The rocks inched ever closer until they were all he could see. As his final moments came upon him adrenaline flowed freely throughout his body. Time seemed to slow until it felt as though all the world had stopped. He closed his eyes at the last instant, preparing for the impact. For what seemed like hours to his enhanced mind, he fell ever longer.
Until he could bear the suspense no longer, Pein opened his eyes to the most extravagant sight. He was hundreds, perhaps a thousand meters above the throat of the world. He gazed intently at the geography of Skyrim. Light sparkled in front of Pein, he looked forward and all but reconfirmed his death.
"Pein I am disappointed in you." A voice sounded inside Pein's mind "My chosen Dragonborn, fell to a single arrow from a soldier."
"I am only human, an arrow through the heart would kill anybody." He replied. "...Akatosh I presume, you chose a great time to show up."
"Does your death mean nothing to you?"
"Well I didn't really have much to live for, and I doubt I'll be missed save for one woman; so no, it doesn't, and if I want to be a wise-ass I will. Now, what do you want from me?"
Pein didn't know if a deity could be speechless but based on how long it took for a response, he believed Akatosh was.
"As you may have already guessed, only the Dragonborn can kill a dragon permanently, as he devours their souls. Mulmurnir, the one that attacked Whiterun, was revived by Alduin. Alduin was the one who attacked Helgen; thankfully for us, he inadvertently saved your life. Pein, as the chief of all the divines, I call upon you to kill Alduin, he is the only one that can revive dragons now. I have saved you only this once, don't expect such kindness in the future."
Before Pein could say anything, he was dropped at such speed he felt as though his face would come off, all the way down to a courtyard on a mountain. This must be high Hrothgar... Pein thought to himself. Alright, let's go introduce myself to a few more crazy old people.
He entered through the double doors and walked down the stairs to be greeted by four old people in big gray robes, each had a very large beard. "I'm answering your call."
As Pein expected, they just stared at him blankly.
"I'm the Dragonborn, I'm here because you summoned me here."
"Well, if you really are Dragonborn," one of them chuckled. "Then let us hear your Thu'um. Shout at us."
"I don't know any shouts, I came here to learn."
The four looked at each other, then three turned to one.
"...perhaps a trial will do..." The main one said. "Retrieve the horn of Jurgen Windcaller from Ustengrav. "If you really are Dragonborn, then you can follow the whisper's call and find the horn."
He didn't say another word, he just walked down the 7,000 steps and began his new journey.
Pein overlooked the remains of Ustengrav and silently lamented to himself. "Oh look, an old Nordic ruin. Why am I not surprised."
He jumped down the hole, and as he opened
the door he came face-to-face with an elder female Breton wearing leather armor. This was the same woman who was interested in the Dragonstone… and she was holding a very peculiar horn.
"I met you before, in Dragonsreach." He said to her. "Delphine, wasn't it? No matter, I'm afraid I'm going to need that horn, ma'am; and I would prefer it if we could avoid any hostility…"
"Heh, that's cute. If you insist, I'll indulge you; I may hand the horn over if you can tell me what you're going to do with it."
"You see, the horn is actually fashioned from the skull of a monster I killed a long time ago. I wanted to drink wine from it like all the other heroes. What the hell do you think I'm going to do with it!? I'm returning it to its owners."
Her face became dark and sullen, and a scowl replaced her curious visage. "Listen well, young adventurer, the greybeards are not to be trusted!"
Despite her glaring, Pein didn't back away an inch. He was in no mood for an old woman's ramblings and wasn't about to debate the point.
"I don't know, or care, what you have against the greybeards, but fighting against people who can blast you to pieces with both hands tied behind their backs aren't people to be fighting against. Now give me the horn so I can take care of Skyrim's dragon problem."
He didn't want to threaten her, but he realized how weak his demand was. "The dragon problem ,huh? If you really want to take care of the dragons come see me at the sleeping giant Inn in Riverwood in eight days. Ask for the attic room."
The trip south was thankfully a lonely one, giving Pein time to contemplate the old woman's warning. During Pein's brief stay in Skyrim, he felt like the greybeards were the only people that wouldn't kill him for being different. In fact, they seemed the most docile people in Tamriel since the oblivion crisis...
An all-too-familiar roar echoed in Pein's ears and through his soul. The cold had thickened his blood, but that sound stopped his heart. No help, and no weapon, he tried his very best to hide… but unbeknownst to Pein, the best thief in the world cannot hide from the dragon's aura whisper.