Monilee closed the book with a thump, trying to digest the words she had just heard in her mind.

 

"Everyone," she said, "Nocturnal is up to something." 

 

Shayna smirked. "When isn't she?"

 

"True enough," Monilee conceded, "but I think we have only a little time before we're caught up in her schemes again. I think the time's come for us to retrieve the Horn."

 

"At last," Lydia said, "I was starting to think you had forgotten about it entirely."

 

That got a short laugh out of Monilee, "How could I ever forget about that. You were there... do you remember the 'lessons' that Nocturnal and the Graybeards taught me? No, I haven't forgotten. And it's time to return and learn the final word of Unrelenting Force." 

 

Her mind flashed back to Master Arngeir's words - the gods had given Monilee this gift for a reason. It was long past time for her to continue her training.

 

 

"To Ustengrav, then?" Lucien asked. "Because of course the horn is in a dungeon full of Draugr. Where else would someone hide a musical instrument?"

 

"Wait," Monilee said, "you know about Ustengrav?"

 

"Well of course, don't you?"

 

"Only the bare details, I'm afraid."

 

"Well," Lucien added with a clear undertone of self-satisfaction, "let me tell you..."

 

A day later, the party we settling down to rest in the Moorside Inn of Morthal, and it hardly seemed like Lucien had stopped talking. 

 

With a yawn, she gently cut him off, "Lucien, I think I've learned more about dungeons in the last day then in my whole life before hand. Thank you, but now it's time for us to rest. We get to compare your legends with reality come morning."

 

The evening's rest was welcome, but as sunlight started to creep into the room Monilee found Edippa leading a rough looking mercenary towards the bed. 

 

"Come on, silly goose, my sweet daughter needs a strong man in her bed before she sets out to conquer her dungeon."

 

Monilee almost protested, but she knew it was futile and instead made room for the others to pile into the bed. Before they could enjoy themselves much, however, the group found themselves interrupted by perhaps the most ill-timed courier Monilee had ever met in her life.

 

 

For a moment, Monilee wondered if Dibella had been mistaken and this man, not Cassia, was the messenger sent by Dibella. If so, his message was cryptic, just calling for her to speak with someone at the Bannered Mare. After giving him the barest amount of attention, Monilee waved the man away and got back to her morning... calisthenics. 

 

After they'd finished up and dressed, Monilee took a moment to chat with the mercenary over a bowl of goat stew. Lydia frowned a bit at her 'gluttony', and Monilee took great effort to luxuriantly soak her humble bread in the stew before slowly chewing it. On some level, she appreciated what Lydia was trying to do by steering her towards austerity and clean living, but right now she wasn't in the mood.

 

His name was Hoth, and he was - no surprise - a mercenary and bounty hunter. He seemed well equipped and strong, but he also wanted no small sum of gold to join the party. Monilee did consider hiring him, but she also considered her companions and concluded at length that she didn't need another sword at her side. They parted amicably, and after finishing the last of her breakfast, Monilee led the group northeast, letting Shayna guide the way when the precision of Lucien's tales and legends proved inadequately precise.

 

Wading through swampy water and tall reeds, the party did their best to balance urgency and stealth until they reached a wide stream of icy-looking water. As she drew in her breath to utter the whirlwind-word and carry her across, Monilee almost jumped out of her skin at the touch of a hand to her shoulder. Spinning, she found herself face to face with Cassia.

 

 

After taking a second to right herself, Monilee nodded gravely. "Dibella foresaw this," she explained, "let me see the letter."

 

Blushing, Cassia dissembled for a moment. "Wouldn't you like to have a little fun with me first?"

 

Monilee almost turned her down - after all, they were in the middle of a swamp on their way to a dangerous destination - but she reconsidered after a moment. Dibella, she thought, would want her to comfort this fellow plaything of Nocturnal. And so she agreed.

