If you want to read 20 Chapters ahead and more, be sure to check out my P-Tang12!!!
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(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
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The two massive Frost Atronachs let out deep, grinding roars of shifting ice and charged heavily across the stone platform, shaking the very foundations of the cavern as they barreled directly toward Aerion. Aerion stood perfectly still, his golden eyes narrowing. He dismissed the lightning and the frost from his hands. He reached into his spatial void, his transmigrator mind calculating the exact, devastating counter measure required for heavy elemental armor. 'Let us see how ice fares against the divine,' Aerion smiled coldly.
He reached deep into his spatial void, his transmigrator mind calling upon the divine.
With a brilliant, blinding flash of pure, concentrated sunlight, Dawnbreaker materialized in his right hand. The legendary artifact of Meridia blazed to life, its golden crossguard cutting through the freezing mist of the Atronachs like a beacon of absolute holy wrath.
The Master Necromage, who was desperately clutching his burned face behind his elemental bodyguards, gasped aloud. The sheer, radiating holy energy pulsing from the unique sword was palpable even from a distance, making the dark, necrotic magic in his own body violently recoil.
"Tear him apart!" the Master shrieked frantically.
The first Frost Atronach lunged, swinging a massive, jagged fist of solid glacial ice in a devastating, horizontal sweep intended to crush Aerion against the cavern wall.
Aerion's transmigrator reflexes, fundamentally limitless despite his numeric reset, fired flawlessly. He ducked smoothly beneath the crushing blow, the heavy ice fist shattering the stone pillar directly behind him. Using the momentum of his evasion, Aerion stepped inside the construct's guard and swung Dawnbreaker in a brutal, upward diagonal slash.
The divine blade did not bounce off the ice. The holy, undead purifying energy of Meridia violently conflicted with the Daedric binding holding the frozen entity together. Dawnbreaker cleaved cleanly through the Atronach's thick torso, the sheer heat and divine light instantly flash melting the glacial ice and severing the magical tether.
The massive Frost Atronach staggered violently, letting out a horrific, grinding shriek before its structural integrity completely collapsed, exploding into a shower of harmless snow and shattered ice chunks.
But the second Atronach was already upon him.
It brought both of its massive fists down in a crushing overhead hammer blow. Aerion threw himself to the side, executing a desperate evasive roll across the stone floor.
The ice fists smashed into the ground where he had just been standing, sending a localized shockwave of freezing frost magic radiating outward.
A jagged shard of ice clipped Aerion's thigh as he rolled, slicing through his dark robes and drawing a sharp, stinging line of blood.
Aerion ignored the light wound. He popped back to his feet, entirely abandoning defense. He thrust his left hand forward, channeling the absolute maximum output of his newly reset, infinitely scaling Destruction (Fire) Skill.
A massive, superheated sphere of Incinerate plasma erupted from his palm, slamming directly into the center of the remaining Frost Atronach's chest at point blank range.
Simultaneously, Aerion lunged forward, driving Dawnbreaker cleanly through the center of the fireball and deep into the core of the elemental.
The combination of apocalyptic thermal energy and pure Daedric light instantly overwhelmed the construct. The second Frost Atronach violently melted into a massive puddle of boiling water, completely neutralized.
Aerion stepped through the rising steam, his golden eyes locking onto the Master Necromage.
The late middle aged Nord was backing away rapidly, his heavily burned face pale with absolute, unadulterated terror. He had just watched a towering High Elf effortlessly dismantle two master level Daedric summons in less than thirty seconds using a sword that radiated the light of the sun.
Realizing his elemental shields were gone and his destruction magic had been outclassed, the Master Necromage made a desperate, highly erratic tactical pivot.
He raised both of his hands. With a sharp, hissing crackle of Conjuration magic, two ethereal, shimmering purple Daedric swords materialized in his grasp. The Bound Swords hummed with dark, otherworldly energy in the dim cavern.
The Master Necromage dropped into a low, aggressively wide combat stance, fully preparing to contend against Aerion in close quarters melee combat.
Aerion stopped his advance. He looked at the fragile, robe wearing, heavily burned mage holding two glowing purple swords.
