Author's Note:
"Kept you waiting, huh?"
Excuses as to why this took me so long at end of chapter.
I'd also suggest rereading a bit, since it's been so long. And since it has been so long, my writing style may have changed a little bit. Only a little.
The wiki only states the U.S. President's last name. A light novel website contained the names of the Chinese and Russian presidents' names, but they may not be what they really are.
Andyval inspected the gathered leaders. There were seven men and one woman. Three of the men stood out from the rest, acting like they owned the place. "Emperor Andyval, I'm Kanou Tarou, Japan's Defense Minister. Prime Minister Motoi is... indisposed at this moment," one of the other men began, handing him a thick book. "Politics of this world are usually done in English. May you please use this dictionary to learn it instantly, like you did with Japanese? And before you do so, why do you have a chicken?"
Andyval set chicken Rory down on the table took the dictionary. "Don't ask," he replied to Kanou, who relayed it to the other leaders. Andyval brought his enchanting equipment out of Oblivion and went through the same process as before. At the end, he casted Grand Heal before the side effects showed.
As he put his equipment back in Oblivion, the leaders introduced themselves, saying their name, then their country's name. Among those present were France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Japan, the United States, China, and Russia. Andyval took notice of only three, Dirrell, Tai De-Chou, and Zyuganov, who were the presidents of the United States, China, and Russia, respectively.
When introductions were finished, all eyes turned to Andyval. Seeing it as an indication to speak, he said, "As you all know, I am Andyval, Emperor of Tamriel. I have already laid out my terms yesterday during the Diet."
The gathered leaders shared a couple looks, and Dirrel spoke up, "Those terms are unacceptable and backed up with empty threats."
"You know what else is unacceptable, Dirrel?" Andyval asked, taking his seat. "Attacking a foreign leader while he's on a diplomatic mission. Same goes to Zyuganov and Tai, also."
"Slander!" Tai exclaimed.
Andyval reached into Oblivion and retrieved a weapon of each kind and set them on the table. "Then how do you explain these?"
"M4? AS Val? QCW?" Kanou said, inspecting the firearms. He turned to the three perpetrators. "Later today, you three have some explaining to do."
"Even though this may have happened, his threats are still empty. If they weren't, there would be demons invading and the sun would be blocked out," Zyuganov reasoned. Most of the leaders nodded, taking the Russian's side.
Well, I don't want to seem like I'm a pushover. Andyval stood up and walked over to one of the windows, looking out over the other skyscrapers towards the rising sun. "Does this window open?" he asked Kanou, who shook his head. Andyval raised his bare fist and punched through the window, causing it to shatter. The leaders stared at him like he was insane.
"What are you doing!?" Kanou shouted. Andyval didn't respond, he only reached into Oblivion and retrieved a Auriel's Bow and a Bloodcursed Arrow. Despite the other leaders' protests, Andyval drew the arrow back and shot it into the sun.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then the sky flashed red, and black flowed from where the sun was, covering the sky. The sun was then replaced with a glowing red halo, making it look like a solar eclipse.
Andyval turn back to the leaders, only to see that they were staring past him, surprised and fearful at what had become of their sky. It must be quite the fearsome sight, Andyval mused. He was outlined by the red halo, his silhouette being the only part of him visible in the dim light.
Once he thought he left an impression, Andyval turned back to the window and shot a Sunhallowed Arrow. Same as before, nothing happened for a moment, then the sky flashed a yellowish-white, banishing the black shroud covering it.
"Do you believe me now?" Andyval asked those gathered, returning the bow to Oblivion. Lost for words, they hastily nodded back. On the way back to his seat, Andyval retrieved a gold bar and gave it to Kanou. "For the window."
A few minutes after Andyval sat back down, the Canadian Prime Minister spoke up. "Emperor Andyval, I'm sorry for any offense that this world may have given you."
"Dully noted."
"May I ask, how did you do that?"
Andyval thought for a moment. "It's a convoluted prophecy involving the weapon of the God of Time and the Daedric Prince of Domination and Enslavement. Coincidentally, that's the same Daedra that would be happy to fuse your world with his."
The leaders started conversing with each other in hushed voices. Zyuganov, who was chosen by the rest, asked, "How much power do these, 'Daedric Princes' have?"
"It's hard to gauge their power. For example, do you think that an immortal demigoddess has an innate resistance to magic?" The leaders shrugged and nodded in response. "Do you remember that one annoying demigoddess from the Diet? What was her name? Bah, doesn't matter, but that chicken is her."
"Certainly that's just a normal chicken!" the French president declared.
"Well, the spell is about to wear off," Andyval replied as he picked up chicken Rory off the table and threw her into an open area of the room. Right when she landed, she was consumed in a flash of red light and her normal, but naked, form returned.
"Andy! Why did you do that!?" she shouted at him in Japanese, covering herself with her hands, blushing with embarrassment. She looked around the room, seeing the gathered leaders. With a grin, she asked in her native tongue, "Andy, revealling me to all these people? I didn't know that you were into exhibitionism."
Andyval remained straight-faced, pulling her clothes out of Oblivion. "Leave this room and dress yourself. Go find Itami," he ordered her while handing her her clothes.
"Oh really? And what if I stay here and bother you?"
"I'll throw you into a volcano. It may not kill you, but it'll hurt." Rory pouted, but took her clothes and left the room. Andyval turned back to the leaders, who had various degrees of amazement etched across their faces. "Let's leave it at I used a speck of a Daedric Prince's power to transform her into a chicken for a little under a day. Does that answer your question?"
The leaders were silent until the UK Prime Minister asked, "Hypothetically, let's say we destroy the Gate here in Japan. Would you still be able to reach this world?"
Andyval checked his connection to Oblivion then replied, "Yes," causing the leaders to slightly wince.
"Any other surprises, Emperor?" Dirrell asked.
"Quite a few, but first and foremost, I'm the only one that can truly kill the dragon in the special region," Andyval explained to them. The leaders gave him their attention, a sign to continue. "Let's say that the JSDF kills the dragon. A god or something else powerful can come and revive it because the soul is still there. That's where I come in."
"I'm something called a Dragonborn. I have the blood and soul of a dragon. It allows me to absorb the souls of slain dragons. I have to be there when it dies, or you won't have killed anything," Andyval explained.
The leaders sat in silence, digesting what they were just told. On one hand, they could just not believe that he was Dragonborn. On the other, he had just blocked out the sun. They chose to believe him.
"Anything else?" Kanou asked.
Should I keep on surprising them? Eh, fuck it, why not? Andyval schemed. "Nothing important really. Little things like Lycanthropy, being allied with all the Daedric Princes and the most powerful Aedra, and being the leader of all the powerful factions in Tamriel. Like I said, nothing really important."
The Chancellor of Germany's eyes shot open. "Did you just say that you are a werewolf?"
Before Andyval could answer, the secretary from the lobby burst into the room. She walked over to Kanou and handed him a phone.
"Yes? Kanou speaking," he began conversing with the person on the other end of the line. After a bit of listening, Kanou replied, "Yeah, we saw the sky." After a bit more listening, "Emperor Andyval was just demonstrating something." After a bit more, "I'll see what I can do." Kanou sighed and handed the phone back to the secretary.
"Who was that?" Dirrell asked.
Kanou began slowly, "Apparently, Andyval's... demonstration wasn't only seen here. From where the sun was rising to where it was setting, the same thing happened. That call was from the United Nations, asking if we knew anything. As of now, this meeting is cancelled as Andyval is called to go to the U.N.'s headquarters for an emergency Tribunal."
The Next Day
"What the hell did Andyval do this time? Being called by the U.N. like that and ditching us," Shino wondered, her head resting on her arms at a table in the mess hall back at Alnus.
"The sky?" Lelei responded, referencing how the sky had changed when they were shopping.
"Andyval couldn't have done that. Although, maybe he called on one of those Daedra he always talks about."
Itami joined the conversation. "Back at the Inn, Andyval told me about them. They didn't really seem like the people who'd willingly do something like that.
"But still, him alone couldn't have messed with the sky like that," Shino insisted.
Rory pouted, crossing her arms. "He did turn me into a chicken."
"That's different, that was something small," Shino reasoned.
They sat in silence until Itami was called on his cell phone. When he answered, he grew confused. He set put the phone back in his pocket and said, "There's a 'demon' at the front gate asking for Andyval." The little group looked at each other for a second, but shrugged it off as Itami left to go see who it was.
A few minutes later, Itami, who looked rather scared, was in fact being followed by someone who looked like a demon. His skin was pitch black, along with his eyes and hair. He had red markings all over the upper part of his face, with a few streaks of it going down to his jawline. He wore black spiked armor that glowed red. The most striking feature were his horns, which finished up the whole 'demon' look.
