Ch.21

[Middas, 21st of Sun’s Height, 4E: 221]

My first reaction after Neethsi teleported us out of the dorm room was to cough and wheeze before Rarity put a cloth over my snout and did the same for Shade and herself. Neethsi wasn’t even bothered by the hot, dry, putrid air and simply strode forward through the dark cave unhindered by the horrible air quality. “Mind your breathing dear. Morrowind, especially Vvardenfell, is quite a respiratory hazard if you aren’t a Dunmer or lived here for a while.”

“It smells like dirt and butts.” Shade succinctly summarized the way only a child could.

“It's how Morrowind smells since Red Mountain is constantly erupting.” Rarity informed us as she tied the rags around our snouts. “It always has been, but ever since the Red Year, it has been continuously ongoing. If not for Neethsi directing the majority of the lava flow to the northeast, Vvardenfell would be entirely uninhabitable. Now it is merely inhospitable.”

“Didn’t Neethsi do something to prevent Vivec City from being destroyed? By Baar Dau? I thought that the meteor was what caused the Red Year.” My brain hurts trying to remember all of the exposition Neethsi gave at Mellow and I’s prodding.

“Indeed. Baar Dau would have crashed into Vivec City when Vivec vanished had Neethsi not essentially forced that charlatan to toss it across the ocean towards Akavir. I believe it was under the threat of chugging three kegs of Sujamma, soul-trapping him and then killing him in one shot.” Rarity informed us and I dumbly nodded along with Shade like a tourist as I tried to wrap my head around the idea that getting super drunk gives you the power to slay a living god.

“That is indeed the case. Shortly after that, Vivec fucked off to Aetherius, likely understanding that he wouldn’t be wanted for long once the hanging guillotine blade he had over his people was gone.” Neethsi said and we jumped. We didn’t hear him approach. “The entrance is clear. Damned Nix Hounds set up a nest again, but I dealt with them. Let’s go.”

Neethsi brought us out of the cave and the air stung my eyes. I blinked my nictitating membranes to get the ash on the wind out of my eyes and looked down upon an architectural marvel. In the bay stood ten Ziggurat structures that looked like they could have been South American if not for the curved arabic architectural style. They were constructed on a grid with six stacked together, one to either side of those six, then two more centered further out.

It roughly looked like the silhouette of a jet plane. “So big. What is that place, Neethsi?” Shade asked in awe as our guide and protector used his magic to mold the entrance to his Wayshrine shut once more.

“That is Vivec City, the former Holy City of Vivec. I’ll give you the full tour later, but it is the largest city in all of Morrowind, so it’ll have to wait until after I get us situated. Stay close, don’t stray, do not speak to any strangers, if you think someone is eyeing you a bit too intently, cling to me.” Neethsi sternly ordered us before we began the trek down the hill towards the road.

We weren’t even 20 minutes away from the bridge leading into the massive city, which while smelling of the sea, didn’t stink of sewage or other disgusting things I instantly assumed it would suffer. “Hold. Names and purpose of your visit.” The bone-armored...are these guys wearing armor made of bones? Not as in leather with bones over it or whatnot, actually made of bone.

“Neethsi Nagnaresh, here to return to my duties as Hortator in the face of the Aldmeri Dominion bombing Lilmoth this morning.” Neethsi displayed his signet ring and the guard actually staggered back a step before saluting.

“Nerevarine?! You have returned from Akavir?! Since when?!” The guard demanded in a mixture of shock and awe.

“I have been back, but Morrowind did not need me after I set Vivec straight and saved us from his vainglory in holding Baar Dau over our heads. I am also the one who ensured Red Mountain would pour its blood to the northeast and constructed the Great Inner Sea Bridge before I truly left you to your own devices.” Neethsi answered and I looked where he gestured to gawk at the massive stone bridge stretching towards the distant shore. He did say something about that!

Something landed on my head. Oh no, is this Sheogorath fucking with me again? I’ve managed to do so well since the last time a Daedra decided to mess with me! “Miss. Do not. Move.” The other guard cautiously hissed at me as he carefully aimed his crossbow above me. W-what is it?! What’s on my head?!

“Remain calm.” The other guard urged and I moved my left eye to see Neethsi had grabbed Shade and Rarity to pull them a bit away. Before things could get worse, the guard shot the thing on my head and it gave an unholy shriek before taking off and I fell over in relief.