Aerion let out a sudden, rich, highly melodic laugh that echoed mockingly across the stone platform. It was a sound of pure, aristocratic disbelief.
"You intend to cross blades with me?" Aerion chuckled, casually lowering the tip of Dawnbreaker to rest against the stone floor. He looked at the Necromage with an expression of profound, calculating pity. "I must advise you to simply drop the conjurations and accept your fate. You are a scholar of the dead, not a blademaster."
The Master Necromage snorted, spitting a wad of bloody phlegm onto the stone floor. The sheer, desperate arrogance of an expert mage stubbornly clung to him.
"Do not be so arrogant, Elf," the Master sneered, tightening his grip on the ethereal purple hilts. "I have survived the crypts of Skyrim for thirty years. I can still turn this situation entirely around."
Aerion's smile vanished, entirely replaced by a mask of cold, lethal execution.
"Perhaps you could have, had you utilized the brief window my Atronachs provided to cast Dead Thrall and raise the fallen mages around you," Aerion responded softly, his voice chilling the air. "You possess the mastery of necromancy, yet you abandon your greatest strength in a panic to swing a blade. By choosing melee combat... you have just thrown your life entirely into Oblivion."
Aerion moved.
He did not run, he simply blurred. Engaging his massive Stamina pool, Aerion crossed the distance between them in a single, terrifying surge of speed.
The Master Necromage swung the right Bound Sword in a frantic, desperate horizontal slash aimed at Aerion's neck.
Aerion parried it effortlessly with Dawnbreaker, the divine golden blade sparking violently against the ethereal purple conjuration. The sheer, overwhelming physical density of the High Elf completely overpowered the older Nord.
But the Master Necromage was a veteran of the magical underworld. He possessed one final, highly deceptive trick.
Instead of swinging his left Bound Sword, the Master suddenly released his mental grip on the weapon. The ethereal purple blade instantly vanished into thin air.
With his left hand suddenly free, the Necromage thrust his palm directly toward Aerion's chest at point blank range, a concentrated, superheated bolt of Incinerate already flaring to life.
It was a brilliant, lethal feint that would have instantly killed a lesser swordsman.
But Aerion's transmigrator reflexes were operating on a vastly superior, hyper analytical plane of existence.
Aerion saw the ambient magicka shifting before the spell was even fully formed. He sidestepped with flawless, fluid grace, slipping completely off the centerline. The blast of superheated fire streaked harmlessly past his right shoulder, singeing the edges of his dark robes.
Using the momentum of the dodge, Aerion violently twisted Dawnbreaker, completely deflecting the Necromage's remaining right sword downward.
The Master Necromage stumbled forward, his guard completely shattered, his chest wide open.
Aerion thrust Dawnbreaker forward in a brutal, blindingly fast lunge. The divine blade sank deeply into the center of the Necromage's chest, cleanly piercing his heart. Before the master could even scream, Aerion violently wrenched the blade sideways, slashing outward in a devastating arc that severed the man's ribs and lungs.
The Master Necromage's eyes went wide with absolute shock. He coughed up a massive spray of dark red blood, the glowing purple Bound Sword vanishing from his right hand as his life force instantly failed.
Aerion smoothly withdrew the divine blade, lifting his heavy leather boot and kicking the dying mage squarely in the chest. The Master Necromage collapsed backward, hitting the stone floor with a heavy, final thud, completely and permanently neutralized.
"Arrogance is a fatal flaw," Aerion murmured coldly, flicking the blood from the golden blade.
Down in the lower sections of the cavern, the chaotic sounds of battle were rapidly fading into silence.
Jenassa and Aeloria had ruthlessly, systematically cleared out the surviving novice and adept mages, alongside the remaining undead bandit thralls. Aeloria's newly acquired Axe of Morthal had proven to be an absolute, devastating force of nature.
The heavy steel head cleaved through the enemy ranks, the red arcane runes leaving trails of cauterized, burning flesh in her wake. Jenassa had moved like a ghost through the smoke, her iron daggers and Frost Steel Sword perfectly silencing any mage attempting to cast from the rear.
The cavern was finally quiet, save for the crackling of localized magical fires and the rushing of the underground river.
