Mori Pro Imperio: The Story of Pliton Calleius

I was silent as we approached Windhelm. Too much was on my mind. Millions upon millions of doubts and questions were racing through my head as the cold Skyrim winds assaulted my face. If I had been chosen as the Champion of Talos, why was it that his subjects were pursuing me? Why did he choose me? Can I live up to these expectations? Will I ever see Twilight again? Will I live to see the next sunrise?

I shook my head. I could not be thinking of that. I needed to focus on what I was going to do. It seemed simple enough. Break down the walls of Windhelm with a few dragons while thousands of Daedra and Changelings try to kill us, and then close the Portals to Oblivion inside the city. It wasn’t too hard.

Oh, but what was I thinking? How naïve had I been to think that such a thing would ever be easy? Did I really think that such a plan would work? But it had to. It was the only way I would be able to save Twilight, and to prove to myself that Talos had made the right choice in choosing me as his Champion.

“We are nearing Windhelm, Champion.” Midrotheyvkaal said, “Are you ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I replied. “Just make sure we don’t get killed.”

“I will try my best.” The dragon chuckled at that comment. “You humans are, funny, are you not?”

“Sure.” I said. “Let’s go with that.”

“You need courage.” Midrotheyvkaal said, “One does not emerge alive from battle hoping to live. Expect to die, but be determined to live, and you shall escape with the head of the Daedra.”

“Thanks,” I replied. “I guess.”

Midrotheyvkaal shook his head, and flew onwards towards Windhelm. I knew what I had to do, but for no reason, this wave of anxiety washed over me. I was anxious about the coming battle. It would be like no other I had ever witnessed.

I was anxious, until a calming voice echoed throughout my head.

“Fear not, my child. All things shall come to pass. Fear not, for I will be with you on this day.”

I looked towards the sky, and I regained my courage. I knew not why, but I was calmed, and invigorated by this voice.

“We are near, Champion.” Midrotheyvkaal, “Your army is below.”

“Take us lower,” I instructed, “We need them to be ready to breach the walls.”

“Your wish,” the dragon replied, “Is my command.”

He dove towards the ground. I nearly fell off as he raced towards the Stormcloak Camp. Midrotheyvkaal roared, and flew over the camp. I stood up on his back, and instructed him to land just outside the camp.

When he did, Stormcloak archers readied their bows, and aimed them at Midrotheyvkaal. I stepped off, and waved my arms like an idiot, drawing their attention to me.

“What business do you have here?” One Stormcloak said, “And why have you brought a dragon?”

“I need to speak with Ulfric.” I said.

“And why should I let you?” The Stormcloak replied over the winds.

“I do have a dragon with me.” I said. “I don’t think you have any power over me.”

The Stormcloak hesitated, and put away his bow. He looked to the others, and they followed suit.

“Alright,” he said, “I’ll take you to Ulfric. But no funny business, do you hear?”

“Yes.” I said, “I understand.”

The Stormcloak led em through the camp, which seemed to be getting more miserable as each day passed. The soldiers huddled close to the fires, which were burning twenty four hours a day. They looked more like refugees escaping a pillaged city than an army trying to liberate one.

The Stormcloak led em up to Ulfric’s tent. I nodded to him in thanks, and he walked away. I stepped inside the tent, to see Ulfric looking over the map. I cleared my throat to get his attention, and he looked up. His face scowled as he recognized who I was.

“Is it done?” Ulfric asked. “Are the dragons going to fight with us?”

“Yes,” I said. “Stronghand is leading a band of half a dozen, and they will break down the walls for us.”

“Alright then,” Ulfric stood up from his chair, and grabbed his sword. He sheathed it, and said to me, “We’ve not a minute to waste. Go, let me rally the troops.”

I turned away to leave, but turned when Ulfric began to speak again.

“I want to,” he paused, and continued, “Apologize, for what I said. It is not a way for a High King to act.”

