Acadian: Clark the spanking instructor is also Clark, owner of the establishment, with an eye for profit!

And no necrophilia. That's Falanu's job.

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Previously: Clark has taken Gilda on a trip to Arkngthamz, where they discovered the incorporeal Katria.

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Part 85 - Hunt for Aetherium

They soon found themselves walking down a ramp, for the first time in ages. And there in front of them was the arrangement of tonal locks that Katria had drawn in her journal.

"I only figured out the first two before the Falmer jumped me. And if you use them out of sequence, then you'll get attacked by the Dwemer guardians - spheres, ballistas, and probably that centurion, eventually."

There were several skeletons lying around, and one more recent body, mostly riddled with dwarven arrows and bolts. The dead adventurer had a crude sketch of the locks, with some extra results from his attempts.

"With his notes, and yours, I think I have enough to do this," Clark announced. "Can you hit that one first, please?"

Katria tried, but her arrows didn't affect anything material. Gilda couldn't use a bow, so Clark ended up using Zephyr to fire some of the dwarven arrows he'd picked up. The women retreated to a safe distance as he did so, but came back to him when there was only one left, and he couldn't make a mistake. As he hit it, two doors opened at the base of the wall. "Which do you think?" Katria asked, "Is one the real entrance, and the other a trap?"

Clark and Gilda each went into one and soon found themselves facing each other, behind where the centurion stood. And behind that were a number of chests, and a glowing piece of - something - lying on a table. Whatever it was had a round side, and a jagged side, like it had been part of a circular item that had been broken apart.

"That's a piece of Aetherium," Katria told them, "and I'd bet there will be other pieces like it at the other locations on my map."

---

The nearest was almost on the border with High Rock. When they arrived at Deep Folk Crossing they found a bridge over the stream, but it looked like any further Dwarven ruins were buried under the ground with no visible entrance. Possibly this had already collapsed like Arkngthamz was starting to. In that case the piece of Aetherium was likely to be under a mountain of rubble.

But no, Gilda found it on a pedestal out in the open, behind a few pieces of Dwarven armour. Clearly nobody ever bothered coming here, or it would have been taken long ago. Katria suddenly appeared to express her encouragement, and just as suddenly, disappeared again.

The next location on Katria's map was familiar to Clark. "That's the storeroom at Mzulft. I went there with Iona to collect scrap metal, but we didn't take everything, just as much as we could carry. There was one door we didn't bother opening, and I'd bet the shard's behind that."

---

Gilda had no problems with the lock, and sure enough, the shard was there, among a pile of other Dwemer scrap. "That's three of the four; just one left," Katria reminded them.

"So we should expect that one to be trouble. It's been much too easy so far."

---

They went back to Mjoll in Riften for advice. She knew more about Dwarven ruins than anyone else they knew. She recognised the location, and told them that it led into Blackreach, so you could enter it from there, too. Mzinchaleft, or Alftand, could get you into Blackreach. And there was a lift to the bottom - if you could find it in the hills, and the gates weren't closed. "The only lever to open them is on the inside," she remarked.

Mzinchaleft and Alftand were likely to be full of enemies again. It was ages since Clark and Iona had fetched Grimsever, and Diablita had gone after the Elder Scroll at Mzark. "Oh, and I recall the entrances to Blackreach had a special lock on them," Mjoll added as an afterthought. "You'd need a special attunement sphere to open them."

So they might as well go the long way through Raldbthar. "I'll come with you, if you like," Mjoll offered. "I'm itching for a good fight."

---

There were bandits, Dwarven automata, and Falmer, but that was all the better for Mjoll's itch.

Eventually, they found themselves in a large chamber, with Falmer tents around the walls, a number of chaurus penned behind dwarven gates, and a pool at the other end with a raised drawbridge that they'd need to lower before they could cross. All around, gears were grinding, as if something was blocking their movement.

The Falmer had spotted them, and several were advancing from different directions. Clark used his ward to block a frost attack from the shaman, and drew his sword to go deal with her. Mjoll picked the shield-carrying gloomlurker, and left Gilda to sneak around the edge of the room, looking for any archers that might interfere.

Soon the Falmer were dealt with, and a fireball or two made sure the chaurus wouldn't be coming out to play.

Clark walked over to the pool, and pressed the button he expected to lower the drawbridge. Nothing happened. However, he noticed that something had been jammed into the nearby gears, and was preventing them from moving. He pulled out the bone, and the gears turned freely again.

He tried the button again. Still nothing.

"The Falmer must have jammed more of the gears," He surmised. "Look for more that are stuck."

Another set in the corner of the room had a skull wedged between the gears. "And look over there, behind the drawbridge," Gilda pointed. Clark could just see a piece of a centurion, standing impassively in its frame.

"They used someone's spine over here," Mjoll called from the other side of the pool.

They met back at the button, which still didn't respond. There had to be another jammed gear somewhere.

"In the pool? There are steps leading down over here." Mjoll went down a few steps and ducked her head beneath the water. "Yes, I can can see it. Just below the button."

She emerged a few second later. "Try it again."

"Come up here first. We should all be together when I do."

"I see why," Mjoll exclaimed as the drawbridge lowered, and the centurion began to stir. "He's mine!" And she ran forward, to engage the monster construct.

Clark raised his ward. He wasn't sure if it would stop a steam blast, but it couldn't hurt. Gilda was already running to try and get behind the centurion. A backstab might be more effective, even on a metal thing like this.

But Mjoll was determined to deal with it herself, and was hacking away with Grimsever, as fast as she could. The centurion was wobbling, and his swings at her weren't doing much. She was too close for a full swing of his hammer or axe arms, and his joints were getting damaged and reducing his power.

"Watch out, he's falling!" Mjoll shouted to Gilda, who scuttled out from behind him just in time.

The door the centurion had been blocking led into a passage, that was blocked further in by spears. A lever retracted them - accessible from this side only, Clark noted. Beyond them, they could hear dwarven spiders working, doing whatever they did, and Gilda thought she heard a sphere rolling around.

"That thing in the middle of the room turns into a staircase down to Blackreach," Mjoll told them, "but only if you have the key."

The Automata were coming their way, and they needed to deal with those before concerning themselves with Blackreach. And once they were lying in pieces, they found they didn't need to go any further. Behind a gate at one side of the room, Gilda had spotted the shard that they'd come for. A moment later, she had the lock picked, and the door open.

"Who's that?" Mjoll wanted to know, as a ghostly figure suddenly appeared.

"I'm Katria," she told Mjoll. "and you are?"

"I'm Mjoll. I came with my friends Clark and Gilda for a bit of sport, but I gather they were looking for this thing," and she pointed at the Aetherium shard.

"Yes, that's the last one! I'll met you again at the Forge." and Katria disappeared as suddenly as she'd arrived.

"Where's this Forge she talking about?" Mjoll asked.

Clark showed her the map in Katria's journal.

"That looks like the ruins at Bthalft, but there's nothing like a forge there. Just a few walls and piles of rubble. And usually a bunch of bandits. It makes a decent place for them to camp."

What a wonderful tale of aetherium hunting! I’m sure I’m not alone in thoroughly enjoying Katria’s quest.

"So we should expect that one to be trouble. It's been much too easy so far." - - Sounds like the words of a seasoned adventurer.

Good work on sorting out the tonal locks and fouled gears to get where they needed to go.

