User blog:Madman97/A Sithis-Shaped Hole (Part Two)

Madison stared into the throat of Sheogorath, the blue light taunting him with those leering eyes on the other two faces protruding from the gate. Gaius and S'fara the Khajiit stood with him, cooing. "No one can see me. Noonenoonenoone..."

The other two paid her no mind. Madison held the leather grip of his fine iron short sword in his palm and gave it a few test swings. He was still getting used to the white hauberk and tabard, which added an extra twenty pounds while he was walking. Not the most muscular of men, it made it difficult to run as fast. The chainmail leggings, boots, and gauntlets were more manageable, but still irritating.

"It's not too late to turn back," Gaius muttered half-heartedly. Madison sheathed his sword and threw the strap of his knapsack around his shoulder. It contained his journal and writing utensils, his alchemy kit, a few rolls of bread (Not at discount price), and the thinnest books he enjoyed reading in his spare time. That was about seven more pounds on top of everything.

"It's been almost a month, guardsman. That drunkard Count of yours will not do anything and neither will Chancellor Ocato, so it falls to me to do what the entire world should be rallying to do...Gods, how can anyone live with themselves in this world?"

"Madison, if the Hero of Kvatch could not survive the Mad Realm, what makes you think you're different? You're a scholar from Bruma, not a warrior. You've barely had any training with your sword other than what I've showed you!"

"It's not logical, yes. But the Mad Realm is built on shifting foundations like faulty logic. I think I will find my way. Now get out of it."

Gaius looked like he wanted to say something, but he bowed out. "Only here to warn..." he muttered when Madison stepped through the portal and lost sight of the mortal world. "Not to deny entry..." S'fara stopped holding herself for a moment.

"S'fara cannot see him anymore. S'fara cannot. No one can see him anymore."

The first thing Madison saw was the sky and for a moment he forgot why he was there. Stretching from one end of the horizon to the other was a wound in the heavens, a gash ripped through space that festered with stars and bled red nebula. The only thing that took him out of it was the wind that carried a familiar scent. Madison knew it was fungus before he even looked at the giant mushrooms dotting the landscape before him. He was standing on top of a hill. To his back was an ancient wall, covered in moss, and on the other side lay an endless sea. In front of him was a winding path heading to the right. Ruined columns and giant fungi lined the sides.

Just by looking out from the hill, Madison could see that the area he had arrived in was walled off from the rest of the island. The most notable landmark besides the many ruins that dotted wetland landscape below was four buildings. They were built with very decayed stucco that colored the walls almost black and wooden panels overlapping each other for a roof. No residents could immediately be seen... Madison started down the path, one hand holding his sword handle as he went. He kept alert as he went down further. This was not the first time he had been in Oblivion, but at least in the Deadlands there was a constant theme. Here, the land was said to reflect the mind of the Mad God himself! Madison trumped through the muddy bog surrounding the small settlement--which was not enjoyable in the least--and reached the center.

Before attempting to knock on one of the doors, he took out his journal. A full settlement inside a realm of Oblivion? Fascinating!

"A newcomer!" said a voice behind him. Madison's instinct was to draw his sword. But Gaius was right. He was no warrior. The leather slipped through his grip halfway through unsheathing it and the sword dropped to the ground. He doubted the Redguard in front of him was much afraid after seeing that. Madison picked up the sword and aimed the tip towards the stranger.

"Whoa!" the Redguard said. "I was just going to welcome you to my town! Don't hurt me!"

"Er...sorry..." Madison said, lowering his weapon. "...What are you doing here?"

"I'm. The. Mayor. I don't care what he says. I have to be here." The Redguard puffed out his chest and placed his hands at his side in pride. The man's snooty posture was almost amusing. Almost.

"I'm looking for someone," Madison said. "He must have come through here almost a month ago. He was Nordic, a tall man dressed in Kvatchi armor."

"Oh him? He's the one who failed at rescuing me from the Xeddefen. Complete toss! If I see him again, I would let him have it......though I would probably die." The man was about to turn away to go about his business but Madison grabbed him by the shoulder. "Hey, hands off!"

"Where is he? Where can I find him? Is he alright?"

"I'm not sure if his current station means he is, but he's in the city of New Sheoth. Don't think you'll want to talk to him, though. He's kind of...well, damaged, you know...Should have stuck with me."

"Enough! What is the fastest way to this New Sheoth?"

"About a two days journey through the gates of Madness, but a scrawny man like you will never get past the Gatekeeper. Only those with his gift can get past. If a fighter like me couldn't, you won't be able to either."

"I'll take my chances." Madison left the rambling Redguard and continued up the path. The stone steps winded up the hill, tiring him. He saw the top of a large stone construct just beyond. As he went, he thought over what the Redguard had said. There was a Gatekeeper, hmm? He kept his sword at the ready. He reached the top of the steps and laid eyes on two gates with the head of Sheogorath standing watch between them.

He stopped cold when he saw what the Redguard was talking about. When he thought of a Gatekeeper, Madison had conjured the image of a minor Daedra, but this...it was a giant atronach of some kind, one unlike he had ever seen. It was a mass heap of flesh sewn and chained together by metal parts and an oversized mace for an arm, hulking around in a slow, methodical pace. It had no mouth. It had no eyes. But it had no problem noticing Madison over at the top of the stairs. And somehow, it roared at him.

