A/n: Sorry for being a bit lazy lately. My Biological Clock is under maintenance so I can sleep like normal people again!
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*3 Days until the Battle of Winterhold*
"Jolly good seeing you again, out for a stroll did you?"
What met Jon after going out of [Cube] was Sir Cadwell.
"Nope, just took a proper nap before going out smashing asses." Jon replied.
"Oh, what a lovely idea that is! Nothing like a proper rest before a fight. Even an intrepid knight such as myself can't go to Battle with a fuzzy mind. Ready to go?"
Sir Cadwell seemed about to open a portal to some place in Coldharbour so Jon spoke.
"I've spoken to one of my contacts and found out where is the location of the Sigil Stone I am after."
"Oh, do tell."
"A place called Castle of the Dead."
"Dibella's garters, why? Lovely grounds, no question. But it's positively brimming with all sorts of Undead and a nasty Cult of Soul Shriven."
"The Soul Shriven have cults now?"
"Two factions, well yes. Those who swore fealty to Molag Bal so they get a better life of eternal servitude and those of us who resist with anything they can. Nasty ones, all the new Soul Shriven appear there and those who manage to hear of us and escape may survive until here." Sir Cadwell pointed to the gathering of the Soul Shriven he had.
They all looked skinny and weak with nothing to fend themselves with.
"What about the Mortals that get here, I only saw Mr. Skittles."
"It is just you and him, boy. Hope you help him though."
"Fine, I'll see what I can do." Jon said, "By the way, I have a friend that I kidnapped from the Tower of Lies with me. He is a Dremora so I think if he can be of help."
"Oh…" Sir Cadwell looked around, "Where?"
Jon pointed for a half then summoned Serana and Xikil out of the [Cube].
"Oh! Ohohoho… if it is not young Xikil, how are you these days lad? Heard you got yourself tangled up in trouble with a mortal."
"Tsk! Cadwell."
Xikil and Sir Cadwell recognized each other.
"You two are familiar with one another?" Jon asked.
"Hm? Of course, your Dremora friend is a kind of a celebrity out of the get-go. He was conjured not an hour after he was created and has quite the record with being summoned. Actually, I am not surprised this lad is somehow involved with you. Funny, don't you think?"
Jon heard what Cadwell said and looked at Xikil with a grin.
"Till now, I only heard tales of the Almighty Sir Xikil but looks like there is a whole new side of you I will learn about today."
"Humph! Mortal, one day you will grow old like all mortals and let's see who will have the last laugh." Xikil snorted with anger.
Jon couldn't help but slap the Dremora's back making him cough out blue blood.
"Until then, I'll bully you to death… but you know what, boy? I actually feel bad for you. Don't worry! Nirn is lovely this time of year so make sure to drop by… God knows my hands get itchy when I don't bully twice a day at least."
"Stick your pity up your a- *puff*" Xikil was about to say something but Jon punched the ever living out of him.
"Hey, watch your language. There is a lady her for fuck's sake, you asshole." Jon said as he winked at Serana.
"You realize that I am a vampire, right?" Serana asked.
"Clearly."
"And your cat is a child."
"Mhm."
"And you have a werewolf girlfriend."
"What's the point?" Jon tilted his head.
Serana smiled calmly.
"I mean… you shouldn't bully people when your tastes include an undead, a half beast and little girl."
Jon's face turned pale right away. The sudden realization was too much for him.
" You mean… you are saying that… I am necrophiliac furry lolicon?"
"Not sure what any of those mean but as long as that delivers the message then yes." Serana said.
Jon covered his eye with his right and took a deep breath then his lips arched up.
"Nothing changed from my past life then, hell, it seems like my friends' souls are accompanying me too. Thanks, Fatty, Four-Eyes."
"Goodness, he is hopeless!" Serana laughed.
"Now now, we are getting late. Sir Cadwell, whenever you're ready."
***
*The Shrouded Plain, The Everfull Flagon*
Sir Cadwell's portal opened near an old ruined tavern. He walked out followed by Jon, Serana, Xikil and Mr. Skittles.
"What are we doing here?" Xikil asked.
"This is the easiest part, here you will find the Scent of Nirn you are looking for." Sir Cadwell explained.
"What exactly are we looking for?" Jon asked.
"A flower that goes by the name of [Kyne's Tears]. They grow around a Shrine of Kyne that got dragged in Coldharbour to the south of here. Xikil here must be very well familiar with the place. I'll be in the old tavern here having a drink with some old Soul Shriven chums of mine." Sir Cadwell said.
"How familiar?" Jon asked.
"..." Xikil refused to answer.
"Well, one of the lad's ladies dwell around the place. That boy is a lady killer I tell you, popular with all sorts of female Daedra." Sir Cadwell said with a sly smile.
"Tsk." Xikil seemed annoyed by the fact.
"Popular with female Daedra?" Jon looked at Xikil in a different way, "You never told me about such a thing. Sir Cadwell, I want details."
"Tsk tsk tsk." Sir Cadwell shook his head, "The poor boy attracts that sort of attention all the time. Let's say that some Daedra may look pleasing to the eyes but Daedra they will always be."