"Hello, ladies, my name is Sanguine, Daedric Prince of Debauchery," the demon smoothly introduced himself. "I'm looking for Andyval, do you know where he is? His connection to Oblivion is all fuzzy, so I can't poof into existence right next to him."
The group gave each other looks, and Shino spook up, "Why are you looking for him?"
"I sent a shipment of alcohol here a week or two ago, and nearly all of it disappeared rather abruptly. Speaking of the alcohol, do any of you know what happened to it? It was supposed to cause one hell of a party here."
"Andyval and I kind of blew it up," She timidly answered.
Sanguine blinked in surprise. "Really? And there's no giant crater? No portal to Oblivion? The fumes didn't cause a massive orgy?"
"No, no, and most definitely no."
"I need to get out of Oblivion more," Sanguine muttered. "Well, guess I'm going to have to punish him for getting rid of my... gift. As I have asked before, do you know where he is?"
Itami pulled out his phone and said, "Yeah he's currently at a United Nations Tribunal." After a few taps and waiting, the Lieutenant brought up a live news feed of the Tribunal.
"-I don't give a damn about the Geneva Convention!" was the first thing they heard from it, the words being shouted by Andyval. "I don't care if using a Daedric invasion will kill civilians. If it ever happens, it's the consequences for attacking Tamriel in the first place!"
"What's the Geneva Convention?" Sanguine asked. "Bah, it doesn't matter. It sounds stupid. I've seen where he is, so now I won't materialize in a wall." And with that, the Daedric Prince disappeared with an Oblivion portal.
"Emperor Andyval, are you seriously using the threat of civilian deaths by demonic invasion as deterrent?" one of the representative asked.
"Yes, but not only civilian deaths. A Daedric invasion will result in much worse," Andyval replied.
The representatives mumbled among themselves for a few seconds, then one spoke up to the rest. "May I remind everyone that for over half a century, we used MAD policy to deter war. For most of that time, it kept the Cold War, well, cold. We can view this predicament as a WMD, like how some of us could theoretically use nuclear weapons against Tamriel." The other representatives grumbled, but eventually sided with him.
"Emperor Andyval, since this concludes that matter, let us continue onto the next-" the representative was interrupted with an Oblivion portal forming a few feet away from Andyval. The armed guards from around the room started rushing towards the stage, drawing their weapons. Andyval simply turned to see who it was, then raised a hand, signalling the guards to stop. I have to put up with all this politicking, and now I have to deal with a Prince at the same time? Andyval fumed.
"Andyval, how good it is to see you!" Sanguine exclaimed, spreading his arms out to motion for a hug.
Andyval walked over and pulled Sanguine over to the side. "What the hell Sanguine, can't you see I'm a bit busy here?" he whispered to the Prince, who ignored him.
Sanguine turned to the UN Tribunal, addressing them more than Andyval, "Why don't you introduce me?" He asked, his voice carrying, raising the interest of the representatives even more.
Andyval returned to the podium and pointed to Sanguine. "That nuisance is the Daedric Prince of Debauchery, Sanguine." He turned back to Sanguine, blocking the mic with his hand. "Now leave, I have more important things to deal with than your bullshit."
"Emperor Andyval," a representative spoke up, "we'd like to ask Prince Sanguine some questions."
Andyval internally sighed with annoyance and gave the podium over to Sanguine.
"Prince Sanguine, Andyval likens you and the other Princes to gods, is this true?"
Sanguine chuckled. "I am a god." Hushed voices erupted from the representatives and flashes of light came from the reporter's camera flashes.
"Prince Sanguine, is it true that you can create an invasion from your world, 'Oblivion', to this one?"
"Maybe not me, as I have no interest. But one of my brothers, perhaps Mehrunes Dagon or Molag Bal, would be beyond delighted to do so."
"Prince Sanguine, what is preventing the other Princes from invading?"
Sanguine paused for a couple seconds, formulating an answer. "Andyval is."
"Please do tell us how Emperor Andyval is the only person stopping an invasion. Does he control all the Daedra?"
The Prince let out roaring laughter. "A mortal? Controlling the Princes? Preposterous! It's simply that nothing like this has happened before. The Princes have been watching Andyval since the beginning of his little adventure and we're all quite interested to see how it plays out. We won't invade until he gives us the permission to do so."
"Prince Sanguine, may you give the podium back to Emperor Andyval?"
"Actually," Sanguine interjected. "I'm going to borrow Andyval for a bit, it'll only take a minute."
"Wait-" Andyval began, but was cut off by an Oblivion portal consuming him and the Prince. When they reappeared, they were in Sanguine's realm.
"Damn it, Sanguine!" Andyval shouted, turning to the Prince. "Couldn't you see I was kind of busy there?"
Sanguine shook his head. "Andyval, you made a mistake."
"And you made a mistake removing me from that meeting," Andyval countered. When he tried to leave through an Oblivion portal, Sanguine blocked him.
"I gave you a gift. You destroyed it."
He thought for a moment. "You mean the alcohol?" Sanguine nodded, and Andyval tried explaining his actions. "That gift was dangerous! People could have died! And besides, I didn't destroy all of it."
"But you still destroyed most of it," Sanguine told him. "I guess your punishment will be..." The Prince faked going into deep thought, rubbing his chin and looking off into the distance. After leaving Andyval to wait for long enough, he swung his gaze back to the Emperor and said, "You have to bed one of the women from a world other than Tamriel."
"What?" Andyval questioned. Usually, the Princes just want me to fetch something for them, he thought.
"Come on, Andy, I'm the Daedric Prince of Debauchery, what the hell do you expect for me?"
Andyval stopped and thought about it. It did make sense.
"I'd be doing you a favor. In the process, you'd get on the good side of Dibella, possibly get an axe for Nocturnal, and you get to partake in one of those fine- wait. Please tell me you're not gay."
The Emperor recoiled in shock. After collecting himself, he responded sternly, "I'm. Not. Gay."
"Well, why haven't you jumped Rory's bones yet?" Sanguine questioned. "Hell, why haven't you done it with anyone at all, even in Tamriel?"
Andyval massaged his temples. "Because most days I was too busy. I was constantly in a life-and-death situation, adventuring alone, or saving Nirn from destruction. It was the last thing on my mind!"
"Well, you got me there," the Prince admitted. "But, if you don't bump uglies with one of them, I'll start causing mayhem. That pallet of alcohol will pale in comparison."
Andyal sighed and rubbed his temples. After a few minutes of contemplating his situation, he asked, "Is there anything I can do to make you change your mind? I don't want to sully my relationship with them."
Sanguine only smiled.
"Damn you," Andyval told him.
"So, exactly why do you like Andyval?" Shino asked Rory.
After a moment of thought, Rory replied, "He's strong and different."
"How so?"
Back at Alnus, they decided to pull together a girl's night. Gathered in Lelei's and Andyval's room were Bozes, Piña, Shino, Tuka, and of course, Lelei.
"He's just... different," Rory told Shino. "You saw him back at the Inn, he has an amazing body."
Piña gave in her two cents, "I agree. Usually emperors aren't muscled like him. He looked like a warrior."
"Is that a hint of 'want' I hear in your voice, Piña?" Shino asked with a coy smile.
Piña froze and lit up with a slight blush. Cautiously, she explained her situation. "One of the many things that can happen between Tamriel and my Empire is that my Father may try to make peace by offering me to Andyval."
"Oh. I'm sorry for bringing it up," Shino apologized.
"No, it's fine. He's much, much better than other suitors, so I'm not really against it," Piña reassured her, her face getting even more red. "But every time I think about him, I remember the possibility."
The girls laughed it off, but Tuka was concerned. "I don't know why you two like him. His spirit is dangerous. It's like a dragon's."
"What do you mean?" Shino questioned.
"I think she means that he's hiding something," Bozes speculated.
Rory nodded. "His soul is weird. Like Tuka said, it's not human, more like a dragon's. Then there's that little bit that seems off. Almost like a wolf's."
"If only that Sanguine guy didn't kidnap him-" Shino began, but was interrupted by Andyval appearing from an Oblivion portal. The girls stared at him in surprise, as he just stood there staring back.
"What are all of you doing in my room?" he asked.
"This is Lelei's room too," Shino pointed out, with the quiet mage nodding in agreement. "Besides, what did Sanguine want with you?"
Andyval silently groaned, then sat down on his bed. "Stuff. Things."
"Really?" Shino sarcastically responded. "We were talking about stuff and things too. Maybe, you can join in and tell us why your soul is different."