“And I did not act like you were the High King.” I replied, “I should not have yelled at you in such a way.”

“Forget about it.” Ulfric said, “I’ll accept your apology when your blade is red with Daedra’s blood.”

I smirked, and turned to walk away. I walked back to the edge of the camp, where Midrotheyvkaal was waiting for me.

“So you return.” He said, “Are we ready?”

“Yes,” I replied, “Let’s go.”

I climbed onto his back, and he took off into the sky. He flew above the clouds, and I saw the bluest sky I have ever seen in my life. In the distance, I could see Stronghand’s band of dragons, and told Midrotheyvkaal to fly towards them.
He did as I told, and soon, I was next to Odahviing and Stronghand.

“Is it done?” Stronghand shouted over the wind, “Should we attack?”

“Not yet.” I said, “Ulfric’s rallying the troops. We should fly lower to see when the perfect time is.”

“Good idea.” Stronghand said, “Let’s go.”

The dragons dove down below the clouds, and we could see Ulfric’s army begin to amass on the bridge that led to the entrance of Windhelm. There, hundreds of Daedra guarded the massive bridge leading to the largest city in Skyrim.

“So, what are we going to do?” Stronghand asked, “If we’re not careful, the bridge will topple.”

“So, be careful.” I replied snidely.

“Oh, everyone’s a comedian.” Stronghand replied.

I laughed at his response, and looked down towards the Stormcloak army. Thousands of Nords waited at the edge of the bridge, with Ulfric at the front, mounted on a black horse, flanked by two dozen cavalrymen. Midrotheyvkaal and the other dragons flew right next to the bridge so that we could hear Ulfric.

“This day will be the subject to many a song and book, fellow Nords.” Ulfric shouted, “Today, we will liberate our capital from the hands of these wretched demons! They have raped our women, tortured our children, and killed our men. They will learn the price of their actions.”

The army roared in agreement.

Ulfric reared his horse, and said, “On my order, we charge!” He looked to the dragons on either side of the bridge, and nodded his head. Stronghand and I both nodded as well. Ulfric drove his sword forward, and shouted the one word everyone was anxious to hear.

“CHARGE!”

Midrotheyvkaal and the other dragons climbed into the air as the Stormcloaks charged onto the bridge. Daedric archers rained down arrows on top of them, but did little to stop the Stormcloaks.

All the while, Midrotheyvkaal flew over them, breathing fire on the Daedric fortifications. Since they were made of wood, they easily combusted, and smoke billowed from the bridge.

“We need to take down the door!” I shouted to Midrotheyvkaal. “Use that shout that, I don’t know, pushes things!”

“Your ignorance makes me laugh.” He replied. He flew towards the huge door, shouted, “FUS RO DAH!!!”

The shockwave of that shout crumpled the steel door like paper, and toppled it into the streets of Windhelm. Midrotheyvkaal flew over Windhelm, and turned his head in my direction.

“Did you mean that shout?” He chuckled.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I did.” I said, “Now, we roast the Daedra!”

“Sounds like a plan, Imperial.” The old dragon replied. He turned, and flew along the bridge, towards the charging
Stormcloaks. He breathed fire on the Daedric defenders, and I watched as they were burned alive by the intense heat.

He rolled to the right, and turned around the bridge. I could barely hold on as he skillfully gave the Stormcloaks the aid they needed to reach the toppled entrance. The Stormcloaks barely killed any Daedra at all, as Midrotheyvkaal and Odahviing roasted many of them, and the rest attacked the Portals with their own shouts.

Once the Stormcloaks actually began entering the city, Midrotheyvkaal turned his head at me.

“I believe we would be more of a help if we landed in the city.” He said, “I don’t want to kill any of them accidentally. Although, the choice is yours, as you chose me to be your servant.”

“I believe you are right.” I answered, “Take us down.”

He nodded, and flew over the city. He found an open-air marketplace that was large enough to house him. He slowed over it, and landed in the middle of the market. I drew my sword, and hopped off of his back.