 

The two undressed, and Monilee knealt down, beckoning Cassia to join her. She closed her eyes for a moment, but when Cassia's lips met her's, the taste and the shape didn't seem right. Opening her eyes, she saw instead that it was the head of Lucien's erect penis she was drawing into her mouth, rather than Cassia's tongue. Of course, Cassia was not far behind, spreading Lucien's buttocks to lick and kiss at his back passage. 

 

This must be Edippa's influence, Monilee thought. She almost broke it off then and there, but a glance to her left revealed that Edippa was indeed watching, beaming proudly, and with a mental note to speak with the cleric later, she welcomed Lucien into their midst.

 

 

The scholar's technique was still a little rough, but with the extra stimulation from Cassia and a little shifting and adjusting by Monilee, they all got into a comfortable rhythm fairly quickly. Once they had warmed up, the three switched places, with Monilee riding atop Lucien while he pleasured Cassia with his tongue. In her admittedly somewhat limited experience, Monilee observed that this wasn't a skill that many men took the time to cultivate. Definitely Edippa's influence at work there.

 

 

After Cassia found her release, she rose, leaving Lucien's face slick with her juices. Moving behind Monilee, she grasped Lucien's ankles and held him fast; this gave Monilee the leverage to ride the scholar with greater intensity. She could feel him tensing and squirming, but she was able to continue their play for some time before he finally erupted. Either the man had a fount of natural endurance, or this was yet another fruit of Edippa's tutelage. Just how long had she been tutoring this young man in the arts of Dibella? When the first hot spurt entered her, Monilee grasped Lucien's nipples tightly and twisted, and he let out a loud groan of mixed pleasure and pain. If anything, her grip only increased the intensity of the man's ejaculation. 

 

 

At last, they rose. While they played in the reeds, the sun had burnt away the morning fog and Monilee felt warm and refreshed. Indeed, more than that. While Edippa watched at a distance, smiling, Monilee was certain that Dibella had granted her new power. She promised herself to explore the strength she found soon, but for now she knew she needed to review this letter that Cassia had provided. 

 

 

As Cassia departed, making her way back towards Morthal, Monilee carefully unfurled the letter she'd received. Far from a threat or a command to conduct some new task, this was an... invitation. And a promise of freedom. Monilee understood Dibella's warning - unprepared, this letter might have taken her right back to Clavicus Vile's shrine and into the Evergloam. But forearmed, she resisted the urge to rush away. The Horn would come first, and Nocturnal's promise of freedom... would come later. Maybe never, if Sir Biggs could perfect his promised technique. 

 

 

Not long after, the party found what they sought: the first signs were a raised earthen mound, just as Lucien described. On their approach, they discovered that it was hollow, lined with stone and... decorated with a fresh corpse.

 

"Well," Lucien said, "I did warn you that this is a dungeon full of Draugr."

 

Without further discussion, the companions drew their weapons and descended cautiously into the dungeon. After all their experiences in recent days, the promise of Draugr didn't dissuade them, but they still respected their foes enough to proceed with caution.

 

 

More bandit corpses filled the antechamber to the dungeon, but beyond Monilee could hear the sounds of hammering, and the voices of men.

 

"These thralls of yours," one said, "are slower than an Argonian in winter."

 

Necromancers, then. Quietly, the party crept around cover to find their quarry. The first fell silently to a bowshot from the dark. One by one, the rest of the dark wizards joined him in death. No signs of the Draugr yet, Monilee observed, but she realized that was likely just a momentary delay.

 

 

Deeper they went, but now the corpses in the halls were of more necromancers rather than bandits. And from the guttural laughter heard in the distance, now they all knew the Draugr were close. They were able to surprise a few and strike them down with arrows, but the rest they had to join in melee. It was a hard fight - especially against the stronger, more heavily armored ones - but the party soon prevailed and advanced deeper into the dungeon. 

