Ceabhail:

So, we're finally here, at this time, in this place... with what happens.

...

Oh, and enjoy =^^=

Record 5R13

In regards to the incident reported in the previous record, the town of Whiterun was attacked by zombies. Zombies that our body-snatcher had mentioned existing in this world. There can be no doubt that this body-snatcher has the knowledge she proclaims she has, or what she has stated thus far can be alluded to some form of prophecy… or dumb luck. Either way, once we reached Whiterun, the body-snatcher devised a plan that would involve the safety of herself, and put the rest of us on standby. I never would have guessed she'd place her own self on risk, but… she did. She used the excuse that her being Argonian made it harder for her to contract the disease. She also had the magicka saber. So, she went into Whiterun and almost single-handedly saved the town.

I watched from the sidelines on the other side of the wall. I eventually climbed up with two other companions: Hadvar, an Imperial Soldier; and Ky'ren-thia, a Thalmor trained Assassin. The body-snatcher cleared the streets while the three of us scouted out the town from above, all but Ky'ren-thia, who was tasked with assassinations from rooftops. Reminds me of my days in Italy with Ezio, dressed as one of his assassin recruits. I wonder, if I reported my training as an assassin, would the body-snatcher utilize me in the way she utilized Ky'ren-thia's expertise? I just need a modified wrist dagger. It would be simple to pull off.

Anyway, we saved the town, yay! And for our troubles, the body-snatcher decided to NOT tell the Jarl of Whiterun about the incoming dragon, when I asked her later about it, she stated that she shouldn't try altering history in any way that could make things worse. Pulling guards from Whiterun too early, or diverting the guards from going to Riverwood could have made the dragon attack there, or some other kind of butterfly effect. I guess I understand. But, we're going to rest in Whiterun until we hear about the dragon attack, if even there is to be one. If by tomorrow evening nothing has occurred, we'll go back to the tower and see about gathering everyone up for another quest. Jeez… as much as I hate saying this, I'm looking forward to having a normal day tomorrow.

Recorder Ellen, out.

…

"Hey… hey… wake up!"

I felt a heavy push on my shoulder. My eyes were heavy, but I managed to hold them open long enough to look at the heavy Nord woman pushing on my shoulder. I guess Khajiits aren't the only ones that can see in the dark, much to my surprise. My eyes adjusted pretty quickly to the darkly lit room. And then I realized… there was a candle on the other side of the room already lit, and my adjustment was coming from that. The Nord in question was probably that steel-plated one that always asks you for a fist fight, only to become one of your earlier tank companions. She was leaning over my shoulder, pushing down on me.

"Are you awake?" She asked.

I nodded, yawning. "Yup, I'm awake."

"The Jarl has requested to see you. Urgently." The Nord replied.

"What time is it?" I asked as I started sitting up, pulling the sheets off my body.

"It is the time when the moon is highest."

"Midnight?"

She nodded. "Yes, midnight. Maybe one."

"Fantastic." I mumbled as I sat up, grabbing my socks and boots. So… there are socks in Skyrim. Bet you never knew that! I was surprised too. I never did get to go shopping, but the inn's bed was open for me. And so, when I got to the inn last night, I picked out a bed, fell on top of it, and then… was abruptly woken up… maybe 5 hours later? I think it's been that long already.

I rushed as I slipped my socks and boots on, unhappy over the fact that my scales make putting socks on uber impossible. I need to follow my own story's idea and made some kind of rubber sock that I can glide on. Once I can figure out how to make rubber in this world. I'm not sure they've figured it out yet. Hell… I don't even know how to make rubber. Feck! I don't know how to make rubber! Damnu air! I guess I'll have to think of something else. Silk? Is that a thing here? I guess I'll just find an Argonian. I'm sure they'll have something they do to deal with this.

After a minute of pure agony, I had both socks on enough that I could slip my boots on. I had some bunched-up bullshite going on near my toes, but… whatever. I'll deal with it later. Or… it will be my crippling weakness that will cause me to die later on in this chapter. Probably the latter, knowing how things go for me.