Andyval's eyes widened a little. "Stuff. Things. How the hell do you know?"
Shino simply pointed at Rory and Tuka.
Should I mess with them? Andyval asked himself. Yeah. "Well, it started out ages ago when a dragon and a mortal loved each other very much-"
"Stop right there," she groaned, cutting him off.
He let out a little laugh. "I'm actually a Shezarrine, the mortal reincarnation of the god Lorkhan." When he saw their reactions, Andyval laughed even more. "I'm joking, I'm joking. Some strange cult thinks I am one, though. But, I can't tell you why my soul is different."
"What about the different part?" Lelei asked, the quiet mage finally speaking up.
"Oh that?" Andyval shrugged. "That's nothing. Just something that I keep around so I can't catch diseases." The girls looked at each other, apparently satisfied with the answers. For now. "Well then, I told you some things, so why don't you tell me some things? What were you talking about before I got here, except for, you know, my soul."
Piña blushed, Shino and Bozes snickered a little, Rory lit up with delight, Tuka grimaced, and Lelei remained indifferent. "Wow, that bad? Might as well leave you girls to gossip and all that," he said, leaving the room.
Andyval proceeded to wander around Alnus. Much to his dislike, word of him being an Emperor had spread. The members of the JSDF saluted and the civilians bowed or did something to showing respect. This is why I didn't want people to know. At least they aren't giving me gifts, Andyval thought.
After half an hour of walking, Andyval happened upon the men of Recon Team Three. They were in a room in one of the office buildings. Most of them were playing a game of cards at a table, while Itami and one other were watching something on a TV. His name is... Takeo Kurata, Right? Andyval wondered. Surprising the two, he sat down next to them on the couch and started watching the TV with them.
"Andyval, what did Sanguine want with you?" Itami asked.
"He more or less threatened to throw a Daedric Prince version of a hissy fit," Andyval calmly replied.
"Seriously?"
"Yup."
Itami sighed. "He interrupted an extremely important meeting just to complain."
"More or less."
Andyval directed his attention to the TV, watching the strange show with the two men. "Why the hell are that girl's breasts so huge and bouncing around so much?"
One of the soldiers who were playing cards at the table answered, "It's an anime! What do you expect!?" Causing the rest of the soldiers at the table to laugh.
After a while, Kurata asked, "Emperor Andyval-"
"Please, just Andyval."
"Andyval, what is a 'Daedric Prince hissy fit' like?"
The emperor thought for a moment. "It depends on the Prince, but it usually results in people dying. Plagues. Cannibals. Werewolves. Endless parties. Outright killing people."
The two men gave him weird looks. "Did you just say endless parties?" Itami questioned.
"You literally party until you die from exhaustion," Andyval explained.
"That's... something else."
"It's not as bad as Sheogorath. He sent a bunch of Argonian concubines as a coronation gift to me." The two men stared at Andyval in disbelief. "Turns out that they weren't Argonians. Or concubines. They were actually sentient cheese wheels concealed within an illusion."
The look of disbelief grew to utter confusion. Itami and Kurata looked at Andyval, then each other. Kurata made a face asking, 'what the hell?' And Itami only responded with shaking his head.
"Well, what is Sanguine threatening now?" Itami asked after getting over the confusion. Andyval remained silent, as he couldn't figure out a way to explain his predicament.
"If it's that bad, why don't you fight back?" Kurata suggested.
"That's..." Andyval began, but trailed off. After thinking it through, he began again, this time mumbling to himself. "Sanguine isn't one of the militaristic princes, so it wouldn't be too hard. Although, taking actions against him would either move up his timetable or he'll outright smite me."
Kurata paled. "Smite? Maybe you should-"
Andyval shot up into a standing position. "He wouldn't smite me because of the other Princes." He turned to Itami. "Tell Kanou that it was this guy's idea to have me raid Sanguine's realm." With an Oblivion portal, Andyval disappeared.
Kurata turned to his superior. "If he dies, please don't allow me to get punished."
Andyval appeared in Sanguine's realm, his Ebony armor equipping mid teleportation. When his vision cleared, he was met with the sight of an orgy of Dremora.
The Dremora paused their... party and after a few seconds of silence between them and Andyval, one of the female Dremora spoke up. "Lord Sanguine is-"
Andyval cut her off. "I don't care about where he's at," he said as he summoned dual Bound Swords, causing the Dremora's faces to light up with fear.
Some Time Later
Itami's Third Recon Team was gathered in the mess hall, currently eating dinner. "You think the Daedra killed Andyval?" Shino asked. Itami and Tomita pondered it for a little. After a moment, she continued, "I mean, he's pretty much gone silent."
As if on queue, an Oblivion portal opened next to their table. "Speak of the devil," Tomita mumbled.
When the portal dissipated, they were shocked by Andyval's appearance. His normal black armor had been dyed dark red with blood. Bits of gore were splattered sporadically. The most different and noticeable change was his smell. He reeked of death. Enough so, that the soldiers nearest to him gagged and turned away.
"What the hell happened, Andyval?" Shino asked, covering her nose and mouth to hide the stench.
"You wouldn't believe me," he replied, taking off his helmet, revealing that in his absence he had grown a short beard. He motioned that he wanted to sit down, and the soldiers quickly parted to get away from him.
"Is that a bit of brain on you?" Shino pointed at his left shoulder.
Andyval looked at his shoulder and there was in fact, a small chunk of Daedra brain. "I guess so. Must of been when I used the decapitated head of a Dremora Lord to slaughter a bunch of imps." Andyval reached up and flicked the gray matter off of his shoulder, causing it to fly away. It landed in a far away soldier's food, sending him and his companions to run for the nearest trash can to vomit.
"Andyval, that was disgusting!" She shouted in revulsion.
"Adrenalin's still pumpin' so I don't care about much at the moment," Andyval shrugged. "Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"
"Piña, Bozes, and some Japanese diplomats left for the Imperial Capital to start secret negotiations," Itami told him. "My team and I are going to go and head out to meet them, soon."
"Nothing involving me?" Andyval asked.
"There was this Dark Elf girl looking for you. She wants you to kill the fire dragon."
"That's the best news I've heard in a while," Andyval said. "Sign me up!"
Since they had lost their appetite, the members of the JSDF listened to Andyval tell them about his most recent adventure. One by one, his audience left, either from revulsion of what he was saying, or from tiredness. Eventually, only Shino was left.
"...I then cut of the Dremora Valkynaz's arm, leaving him with only a shield, which he promptly tried to beat me to death with. But, my Frost Cloak spell froze him solid, allowing me to literally shatter him."
"Seriously? That's brutal," Shino responded in awe. "But I like it. Can you teach me this 'Frost Cloak'?"
Andyval thought about it. "I don't know if you'll be compatible, but even if you are, it has it's drawbacks." Shino frowned. "But... there is something that if you help me, I'll teach you magic, if possible."
She lit up. "Really?"
"Yeah, you just have to show me where you got that 'C-4' explosive you used a while back."
Andyval wrapped up the evening by preparing for his next adventure and washing off his armor. After the preparations, he slept in his and Lelei's room. Once he woke, he waited at the front gate to Alnus. Andyval picked a spot that he couldn't be seen from the front gate, but close enough to hear any conversations. Eventually, the Dark Elf arrived.
"Excuse me! I want to talk to you!" She called out to the guards in her birth tongue. "Are you the Green People? I need you to lead me to the Mage in Black Armor!"
The guard shuffled their feet and not knowing what she asked because of a language barrier, clumsily replied, "Hello, how are you doing?"
Andyval took that moment to step in. He walked out in the open, causing the Elf to run towards him. "Please, help me!" She begged. "My village is under attack by a fire dragon! I'll give you anything! Riches, myself-"
She was cut off by Andyval covering her mouth. "Does this dragon have a giant burn mark on its chest?" The Dark Elf nodded. Andyval removed his hand. "I'll do it for free. Lead the way, and it'll be dead soon."
Tears welled in her eyes. "Thank you..." she slowly got out. "I must know the name of the one who is saving my people."
"Andyval."
"Lord Andyval, how can I thank you?"
"You can thank me after I wipe that dragon's sorry ass from existence," Andyval replied, walking out of the front gate with the Elf following. As he passed the guards, they gave him a salute. "Tell Hazama I'm going to devour the fire dragon's soul," he ordered them. Which they replied with a curt, "Yes, Sir!"
"What's your name?" Andyval asked the elf after reaching a good distance from the camp.