Madison quickly scampered out of the way of its charge, and felt the impact of its mace splitting the stone open in the spot he was just standing in. While its weapon was on the ground, Madison frantically swiped his sword backwards and heard the swipe scathe the atronach. He reshuffled his feet to face it. It was already recovering. The cut barely scratched the surface. This time it came at him with a horizontal swing. He only ducked in time because he tripped over himself in an effort to leap backwards. The atronach pressed on, not stopping. Madison was crawling now. Leap right to avoid the mace, roll over to avoid it again. He took another slice at its leg as he sprang up. It did not recoil. The Gatekeeper tried for an overhead blow, and instead of running away this time, Madison quickly sidestepped and then stabbed the vulnerable chest.

His sword got stuck and when the Gatekeeper pulled away, it was wrenched free from his grip. Another dodge of the mace, panicking a little bit and he ducked under another and attempted to grab the blade. He propped one foot up on its knee and pulled. He felt it wiggle. That's when the Gatekepper used its other hand to grab his feet and lift him into the air upside down screaming. But he held onto the sword and it came out with him. Before it could swing him into the afterlife, he bent his back towards the arm in a pseudo pull-up and chopped the hand with four fast cuts, each digging deeper than the last until it came off and he was dropped to the ground onto his back.

He rolled away from its stamping foot and he noticed something new. From the oozing blood and the stringy sinews of its ruined arm, there protruded from the edge of the shattered bone a small golden key. It must have been for the gate, but which one? There were two! Sidestepping another overhead blow, he sliced the arm further and the key popped out onto the stone below. Madison grabbed it and went for the door on the right. His hands were shaking.

"Come on! Come on!" he shouted in fear as he tried to put it in. The Gatekeeper charged again and there was no room to dodge. If he was wrong...He heard a click! and the door heaved open. He slipped through it and slammed it shut.

All sound ceased. And things got strangely sunny. The stars disappeared from the sky and was replaced by electric-green lightning crackling across blue clouds. A sun hid behind them, making their outlines gold. Madison made a note in his journal after he caught his breath. Time seemed to have no meaning there. Then he laid eyes on the land of Mania. A path led him up through a small forest, guided by large markers such as the giant mushroom sitting at the fork in the road just after a minute of walking. It was...serene. Unusually serene. Almost...against his will serene.

Madison stopped walking for a moment and fought his way back to sense. He sucked in a gulp of air and felt his head become burdened with a wave of insane ideas. Keenly aware of his situation but not alarmed, he deduced it was coming from the spore-trees. This part of the Isle was thick with them. Their roots burrowed deep and formed arches above the path, inviting a traveler to explore. Though calm, Madison took note in his journal: Do not stray from the path! Sheogorath, he thought. I just may beat your fractured land yet. He continued up the winding trail.

He had to admit, Sheogorath's land gave him a challenge. There was so much he wanted to look at away from the path, to examine the ruins that dotted the countryside and to observe the behavior of the strange Gnarls lumbering about near the largest of the Mushroom Trees. But he looked at his journal and remembered why he was there. Clarity was the best medicine for madness, it seemed. He thought about what the Redguard meant when he said his cousin was damaged...Was he being tortured? Dismembered on the fleeting whimsy of the Mad God?

He quickened his pace. Two days passed him by quickly. The weather changed so often that it was hard to tell if it was day or night. When he did stop to rest, he examined the roots of the mushrooms and found them extensive. The younger ones also possessed a high amount of Greenmote. Great for study. He soldiered on until he could see glimpses of a large wall not unlike the one he saw when he first came into the Shivering Isles. It was incredible! An entire citadel resting inside the realm at the crux of where the land split. Madison hurried down the long hill in excitement, maybe a bit too excited. He could hear his whimsical laughter all the way down but for a brief moment he allowed it until he came to the gates and opened the door to Bliss. Golden streets, tall buildings, and...no people? Madison did not see one commoner. In fact, the place was very quiet...

"You there!" shouted a feminine voice. He jerked his head to the side towards a street leading towards an absolutely wonderful fountain. Walking stiffly up the street with her head held high was a beautiful being dressed in armor as dazzling as a shiny coin...These were Daedra he had heard of sometime before...She did not give him much time to remember when she took hold of his arm and brought the tip of her sword to his spine.

"What are you doing here? This area has been evacuated by order of Lord Sheogorath." The danger broke Bliss's ambiance and allowed Madison to focus a little more.

"Wait, I am looking for someone! A Nordic man who wears Kvatchi armor!" he pleaded but the Daedric servant gave no signs of sympathy.

"No one is here, foolish mortal. Only us and our lord. You will be brought before him and he will decide your fate." Madison did not like that prospect.

"Wait, wait, please. Surely some bargain can be struck!" The Daedric servant...Golden Saints, he finally remembered. Her answer was the hilt of her sword striking his back. "Ack!" He was moved up some stairs by a wall and into the Palace grounds above the rest of the city. Couldn't enjoy the scenery or the two crystal obelisks stemming from the ground in the gardens. The sky was beginning to look a little less bright to Madison. All spore huffing passion had left him. There was only fear left in him now. And he nearly soiled himself as another Daedric servant, this one a Dark Seducer, took his other arm and they both shoved him through a pair of doors into a courtroom.

Like the rest of the Isles, it was split down the middle. The carpet was split into two distinct colors, Golden Saints standing at attention at one side and Dark Seducers standing at the other in front of lines of relics on pedestals. And the Mad God himself; Dressed in a purple regalia, hair and eyes white as snow, a three-headed staff leaned on his throne and a tall balding man in a black suit stood next to him. Madison's captors forced him to his knees.

He did not dare say a word or even look at him. He expected that booming voice of thunder any second to curse him into torture's unknowable. But it was much softer than that. It spoke from the back of his head, different from the exaggerated accent he had previously heard. It was almost as if there were multiple voices speaking, disjointed with one another.

"You are...Madison..."

He looked up. Then he gasped.

"Cousin?"