I groaned as I sat up, reaching for the rest of my mage stuff: my shoulder hood thing, my shoulder long sash, the belt that holds it all together, and my bag. I looked over to the Nord, nodding to her. "I'll get dressed as we go. Have my friends been woken up already?"

She shook her head. "No, I didn't know you had friends."

I sighed. I tapped the person sleeping under my covers, a head poking out. Ky'ren-thia's head. "Morning, kitty. Time to go save the world… maybe."

She purred as she rolled out from her side of the double bed. "I will follow shortly."

"Can you wake everyone else up too? I'll be up at the Jarl's palace. I think the dragon's here."

She nodded. "Ky'ren-thia will do as you ask."

With that I made my way through the inn with the Nord woman beside me, all while putting the rest of my mage robes on. She walked proudly beside me as we marched on.

"So, why you?" I asked her as we walked on. "Why not Lydia, or… literally anyone else?"

"Lydia was sleeping in her house. I just woke her up. She's outside the inn." The Nord pushed the inn's door open, leading us outside. Lydia was indeed waiting for us, her eyes just as droopy as mine.

Lydia nodded a welcome to me. "Have you heard? A guard has reported back from the watchtower. It's been attacked. We're being summoned to the keep."

"Unnecessary." The Dark Elf housecarl said as she jogged through the marketplace, making her way to us. "The Jarl has requested your aid. The three of you, your parties included, are the best warriors we have at our disposal." She turned to look at me. "You survived Helgen, you know this dragon and how it will attack." She looked at Lydia. "The Companions are getting ready. You should join them."

"The Companions are joining us?" That didn't happen in the game. It should have. Hell… dragons should have been a bigger threat than they were presented as. I wonder just how deadly this dragon will really be.

"A small dispatch of guards will be heading out. Farengar will remain here to defend the keep from any surprise dragon attacks, but I will be leading the assault with the guards. The Companions are experts at hunting beasts, maybe not dragons, but they are expert warriors. They are being paid for their services. You will be compensated for your efforts as well." The Dark Elf looked at me. "The Jarl had this prepared for you." She pressed a iron chest piece into my arms. "Please get armored up. We need you."

Wow… my first armor piece. It was a basic iron plate: front and back. Man… I feel like a Mandalorian. I'm getting my armor!

"Kandosii!" I screamed as I undid the leather strap, throwing it over my mage robes. Hmm… the shoulder pauldron and the long sash seem to be interfering with my flexibility. I tore my belt off, letting the sash and the shoulder leather pauldron thing fall off. I strapped the armor on, just in time for Ky'ren-thia and Recorder to come out of the inn.

Ky took a quick look at my armor, and hissed a small laugh. "You look too inexperienced. It's on backwards."

Huh… it's hard to tell when these armor plates don't have actual breasts formed into the plates. I kind of appreciate the realism of this armor plate. It's not a full outfit! Gee, which Elder Scrolls game did I love where you could mix/match armor? Chest, shoulders, arms, legs… all of it. I hope this iron plate works.

"Is this all of it?" I asked as I strapped my iron plates on correctly, spinning them around so that the front plate is in fact… on my front.

The Dark Elf shrugged. "I'm sorry, but you are… you have a different body shape than…"

I nodded. "I get it. I have a large beak and a large tail. No helm for me then." At least not for a while. I should make friends with the Orcs. They'll make a full armor for me, out of orichalcum too. That will be nice to have.

I looked over to Ky. "How do you deal with having a tail?"

She showed me her butt, pointing to the triangle hole that was cut into it. "We cut holes in our pants… and then use triangle shaped plates strapped to a belt to rest above the spot. If worn correctly, it won't rub against the tail at all. Too many of my clanmates have lost their tails to improper fauld artisans."

Huh… fauld. That's a word.

"Yeah… faulds suck." I nodded to Ky, making sure she believed I knew a single word she was saying. "Just… the whole idea of a fauld. Just… just the worst."

"So… dragons." Lydia glanced at me. "I saw Helgen… I saw the destruction. Tell me… do we stand a chance?"

Everyone glanced at me, and as they did so, Recorder and Hadvar exited the inn. "Good morning, everyone." Recorder said, rubbing her eyes. "What time is it?"