"Yao Ha Dushi, my lord," Yao replied with a bow. Yao was a surprisingly attractive woman, looking nothing like a Tamriellic Dark Elf. She looked more like a high elf that had smooth, caramel colored skin, instead of the Chimer's different facial style and ash colored skin. Her hair was silver and very long. All she wore was leather that barely covered her curvy figure and a mantle over that.
Andyval sighed. "Cut the lord crap, I already have to deal with everyone calling me Emperor." Yao froze and stared at him. Andyval sighed again and noticed his fumble. "Yeah, I'm an Emperor. So what? Everyone acts like it's a big deal."
Yao dropped to a knee and bowed her head, "I'm sorry for my behavior, Emperor Andyval."
Andyval sighed yet again, annoyed with her behavior. "No honorifics, no bowing, and especially no telling other people of my rank. Just call me Andyval." Yao nodded and content that he got the message across, Andyval continued, "Now, don't remind my friend of his smell. He gets rather gloomy when he even remotely thinks of his current state."
"Your friend? His smell?" Yao asked, turning her head to the side in confusion. God, that's adorable, Andyval grumbled.
"Yeah, one second. DUR NEH VIIR"
"And you really defeated this dragon in one-on-one combat in a different world?" Yao asked excitedly. She pulled herself closer to Andyval, forcing her rather large breasts to be pressed up against his back even more. They were currently mounted on Durnehviir's back, Andyval in front, with Yao holding onto him.
Ignoring the pressure against his back, Andyval answered, "Yeah, it wasn't really one-on-one it was more like three-on-thirty. Although, we were the ones who did anything, right Durnehviir?"
"Geh, Qahnaarin," the undead dragon replied.
"He said yes," Andyval translated.
"Have you fought against any other dragons?" Yao eagerly asked.
Andyval weighed the pros and cons of telling her, and decided, Why not? "I killed my first with the help of some guardsmen when I was Seventeen, six years ago. After that, I've solo killed over a hundred and even killed a Dragon God of Destruction, although I had three spirits helping me."
Yao did what Andyval thought was impossible. She moved even closer. "Oh, please do tell."
"This is it, " Yao announced. "It took me so long to reach the 'Green People' because I followed rumors." After flying for eight straight hours, they reached Yao's village. Andyval told Durnehviir to land, and took in the sights around him. For nearly as far as he could see, there were deep valleys peppered with the occasional mountain. Past that, to one way there were grasslands and the other way had vast mountain ranges.
Durnehviir landed, and the two passengers dismounted. "Careful Qahnaarin, this Dov is much stronger than ones in Vus," the dragon warned.
"Don't worry, I have a trick up my sleeve," Andyval reassured him. Although, as he faded away, the dragon gave him a doubtful look.
"I'll go talk to my people, wait here," Yao instructed him, quickly taking off down the rocks into the canyon.
Andyval shrugged and sat down cross legged, pulling Dawnbreaker and a sharpening stone out of Oblivion. To pass the time, he started sharpening the blade past razor-sharp. Around the hundredth pass, he was hit with a half a dozen arrows.
All of which bounced off his Ebony Armor.
Annoyed, Andyval turned back and saw the ones who shot him, a group of Dark Elves that had been concealed in the cliffs before. Sighing, he gave them his best, 'You just fucked up' stare, and continued sharpening, ignoring their shouts to identify himself.
After a couple more minutes and a few more barrages of arrows, the fire dragon started flying towards them. It's larger than I remember, Andyval observed. He looked back towards where the elves were, and groaned. They fled with their tails between their legs. He stood up and followed the path that Yao took.
When he reached the bottom, Andyval was circled by the earlier Dark Elves, each pointing their swords towards him. Yao was walking towards the group and accompanying her was an older man, who Anyval presumed was in charge. The man stepped forward and asked, "Who are you, and why do you come here?"
Should I throw my titles around? Yeah, might as well, Andyval mused. "I am Andyval, Emperor of Tamriel. I have come to devour the soul of the dragon that has been killing your people," Andyval informed them, pointing towards the circling predator. The Elves pointing their weapons at him sheathed them and took a knee, bowing their heads. The older one instead bowed his head a little, then motioned for Andyval to follow.
He was lead down a path at the bottom of the valley, the Elder explaining the situation along the way. "Emperor Andyval, we are glad to have you here to help us. For many months, the fire dragon has slaughtered our people. Over two hundred have passed away. If you are able to kill it, we will forever be in your debt."
The Elder showed him into an alcove in the cliffside, where a fire pit was dug and burning. "The dragon has been seen to nest in a nearby dormant volcano. Tomorrow, you can take our warriors to slay it. For tonight, let us rest."
The warriors following them filed in, taking their seats around the fire, and Yao introduced them. "This is Kurou, Meto, Ban, Fen, Nokko, Komu, Seimii, and Nayu..." She pointed at each Dark Elf. "Along with me, There will be nine of us by your side."
Andyval only stared. "Is something wrong, Emperor?" the Elder asked.
"They have basically no armor and any swords or arrows will do nothing. They'll only get themselves killed," Andyval calmly explained.
The warriors moved to protest, but the Elder held up a hand. "I understand, if you believe that they will lose their lives, they can stay behind. At the very least, take Yao with you to show you the way." Andyval nodded in agreement.
Eventually, one by one, they fell asleep. Some of the warriors, then Yao, then the rest of the warriors, then the Elder. Andyval waited until three in the morning, then shook Yao awake. She woke slowly with a few, what even Andyval can admit to be cute, murmurs, then her eyes shot open. "What-!"
Her cry was muffled by Andyval covering her mouth, giving her a gesture to follow him. She did so, gingerly stepping around her sleeping comrades. Once they went a bit back down the valley, Yao asked, "Why did you wake me up?"
"We're going to kill the dragon," Andyval informed her.
Yao looked at him like he was insane. "What? Now? Have you slept?"
"Yes now, and in the words of my old friend Isran, 'Sleep is for the weak'. Do you know the way to the volcano?"
"I do, but are you sure you don't need sleep?"
"It would be best to catch it off guard, preferably sleeping," Andyval explained. "Now, are you going to show me the way or not?"
Yao listened and lead Andyval back down the way they came and then back up the cliff. After an hour and a half of hiking through rough terrain, they reached a cave at the base of a volcano.
"This is it," Yao whispered. "This cave leads directly to its nest."
Andyval nodded in response and pulled the Wabbajack out of Oblivion. He lead the way through the cave, his sneak skills coming into play. After a couple twists and turns, the cave opened up into a large cavern, with its roof open to the sky. On the floor of it was the sleeping fire dragon.
"What are you going to do?" Yao whispered, even more quietly.
"I'm going to Wabbajack it," was his curt response.
"What?"
"I'm going to cast a spell on it," Andyval explained, retrieving the strange staff, the charging it. "It's a very weird one, though. It may turn it into a rabbit. Or a sweetroll. Or a lesser Dremora." Andyval paused for a second. "Or, it may just piss it off."
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Yao reluctantly asked.
"Well, there's no going back now," Andyval replied, releasing the spell.
An orb of red light shot out of the head of the staff, flying towards the dragon. When it hit, a large flash of red light blinded them for a second. And what was left in its wake was not a dragon, but a crab.
Andyval internally jumped for joy, as he had just placed a giant bet and won the jackpot.
"What is it?" Yao asked, confused.
"It's now a mudcrab until either we damage it, or the spell wears off," Andyval explained, taking action. "Pick him up and make sure he doesn't pinch you." Yao did so and Andyval summoned his Dremora Butler.
"What do you want now?" the Butler sneered at his master.
"Give me the fun stuff that I gave you back at Alnus," Andyval ordered. "One box at a time, please."
The Butler did so, pulling large boxes out of Oblivion, which Andyval picked up with Telekinesis. Andyval then started placing down the boxes. He formed a three by three grid, then put eight boxes on top of those, leaving a space in the middle. "Yao, can you place our little friend in the middle?" he ordered, and she listened, the mudcrab fitting snugly in the middle.
Andyval peered down into the middle, the mudcrab was trying to claw its way out. "Tiiraaz, Zu'u med wah naak hin sil nol vahzah kopraan, lir, nuz daar fen dreh," he told the mudcrab, causing its clawing to become more frantic.
"What did you say?" Yao asked.
"I told it, in the only language it would understand, that I was going to eat its soul," Andyval explained.
"Eat its soul?"
Andyval continued to levitate boxes and adding them to the pile. "It's hard to explain, it would be better to just show you." After the tenth dozen box, the Butler handed him a strange device with a spool of wire, then disappeared with an Oblivion portal.
"Are you going to tell me what you're doing?" Yao continued questioning.
