"So, what happened at the Watchtower? Was the dragon there?"
Jonah and Kelsey parted ways, and I stepped forward, revealing M's skull. The Jarl was at a loss for words. He stood, marveling at our accomplishment. Rongar and Avenicci also were in awe.
"The tower was destroyed, Jarl Balgruuf, but the dragon is dead." Jonah answered.
"Your mercenary band continues to perplex me, Gjorna. Such accomplishments, such feats, yet asking nothing in return." Balgruuf said, still eyeing the skull. He straightened up, and spoke more like how he should.
"Surely there must be more to it than that. What are you really after?"
One word was spoken, shared by the three of us. It described the state of Skyrim, how it should be, how we were going to make it. It described our situation, and the confusion we felt.
"Peace." the three of us said simultaneously. We had not rehearsed this, as we didn't know exaclty what the Jarl was going to say. It was a spur of the moment thing, yet it felt as though we were all on the same page about this.
Silence in the room. The Jarl sat back down on his throne. He put his head on his fist, and looked out, as if distracted by something. Had our single word made him that humbled? He looked like he was thinking his life over.
"Brother, the Greybeards..." Rongar reminded the Jarl.
"What?" He looked up from his stare. "What about them?"
I spoke up, trying to get the Jarl back from wherever he was at current. "I think he's reffering to the thunderous voices that cried from High Hrothgar, Jarl Balgruuf." I tried not to let him know that I knew too much.
"Your right. I did need to talk to them about that." He sat up straight again. "Though, it seems that you might know more about it than I do, it would seem, Breton."
It was never Aaron, or Aerune. It was always Gjorna, his redguard companion Kalisi, and his Breton. Frankly I started getting pissed at that, but it made no difference. They could call me a Hagraven for all I cared. I knew who I was.
"I've studied Skyrim's history in High Rock since I was a boy." I lied. "High Hrothgar is the home of the Greybeards, is it not? Masters of a lifestyle called the Way of the Voice."
"Very knowledgeable." Balgruuf complimented. "To hear them call out, to what could only be assumed as your battle with the dragon, something must've been revealed in you three. You recall the tale of Tiber Septim?"
"Aye." I said. "You are making the connection between our fight with the dragon and the late Emperor because men called him 'dragonborn?"
"That is correct. Tales say that only a dragonborn can truly kill a dragon, by absorbing it's soul. Other than that, they are gifted with the ability to use the Voice without the great many years of training others would need." Balgruuf continued.
Jonah interrupted. "You are asking if we may be dragonborn?"
Jarl Balgruuf simply nodded.
"Perhaps we are." Kelsey said. "We will only find out one way however."
The Jarl agreed. We needed to visit High Hrothgar and speak with the Greybeards personally. It was the only way to find out. We already had enough to say that each of us were dragonborn, as we could each shout, and had, absorbed a dragon's soul.
The Jarl presented us with the opportunity to purchase property in the city, telling us that should any of us come to settle down in the city, they would be welcomed, and need only pay half price for the house and furniture. Half price, however, was still 5000 gold. Ugh. Freaking Proudspire Manor was going to cost a fortune if all the game's prices were half price.
He presented Kelsey with anything she wanted from the armory, who took a gold emerald necklace that the steward claimed would enhance the eye for using one's bow. I got Farengar to give me a few tomes to learn new spells, had a little duel with him, winning a staff in the proccess, and he told me about the College of Winterhold. Jonah was awarded the Axe of Whiterun for dealing the killing blow on Novice M. It was a drain health enchanted ebony waraxe of all things. Something you wouldn't get in the game.
We crashed in the bannered mare for the night, Jonah and Kelsey asleep together while I slept on the floor. Their armor was stripped, and they had changed into clothes they bought with the reward money Balgruuf awarded us. They snored even in this world.
I couldn't sleep however. Too much was on my mind. For one, what would happen to us, how we'd get home, and what would be waiting for us there if we ever did get home. Second, I thought about if we'd even live that long. The events of Bathesda's fifth game in it's Elder Scrolls series, along with it's other games, were not times of peace and happiness. From the Oblivion Crisis, which I still agree would've been far easier for us if we got transported to that game, to dragons returning in Skyrim. Danger, danger, danger.
What happened if we died in this world? A question that I don't want answered. I don't want to die, let alone have one of the others perish so that the question be answered.
A courier stopped us outside the gates of Whiterun. He was looking for me, specifically, which raised an eyebrow from the other two.
"I've got something here, your eyes only." He dug into his satchel. "Let's see here..."
What could I possibly be recieving this early? If it was the mysterious note from a friend, he should've been giving it out to all three of us, not just me personally.
"Yup, got this note. Redguard girl asked me to give it to you. Nice lady, she was." He handed me the folded sheet of paper.
"Might I ask where this redguard woman gave you this note?"
"Uh, sure. I met her on the way from Falkreath to Riverwood. She gave me some coin and walked on by."
I was confused. Who was this redguard woman? I thought of all the redguard women I could think of in the game, and yet, none came to mind.