I’m so glad Clark took Mjoll with the group so she could scratch her itch. And cheers for the Lionesss as she takes down that centurion. I’m sure she and Grimsever were delighted to vindicate themselves after being bested by a centurion in Mzinchaleft

Acadian: Mjoll did feel she had something to prove to herself. If only that's she's better prepared with her ebony armour, and Grimsever upgraded, and not going alone ...

-----------------

Previously: Having found a piece of the previously-mythical Aetherium in Arkngthamz, Clark and Gilda checked the locations in Katria's journal and located more. Now they and Mjoll are headed for Bthalft to look for the Forge.

-----------------

Part 86 - Bthalft

On their way to Bthalft, Clark explained about finding Katria in Arkngthamz. "I don't think she can leave there for long, and perhaps only to go the places where there's Aetherium. We've only seen her there, and when we picked up a shard."

Mjoll knew all about the folly of going into Dwarven ruins alone, and was very sympathetic to hear about her fall.

"We're nearly at Bthalft now, and sure enough, I can see smoke from a bandit campfire. Let me deal with those, so we can concentrate on looking for this Forge."

As Gilda and Clark approached a platform in the middle of the ruins, Katria appeared in her usual abrupt way, next to a Dwemer contraption that looked like a sundial.

"You made it! And you've brought the shards! Look at the device here - the gear in the center is just about the right size. Try putting the shards in and... we'll see what happens."

Clark put them in, and found that they all fitted neatly together into the gear. But nothing happened. No doors opening up, nothing turning to point the way.

"Try taking them out again?"

When Clark did that, the ground started to tremble beneath his feet. "Everyone step back," he told them.
"Off the platform."

They did so just in time, as the platform revealed itself to be the top of a tower that rose up from the ground at least twenty feet. One side was open, and they could see the lever of a Dwarven elevator. "The forge must be underground" Gilda surmised.

"And a long way down," Mjoll decided as they got out at the bottom. "That took a lot longer than any I've ridden before."

The path from the elevator led down to a large cave with a building facade forming one wall. A pool of water took up much of the bottom, with a ramp leading down into it. Or back up, if you fell in, Clark supposed.

The gate in the middle of the facade was locked, but as at Arkngthamz, two tonal resonators were in niches above it. Clark pulled out Zephyr and fired at one of them. It spun and the niche lit up, so he did the same to the other. The gate swung open.

They could see the lights turning on down a long sloping passage before them. A large door closed off the far end.

Behind the door was a chamber containing a huge metal contruction of pipes and gears, with a lake of lava behind it. It was hard to see it all clearly for all the steam rising from the floor. Clark looked around for a way to shut the steam off, and found a wheel-valve that looked likely. The steam seemed to diminish, but he needed to operate another matching one on the other side of the chamber before it cut off completely.

As they moved towards the edifice, several dwarven spiders popped out of tubes around the room and began to attack them. And if they weren't enough trouble, shortly after that, gates opened and dwarven spheres joined in, and the steam turned itself back on.

"You keep fighting them, and I'll shut off the steam again," Clark called out, and ran to do so.

"That's the last of them," Mjoll anounced a few moments later.

"Oh no, it's not!" Gilda contradicted her. "Look over there!"

Something huge was coming out of the pool of lava. "I'd assume that thing is immune to fire," Clark remarked.

"So Grimsever should be just what it needs!" Mjoll cried as she rushed at the glowing centurion. Her sword added frost damage, at least for most opponents. For all anyone knew, this centurion was immune to all elements.

Still, it didn't appear to be immune to being hit with a big sword, and she was again too close for it to get a good swing at her. It sprayed a gout of flame around the room trying to hit her, but she was too close.
Everyone else had to scramble out of the way of the flames, but at least it wasn't aimed at anyone. Clark's ward seemed to be working against it, too.

Katria was shooting her arrows at it, just in case they had any effect. She was aiming well over Mjoll, so it couldn't do any harm, either.

The collosus eventually fell, and they could take a more leisurely look at the dwarven edifice at the edge of the lava lake. Most of it appeared to be pumps to circulate the molten rock around a chamber in the middle. There was a recess in the top, that looked the same shape as the piece of Aetherium they'd brought in with them.

Clark put it in there, but nothing happened. So he took it out again, and nothing happened.

"Maybe we need something else. If this is a forge, perhaps metal ingots?"

Gilda had already started looking in the chests and other containers around the chamber and she'd found quite a selection of metal ingots. Dwarven metal, malachite, ebony, silver and gold. She brought them over to the Forge.

"It looks like we only have enough Aetherium to make one item," Clark announced. "We can make a circlet, that will let the wearer use two standing stones' abilities at once. Or a shield that will render enemies ethereal for a time, or a staff to summon a dwarven spider or sphere."

"It makes things that are already enchanted?" Mjoll was astounded. "That's not like any Forge I know."

Clark asked Katria what she'd choose. "Well the shield doesn't sound very useful. Won't that just protect enemies from harm? And I've seen enough of these dwarven automata already, so I'd pick the circlet, even if it didn't do anything."

"I believe I agree," Clark told her, and added the metal needed for that.

He showed her the results. "It's beautiful." she said. "I'd like to give you all a huge hug, but, well, you understand. And with that... it's done. No one could possibly deny what we've found now."

"No, Azura tells me we're not quite finished yet. She wants me to take you back to Arkngthamz first."

"Azura? What's she got to do with this?"

"She's got a lot to do with Clark," Gilda told her. "He's her champion and carries her Star, among other things."

"All right, I'll meet you there," Katria conceded, and disappeared in her usual way.

"Do you need us to come with you?" Mjoll asked.

"No we've already cleared all the enemies from the ruin. The only danger is that the place might collapse, and Azura seemed confident that wouldn't happen quite yet."

As ever, great teamwork and logic as the small group sorts out Bthalft. I’m so glad to see Mjoll becoming quite the centurian slayer.

Sounds like Katria is as girly as Buffy who always picks the circlet ‘cuz its pretty!

I wish that, when the quest was over, you could summon and unsummon Katria to come help you when you need her, but mostly for her charming personality and friendship. There are some mods for that but they have trouble with Katria’s voice/personality it seems.

Hmm, it sounds like Katria’s story is not quite done yet. I really look forward to finding out what Clark has in mind back at Arkngthamz.


Nit: "All right, I'll met you there," Katria conceded,’ - - (meet)

Acadian: No, Katria's story isn't over yet ...

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Previously: Clark, Gilda, Mjoll and Katria went to the Aetheium Forge and (after a battle) made a circlet. Now Clark's gone back to Arkngthamz to meet up with Katria again.

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Part 87 - Return to Arkngthamz

"So why are we back here?" Katria asked. "There isn't more Aetherium we didn't find, is there?"

"No, this is about you. Azura wants me to go fetch your body. She doesn't think it should be buried here."

"Well you know where it is, why does this need me? And I still don't see why Azura's getting involved."

"You'll understand later. Just trust me for now."

Clark walked carefully down the fallen column to the rock where she lay. He knelt next to the body and started to take off the armour.

"Hey, leave me some dignity!" Katria protested.

"It's called heavy armour because it's heavy," Clark pointed out. "If I'm going to carry you out, I don't need the extra weight. And it will be easier to mend your bones with it off. That will make you easier to carry, too, as you'll only bend where you're supposed to."

"How can you possibly mend that much damage? I must have broken every bone I had in that fall."

"My outfit has Fortify Restoration enchanted on each piece, some of it by Azura herself. So I don't use much magicka for any restoration spell I cast. In addition, the robe enhances my regeneration, so it comes back faster than I use it."

