[Dwemer] 2 – Imprisonment

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With a flash of light, I felt my soul and essence freeze as my cells became overcharged with enough magicka to rival that of one of the Et’Ada. 

Letting the ritual continue, I felt the Magicka begin to burn away at my soul. The sheer amount and purity were too much for my mortal soul. 

Yet, despite the unimaginable agony such damage caused me, it lasted for only a brief few moments, as my flesh charred and burned under the intensity of the Magicka that shrouded my being, tearing through reality itself to provide a means to escape. 

Yet, I did not know what happened next, as my mind, overwhelmed by the pain, shut down.

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[Metropolis, Superman’s Statue]

The Central Park of Metropolis, the ‘Golden City’ and home of the world renowned Superman, was chock full of people out for walks, exercising, having picnics, or just casually going about their day, people that suddenly screamed or shouted in panic as a new star formed in the sky above the park, a star so bright many went temporarily blind. 

Yet, while blindingly bright, this star did not give off any sound; instead, it felt like the air around the star was vibrating violently.

Then, without even another moment passing, the light disappeared as quickly as it appeared, leaving behind what looked like a charred corpse.

The first responders on the scene rushed this unknown John Doe to the hospital, where they tried to stabilize the unknown and badly burned man, a man, the Doctors very quickly realized was not a man at all.

That night, beneath the notice of all of the Doctors, one intern contacted a friend and got a commission for her information. Two days later, the unknown alien disappeared from the hospital, despite being under guard and heavily monitored.

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[Washington D.C., unknown location]

Within a sterile and empty room, giant screens were mounted upon the walls, and a man in a lab coat who stood within the chamber anxiously before the screens suddenly came to life with blinding white light.

"You have received the specimen?" Questioned the figure coated in white light.

"Uh, yes, sir! We've contained and placed it within a containment cell," The scientist spoke hastily, seemingly excited.

"Good. I want regular reports on your findings. I want to know everything about the specimen and whether it has any future in the Light."

"Yes, sir!" The screen shut off, shrouding the room in darkness.

Stepping outside, a small horned creature leaped onto his shoulder.

"Inform the others that I want blood samples collected and get someone to take a look at its wounds. I don't want it to expire before we can learn everything we can about it," the doctor ordered, the small creature's two horns glowing in response.

...

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[Containment Cell, Unknown amount of Time later]

W....Wa....Wake -p....Wake u-....WAKE UP!

With a start, my eyes opened wide as Hermaeus' Voice invaded my mind.

As I blinked away the sudden blindness, I found myself submerged in some kind of liquid and trapped within some kind of tube in a strange and alien room with strange lights flashing orange. I barely caught sight of a long and slender tail fleeing past the corner of the doorway and out into the room where I was trapped.

Trying to call upon my magicka to free me, I groaned within the strange mask that was on my face. My magicka network was atrophied and significantly damaged. What little magicka I could call upon was a trickle of what I could use before. With a twitch of my hand, I cast one of the simplest of mysticism spells, and with a wave of force, the glass that held me shattered, releasing me from my prison.

Pulling off the mask, I coughed and gagged as a long tube slid out of my throat and onto the floor, where I continued to hack and cough up liquid. My body felt stiff and weak, what muscle I once had was atrophied if not gone almost completely, I was but skin and bones, and completely naked..

Yet, the results of my pact remained: long, twisting tendrils of tattoos along my chest, arms, and legs. But that was not what caught my attention first. Tattooed upon my chest was the orb I used to complete my ritual, the Eye of Magnus.

I could feel Hermaeus’s presence through the pact, its innumerable eyes seeing what I was doing and observing what I saw through my own eyes. I could feel its unending hunger for knowledge and its untold desire to learn everything. 

Before I could even climb to my feet, these…monstrosities charged into the room, both large and small, but all clearly not man, mer, or Et’Ada; it was something new. 

Before I could even react, I felt my pact with Hermaeus Mora flare to life in the form of coiling oily tentacles down my arm from the tattoos. 

Feeling the knowledge of how to use the supposed ‘gift’  flood into my mind, I reached out, letting the tentacles shape themselves around me, forming a sort of Eldritch armor. With barely any Magicka in my veins, I had no choice but to settle this like the Men do, with my fists. 

I stomped forward, thrusting my arm towards the distant and closest creature that stood as tall as a Giant. I watched as the tentacles that wrapped around my arm launched forward, piercing straight through the creature's chest. In that brief moment, I cast a spell that was considered by many a last resort: Equilibrium.

The creature’s flesh and bones were broken down into Magicka, fueling me and my Pact with Hermaeus, making my Eldritch armor stronger, and giving me some Magicka to work with. 

 Knowing I’d be killed if they swarmed me, I called upon all of the Magicka I gained from transmuting the monster’s flesh into a single spell, Fireball.

Such a simple spell, yet drawing all the Magicka I had within my veins, forming a giant fireball within my hands that I launched into the charging horde.

Boom.

In an instant, the fireball exploded against the horde, bathing many in flame while I charged forward, swinging tentacles around with deadly force.

Yet, it was not enough, more and more of the creatures flooded into the room, till the point I was completely surrounded. 

I kept fighting, using the tentacles to shield my body and strike back wherever the opportunity showed itself, and that’s when I heard it, shouting and yelling in a language I did not know, close enough to where I noticed many of the creatures turning around and rushing back out of the room. 

Gritting my teeth, I continued sucking the monsters dry of Magicka with every chance I received, until I had but a modicum of my original power, and called forth a Lurker through my pact, the aquatic bi-pedal monstrosity roaring in challenge and charging forward to fight the monsters by my side. 

It spewed acid from its mouth that burned through whatever it touched, and its long, thin limbs struck with as much power as a Giant, its claws ripping through flesh and its fists breaking bones.

As the fight continued, fewer and fewer of the creatures appeared, giving me more and more time to cast Equilibrium and gain back Magicka. Yet, I could already feel the strain of using too much Magicka at once, as Magicka Exhaustion began to take hold.

I could only hope I lasted long enough to get out of this prison before the Magicka Exhaustion took over and left me defenseless.