“What was that?” Rarity asked fearfully and I looked around for whatever it was, but it had flown away.

“No. That can’t be! Saint Jiub slaughtered all of the Cliff Racers to the last! I helped him do it!” Neethsi snarled furiously up at the sky with a quivering fist raised.

“They have returned in the past decade, Lord Nerevarine. There was no warning, no explanation, they just appeared as if spawned from an Oblivion Gate. For all we know, that is exactly what happened. Damned things may as well be Daedra.” The crossbow wielding guard snarled. “Wherever Saint Jiub’s soul has gone, certainly he must be possessed with wrath.”

“Cliff Racers~!” A deep voice as rough as gargled gravel roared and a ghost appeared next to us! “Curse you! I will return from the Soul Cairn for my vengeance! I will-wait! How did I get here? I’ve been trapped in the Soul Cairn since the Oblivion Crisis.” The ghost then looked at the gobsmacked Neethsi. “Ah, Neethsi! My old friend! I haven’t seen you since you and Vartine helped me collect my memoirs scattered about my prison.”

“Jiub! How are you...hm. It seems you bound yourself to me, like an Ancestor Spirit, after we helped you. I am flattered, my old friend.” Neethsi smiled genuinely and the ghost cackled with that disturbing echoey deep voice as the transparent dunmer approached and patted the taller argonian on the shoulder.

“Well, you’re the closest thing to family I had after what we’d been through together. Well, since it seems my legacy has been thwarted by evil magic, call upon me whenever a Cliff Racer is near, I will ensure they perish!” The ghost declared before fading away.

“As amusing as all of this is, can we please get on with it?” Rarity voiced and I stood up with a vigorous nod. I don’t want to consider pterodactyls flying above and ready to swoop down on us.

“Right. Go on through Lord Nerevarine. I wish I could say it is good to see you, but your return heralds more catastrophe.” The mace-wielding guard said apologetically and waved us through the bridge into the city.

Well, it felt a bit odd to consider that this place with only ten buildings was a city, but each pyramid could easily fit an American Football stadium inside with room to spare. That was a lot of space. By medieval or similar standards, Vivec City could easily be the size of ten separate ‘cities’ of the time period.

“I’ll give us a brief introduction to each canton as we progress. This first one is the Foreign Quarter. Here is where non-natives traditionally called home here on Vvardenfell. It also has the embassy offices.” Neethsi said as he preceded us and kept us moving on the largest and lowest walkway of the canton. “That said, the other canton across the way serves a similar purpose, but it was the last one to be constructed, so they named it after me.”

“The Neethsi Canton?” I asked with amusement, but Neethsi just shook his head.

“The Nerevar Canton.” Yeesh, I forgot that his emotions are severely hindered when not female or otherwise unaugmented. “This one we’re coming up on is the Redoran Plaza. House Redoran is the most powerful House, so it makes sense they get a dedicated canton.”

“Really?” I asked as I walked closer to him.

“To be fair, each Great House back in the day had a dedicated Canton, but after houses Dres and Hlaalu ceased to exist, well, let’s just say none of the other houses have stepped up to fill their shoes. Instead their cantons are shared by lesser houses. Now, we are walking on Saint Delyn Canton. It’s the mercantile heart of the city. Almost anything you could imagine is within.” Neethsi proclaimed with a gesture towards the walls of the structure.

“Oo~! I must take a full tour soon.” Rarity cooed excitedly and Neethsi nodded.

“I highly suggest it, just stay in a group and keep your hand on your coin purse.” Neethsi warned us before he sighed and looked into the sky. “Up ahead is the Ministry Canton. It’s House Indoril’s canton. My House. Above it once hung Baar Dau, the moonlet that Sheogorath convinced to fling itself at Vivec, both the city and the person, for his audacity. Beyond that is the Temple Canton, where Vivec once lived and lorded over the people of Vvardenfell.”

Said final canton rose high above all the others. It was ostentatious in its architecture compared to the purposeful facade presented by all of the other cantons. “Was he compensating for something?” I asked judgingly and Neethsi burst out laughing, startling everyone around him, not just us.

“Ah~! That is a good observation! No, though. He had nothing to compensate for other than his need to present himself like a peacock. Most of the space in the Temple Canton is used for government storage and other things while the city’s mayor operates from the Ministry Canton. Other than that, it’s mostly for religious functions and historical tourism.” Neethsi informed us as we climbed the steps of the Ministry Canton towards the offices.