"Well, the night before we left, I was tipped off that you were coming. I went to Alnus' armory and 'borrowed' all the C-4 they had."
"What's C-4?"
"Powerful explosives. A friend said that one box was enough to level a large two story building, if placed correctly. One hundred and twenty boxes... Well, it'll probably vaporize whatever it's by, so we'll have to be careful."
Andyval stuck one end of the wire into an exposed brick of C-4, and started walking back through the cave, unraveling the spool of wire along the way.
"And the JSDF just let you go and take all this stuff?"
"Well, not really," Andyval admitted. "I knocked out the guards and the guy taking stock. Right about now, they'll be pissed and probably have a warrant for my arrest. Considering how much I stole, I'm surprised if they don't have a 'shoot on sight' order."
"Exactly how much did you take?"
"My friend said it was around 'three-hundred thousand U.S. dollars'. And no, I don't know the conversion rates since I'm an adventurer, not an economist," Andyval told Yao. "Hell, back home I once flooded the market with cheaply enchanted goods because I needed to raise my enchanting skill. Probably destroyed the enchanting economy, but I was too busy adventuring to notice the difference."
Yao shook her head at his weirdness, and continued following him. When they reached the outside of the cave, Andyval took the other ends of the wire and hooked it up to the device that the butler gave him. "I highly suggest that you cover your ears." Yao did so, and Andyval activated the C-4.
BOOM!
The world shook, dust shot out of the cave, and the volcano started collapsing inwards. Andyval's ears had started bleeding, so he quickly casted Grand Heal. Yao stared at the volcano with amazement mixed with fear, occasionally glancing over to Andyval.
"Well, if it's not dead, it's dying," Andyval declared.
"It certainly is," they heard from behind them. Andyval turned on a dime, readying a dual Thunderbolt spell. The sight that met him was strange. A woman with blue skin and white hair was standing a little bit down the mountain path. Are those dragon wings growing out of her back? Andyval asked himself. Damn, I wish being Dragonborn gave me something like that.
She was wearing a white dress that was split down the middle, with the only thing covering her delicates being some thin panties. Between her legs, Andyval could spot what seemed like a dragon's tail and growing out of her head were horns. She also wielded a large scythe.
Behind her were two dragons, albeit, they were a lot smaller than the one Andyval just obliterated. "Two dragon hatchlings!?" Yao shouted out in panic.
"Bah, don't worry, I can kill those two easily," Andyval assured her.
"My name is Giselle," the Dragon woman said, moving towards the two. "I am an apostle of-" She paused when she got withing striking distance of Andyval, and gave him a strange look. She lowered her scythe and started inspecting him. "What are you?" She asked, bewildered. "Your soul is... that of a dragon's. Like my people's."
Andyval sighed. "It's best to show you." After a few seconds, he said, "That's strange, it usually happens faster than this." The two women stared at him, and he only motioned for them to wait. "That dragon in there is taking a long time to die."
Suddenly, wisps of light flew through the stone of the volcano, coalescing around Andyval. When the dragon hatchlings saw this they let out roars in fear, then flew off, leaving Giselle alone. After a few seconds, the wisps disappeared, leaving Giselle scared, Yao even more baffled, and Andyval with a smile on his face.
"I haven't felt that in a while, since I killed all the dragons from my homeland," Andyval admitted.
Giselle raised her scythe, poised to attack. "What are you, monster!?"
"Zu'u los Dovahkiin," Andyval told her.
Giselle grew more fearful, then continued in the dragon language with Andyval, leaving Yao to become even further disorientated. After exchanging a few sentences, Giselle quickly flew off into the distance.
"What just happened?" Yao asked Andyval.
"I told her what she wanted."
"What did you tell her?"
"Stuff, things. Nothing really important. Besides, the explosion probably woke up your friends," Andyval mentioned, starting the trek back down the volcano. After a few seconds, Yao cleared her thoughts and followed.
When they reached the camp, it was dawn. The Elder stood in front of the warriors, and all of them had looks of disbelief. "D-did you kill it?" the Elder managed to speak up.
"Let's just say that even a god wouldn't be able to resurrect it," Andyval replied, causing the Dark Elves' eyes to widen. After the initial shock, they all dropped to a knee, bowing before him.
Tears of joy started forming in their eyes. "Emperor Andyval, the Dushi clan is forever in your debt. You have saved us from destruction," the Elder declared. "I grant you the powers of Chieftain and Yao is yours to use as you see fit. Now, we must celebrate with a feast!"
Andyval cut him off. "Sorry about that, but I need to go to the Imperial Capitol."
The Elder grew sad. "I see. Emperor, if you ever need anything from us, anything, just ask."
Andyval climbed back out of the valley and prepared to summon Dernehviir, but was suddenly tackled into a hug by someone. "Thank you," she kept mumbling, over and over. Andyval was eventually able to pry her off of him, noticing it was Yao.
"No problem Yao," he told her. "Now, get back to the celebrations with your clan. I have to get to the Capitol-"
"But I'm your slave, I have to come with you," she said, shocking him.
"What?"
"The Elder gave me to you as a reward," Yao explained.
Andyval rubbed his temples. "I thought he meant as something similar as a housecarl or something. I'm giving you back."
"No!" Yao exclaimed, making him give a strange look. Yao blushed, deeply, considering it showed so well against her dark skin. "I-I'm fine with it," she blurted out.
Andyval's mouth opened and closed a few times, like a fish out of water. "Just... why?"
She turned away and lowered her head in embarrassment, as she just noticed what she had said. Andyval shook his head and summoned Durnehviir. When the dragon fully materialized, he mounted it and reached down to help Yao up.
Andyval pushed Durnehviir to his limits, and in a few hours was a mile or so outside of the Capitol. At first, Yao clung tightly to him, occasionally whispering 'Thank you'. After a while, she fell asleep, since Andyval woke her so early. The dragon landed, jolting Yao awake. "Where are we?" she sleepily asked.
"A little bit out, I have something I need to do," Andyval told her, and dismounted the dragon, with her following. Durnehviir disappeared with a nod, and Andyval was consumed by an Oblivion portal. When he emerged, he had donned his Nightingale armor, along with the matching bow and a quiver of Ebony arrows.
"What's with the armor?" Yao questioned.
"I kind of need to lay low for a while, since I'm somewhat at war with this Empire. They haven't seen me wearing this or using a bow," he elaborated. Then, he started repeatedly clearing his throat and testing his voice, each time it changed. Finally, he settled on deep, gravelly voice with a different accent than his. "Trick I learned from a friend of mine from the Thieves Guild."
Andyval pulled his hood and face mask up, obscuring any distinguishable features. He then ordered Yao, "Stay here and wait for my signal. I'm going to go and see what people think of me." She nodded, and Andyval turned away, bringing up a Conjuartion spell. He casted it, bringing a skeletal horse, with a mane and tail made out of purple fire, into existence. He mounted the skeletal horse and rode towards the Capitol.
"Avenger, this is Archer. One horseman approaching," Itami heard over his radio. "Appears to be riding a skeletal horse." Hearing this, Itami started panicking a little. He motioned to some of the JSDF soldiers standing guard, and they walked over to the front gate of the estate.
Like Archer said, there was one horseman, who was riding a skeletal horse. The rider stopped ten feet out, then dismounted. When his feet touched the ground, the horse in a way disappeared similar to Andyval's magic
"I am Kjarne, Emissary for Emperor Andyval," the stranger declared.
One of the guards leaned towards Itami and asked, "Did the Emperor say he was going to send someone?"
"No, but let's just let him in," Itami replied, then turned to Kjarne, or as he didn't know Andyval. "Welcome, Emissary Kjarne, I hope your time with us is enjoyable," he said with a bow. Kjarne returned it with a nod of the head, then entered the party.
Instantly all attention was on him. All black armor was strange, as the Empire had segmented steel plate and the JSDF had their green body armor. The men and women from the Empire started bombarding him with questions.
"What country are you from?"
"Is your country allied with Japan?"
"What are your arms and armor made out of?"
After the bombardment of questions, Andyval finally got a break, as he was resting on one of the many stone benches in the garden. "Emperor Andyval surprises us yet again," Andyval heard to his right. He looked over and saw that Piña was walking towards him, so he moved over to give her room to sit. She currently wore a fancy dress, completely different than her usual outfit of armor and clothes mixed together.
"Emperor Andyval is... a strange ruler," he said about himself. "Barely there for the tedious things, but leading the charge when it's important."
Piña laughed lightly. "I agree. That does sound like something he'd do."
"And what do you think of my liege, Emperor Andyval?"
