause the enemy to stumble and Osaquen takes full advantage, driving him back until a final spell grabs him and tosses him into the blaze of the fire. The voice that is heard, is enough to send some of the still upright burning trees crashing to the ground. The burning embers thrown up encase the enemy and harden around him. Osaquen releases one more spell and the ground opens up into a crevasse leagues into the depths. He watches as the encased enemy disappears into the darkness and the ground shudders as it closes back together.

      Iriisii gives voice to "Strun Bah Qo" then taking control of the storm and directing the lightning to another part of the burnt ground so the fire will not spread further because of her action. The rain falls into a downpour, hits the burning underbrush and trees, flows into steam rising into the storm clouds and returns again as more rain until the fires have abated and continue to die down.

     Desidarius: "Please to accompany us noble Osaquen while the portal is still open. I have no desire to seek the next one."

     Osaquen: "Yes, it is due to appear inside Yo'junber. I too have no desire to go anywhere near that place. Please lead on and I will make certain nothing follows us through."

     Iriisii goes to Rigmor, who is regaining her wits.

     Rigmor: "Who? What?"

     Iriisii: "We can answer those questions on the other side, come, we need to cross over before something else shows up."

     Rigmor: "All this for a damn petrified hand holding a candle."

     Osaquen chuckles, "A very apt comparison, short, concise. I like her already."

     Rigmor: "Then perhaps you can tell me what that thing that was coming for us and that you fought with was?"

     Osaquen: "Alas, its name was lost to the ravages of time. It is older than many of the gods who now exist. But can any of you say what woke it from its deep slumber?"

     Desidarius: "We noticed a meteor strike from the swarm above just before it arose."

     Osaquen: "Possible, because if our ancient records are to be believed it was involved in a duel that saw the closest moon shattered into what you see now. But I believe it was something more that roused it, the relic you bear would strengthen the possibility but even that is not strong enough, for once it had returned to its full power, it would not have need of that relic."

     Iriisii: "What do your records say happened that brought about the duel? Is it known who the other was, and could they still be alive?|

     Osaquen: "Ah, now we come closer to the possible reason. Our records do not record who the other was, but the cause of the duel, that was indeed thought important enough to make certain it was written."

     Deep with Iriisii a sudden chill with some shivers starts to grow. the First Dragon moves to intercept but is told it is time for the knowledge to come forth into the light once more.

     Iriisii"s voice takes on yet another voice speaking with her lips, this one is like a deep, slow, rustling of sand being driven across vast, empty expanses. The heat of a sun beating down upon it until each grain glitters with it, and then comes a roar of a truly mighty beast. One that is undisputed master of this most inhospitable terrain.

     Shai-Hulu'ud: "Know I am Shai Hulu'ud, Protector of the Gates of the Realms and Keeper of the Keys to Forever."

     Osaquen and Desidarius both go down on their knees, Osaquen morphs pairs of them to enable him to show obeisance to one he knows of only in whispers voiced by his mother, Lloth, in the deepest darkness of her hidden prayers.

     Shai Hulu'ud: "The one you ask of, that defeated the Txiirosest and had to destroy the closest moon in order to do so is known to me. Her name was deliberately kept from all records, even those in the Lost Library at Carcosa, only in the Library of Creation was her name and deed recorded. This was done to protect her, not to shame her. Billions died when the moon was shattered, and yet this was a lesser evil that had to be in order to stop a far greater evil from coming to be. One that could have brought down this entire Realm."

     Desidarius whispers, "She fought for something, didn't she, or more accurately, she fought to keep something from the Txiirosest. And in the death of those billions and the utter destruction of the moon, she was chosen instead."

     Shai Hulu'ud: "Yes, daughter. For it was I who sent her to intercept the Txiirosest, and even I could not foresee what would happen. Or what lengths I would be required to go to in order to shield her. But now she has awakened, and is ready to take the 'gift' she earned on that dark day. Come forth, for a short time, Shivista, my child. Come and accept the mantle of the 'Dark Paladin'. A mantle that has remained empty since that time, and now waits for you to claim."

