The Elder Souls: Dark Sanctuary

“Guards get the townspeople to safety!”

Twilight only barely heard the leader’s shout. She was far too focused on the monster atop the tower. She watched transfixed, as the beast appeared to inhale. Its head reared back, then snapped forward. She expected it to breathe flames. She did not however, expect to be thrown to the ground by the deafening, almost visible shockwave of sound that left its throat. She could somehow feel the power within... whatever it had just done.

Twilight hit the ground hard. She cried out in pain as she landed spine first. She cracked her eyes open, her vision distorted by tears. She immediately wished she hadn’t. The clouds above had darkened almost to black and had begun to swirl into an ominous cyclone. However, that was only the beginning.

The wind began to howl. Twilight paled, shaking in terror as blazing meteors erupted from the storm’s abyssal eye. She watched one fall, striking the executioner. He ceased to exist in an explosion of fire and blood.

He didn’t deserve to die like that. He was only doing his job, as horrible as it was.

What was happening?

Why was this happening?

“Twilight!” Sym’s voice yanked Twilight back to the waking world as she felt hands pull her back up to her hooves. She could now see the true effect the dragon had. The courtyard was in chaos. Townsfolk and prisoners were running in every direction, some were on fire, or limping away, trying to find safety. The guards were firing their weapons at the dragon, to no effect. The crimson lances only seemed to briefly singe scales. In a gust of wind, the dragon opened its wings and flapped, causing a greater blast of wind, and took off. The tower beneath it crumbled to the ground in a cacophony of falling stones.

“Twilight, we have te get outta’ here!” Twilight’s gaze snapped over to Sym as the Argonian tugged on her arm. Sym had broken her bindings, as had Urth. The massive Ogre towered over the two protectively.

Twilight could only nod as Sym began to half-drag her towards the second, somehow undamaged, tower. Urth swiftly trailed behind the two females. Sym unceremoniously shoved Twilight into the only doorway and leapt in herself. Twilight stumbled and fell to her knees, hearing the thudding footsteps of Urth and the subsequent slamming of the tower door.

“Was that really a dragon? A harbinger of the End Times?” Twilight ignored the conversation that the other occupants of the tower were having. She shook her head to clear it and felt hands on her arm helping her get to her hooves.

“Up ye’ go now. There ye’ go.” Sym’s voice said quietly as Twilight opened her eyes to see four Stormcloaks, including their leader talking in a corner.

“Staying in here is a bad idea.” Urth stated, then nodded at the spiral staircase up. “If we get to the top of the tower, we can probably jump the wall and escape.”

“It’s better than nothin’. Let’s move.” Sym nodded then looked at Twilight. “Twi, we need to get outta here.”

“Alright.” Twilight nodded, trying to force herself to stop shaking. Urth nodded at her. His face set in a grimace as he turned and began almost bounding up the stairs. Sym took Twilight’s hand and Twilight yelped as she was jerked forward. She half stumbled up the spiraling stairs. She could hear the muffled sounds of screams, shouts, roars, and the rushing of wind echoing down from the top of the tower. Twilight was pulled to a second landing. She saw a pair of Stormcloaks warily eyeing the stairs leading up and out. She paled as she swiftly passed them, being pulled ever onward, out towards the screams.

Smoke stung Twilight's eyes as it billowed around the roof of the tower. The smoke was filled with the scents of burning wood and charred flesh. Twilight saw lances of angry red light and orbs of crackling green light blaze paths through the smoke. There was the flapping of thick leather wings over her head. It was like a pounding, almost oppressive weight on her shoulders.

There was a loud roar. Close. Too close. The dragon’s head burst from the smoke as it flew towards them. Twilight’s eyes widened. She wanted to scream but her lungs wouldn’t work. Her horn lanced with pained as the scent of ozone filled the air, swiftly joined by the scent of burning wood and flesh. Swiftly glancing down she saw an orb of electricity in her right hand, the electricity jittered and crackled wildly, sparks snapping off and shredding the bindings around her hands. Almost on instinct, Twilight’s gaze snapped back up towards the nearing dragon. She raised her sparking hand as the air was filled with a high-pitched whine. Twilight’s head lanced with pain again, as the whine built to a fever pitch. A bright bolt of blue-white lightning erupted from her hand, tore a path through the smoke, and found its mark in the dragon’s left eye. Bolts of static spread over the dragon’s head as it roared in pain, and Twilight’s arm recoiled back from the force of the released lightning. The dragon immediately veered away from her perch.