Aerion, Jenassa, and Aeloria converged in the center of the ruined stone platform. The three of them stood in silence for a long moment, taking several deep, heavy breaths as the intense adrenaline of the ambush finally began to bleed from their systems.
Aerion sheathed Dawnbreaker, looking over his team.
"Let's heal the injuries first," Aerion said softly.
He raised his hands, tapping into his newly reset Restoration (Healing) skill. A soothing, brilliant wave of golden light washed over the three of them, instantly closing the shallow cut on his thigh and mending his torn robes.
Aeloria let out a deeply contented sigh as the magical warmth washed over her. Remarkably, the Dragonborn had sustained the absolute lightest injuries of the entire group.
The heavy, masterfully forged plates of her new Steel Plate armor had perfectly absorbed the glancing blows of iron daggers and the splash damage of novice destruction spells, deflecting the kinetic impacts effortlessly from her torso to her boots. The only damage she had sustained were a few minor, superficial scratches across her face, and the dull, lingering ache of blunt force impact against the thick steel padding.
Aerion's magic erased the scratches instantly, leaving her face flawless once more.
"That steel suits you perfectly, Aeloria," Aerion praised smoothly, lowering his hands as the healing aura faded. "You held the frontline like an absolute fortress."
"It's incredible, Aerion! The weight is significant, but it stops a bandit's axe dead in its tracks," Aeloria grinned, playfully knocking a gauntleted fist against her solid steel breastplate. "I barely felt a thing."
"Excellent. Keep your guard raised regardless," Aerion advised pragmatically. He turned his golden eyes toward the corpse of the Master Necromage. "Now, we should loot around a bit."
Aerion approached the fallen master, utilizing the flawless, reality-warping mechanics of his spatial system. He crouched beside the scorched body, his hands moving with the practiced efficiency of a master thief.
A master of the dark arts was a walking treasure trove of highly valuable, late game arcane commodities, and Aerion did not intend to leave a single septim behind.
The golden text of his interface cascaded rapidly in his peripheral vision.
[Items Stored: Black Soul Gem (Filled) x4]
Aerion's eyes widened slightly in genuine, profound satisfaction. Filled Black Soul Gems were incredibly rare, holding the massive, trapped souls of sentient beings. They were the absolute pinnacle requirement for creating the highest tier, maximum strength magical enchantments.
Securing four of them in a single sweep was a massive logistical victory.
[Item Stored: Gold Coin Pouch (452 Septims)]
[Item Stored: Gold Ruby Ring (Fortify Magicka)]
[Item Stored: Iron Garnet Ring (Fortify Conjuration & Magicka Regen)]
[Inventory Weight Increased by 0.54 KG. Current Max Weight: 78.16 / 540 KG]
He then stood up from the corpse, walking over to a heavy, iron banded wooden chest resting near the stone altar. He picked the rusted lock effortlessly, popping the lid open.
Inside, resting on a bed of decaying straw, were five glowing blue glass vials.
[Items Stored: Potion of Minor Magicka x3]
[Items Stored: Potion of Plentiful Magicka x2]
[Inventory Weight Increased by 1.10 KG. Current Max Weight: 79.26 / 540 KG]
He absorbed the potions instantly, replenishing his emergency arcane reserves.
Meanwhile, Jenassa and Aeloria had finished sweeping the bodies of the lesser mages and the destroyed thralls scattered across the lower platforms. Like the previous skirmish, they returned with a few stray coin purses and low quality gems.
"Keep the spoils," Aerion commanded smoothly before they could even offer them up. "Consider it bonus pay like the previous one. You have more than earned it."
Both women offered appreciative nods, securing their personal loot.
"We are not finished here," Aerion stated, his gaze drifting toward a massive, dark archway leading out of the cavern room. "The true depths of the crypt await. Stay sharp. We are transitioning from the domain of the living into the domain of the ancient dead."
They left the ruined cavern behind, walking through the towering stone archway. The architecture immediately shifted. The relatively smooth, open caverns of the entrance gave way to tight, claustrophobic stone hallways lined with ancient, intricately carved Nordic burial urns and decaying wooden support beams.
They walked in silence for several minutes, the air growing noticeably colder and vastly more stagnant.