     A dark halo surrounds Iriisii and shifts to remove itself from her. Once separated it solidifies into a young woman, no more than twenty to twenty-five years as Rigmor figures. Her face is exotic, her eyes not red to go with her dusky skin, but a brilliant silver. A silver so deep some of those fortunate enough to have been close to her have nearly lost themselves in their depths. Her physical body, many would call perfect, but to her it is whatever she feels and desires it to be. She forms a sheer robe of a smoky gray to maintain the decorum she has built over the time she has spent with Iriisii and lately with Rigmor. She then steps to where she feels Shai Hulu'ud's presence is manifesting and kneels down on both knees, then bowing to him, placing her forehead on the resin-like floor surface.

     Shivista: "I humbly greet thee Father, it has been too long since last we spoke."

     Shai Hulu'ud: "I feel the same my Daughter, even as we knew this had to be the way our lives went forward. Are you ready to take up the mantle you earned so long ago?"

     Shivista: "Will I have to separate myself from Iriisii? I have come to feel as a sister to her. The only sister I have known since that time. I feel she knows me even now and accepts me as I am. She does not revile me for the darkness that dwells within me, but would rather seek to heal me of my pain. I sometimes feel in the lonely deeps of my remorse and grief, she would take me to a place where my own destiny awaits me, and I can find that supremely sublime moment that I feel is waiting for me."

     Shai Hulu'ud: "I know of the dreams you have dreamed, of what the Dream Seers have whispered to you. They try to help you deal with what happened so long ago and what it cost you. And so they have petitioned the Ageless Ones on your behalf. They feel you have more than paid the price for the sundering. It was they that asked me to place you within Iriisii to be her dark soul, the one to balance her, and help set her feet on the Path the Ageless One want her to walk. And so that she would carry you to your destiny as she walks to her own."

     Shivista: "And so the 'Mantle of the Dark Paladin' is but a step on the Path of my Destiny?"

     Shai Hulu'ud: "Just so."

     Shivista: "Then tell me what I must do to become the Dark Paladin."

     Shai Hulu'ud brings out a small gemstone, swirling with the colors that only those truly of the dark can see and know. His pale, translucent hand reaches from the place where he gazes over his charges and places it gently in her hand.

     Shai Hulu'ud: "When you are ready, swallow the gem, and absorb the mantle within you, become the Dark Paladin. And know that my pride in you, my daughter, will be greater than it has ever before been, and it will only be your sister who will engender a greater pride, for she will go and do what no others have dreamed of doing. And when the time comes for you and her to part ways, know she will understand the decision you make and be willing to stand and defend you against all detractors. As a true Daughter of Shai Hulu'ud would do for her sister."

     Shivista raises her head to her Father, Shai Hulu'ud, tears running down her face. She raises a hand to feel them, marveling in the warmth and wetness of them. For she has not shed tears since the sundering, more than a billion years past. For then she shed the last tears she had in grief and remorse for the lives of all those lost and living on that moon when she shattered it, among them her mother and two sisters. The Honor Stones of their lives, marking where they fell, still circling up somewhere in that band of floating rocks. Where she built the cairns over their bodies and carved the story of their lives on the rock that became their Honor Stones.

     And unknown to her, at this very moment, Shai Hulu'ud was standing next to those very stones, as he reached out and touched Shivista's mother's stone, remembering the life they had together before he was called to the post he now serves. He kneels and touching the stones of his only other Daughters, save for Iriisii, he grieves for the necessity of what had to happen. For had he not sent Shivista, and she did as she did. This entire Realm, with its billions times billions of lives would have all fallen, and possibly other Realms would have fallen as well before the one whose 'name still cannot be spoken' could have been banished into the 'Utter Darkness Outside', a place beyond time, beyond space, even beyond the Void itself. He hears a whispering voice that he once and still desires to hear more than any other.

     Siluris: "It is good to once more visit with you my love. Please do not feel to grieve so, it has been far too long to carry such a weight even for what was done here. As to that, we all who passed from here, know why it had to be. You nor our daughter bear any blame for that. The blame goes to he who went in search of that relic, and to the unholy bastard that first created it, then cast it aside for no other purpose but for it to cause such as what happened here, to cause so much pain, heartbreak, mayhem, and destruction. Yet it is given to us to know and we pass this knowledge to you, that 'he' will meet his fate at the hands of another 'Daughter' of yours. That will bring her into the sight of those who will change her destiny. And it will bring her to a time and a place where the absolute greatest possible gift will be hers to give to all of that which is the EXISTENCE of INFINITY itself. This gift will outweigh all of the pain, grief, sorrow that went before. All will be washed away and allowed to begin anew down a different path. You will be remembered for your continuing effort and work to bring this about. And we who paid the ultimate price to help bring this about will be honored as well, for our sacrifice. For the Great Balance directs that the greatest of gifts must be paid for with the greatest of sacrifices. And our sacrifice will pay the cost of that greatest gift."

