A changeling's visit to Skyrim

“Uh, should we be running now?” Maul asked “Not that I don’t think we can take them all, but…”

“We don’t think we can take them all.” Dirge finished.

As they spoke, the Falmer had already gotten their bows ready, along with any other random garbage they found to be easily throw-able.

“Whoa, whoa minions, no!” Stross yelled and kept his hand on the elder falmer’s forehead “These ones are frieeeends. Okay? They’re gonna help too. They’re cool, totally chill.”

The elder squawked a few times to the mob and they all settled down a bit.

Then they climbed the walls and gave Fenora and the thieves some ratty blankets. And there were many face-palms to be had that day.

Moving through the dwemer ruins was a bit slow and difficult even with how large and spacious the doors were. Our two heroes led the way, followed by an entourage of thirty-or-so falmer. The thieves meanwhile picked up the rear from a respectable distance, offhandedly mentioning something about a putrid smell.

“So… these things follow you now?” Fenora asked, staying as close as she could to Stross while a couple of the falmer scurried past them.

“First off, they are not things as you call them. They’re the remnants of a once glorious race that was hunted to extinction and warped into what others see only as vile and unclean monstrosities, but on the inside they’re still compassionate beings that just need to be given a chance.” Stross lectured “They’re not so different from changelings in that regard, if we-“

“They eat human flesh Stross.” Fenora interrupted “They drag travelers and treasure hunters down into their caves and carve them up for food.”

“Well… yeah, I guess they do that sometimes.” Stross admitted “But now I’m their leader! …or something. I can train them to eat chicken, and elk, and stuff besides people.”

“Good luck with that. But back to the matter at hand, why are they helping us? Why follow you in the first place?”

Stross thought on that for a moment, deciding how best to explain it. “Well… from what I learned from that mind trip their elder sent me on, they seem to think I’m one of their kind that’s managed to recover from their hereditary blindness, overcome their curse. And they think that I can cure them somehow, probably because I saved their elder from dying when they dragged me to their camp.”

“Do you think you can?” Fenora asked.

“I honestly don’t think so. I can heal and channel life energy to repair damage to the body, but this is their true form now, how they are naturally. I’d have to magically bend and break them if I wanted to turn them back into snow elves, and I can’t do that. I hate to say it, but the falmer, or at least this generation, are stuck like this.”

Stross let out a long sigh. “As for why they’re helping us kill Mercer… well you’re about to see.”

An acrid smell came from the area that now lay before them, along with plumes of black smoke that rose into the air and clung to the low ceiling, making it hard to breathe.

Along the walls of the cave were mushrooms and moss that grew with help from the water leaking down form the old dwemer pipes. More falmer tents lined the edges of the cave, yet as they traversed deeper in, more and more of them were burned down. The charred corpses of large insectoid creatures littered the ground inside closed off pens, large wounds in their shells evident from where they were brutally cleaved by a large blade.

The falmer slowed their pace, and stepped slowly and deliberately around the smoking wreckage, a silent and solemn reverence overtaking them as they passed by several larger tents and the tiny skeletons that lay inside.

“This place was important to them.” Stross whispered “It was where they farmed their food, got their water… and raised their young. One guess who burned it all down when it was in his way.”

Fenora said nothing, but nodded and continued with a deepened scowl.

Soon the group reached a large pair of double doors, and Stross could sense Mercer’s putrid life-force on the other side. With the last of his restraint holding, he signaled for the others to stop.

“He’s on the other side, probably waiting for us. We need to be ready.” He told them.

“I’ve been waiting twenty-five years for this.” Karliah muttered as she readied her bow.

At that time, a large contingent of falmer split off from the main group, climbing up the walls and into a great many small tunnels. This left only five still with the thieves.

“Where are they going? Don’t tell me they’ve chickened out on us.” Vex said while she got her daggers and throwing knives ready.

Stross put his hand to the nearest falmer and let its feelings flow into him. “Oh, I see. The area with the statue is big, and they’re moving to surround Mercer and cut off any escape.”

“Roight then, here’s tha plan.” Brynjolf said as they gathered around “Mercer’s skilled, and with that key he stole there’s no tellin’ how powerful he’s gotten. But he’s still just one man. Fenora, Karliah, and Vex will hold back and keep him on tha defensive with yer bows. Stross lad, I need ya ta limit his movement with yer flames, create a wall or somethin’ with ‘em. Meanwhile Maul, Dirge and I will move in and give th’ bugger a good hammering.”