As he answered her questions, he was busy doing what he'd told her. It wasn't long before he lifted the body up across his shoulders and started to climb carefully back up to the platform above. He laid it back down on a pile of straw in one of the Falmer huts, and took a scroll from his pack.

He cast the spell at the body, and it rose off the ground, tilted forward into a standing position, and gently landed on the floor. It looked unsteady, so Clark put his arms around it.

"Hey, I can feel that!" Katria exclaimed. "It's just like you've got your arms around me."

"I have got my arms around you," Clark reminded her.

"Well, yes, but it's confusing when I'm watching from over here, but I'm over there, too."

"Then just close your eyes, and concentrate on how it feels. Now you can give me the hug you promised."

Katria put her arms around Clark's neck. She could feel herself doing that, too. So she went a bit further, and kissed him. That felt like it was supposed to feel, or maybe a bit better.

"I think you can open your eyes again, now," Clark told her.

When she did so, she was looking at Clark's face from close up, and she could see her own arms around him. Solid ones, not ghost ones.

"So it worked. You're back together," Clark told her.

"What happened? Was I resurrected?"

"No, you weren't dead to start with. Azura told me that she believed you'd fled from the pain before you could actually die, which is why your spirit didn't leave Mundus. But of course, I'd have to heal you before it was safe to go back."

"Why couldn't you have told me before? I nearly did leave after we finished at the Forge. I didn't have anything left to live for after that."

"Because until you were healed, it wasn't safe to tell you. The shock might have killed you, and trying to re-unite you too soon certainly would have."

"So if that scroll wasn't resurrection, what was it?"

"Just telekinesis, to lift you up. I don't know that spell, so I needed a scroll."

"Well, now I've got even more to thank you for, and I'm already naked, so ..."

---

Katria left her armour behind in Arkngthamz. Clark had a nice dress in his pack that suited her, and she'd decided that she'd had enough adventuring for one lifetime, or was it two now?

He'd given her Zephyr back, and that circlet he'd made from the Aetherium, but that wasn't enough to tempt her to go hunting bandits, or anything. She wasn't quite sure what she would do. She hadn't planned much beyond finding the Aetherium Forge, as she really hadn't any idea where that would lead.

"I think we should start by going back to Riften. You promised Gilda and Mjoll a hug, too."

---

Gilda and Mjoll were delighted and amazed to see a live Katria, and soon she was telling her unlikely story to everyone in the Riftweald Club.

"Your mistake, and mine, was to go adventuring alone," Mjoll told her. "I'm glad it ended as well for you as it did for me."

"Don't say ended," Katria reminded her. "Although I really believed it had."

She turned to Clark. "You never explained what Azura had to do with all this."

"She's the Princess of dawn and dusk, and that extends to the dawn and dusk of life. She's especially tuned to those events, and so when I saw you lying on the rock at Arkngthamz, she overheard what I was thinking, that you looked like you'd just fallen there. She didn't say anything at the time, but I assume she was planning it from that point."

"I'm still surprised. I haven't heard many stories about her, but they usually involve her doing something nasty."

"Well, when she has something pleasant that needs doing, she usually gets someone else to do it for her. Like me, this time," Clark pointed out. "If it's not so nice, she takes it on herself. It's not surprising that gets her a bad press from those who don't know."

Serana laughed. "I met Azura once, and when Clark's telling you about her getting him to do 'something pleasant' for her, he's watering it down a lot. Apparently she was so impressed with his efforts, that's why she made him immortal."

Katria blushed, and everyone filled in the unspoken part of her story.

Aww, what a nice resolution for Katria!

Azura must be her godmother too.

Very neat magicks and description to bring Katria's ghost and broken body together - sealed with a kiss!

Acadian Azura's just a misunderstood softie, with a wicked sense of fun.

-----------

Previously Clark did a lot of stuff, while watching his friends do all the main quests. I reserve the right to fill in a few more, that will have happened before this.

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Epilogue

In the morning. a courier found Gilda, and handed her a note. "I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news," he told her.

"What is it?" Clark asked.

"My mother just died, and left me the farm. Remember, the fat woman who was trying to starve me to death, and wouldn't have my broken nose healed?"

"I take it you don't consider this news to be all that bad."

"Well, it's not good news, either. The farm won't be worth much, and I'll have to travel back there to handle everything. I just hope she didn't leave me any debts to pay off."

"We could go back there together. I don't have any pressing business here that others can't do for me."

"And I won't have to share you with a housecarl in Cyrodiil," Gilda added, brightening up a lot. "Perhaps this is good news after all."

---

Clark's horse plodded steadily along the road from Helgen toward Cyrodiil. He gave the reins a jiggle, but the horse's gait didn't change. He only knew slow and steady. The carriage rumbled on at the same pace.

This time, Clark just didn't care. Gilda wasn't distracted by the scenery this time. For that matter, it wasn't exactly the same scrawny teenager with a broken nose that he'd brought to Skyrim. That was only a few years ago, but what a difference they'd made!

Gosh, Clark and Gilda certainly have come a long way. I'm so glad that he offered to go with her. I'm also pleased that, even though they are presently heading back to Cyridiil that you have left the door wide open for more Clarkventures in the future.

Clark's journey from Cyrodiil to Skyrim and back has been a joy to read.

I look forward to what I imagine will be your focus on Kothet's story for now.

I wrote a whole arc of story with Brelyna and Vicuña going to Solstheim to mess with Neloth, who may have abducted Brelyna's mother for ransom, (and a bit of fun, too) back in Morrowind.

Brelyna knows the Sapphire spell, of course, and Clark's mentioned potion #9 to her, as well. She's convinced that anything a potion can do, a spell should be able to match. With the two, she'd have total control.

Since Neloth is immune to illusion, he's the perfect subject for some experiments. Brelyna demonstrates that she can make him move his arm with a simple shock spell applied in the right place, acting directly on the nerve. She's wondering what else that principle can be used for.

As we all know, Brelyna doesn't always have her spells fully developed before she tries them out. For safety, Neloth needs to be restrained and gagged, in case he flails any limbs around, or bites his tongue.

Anyhow, it all got a bit beyond what I could post here, so I didn't. I'm not sure if there's any way to tone it down, as half the point is the excess.

Lol. That sounds like it could be a whole smallish book by itself. Perhaps after Kothet tells his story, Bre will be ready to share more of hers.

Yay, Mjoll got another crack at a Centurion! Katria’s quest is one of my favorites. I like Clark’s explanation for her popping up now and then for a quick comment and then disappearing.

Something huge was coming out of the pool of lava. "I'd assume that thing is immune to fire," Clark remarked.

Clark! I love his description of the forge.

Oh dear, Clark had me a bit worried about an undead brothel recruit. A live Katria is even better than a ghost one! What a satisfying end to her quest.

I love that this Clark adventure came full circle as he and Gilda returned to Cyrodiil on a slow and steady carriage ride.

While I'm working on the Diablo Succubus mod, I'm also writing the story of Clark and Gilda working their way through it. I find it helps me develop a mod if the story makes sense.

So there's a chance of a follow-up chapter if it does get finished. I've already cloned the Succubus-to-be from Gilda, as Greta is intended to be a look-alike cousin, with the expected mistaken identity issues helping the plot.

Whoop!! That is excellent news!

And the mod is firming up enough to start telling the story. I'm not sure how often I'll be posting new parts, or how many yet.

This resumes shortly after Clark and Gilda arrive in Cyrodiil. and deal with her mother's estate.