     Shai Hulu'ud: "I can only pray that it will be enough."

     Siluris: "It is enough, my love. We have been assured of that. For as it will be your last Daughter who will bring this about, so have the Ageless Ones also claimed her as their Daughter as well. And showed us how in the very beginning of all they set her birth in motion. And so of all the names, titles, accolades she will earn, the greatest of these will be Daughter of the Ageless Ones and Daughter of Shai Hulu'ud."

     Shai Hulu'ud: "I have prayed since that time that there was a purpose behind it, that it was not just some demented desire on the part of those who set it in motion, then sat back and watched. Now I can go forward with a renewed spirit in my heart, knowing that the 'ending of all' will be greater than the 'beginning of all' was. That the words of ETERNITY and INFINITY are not just words, but are real and command everything."

     Siluris: "They are real my love. They are why so much has been done and is being done now to keep the 'Path of Balance' alive. We have done our part, as you are in the midst of doing yours, and your Daughter is gathering those around her to do hers when she takes the reins. Others do their parts, as still other prepare to do theirs. And we will await you in the Great Beyond when your time comes to pass through."

     Shai Hulu'ud: "But how? I am a God, am I not forbidden to pass into the Great Beyond?"

     Siluris: "Your Daughter will forge many new paths, and for the Gods to pass Beyond will be one of them. This one is needed most importantly, for when Existence is born once again, for it to have a new path, the old Gods must pass Beyond. There must be not one left to influence what is to be, but for she who will be its mother. For she will set its course according to the Balance, then all will truly be a new beginning."

     Rigmor: "This is all well and good, but where do we go from here?"

     Desidarius: "Shivista, will you stay outside for a bit or return to Iriisii?"

     Shivista: "I do not know what is to be allowed me in this regard."

     Iriisii: "I have no problem with you staying outside for a bit, but should we run into a problem, I will need you with me then. Desidarius, what should we know of what inhabits these...tunnels?"

     Desidarius: "We are within the root system of what seems to be a gigantic tree. I am sorry that I cannot be more informative, as I have never been outside of these root tunnels. In fact, I have never heard of one who has been. As far as what lives here, I have only seen them from a distance. I do not bother them and they do not bother me. With this relic in hand however, I do not know if its presence will change anything. I hope that we can make it to the next portal before we encounter anything, native or not."

     Iriisii: "Lead the way then and we will follow. If we meet anything let Desidarius handle it and follow her lead."

     They gather themselves together and start walking.

     Rigmor: "How long until the next portal opens?"

     Desidarius: "About three hours or close to it, hard to determine passing time in a place like this. We will be in the location well before the portal opens."

     They notice every now and then smaller tunnels branching out from the main they are walking in.. Some are so small they can barely be seen. But they see no signs of activity around any of these. As they come to a equal branch, they see some faint scratch marks that look quite old.

     Desidarius: "We turn here and take this side branch."

     Rigmor: "How do you know?"

     Desidarius: "I made these scratches the last time I came through here to mark my trail. As long as you do not go deep enough to damage the root system, they will be ignored. Your next question is what happens if you actually damage the root system, you really do not want to know. Just accept my word you do not want to do that."

     They sometimes hear sounds either within the walls or on the other side, and they sound...well no one can tell what they sound like, and that has Desidarius on edge.

     Desidarius: "Everyone be as silent as you can in walking. I have never before heard sounds through these walls and I do not like hearing them now, especially not in the current circumstances. We will be at the portal point in about a half hour, then we quietly settle down and wait. I cannot stress this enough to be silent."

     Iriisii nods her head, along with Shivista, Rigmor however does not like to be told what to do in any situation. Iriisii knowing this, grabs her attention and makes a motion like gagging Rigmor if she opens her mouth. This sends her into putting a severe 'pout' look on her face, while her eyes say, 'you will pay for this later'. Iriisii at this point truly does not care, because she knew when this started that such methods might be needed to curb Rigmor's nature. If she wants to bring it up later, well, Iriisii can dish it out as good as Rigmor can when it is needed. And because Iriisii does not feel that most of Rigmor's tantrums do not rise to that level. She lets them go, but this is not one of those times, and she will do what she feels she must to protect her from herself.

