“So? How many of us have you already gathered?” Mycilla asked. They were now on the slopes of a mountain, climbing against the cold downwind. She was able to resist being blown away by applying ward on her entire body while on the corner of her eyes, Mortred just walked like there’s no wind against him as the cold just evaporated as he walked, leaving melting snow in his tracks.
But when she turned to Fang, she frowned. An earth golem with the size double of a normal human was walking behind them. Fang encrusted herself with solid earth and rock but Mycilla sensed no magicka in her use. The latter thought that if they fought, ward would be useless against Fang as her use of manipulating the earth never involved the bending of magicka.
Her spells were still a strange phenomenon for us mages in Winterhold. Mortred only mentioned that she was from the deep south, a foreigner from Tamriel… Jeez, what in the world is that woman? She thought but decided to ignore when Mortred replied to her question.
“Agni, Brigida, Yrsa was already waiting in the Skyhaven Temple. They accompanied me in my recent expedition in the underplains.”
She remembered the three that were one, then asked.
“So Lepra isn’t going this time again?”
“You know her, she wasn’t called the sloth for nothing. I tried entering her room but Agni just told me that it’s impossible to enter when their mistress is still sleeping.” Mortred smirked. “Bladd and Satala was already on their way to the temple. I actually visited them first before meeting you. Lesther and Alca was already in the temple. Both of them were accompanying the Dragon Priests that I sent to help research some things. Lesther was having a good time with the undead especially Vahlok which surprised me to be honest.”
“That maniac doctor always loves books.” Mycilla sneered amidst cold breaths. She would always remember him as an angry doctor who have the bad habits of screaming and scolding his nurses and patients, then yelling to those who disturbs his patients. “So we need to find the other Seven?”
“Nope, Argo was surprisingly quick on my call that he arrived the day after I returned to Skyrim. Lemper… Lemper was actually in Winterhold so I don’t have any problem in turning over stones to find her like others. Aggripa and Elia on the other hand were still the same. I found them in a tavern where Elia was just staring as Aggripa was still trying to drink himself to death.” Mortred shrugged in amusement. “Both of them were living in the border of Morrowind and Skyrim. I sent them an assignment to escort someone important. They already replied to my message yesterday that they are on their way to the border to meet the informant.”
“So that bitch Vladima, Aura and Shatotto were the only ones left?” Mycilla asked.
“Yep, only the most troublesome of the thirteen were left, thankfully.” Mortred then turned back to Mycilla and asked. “Why did you make another gamble? You already know that your luck in gambling is so bad.”
“Shut up…” Mycilla pouted. “I can’t avoid it, I just love playing in games and choices that have high risk and high reward.”
But the problem is that you can’t accept the reality when you lose in your bets. A sore loser. Mortred wanted to say but decided to keep it on himself to avoid any loud rants from her.
Then Mortred stopped as he looked around the knee deep snow. Mycilla noticed that they were now in front of a very intricate and complicated ward built to keep outsiders consistently lost in the mountains. She knows this type of spell, if they stepped into the ward, they will be instantly teleported randomly in the mountains without even making it obvious that they were sent to a different location. It was a very advance spell ward.
“Well, we’re here. Vladima should have the entrance set up around here somewhere…” he scanned his sights trying to detect any disturbance in the pattern of the ward.
Mycilla devilishly grinned after she got an idea.
“Master. Let me knock on the door this time.”
Mortred raised his brows then quickly understood. Then he turned to Fang who was inside the golem.
“Fang, make a perimeter around the mountain to avoid any avalanche from spewing into the settlements below. Don’t forget to strengthen the base of the mountain as well, we don’t want it collapsing on top of us.”
She nodded punched the ground several times in quick succession, making countless quakes across the mountain. After knowing that it’s enough, she kneeled on the ground covered with deep snow and struck both of her hands into the freezing solid soil. Her hands penetrated the earth like knife into a butter. Then used her palm to strike the ground once again. And at the base of the mountain, several tall pillars sprouted, covering the entire place like a giant earthen wall. Then she nodded towards Mycilla who took that as a signal to start her ‘knocking’.