“Fuck yeah Twilight!” Sym whooped. “Kick tha’ dragon’s ass!”

“Wonderful, that gives us a little time before it comes back.” Urth stated as he looked away from Twilight and back to squinting through the smoke.

Twilight’s right hand twitched a little as her arm shook. It had gone numb, but she could already feel her sense of touch returning to it. She shook it lightly, and that seemed to make her senses return faster.

That was magic. She knew it the moment she cast. However, something felt off about it. She couldn’t place why...

“Yeah, Lightning Magic does tha’. It’s better than Fire or Ice in my mind though.” Twilight glanced over at the nodding Sym. “It’ll get easier the more ye use it too.”

“Hey, you two!” Urth shouted, getting the females' attention. Twilight’s gaze snapped to Urth. The Ogyr’s face was set in a grimace. “The wall’s six feet away, either you can try and jump to it, or I can throw you. Choice is yours.”

“Twi,” Sym’s voice made Twilight look back towards the Argonian, “I can make tha’ jump. I don’ think ye could though.”

“No. I-I c-can’t.” Twilight’s voice was dry, and the smoke stung her throat. It hurt to talk.

“Then I can jump it, Urth can throw ye te me, then he can jump himself.” Sym stated, frowning in thought.

“O-okay.” Twilight nodded. She shivered as she heard the dragon’s roar echo through the air.

“Urth, once I’m over, toss Twi te me.” Sym stated. She rolled her neck with a few audible cracks and pops as she walked to the edge of the parapet opposite the stone wall that Twilight could barely see through the smoke. She spun on her heel and crouched low to the ground. Suddenly she burst into action, sprinting forward and kicking off at the edge of the tower. She swiftly disappeared into the billowing smoke.

“Oh shite!” Sym’s cry made Twilight’s heart jump into her throat.

“I’m okay, I almost overshot the wall.” Came Sym’s quick addition. Which caused Twilight to let out a sigh of relief.

Urth tromped over to the mare. “Ready?” He asked. Twilight nodded. Urth scooped up the mare and jogged over to the parapet.

“On three.” He said and Twilight nodded.

She expected a countdown.

“Three!” Urth roared and hurled the unfortunate mare.

Twilight snapped her eyes closed and screamed.

“Twilight!” Sym’s shout made Twilight immediately stop screaming. She snapped her eyes open to realise that she was sitting on the wall’s walkway in Sym’s arms. “Yer alright, yer over the gap.” She let Twilight go, stood, and walked over to the edge of the wall. “I got her Urth, you free to jump over.” She called.

“Right.” Came the grunting response.

Twilight, shakily stood as she heard the pounding thumps accompanied by a loud cracking noise. Urth hit the walkway hard. He tumbled to the ground then skid to a halt. He groaned as he got up. “Damned dragon tried to collapse the tower before I jumped.” He shook himself. He walked over to the edge of the wall and looked down. “Not too far a drop.” He stepped off and Twilight gaped. She scrambled over to the edge to see that Urth had landed in a large pile of snow and was forcing himself free. He looked up at Twilight. “Jump down, I’ll catch you.” Urth held up his arms.

“I’m not jumping down until you do.” Sym voice just over Twilight’s shoulder made the mare jump once again. Sym was hovering just behind the mare.

Taking a breath, Twilight moved so she was sitting on the edge of the wall. She pushed off and in seconds she was in Urth’s arms. She heard a paff and looked to see Sym impacting the snow next to them. The moment she did Urth began to force through the snow as quick as he could, heading away from the burning town.

Twilight could see that the surrounding was covered in snow with sparse clusters of pine trees scattered about. She noticed the ground sloped down, and she could see more trees in the distance, far down the foothill that they were on.

Sym swiftly caught up with then, easily pushing through the waist high snow like it wasn’t a problem for her. “Where are we headed?”

“Falkreath. That’s the closest Hold. Skyrim must be warned.” Urth stated.

Twilight couldn’t help but look back to the town where she had almost died. The dragon was still circling it, roaring and breathing flames on the unfortunates below.

“The dragon’s have returned.” Urth continued. His voice fell, and Twilight could almost feel his grimace. “The End Times are here.”