20: Lava and Darkness

Although the portal itself was cold, the plane of Oblivion was not. It was like stepping through a film of ice into a furnace. I shuddered in the heat and looked around me.

I had seen this place before, back when I was yanked from Cheydinhal into Oblivion. Billowing clouds of smoke rose from an ocean of lava, and the ground itself was close to catching fire. Between the rocks imbedded in the ground there was ooze that glowed faintly and burned my hand when I touched it. Spikes rose from the ground in places, each dripping with blood, and huge gates closed off a bridge nearby. I was overcome by nausea when I turned to face a number of stakes with Dunmer heads impaled on them. I turned away and held back my sickness.

I recovered and focused my thoughts on the task ahead. The gates were closed, so I would have to find a way around them. It didn’t look like too much of a problem, as much of the area around the bridge was in ruin and I could spot two possible paths. The way would be made rough by the rubble, but I would manage. I didn’t exactly know where I was going, but the huge tower in the distance seemed like as good a target as any. I set off across the ash and readied myself for the worst.

The worst manifested itself in a pack of scamps that was harassing a man. I rushed in to help him and between the two of us we dispatched them quickly. The man was wearing a torn guard’s uniform and was bleeding profusely. He started to fall over, but I caught him and healed his major gashes and burns. He muttered something about getting ambushed and the Daedra capturing some of his group. I healed him until he could walk again and sent him off towards the Oblivion gate back to Kvatch. Hopefully the captain will be able to get him to a better healer.

I continued along the rubble strewn ash, dispatching the occasional small scamp with some work. They were difficult, and the heat weighed down on me, making my movements sluggish and ineffective. In fact, the heat seemed to strengthen the scamps, as they would attack more vigorously the closer to lava I became. I found that my Flare and Fireball spells were worthless against the scamps, which was not surprising, but my long range capabilities were severely limited without them. They did some damage to them, but it was too little to count for much.

The scamps were not completely flame-proof, thankfully. They skirted the edges of the lava pools, but never dipped in. I noticed this and tried to use it against them. It worked quite well. One of the more humorous times that it worked, I launched a fireball at the scamp’s feet. It jumped back away from the fireball, and landed right in a pool of lava! It screamed and tried to claw its way out, but the heat melted its very bones. My other attempts at this did not work as well, but they worked well enough.

There was an odd arrangement of flora in Oblivion. All of the plants appeared to be hostile to me, whether it was through a thick, noxious gas, or through direct assault with razor sharp tendrils. I was able to collect some of these rare specimens for study later. They would no doubt prove to be a useful ingredient in potions.

Finally, I reached the base of the huge tower. It turned out to be a central spire at the middle of several others. Two huge stone doors marked the entrance to the spire, and upon them were engraved Daedric runes. From what I could read of them, they meant “The Blood Feast.” I cautiously approached them and they cracked open at my touch.

Inside it was dark and even hotter than the outside. The floors and walls emanated heat and my misery was crippling. At the center of the room was a huge column of magical fire. It roared up from a pool of lava in the center of the tower towards the top of the tower. The tower was huge inside, and I could not see the top from my position. At first I did not know how to climb the tower, but then a small door at the side of the room started sliding open. I turned to see what had opened it, and was met by a huge warrior clad in full Daedric armor! I backed off as quickly as I could, my mind petrified with fear. The Dremora pulled a hefty mace from its side and screamed at me.

“SUFFER, FLESH SACK!” Its voice was painful to listen to, and my mind was further assaulted. It moved extremely fast, and its mace knocked me off of my feet in an instant. I felt several ribs shatter under the huge mace, and the Dremora was soon standing over me. It kicked me in the side of the head with its huge boot, and the spikes slashed open my face. My screams were mere gurgles; obviously my lung had been ruptured by my broken ribs. The end was near, I could feel it…

And yet, light always conquers over shadow. And, just as darkness closed over my mind, the huge doors to the spire flew open. A huge amount of magical force hit the Dremora standing over me. The plates of its armor melted together under the onslaught of magic, and suddenly a familiar face was over me. I felt healing magic enter my body, and my bones began to reset themselves.

“Sleep now Will, I shall watch over you.” The Dark One smiled and my eyelids shut involuntarily.