     Just a few minutes later, a short figure appears before one of the walls. No one saw him appear and as Iriisii goes back and watches what occurred, slowing down time, she sees the figure extruding itself from the wall. Desidarius uses a language of whistles, clicks, and pops, along with hand gestures to speak with the figure,    

     Desidarius: "We intend no harm, but rather wait until the next portal opens."

     Twillex: "We the hive mind of the Twillex ask what you intend for the relic of the Glassman that you hold?"

     Desidarius: "We desire to take it to an Outer Rift for it to be destroyed."

     Twillex: "This is a good thing, one worth defending. We will protect all of you from those who want the relic. May the O'hys'nyir watch over you."

     The Twillex then vanishes as quickly as he appeared. Iriisii is ready this time and slows time so she can observe. This time she sees him reverse his extrusion and be reabsorbed back into the wall. Desidarius is shocked by the meeting as well as what he said, the ramifications of it beyond any lore known of this place.

     She whispers to herself, 'Did I hear him right, he called upon the 'O'hys'nyir' to watch over us.'

     Iriisii: "Who are they? The ones he mentioned."

     Desidarius: Almost no one remembers them anymore. I once came across an obelisk with an altar before it. That  name was chiseled in the stone of the obelisk. I asked some Elders I knew about it. They told me that it was a name not spoken since the earliest times of Existence. It was thought to be the name of a core group of beings that brought all of existence into being and then raised up the Ageless Ones to oversee it during its life. That that which lives here remembers them well enough to call for their blessing...I just do not understand how that could be."

     Iriisii: "We will have time to think about that and what it my mean later. For now I think the battle is ramping up. We should be ready for either the portal opening or the fight crossing through the walls into this area."

     Desidarius: "You are right of course. Everyone, one thing is near certain to happen, the portal will open or the the fight out there will spill over into here. We need to be ready for either situation. So draw your weapons and keep them ready. We will see what happens first."

     Rigmor: "We are just going to desert our allies?"

     Desidarius: "This is what they want for us to do. They want us to go through that portal and continue on to destroy the relic. Those out there who came here and are fighting, came for one thing. That being to take the relic and claim it for their own. We have no way to know just how bad things would get if any of them claimed this thing. But I will say this especially to you, if you want to save your mother, and then go on to have a life with her. Destroying this relic is for right now the only path that will take you there."

     Rigmor: "And you know this how?"

     Desidarius: "I am Desidarius! I have lost none of the power I held before I 'fell', and since that time I have gained so much more! My name is spoken in the Hells and the Abyss with both reverence and fear. I have been courted by all levels of the Nobility of the Dark, from Counts and Dukes to Kings and Emperors, and even Gods! I am a FORCE to be RECKONED WITH. And if there is something I really want, I have the patience to wait for as long as needed to acquire it. I do not have to explain myself to you, you can either accept what I say as true or believe whatever you otherwise wish, I care not. But remember this, I...HAVE...NO...REASON...TO...LIE..TO...YOU! No reason whatsoever."

     Osaquen: Listen to her, she is many things encompassing the 'Dark' but one thing she is not is a liar. Her word is 'good' and is accepted as such by every power of the 'Dark' that exists."

     Rigmor looks at Iriisii to see her reaction, and it is not what she expected.

     Iriisii: "Do not look to me to get you out of what you have put yourself into. She is being very patient and gracious with you, and you keep pushing the limits. No, you will listen to me! She has in no way threatened you. Instead she has gone out of her way to explain what is going on around you. But even she has limits on what she will withstand from you, and you are fast approaching them. As to what I intend to do if you push too far? I will simply ask that you be sent back to Riften to wait for us to finish what we have started. And then I will see this to the end. I have allowed your abhorrent manners and passed them off due to what happened to you in the past. But it is time you grew out of that, you are no longer a child, and so more is expected of you. It will only get harder from here on out. You had better get used to it. Or you will not last long on this road."

     Desidarius does not comment on what Iriisii said, she feels that she said quite enough and said it very eloquently. Shivista stands aside from all of this, but she too agrees with both Desidarius and Iriisii. She is far older than any of the four others here, even with their ages combined. But she knows from her own experience just how right Iriisii and Desidarius are in this, and if Rigmor cannot learn this simple truth, the shame is on her.