There were a couple dozen Daedra in the market, and they all drew their weapons once they saw Midrotheyvkaal land. I stayed close to his tail, and whirled my sword around my wrist.

“Come on,” I taunted, “You know you want to kill me.”

Five Daedra ran towards me. I tightened my grip around my sword, and ran towards them. Immediately, I cut out one Daedra’s neck, and left him to bleed out on the cobblestone floor.

One Daedra, wielding a battleaxe, charged at me. I cowered behind my shield, and let it take the brunt of the blow. I shoved the shield forward, knocking the Daedra off balance. I took advantage of the situation, and slashed at it.
He blocked my blow with the handle, and kicked me in the chest with his boot. I stumbled back, and watched as he raised the axe over his head, ready to finish me off.

I had no time to react, and only watched as the axe broke through my armor, and cut into my left shoulder. I cried out in agony, and with my left hand, burned his head to ashes with magic. He fell to the ground soon after that.

I took the axe out of my shoulder, and wielded it. It was weighty, but I would get used to it eventually. Unfortunately, this was a one-night stand I was having with it, so I would have no time to get used to the weight.

Almost immediately, another Daedra ran at me, wielding a Greatsword. I swung the axe at it, and knocked its sword out of its hands. I knocked it back with the handle of the axe, and dropped it. I reached for my crossbow, and fired a bolt into its chest. The bolt penetrated, and killed it. I breathed a sigh of relief. Alvor was a good smith. It would’ve proved otherwise if the crossbow hadn’t killed the Daedra at such a close range.

I had no time to think after that, as the last two ran at me. I put my crossbow away, and froze one with an ice spell Ernand had taught me. I turned to the other one, and cut it across the chest with my sword. It didn’t kill the Daedra, but it hurt it, because it stepped back in shock.

I cut it across the chest again, making an x-shaped hole in the armor. When it didn’t go down, I kept slashing away at the chest, until I finally ran my sword through the chest. Its face contorted, and then relaxed as its life ended. I retracted my sword, and kicked its body to the ground.

I walked over to the last Daedra, who was frozen in place, all except for its head. It was scowling at me and shouting at me in a language I could not understand. It was quite annoying, until I grabbed it by its long hair, and severed his head from his body.

With the five Daedra dead, I turned, and ran next to Midrotheyvkaal’s head.

“How goes the killing, my friend?” I asked, panting slightly.

“Quite well, companion.” He replied, “I must fly. You can choose to come with me, if you so desire.”

I shook my head, and said, “I’m sorry. I feel like I’m more of a use down here.”

“If that suits you.” Midrotheyvkaal replied. “If you need my assistance, call my name. I will come.”

“Good to know,” I replied. He seemed to smile, and he began to lift off into the sky. I watched him go, but looked in front of me when I heard boots hit the cobblestone. I shook my head when I saw a dozen Daedra ten feet away from me, weapons drawn.

“Of course,” I said to myself. “As soon as he leaves…”

One of the Daedra sneered at me; it was as if it was taunting me, knowing that I would die. Oh, I really wanted to prove it wrong. I ran at it, sword drawn, screaming like a banshee.

I cut through two Daedra before one with a Warhammer made me stop in my tracks. I smirked, and tightened my grip on my sword.

“Come on.” I said, “Kill me.”

“Gladly.” The Daedra replied. It ran at me, and I stepped back to prep myself for the shock that was to come with a Warhammer. He swung it at my side, and sent me to the ground. I had my breath knocked out of me in that instant.

It knocked me over on my side. I rolled onto my back, and saw the Daedra standing over me. It smiled wickedly, and raised the Warhammer. What happened next happened in an instant.

As it was swinging the Warhammer at me, I rolled to the left to avoid it. I then got up, and ran my sword through its head. It fell to the ground with its brains leaking out of its head. Two other Daedra attacked me, and I could barely parry both of their strikes with my sword.