I glanced back at her. "Time to kill a dragon." I looked over at Hadvar. "Think it's already too late?" I glanced back at Lydia and the Dunmer lady. "I kind of… already knew this was going to happen, so I had reinforcements staking out the nearby mountain. They may have already killed it while the guard ran back to us."

Lydia's face deadpanned as she glared at me. "You knew? How?"

I shrugged. "A gift."

"She's a seeress." Hadvar said. "She helped me escape Helgen in one piece. I trust her word. It would seem, her word is good once again."

"Yeah… but… a dragon." I shuddered. I was excited… terrified… everything in between. The chance to see a dragon, a real dragon… here, right in front of me. I mean… I was too busy to appreciate Alduin… but… this time… I hope I have the time to get some glances in. I wish I had a camera with me. On the other hand… fire hurts. And so do teeth as big as me.

"You didn't answer my question though. Do we stand a chance?" Lydia grabbed onto my arm tightly.

I shook my head. "I really… I really don't know. I think we do. Companions, my friends, Thrawn…"

"THRAWN?" Lydia's face blushed over. "He's… he's here? In the flesh?" She glanced around. "Is he here, right now?"

I shook my head. "No, he's back at the watchtower. He's my reinforcements."

"He's… with you? Or… you're with him?" She glanced from me over to Hadvar.

Hadvar shrugged. "Trust me… this is weird, but… Thrawn has a partnership with her. She's… special."

Lydia rubbed her eyes. "Right… wow." She nodded. "We've wasted enough time. We need to get to that watchtower." She turned on her heel and started marching off at a jogging pace.

Before chasing after her, I looked over to Recorder. "Hey, Record." I pointed to the well in the town center. I spotted one of her missing records, pointing my finger right at it. "There's one of your missing records."

She followed my finger, almost blushing as she spotted the record just… sitting on the well's edge. "Wow… how did I miss that?"

"Kind of a quest thing." I shrugged. I quickly turned around and sprinted after Lydia and Dunmer Housecarl. Recorder reached down, retrieving her missing record while Ky and Hadvar jogged after me.

The night air was harsher than I would have liked. Cold, biting, and there was no outside source of warmth to make up for the coldness of this land. No sun to warm my scales, as it were. The moons were out, and boy… they were HUGE. I mean, in the game, they look impressive, but in real life, they look… impossibly big. How big was this world to justify the moons' orbits around this planet? Do they revolve around each other as well? Does one moon circle the other moon while it circles around this planet? And how fast is those moons moving to justify a full day's rotation? Or is it more the fact that the planet is rotating? Is it a factor of both things moving at the same time? I'm not an astronomer, so… I really didn't have the required knowledge to sit down and figure it out.

But on we jogged through the town. The town was dead quiet, the soft chirping of… whatever insects that decide to exist in this cold land were the only noise other than the pounding of our feet on the dirt road.

As we came up to the town gate, the gate guard pushed the massive door open, nodding a farewell to us. "Best of luck to you all. I hope you get there in time." He nodded to us as we exited the town.

"We're about to fight a dragon." Lydia muttered to herself. "Surely this… if I survive…" She glanced down, almost smiling at some thought she had spinning in her mind.

I stayed silent as we jogged on, keeping my breathing even as we continued on. I had to stay focused. My legs were threatening to turn to jelly, not because I'm out of shape, but because I was absolutely terrified of what we may encounter. This was no video game. This was… more or less… real life. I served in the armed forces, I had faced scary situations before… but never a tank. Never a dragon. This was something… something I never knew would happen. I mean… Alduin was a thing, a timed event, and so is this, I guess. But… Alduin literally couldn't have killed me. Not unless I stood in front of him and waved my arms like a suicidal idiot. This dragon… this creature wants me dead. Well, not me specifically but… he wants everyone dead. And with the mod that gives dragons 4 times everything: health, strength, magicka resistance…. I think you know where this is going, right? That dragon… will not be a pushover. He can't be.

"We're coming up on the watchtower." The Dunmer screamed from ahead of us. "I can see fire. The watchtower seems to be destroyed."