She thought deeply. With an ever so faint blush, she began explaining what she thought. "He is a strong leader and an even stronger man. He's done things that even the most powerful people of this world dream to accomplish. I don't know if you know this, but right now, according to the JSDF, he's taking on a fire dragon in combat."
Andyval paused for a moment. "Being that I am also in alliance with a Daedric Prince, information can travel fast-"
"Is he hurt!?" Piña interrupted.
"No, no, the opposite. He's already succeeded. Not only in slaying the fire dragon, but he also stood against an apostle and two dragon hatchlings. Sent them running- tails between their legs- with words only."
"Impossible," she muttered in amazement. "Have you informed Itami?"
"Itami has more important things on his plate," Andyval told her. Plus, he's probably already suspicious of me. If anyone can connect the dots and see through the lies, it's him, Andyval speculated. "Anyways, what has your Empire planned to do to make peace with the Cyrodilic Empire?"
Piña frowned. "I haven't spoken with my father, but news of Emperor Andyval's most recent exploit will sway his hand. Because of his stubborn pride, it could be anything from a peace treaty to a political marr- Oh, no." Piña groaned, standing up from the bench. "My brother is here."
The man who Andyval presumed was her brother wore full dark red plate armor. He had short, blonde hair, unlike Piña's red hair, and was about the same height as Andyval.
The Princess went up to try and defuse the situation, but Andyval stayed back to see how it would pan out. After a slightly heated discussion, her brother's eyes fell on him. "You! In the black armor. Who are you?"
Andyval stood up. "I am Kjarne, Emissary from Emperor Andyval of the Cyrodilic Empire." Piña winced at what he said.
"Why haven't I heard of your Empire, or your homeland?" Piña's brother continued.
"My liege is the one that you may know as the 'Emperor Demon in black armor'." Piña's brother and his guards reached for their weapons. "I was sent by his Elder Council to 'test the waters' of your Empire. I have only just arrived, interrupting this party in the progress."
Piña's brother relaxed a little, but not much. "I am First Prince Zorzal El Caeser of the Saderan Empire," he introduced himself, offering his hand. Andyval shook it and the Prince continued talking with Piña, who diverted his attention to the food.
Andyval walked off, exploring the estate grounds until he happened upon a Japanese man. He had styled black hair and wore Saderan Empire robes. The man noticed Andyval and introduced himself. "Hello, I'm Sugawara Kouji, I'm with Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs." Andyval responded by introducing himself as Kjarne and giving the man a firm handshake.
"I didn't think that Emperor Andyval would send anyone," Sugawara admitted, taking a seat in the shade. "He's actually the only person that we've seen from his world, so it's quite strange that he would send someone without notice."
Andyval immediately started to rectify that issue. "Emperor Andyval barely converses with his Elder Council. If he did talk to them more, he would know that I was being sent and would have told the JSDF."
Sugawara nodded in understanding. "With every type of government there is bad communication between the branches."
They continued chatting about trivial matters until Piña approached them and started talking about peace between their three nations.
Later that night when the JSDF and Piña retired to one of her estates, Andyval excused himself and returned to Yao. When he reached where he left her, he saw that she set up a small camp.
"Master, I hope your day-" Yao began, but was interrupted by Andyval.
"Please don't call me master," Andyval replied in his normal voice while while using an Oblivion portal to change to his Ebony Armor.
"My Lord?"
"No."
"My Liege?"
"Just, please, call me Andyval."
She looked at him with surprise. "Andyval, why do you not like titles?"
"They remind me of responsibilities. And hell, I never asked for any of them," he replied, sitting down on the ground next to her.
"What titles do you have?"
He thought for a moment. "As you know, Emperor. But there's also Savior of Nirn, Arch-mage, Listener, Harbinger, Guild Master, Stormblade, Savior of Nirn again, Skaal-Friend, and Savior of Solstheim. I asked for none of them, but all were thrust upon me."
"How was being an Emperor 'thrust upon you'?"
Andyval sighed. "I saved the world too many times, assassinated the last Emperor, and freed my Empire from an army that conquered it thirty years ago."
Yao stared at him with wonder. "How can a single person do so much?"
"I was literally chosen by the gods," He told her. A few minutes later, Andyval felt a faint rumbling, like hundred of horses were galloping in the distance. And it was progressively getting worse.
"Do you feel that?" he asked Yao, shooting up into a standing position.
"What?"
"The ground's shaking. Last time I felt anything like this was when I was near Red Mountain and before that... Arkngthamz."
Yao started to panic a little, as she started to feel the rumbling. "What happened at Arkngthamz?"
"Earthquake," Andyval calmly replied.
"What's an 'Earthquake'!?" She yelled at him, the violent shaking of the ground frightening her to her core.
He plopped back down onto the ground next to her. "Don't know, but it'll be over in a few minutes." Yao calmed down slightly, but reached out and grabbed Andyval's arm, holding on for dear life.
After the earthquake ended, Andyval finally got Yao to fall asleep. I need to see if everyone in the Capitol is safe, he thought.
Damn, everything's a mess, Andyval observed. The buildings, which he presumed weren't built to withstand an earthquake, had been damaged. Rubble littered the streets, along with people calling for help or for their family. Andyval ignored it all, making his way to the Imperial palace.
The guards were cowering, allowing him safe passage through the city and even into the palace itself. When he approached the throne room, he overheard Piña talking to someone.
"Father, you must pursuit peace with Japan! You've heard of what only one soldier of their's can do!"
Andyval casted Invisibility, then calmly strode into the throne room. Close to the entrance were a dozen or so bodies, all with bullet holes that the JSDF's weapons produce. On the fringe of all the bodies, Piña's brother laid on the floor, bloodied and bruised. Seems like I missed the party, Andyval mused.
He continued his way towards the throne, seeing Piña's father for the first time. He looked like an older version of Zorzal, but with a beard and dressed in fine robes. Wait a second, if her father and brother have blonde hair, why does she have red hair? Andyval wondered. Maybe she's a literal red-headed stepchild?
Piña's father scoffed at what his daughter said. "I will not damage the pride of this Empire."
"But father-"
"No Piña, unless if you have something else to say, leave. You and your guests have already caused too much damage."
She froze a little, but continued. "I have met the 'Emperor Demon in Black Armor'."
He gave his daughter a look of doubt. "And yet you live?"
"His name's Andyval. And he is... powerful." Her father turned to her, giving her his attention. "He harnesses magic strong enough for him to travel between worlds unhindered. He can reanimate the dead. He can-"
"Piña, stop it with this fairy tale," her father cut her off.
"Father, I have a solid report he killed the fire dragon that has been terrorizing the countryside." That shut her father up.
But, he brushed it off. "He's an Emperor, he has armies-"
"By himself," Piña stressed. "Right after that, he scared off an apostle and two dragon hatchlings. With words only."
The Emperor went into deep thought. "Leave me, I must think."
Piña bowed, then walked out of the throne room. Unknowingly to her, Andyval followed.
When they got to a secluded hallway that had no servants or guards, Andyval spoke up. "Looks like you need a drink."
Piña jumped, her hand shooting down to her sword. She spun around, trying to identify where the voice came from. "Show yourself!" she ordered. A couple seconds later, Andyval's Invisibility spell dispelled, revealing him. Piña groaned, her eyes closing in defeat. "You can go invisible?"
"Yup."
Piña just stared at him. "I'm too exhausted for this." She continued on her way, motioning for him to follow. "Is what Kjarne said really true? You killed the fire dragon?"
"Heh, about that," Andyval began.
"You didn't kill it!?" She nearly shouted, turning back towards him.
"No! No, I did," Andyval reassured her. "It's something else." He pulled the Nightingale Hood out of Oblivion, his helmet hiding his smile. Piña's jaw dropped when she made the connections, figuring out that Kjarne was Andyval. Wordlessly, she turned back and continued walking again.
Eventually, she led him into a room. Andyval looked around, seeing that it was spacious and had a large bed, couch, and fireplace. "Your quarters?" he asked, which she responded to with a nod. She sat down on the couch, burying her head in her hands.
"I need someone to talk to. Please, sit," She told him, and he listened. "Have you ever gotten so close to something, yet have it torn away from you at the last second?"
Andyval nodded. "I thought I was going to have a nice life of adventuring, but I was forced to become an Emperor."
"Doesn't sound as bad as everything that you've spent so much effort on crumbling into pieces," She mumbled. Andyval reached into Oblivion and pulled out some Black-Briar mead, which she gladly accepted and started drinking.
"So, how much did you see and hear in the throne room?" Piña asked.
