In a world where evil has many faces, openly punishing evil was a sort of public amusent. Beheading outlaws, burning witches, and whipping criminals were ordinary and welco sights.
Hagravens are notorious for their ways in witchcraft and many simpletons would usually go and secretly et them for all sorts of spells and potions. Things like a spell to make a man love a woman over another woman, a spell to kill the child of a certain couple, a spell to destroy a relationship between two lovers, and even spells to make n or won impotent. These were the sorts of shitty services Hagravens were happy to offer.
However, the more shocking thing was the number of people who were willing to pay for such services. As if the entire world has lost all of its humanity, the number of spells gathered by the Guards was just innurable.
"Lay them on the ground over there. Don't touch them with your bare skin and wait for the Priests to co and do their proper work." Thane Bryling commanded the guards following her as they entered the Plaza together.
In there, the one frowning upon such a situation was General Tullius and Thane Brina rilis who were in town for similar reasons as Jon Dare and Thane Bryling.
"I am terribly sorry but this place is locked for an execution an hour from now." An Imperial Legionary advanced towards Bryling and tried to stop the guards from entering the execution grounds.
"It's alright. We'll be taking things from here on out."
However, a big hand held the Legionary's shoulder and almost threw him off balance but kept a good grip on him still.
"Who's…" The soldier wanted to get his hand on his blade but as soon as his eyes spotted the owner of the hand holding his shoulder, he knew there was a big problem.
A smiling redhead with imnse power… or rather, THE smiling redhead with imnse power, Jon Dare. A man who tends to solve his issues with power and money. In other words, sothing beyond a normal legionary's pay grade.
"I believe you are putting your hand on a Legion Soldier's body during his duty, Thane Jon of Winterhold." A voice ca to Jon's ears.
"Is there a law against that…" Jon asked as he turned around and recognized the one who spoke, "Thane Brina of the Pale?"
"Actually, there is." She said.
"Actually, I didn't know." Jon replied before letting go of the Legion soldier.
The soldier moved away imdiately as he kept rubbing his shoulder but he seed fine.
"And please, evacuate this area since it is reserved for official business." She said and turned away.
"I am sure a normal citizen has no authority to convey official orders." He said.
"Oh!" She turned around with an amused face, "I happen to be a Civilian Advisor of the Imperial Legion. So, from a Legion Official to a normal citizen of Skyrim, please leave this area as you happen to be obstructing official business."
"Oh!" Jon returned the sa amused face, "And I happen to be a Deputy for Thane Bryling working with the City Guards. You know… I am sothing of an Official myself."
"You're a Thane Deputy?" She asked, looking at him up and down.
"And you're a Civilian Advisor." Jon smiled, "We're both moving up in the world, ain't we?"
"You're still obstructing official busi…" She joined her arms together but Jon cut her words short.
"Piss off!" He said while still maintaining his cool smile before turning imdiately perplexed, "I am sorry, did I just speak my mind out loud! God! This witchcraft has so nasty effects."
Brina's face hardened as Jon kept fooling around. She failed to stop his entourage of guards from entering the place and laying out all the spells and witch hexes on the ground.
General Tullius had to intervene himself at this point.
"I see so intruders are still here." He ca from behind Thane Brina, "Thane Bryling, Thane Jon, please take your business elsewhere."
"Wow! You're really so short up close." Jon said once he saw the General before holding his mouth as if he said sothing that he wasn't supposed to say.
Everyone lost their words as Jon made an awkward face and the General's expressions turned dark.
"I am sorry, General. Thane Jon was infected by so Witchcraft that…" Thane Bryling imdiately intervened as she looked at Jon and not believing that she was following up on his bullshit, "… he speaks out what he thinks without restraint."
"That's a dangerous curse." Jon added.
"Indeed." Bryling nodded, "Very… bad… curse."
"The execution grounds are closed." The General said as he turned expressionless.
"Well the area is wide, we can have joint executions. Celebrate together!" Jon said cheerfully.
"After the official business is done, you can do whatever you want with those things." The General refused to give Jon a leeway as he looked disdainfully at the Hagravens.
"Actually, we are here officially." Bryling ca forward, "We are using the Execution Grounds."
The General was displeased with Bryling talking that way.
"You're overstepping your position, Thane." He said.
"My position is to enforce Law and maintain Order, General." She replied, "And from where I stand, your actions of occupying the Execution Grounds for a few criminals you caught in my hold is vulgar and overstepping the jurisdiction of the Guards of Haafingar and the Court of Solitude. By Law, a Legion Soldier can detain and arrest but the criminal would be handed to the local authority to be tried and passed judgnt on."