 

 

After more battles and great care to avoid traps, at last the party entered into a huge cavern. Below, they could see more Draugr patrolling; Monilee felt a visceral sense that they were fast approaching their goal. Pressing on, they quickly dispatched the cavern's occupants, only to find their process stopped by iron gates. Controlled by pressure plates, it was clear that no normal runner could make it to the other side before the gates fell once more. But with careful timing and the whirlwind shout, Monilee was able to outrun the gates. 

 

That wasn't the end of challenges before them, but it was close. A final trap-filled corridor lay before them, which they picked through carefully to avoid file-spitting traps hidden in the floors, before they finally emerged into a chamber at what must have been the very bottom of the dungeon.

 

"This is it," Monilee whispered, "I can feel it."

 

 

The stone walls trembled at their approach as massive stone idols emerged from the water. Cautiously they proceeded, but no enemies rose up to challenge them. 

 

"Oh, oh, this is it - do you see that altar?" Lucien could barely contain his excitement. "But... wait, no."

 

"What is it?" Monilee whispered.

 

"Look, the Horn... it should be in that holder, the one shaped like a hand, but it's gone. There's just... a note."

 

 

Monilee read the note with disgust. Who didn't need to speak to her urgently? Now her quest was delayed for yet another interruption. 

 

"Just this once, Lydia, I'll admit you were right about the Horn. If we'd come straight here, we might have avoided this nonsense."

 

Lydia just shrugged. "You don't know that. It could have been taken as soon as the Graybeards called for you. All we can do now is follow this lead."

 

Monilee thought on that for a time as they hiked back to Morthal, but before she could settle on a next course of action, a roar grabbed her attention. A Dragon!

 

 

Evidently the dragon saw Monilee as well, for it stopped it languid circles around Morthal and turned its attention to the party. Unlike the dragon at the western watchtower, Monilee only had time to loose a few arrows before the beast swept down upon her, spitting frost and raking with its massive claws. But the Rueful Axe served Monilee well, and between that daedric weapon and the strength of her friends, the Dragon fell and she claimed its soul.

 

 

Splattered with dragon blood and full to bursting with the power of the dragon soul, the companions felt their heat rising and their breath coming faster. Before anyone could fully process what was happening, they were undressed and drawing close, with Monilee at the center of the sweating and intensely aroused band. She tried to dissuade them for only a moment before her own rising lust freed her of any cares. Even Lydia, she realized, had joined the orgiastic clutch, one arm wrapped around Shayna's leg. And then Edippa and Lucien held Monilee fast while Shayna, her doppelganger, entered her with a polished stone phallus and Lydia cradled Monilee's head in her lap.

 

 

Time blurred as they continued, but in time the inner heat faded and vigorous lovemaking turned to quiet, relaxed cuddling. Warmed under a cloudless sky, they took their time in recovering before redressing.

 

"Does this always happen when you slay a dragon?" Lucien asked.

 

Monilee shrugged, "I've only fought two so far... but this reaction... this was much more intense than the first time. I wonder if this is something that will continue to build and strengthen. If so... it's a mighty power indeed."

 

Edippa nodded slowly. "Yes, my daughter, it is. None of the tales of Tiber Septim or the other Dragonborn tell of this power; perhaps you are the first to wield it, or perhaps the historians and skalds simply chose to gloss over that aspect of the legend. We are fortunate to live in such an age that we can know the truth, firsthand."

 

"Yes," said Lydia, distantly. "Perhaps that's true. Still, this has given me much to think on. For now, we should return to Morthal. This sun won't last forever, and the Hjaalmarch swamps can grow deadly cold when the winds see fit."

 

 

Test Report

Letter from Nocturnal delivery successfully completed

Multiple SLaVE sex scenes successfully executed

 

No bugs observed in this session except for a minor animation glitch during the Become Ethereal word wall's scene. Monilee stood next to the wall during the scene instead of getting into position with the animation object. I suspect this was just a generic Skyrim animation glitch and had nothing to do with SLaVE.