Part 88 - Greta

"Well, that's the last of the farm equipment sold off," Clark announced. "What have we got left?"

"There's a few things I want to keep, but most of the rest is just rubbish, that we'll burn before we leave. I'm undecided about these two statuettes, though."

Gilda had a pair of statuettes of Dibella that belonged to her mother. They were not like the uniform ones you find all over Skyrim, and not even the same as each other. One showed Dibella naked, but she was kneeling down to smell the fragrance of a growing liliy, and the flower, and her hair, hid most of her face, while her arms and hair also hid her breasts.

The other showed Dibella standing with a lily in one hand, at which she appeared to be gazing. She was fully clothed, in a hooded robe. The lily was beautiful, but the woman was a bit ordinary. Clark thought it was copied from one that once stood in Anvil, next to the chapel.

"I kind of like this one, the kneeling one. But I'm not so keen on the other one. They were bought as a pair, by the same artist, so I'm reluctant to sell them separately," Gilda told him. "Maybe I won't sell them. I could keep this one, and give the other to my aunt Hilde, ma's sister.

"She lives on the other side of the mountains, in a little village at the head of the next valley. The two valleys couldn't be more different. In this one, the farms are all strung out along the road, which eventually passes through the mountains into Skyrim. In the next one, the farms are all clustered around a market village at the head of the valley, as there's no pass, and the road stops there.

"It's a long way by road, but there's a narrow trail over the ridge that you can take on foot. You risk bandits that way, of course, and since you can't carry much, most of the traffic takes the long route."

"We'll take the shortcut. I promised the family that bought the farm that I'd lend them the wagon to move their furniture in, so we'll be going on foot anyway."

---

"Couldn't stay away from me, huh?" said the man behind Gilda, reaching around to grab her breasts.

Seconds later, he was on the ground complaining of a broken arm, and possibly cracked ribs. Clark healed the bones, but left the aches and bruises. "I don't want to use up all my magicka, just in case that happens again. You're lucky she didn't kill you."

"Kill me? Just for that?"

"It wouldn't be the first time. How many men have you killed, Gilda?"

"Not more than a dozen. But that's not counting women, of course, ... or elves, ... or undead, ... or creatures," she replied, thoughfully.

"Wait, you're not Greta? You look just like her."

"No, she's my cousin. I haven't seen her since I was about six, and I know we were like peas in a pod back then, but I didn't know we grew up looking the same. I was expecting to see her at aunt Hilde's, if she hadn't married, and moved away."

"She isn't married, but she has gone away," the man told her. "Nobody's seen her for a couple of months, at least. Even her mother doesn't know where she went."

They delivered the statuette to Gilda's aunt, but not before a couple more incidents with the local men. Gilda asked Hilde about Greta. She'd been complaining about how the men wouldn't leave her alone, but her mother hadn't been very sympathetic. She'd wanted Greta to just pick one of them and settle down. "It's about time she was married, and with her figure, she should be be able to get a good match."

Gilda thought that "a good match" wouldn't be any of the local men, though some of them might be learning better manners as they healed.

Asking around did get a few clues. Some of the women had heard of a Monastery of Dibella in Skyrim, that was supposed to be a refuge for those whom Dibella had blessed with more than they could handle. "Greta doesn't have an amulet like mine, so she'd feel the weight," Gilda pointed out. "I don't think she knew how to put the men in their place, either."

Nobody knew exactly where this Monastery was supposed to be, just somewhere over the border. "We'll have to ask Hamal, at the Temple in Markarth," Clark suggested.

---

There was something subtly different about Hamal. Clark couldn't quite figure it out, but Gilda could. "You've got an amulet like mine, haven't you?"

"Yes, as soon as we found out about the new enchantment, of course all the priestesses wanted one. It took some time to learn to judge how much was needed, but everyone here has one that suits her needs, now. Except Fjotra, maybe. The rate she's been growing, she'd need a different one every week."

Clark asked her about the Monastery. She didn't have a lot of information, but it was helpful. She'd sent a couple of women there who'd decided they were too top-heavy to be good dancers, and needed reassuring that Dibella had something else in mind for them. "We haven't had any return, which may be a good sign or a bad one."

The place was about as far beyond the Orcish settlement of Dushnik Yal as that was from Markarth, which put it just beyond Valthume. It was built into the rocks, and at one time had been a chapel to all the divines. The remote location meant that it didn't get many visitors, and it soon got abandoned, until the current group re-dedicated it to Dibella. As a retreat, the remoteness was an asset.

---

The acolytes at the Monastery of Dibella thought that Gilda was Greta, too. She'd been there, but she disappeared a few days ago. "She wouldn't have just left," one told them. "She was too afraid of the bandits and beasts out there in the wilderness. She arrived with an escort of female mercenaries that she'd hired in Markarth, and where would she find another to take her away again?"

"She was miserable when she found out she was the biggest here," another chimed in. "At first she thought we'd all found a way to make them smaller, but that's not how it is. I have enough back-ache with these, I can't imagine what she, or you, go through."

The priestess took them aside before Gilda could answer. "Please consider carefully what you say. These women are still rather fragile, despite all we do to help them. Most of them would rather be smaller, and we do make a show of alteration spells and prayer to make them believe we're trying to achieve that. Really, we want them to see the positives of Dibella's blessing, and accept what they have cheerfully."

"Is that why everyone is walking around topless? And why all the statues are generously endowed?" Clark queried.

"Correct. We want to instill pride in being Dibella's chosen. It is a blessing, not a curse, if your attitude makes it that way. However, having to listen to their tales of woe is starting to make my back hurt, too."

"Gilda, tell her your story. Especially about your amulet. I don't see an enchanting station here, but I think we have everything on the wagon to make one."

The priestess confirmed their lack, and Clark went back out to fetch what he needed.

Welcome back to Clark and Gilda!

I’ve always found it a good policy not to sneak up behind a woman and grab her breasts unless I really, really, (really) know who she is.

Buffy added the Monastery of Dibella Hyperendowment on her list of places to avoid.

@Acadian. Buffy will have more reasons to avoid it as we go further down.

Previously: Clark and Gilda found that her (identical?) cousin Greta had gone missing from her home village. They've followed the trail to a Monastery of Dibella in the Reach.


Part 89 - Monastery

"This will only fix half the problem," he pointed out when he returned. "Self-confidence can be artificially enhanced by magical means, but that can become a crutch, not a solution. We need to teach them real skills to be confident in."

"We'll make a start on that as soon as we find Greta," Gilda added. "Once Clark has done some enchanting, and they can think about something other than back pain, I'll interview everyone, to see if we can piece together what Greta might have done."

---

"It seems like Greta was most concerned about the way the men were treating her, rather than the weight issue," Gilda concluded. "And the priestesses had planted the idea that big boobies can give you power over men if you know how to use them. Which is true, of course, but I don't think she'd learn that here. So it makes sense that she'd want to find someone else to teach her."

"She'd have done better at the Temple, than here," Clark replied. "A bit of erotic training on top of her natural assets, and she'd be as unstoppable as you are."

"But we know she didn't go there, so where else? One of the acolytes thought she'd seen her writing in a diary. If we could find that, it would help, but she'd probably have taken it with her when she left."

"Did you search her room yet?" Clark asked.

"She didn't have a room, she shared a dormitory with the others. But she might have kept it under the bed, or in a night-stand."