As I rounded the hill, I looked down at the watchtower. It looked like how it did in the game. Destroyed, on fire. I saw no sign of my reinforcements surrounding the watchtower, no signs of a dead dragon. I guess we're keeping on script for this then.

The Dunmer turned to look at me. "So, where are these reinforcements of yours?"

I shrugged. I held my hands together, forming a firebolt in my palms. I launched it into the night sky. Hopefully, that would signal to my people that I was here, and ready. "That should let them know I'm here now." I said to the Dunmer. "Their defenses might not have been properly set up. I was expecting another day before it arrived."

She crossed her arms. "We shall see, Argonian. Anyway, we should scout out the area. See if anyone survived."

I looked around the hill. More guards that followed behind us, or were already here, started moving out. I counted nearly 15 guards, more than I had expected to be here. And to my left, I could see people dressed in Companion armor already making their way to the watchtower. I felt safer already knowing that the Companions were here. This should be quick. Hopefully.

I forced myself to exhale as I looked back at my collection of friends. I looked at Hadvar, then to Ky, and then to Recorder. "Okay, guys. I guess… this is it. Just… stay safe. Don't do something stupid. Okay?"

Ky snickered, laughing as she unsheathed her daggers. "Ky'ren-thia will be like an Orc fart in the wind. Silent… and very deadly."

Recorder shrugged. "Okay. I'll try to stay out of the way."

"We'll be fine." Hadvar said with a nod. "You have to trust that we're here for a reason. And besides… you already killed me off once, what are the odds you'd do it again?" He almost chuckled at the joke, but it left a horrible taste in my mouth. Like… yeah… that would be something I would do if I was writing this as a story or something. Half-assed love interest being killed off in first actual battle. That's something I'd totally do if I wanted to set an actual tone for the story.

But, the horrible realization of what could happen put aside, that joke forced a smile on my face. "Well… if the plot demands it…" I tried my best to smile, and that alone allowed my shoulders to sag, my breathing to calm down. Good on you, Hadvar. You calmed me down.

I glanced over to Lydia, who was already joining the Companions. Vilkas wrapped her up in a tight hug, which threw me for a loop. I guess she was in the Companions after all. This was… different. All of this.

I turned around, facing the watchtower. Time to end this. Or… begin it. One way… or another. I wonder what it will feel like… absorbing a dragon soul. Or… am I not even the Dragonborn? Maybe I'm just… me… in Argonian skin.

I started my approach to the watchtower, my feet feeling heavier and heavier as I got closer to the staircase leading up to the doorway of the watchtower. Half of the watchtower was already destroyed, pieces of the tower missing and tossed around the ground. The wall of the small defense tower was smashed. The grass in the training yard was burned down. And as I got closer to the training yard, I could see dead guards everywhere. Just a few though. Not a single sign of Thrawn or his men. Or my Blade friends. That's good. I hope they were okay.

"NO, stay back! It might still be here somewhere!" A surviving guard screamed as he poked his head out of the watchtower's doorway. "It just grabbed… oh, Irileth. I didn't know you'd be coming." Irileth! That's her name!

Irileth, the Dunmer Housecarl, marched up the staircase. "That's right, we're here. Tell me, where is the dragon? Did you see where it went?"

"No, Housecarl. I was too busy shitting my pants." He declared. "But I did see it flee up the mountain… and then it breathed fire on the mountainside before taking off. I have no idea why." He walked out of the watchtower, pointing his fingers to the burning patch of woods on the mountains… right where I told my reinforcements to wait for the dragon to attack.

It did what? My scales were running colder as I took off in a sprint for the mountainside. I had to see if everyone was okay. That dragon may have killed my friends! I talked them into waiting there. This was my fault.

"Oh wait… there it is again!" The guard screamed.

I looked up in to the sky, seeing the dragon crest the top of the mountain, its wings folded to its side as it came diving down like a hawk diving to snatch a rabbit. And it was flying right for me. I was just outside the outer wall when I realized… I'm in a very bad location.

"Shite!" I screamed, looking around for anything I could use. I found an iron shield on the ground, and I sprinted for it. I scooped it into my hands, throwing it in front of me as the dragon flew overtop of me, spraying the area around me with fire. I held my breath as I felt burning hot air blast around me. The shield in my hands protected me from being melted immediately, and my scales felt oddly warmer with the presence of fire around me.