     The fighting sounds like it is going to break through the wall when the portal opens. Desidarius standing nearest feels a wind so biting cold that it burns her exposed skin. Almost she decides to try for another portal than risk what may be waiting, for this was not what she felt the last time she came this way some fifteen hundred years ago.

     Desidarius: "It is now or never, we take this one or hope we can make it to another before the fighting breaks through."

     Shivista: "What is wrong? What so you feel from the portal?"

     Desidarius: "Cold, a biting cold strong enough to burn with a touch! What do you make of it?"

     Shivista goes and feels it for herself, soon pulling her hand and arm back to see frost has formed on both.

     Shivista: "It was not this way the last time you came?"

     Desidarius: "No."

     Rigmor is starting to get impatient, wanting this to be over.

     Iriisii: "Hold your tongue, there is something they seek to understand on the other side of the portal. Let them figure it out so we do not place ourselves in a worse situation than what we have now."

     Rigmor backs off but does not like things as they are.

     Shivista: "The 'White Frost', it must be!"

     Desidarius: "What is this 'White Frost' you speak of?"

     Shivista: "I cannot say what it is because no one really knows for certain. What is known is that certain worlds involved in a Celestial Conjunction, where parts of their individual Realms overlap and are for a short while melded. This allows inhabitants, both sentient and animal, to be swapped between worlds with no rhyme or reason who or what is chosen or where they will end up. Somehow there is, a 'force' is the best answer anyone has, that wanders from world to world involved in this Conjunction. It consumes everything on each world, leaving them frozen and buried in snow and ice. The cold has been described by those who have escaped to be like that said to exist in the dark between the stars. There is more to this but we should not need to worry about it if the world is already frozen. But we will have to find shelter quickly and move from place to place even faster to keep from being frozen ourselves trying to get to the next portal."

     Desidarius: "I can cast a shield around us to protect us as we go through."

     Shivista: "It will help give us time, but no shield will keep the 'Cold' away from us. It will stay on us until we leave."

     Desidarius: "Then the sooner we go the sooner we can leave. Let us go then. Nothing further to be gained by waiting."

     They pass through and enter the exact opposite of a 'hellworld' only this is not anyone's idea of a paradise. Their shield is keeping the worst of the 'cold' out or Rigmor would already be a frozen icicle. Looking around all they see is snow and ice, in a few places there are the tops of tall buildings not yet covered. Desidarius uses her senses to locate the next portal point and sees it is below the snow surface. Finding a tall building, with an accessible entry, she directs everyone's attention to it.

     Desidarius: "There, that one lone building top off to the right is where we are going. We will have to go in through a window of which there appears to be a few we can get to. When we get there we will see if there are any open, if not we will have to break in. The portal point should be inside and down. At least we will be out of the wind."

     Rigmor: "What happened here?"

     Desidarius: "The 'White Frost' claimed it. There is nothing left alive on this entire world. Whether any escaped before the snow and ice completely took it, I do not know. But I doubt everyone got free. We might find some bodies left, but they will be frozen solid and brittle. As to how I know there is no one alive here? It took a number of years for the snow and ice to reach this high. The distance to the ground is hundreds of feet. And it is like this across the entire surface of this world."

     Rigmor in a breathless voice, "By the Gods!'

     Desidarius: "The Gods had nothing to do with this. In fact, the level of the Gods that are given the task to watch over worlds like this one, are not strong enough to stop this."

     Rigmor: "Are any of them strong enough?"

     Desidarius: "Those at the highest levels, the Ageless Ones, a very few just below them. The Ageless Ones cannot interfere without doing even more catastrophic damage if they do, and so this goes on."

     Rigmor: "There must be something that can be done?"

     Desidarius: "A few individuals can turn its path, but they cannot do more than that. And they cannot keep turning it every time it approaches a world. They would soon fail, and what would they have gained. No, but there is hope of one that could stop it. Only that one still has a long road to go until they are capable of accomplishing that feat. All that can be done is to wait until they are ready."

     Rigmor: "Who is it? Where are they?"

     Desidarius: "I do not know the particulars, only that the one has not advanced enough yet to be acknowledged. The 'one' must first pass from mortality into immortality in order to begin the path that would need to be taken."

     Rigmor: "You mean they must become a god first."

     Desidarius: "Exactly. Until that happens none will know who it is. That is to protect them and further their chances of accomplishing it. I have said all I know."