"A ton of dead bodies, a brother beaten into a bloody mess, and a father who won't listen to reason," Andyval replied, retrieving his own mead and putting his helmet in Oblivion. "Who cut them down?"
She recoiled a little bit, not expecting his short beard. Noticing the reason, Andyval pointed at it. "This?" He asked. "That's nothing. I was too busy to keep it clean." With his off-hand, he brought forth the Flames spell, the small ball of fire dancing in his hands. He then brought it across the lower half of his face, carefully singing off the hair. The whole process left Piña surprised.
Andyval motioned for her to talk. She left out a long sigh, preparing herself. "Apparently, my brother was holding a Japanese citizen as a slave. To take her back, Kuribayashi killed his soldiers, then bested him in hand-to-hand combat."
Andyval recoiled a little bit in shock. I never expected someone with a build like Shino's to be able to do that, he thought.
"Enough about my failures to bring peace," Piña said. "How did you manage to kill the fire dragon?"
"I stole a ton of explosives from the JSDF and used them. If they didn't outright kill it, the mountain that collapsed onto it did," Andyval explained.
"How were you able to scare off the apostle and hatchlings, then?"
Andyval paused, which Piña noticed. "Andyval, why do you keep so many things secret? Your two fiancées you mentioned at the inn, your soul being different, your abilities, and even your Empire! Nobody but you has been there! I'm starting to doubt-" She froze, catching herself. "I'm sorry, it's just been a very stressful day."
She's right, Andyval agreed. I do keep things too secret. "Piña, I'm the way I am because I've lived a hard life. There are many things too difficult to tell, or too long to." Piña looked sorry for pressing, but he let out a short chuckle. "But, once I've made an impression on your Father, I guess I can bring you and some people from the JSDF to Tamriel."
Her eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"
They had stayed up late drinking and talking. Piña asked questions about Tamriel, and Andyval answered. Eventually, she dozed off, leaving Andyval alone. And, I can't sleep well because of my lycanthropy, he complained to himself. Thinking of things to do, he looking back to the day before. Wait a second. Mountain. Yao. Dragon. He put all three together, resulting in: Dragon Scroll. It's prediction was true.
Remembering back to before the Diet, he had looked into the Elder Scrolls, and the Dragon Scroll gave a prophecy. Which, like all other that come from the Scrolls, was true. Maybe I should... Andyval pulled out the three scrolls he had in his possession, setting them on his lap.
Dragon. Blood. Sun.
During his time in the Imperial City, he learned much from the Moth Priests. Things such as meditation and spells to protect one's mind from the effects of reading one. Because of his Dragon Blood and magical prowess, it was relatively safe for him. Looking over to Piña to make sure that she was asleep, which she was.
Andyval picked up the Sun Scroll and readied himself. He opened it and saw nothing.
He set it down then opened the next, the Dragon Scroll. Here, he saw the apostle he met before, Giselle, conversing with someone. The fuzziness of the Scroll's vision prevented him from seeing who. Andyval closed it and set it down, sighing lightly.
Lastly, he reached for the Blood Scroll. and when he opened it, the visions leapt out at him. Instantly, his sight was covered in swarming lights. Calming himself, he focused on the lights, and they suddenly became clear. It was one word, over and over, in hundreds of languages. Languages from his world and from what he presumed Piña's world and the JSDF's world.
It said one thing. 'BETRAYAL'.
Betrayal of what? Andyval pondered. Betrayal that causes blood? Blood that betrays? Damnable Scrolls.
Silently, but growing louder, her heard a voice. "Andyval?" A few seconds later, and louder, "Andyval?" Louder this time, shouting, "Andyval!" He jumped back into reality, closing the Scroll quickly and ending the hallucinations.
With blinking eyes, he looked over to Piña. She was terrified, a look of worry adorned her face. "What time is it?" Andyval asked.
"A little after dawn. When I woke up, you were just staring at that scroll. Are you okay?"
He nodded, putting the three Scrolls back into Oblivion. A little shell-shocked, he responded, "Yeah, just the Elder Scrolls are powerful. Looking into the past, present, or future has some side effects." Although, a changed perception of time is different than before.
"What did you see?"
"I... I genuinely don't know," Andyval told her, his mind in a panic. I can't tell her. I can't tell anyone. If it's a 'Betrayal that causes blood' it could be between my Empire, her Empire, or the JSDF. Maybe even all three.
Piña still gave him a concerned look. "Well, last night you said you wanted to speak with my Father."
Andyval snapped out of his thoughts. "Where is he?"
"He should be waking up any time now. Why?"
"I'm going to prepare," Andyval said, equipping his Emperor's robes and Aetherial crown with an Oblivion portal. "When I get done with your Father, I need to leave the Capital. If you still want to come to Tamriel, excuse yourself and meet me at the estate from yesterday." He gave her a half smile, then casted Invisibility.
As he was about to walk away, he remembered something. "Piña? How many of my titles should introduce myself with?"
She jumped a little, hearing his disembodied voice. "Well, two emperors meeting hasn't happened before..."
"I want to impress, so I guess I'll use them all," he said with an unseen shrug, then left the room. He worked his way back through the palace, eventually making it to the throne room.
The only people there were guards, who had finally got their act together after the earthquake. Considering that there weren't a bunch of dead soldiers, the servants did too. Andyval, unseen, walked up to the throne and sat down. Recasting Invisibility every so often, he waited for Piña and her Father.
After a good half hour, he heard them. "... Father, we must-"
"No, Piña, they pose us no threat at this moment. I've consulted with the Generals and they've begun strategizing our next move."
The two entered the throne room, Piña trying to persuade her father. "But, you, nor the Generals, know how powerful they are!"
"Piña, do you look underestimate your own country that much?" he asked with a slight sneer.
They reached the center of the large room, which Andyval took as his queue to begin, he asked out loud, "Do you underestimate other countries as well, Emperor?" Molt froze and the Guards drew their weapons. Andyval dispelled Invisibility, revealing that he was seated rather comfortably on the throne.
The guards rushed forward, but the Emperor motioned for them to stop. "I am Molt Sol Augustus, Emperor of Sadera. Who are you?"
"I go by many titles," Andyval replied, uncharacteristically cold. "Arch-Mage, Harbinger, Listener, Stormblade, Qahnaarin, Guild Master, Champion, Dovahkiin, twice over Savior of Nirn. But in this situation, the most important is Andyval, Emperor of Tamriel."
Molt frowned, glancing at Piña. "'Piña, stop it with this fairy tale'," Andyval repeated Molt's words from the night before, mocking him. "You really should listen to her more, you know?"
"Get to the point," Molt demanded.
"Months ago, I sent one of your defeated soldiers to you with a message: 'The only way to save yourself and your empire is an unconditional surrender'. Your daughter's diplomacy gave me a few ideas. The main one being: 'Maybe I should try diplomacy myself, instead of brutally and systematically slaughtering my enemies'."
"When I was in here last night, you spoke of 'not damaging the pride of my Empire'. I respect that. From Emperor to Emperor, I'm willing to give you some leeway. Come up with a deal, one that results in your Empire becoming subservient to mine, yet not an unconditional surrender, and I might accept it. If you don't, I will kill your people. I will kill your soldiers. I will kill your Lords and Generals. Then, lastly, I will kill you. All. On. My. Own."
Andyval stood up, then walked to the base of the steps at the front of the throne. Halfway down, he was consumed by an Oblivion portal. When he came out not even a second later, he was wearing his Ebony armor. "Remember my terms, Emperor. Once you've come up with something, send Piña to retrieve me." Towards the end, Molt looked rather grim, so Andyval decided that he did good.
BOOM!
Out of nowhere, a nearby explosion rocked the palace. "Was that you?" Molt asked with anger.
"No," Andyval replied. "That was most likely the JSDF. Seems like they're pretty angry about you enslaving some of their citizens." Molt mumbled something about his 'stupid son'.
Andyval casted Invisibility, disappearing from sight. "I should also inform you of something, Emperor Molt. I made something quite clear to Japan, and their world. If they do anything to any part of Tamriel, I would go to war with not just Japan, but their whole world. If you were to become part of Tamriel, both of your current crises would end."
He walked out of the throne room, leaving Molt to think about his options.
Andyval waited at the estate for a few hours, but eventually around Noon, Piña showed up. "I thought you weren't going to show," he called out to her.
"The JSDF blew up the Senate building. I had to explain to them the dangers that the Empire was against, including you," the Princess explained. "That whole speech was rather cold, even for you."
Andyval chuckled, motioning for her to follow.
"Where are we going?"
"I need to get one more person. I got stuck with her after I helped out a Dark Elf clan that was being decimated by the fire dragon."