I sighed as I stood up. I didn't feel… as cooked as I thought I would feel with fire all around me. It felt… reminiscent, somehow. Like… my Flames spell. Wait… Shouts are magic. So… it's fire magicka. That made me feel… slightly better. Now I can focus on actually killing the dragon.

"It's coming right towards us!" A guard screamed. I couldn't see what was happening, since I was on the other side of the outer perimeter wall, but I did hear a guard scream in pain. I turned around to jump the wall, pushing FP into my feet, activating my Force Enhancement spell. I unclipped the lightsaber from my belt, and pushed off my feet, flying up onto the wall's walkway. I had to duck as a guard was picked off the ground by the dragon's wing, bitch-slapped away from it. Guards and Companions had the dragon surrounded, each one screaming as they charged the dragon.

I was astonished by the sheer size of the monster. It wasn't as big as Alduin but… damn. I almost found myself sitting on the wall, and watching the thing. It was bigger than I imagined it would be, its head bigger than any person. And as the dragon snaked his head down, biting down on top of a guard, chomping down on the guard, killing him, and then violently shook him around while everyone tried what they could to hurt the dragon, I couldn't help but stare at the bright blue scales, the sharper brown underscales. The dragon was very pretty. And if I had a thing for people in general, I'd say this dragon was drop-dead gorgeous. I never had feelings for any living person, but… damn. I can see why now Iron Bull would give himself sexual pleasure later after laying eyes on a dragon.

"Anytime you're ready!" I heard a Companion scream. I looked over at him; it was Vilkas. He had a smaller woman in his arms. A… really smaller woman. A child?

"Throw me!" She said.

Vilkas screamed as he tossed the child, and that's when I recognized her. She was the blacksmith girl Merura, or something like that. And Vilkas screamed as he yeeted the girl into the air. I watched as she soared through the air, dressed in her blacksmith apron. And then she crashed on top of the dragon's head, slamming her pickaxe down on top of him. And… nothing happened. The dragon came to a halt mid-chomp of the dead guard in his mouth, and he glanced up at the girl with one of his eyes. The other guards nearby continued to slash at the dragon with their weapons, doing little to no harm.

"What is with these scales?" One guard screamed. "They're… tougher than steel! I can't cut through them!"

Oh… that's right. Dragonscale armor is… definitely better than most steel armors… even better than Daedric. It only makes sense that FUCKING IRON WEAPONS CAN'T DAMAGE THE FUCKING DRAGON.

I guess it's up to me then. I activated the cyan blade, feeding magicka into the saber to make it snap to life. I quickly drew the dragon's attention, as he glanced over to me. He lowered his head, snaking Merura off his head, and spitting out the dead guard. He basically ignored the guards as they slapped him with their weapons. And I stood in my spot as the dragon started slamming his winged arms into the ground as he crawled over to me. My feet trembled as he walked over, his eyes glued to me.

"Zu'u Mirmulnir." The dragon was basically standing over my head now, and everyone just stood there, watching as he glared down at me. "Dovahkiin." He purred, slapped my face with his hot smelly breath. He smelled like brimstone. Huh… guess that's… probably how he should smell. "Krif krin, bahlaan hokoron."

I continued to stand there, looking the dragon in the eye. "Can we just…" I couldn't say not fight. I had to do this… in order for this game to go the way it's supposed to. I can't just… not kill him. I don't want to kill him though. "not fight?"

The dragon looked bewildered, then threw his head back, roaring a laugh, spitting fire up into the air. He glanced back down at me, Shouting Fire Breath at me. I brought both my shield and my cyan beamsaber up, and the beamsword created a ward around me, diverting the magic Fire Breath away from me, and I was so glad that it worked. I had hoped this weapon would save me… and it has. I'm keeping this thing now. It's mine.