I was caught off balance by parrying both of their strikes, and they took advantage of that. One threw a punch at my face, and sent me to the ground. I landed on my back, which sent the breath out of me.

I could only watch as the Daedra stood over me. They swarmed around me, yelling and whooping. There was one Dremora who was standing over my chest who quieted them all. He looked down at me, and smirked.

He roared, and drove his sword into my abdomen. I cried out in pain. The Dremora laughed at my pain, and turned to the other Daedra.

They screamed for him to take my head. He smirked, and knelt down beside me. He grabbed his sword, and held it above my neck. I watched as he raised it, but then closed my eyes.

It was then that I heard screaming and the spilling of blood. I opened my eyes, thinking that I was dead, again. Only, I wasn’t.

There were dozens of Stormcloak cavalrymen around me, lances bloodied by the Daedra. Leading them was Ulfric, bearing Steel Plate armor, except for a helmet. He got off of his auburn horse, and lifted me up.

“Are you alright, Imperial?” Ulfric asked, “You don’t look too good.”

“Nothing magic can’t fix.” I said, “I hope.”

“Well it better,” Ulfric replied. “We’ve got a city to save.”

I nodded, and sheathed my sword. I raised my hands, and concentrated on healing. The healing aura came around me, and I could feel my body healing at an accelerated pace. I could feel the cuts and lacerations being mended by the magic.

I breathed heavily as the spell healed all of my injuries. The spell had taken a lot more Magika than I had anticipated, and I was weary. I knew I needed to push through, but I craved for nothing more than a warm bed.

“We better get going then.” Ulfric said, “We brought you a spare horse. Let’s move.”

“Alright then,” I replied cautiously. “I just need to let you know that I’ve had some bad experiences with horses in battle.”

“Afraid of a steed, are we?” Ulfric chuckled, “Don’t worry, this mare’s sturdy. She’ll withstand anything these pesky Daedra can throw at her.”

“Good to know.” I said. “We need to find the portals to Oblivion, or else we’ll be fighting forever.”

“I was thinking the same.” Ulfric replied, “I’ll lead us through the streets. We’ll check the other marketplace.”

He giddied his horse, and it galloped off. I followed alongside them, and caught a lance a Stormcloak had thrown at me. I smiled when I realized that the Stormcloak was Balfhe, the Nord I had become acquainted with in the camp.

“So we meet again, Imperial.” Balfhe replied, brushing his long, fair hair from his face. “Are you ready to slay some Daedra?”

“I’ve been ready.” I said, “Just watch my back, and I’ll watch yours. We’ll make it out of here alive that way.”

“Good idea.” He said. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

I smirked, and giddied my horse. We were moving in a tight diamond formation, galloping through the winding and narrow streets of Windhelm. The horses were kicking up mud and snow, soaking through the fur I had placed in between my armor and my skin, soaking the skin and chilling me to the bone.

Most of the wooden parts of the city were in flames, and smoke billowed from the massive fires. Numerous dragons flew overhead, freezing and burning dozens of Daedra with each strafe.

The thick smoke had blotted out the sun and the clear blue sky, making it a dark blood-red. It was deathly cold, as was expected for northern Skyrim in the dead of winter. I was still unused to such cold, and was shivering as we galloped towards the main market.

When we arrived, we found a large portal, and hundreds of Daedra surrounded it. We skidded to a stop, and readied our lances.

“You don’t mean to say we’re charging them?” I asked nervously, “There’s got to be hundreds if not thousands of them!”

“We’ll never get through them just standing here!” Ulfric answered, “Besides, we don’t have time to get reinforcements, they have already seen us. Men, stay tight, we charge on my mark!”

I reared my horse up, so that I could grasp how many of them stood between us and the portal. As I have said before, there had to be hundreds of them. I swallowed hard. In all my years in combat, I had never been in a situation like this.

“Be calmed, my son. I can assure you that you will survive this.”

I sighed after I heard that. I had no doubt that it was Talos. And the Divines had never been known to lie, so, I figured I had a good chance that I would survive.