---

"And here it is. The last entry says that he'll help her if she'll go down there. That she's afraid, but he's promised that she won't be harmed, because she has his protection, and soon she'll have the power to protect herself."

"Down where?" Clark asked.

"She doesn't say. Just down."

"What's below the monastery? I assume there are the usual crypts, which tends to mean undead these days."

None of the acolytes or even the priestesses had ever been to look. There was an iron gate that they kept locked downstairs in the cellar, if Clark and Gilda really wanted to find out.

---

The first section of the crypt was more like a jail than anything else. There were a few skeletons wandering around, hostile of course, but not really any significant threat. But there was no sign of Greta in the cells, or even any indication that she'd been here. A broken wall at the back of one cell led to a passage, which in turn led to some stairs.

As they continued down, the skeletons gave way to Dremora, and progress was a little slower. The stonework was looking progressively older, the further they went. Whether that was because it was actually older, or just that it had decayed more, wasn't clear.

"Wait, is that a woman up ahead?" Gilda exclaimed.

"Definitely," Clark replied, raising his ward, "and she appears to be hostile."

A glowing ball of magical energy flew towards Gilda and Clark, but it wasn't movng fast enough to arrive before the ward was up. The spell dissipated harmlessly, and the woman started to retreat, firing more spells as she did so.

"It's not Greta." Gilda could see her face now, and most of the rest of her. She was wearing long boots and gloves, but very little else. Her large breasts were complete uncovered, and swung with every cast of her spells.

Clark kept advancing on her, safely protected behind his ward. With the benefit of Azura's enchantments on his outfit, he could sustain that indefinitely, and the woman didn't seem to have any other offense but those balls of energy. It seemed to Clark that they were a slow fireball, but with some other effect he couldn't determine mixed in. Still, all he had to go on was the way they splashed off the ward.

"I'm hoping we can back her into a dead end," Clark told Gilda. "I know a paralysis spell, which I find useful as a healer. It prevents the patient from flinching. Unfortunately, it's a touch spell, so I have to get close enough to use it."

Eventually that's what happened, and she froze in the corner of the cell.

"Was the boob-groping part of your plan, too?" Gilda wanted to know.

"They were the nearest part of her, and they're almost too big to avoid," he responded. "And the fact that they felt natural gives me a clue about what she is.

"There's a kind of Daedric Seducer that Clavicus Vile seems to prefer. They're known as Succubi, and reputed to be created from humans that have lost their souls to his trickery. Unlike the ones that Azura and Nocturnal sometimes employ, their wings are vestigial, and stiff, just there to balance the weight at the front."

"And that's quite a bit of weight, by the look of her. She's bigger than I am."

"Help me lift her. We can carry her back to that jail area, and lock her in one of the cells. "

"She was trying to kill us. Why do you want to spare her?"

"To interrogate her, and see if we can't get some clue as to what happened to Greta. And maybe what to expect further down."

---

It wasn't obvious if the woman was refusing to talk, or unable to do so. All she did was hiss at them, and try to cast spells through the bars of the cell door. As Clark had suspected, the doors blocked magicka quite effectively. He'd hoped to find some of the null-iron manacles that would have prevented her from even trying, but there didn't seem to be any around.

"We can expect more like her as we go," Clark said ruefully, "and we're going to have to hold our fire until we're sure that it's not Greta."

"Do you think that Vile could change her that quickly? She's only been gone from the monastery a couple of days"

"I don't know, but I'm not underestimating the power of a Daedric Prince."

"So the Succubi are another kind of daedra? Like the Daedra Seducers, Aureals, and Mazken?" Gilda wanted to know.

"Yes, and you need to include the Winged Twilights, the Shrikes, and probably a few more that I've forgotten. Some of them have a winged form, some don't, and some always have wings. The wings may be functional, and let them fly, or just there for balance. They associate with several of the Daedric Princes, if not all of them.

"In general, the Seducers are all enticing women, except that some of the Aureals and Mazken and Twilights are male, to keep the others happy. They lure their prey that way, or just drive them insane, if they're Sheogorath's.

"Then there are Harpies, who aren't daedra at all. And the Spider Daedra, who are what the name describes - half woman, half spider."

So Buffy learned that if her buxom Nordic friends had wings, they’d suffer from less lower back problems.

Null iron! I’ve loved this concept for TES ever since I first heard it from McBadgere in one of his stories.

@Acadian: The thing that appeals most to me about null iron is that it's scientifically reasonable. Iron is the least radioactive element, and atomic fusion stops there. It takes stellar supernovae allow it to go further. So iron is a very inert element in that respect, at least.

--------

Previously: Clark and Gilda met their first Succubus.

------

Part 90: Drelka

Clark mused for a while and then came to a decision. He raised one hand and cast a strange spell. A swirl of mist beside him coalesced into a winged naked redhead.

"Clark! You haven't summoned me for centuries! What makes you think of me now?"

Drelka could see that they had their weapons sheathed, and there was no immediate threat. Since Gilda was standing next to Clark fully clothed, it didn't look like it was a party, either. She put away her wings, and a thin garment formed around her.

"Gilda, meet Drelka, one of Azura's Seducers. I was granted the ability to summon her for a task I performed for her mistress.

"Drelka, this is my mortal apprentice, Gilda. She needs a better explanation of the Seducers than I can manage, and I might need your help later with some Succubi."

"Succubi? Is Clavicus Vile still doing those?"

She didn't wait for Clark to answer, but told Gilda everything she wanted to know about Succubi, and the others.

She explained how the Winged Twilights, who were the strongest fliers, also had the sharpest claws and could attack with their tails, but weren't much as spell-casters. They didn't need magic attacks so much when their physical ones worked better. Some of them had arms as well as wings, and didn't fly so strongly. Azura generally used those as messengers, as they could carry a package, as well as a spoken message.

The Daedra Seducers, such as herself, could sprout wings when they wanted to, but they couldn't sustain flight. It was mainly a way to intimidate, or help them jump. They were better spell-casters than any of their relatives, so it was only fair they gave up a bit on flight.

Succubi had wings, but they didn't work. They were just there for balance, because they were a bit too big in front. Their spells were powerful, but slow, and they didn't know many.

Shrikes used spells more, mainly with the aid of staves, and also couldn't fly. The Aureal and Mazken were seducers, too, but they were weapon-skilled, and had no wings at all. Their spells were few, but competent, like those of the Dremora, who weren't seducers at all. And nor were Nymphs, who were just naked women who cast spells, and giggled a lot.

Clark thought it a bit biased towards her own race, but Gilda would see that, anyway, so it didn't matter.
And then she disappeared again, as the summoning expired.

"What kind of help did you mean?" Gilda inquired. "We can handle them easily enough with your ward."

"Well, the Seducers have a natural passive spell reflection that makes them almost immune to a Succubus' spells, plus a Drain Health to regain any losses if the spells do affect them. That means that a Succubus is almost powerless against her. And they know it. I'm hoping they'll just give up, and not fight us at all."

Clark summoned Drelka again. He asked if there was anything he could do to persuade the Succubus to help them find Greta.

"Of course, you just seduce her, and she'll do anything you want. Just like she's hunting you by temptation, she can be manipulated the same way."

"And how do you know this?" Clark asked.

"Because I'm kind of the same myself. When you summon me, I come ready for anything. So I'm naked, because that's the way I fight, and it's useful for the other situations I'd prefer. Except for now, as I already know what's going on. The succubi are under Clavicus Vile's thrall, and don't have much control of their minds, so they really only expect a fight or an orgy.