I screamed as I pushed off my feet, still feeding FP into my feet for the Force Enhancement spell. I flew right into the neck of the dragon, swinging my beamsword right into his throat. Or… I tried. I was thrown off too quickly to get my sword into him. And I was tossed off like a seasoned warrior shrugging off a child's lame slap with a pool noodle. I hit the ground pretty quickly, and pretty hard. And as I crashed into the ground, I felt a heavy set of scales press down on top of me.

"Tell me, Dovahkiin." The dragon glared down at me. "If you die… will the first born send another?" He opened his mouth, preparing his spell.

I almost forgot I was still holding onto the beamsword, but now was the time to use it. I screamed as I slashed at the dragon's hand, which was almost as big as me, and pretty much crushed my legs. They're broken… I think. I can't move them, I know that much. And I'm in a lot of pain down there. The beamsword pressed up against the scales, but didn't slice through them. That didn't stop the dragon from reacting, screaming in surprise and agony as he ripped his claw off me, backing away.

"That weapon… you…" His eyes narrowed.

I struggled to stand up, and even if I was able, I could only because I felt the warmness of Histskin beginning to activate. I had to use this up while it was still working.

I screamed as I pushed more Force Energy into my body. I bent my one useable leg underneath me, and pushed off the ground. I flew up to the dragon, thrusting my sword right to him. And I was welcomed to a bitch-slap with his winged arm. Upon impact, I lost my vision. I did find, however, the cold hard ground. And somewhere in the process, I lost my beamsword. Feck.

"You were an interesting development." The dragon's voice roared far away from me. "You humans haven't changed. You're weaker than ever." I felt a cold breeze overtake me, and I realized the dragon was flapping his wings. Guards were falling down all around me.

"Everyone, fire your arrows! Bring that winged beast down!" Irileth screamed, firing lightning out of her fingertips.

I managed to roll myself over, watching as the guards fired their bows and crossbows. The dragon that was just about to take off, was soon pelted with arrows and bolts. All of which that did… nothing. Hit him and ricocheted off. Seriously… what is wrong with this? Nothing we do can harm this thing!

The dragon laughed deep in his belly. "Nice try, but… take this." He breathed fire down on top of us. I managed to crawl away as he bathed the battlefield in his Fire Breath Shout. I watched and heard as guards screamed in agony, their bodies burning away. They were being cooked in their chainmail. My Histskin was still repairing my body, and I managed to push myself up onto my feet. I looked around for my beamsword, and I found it nearby resting underneath a rock. That beamsword was the only way we were going to win.

"Talia!" Hadvar screamed. He was standing on the other side of the battlefield, dragging a burned guard out of the killing field. "Where are you?"

"Over here!" I screamed back. Smoke from the fire was beginning to overwhelm me, getting into my lungs and burning my eyes. "I think we should retreat!"

"Not until we kill the beast." Ky said from somewhere.

"Is this really all you have to offer?" I heard a familiar voice. It was Delphine's.

And that's when I saw it. A massive wad of red lightning crashing into the dragon, hard enough that it was tossed from the air onto the ground. The dragon screamed in agony as his wings folded in response to the surprise lightning barrage, and he crumbled to the middle of the training yard, spasming in pain, trying his best to roar.

And then I saw her, Delphine, standing on top of the watchtower, a glowing Akaviri katana in her hand. She spread her arms out, aiming the katana in a stance that reminded me of Saito's gatotsu from Rurouni Kenshin, which if you haven't watched it, or read it, is basically a thrusting move that it used with the intention to kill upon impact. And Delphine was holding that posture while standing on top of the wrecked watchtower.

And then… she jumped off the watchtower.

And I watched as she fell through the air, holding her posture erect as she fell on top of the dragon's back. I heard the monster scream, belching whatever fire he could summon as he tried to flap himself up into the air.

"Come on, Dragonborn!" Delphine screamed from somewhere on the dragon's back. "Finish him!"

I nodded, grabbing the beamsword, and activating the cyan blade. I pushed with all I had, my one leg still healing, causing me to limp with one bad leg. I tried my best to rush over to him, holding my cyan blade in front of me. It was a good thing I did too. The dragon was arching his head down at me, breathing fire down upon me. I held my lightsaber up, screaming, "I am all the Jedi!" And I took that fire breath attack, my blade repelling the Fire Breath as I slowly approached him. I could still feel the heat of his breath, but it was a welcome compared to the cold air slowing me down.

