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The Elder Scrolls: AKAVIR - Chapter X

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CHAPTER X

Faster and faster, Odahviing flew as he gained on Ahmiingraag.  The jungle hills below grew steeper until they rose up to the slopes of a mountain as the thick growth of trees gave way to jagged rocks and snow.  Ahmiingraag soon came to a flatter area near the mountain's peak and flew around in circles above it, speaking in the Dragon Tongue.

"Hondaanrot, Thuri!" he exclaimed.  "Dovahkiin lost krinaan sahrot Reythyolnah ahrk bo fah zey, govir Odahviing hokoroniil!"

Suddenly, a ghastly roar sounded followed immediately by a blast of energy which both Aravis and Odahviing instantly recognized as a Thu'um.  The Shout struck Ahmiingraag, knocking him out of the sky with brutal ferocity.  Then, a voice spoke toned with great and terrible evil.

"Hi mey, Ahmiingraag," it said.  "Vir krilon hi daal wah zey voth ahsodiil ni geblaan?  Raxi wah ruusiil!"

Aravis and Odahviing then heard a bloodcurdling cry immediately followed by a flash of golden light dimmed by the snowy wind. They finally came to the top of of the mountain and landed on a rocky crag, where they were greeted by a horrendous sight.  It was the skeletal remains of a dragon that could only be Ahmiingraag lying in blood-stained snow, its jaws agape as if the Blood Dragon were still screaming in death with pain.  

Standing above it with jaws dripping Dovah Sos was a great Frost Dragon armored in white and pale grey-blue scales.  His eyes were as black and soulless as a shark's.  But his wings were strangely reduced to nothing but long bony fingers, the leathery membrane between them mysteriously missing.  Aravis wondered if this dragon was as deadly as he was without flight, what horrors could he bring with working wings?

"It is a pity I had to meet you in person, Dovahkiin," the Frost Dragon spoke in a deep foreboding voice.  "If Ahmiingraag had simply done his task and killed you, he would still be alive to speak of it.  But that is no matter.  I am sure you have already figured out who I am."
"You're Hondaanrot," Aravis answered, dismounting Odahviing and drawing her sword.
"Ahrk ful Dovahkiin bo wah uniidde voth dinokii tol kriist us ek," Hondaanrot laughed.  "But, I forget that your tongue speaks not Dovahzul."
"I'm learning," retorted Aravis.  "But now I want to learn about you, Hondaanrot.  How can a wingless dragon wield so much power over his kind?"
"Dur dii viingge!" sneered Hondaanrot.  "I advise that you watch your tongue, Dovahkiin, lest you die before my tale is told."
"Drem, Dovahkiin," warned Odahviing.  "Let him speak."

Hondaanrot drew himself up to height and met the Dark Elf's red eyes with his black ones.

"I am well aware that you are Dovahkiin...the slayer of Alduin the World-Eater himself," remarked Hondaanrot.  "Indeed an astonishing feat even for one of your kind.  Your Thu'um has been felt around the world ever since your first zalk—utterance of 'Fus'.  But I have not seen Alduin for nearly three millennia, and it seems that I shall never again.  Zok tovok.  How wonderful."
"Druv fusond hi ful faan do faal Dovahthur?" questioned Odahviing.  "Why do you so dismiss the name of the Dragon Overlord?"
"He was never my Thur," snarled Hondaanrot.  "I saw Alduin for what he truly was: pahlokaal mey—an arrogant fool.  What would come out of his destruction of the world?  Only the loss of the dovah suleyksejun and our loyal Dragon Cult.  I tried to stop Alduin and bring about a more glorious future.  Krosis...I failed and Alduin crippled my beautiful instruments of flight in the most cruel manner he knew as punishment for my tahrovin...treachery."
"What did he do?" asked Aravis, starting to feel a small amount of sympathy for the creature but still keeping her guard up.
"What do you know of the Nilaadaan Rotmulaag—the Forbidden Words of Power, Dovahkiin?" said Hondaanrot.
"I've never heard of them, to be honest," Aravis replied.
"Long before Bokkesejul—the Ages of Man, the Dovah of the strongest Thu'um (Alduin being one of them) forbade several Shouts to be spoken against those of the Dov."
"Why were they forbidden?" wondered Aravis.
"The combined strength of the Thu'um in the Nilaadaan Rotmulaag created power so strong that they could no longer be considered normal Shouts.  Instead, they were Durre...Curses," Hondaanrot explained.  "When I challenged Alduin, he used one of those Curses on me.  It burned away the skin of my wings, reducing them to these ruth, brahnu sinakke!  And in his daring use of the Nilaadaan Rotmulaag, Alduin declared himself the one with the strongest Thu'um and true master of the Dov!"

Hondaanrot reared up on his hind legs and splayed out his giant skeletal hands, displaying them to Aravis and Odahviing.  He roared in great anguish, the sound echoing across the skies.

"Alduin los nid zos, nuz Zu'u fent tul lost nahkriini!" he said triumphantly.  "Alduin is no more, but I shall still have my revenge!  For three thousand years I have been stranded here in Dovahnor, but in that time I have amassed an army!  The Dov shall rule Tamriel once more!"

Odahviing angrily moved forward to confront the Frost Dragon.

"Paariil los aak folaas," he growled.  "Your ambition is misguided, Hondaanrot.  The joorre are unruly and cannot be ruled, especially not under the tyranny of our kind.  Lost hi mindos nid nol usnutiid?  Have you learned nothing from history?"
"You are the one who will learn, Odahviing," said Hondaanrot evilly.  "Nothing will stop me!  Those who defy me shall share my plight and suffer as I do now!  I am Hondaanrot!  To hear my voice is to hear your doom!"

In the next moments, time seemed to slow for Aravis.  Hondaanrot spoke in the Dragon Tongue and a Shout erupted from his mouth, the Thu'um filled with words of pure evil.

"Reld..."

Odahviing stretched his great wings and leapt towards Aravis, grasping her by the shoulders with his talons.

"...Viing..."

As quickly as he could, Odahviing flapped his wings and took to the air.

"...Liiv!"

But it was too late.  Odahviing shrieked with pain as the blast from the Shout struck him with great ferocity.  As he dove down the side of the mountain, his wings began to sear with billowing smoke before bursting into flames.  They burned with a putrid smell as they ate away at the red dragon's wings, reducing them to ones like Hondaanrot's.  No longer able to lift the great beast into the air, Odahviing's wings failed him and he and Aravis plummeted together as gravity's victims.  The jungle below gradually came closer to meeting them.  In a last-ditch effort to protect the Dragonborn, Odahviing looked down at Aravis who was desperately clinging to the dragon's ankles.

"Krosis, Dovahkiin," he said forlornly over the loud rushing of wind.  "I have done my duty.  I have kept my promise.  But I fear you must save yourself!  May we meet again in spirit!"
"Odahviing, what are you..?" was all Aravis could say before she was flung away from the dragon's grip.  Suddenly, she saw the forest canopy below her and realized certain death awaited.  Quickly, she shouted "Feim Zii Gron!" and her physical form instantly faded into an ethereal spirit.  Aravis instinctively braced for impact even though she knew there would be no feeling as she crashed through the tree canopy and down to the forest floor.  As she resolved back into her corporeal self, Aravis heard the distant yet sickening sound of something big colliding with the earth.

"Od Ah Viing!" Aravis distraughtly called out, picking herself up off the ground.  She waited for a response, be it a familiar roar or the dragon's gravelly voice speaking Dovahzul—just something to tell her that her trusted companion and protector was in any way fine.  But no response came.  Aravis crumpled to her knees and began to weep as night fell over Akavir.
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