“And what happens if that isn’t enough?” Karliah asked, wisely thinking they should plan ahead.

“Then the rest of you get back and I’ll shout him to pieces with my thu’um. Stross can keep him from getting up and I’ll drive my blade right through his stupid face.” Fenora told them.

"Let's go finish this." Karliah took the lead.

“Right, it’s not a plan.” Stross said “But it’s a perfect plan.”

The massive double doors were pushed aside, and our heroes and their allies stepped into the cave. Rows of stone pillars interlaced with dwemer waterpipes held up the ceiling. A dim blue light shone down into the room from a perfectly circular hole in the ceiling, fitted with a glass dome that revealed they were under a lake.

From the platform they were standing on, they got a perfect view of the temple-like space with a huge statue of dwemer metal resting its back against the far wall. The shape of which was quite different from the bulky and rigid designs of the dwemer, and instead focused on a more chiseled and smooth feel.

This was the statue of the great race that was the snow elves, sitting there in its calm and regal manner, a book in one hand and a staff in the other. And standing smugly on the ridge of its nose was Mercer Frey, murderer and traitor, juggling the statue’s diamond eyes.

Upon spotting our company, he caught the eyes and shoved them into a satchel which he tossed aside for later.

“Well well. If it isn’t the so called dragonborn and her intrepid little roach of a companion.” Mercer jeered “And I see you’ve brought those slimy, smelling creatures along to help bring me down… and the falmer too.”

“The fuck did he just say?” Vex snarled.

“Easy lass, remember tha plan.” Brynjolf calmed her “It’s over Mercer! Your deception and treachery ends here and now!”

“So old friend, what nonsense has Karliah been telling you and the rest of the Guild? Did she make you think that Nocturnal is the only one capable of looking out for us?!” Mercer yelled “With this key, my skills will be unmatched; I’ll have all the wealth I could ever need and no one in the world can stop me! It’s clear none of you would ever have the guts to do the same!” he spat.

“You went far too far Mercer! Wealth is one thing, but no amount of coin could compare to the lives of those who trust and care about you!” Karliah screamed “You will pay for what you did to my Gallus, Nocturnal shall ensure it.”

“Gullus was a fool! Did you really think he-“

“God’s damn it, no more of this overly-long dialogue bullcrap!” Fenora yelled and fired an arrow at Mercer.

It sailed through the air and reached Mercer in a second, but he slapped it away with the back of his hand almost casually.

“Hah, this one doesn’t mess around.” Mercer laughed “I almost admire that really. And now the die is cast!”

Then with a snap of his fingers the fuses on the bombs planted below their feet lit on fire and the platform they were all standing on exploded. Mercer jumped down to the ground and slowly began to stride over.

“Stick to the plan!” Brynjolf yelled as they recovered, and charged in with Maul and Dirge at his sides.

The two massive thug brothers swung their warhammers at their former Guild Master, but he ducked and sidestepped their swings with what looked to be the greatest of ease. Then in the second the two were off balance, he drove his dagger into Maul’s arm and ripped away his weapon, which he then used to take out Dirge’s left leg with a sickening snap.

Not even a moment later, Brynjolf was up to bat and lashed out with his shortswords, attacking Mercer in a flurry of swipes with a lust for vengeance behind every swing and stab.

Mercer drew his own sword in response and barely batted an eye as he dodged and parried Brynjolf’s strikes.

After another few seconds of sparring their blades clashed and Brynjolf gritted his teeth while Mercer looked over their crossed steel with an almost manically smug grin.

“Shoot him now!” he yelled to the archers behind him, jumping back as the arrows were let loose.

“Oh no you don’t.” Mercer said and pulled Brynjolf back by the blades of his swords to be used as a meat-shield.

Three arrows lodged themselves in Brynjolf’s torso and he yelled in pain. Mercer then spun him around to deliver a savage head-butt, toppling him to the ground. “You always were slower than me.” he taunted.

“Oh screw this!” Vex cursed and tossed aside her bow in favor of her trusty daggers and charged in.

“Vex wait! Fen wait! What about the plan? Hold, my falmer minions! Why won’t anyone listen to me?!” Stross screamed as they all abandoned him and charged into battle.