I was interrupted by Ulfric giddying his horse and yelling at us to charge. I kicked my horse with my feet, and it galloped towards the small army of Daedra. I screamed my lungs out trying to dismay them, but I knew it would do little.

We collided into the Daedra moments after we had charged. I ran my spear through about three Daedra, and left it inside them, because there would be no way I could get it out. I drew my sword and shield, and began to hack at the various Daedra.

Many Daedra fell in those first few seconds. Alas, with the portal still open, there were many more Daedra to replace them. I knew we needed to push forward, or we would be there a while.

I began to move my horse forward, cutting through Daedra all the way. The cobblestone floor of the market soon was red with the blood of dozens of fallen Daedra.

I made my way up next to Ulfric, who was busy hacking away at other Daedra. He looked over to me, and smirked.

“What do you want?” He asked, “Do you crave for your Imperial mother’s milk?”

“She’s been dead for a few weeks, thank you.” I replied. “I was going to say we need to move forward, or this will all be futile!”

“You think I don’t know that!” Ulfric cried, “There’s just too many of them!”

He was right. It was futile cutting through hundreds of Daedra, as they were still coming through the portal. There seemed to be no end in sight in this fight. I was growing tired, and I needed to find a way to mow them down. Then it hit me.

I almost smacked myself in the face I felt so stupid. How could I forget?

“MIDROTHEYVKAAL!” I called, “Come to me!”

The Thu’um roared throughout the city. Ulfric turned to me confusedly.

“You never told me you knew the Thu’um!” He said.

“Only that dragon’s name, I’m afraid.” I replied, “He should be coming now.”

And I was right. I saw Midrotheyvkaal soar through the sky, and land behind us.

“What do you require?” He asked.

“I need you to help us get to that portal.” I shouted over the battle. “Do whatever’s necessary!”

“As you wish.” Midrotheyvkaal replied. He flapped his wings, and flew above us. He flew away from the market, and turned around graciously. He flew perpendicular to us, making a “T” in the market.

I watched as he breathed fire as he flew across from us. Hundreds of Daedra were incinerated, and hundreds more fell back as flames licked their flesh. We moved our horses forward, running our swords and lances through those lucky enough to avoid the flames.

We were getting closer to the portal every time Midrotheyvkaal made an attack run. He was unstoppable as he breathed certain death upon the Daedra. All the while, Ulfric kept us moving forward at a quick pace, as the Daedra were preoccupied with the dragon.

When we were close enough to the portal, Midrotheyvkaal began to hover above us. He inhaled, and then began to freeze the Daedra solid. We galloped through the fields of frozen Daedra, shattering their frozen bodies. It felt strangely more satisfying to hear that ice shatter than to hear Daedric blood splatter onto the street.

When we reached the portal, Midrotheyvkaal landed, and asked if I needed any more assistance.

“I think it would benefit us if you came with us.” I said.

“Very well,” Midrotheyvkaal replied, “Let us be off.”

I climbed off of my horse, and onto his back. Once I was on, he lifted into the air. He hovered in front of the portal.
Ulfric did not wait long after Midrotheyvkaal had lifted into the air. He led his cavalry bodyguard through the portal, leaving Midrotheyvkaal and I to the company of a couple hundred dead Daedra.

“Let’s get going,” I ordered, “We don’t want to linger.”

“As you command,” Midrotheyvkaal answered. He leaned forward, and we began to fly into the portal to Oblivion.

Every time I cross into a portal, I always find that I am unprepared for the intense heat of the realm of Oblivion. I was glad my Steel Armor did not cover all of my arms and legs; else I would have been damn near passing out. The dramatic change from the bitter cold of Skyrim to the fiery heat of Oblivion was shocking.

As Ulfric and his bodyguard rode across the fiery plains, Midrotheyvkaal and I flew high above, guiding them towards the Sigil Tower. This tower was enormous; it was the largest I had ever seen. It towered above everything else in sight, and it was elaborate as well.