"Fine, no spoilers. I expect we will come across a member of your harem over there. Do introduce."
***
After ten minutes and a mile to the south, Xikil was walking in a dark forest alone. He was stumbling left and right because his bad sense of direction but a certain voice in his head was spamming him to death.
Xikil kept his path straight until he saw a mass of spider webs roped all around the place. He swallowed his dry saliva and walked forward with caution.
Not a few steps later, something caught on to his feet and out of the blue, he was caught up and in the air by a spider string upside down.
"Waah! No! Dammit! I knew this would happen."
Desperation appeared on his face as he struggled left and right to break free but a sudden chilly sensation crawled up his spine and guts. This was something he is very familiar with.
"Mo- Moncha? Is- is that you?" Xikil talked meekly.
"I knew~ I smelled it~ it was you, dear Xikil." A creepy hoarse voice echoed around Xikil.
"Oh, no! By the Lord… damn you, mortal. Fishsticks! Mortal, Fishsticks!" Xikil cursed at Jon as he saw the monster that appeared in front of him.
It was a Spider Daedra (Arachne) with a terrifying appearance and a sinister look on her face.
"Weak pathetic Xikil, I knew you would come to find me one day. I was about to come and look for you."
As the evil looking Spider Daedra approached, Xikil started resisting as much as he could. Her evil hoarse voice made him want to break free and run. She held him still and started checking his body.
"Fishsticks!" Xikil kept shouting that word.
"This feels good, you were killed recently? Good. All your organs should still be fresh. Pitiful Xikil, you must have got conjured by a mortal and got killed again."
"I said Fishsticks! Please!"
"Don't worry, this time will be on Moncha's hands. Do you remember where we stopped last time? Right… I was eating your liver when we had our best moment. Where should I eat this time? Your lungs, your tongue… or your eyeballs." The Spider Daedra was digging her claws in Xikil's abdomen while licking his face with her long tongue
"Nooo! Fishsticks!" Xikil kept only shouting this word.
"Why do you keep shouting this word? Do you want to make me angry, Dremora?" The Spider Daedra was about to punch Xikil.
"FISHSTICKS!"
Before the Spider Deadra punch Xikil, someone stopped her hand.
"Alright, that's enough." Serana appeared behind Moncha with her claws elongated crushing the arm of the spider Daedra with a hand and destroying her face with another.
The Spider Daedra twitched in place before collapsing on the ground dead.
"Than…k … you!" Xikil's face was pale from the fright that he had. He thanked Serana meekly before she cut him down.
"I kept saying it… the safeword! Why didn't the Mortal come earlier?" Xikil asked Serana.
"He is collapsed over there?" Serana pointed behind the tree.
"What? Someone actually could put down that Mortal?"
"… No… he almost died from laughing. The Khajiit kept blocking his voice from leaking which made it worse. You shouldn't have agreed to say such a silly safeword by the way."
Xikil looked towards Jon's direction with disappointment and kept pitying himself. Just why did his stinking fate put him with that Mortal that can haunt the Daedra?
Xikil stood up and walked to Jon who was whipping his tearful eyes. He took a deep breath resisting every urge to fight with that Mortal.
Jon could calm down right away but he kept teasing Xikil to death.
"Still, you have an Arachne girlfriend. Boy, I know a few people who actually envy you by now."
"Leave me alone, Mortal."
"Don't worry, we all should go through the crazy girlfriend experience at some point of our time. Don't worry about it. Now, let's gather the flowers." Jon patted Xikil's shoulder with a heavy hand then walked away and started following him to where they were supposed to go.
Three standing stones stood around a short structure in a dark forest. The central one carried the symbol of Kyne.
"So, this is the shrine?" Jon asked.
"Right here, you can find the flowers around but they tend to hide very well." Xikil said.
Jon looked around the shrine and found to stone tablets around it, each one had an ode written on it by the runic language. Jon could read it.
The first ode was called [Kyne's Tears]. It said "Dark clouds gather in the sky above. Kyne weeps for joy at the beauty of the world. Tears warm the ground and blossoms grow. The sacred stone reveals the flowers of her tears."
The second ode was called [Hidden Tears]. It said " The sacred stone responds to the land where her tears fell. Tears to purify hearts, the earth, the water, the very air around us. Kyne whispers and weeps in the hallowed places."
The two odes spoke of how to locate the sacred flowers that grew around the shrine and the Power of Purification they had.
"Good, these flowers indeed carry the scent of Nirn, I want everyone to split up and look around for them. I will use the Sacred Stone on the shrine and guide you with Telepathy." Jon said and the three nodded.
In less than an hour, the team has gathered more than 10 Tears of Kyne which were flowers with red petals and enchanting scent.
Jon stored them right away in the [Cube] for their quality not to drop.
The four returned to the Everfull Flagon to find Sir Cadwell sitting alone with other Soul Shriven in the abandoned tavern.
"Oh! Krilon, my lad. Jolly good seeing you in one piece after facing the Lie Spinner spider."
"It was nothing."
"Spectacular. Now to the next stop, the Black Forge."