“Wuld nah KEST!” Fenora shouted and a blast of wind propelled her forward as she wound up a slashing strike with her sword.

Even with her speed, the second she reached Mercer he deflected her sword, smacked her on the forehead with his pommel and kicked her away so he could deal with the other threats while she recovered.

That next threat happened to be Vex throwing a one of her knives at him, hoping to catch him off guard long enough to get him with a lunge from her other dagger.

He caught both the knife she threw and her wrist as she made a downward stab for his throat. Taking advantage of Vex’s now broken stance, Mercer twisted her arm behind her back until he heard a pop and then drove her own knife into the opposite shoulderblade.

By that time the five Falmer were upon him brandishing their wickedly serrated knives. With one glance at them he swung his sword in a broad arc that instantly decapitated three of them, and the remaining two were just as easily cut down.

“Did you honestly think this would be easy?!” Mercer said victoriously as he swaggered back and forth between a salvo of blazing arrows that exploded around him.

Stross rushed up to him ablaze in his burning halo with a sword of fire that would easily burn through both armor, or any weapon used to parry.

“The skeleton key has unlocked my full potential. I’ve never seen things more clearly!” Mercer laughed as he backstepped Stross’s attack and harshly smacked him in the face with the flat of his sword. He stepped forward to the changeling as he was stunned and delivered a right hook that sent Stross to the floor where he then stomped the downed changeling’s head under his boot.

“I can see and hear everything around me now; every move you make, every step you take, anything you can throw at me and every muscle that twitches on your bodies, I can see it all! Which means…” Mercer spun around to catch Fenora’s sword as it would have run him through, pulling it out of her grasp and stabbing her through the leg with it “You can’t sneak up on me!”

“Damn it!” Fenora grunted through her teeth as she tried to pull the blade out of her tibia “What do you think will happen when I’m gone huh? Who’s gonna save Skyrim from Alduin then?!”

“Hah! Don’t make me laugh; you think you’re the dragonborn?” Mercer scoffed “So you can use a few shouts, you’re far from the only one who can. But truthfully I couldn’t care what happens to Skyrim, or the rest of Nirn for that matter. As long as I walk away rich for the rest of my days, I don’t care about anything else at all.”

“You’ll walk away DEAD, you stupid selfish twat!” Fenora yelled as she finally got her sword out of her leg “Fus ro D-“

“HA!” Mercer yelled as he delivered a kick to Fenora’s mouth before she could complete her shout “Like you’re gonna be the one to make-“

Suddenly Mercer whipped around to block an incoming falmer leaping at his back. He plunged his sword deep into the creature’s body but many more managed to swarm him before he could retrieve it. As the frenzied and bloodthirsty rabble delayed him with their vicious assault, a small number of the falmer managed to drag our wounded heroes out of the brawl.

Brynjolf was down for the count and very slowly bleeding to death, and with their injuries, Vex, Maul and Dirge were either unable to stand or use their weapons properly. And the scary thing was Mercer could have done far worse had he wanted; with a bit more effort on his part, he could have outright killed them, but he decided to toy with them a bit more instead.

Mercer was playing the cat, and everyone in his way was just a helpless mouse.

“Arg! Well this is just great!” Vex grunted in pain as she removed the knife in her back “What are we supposed to do now?”

“Fighting him with numbers doesn’t work.” Fenora said as she looked back at the Falmer getting slaughtered no matter how they fought “We need to limit his options. Stross, can you put up a smoke screen?”

Stross nodded and flared up again.

“Good, I have a plan.”

…

Only about a dozen falmer were still standing, maybe fourteen at the most. They formed a hesitant circle around the blood-soaked master thief as he pointed his blades at them, a subtle gleam in his eyes as his grin grew wider.

Then out of the corner of his eye Mercer noticed a black orb speeding right towards him. He jumped back a good distance, but as soon as it hit the ground it exploded in an enormous cloud of smoke so thick it was almost solid, making it very hard to breathe. He heard footsteps behind him and turned to block any kind of attack, but instead an arrow hit him from behind, breaking his guard for just long enough.

“Surprise mother-fucker!” Fenora yelled as she jumped on to his torso, wrapped her legs around his waist, and started punching him in the face.

Mercer immediately stopped that nonsense by grabbing her neck while he tried to get his sword in proper stabbing position. “You know, it’s not much of a surprise if I can see it coming.” He said in a condescending tone.