“Are we heading there?” Midrotheyvkaal asked.

“Yes,” I said, “There we will close this portal. Be ready, there are sure to be more Daedra there.”

Midrotheyvkaal nodded his head, and continued flying towards the massive Sigil Tower. It was almost peaceful, flying above Oblivion. Still, the anticipation of battle kept me from enjoying the flight entirely. There had to be a reason as to why this particular Tower was titanic.

I had almost no time to think about that, because Midrotheyvkaal had landed on a balcony high above the ground.

“Go down and get Ulfric and his men up here.” I said as I got off. “We need them up here as much as we need each other.”

“Of course.” Midrotheyvkaal answered. “A wise tactic. I shall go.”

He then lifted into the air, and descended towards the group of Stormcloak soldiers. While I was waiting, I drew my sword, and loaded my crossbow. I had to be ready for anything.

“Oh, would you look at how cute he looks!” I heard a voice say, “It’s like he thinks he can get out of here!”

“Oh, it will be a delight to cut him up, won’t it?”

“Show yourselves!” I shouted. “You don’t scare me!”

“Oh, but you should be scared.”

Right then, Molag Bal and Queen Chrysalis materialized. They were wearing Daedric Armor of the highest quality, but abstained from using the helmets. Molag Bal had a greatsword in his hands, and Chrysalis held a magical staff of some sorts.

“Do you really think you can take back Windhelm?” Molag Bal asked as he walked closer to me, “We were just about to enter the battle ourselves, until we were interrupted by you.”

“What are we going to do with him, love?” Chrysalis asked, walking around me, and dragging her black finger across my cheek.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Molag Bal replied, “We kill him.”

Chrysalis smirked, and walked back to Molag Bal’s side. Molag Bal looked at me, and his stare showed pure hatred.

“I know you couldn’t appear there by yourself.” He said, “Where are your friends? And don’t lie, because you know what we have.”

Suddenly, Twilight appeared next to him, trapped in a mystic red sphere. She was scarred, cut and bruised. Blood was caked in her hair, and her usually purple skin was almost white from lack of blood. She opened her eyes slightly, and when she saw me, she got up, and tired to push her way out of the sphere.

“Pliton!” She called, “Help me!”

“Twilight!” I said, “Let her go!”

I was suddenly sent back by a blast of magic from Chrysalis’ staff. I was sent to the floor, and Chrysalis laughed wickedly.

“Oh, this is fun!” She said, “I’m going to enjoy this.”

Molag Bal walked over to me, and grabbed my jaw with his hand. His grip was tight, and I could feel my jawbone almost break in half.

“To think you came so far,” he hissed, “To die like this. To be so close to saving your lover, yet be so far. You lived a sorry life, Calleius, and you will die a pathetic death.”

“What makes you so sure, demon?”

Molag Bal dropped my jaw, and turned to see Ulfric, and his guard. Ulfric was bearing two Steel swords. His guard had all sorts of weapons drawn, from bows to swords to daggers to Warhammers.

“You think that is all you need to stop me?” Molag Bal laughed, “I am the King of Oblivion! A handful of brute Nords will not stop me.”

I got up while he was ranting, and slashed at his side. Molag Bal went to his knees, and gasped as black blood seeped from his side. He got up slowly, and turned to see me.

“The worst mistake you will ever make, Imperial.” He said. He charged at me with his Greatsword. I swung at it, and parried the blow. I attempted to slash at his chest, but he blocked it with his Greatsword. Our swords became locked, and we pushed against each other with all of our might.

“You can’t hope to beat me,” Molag Bal grunted.

“You’re right,” I replied, “I’m going to cheat then.”

I let go of my left hand, and placed it in front of his face. His eyes went wide before an inferno ate at his head. He screamed in agony, but the victory was short lived, as Chrysalis lifted me into the air with her staff.