As they navigated a winding stone corridor, the flickering light of Aeloria's axe illuminated a gruesome sight. Scattered across the floor of the hallway were the brutally mangled, dead bodies of three black robed rogue mages.
However, unlike the previous encounters, these mages had not been killed by fire or steel. They had been literally torn apart, their bodies displaying massive, jagged lacerations and crushing blunt force trauma that completely shattered their ribs.
"These wounds..." Jenassa noted, crouching near a body. "They weren't made by a sword. They look like they were struck by massive, ancient iron."
Suddenly, the unmistakable, echoing sounds of a violent, desperate battle drifted up from the descending stone stairs directly ahead of them.
The sharp crackle of destruction magic was entirely drowned out by the terrifying, guttural, echoing roars of ancient, rotting lungs.
Aerion instantly raised a closed fist, signaling a halt.
"The mages have breached the inner sanctums," Aerion whispered, his golden eyes narrowing in tactical calculation. "They have awakened the true guardians of Ustengrav. They are fighting the Draugr."
He crept forward, leading Jenassa and Aeloria down the first few steps of the winding stone staircase until they reached a high, shadowed landing overlooking a long, sprawling rectangular hallway below.
The scene was a chaotic, three way bloodbath.
A squad of five desperate rogue mages were violently engaged with nearly a dozen towering, heavily armored undead warriors.
Aerion quickly identified the enemy hierarchy. The majority of the undead were standard Draugr, armed with rusted ancient Nord swords. A few were Restless Draugr, possessing slightly thicker armor and dual wielding axes.
But leading the undead charge were two massive, highly intimidating Draugr Scourges.
The Scourges were ancient, elite Nordic commanders. They wore heavy, intricately carved ancient Nord armor, carried massive Ebony battleaxes, and their glowing blue eyes burned with the terrifying, localized power of the Thu'um.
The mages were completely on the losing side. Their novice fireballs were barely scorching the heavily embalmed, magically hardened flesh of the Scourges, and the sheer physical brutality of the Draugr advance was rapidly collapsing their frontline.
"We exploit the chaos," Aerion commanded, his voice a low, lethal whisper. "The mages are essentially softened meat at this point. I will bombard the center of the hallway to shatter both formations. Jenassa, provide covering fire. Aeloria, the moment my lightning clears, you drop down and break the Draugr line."
He stepped up to the very edge of the stone landing, raising both of his hands.
He didn't bother using fire. He needed raw, arcing kinetic energy to disrupt the heavy armor of the Scourges and fry the mages simultaneously.
Chain Lightning.
"Strike!" Aerion commanded.
He unleashed a massive, dual cast volley of crackling purple electricity directly into the center of the chaotic melee below.
The lightning struck a towering Draugr Scourge perfectly in the chest plate. The magical current violently arced outward, chaining wildly across the cramped hallway.
The electricity surged through the damp, embalmed flesh of the Restless Draugr, temporarily locking their undead muscles in place, before arcing directly into the desperate rogue mages.
The mages, already exhausted and heavily wounded by the Draugr, were entirely unable to withstand the high-level shock magic. Three of them were instantly electrocuted, collapsing lifelessly to the stone floor.
"Now!" Aerion yelled.
THWIP. THWIP.
Jenassa's heavy steel arrows rained down from the landing, slamming into the remaining mages and permanently ending their misery.
Aeloria did not hesitate. The Dragonborn leaped down the remaining stone stairs, the heavy Steel Plate armor crashing onto the hallway floor. She swung the blazing Axe of Morthal in a massive, sweeping arc, slamming the heavy steel head directly into the ribcage of a paralyzed Restless Draugr, instantly turning the undead warrior to ash.
With the mages eliminated, the remaining Draugr instantly shifted their hateful, glowing blue eyes toward the new intruders.
The Draugr proved to be vastly more resilient, terrifying opponents than the rogue mages.
One of the massive Draugr Scourges let out a deafening, guttural roar, stepping forward and inhaling deeply.
"FUS... RO!"
The partial Unrelenting Force shout tore through the hallway. The concussive wave of kinetic energy slammed into Aeloria. The heavy Steel Plate armor prevented her from being violently thrown across the room, but the sheer force staggered her heavily, forcing her back a step.