"Well, looks like that's it. Got to go." He left us to our business, heading into the gates we just exited from. The others huddled around me as I read the note. It wasn't addressed to anyone, just being a small paragraph and signature at the bottom, written in the same handwriting.
You probably don't remember us, and I don't know if this will ever make it's way to your hands, but we wanted to thank you and your friends for what you've done for us. We've discussed long and hard about our lives, and we're settling down near Falkreath to raise our son or daughter. Thank you again, for giving us this oppurtunity.
Oleta and Crito
A smile crossed my face as I read the names signed at the bottom of the note. I folded the note up and stuck it in my satchel, which was slung over my shoulder. It made me feel good, and I'd keep it, knowing that this was now not a video game, this was life. People could show compassion if they needed to, thankfullness, glee. They weren't pixels to me any longer. And I think for the first time, the others realized this as well.
We had made it up the steps without incident, but now we came to the tunnel where the frost troll usually would ambush you. Crumper proved to be useful when scouting the path ahead, and even now the three of us were hiding behind a large rock, waiting either the two minutes he was summoned, so I could resummon him and have him tell us what was ahead, or for him to come back on his own.
We were getting close to the count of 120. A slight shuffle in the snow. Crumper crawled around the stone we hid behind.
"There should be a frost troll up ahead, did you see one. Once for yes, twice for no."
One tap of his forelegs on the ground. Just as we thought.
"There may be a difference, Aaron." Kelsey said. I was thinking the same thing.
"Is there only one? Yes or no?"
Two taps. Shit. One was bad enough.
Jonah asked before I could. "How many are there?"
One tap, two taps, three taps, four taps. You've got to be kidding me. Four frost trolls waited up ahead for pilgrims to wander through that tunnel, only to be killed and more or less eaten.
"We can take 'em." Jonah said. "I've got a vampiric ebony waraxe."
"I have poison." Kelsey added. "Stop their regen somewhat."
"I have fire." I said. "Let's melt these bastards." I turned and waved Crumper off. "Well done." He seemed less hostile since the dragon fight. And now, he spun around tapping his fangs together, giving me the image of a dog waging his tail in my head. He fizzled out just then.
It had been about a week since we departed from Whiterun. The roads were far longer and without carriages outside the stables available everyday, we had to walk, following the signs. Since then, however, we had a lot of time to pick off animals that ran rampant on the roads, getting some serious coin whenever we sold them. Innkeepers were more than happy to pay us for firewood that Jonah and I chopped, and we made a detour to Darkwater Crossing to have a mining spree, which was more dangerous than it sounded.
Jonah now sat in steel plate armor, and had recieved a steel helmet as a reward from someone along the road we saved, who was getting chased by a troll. He still had his Axe of Whiterun, and his dwarven shield. We learned that the enchantment was indeed fire resistance.
Kelsey sat, or should I say squatted, in scaled armor, not much of an upgrade from studded, but she liked the scales shine. She had a hood to protect her face fom the howling winds up here, and thick hide boots and gloves. Her bow had gotten more of an upgrade, as she plucked an elven bow, enchanted, from the hands of a dying hunter. Poor man was hunting sabrecats, and the hunter quickly became the hunted. Enchantment is still unknown.
I'm still pretty much in the same gear, plus one dragon skull. It was a random encounter, if this was a game, and we fought him coming up the rift and into Ivarstead. I had etched a name on the forehead, just like I did Novice M.
We called him Cliffhanger, on account of how he died. He swung his tail into the ledge, and it got stuck in a hollow. He couldn't take flight or anything, and eventually gave up all hopes of trying. He spoke, though. He wanted his remains removed from the rock, and we happily oblidged.
We joked as we came to Ivarstead about Cliffhanger, saying he glitched out. Poor thing. That was never fair.
Back to the task at hand, however. Four trolls, three people. Could Jonah handle taking hits from them all though?
"You guys ready?" he asked. He had told us how it was going to happen. Similar to how we dispatched the first bandit camp after Helgen.
"Go for it, ya lunatic." Kelsey said. "Just don't get yourself killed."
Jonah stepped up, and ran into the tunnel, banging his axe against his shield, shouting obscenities. The sounds of the trolls soon came after.
Fire spells in hand, though they burnt my fingers. Kelsey aimed her bow after dipping her arrow in a white vial of poison.
"Paralysis poison?" I asked.
"If it'll give Jonah and you some time to fight only three..." I saw her point. Fighting three was better than fighting four. Then we could dispatch of the last one. Jonah came running out, followed by frost trolls, who galloped after him, sluggishly.
Kelsey released her arrow, and hit the second troll in the row. I went to work, casting Fireball after Fireball. Jonah dove out of the way. Dam burns.
Kelsey continued to fire after dipping her next two arrows in the white vial of paralysis poison. Two more went down, unable to move.
Jonah got up on his feet, and turned to swing and bash at the two remaining trolls. He stunned one, bashing it against the lower side of his head, making him stagger. Cast the Fireball. The troll flew back a dozen feet, presumably dead, and burning.
The other was easier to dispatch, as Jonah blocked an arm swing and proceeded to split the troll's skull in half. Gross and unneeded if you asked me, but he was in the zone.