“All too easy!” Chrysalis shrieked with delight. “I had no idea a Divine Champion was this easy to defeat!”

I flailed my arms in desperation to get out of her grip. I could feel it tightening around me; she was trying to crush me into nothing. That made me more desperate to get out, and I flailed even more.

“Men,” Ulfric ordered, “What are you doing? Attack the damn Daedra!”

The Stormcloaks ran towards Molag Bal and Chrysalis. Chrysalis dropped me to fend off the six Stormcloak soldiers who had surrounded her. Once I was on my feet, I grabbed for my crossbow, and trained the sights on her neck.

I pulled the trigger, and watched the arrow fly into Chrysalis’ exposed neck. It caught her by surprise, and she fell back onto her back, screaming in pain. I loaded another arrow, and turned to see Ulfric exchanging blows with Molag Bal.

Ulfric was a skilled swordsman. He was deflecting the many attacks Molag Bal sent his way, and was making a few attacks himself. Sparks were flying, and his Stormcloaks were surrounding him.

One Stormcloak screamed, and charged at Molag Bal. He turned, and cut the Nord’s head clean off. In an instant, he was beside another Stormcloak, and he had his Greatsword running through another Nord’s side. Nord blood ran freely in
that Sigil Hall, and it was all shed in the span of under a minute.

Chrysalis and Molag Bal made quick work of Ulfric’s bodyguard, butchering them as if they were defenseless cattle. The bodies, in different stages of mutilation, lay on the floor, a pool of blood flowing underneath them.

Suddenly, Ulfric and I were alone facing Chrysalis and Molag Bal. We were side by side, and Molag Bal and Chrysalis were right in front of us. We were standing in a shallow pool of over a dozen Nord mens’ blood as we faced each other off.

“We are much too powerful for you mere mortals.” Molag Bal said, “Surrender, and you will die painlessly.”

“I don’t think so, King of the Damned!” Ulfric cried, “A true Nord does not surrender!”

“What a shame, love.” Chrysalis said, “I guess Windhelm will have to wait.”

At that moment, a booming roar rang through the Tower. We all looked up, and saw Midrotheyvkaal rip off an entire section of the ceiling with his feet.

He blew away almost the entire ceiling with this shout after he had dropped what he was holding: “FUS, RO DAH!!!”

Everyone in the room shielded their eyes with their arms because of the dust and projectiles in the air. Once the dust had cleared, Midrotheyvkaal was right behind us, looking quite evilly at Molag Bal and Chrysalis.

“The time has come, Molag Bal.” Midrotheyvkaal, “Your time as ruler, King of the Daedra, has ended.”

“And you think a dragon will change my mind?” Molag Bal scoffed. He lifted his Greatsword with both hands, so that it was parallel to his head. “I will have your skull on top of my throne, pitiful dragon.”

At that moment, we both ran at each other. Ulfric and I were screaming like banshees as we raced towards our foes. Midrotheyvkaal sent a fireball at Chrysalis, who deflected it into a wall with her staff. It blew a substantial hole in that wall.

Right then, Molag Bal and my swords joined once more. Sparks flew past my face as our swords became interlocked. I pulled my sword away, and slashed at Molag Bal an innumerable amount of times. He perfectly deflected each blow.

It went like this for a few seconds, before our swords locked again. We were in a stalemate, and neither sword was budging. I grabbed my crossbow, which I had reloaded after firing at Chrysalis, and aimed it point-blank at his chest. I pulled the trigger, and saw as the arrow went straight through his armor, taking with it pieces of internal organs. It lodged itself into the wall, making a nice ornament.

Molag Bal stood there, dumbfounded. I took advantage of the situation, and slugged him across the face. He went to the ground, blood flowing freely from his nose.

It was then that the sphere containing Twilight flickered in strength. She noticed this, and yelled towards me.

“Pliton,” she called, “Keep hurting him! Then strength of this spell weakens!”