The ground underneath me was turning hot as I continued marching on, and it quickly felt like I was walking on heated coals. I mean… I basically was walking on heated coals. That didn't stop me though. I continued marching on, slowly advancing on him. And as I got close, the dragon snapped his head down at me. He was going to bite me!

I reacted, doing an overhead men strike on him. I caught him in his lips, if you can call them that. I slid my beamsaber right through his mouth, slicing it open. The dragon roared in pain as he threw his face away. More out of desperation than anything, the dragon started trying to flap his wings, but Delphine was busy cutting them apart, making his arms basically useless. Finally. His chest was exposed.

I screamed as I jumped at him, thrusting my beamsword right through his chest. I hope I hit something vital, and with how the dragon reacted, I think I at least hit something fatal. The dragon screamed in pain, falling over backwards. And I took the opportunity to jump on top of him, stabbing with my crystal beamsword. I felt blood splash me in the face, but I didn't stop. Not until this creature stops moving! And he was thrashing underneath me, trying his best to throw me off. But with his wings broken, his chest bleeding, there was little he could do to escape.

I finally found myself limping my way over to his neck. And I sighed a small bit of relief as I took my saber and thrust it through his throat. And then I started to carve his neck off. It was hard. His scales are still almost just as strong as my saber, but with enough patience, I was able to cut his throat open. He screamed in protest, Fire Breath seeping through the hole in his throat, threatening to overtake me, if my saber wasn't designed to prevent magicka from touching me.

And so… in a matter of minutes, I had the dragon dead. His body thrashed a little bit, but… he was dead. I could tell because his body was beginning to turn to ash. Rainbow ash.

I stood there, completely awestruck, as the dragon's body began to burn away. Whatever remained of the guards and Companions watched from a distance as the dragon's body burned away. Delphine stood beside me, watching expectantly as the dragon slowly began to reduce itself to bone. The rainbow ash very quickly started flowing towards me, as if a vortex was blowing the rainbow smoke inside me. And I spread my arms out, welcoming the Dragon soul inside me. I felt something… empowering enter me, as if I had somehow… become more whole. It felt warm, inviting. I had memories flashing in my mind. Memories of flying, eating cows… defeating whole armies of Nords and elves. The measure of honor I afforded these small… creatures, for the sake of a hunter eating his next meal. And after all that, all those memories flooding my brain, I felt a connection to a dragonic word: Fus. I don't know why but… this dragon really liked that word: Fus. And I knew how to blast it out of my mouth, to bring existence to a word.

And just like that… I had a guard approaching me. "I can't believe it… You're… Dragonborn."

Everyone stood around me, silent. I let the moment sink in. I couldn't believe it, but… I'd been silently fearing that… I wasn't actually Dragonborn. That everything I was doing up to this point was… all for nothing. But it's not for nothing, is it? I'm here, the dragon's not… and I have his soul inside me. So… yeah. I'm the Dragonborn.

I looked over at Delphine, waiting for her reaction. She crossed her arms, arching an eyebrow at me. "Well, I guess we have some training to do, don't we?" She offered with a small knowing look, as if answering my question without me even having to ask it.

That brought a smile to my face. "First thing's first. We need to get Esbern. He's in Riften. I need to go there anyway." Old woman to murder, Inigo to find. All the good stuff.

"Wait." Lydia walked over to us, her face flushed, her eyes wide. "You… you're…" She was shaking her head. "I don't understand. You just absorbed that dragon? You're… the dragonborn of legend?"

I nodded. "Yes. Come on, Lydia. Keep up." I know you haven't been with us that long, but still.

"Oh, give the lady a break." The smooth voice of Thrawn spoke from the pillows of smoke. I could see his glowing red eyes as he carefully marched through the dense smoke up to us. "She has not the insight the rest of us possess. We all knew you were the Dragonborn before this dragon went up in smoke. The Knight-in-training did not." He glanced at Lydia, looking her up and down. "You must be Lydia of Helgen. I am truly sorry for your loss."