A mile walk later, Yao came into sight. "Master Andyval, who is your Friend?"
"Master?" Piña questioned.
Andyval sighed. "Yao, meet Princess Piña Co Lada. Piña, meet Yao Ha Dushi, she was forced upon me as a reward from the Dushi clan." When Yao heard Piña's title, she drop to the Dark Elf's signature bow.
"So she's your slave?" Piña frowned. "I didn't think you were that kind of person, Andyval."
"I told her that I didn't want her, let alone as a slave, but she's apparently 'fine with it'," Andyval defended himself, causing Yao to blush at the end.
Piña looked at the Elf suspiciously, then towards Andyval. "How are we going to get to Alnus?"
"Portal," he curtly explained.
The Princess' eyes widened a little. "Is that safe?"
"I once traveled with someone a lot. I know how to open a multi-person Oblivion portal," he reassured her.
Andyval held his hands out. "Just form a circle and I'll do everything." They did so, joining hands. Piña was to his left and Yao to his right. "But, before we go, are either of you virgins?" The two women froze and lit up with slight blushes. "This is a serious question. I need to know if I should steer away from certain Princes because they'd ask for your virginity as the price for travelling," Andyval told them.
The two women looked down and nodded, to flustered and confused to speak.
"Okay then, just keep the circle maintained and we should be safe."
"Should?" Yao asked. "I don't think we should-"
"Too late," Andyval interrupted her, casting the spell.
A moment later, they were somewhere else. They opened their eyes, revealing a sky in twilight. They were on a cliff, which overlooked a silver city. Piña and Yao looked around, staring in wonder. "Huh, Azura," Andyval commented.
"Yeah, Azura," the trio heard. They turned towards the person who spoke, and saw that she was more beautiful than the scenery. She looked like a normal human, yet somehow extraordinary. She wore a floor length white dress. The dress had no arms, but around her hips, cloth branched off. One end of the cloth went to her wrists, the other end fell to the floor. She had pale, clear skin and platinum hair. Her brow was adorned with a wreath of flowers.
"What's the price?" Andyval asked. Not knowing how to react, the two women bowed deeply.
Azura chuckled at their actions, motioning for them to return to normal. "Why don't you introduce your friends, Andyval?" He did so, introducing the two. Azura looked at Yao. "You. What are you?"
"I-I'm a Dark Elf," Yao told her, stuttering.
Azura nodded. "In Nirn I created the Dark Elves. Three of them angered me, so I cursed their whole race, turning their skin gray and reddening their eyes."
Yao grew visibly uncomfortable, causing Azura to let out laughter. "You may leave, Andyval."
The three reformed the circle, then left Azura's realm.
They materialized with an Oblivion portal right next to the Gate in Alnus. While the two were looking at their surroundings with disbelief, Andyval immediately broke the circle, moving to talk to one of the passing soldiers. After a few words, the soldier saluted and quickly left.
When he returned to the two women, Yao asked him, "Andyval, why did Azura..."
"Say what she said? When you've experienced many things, your sense of humor gets warped," Andyval explained, internally chuckling. I know that, because I'm guilty of it too.
After standing there for a couple minutes, Piña spoke up. "Why are we just standing here? Didn't you tell me that we're going to Tamriel?"
"I sent that soldier to inform Itami I have a 'mission of utmost importance'. Itami will be here in a few minutes with a few more people that are coming with us."
"Why didn't we go and find them ourselves?"
Andyval shrugged. "This base is huge. There's thousands of people in it. It'd take forever to find him! Besides it's fun to throw around the weight of your position once in a while. You've done it before, haven't you, Imperial Princess?"
Piña froze, then turned away. "No," she mumbled.
Lies, Andyval thought, as Itami, Shino, Lelei, Tuka, and sadly, Rory, approached. They had varying expressions, ranging from confused, annoyed, to even a little scared in Tuka's part. Rory however, was quite angry.
"Andyval, who's this?" Itami asked, reffering to Yao.
The Dark Elf stepped forward. "I'm Yao Ha Dushi. I'm Andyval's sla-"
"Retainer," Andyval cut her off sternly. "She's a retainer that her clan gave to me for killing the fire dragon."
Itami gave him a suspicious look, but continued on with a different subject. "What's this mission you're talking about?"
The Emperor clasped his hands together. "I have gathered you here today because we are going on an adventure."
Shino interrupted them. "Andyval, I haven't done my debriefing for when I was in the capitol-"
"That can wait.," he countered, brushing off the words.
"Is this 'adventure' sanctioned by General Hazama or Defense Minister Kanou?" Itami questioned. And in response, Andyval raised a finger to his lips, signaling for him to be quiet.
Rory cut in, glaring at him. "If I'm going anywhere, I need my axe back. You still haven't returned it since the inn."
"I'll give it to you if you turn around," Andyval told her, a plan forming in his head.
Rory did so. But instead of an axe, Andyval pulled the Wabbajack out of Oblivion. With a flash of red light, she was turned into a black furred, red eyed rabbit. It took her a few seconds to realize her situation, and when she did, she started squealing.
By the gods, the only other time I heard a rabbit make that sound was when I roasted it alive with the Flames spell. Andyval returned the staff to Oblivion and picked her up and started petting her, calming her down. The gathered people gaped at the display, unable to form words.
"Yeah, I needed to do this," Andyval awkwardly explained.
"Seriously?' Shino asked, not believing him.
"Yeah, we're not going a conventional way," he responded. "Everyone hold hands and form a circle."
They awkwardly did so. Itami asked, "Why?"
"I'm using a portal to bring us to Tamriel."
Piña and Yao were the only was that didn't stare at him.
"Tamriel?" Shino quietly asked.
"Yeah, my homeland," Andyval curtly replied.
"Don't these portals go to the Daedra or whatever?" Itami inquired with concern.
"I'll use rabbit Rory as a focal point. It'll home in on Sheogorath, who is one of the relatively nicer Princes... although we'd have to catch one of his good moods, since he's extremely insane."
Everyone slowly linked hands. Piña and Yao, who were next to Andyval, grabbed his elbows since he was holding Rory. Andyval started gathering up magic and ordered the group, "Now, please stay calm and don't break the circle. If you do, some of you may be cast into an interdimensional void. When we arrive, don't stare at anything. Do not speak unless spoken to. Let me do the talking." They reluctantly nodded in agreement and Andyval cast the spell.
After a few seconds of seeing nothing and hearing the roar of an Oblivion Portal, the first thing that greeted them was a giddy, heavily accented voice shouting, "Andy, my boy! Just in time for tea! Even better, you've brought guests!"
Author's Note:
This chapter took me so long because of family matters, school, new video games, really shitty internet, and knowing no concept of prioritizing.
I wrote thousands of words, but had difficulty meshing the parts together. I would write something (greater than 5K words) out, not like it then tear it apart and re-use some of it. This is somewhere between the third and sixth revision. The revision before this one easily had around 10K words, most of which, I didn't use here. Whatever I didn't use in this chapter, I'll use in another. Another part of doing this is that it may seem a tad bit fragmented.
I also took a little closer look at the Inn battle. The guns in the anime and manga lacked uniformity and the ones they chose are annoying. I'd bet money that the people who chose what weapons to draw don't know the difference between a magazine and a clip. Hell, the guns were even different between the anime and manga. I threw in weapons that would have made more sense.
If one of you start complaining about me changing the weapons, seriously, look at the weapons that are in the anime and manga. Magpul PDRs (Which technically were canceled and haven't even been produced in real life), KRISS Vectors, some sort of M4 style rifle, H&K MP7s, a FN P90, a Kel-Tec KSG, and a couple others are what were unidentifiable in the manga. In the anime, it shows completely different weapons.
IMPORTANT:
Because I'm approaching the end of the GATE manga and anime, I'm releasing one more chapter after this one (which I've done a lot in already), then putting it on an indefinite hiatus. Because of the differences in the manga, anime, and light novel, I'd rather wait until when the anime gets updated. Since that is what I am following.
The next chapter should be fast compared to this one. I know exactly what I'm doing. I know what order it's going to be in. And I have a third of it written out.
I could squeeze in another chapter after that, but I'd like some room to see what happens in season three. I'd like that room to plan, instead of backing myself into a corner. (Also, it's not an 'if' the anime gets a 3rd season. It's a 'when', because of how successful it is)
As for my Halo/GATE crossover, I'm having a fuck ton of difficulty trying to cross a hurdle. I've tried repeatedly, but couldn't do jack to progress it in a way I liked. I'm trashing it for now, but I'll occasionally poke and prod at it until I like it and manage to be able to write a second chapter.