He step aside and waited in amusement as Mycilla unleashed her magic in the entire mountain.
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The mountain was once again shaking in tremors. Another avalanche had occurred. Thankfully for Vladima and her followers, they were sheltered by a well-made cave system that was created by the ancient race of snow elves. This was probably made on snow elves first attempt to escape the slaughter on the surface thousands of years ago before they truly went underground.
The snow was not stopping from remaking the next avalanche on top of them. Perhaps they should make another ward for any natural disaster that may occur. The ward around the mountain was created to be invisible on normal eyes, yet if was disturbed by another mage attack, it will show signs of disruption. Which was happening on their very eyes.
“Awaken the others. We are under attack!” one of the sentries on the top yelled, passing his voice in the entire cave system.
Then their master exited their great hall followed by others.
“Mistress. Dozens of magical barrage were trying to penetrate our ward.” A female follower said.
“Quite brave. Were you able to trace on who were our intruders?” she asked.
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“Yes milady.”
“Dawnguard?” she asked
“I’m not sure, but it came just outside the ward near the entrance.”
“That’s strange…” she mused, it should have been very hard to find it with the exception of her followers. “Is it a-no, nevermind, I’ll handle it.”
“Yes milady.”
She decided to take the reins of the defensive ward and sensed the consistent disturbance in the ward as if it was being hammered recklessly, which made her think that the attackers must have a lot of magicka to waste in their attempt to enter their ward. Then all of the sudden, as if sensing the change in the defense, the attacks ceased and instead made a gentle force on the ward with strange patterns, as if it was knocking on a door.
It was like the instigator was mocking and taunting her which she immediately snapped and casted a spell which took and pulled the provoker inside the ward. It was trap spell that she uses as an attachment to her wards which she created to forcibly catch the casters of any portal that made contact with her ward.
Three figures in front of the deep snow. She focused her sight using an enhancement spell and found herself looking at a giant earth golem, a huge red haired man and… someone that she doesn’t want to meet right now.
Her followers quickly covered for her as they swarmed around her and took positions to defend themselves.
“Mistress! Stay back! We will handle the intruders!”
“Ah no-”
But before she could stop her followers, they already started bombarding the location where the trespassers landed, with destruction spells.
Then they all stopped when they realized a large sphere ward that covered the intruders.
“Mistress! We are-”
“Shut up for now and cease your attacks!” Vladima yelled. But she was shocked to hear a booming voice that rocked the entire mountain.
“VLADIMA!!! YOU FUCKING BITCH!!! I WILL KILL YOU FOR SCAMMING ME!! THEN I WILL RESURRECT YOU AND I KILL YOU AGAIN FOR SHOOTING SPELLS AT ME!!!”
Yep, it’s her. She sighed as she thought as she confirmed the identity of the third figure.
“On a second thought, you can just shoot everything on that blond woman. Ignore the other two, they are guests.” she commanded as she walked to meet the two figures that was a giant golem and a man. Her followers obeyed her orders and proceeded to rain hell fire to their target. Others followed their mistress behind.
As her two guest came closer, she kneeled and greeted which her loyal servants behind also copied, thinking that the man she was bowing was very important.
“Master Mortred. It’s a pleasure to have you in our presence here.” Then she also bowed to the golem. “Sister Fang, it’s also nice to see you again.”
Mortred however, looked around and saw the countless followers that kept exiting from their hideout to repel probable intruders. But he felt like they were not just any followers, but more of a cult.
“It’s a nice place, away from prying eyes and the reach of Dawnguards. But it made contacting you via telepath, very hard.”
Then Mortred tilted his head.
“What are you even doing here Vladima? I thought you already outgrew these kind of things.” Mortred grinned. “Are you being naughty again?”