“So it’s mostly just offices with a temple slapped on top?” I asked as I held Shade’s hand since she decided she wanted to hold mine and not Rarity’s like she’d been fine with until now. “Are you okay, dear?”

“The air is angry.” Shade said worriedly and Rarity rubbed her scalp while I squeezed her hand.

“That would be the still lingering presence of Baar Dau. It hung above this city for thousands of years. Although it has been gone for a couple of centuries now, you don’t just make something like that completely disappear. However, the fact you can feel it is interesting, Shade. Maybe you possess some natural affinity for magic.” Neethsi commented and I got a bit worried since I’m a magicka atronach and didn’t sense anything. Then again, I’m not trying.

“Is that good?” I asked, hoping my daughter might not be lynched by a group of angry dunmer.

“Yes and no. It means Shade may have a knack for magic, but that also means if the Telvanni find out, they may try to poach her into their House. They love hoarding mages, skilled or not.” Neethsi then leaned towards me with a sly quirk of his lips. Is he really suppressing his emotions? “Truth be told, if I was not Nerevar Indoril reborn, I would properly be in House Telvanni. It’s full of back-stabbing, selfish and crazy people, but the fun to be had!”

I’m worried that Neloth may have twisted your sensibilities, Neethsi…

“Lord Nerevarine!” Neethsi flinched at his title being shouted with praise and joy before we all turned our attention to the old-looking dunmer, which meant he had to be old. Despite his white beard and mane of hair and the stark wrinkles on his face, the dunmer’s red eyes danced with joy and his teeth were impeccably clean. He approached energetically, as if his age meant nothing and his fast approach caused his billowing robes to flutter. “So good to have you back!”

“Grandmaster Anganis! It’s good to see the past centuries haven’t drained you of that vigor!” Neethsi declared happily upon realizing who was approaching and the two shared a brief, but hearty embrace. “I had worried that I would need to adjust to a household with none of the same faces.”

“Hmph! It’ll take more than time, stress and a few Morag Tong assassination attempts to be rid of me!” Anganis cackled and then looked the rest of us over. “Friends of yours, Lord Nerevarine?”

“Yes. This is Meen-Rei, my apprentice. The little one is her daughter, Shade. This foreign beauty is Lady Rarity; the Bearer of Generosity.” Neethsi politely introduced us and Rarity even tittered at how flowery he’d made her introduction while I felt pride at being described as his apprentice even though at best all he’s been able to do with me is make me not-useless.

“It is my pleasure to welcome you to Vivec, ladies. I am Grandmaster Anganis Lerrel; the current Head of House Indoril. However, Lord Nerevarine, your return while wonderful, also bodes ill. What has happened for our Hortator to return?” Anganis braced himself staunchly, clearly prepared for bad news.

“I’m afraid that I return out of necessity. The Aldmeri Dominion has attempted subterfuge in Lilmoth by trying to blast the Lilmoth University of Magic into rubble. I have been working with the headmistress Twilight Sparkle on creating a new Tower to compensate for the losses orchestrated by the Thalmor over the centuries. They obviously don’t want that.” Neethsi informed the Grandmaster of the entirety of House Indoril.

“They almost made me into a bomb in Blackrose.” I added angrily, much to the aged mer’s bemusement before he waved his hand before his eyes got a slight purple glow to them and he balked at me.

“By the gods, you would create an explosive force equivalent to if Baar Dau had fallen here! Lord Nerevarine, please tell me that your apprentice has good control of all that power.” Anganis was relieved when Neethsi nodded immediately. “Thank goodness, it would have been hard calming people down when they find out about her otherwise.”

“Mama does have lots of power.” Shade reinforced and the old mer nodded.

“Indeed she does, dear. Now then, I must return to my duties. I’ll have some servants take you to a room to get settled while I arrange to have your old quarters cleaned. I’ll also call for an emergency meeting of the Great Houses. Thankfully the other Grandmasters are also here with Mournhold having become unpopular after the last years of King Hlaalu Helseth’s rule.” The otherwise cheerful old mer spat on the floor at saying the person’s name.

“Now, now. Helseth tried to do right by his people despite everything. Don’t forget that he managed to keep Morrowind from crumbling while his House fell from grace and even stepped down once we’d fully seceded from the Empire.” Neethsi chided the old mer, who had the decency to look somewhat ashamed.