The Scourge lunged, swinging its massive Ebony battleaxe in a crushing overhead strike.
Aeloria recovered instantly, bringing the Axe of Morthal up to parry. The heavy steel and enchanted ebony collided with a deafening, ringing crash that echoed through the entire crypt.
Aerion did not remain on the landing. He bounded down the stairs, shifting his magical offensive entirely.
With the fragile mages dead, lightning was inefficient against the massive health pools of the ancient Nordic commanders. He required absolute, undead purifying eradication.
He raised his hands, channeling the newly reset Restoration (Purify) Skill.
Grand Purification.
Brilliant, concentrated beams of blinding holy sunlight erupted from his palms. He swept the beams across the hallway, systematically targeting the standard and Restless Draugr attempting to flank Jenassa and Aeloria.
The effect was utterly devastating. The holy light violently reacted with the dark necromantic energy animating the corpses. The Draugr shrieked in silent agony as their embalmed flesh rapidly blistered and burned away, crumbling into piles of ancient dust before they could even swing their rusted swords.
Aeloria, locked in a brutal melee with the Scourge, utilized the distraction flawlessly. As the Scourge recoiled slightly from the blinding ambient light of Aerion's spell, the Dragonborn violently twisted her Axe, breaking the deadlock. She spun on her heel, driving the blazing, rune etched blade directly into the side of the Scourge's neck, cleanly decapitating the ancient commander.
The second Scourge fell moments later, a pair of fire enchanted arrows protruding from its glowing eyes courtesy of Jenassa.
The hallway fell silent.
Aerion lowered his hands, breathing evenly. The ambush had been executed with flawless, terrifying precision. They had completely eradicated a heavily populated cell of high level enemies with absolutely minimal injuries taken.
"No time for looting the urns. The mages have likely awakened the entire crypt," Aerion commanded pragmatically, stepping past the piles of Draugr dust and dead rogues. "We push forward immediately."
They continued their relentless march deeper into Ustengrav.
They passed through heavy iron doors, entering a series of sprawling, interconnecting burial chambers lined with hundreds of ancient stone sarcophagi. As they entered each new room, the heavy stone lids of the sarcophagi would violently slide open, awakening dozens of slumbering Draugr to defend the tomb.
But the ancient warriors were completely outmatched.
Aerion operated as an unstoppable, walking pillar of holy artillery, flooding the dark chambers with blinding bursts of Grand Purification. The Draugr that managed to survive the initial holy bombardment were swiftly, brutally cut down by Aeloria's blazing Axe of Morthal and Jenassa's precise blade.
After clearing a particularly massive, two-tiered burial chamber filled with over a dozen Restless Draugr, the sheer physical exertion finally demanded a pause.
"Stop for a moment," Aerion commanded, holding up a hand.
The three of them stood in the center of the silent, dust filled chamber. Aeloria was breathing heavily, sweat rolling down her face beneath the heavy steel gorget. Jenassa was leaning against a stone pillar, her crimson eyes scanning the dark for any lingering threats.
Aerion raised his hands, casting a final, soothing wave of Restoration (Healing) over the group. The minor bruises and muscle fatigue vanished entirely, restoring their physical vitality.
"We take ten minutes to rest and replenish our energy," Aerion announced smoothly.
He stepped into a small, relatively clean alcove free of bodies. Engaging his digital interface, he materialized the heavy, incredibly useful leather supplies backpack directly from his spatial void.
Aeloria practically sighed in relief, the jovial Nord immediately dropping into a seated position on the cold stone floor.
Aerion opened the pack, distributing the heavy, preserved supplies they had purchased in the Whiterun market days ago. He handed Aeloria a thick slab of heavily salted venison and a crisp, perfectly preserved green apple. Jenassa accepted a heavy loaf of crusty bread and a piece of salted beef.
He un corked two of the sturdy leather waterskins, passing one to the Dragonborn and keeping the other. Finally, he pulled out one of the corked bottles of dark, potent Nord mead, offering it to the assassin.
They ate in highly appreciative silence.
Lupin the fox happily gnawed on a small piece of salted beef near Aerion's boots, his tail thumping against the stone.