     Rigmor: "But not all you suspect."

     Desidarius: "No, not all I suspect. But I have said all that I will say on this."

     Desidarius starts walking on the ice patches and the others are forced to follow. Moving from one ice patch to another they make their way to the exposed top of the building. As they reach it, they find a snow drift on the other side that lets them climb up on the flat top of the building. Rigmor figures out from watching the wind drive the snow, that is why the roof is not piled up with snow. There is a small upright box on top with a door. Desidarius figures it is frozen shut and so will need to have heat applied to it to unseal it.

     Desidarius: "We will need to expand the shield to cover this door. We will further need to apply fire magic to it to unfreeze it so that we can open and enter."

     Shivista: "Wait, if you can make a shadow to cover the door. I can slip inside and force the door from there."

     Desidarius: "You intend to use shadow to release the grip the ice has on it?"

     Shivista: "Yes, a better solution than to use fire. The heat would bleed off into the surrounding structure and the wind would carry it away from there. It would take a very large amount of heat very quickly applied to stand any chance of allowing us to open it."

     Desidarius: "You are quite right about that. Very well, placing shadows on the door is within my knowledge and capability."

     Desidarius reaches within herself and summons the shadows that will answer her call. They flow from her physical body and cover the door. Shivista then steps to the door, gathers her will, ability to merge with the shadows, and her knowledge of using shadows, to bend them to her will and desire. She disappears into the shadows and reappears inside. Ignoring the cold, outside of the wind it is bearable, she then moves the shadows to slide between the metal of the door and the ice that had grown in the space. She shifts those same shadows and the ice begins to crack and slip from that space. She uses the shadows to look inside the door itself, to the mechanical pieces of the door knob and lock. Not overly difficult once the ice is cleared and using the shadows as a lubricant, the door opens with her push. The wind tries to grab it but it is still within the shield. She bids all to enter and when the last passes, she closes the door and pulls the shadows back. The door freezes shut once more and Desidarius disperses the shadows back to the dark realm she summoned them from.

     Desidarius: "You have taught me a great deal of what more the shadows can do that many others are unaware of. I thank you for the lesson."

     Shivista: "I welcome the chance to pass on what I have learned."

     Desidarius conjures a light and lets it float above them.

     Desidarius: "Come on, we need to find our way down, hopefully without getting hurt on slippery surfaces."

     They walk down the empty corridors, doors on either side. The sounds of their feet crunching in the snow that has managed to find its way inside.

     Rigmor: "What are we looking for?"

     Desidarius: "Some form of stairs. There should be a door giving entry. It will look different from these others, so keep an eye out for anything that looks different. And do not touch anything with your bare skin, if you do you will likely be leaving some as a sacrifice."

     Shivista: "She is right, once objects get this cold, any moisture on your skin will freeze to the object. The cold will travel through your flesh freezing it as it goes. The only way to save your life then is to rip you away and leave whatever flesh that the cold will hold on to."

     Rigmor definitely does not want to try it out and see if Desidarius was being truthful, so she keeps her hands in her gloves, and stays away from anything she might accidentally touch. Soon enough they spot a different kind of door, this one in a sheltered alcove off of the long corridor.

     Rigmor: "What about this door? It is different from these others and put away from them as well."

     Desidarius: "No, this is not the right kind of door. This would open into a kind of moving floor that traveled between the levels up and down. If the cabin is not on this floor, even if you could force it open you would only see a shaft similar to a mine shaft. From here you would only see down to where it rested when it was frozen in place. The one we want should have a large sign on it. What it says makes no difference, as it is not in a language we can read."

     Rigmor shrugs her shoulders and they keep moving. Soon they come upon the kind of door Desidarius is looking for.

     Desidarius: "Here is what we are looking for. See the large bar mounted on the door rather than the smaller levers on the others? Now we have to get it open, it may be possible to push the bar and open it. These inside spaces have been exposed to the cold but not the winds which can make things freeze up faster and harder."

     Iriisii is wearing leather lined gauntlets, so she volunteers to give it a try. She uses her dragonsoul's senses to feel the bar and try to know how much pressure to apply to possibly open the door without breaking it. Remembering that all of this metal can be brittle when it gets cold enough. Once she has gotten a good feel for it, she sets the muscles of her arms to push along with her body. Placing her hands at the ends of the bar that seems stronger than the center part, she gathers herself for a sudden hard push. She places her hands just a few inches away from the metal ends, then with a surge, shoves against the bar, her gauntleted hands only coming into contact for a fraction of a second.