Thane Bryling spared nothing against General Tullius which was wild compared to how things used to run in the past even during the days of Elisif.
"Damn, gurl." Jon spoke then acted as if he said that unintentionally.
Everyone ignored Jon trying not to fall to his provocations but it seed that Bryling was ready for a brawl.
"Those criminals are pirates who attacked a Legion ship." Thane Brina said, "Therefore they are to be punished by the Legion and within its jurisdiction."
"Hoax!" Jon spoke sarcastically but covered his mouth again, "Truly sorry!"
"Perhaps the witchcraft infecting Thane Jon Dare is going to be problematic. Shouldn't you be escorted to a place to rest?" General Tullius asked.
"And miss all the trash-talking? No way!" Jon said happily but acted as if he shouldn't have said that.
"Last warning! Take your business away." The General almost beca too annoyed by Jon's act.
"I wonder why the Legion is occupying these execution grounds when they have their castle ground!" Jon asked.
"It is closed for secret drills." Thane Bryling mocked them alongside Jon.
"Last warning, Thanes." The General had enough as he put his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Lord Jon, Lady Bryling."
But imdiately, the place was sward with hold guards led by Captain Aldis. They ca in numbers and seed serious and ready for business.
Brina rilis imdiately held the arm of the General away from the hilt and started whispering sothing to the General that if they were to act hostile in front of so guards, this would nip her run for the Jarl position in the bud.
"It seems that our Imperial Friends are denying us the public execution grounds." Thane Bryling said, "Fine, we will move over there."
Bryling pointed at a vacant spot in the middle of the road not too far from the execution ground. The thing which made both Thane Brina rilis and General Tullius feel very proud was that they pushed their opponents back.
"Plant the burning poles." Captain Aldis ordered the guards.
"Sir, the Priests have arrived to purify the curses." A guard reported.
"Fine. Don't hold anything back! Tie up the Hagravens to the poles and get the Priests to work."
The mont both General Tullius and Brina rilis celebrated the fact that they managed to chase away Jon Dare and Thane Bryling, they noticed that where the burning poles were located was blocking the way to the execution grounds.
Complaining won't work since it is not against the law to occupy the street by an official for any matter they see fit, especially if that official is a landlord with the scale of Thane Bryling.
But the situation has escalated too fast to stop at the mont. With the arrival of the Priests from the Temple of the Divines, a chaotic situation occurred.
"This Hex was laid by the Hagraven Anthonotha in the na of the Lady of Rot Namira that Elka of Dragonstone loses her sight. The hex carries desecration for the na of Lord Akatosh and is considered sacrilege." A Priest announced.
"No!"
"How could this happen?!"
"How evil!"
The situation was rely beginning and many people started to crowd around the burning sticks while the Priests started unsealing the Spells and going over them.
A Witchcraft Spell is done differently from usual spellcasting for it to have its effects. A Witch would gather power through many diums but she always needs a trace of her prey, be it a few strands of hair, so clipped nails, blood on a sheet of cloth, or even broken teeth.
The witch would then start putting those traces in a spell and draw power from Oblivion. They would use rituals in the na of certain Daedric Princes to let this magic flow from Oblivion to Mundus.
After that, the contract happens. The contractor, who is usually a person, specifies the kind of harm they wish to fall on the victim and the Witch writes it with Daedric Script. They also must insult the Divine which the victim worships and praise the Daedra that will be the source of the curse.
In other words, the Contractor and the Witch must commit sacrilege against the Divines and do a ritual for the Daedra in order to let this curse befall.
The na of the contractor is always written in the spell but the Priests couldn't utter it out loud. Obviously, it would cause public disorder if such secrets were revealed. However, so could guess who is who. The Contractors' nas were listed and sent to the Guards Headquarters in order to detain them later on.
Either way, the situation continued until nightfall. Half of the city was crowded over the place and no one even glanced over the boring Pirate execution held by the Legion.
Still, it was a depressing display for humanity at its worst. A brother cursing his brother with impotence in order to hog out the inheritance with his kids, a sister cursing his sister to make her skin wither so that she can marry instead, a woman cursing another that all her children die at birth, a woman cursing another that she would never marry, a rchant cursing his rival with poverty, a fisherman cursing another with bad luck.
Too much ugliness, too much unfairness.
Between the victims, not everyone knew who would wish them this much harm and they kept wailing and screaming for the Priests while demanding to reveal the Contractors.