\ I smirked in realization. I walked up to Molag Bal, who was still on the floor, and placed my foot onto his chest to pin him. I placed my free hand in front of his face, and roasted it again. He screamed in agony, and the sphere weakened again.

I stepped back, and used magic to levitate Molag Bal into the air. Using my hand as a guide, I slammed him against the floor several times, before using a kinetic burst to send him flying into the wall a dozen feet away.

It was then that the sphere broke. Twilight fell to the ground, and cried out in pain. I ran over to her, and held her head up with my arm.

“Are you alright?” I asked, “Can you still use magic?”

“Yes,” she said, “I’m fine.” She gasped, and pointed behind me. I turned, only to receive a boot to the face. It sent me
tumbling across the blood-stained floor for a couple of feet before coming to a painful stop.

“I’ll give it to you, Calleius.” He said, cracking his neck. “You do put up a good fight. If you hadn’t stopped, you would’ve come damn close to killing me.

“You see,” he said, wiping blood from his face, “It is your silly emotions that make you mortals so easy to conquer. Why do you think the Summerset Isles are aflame, and your so great Empire hunkered down in your capital? Because of doubt, anger, love. Your emotions are what make you different from I. If you didn’t have any emotion, you mortals would give us a decent fight.

“With each Daedra that you kill, another three take its place.” He continued, “Do you really think you can win? You close a Portal, I just send more into another Portal. You cannot close them all.”

“But we’ll try!” I hissed, blood flowing from a split lip.

“Yes, you will try.” He answered, “But you will not succeed. What is with you mortals and your fascination with ‘trying’? There is only succeeding, and failing; there is no trying! You mortals are lacking the intelligence that we Daedra have come to accept. That is why you will die, and we will live. We will become the rulers of the universe, and you can’t stop us!”

He then began to laugh insanely. He walked up to me, and lifted me up by my neck. His grip was constricting, and I was getting little to no air. I began to suffocate.

Molag Bal continued to laugh, until he heard Chrysalis shriek. He dropped me, and turned around.

He, and I as well, saw that Twilight had banded together with Ulfric and Midrotheyvkaal in their fight against Chrysalis, and had a large spear running through her stomach. She was vomiting her own black blood onto the floor, and there was some organ matter in it as well.

Rage blanketed over Molag Bal. He appeared beside Twilight, and smacked her aside. She flew into the wall beside Chrysalis. He then began to attack Ulfric savagely, who deflected most of his strikes.

Then, Molag Bal cut across Ulfric’s chest, stopping Ulfric dead in his tracks. Ulfric fell to his knees. Molag Bal laughed, and kicked him in the face, sending him onto his back.

“No!” I screamed, using a kinetic blast with both of my hands. Molag Bal went flying into a wall, and I heard blood splatter.

I got Twilight up, and ran to Ulfric. Blood was squirting from his wound, and Ulfric was coughing up blood.

“Come on,” I said, “Get onto Midrotheyvkaal. We need to get out of here.”

She nodded, and got Ulfric onto Midrotheyvkaal’s back with a levitation spell. Remembering why I was here, I grabbed the Sigil Stone, and spiked it on the ground. It shattered into a thousand pieces.

I turned around, and ran to Midrotheyvkaal. I climbed onto his back into record time, and kicked at his sides.

“Bo, fly!” I shouted.

Midrotheyvkaal lifted into the air, and he flew for the closing Portal back to Windhelm.

Tell me what you think! Wow, this was the longest chapter I have ever written! I really hope you guys enjoyed it, because I really enjoyed writing it. For the fight between Pliton/Ulfric/Twilight/Midrotheyvkaal and Molag Bal/Chrysalis, I modeled it after an anime-style fight, which was why Molag Bal was moving at break-neck speeds and everyone was flying into walls. Next chapter: With Pliton and the others having escaped from Molag Bal and Chrysalis, will Ulfric live from his nearly fatal wounds? Find out in the next chapter of Mori Pro Imperio: The Story of Pliton Calleius!