“Surprise again!” a second Fenora yelled from behind him as she slashed him across his back.

“Gah! What the-“

“Surprise a third time!” Fen-Stross yelled as (s)he spontaneously combusted into a towering inferno while still latched onto Mercer’s front.

“RaaaAAAAHHH!” Mercer screamed bloody murder as he burned alive “GET! OFF! ME!” he yelled, plunging his sword into Stross’s belly with each word until the changeling finally couldn’t take any more and fell off.

“Die you miserable worm!” Mercer screamed and brought his sword down on Stross.

Stross managed to hold up his left arm in time to block the strike, but the blade lodged deeply into the changeling’s arm, and as Mercer ripped his sword back out, it severed Stross’s hand just past the elbow.

Stross wailed in pain and distress as his severed hand bounced off his chest and he was left gazing at the stump of his arm.

“Get away from my changeling! No one gets to hurt him but me!” Fenora yelled and clashed blades with Mercer over and over, her anger and the pain inflicted to him by Stross’s flames seemingly overpowering his enhanced perception sense.

With the smoke finally thinning out, it seemed Mercer had gained the upper hand again, and was competently defending himself against Fenora’s attacks and even landing a few blows of his own, tearing through the weak spots in her armor for minor wounds.

But just as it seemed the fight might turn back in his favor, a black arrow whizzed through the air straight at him, along with the prayer “Nocturnal, let this be his undoing.”

Mercer was able to lean back just enough for the arrow to miss him, but this would end up being his undoing, as instead of hitting him, it tore through one of the pouches on the front of his armor.

An ornate bronze key with a gemstone top was flung into the air between the two duelists. Mercer immediately reached out to grab it, but so focused was he on the key, that he didn’t notice Fenora’s foot heading right for his groin.

Following a kick that could shatter bone, Fenora held out her hand and caught the skeleton key on its decent, and as soon as she looked into the crystalline structure of the gem that composed the handle, her mind was opened.

“No!” Mercer yelled and lunged for the key in the bosmer’s hand.

“Diin slen.” Fenora spoke calmly without even looking at Mercer, and at once he was frozen from the neck down.

“Wha- Hrk, nur! How did-“

“I understand it now. It seems so simple, so obvious. Thu’um; shout. Dragon speech… dovah tinvaak.” Fenora said in an eerily cool voice. She then turned to Mercer with a cold hatred in her eyes. “This could have been easy. All you had to do was give me that stupid horn. But you’ve chosen the hard way. So where is it?”

“Like I’d tell you.” Mercer spat, defiant despite not being able to move an inch.

And just like that, Fenora reached up and broke off three of Mercer’s frozen fingers one by one while Mercer stared at her, horrified. “Wrong answer. Maybe you can find a way to tell me, and maybe I’ll let you keep the rest of you limbs... maybe.”

Mercer growled at her “You want me to beg?! You listen to me you elvish whore, I will never beg to anyone ever again! Not for as long as I live!”

Fenora broke the rest of his arm off. “Let’s see how long that last’s.”

“Tsch, so that’s how you want it then, fine.” Mercer said with one last grin “Then we’ll let you drown, and all of Tamriel BURN!”

As he said that word there was another explosion, this time as the glass dome above them as well as many of the surrounding pipes. Water began rushing in at an alarming rate, flooding the floor of the chamber within seconds only to keep rising as the entirety of the lake spilled into the cave.

Fenora snapped. “You mother fu- Vodiin slen vaarnufaaz!”

Mercer yelled as a tremendous pain surged through his body and the ice was melted away from his chest. Fenora lifted her bare hand and placed it on the left side of his chest. “Kroz nahlii!” as she spoke those words, a thu’um emanated from her fingertips and tore away a huge chunk of Mercer’s muscle, skin and bone.

“Suffer you insufferable bastard!” Fenora seethed as she pulled out Mercer’s still-beating heart and held it out for him to see.

“You came for the eyes of the falmer. So I hope you don’t mind trading for them!” she then pressed her thumbs into Mercer’s eyes, squishing them around in the sockets as he screamed and thrashed his head in agony.

“Now… die. Aah Va Daah, Kah Daav Rah!”

And as those words left her mouth, two things happened; the traitorous thief Mercer Frey died immediately… and miles away on the throat of the world, all of the Greybeards felt a disturbance in the force way of the voice.