Among the gathering people, many hid their faces as they knew what they had done and wished not to be recognized.
But the High Priest eventually ca out to address these matters.
"Whoever has contracted a Witch for a Hex, may the Divines curse you and kick you out of their rcy. Oh, good people! Those who contract the power of the Daedra will always receive a backlash once that contract is broken and the Divines will punish them greatly for disturbing the natural order and insulting the Gods. Rejoice, brothers and sisters for the Divines are as Just as they are rciful."
"Thank you, High Priest." Jon jumped on the stage behind the Priest right away, "I was also contacted with a Hex and it was no joke, folks, it was no joke at all."
Jon turned around and winked to Brina rilis who was watching from far away. Of course it was no joke at all since he wasn't joking when he threw so insults at her earlier.
"Either way, I think it is ti for you to heal and get back to your lives. Thanks to the good gesture of Lady Bryling…" Jon dragged Thane Bryling closer and raised her hand that was holding Dawnbreaker, "… the Dare Dragon Company's Dare Pharmacy has been ordered to cooperate with the Temple of Solitude to offer high-grade healing tonics and dicines for the victims of this vile magic. We are now ready to punish the Evil Witches with the power of this mighty Holy Sword."
Jon grabbed the sheath and removed it off the sword to show the beautiful and elegant Dawnbreaker.
Bryling held the blade upwards and contemplated its beauty for a while thinking of the actions she had taken while accompanying Jon.
It was nothing wrong at all but she employed many things to her benefit. She has gained popularity and achieved enough rits but it wasn't as selfless as she would always do.
But it was fun.
Now all she needed to do was to light the mounds of firewood under the burning poles with the fire that cos from the sword's enchantnt and deliver justice upon the enemies of the Divine.
"My Lady! My Lord! WAIT!"
But sothing out of their plan happened.
A Priest of Akatosh, who was one of the eight Priests working on unsealing the hexes, rushed from his spot towards Jon and Bryling.
"What's wrong, brother Varek?" Bryling asked.
"You… You need to see this!" He said and opened one of the hexes to Jon and Bryling.
It was thick with the sll of urine which the witches would use as an ingredient in their unholy contracts but the nasty sll ant that it was not an old one.
It was also written in Daedric letters, had a lot of blonde strands of hair, written all in circles, and centered with the sigil of Boethiah. On its edges, it has the sigils of Talos, Kynareth, Arkay, and Mara all drawn while flipped over indicating disrespect.
"Holy Shit!" Jon couldn't help but curse.
"What does it say?" Bryling asked as she was incapable of reading Daedric.
Jon looked around and saw that the noises had died down. He must announce what's written now that the Priest knows what's in it too.
"Curses and bad ons! Death befalls all but the tiless! Bring Disorder by Death. In the na of Boethiah, Prince of Deceit and Conspiracy. Let Talos who offers kingship topple off his throne, let Kynareth who offers healing be blinded away from the sick, let Arkay who carries the souls offer no rest, and let Mara who offers protection wail over… Elisif of Solitude… as she dies a horrible death."
The words were so sacrilege but Jon realized how awful this all turned out to be.
Soone cursed Elisif with a Death Curse and he was the one who sent Jullanar to deliver the killing blow.
It almost shocked Solitude to its core… not almost… it completely shocked Solitude as the people looked at Jon with pale faces and sunken hearts.
Even Brina rilis who stood watching it all from afar and General Tullius who was returning to the castle all turned towards him.
And they all waited for the na of the killer.
The contractor.
The one that played this whole situation from the backstage and instigated disorder.
"The Contractor is… the Great Hidden One… LOT-SOVEN-GEIN!"
Jon imdiately snatched Dawnbreaker from Bryling's hands and aid the sword at the night sky with a terrifying amount of Magicka.
A beam of light rose from the blade and ford a pillar that pierced through the skies. The light hit a certain height and then expanded in a circular burst that illuminated the night sky as if it was the ti of day for a short few seconds.
These few seconds were enough… enough for the entire Solitude to witness it all.
A Dragon far in the sky… a dark one similar to the color of night flying gracefully in the sky without a single roar.
It was there for a second before flapping his wings at maximum power and disappearing back in the darkness without a trace.
Was it an illusion projected by Jon Dare?
No, it is not. It was a true dread hidden in the sky that they all felt equally.
Leader of the Dragon Cult's Secret Dragon Horde, the fifth in line from Alduin in the chain of command, the cunning Dragon that fights without a shred of dignity and manipulates kings and jarls to fight against each other. The Great Hidden One, Lot-soven-gein.
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