     They hear a 'snap' next to where the bar is on the door and the wall to its side. The door is pushed open a few feet, while Iriisii is standing, cradling her hands. Just that short contact outside of the shield is enough to numb the feeling in her hands and up her arms, making her glad for the shield extending to under their feet as they were walking.

     Rigmor goes to her, "Are you all right?"

     Iriisii: "Yes, the extreme cold has numbed my hands and lower arms. The feeling is coming back now, thank you."

     Rigmor: "But you only touched it through your lined gauntlets and only for a part of a second."

     Iriisii: "I know, but the cold is so 'powerful', so deep, that it can numb in just that short a time. I hesitate to think if my hands had not been protected by the gauntlets and especially the lining. The shield has been protecting our feet as we walk or we likely would not have gotten but a few steps before we lost them to frostbite. This is why it is important when going into unknown territory to be careful and protect yourself from every possible form of harm, and find out all that is known of an area before entering it.

     I used my dragonsoul's senses to read the door and bar, to know just how to hit it and open it in the shortest time, and you still see the effect it had on me. Imagine if I would have used bare hands or hit it somewhere more brittle. I could have at best lost my hands to the cold, and possibly more."

     Rigmor: "I understand now, and will be more careful about listening before speaking."

     Desidarius nods her head in agreement with Iriisii, and her skillful use of this as a teaching moment. Once full feeling has been restored to Iriisii's hands, Rigmor asks how they are going to finish opening the door so they can pass by it. Iriisii solves that problem quite handily.

     Iriisii standing in front of the frozen door, "FUS RO".

     She watches as the door is pushed completely open, yet remains on its hinges, although where the outside part of the bar on the rear side is now permanently embedded in the wall.

     Desidarius: "Well done, one word would not be enough, but two was enough without being too much. Many of the Tongues of Old never learned how to employ anything other than full force. It was one reason for their defeat at Red Mountain, not the only one, but one of many. We need to descend these steps. We have a long way to go, so be very careful."

     After some time has passed, how much, no one is sure. Time seems to move differently here under these conditions. However they do finally make it to the bottom. This timer rather than risk a repeat of Iriisii damaging her hands to open this one, Desidarius just has her blow it off of its hinges. Knowing there is nothing alive here, and this door does not open to the outside, there should be no harm in its destruction. This time Iriisii does use the full shout and the door rockets off of its hinges and buries half of its length into the wall facing the door.

     Desidarius: "The power of your shouts is growing, with a little more time and training, they could be devastating weapons of war."

     Iriisii: "Where would such training be found? I only know of the Greybeards of High Hrothgar."

     Desidarius: "There are others, although finding them would be a challenge in itself. But they do exist, after all someone had to train Ulfric in order for him to use one against Torygg. However if you should wish to avail yourself of their training, i can set you on the path to a few of them. You would need to see more than one, since none have mastery over all of the words. You are the closest to that pinnacle than any of the others that have ever been."

     Rigmor: "Seriously? She has a greater span of knowledge of these 'Rotmulaag' than any of the previous dragonborn?"

     Desidarius: 'Yes, she does. Only the previous 'Thunderchildren' even come close. And she outstrips their knowledge. This is on a one-to-one basis, grouping several others together could equal the knowledge she alone has. Should she choose her lifepath correctly, her Thu'um could grow in power to outstrip any and all others who use that skill, including all dragons. It would not surprise me if many would not abase themselves to her, declaring her their Elder. Something that has never before happened in the history of all Nirn's Kalpas, or even the Realms outside. And yes, dragons do exist outside of Nirn. Where did you think they went to after Alduin was banished and the Dragonguard starting hunting them in earnest? They sought sanctuary with their kin in the outside Realms. And always found ways to stay abreast of the news that concerned them."

     Turning to Iriisii.

     Desidarius: "Should you ever find your way to those Realms, know that the Dragons out there know your name and eagerly await the chance to know who you are and who you will become. They seek someone to gather them together, that can stand above them and lead them. To such a one, there are no limits to what you can do, where you can go, who you can become. Many are those who have sought to deceive them on this, so you will have to prove yourself. But once you have done that, they are yours forever more. There is more I can tell you, but it needs to wait until we have completed this task, then ask of me and I will tell you."