“Yes, it is easy to forget his virtues in favor of his failings. I apologize. Now, I must go.” Anganis bowed slightly and Neethsi returned it before the old mer jogged back towards the office he’d apparently rushed out from while a couple of seasoned-looking dunmer women in simple maid dresses approached and bowed to us. I feel so out of place here.

📜

“I must say, while this place is dour and dull in color, it is still full of an exotic energy.” Rarity said after she returned from her impromptu shopping trip accompanied by a couple of guards and a servant to help her get around. “I had no clue that giant insects could be used to make so many things! Let alone delicious street food and I bet full proper meals.” Rarity eating bugs. For some reason that made me giggle.

“Well, I’m glad you’re adjusting so well, Rarity.” I had decided to hide in the room we’d been given while Neethsi’s apartment was cleaned up. Neethsi had vanished almost immediately to get his bearings after being gone for centuries and Shade had taken a nap and then a bath, leaving me to sit on this bed and ponder things.

“Mom, you smell.” Shade giggled as she got out of the bathroom. Thank gosh this city has semi-modern indoor plumbing. Then again, when your people live for centuries on average and cultivate their crafts for many more years beyond most other races, it only makes sense that while your culture would stagnate and be slow to evolve, the things you lived with would evolve even faster.

“She does not, she’s just excited.” Rarity chuckled with a rub of her inner thigh, reminding me that despite the magic hiding it, she had quite the impressive male endowment to contrast her otherwise ultra-feminine body.

“Uh-oh. I smell that. I’m gonna go bug the maids while you two be dirty.” Shade quickly pulled a dress over her head and I sputtered in fluster at wondering how much she’d changed from her Change. Then I felt warm when Rarity sauntered closer with a come-hither expression.

“Now then, come get your mistress hard.” Rarity cooed with mocking authority as she used magic to undress and show off her massive, musky nuts and bounced her F-cup bust. I groaned at her intoxicating scent that filled the room and I squirmed under her gaze. “Or were you excited for Neethsi?”

“Both of you. I had the feeling that with you coming along, that we’d end up, y’know?” I meekly admitted as I watched how her body’s best bits shook as she approached. She stood before me, now grabbing my head and shoulder, bringing my snout to her abs before lowering me to her sheathe. I breathed in her heady musk. It wasn’t like Neethsi’s spicy scent, instead it was less like a knife and more like a hammer being taken to my brain’s ability to think.

“Well, I’m in a dominant mood, dear. So tonight I’m going to have you as a pet. I’d better not break that will of yours~. If you can’t handle one mare’s musk, how will you handle daedric mind games?” Rarity started to lower me to her balls and I groped those pale purple melons. “I might even tempt you with eggs.”

“Is this the other reason you came?” I rasped as I nuzzled her sheathe and licked into it to wake up the beast inside. My groin is already soaking wet to the point of pooling in my pants!

“A bit, yes, but I’m worried about your mental state. Neethsi knows how to help addictions so if I do get you hooked you’ll be fine.” Rarity said as she marehandled me, barely letting me move on my own. “Now, I’m your mistress for the next hour.”

“Mm, but mistress, what about Lord Nerevarine? He’ll be back any minute.” I joked through the haze her musk was causing and she blushed hotly.

“My, I hadn’t considered this would be a good time to role play The Lusty Argonian Maid, but-.” Rarity and I jolted when the door burst in and Neethsi stumbled in with a massive stack of odds and ends blinding him to the room before he dumped it off to the side and blinked at us.

“Oh. Sorry. I’ll come back later.” Neethsi turned and then paused, before waving his hands and my breath caught in my throat as she turned around and smirked with a toothy manic grin that both scared me and made my arousal crank to 11. “Fuck that~.” Neethsi’s tail slammed the door shut and she sauntered towards us, her clothes unraveling at the seams with another wave of her hands and leaving her naked with piles of thread trailing her. “Rarity. Sit.”

“Y-yes ma’am.” Rarity sat on the bed next to me and Neethsi pulled me down onto the floor before my clothes unraveled too. She pulled me towards her and we sandwiched Rarity’s pulsing penis with our matching basketball-sized breasts, causing Rarity to moan and grip the bedsheets in pleasure. “B-both of you at once?” Rarity sounded excited and worried.

“Come on Meen-Rei, let’s see how long she lasts!” Neethsi growled and I licked my lips.

Next Chapter: Ch.22 Estimated time remaining: 15 Hours, 38 Minutes