They rested for the full ten minutes, allowing the food to settle and their natural stamina to completely replenish.
When the time was up, Aerion stood, stowing the remaining supplies back into the heavy leather pack and absorbing it seamlessly into his void.
They resumed their march, the brief rest having entirely restored their lethal edge.
They navigated a rising stone staircase, emerging onto the massive, sprawling second floor of the crypt. The architecture here was breathtaking, featuring a massive, natural cavern intersected by ancient Nordic stonework.
Directly ahead of them, spanning a terrifyingly deep, pitch black chasm, was a massive, intricately carved stone bridge.
Aerion led them across the bridge, the heavy clanking of Aeloria's steel armor echoing ominously down into the unfathomable depths below. They reached the far side without incident, following the path as it sloped sharply downward once more.
They descended a final, long flight of ancient stone stairs.
Standing at the absolute bottom of the stairs, entirely blocking their path, was a massive, heavy iron door.
Intricate, rusted Nordic scrollwork covered the thick metal, completely untouched by the rogue mages or the bandits.
Aerion placed his hand against the freezing iron.
"This is the threshold," Aerion whispered, his voice echoing softly in the dark. He gripped the heavy iron handle and violently pulled. The massive door groaned in protest, grinding against the stone floor as it swung open, revealing the dark, sprawling, deeply magical expanse of the inner sanctum. They stepped entirely out of the upper crypts, and officially entered Ustengrav Depths.
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[Main Panel]
Name: Aerion
Race: High Elf (Altmer)
Health: 460/460 Stamina: 480/480 Magicka: 670/670
Level: 121
Skills: Animal Affinity (MAX LEVEL), Fast Skill Levelling (MAX LEVEL), Fast Magic Mastery (MAX LEVEL), Instant Shout (MAX LEVEL), Destruction (Fire(+3)/Lightning(+1)/Frost(+1)) (Level 0/41/0), Restoration (Healing(+1)/Purify(+2)) (Level 0/0), Alteration (Level 35), Illusion (Level 50), Conjuration (Necromancy/Summoning(+1)) (Level 37/26), Persuasion(+1) (Level 60), Smithing (Level 22), Sneak (Level 75), One Handed(+1) (Level 42), Two Handed (Level 81), Lockpicking (Level 35), Archery (Level 72), Enchanting (Level 66), Light Armor (Level 77), Block (Level 70), & Pickpocket (Level 8)
Shouts: Fus (Force), Tiid (Time), Krii (Kill), Feim (Fade), & Su (Air)
[Inventory Panel]
1x Small Sack, Poacher's Axe, Mammoth Tusk, the Golden Claw, Calm Spellbook, Arvel's Journal, Inkwell & Quill, Thief Book, Scroll Of Summoning (Wolf), Scroll Of Healing, Weak Potion of Paralysis, Dragonstone, Golden Staff of Flames, Parchment Rolls Of Mammoths Farm And Loan, Ebony Claw, Orcish Dagger, Jagged Crown, The Mirror, Ring of Pure Mixtures, Grand Soul Gem (Filled), Reanimate Corpse Tome, Staff of Lightning, Deed to Tundra Homestead, Sapphire, Ruby, Dawnbreaker, Traveling Backpack (Supplies), Potion of Minor Magicka, Vampire Armor, Vampire Boots, Movarth's Golden Ash (Unique), Dwarven Sword, Hide Boots Of Sneak, Gold Ruby Ring of Fortify Magicka, & Iron Garnet Ring of Fortify Conjuration & Magicka Regen
2x Common Soul Gem (Empty), Black Soul Gem (Empty), Elven Sword, Amethysts, & Potions of Plentiful Magicka
3x Glowing Mushrooms, Potions of Minor Stamina, Flawless Sapphires, Gold Necklace, Iron Necklace, Petty Soul Gem (Filled), & Potions of Minor Magicka
4x Spider Eggs, Garnets, & Common Soul Gem (Filled)
5x Lesser Soul Gem (Filled)
7x Vampires Dust
8x Iron Arrows & Ancient Nord Arrows
9x Potions Of Minor Healing
12x Black Soul Gem (Filled)
Weight: 79.26 KG / 540 KG
Septims: 79,379