For her follower’s ears, this seemed like a joking line. But for Vladima, she knew that Mortred was asking seriously and any answer he deemed to be unsatisfying or unjustifiable would result on his quick judgment of her fate.
“Master, let me introduce my followers. They are the Order of the Dark Leaves. My Order studies and researches about the movements, intention and hunting daedric cults.” Vladima explained.
“This would be the nth time you created an order of the same purpose.” Mortred said as he raised his brow after hearing the objective of her supposed ‘Order’. “I hope it would not end the same as others.”
Vladima only kept quiet in response as she cannot deny the failed attempts she made in the past.
“By the way, Mycilla told me many times that you scammed her. Is it true?” Mortred asked. She immediately stood then tapped the snow from her knees.
But before she could utter an answer, a flash of light glinted in the corner of her eyes and struck her. Creating a massive blast of snow and earth. The sudden destruction was so massive that the golem armor that Fang coated herself was blasted and the followers behind Vladima got blown away. Fang was able to react in time to create a protective shell of earth to protect herself and Mortred from the explosive effects.
And in the center of the large crater, two figures can be seen that were squirming with each other.
“Hey… Vladima. You have never change huh… You’re still the same bitch as when you were the nobles’ whore.” Mycilla grinned in bloodlust, trying to choke Vladima with her hands while staying on top of her. Despite the small body size of Mycilla, she almost have the same weight as Vladima.
“And you’re still as foul mouth as ever. An idiot who believed anything other’s say during your hot temper. No wonder the Psijic Order kicked you out after freezing your age, because your former body doesn’t really act like your mental age.” Vladima smiled while trying to hide the veins on her temple and holding the two hands that were aiming her neck. She was making fun of Mycilla as she was as old as Vladima but due to some unforeseen events, she became younger without her consent.
Both of them struggled to overpower each other. Mycilla was actually trying to bend the space around Vladima but the latter was also retraining her magic using her own spells.
“To be honest, I never scammed you… technically.” Vladima added. “If I remember correctly, you were the one who initiated a discussion with my agent.”
“But you had the choice to stop her as you knew it was me!”
“And why would I? I never stopped an idiot from doing a stupid thing that will become and amusement for me later.”
“You fucking-”
Mortred appeared beside them, amused at their predicament then something protruded from his back in the form of tentacles and forcibly separated the two.
“Okay… okay… back off now. You can kill each other later after the expedition. Then you will have the time of your lives destroying each other.” Mortred sighed.
“No! You told-” Mycilla was about to refute but was stopped when the tentacle who held her, coiled around her jaws, covering her mouth.
“Expedition?” Vladima was confused. “Where would it be this time?”
“Akavir.” Mortred answered.
Vladima grinned in excitement and yelled at her followers who were still under the effects of spell shocks.
“Mistle!”
“Y-yes?!” the woman was surprised on having her name, mentioned.
“You will be in charge until I return. Continue the research, send any of your findings to the Skyhaven Temple if you find anything that needs my attention.” Vladima said.
“Yes mistress!”
“MMMMFFFFTT!” Mycilla struggled to escape but failed. Fang used this chance to pinch her cheeks so hard that Mycilla had tears in her eyes.
“So… how can I serve you?” Vladima smiled.
“It’s still an awkward thing to hear that the aspect of domination herself is offering to serve.” Mortred smiled tiredly.
“My existence does not reach that of a dragon’s sovereignty.” She smiled.
“By the way, what did your agent do to her?” He asked.
“She actually got scammed by one of my agents that pretended to be a ship captain that delivers products at a lower price in exchange the delivery must be in bulk volumes.” Vladima shrugged. “So basically she bought a lot of useless things from my shops then paid also my agent to deliver the stuff into nowhere, then my agent sold it and we pocketed the money. I am still baffled at how she found out though.”
Mortred immediately remembered Maven’s grumbling about Mycilla having a massive debt to her. Which made him think that Maven offered to information as a planned debt trap.
Maven really loves to make the most troublesome people in Tamriel under debts. Mortred sighed.