"if the three of us start having fun, she'll want to join in."

"But I can't keep you here for long," Clark reminded her. "That's the problem with a summoning."

"We just have to make a start, and Gilda's still going to be here when I go back, anyway. Once you've got the succubus to join you, give her all your attention, and she should completely forget about fighting you."
"And how do I know you're not just suggesting this because you want some attention?" Clark asked.

"Of course I do, but you also know I'll hate it when we get interrupted by the spell expiring. Would I suggest this, and then miss out on most of it, if that was my motive?"

"Fair enough," Clark conceded. "Gilda, how do you feel about the idea?"

"Greta's my cousin, so I'd do almost anything to help her. And this doesn't sound too arduous," she grinned.

Drelka cast a spell, and not only did her clothes disappear, but so did Clark's and Gilda's. Unfortunately, that included Gilda's amulet, and she felt the loss.

"I'm starting to feel a lot of sympathy for Greta right now, so let's make this quick," she told them.

By the time Drelka disappeared, they'd definitely got the attention of the succubus. She was stretching one arm through the bars of the cell, trying to reach them. She licked her lips, and whimpered plaintively. Clark and Gilda pretended to ignore her, but moved closer to the bars, almost into the range of her fingertips.

He let his hand dangle closer to the succubus. She grabbed it and pulled to her breast, stretching her other arm out towards Gilda. "Let her have your hand, too," Clark suggested.

Once Gilda's hand was on the other side, the succubus smiled at them, and reached out to touch in turn. Clark let his hand explore more of the succubus, until he felt confident enough to open the cell door.

---

It was a lot of effort for not much result. The succubus didn't know a lot about where Greta might be, and her vocabulary was very limited. They had to be mindful all the time that she could become hostile if she wasn't getting enough attention, and she was pretty much insatiable.

"I don't think she noticed that she was doing all the work," Gilda observed, as they slipped out of the cell, and locked it behind them. The succubus was dozing on the bedroll, looking quite contented.

"Drelka prefers being on top, too," Clark responded. "It's because of the wings, but that played to our advantage."

"And I wanted to be on my back as much as possible, without my amulet to take the weight. Get Drelka back here, and find out what she's done with our things."

Clark did so, and despite Drelka trying to ransom their clothes for some attention of her own, she did summon everything back. He gave Gilda's back a rub, just in case she needed it.

"He's going to want to interrogate every succubus we meet, now," Gilda told Drelka, half-seriously. "I expect you to see that we don't need to do that."

Clark whispered to Drelka that she shouldn't ever take Gilda's amulet away in future.

A neat explanation from Drelka about various winged and unwinged boobed Daedra.

Interrogating a succubus is hard work but it seems Clark and Gilda were up for it.

And Gilda got a refresher in amulet appreciation.

Alas, still no closer to Greta it seems.


Nits:
’She didn't wait for Clark to answer, but told Gilda ever{y}thing she wanted to know…’
"Fair enough," Clark conceeded {conceded}.’
’Once Gilda's hand was on {t}he other side,’

@Acadian: Greta's in this one!

---------

Previously: Clark and Gilda (and Drelka) seduced a succubus.

--------

Part 91 - Mines

They continued on down a long spiral stair that seemed to lead all the way down to Oblivion. Eventually, however, they came to the bottom, where a pair of skeletons guarded a large door.

Through the door they found themselves in a tunnel dug through the rock, with bare walls unlined by any masonry. It wasn't clear if this was part of cave, or a mine. Pretty soon, though, it became clear that it was the latter, with crates,and other equipment lying around.

The inhabitants weren't your usual miners. The first they encountered were Dremora, with Succubi firing spells from behind them. Drelka's help was useful again, and she distracted the Dremora as much as she intimidated the Succubi.

One particular Succubus, however, appeared different from the others. She was larger, and sported a pair of curled horns, like a ram's. She didn't seem to be worried about Drelka's ability to reflect spells, perhaps because hers didn't get affected that way, or because she was firing them all at Clark and Gilda. Clark's ward did block them, however, and Gilda had the sense to stay behind it.

Drelka's life drain was as effective against her as it was against the lesser succubi, and she soon fell.
As Clark expected, the door behind her, which appeared to be the direct route onward, wouldn't open. And the lock defied even Gilda's attempts to open it.

"I don't think it's just locked," she told Clark. "It's probably magically sealed, as well."

At least there was another path they could take, even if it was going to be the long way round. It led them around and over the top of the part they'd just passed through, and out in the other direction. They went through an opening in the wall into a mine shaft, with a ramp spiralling down. At the bottom, more Dremora and Succubi were waiting, but not so many that Clark needed to summon Drelka again.

Leaving at the bottom, and following the mine workings back upward, it wasn't long before they came to another door.

"I think we're on the other side of the one we couldn't open," Gilda told Clark after a quick check of the lock. "So let's hope that one at the bottom of the slope isn't sealed, too.

Clavicus Vile wasn't going to make it easy for anyone to find their way down here, unless he'd summoned them. So there were mazes and puzzles all the way. Pulling chains turned walls into doorways, and re-shaped the passage several times. More of the Succubi were guarding skulls, and Clark had already found the places they had to be placed before the final door would open.

And of course, it might not be final, just the end of this section of maze. But without all these rotating walls, it would have been a straight walk down to - wherever they were going. Greta probably didn't have deal with any of this.

In the small hall, two books lay on pedestals. There was no apparent way forward, so perhaps the books held clues as to how to proceed.

When Clark picked up the first book, and opened it, he and Gilda were transported into a small room that proved to be the entrance chamber to a larger space where Dremora and Succubi lurked. From a throne at the far end, another succubus rose, larger than her sisters, and sporting a pair of goat-like horns.

The Dremora all advanced on them, while the Succubi dropped back. The latter didn't start casting their spells until the Dremora's ranks started to thin, presumably because the Dremora weren't immune.

When the last of the Dremora fell, Clark summoned Drelka. There was an immediate pause in the barrage of spells, as the Succubi knew what would happen if they directed them at her. But they quickly spread out and targeted Clark and Gilda instead.

Drelka ran around using her drain health spell on the retreating Succubi. They found it difficult to avoid her, and concentrate on aiming at the other two, at the same time. Even the boss one, who was physically more than Drelka's equal, avoided her.

Clark managed to sustain Drelka's presence by careful timing of his re-cast of the summoning spell. Too soon, and it would fail; too late and the Succubi would get a rest. And if any of them got too close to Clark or Gilda, the rest became permanent.

They herded the boss Succubus into a corner, and let Drelka drain away the remnants of her health.

---

The second book lead to a mirror image of the first arena. The only real difference was that the boss succubus here wore ram's horns, and cast a different spell. Once again, when she went down, they were returned to the book hall, but now a third pedestal had appeared, again with an ominous tome upon it.

---

Reading the book ported them into a large chamber, with stocks and pillories all around the perimeter. In some of them, succubi were struggling to release themselves. Or maybe they weren't all succubi yet. Some of them had only small wings, and none were wearing the tall boots, and gloves. Most just wore a rope and sackcloth thong.

A man in a robe was bending over a woman who was tied face-down on a table. She was screaming in pain, as he was carving slits in her back. On the table next to him were what appeared to be tiny wings.

He straightened up as he heard them arrive, and pulled a staff from his back. Clark had to dodge a fireball before he could raise his ward.

Gilda circled around and came up behind him with her dagger drawn. While Clark held his attention, she closed in and cut his throat.