The first troll that was paralyzed now was up and charging. Kelsey shot at it, not wanting it to get to Jonah. A shot in the knee, one in it's arm, one in the heart, one in it's third eye, and down it fell, remaining motionless as it was just about to reach Jonah.
The other two trolls remained motionless, still growling. We were having too much fun with this. I cast Telekenisis on a nearby boulder and hovered it above one of them, raising it before dropping it. A satisfying crunch replaced the squish I thought I would get. Jonah simply lopped the other troll's head off, one clean, decisive swing, like an executioner.
"Wait a minute." I said. I counted the troll bodies. "There were five trolls in there."
"Give it a rest, Aaron. Crumper tried his best." Jonah said, out of breath. "He probably missed one."
He was right. He might be a summon, but he was still a spider. Spiders weren't known for their intellegence. Especially here in Tamriel. We had planned, however, and we were victorious.
"Time to go greet the Greybeards." Kelsey said. I picked up the satchel from behind the rock that contained food and things for the bearded monks. Kleppit said if we were heading up the path this far, we might as well take the sack. He paid us about one hundred septims to do the task.
We pretty much raced to the steps, in awe of how big the place was. It was huge! The steps were many, and the stone was carved so delicately. I set the sack down next to the large chest and was about to lead the others up the steps when some things caught my eye.
There were two purple books with the symbol for the school of conjuration on the cover, one on top of the other. Tomes? Or were they skill books? I grabbed the first book, and flipped open the page.
It was a tome. You could tell just by the feeling when the seal was broken. But what spell was it? It was obviously one that I didn't have yet, or the tome wouldn't have opened. Believe me, I tried to open plenty of Candlelight tomes after I learned the spell. They wouldn't open for you.
Daedric writing. Instructions on making a pact with a certain creature. This was to summon one of the atronachs? If so, which one?
Something about fiery vengance, passion, and cunning. Wait. This book was to learn the spell Conjure Flame Atronach. I finished reading the final few sentences while the other two held the doors to High Hrothgar open for me to stumble into. I closed the book and turned around, holding it above my head as it dissapaited.
"Conjure Flame Atronach." I said proudly. The flame atronachs and frost atronachs were probably my favorite of the three. If only for the flame atronach's easy access during the games and the frost atronach's strength. Storm atronachs held both of the strength and range of the other two, but less so. And it was just a bunch of floating rocks. Like, why?
"Yo, that's like your favorite spell in the game, Aaron." Jonah added. I grinned. "What's the other book?" he asked, nodding to the tome under my arm.
"If I knew it wouldn't be here, would it?" I joked with him.
He nodded his head. "True, true."
"Does he have time to read it though?" Kelsey asked. She was referring to how the greybeards might take to one of the dragonborn shrugging of the meeting to read a tome. Yet the hall was empty. Candles were lit, but no one was meditating in the main room, and we heard no footsteps of the approaching greybeard.
I flipped the tome open. A spell I hadn't learnt yet. Excellent.
More deadric writing, and I had only the roughest translation to go off of for this tome. Something about a living weapon. Enemy will become ally. Very confusing. The first two pages talked about like this spell was to summon a bound weapon, yet the last page spoke as if this was a necromantic spell. Nothing will resist your influence, yet none will withstand this weapon.
I couldn't close the book until I found out what spell this was. If it disappeared before I pieced together the spell, I would lose it, and perhaps never be able to open another spell tome that contained it's spell again. Was this a bound weapon though, or was it a necromancy spell? Was it a bound weapon or a zombie spell?
I looked back at the second page. Something tipped me off. A sort of imprint on the corner of the page. A sharp imprint, sort of like a watermark, just raised. A picture of the sun? But not the sun. Nothing like that made sense in the school of conjuration.
Wait a minute. Dawnguard. Harkon's coven wanted to eliminate the sun, and through the events of the dlc in which you side with them, you have the ability to turn the sun red for a period of time. The first two pages of this tome described what spell it was, and the rough translation of the last page was perhaps a nod to the dawngaurd dlc such as we were.
A weapon conjuration spell which came with the dawnguard dlc, which you could buy from a court wizard or find in a vampiric ruin. Bound Dagger. Was it really that simple?
I closed the book, and mentally scrolled through the list of spells that I knew, a sphere of energy in my hands. The book disappaited, but I didn't need the book anymore. For, forming in my hand, piece by piece, was indeed a daedric dagger, completely see through and giving off a creepy mist.
"Guys. Look." I said. Kelsey and Jonah had been talking amongst themselves, and now turned to see what laid in my hand.
Jonah immediatley realized what it was. "That's a dawnguard spell..."
"Yup." I said.
"Wait, does this also mean that Miirak is alive as well?" Kelsey asked.
"Most likely." I told her. "Atleast we have confirmation about a few things, though it raises more questions."
I sheathed the dagger, watching it fizzle out like Cromper. Just in time to. Someone was here to speak with us.
"Dragonborn. Welcome to High Hrothgar. We have been waiting for you."