Lydia, standing there like an idiot, stared unblinking into Thrawn's eyes. She tried to make noises with her mouth, but all I heard was the sputtering of a teenage band geek from the freshman class asking out the head cheerleader of senior class. Yeah, I know… how stereotypical, and band geeks are cool, and all that. And yeah… most of my friends were in band. So, yeah, it's totally a false stereotype, but we all know what I'm talking about when I say it. She was a deer caught in the headlights, another phrase most people should, but some don't, understand. So, how to clarify this reasonably? She was entranced by his majesty, his grand posture, and she was drooling over the very sight of his manhood. Yeah, that sounds better. A little innuendo but… better.

"You're… Thrawn." Lydia managed to say without spitting out her tongue.

Thrawn nodded. "You are correct." He turned away from her, looking at me. "I am sorry we were unable to assist in a higher capacity, but the dragon hit us before we were ready. As was our agreement, I have provided you the means to begin your journey. You have awoken your Dragonborn status, and thus, I have begun my partnership with you. I do hope you continue to grow, dear Talia Cearbhail. I would love to see where your journey takes you. I have my own agenda to see to, so I fear that this is our goodbye for the moment. I will instruct my men to let you do as you please, unless they interfere with our grand plan. Do not make me regret our arrangement. Do I make myself clear?"

I nodded. "I understand, Thrawn. And don't worry. As long as you don't harass the people of Skyrim, and target only the violent bandits and hedge witches that attack the innocent, then… you can do whatever you like. And if I were to suggest a great target." His eyebrows shot up. "The Thalmor. Do whatever you like to them. Especially the ones in Cyrodiil."

Thrawn smirked. "I do enjoy the method of your madness." He saluted me as he turned away. "We shall meet again, Dragonborn."

"Don't forget to let that Jedi go! Tell him to meet me in Riften." I screamed to Thrawn.

He waved back at me. "I will pass along the message, Dragonborn."

I looked back over to Lydia and Delphine. "So… I'm getting pretty tired. Any chance we can… head back and get some sleep."

"Not before we head back to the palace and let the Jarl know what happened here." Irileth said as she walked over to us. She nodded her head at me, smiling as she said, "That was a fierce battle, and I'm glad you were with us. I'm not sure how this would have played out if you hadn't been here with that… glowing sword of yours."

I know exactly what would have happened. Everyone would have died. Unless Delphine and Thrawn killed the dragon. Those weapons, even Irileth's magick did nothing to the dragon. He shrugged off every attack.

I nodded. "Yeah. Listen, I'm sure you can go to the Jarl and chat to him. Me on the other hand. I can talk to him in the morning, and this seems like a first-thing-in-the-morning chat anyway. So… I'm going to go to bed. I have at least six more hours I need before I'm ready to get up." Not true, but… I really want a nap. And tomorrow, I'm going shopping.

The world started to shake underneath us, enough that several of us were falling off our feet, and for a second, I thought another dragon had showed up.

"DO…VAH…KIIN…" A monstrous echoing voice ripped through the sky. Clouds in the night sky parted as a bright aurora borealis morphed from nothing. This aurora was brightly colored blues, greens, purples, oranges, pinks. It was like looking at a night rainbow. And that's when I fell in love with this place. The beautiful lights dancing in the sky.

"Well… I guess the Graybeards know about you." Delphine muttered to herself.

I nodded. "Yup, but they're going to wait. Riften comes first." And sleep. Mostly sleep. And when we get on the carriage… I'll get even more sleep. I need it after the past few days.

I glanced back at Irileth. "So… I'm going back to the inn. You can go inform Jarl Balgruuf about what happened, and I will come to see him first thing in the morning, when I wake up. Is that cool with you?"

Irileth glared at me. "I'd prefer we go now, and then you go to sleep. It will be easier for all of us if you get it over with and then sleep in."

Huh… not a bad plan.

I shrugged. "Fine, let's get this over with."

Cearbhail:

Yup, we're marching back to the palace, and i'm dead tired on my feet. I can't wait to have the long exposition rant where Balgruuf makes me listen to him talk for a couple hours without end. At least I won't have to repeat it with any armies and the talk of a man's axe.