They tried to release the women from their restraints, but each one snarled at them, like an animal, and tried to bite. Clark decided it was safer to leave them where they were, for now. They could come back later, when he could spare some magicka for a paralysis spell.

The women were apparently in every stage of developing into succubi. Some had only tiny wings, and normal-sized breasts. Well, still large, but not excessively so. Those with larger wings had larger breasts, and acted more aggressively when approached.

---

They found Greta in a small room, off to one side of the corridor. For some reason, she'd been singled out for personal attention. Perhaps the necromancer thought she was special?

"Gods, they're even bigger than mine. And look at her wings!"

Greta was locked into some stocks in the cell. She did indeed have half-grown wings. She wore the same outfit as the Succubi, too. She didn't seem to recognize her cousin, and her only vocalizations were the same hisses and crow-like noises the Succubi had made.

"What do you bet that all the Succubi here were once acolytes at the monastery?" Clark opined. "Same offer. Power over men if you do as I tell you. They come down here and get made into Daedra, slaves to Clavicus Vile."

"But she's not completely changed yet," Gilda pointed out. "Do you think we can reverse the process, and make her human again?"

"I can try, but I suspect only another Daedric Prince could do it."

"Not even a Daedric Prince," said a voice behind him. Clark turned, and saw Azura standing in the doorway. "However, two of us can." She stepped aside and Nocturnal joined them. "drelka thought you might need our help once you found Greta,and here we are."

Both of the sisters were sporting the largest breasts Clark had ever seen them with. "It's not for your benefit, Clark, but feel free to admire. When Greta can think clearly again, we want her to have positive thoughts about her condition, so a bit of awe is in order."

"You know, Clavicus Vile has a lot more sense than I gave him credit for," Nocturnal remarked. "The wings may be vestigial, non-functioning for flight, but they do counter-balance the extra size of the breasts. If this job takes any amount of time, I may sprout a pair."

"I hadn't looked at it that way before, but I think you're right," Azura replied. "Now, Clark, Gilda, go deal with the last of the Succubi in the next room, while we get your Greta back. And watch out for the big one. I think Vile may have seen you coming, especially Clark."

Quite a challenging trek through the Vile puzzle-mine.

Hopefully, the combined power of both Azura and Nocturnal can undo Vile’s foul work on Greta.

One more room for Clark and Gilda to clear while the Daedric Sisters work their magicks on Greta. Hopefully, this last room will not pose any more surprises.

@Acadian: Well, slightly surprising.

----------

Previously: Azura and Nocturnal have sent Clark and Gilda to deal with the remaining Succubi, while they work on Greta.

----------

Part 92 - Andariel's Lair

They soon found out what that cryptic remark meant. The boss Succubus bore a strong resemblance to Diablita, with the same horns, and wings that looked like they actually worked. However, she was at least nine feet tall, and her face bore an expression of hate the Dragonborn never could have worn.

She hurled a cloud of poison in their direction, and her entourage of succubi added their spells too. But Clark already had his impenetrable ward up, and he could sustain that as long as he liked. So far, an impasse, unless Gilda could sway the balance somehow. She stepped out from behind the ward, and fired off a bolt of lightning at the nearest succubus.

It had little effect. "I think that one's using shock herself, and they're probably immune to their own spell," Clark suggested. "Try her again with ice, or fire."

The succubus had already moved across to the other side, trying for a different angle. Gilda suspected the blue-skinned succubi used frost spells, so she tried her lightning again on one of those. It was much more effective, and the creature staggered. Before Gilda could fire again, however, she had to dodge the counter-fire from a couple more of them.

"The ones wearing red are using fire spells," Clark announced. "I can tell from the way they hit the ward. And you're right about the blue ones using frost."

There were a few Dremora there, too, armed with swords, but Clark was able to block with his sword, and riposte. Since they lacked any coordinated attack, he managed to deal with them one at a time, without having to interrupt his ward. Gilda, meanwhile, had had her first success against the succubi.

"I'm trying to take out the shock-casters first," she told Clark. "I don't want them to drain my magicka. I can stand a few hits of frost, so the blue-skinned ones can wait."

"Don't let them draw you away from the ward," Clark reminded her. "All their spells will slow you down, and you'll get hit again, before you can get back to safety. Step out, fire, and duck back as quick as you can."

"I'm already doing just that. But unless we can lure them closer, they can use the pillars the same way."

"Then let's back up a little, and see if they follow."

"We can't go far, or we'll end up in the doorway, and I won't be able to go around the ward."

There was just enough room. The succubi came out from behind the pillars, still firing off their slow but relentless stars of elemental force. Because they could just cast one spell after another, without any consideration of magicka cost, they did so at a predictable rate, and Gilda was soon able to time her counter-strikes accordingly. One by one, the succubi succumbed to her spells, until only one frost-caster, and the boss, remained.

"While they're close together, we can advance without worrying about flanking fire. Let's move!"

As expected, their adversaries fell back and were soon herded unto a corner of the platform.

"You take out the blue one," Clark told Gilda, and swigged a potion before drawing his sword. He dropped the ward and stepped forward into the barrage of spells. Although they slowed his progress to a crawl, he was already close enough to swing, and the huge woman burst into flames as he struck. He had only a couple of minutes before the poison resistance wore off, but it looked like it would be enough.

Before Clark could finish her, however, she was pulled back to her Daedric origins in a flash of crackling lightning. Clavicus Vile's voice spoke to them.

"Fine, so you've won this round. Take your Greta and begone. I'll just find another way to recruit my legions. There's always someone greedy enough to accept my offers."

---

When they got back to Greta, she was already released from the pillory, and her wings had disappeared. Hopefully, that hadn't been as painful as the process of implanting them had looked.

"You know, I like the look of these outfits," said Nocturnal. "What do you think?" As they watched, her skin darkened to the glowing black that Clark remembered from the first time they met. A red pair of thigh-high boots replaced the slippers she'd been wearing, and matching gloves appeared on her arms. Finally a red thong took the place of her skirt.

Clark noticed, even if nobody else had, that her proportions had become more ... proportionate. Nocturnal wasn't lacking in the boob area, but she wasn't looking as top-heavy as when she arrived. They'd brought Greta back down to merely awesome, too, when they purged her wings, and now Nocturnal was matching that.

"Spectacular," agreed Clark, "especially the way the red matches your lips. A nice detail, that."

"I prefer blue," Azura remarked. "Always have." She proceeded to demonstrate her version, which Clark found equally appealing.

"I'm glad you didn't go for blue lips, they wouldn't looked right."

Nocturnal chuckled, and asked Greta for her opinion. "I like black. Whoever picked my outfit for me knew what he was doing." She still wasn't sure about wearing anything this ... sexy. She'd been trying not to attract attention, ever since she grew large enough to do so. Black was a good shade for avoiding attention. And there was no way she'd ever have walked around topless before she joined the monastery, but if all these women thought it was good, maybe they had a point.

"He also did a good job on the enchanting, so hang on to it. It has frost shield, so you can wear it anywhere, and more magicka fortification and regeneration than you could possibly need. Did you learn the spells, too?"

"Just the fire one. Which surprises me, I'd have expected him to give a Nord frost."

"You weren't going to be a Nord any more, after the transformation completed. The basic Succubus spell is a fire spell, and the Snow Witches get frost, the Soul Burners get shock, and the Hell Spawn a stronger fire spell again. We'll teach you all of them, so you won't have to worry about anyone being immune," Azura told her.

"What's your preference, Gilda?" asked Nocturnal.

"I'm with you in liking the red," Gilda replied. "but I like myself the pale shade of Nord I am."

Azura snapped her fingers, and Gilda's outfit changed to match her choice.

"Don't you all look at me like that," said Clark. "I'd look stupid in any of them."

---

It wasn't until they were back up in the Monastery that Clark noticed that Greta was wearing an amulet.

"They gave me one like Gilda's. Told me I'd find it helpful. They were right!"

She noticed that the priestesses and acolytes looked strangely different. She turned to Clark with a quizzical expression on her face. "What happened up here, while I was gone? Everyone's smiling, and there's something about their posture."

"I enchanted their robes with the same one that's on your amulet. They're feeling a lot more comfortable now," he replied. "And they're smiling because you're back, too."

"Are you planning to stay here, or come with us?" Gilda asked her cousin. "Now you've got those spells, you can look after yourself a lot better."

"I still don't know how to deal with the men I'm going to encounter," Greta replied. "I won't want to set them on fire, just for taking an interest. And I'm not going to learn that here. So, yes, I do want to come with you for a while, if you'll have me."

"I probably shouldn't be saying it while he's listening, but you won't find a better teacher than Clark. And he has the additional benefit of being immortal, so if you do decide to fry him, freeze him, or zap him, it won't matter."

Gilda smiled at Clark. "I know you'll teach her everything else she needs to know, won't you?"

---

"Why didn't you summon Drelka for the final show-down? She wouldn't have any of the problems we did."

"Because I suspected Clavicus Vile was aware what was going on, even before he spoke to us. If I'd used her, he'd probably have summoned a counter of his own, like a Daedroth. Something with a physical attack that would have introduced a whole new set of problems. Like Hircine, he prefers a contest that's not too heavily biased in his favour, so he gets to bargain with his opponent, and enjoy the inevitable double-cross in the agreement."

"And do you think he's found a way to cheat us with Greta?"

"I'm sure he expects her to be more of a handful that we'd bargained for."

"You could be right," Greta said. "I know I should feel violated after all that, but I can't, because I know I was the one who started it all. Clavicus Vile didn't cause my cravings, he just let them out. All the things I did with that Necromancer, I wanted, and they felt good. I even thought I was in control, at least some of the time, and I liked that.

"But now I'm just confused. I don't know what was me, and what was Succubus."

Azura tried to be reassuring. "At least Barbas didn't get involved. He's a shape-shifter, and his idea of doggy-style can be a little too literal." When she saw the look on Greta's face, she wished she hadn't mentioned that.

"Not me, but I did see a dog sniffing around the others. Do you think that was ...?"

You did a nice job of blending Clark’s ward with his blade and Gilda’s spells. Having to sort out the most effective spell for the various flavors of succubus was a nice touch.

Finally got Gilda back, not much the worse for wear.

I enjoy how you, like McB used to, provide plenty of interaction with Daedra Lords where they get a chance to really develop personalities.

Barbas. . . bad dog!


Nit: Ar{z}ura tried to be reassuring.

@Acadian: "Personality" is part of bringing them down a bit to merely "mortal plus incredible power" which is the way I think the Greeks imagined their pantheon. Since Bethesda went down that road, I feel obliged to follow.

----------

Previously: Clark and Greta defeated Andariel to reclaim Gilda from Clavicus Vile. This episode is rather short, serving only to link into Clark's ESO story.

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Part 93 - Aftermath

Nocturnal left them to go down and see to the other women in the necromancer's "surgery". She'd see which ones could be saved, and which were too far changed. Even those might find a new home in Evergloam, or Moonshadow. She'd be on the lookout for a "stray dog", too.

Azura stayed behind to talk with Clark. "I need to speak with you here on Nirn," she told him. "I can explain things here, without it causing any complications, because you won't remember it when it matters."

Clark was curious. "Why does it matter what I remember?"

"Not what, so much as when," Azura replied, "because my next job for you already happened. You need to follow Clavicus Vile, and prevent him from causing more problems. And don't argue, now. You already did."

"Did what?"

"Travel back into the past. Stop Clavicus Vile from interfering with the Tribunal, and disrupting history. I'll be helping you. We both will. But because it's your past, you won't remember anything about now, or that would cause as many problems as Vile does."

"Will I still be immortal? You'll be sending me back before that happened."

"Yes, because we did that in Moonshadow, where time is ... different. You noticed when you first came, that it's always twilight there; the sun is always just rising or setting. And Evergloam is always night. Time passes the way we want it to pass, even backwards if that's what is needed.

"I'll take you back to Moonshadow, move you back to the right time, and then send you to Vvardenfell. You've visited some of that island, so you'll know the older parts. And my shrine is where it always was, if you need to go there."

Gilda was curious. She'd only known of Vvardenfell as an uninhabitable volcanic waste. You could see the smoke from Red Mountain from the Skyrim coast, or Solstheim. Had Clark gone there before it erupted?

"Yes, briefly, shortly after Morgiah and Rinalla went to Mournhold. I paid a visit to Morrowind, and played tourist for a while," Clark told her. "it was mostly so I could see them ouside the Mournhold court, where Helseth's spies would be breathing down our necks all the time. Every family seems to have an ancestral tomb or two over on the island, and pilgrimages are common. They made a short trip over, and I met them there.

"They were back in Deshaan, and I was back in Cyrodiil, when the eruption happened. House Hlaalu was ruined by the subsequent events, but I believe they went into hiding under different names. Resourceful people like them always find a way."

Azura probably knew, but she wasn't telling. None of them would be around in the period Clark needed to go to, not even Barenziah. "About the only person who could be there is Divath Fyr. He's probably as immortal as you are, Clark, although he's not had any help from the Daedric Princes. He was a contemporary of the Tribunal, and we think he found his own way to do it, without using the Heart of Lorkhan."

"I never met him, so that won't really be an issue," Clark pointed out. "But the Tribunal: Almalexia, Sotha Sil, and Vivec, are all dead now, aren't they?"

"Yes, they never completely separated themselves from this world, so their immortality needed to be sustained by artificial means," Azura responded. "They depended on the Heart of Lorkhan, but Dagoth Ur, and the Nerevarine, got in the way of that. I think the only one of those five that survived at the time was the Nerevarine, ironically the only true mortal among them."

"So like the Champion of Cyrodiil, he'd have become a victim of time," Clark surmised.

"Well the Champion gets to live on as part of Sheogorath. His time as the Madgod changed the Shivering Isles and in turn its master, when he returned. He became the Madgod, so the Madgod became him, at least partly. And he's much better for the addition. I don't think Jyggalag will be returning any more."

Gilda was patiently waiting to ask a question. "What about our plans for Greta, if Clark's going away?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. When it's all over, I'll bring him back to now. So he'll return about the same time he left, and the interruption will be minimal. He'll just have a lot of extra stories to tell - if he wants to."

That just took away Clark's last objection, too. It looked like he had a trip coming.

Since moving among era's will eventually become part of Buffy's story as well, it is fabulous to see how Clark is doing so. And via Azura's Moonshadow is a wonderfully creative idea. Once again, I like your depiction of the Daedric Princes.

Will this story be resting then until Clark's adventures in the 2nd Era are complete?

Yikes, a succubus factory!

"Don't you all look at me like that," said Clark. "I'd look stupid in any of them."

I’d have to see it to judge.

I love that Azura uses Moonshadow to move Clark to when she wants him in the Second Era. Now, on to his ESO adventures!