Hello everyone! It is time for Alduin's backstory! It has taken me a LONG time to write this chapter, and I am not going to lie, this might be the longest chapter I might have written for this story! I originally wanted to divide it into different chapters, but I didn't want to do that, so I decided to put it all in one chapter. To be honest, before the end of Volume 3, I originally wanted Alduin to be the 'Great Evil' Blackheart had to slay. But as the series went on, I changed it so Alduin was married or with Salem and is made The Grimm King. But after thinking long and hard, I decided to have him like this. Bit of a warning, there will be transitions between the present and the past, so the italicized will be Alduin and Blackheart speaking while the regular font will be the past.
Also, I am hosting a challenge for you all readers. There are phrases in this chapter where Alduin speaks the Dragon Tongue. So my challenge for you all is this: whoever manages to translate all the verses correctly first will get a one-shot dedicate to them. Whether it's for this story or anything else, so long as it is PG-13 or under.
Anyways, sit back, relax, grabs some snacks and enjoy this LONG chapter.
Chapter 53
"But…what exactly happened to you? Why the sudden change? Why are you a Faunus? And what have you done?"
"That, Dovahkiin, is a long story. Sit down as I tell you what happened after your small victory."
After he felt his entire being wiped from Sovngarde, Alduin opened his eyes as he looked around and saw that he was in a white void. As he looked around, he remembered what happened moments before appearing here: the Dragonborn had just bested him and his soul is in this void. Remembering his humiliating defeat, Alduin let out a loud roar as the void echoed his anguished roars.
"Curse that Dovahkiin!" Alduin shouted, "Curse him! My victory was at hand and yet he bested me?! This is impossible! When I return to his homeland, I feast on his soul and wiped out everything he holds dear!"
"Alduin, it had been a long time."
When Alduin heard that voice, he looked up and saw a dragon that had a golden/orange fire silhouette floating above him. Alduin knew who was before him and snarled at him.
"Father Akatosh," Alduin said, "I am surprised to see you after all this time."
"It has been indeed," Akatosh said, "But we are not here to discuss that. I brought you here because you have disrupted the law of order and interfered with fate."
"I am claiming what is mine!" Alduin shouted, "It was my birthright to rule the land and devour those who defy me!"
"You are meant to end an era so that a new one can be created," Akatosh said, "To devour the world so the cycle can begin again. You used your power to create a tyranny and force every mortal to follow you. You were created for a greater purpose rather, not for dominance."
Alduin growled at Akatosh more and said "And what? You plan to have me locked away in this place? In hopes to keep me from returning to Nirn and raise my army to crush the mortals?"
Akatosh replied "Keeping you here will solve nothing. I know now that keeping you here will do nothing to change your mind. That is why, for your punishment for going against your role, you shall be imprisoned in another world. One where you are out of reach from our own."
When Akatosh said that, Alduin raised an eyebrow. Since he was a god himself, Alduin knew there were certain rules that he had to follow, one being not able to interfere with another god's creation or, in any way, get involved with them. Personally, if Alduin had the chance, he could have ruled another world and challenge the god who created it for the right over it, but Alduin was prideful and would rather claim the world he set his eyes on.
"You plan to imprison me in another world without the consent of the god who created it?" Alduin asked, "That is bold, even for you, father."
"Normally yes," Akatosh said, "However, the world I found was abandon by the gods who created it. I haven't sensed their presence in their world for thousands of years, so I plan to have you imprisoned there."
Alduin huffed and said "And what of the mortals who live there? Surely you know that, once you set me in that world, I will rule over their world one way or another."
"No," Akatosh said, "You will not. Out of all the places to mortals of that world live in, there is only one place where there are no mortals present for you to enslave, one where the danger of that land is too great for them. You will be all alone."
When Alduin heard this, he growled in anger and shouted "You cannot do that!"
"I can and I will," Akatosh said as he spread his wings, "I, Akatosh, hereby sentence you, Alduin, my first born, to imprisonment until the day is needed for you to return to fulfil your role as World Eater. You will be bound to this land and you will never be able to leave as you will remain there until you learn to coexist with the mortals. And while you are imprisoned there, you will learn what it means to be a mortal and experience the struggles they endure."
"Wait," Alduin said, "What do you mean by that?!"
"I hope for the best for you, Alduin," Akatosh said, "Despite what you have done, you are still my child. Farewell."
Suddenly, the void got brighter as the light blinded Alduin as he felt a strange sensation all over his body as he suddenly fell to the ground. He slowly opened his eyes as he looked up and saw the ground covered in grass, trees were fully grown and the sky was blue. Growling in frustration, he slowly got up but suddenly felt a strange feeling on his wings. He looked down and, to his shock and horror, saw hands and arms covered in his black scales. He moved them as he saw the finger-claws moving the way he was thinking. He then slowly tried to stand on his hind legs but felt wobbly, looked down and saw that his dragon legs were replaced by human legs…along with a long object that was stuck between his legs. He knew for certain what that object was…but in his dragon form…it was much larger than that.
"Okay, I don't need to know THAT much details!"
"But you said…"
"I know what I said! Just shut up and continue your damn story!"
Panicking, Alduin rushed through the forest as he eventually arrived at river stream. Seeing it, Alduin rushed to it as he looked down at his own reflection. To his horror, he saw that he had the appearance of a mortal man with a black beard and long black hair, but he still had his crimson eyes and his dragon horns. In rage, he looked out and let out a thunderous roar that shook the sky and the ground.
"CURSE YOU, FATHER!" Alduin shouted, "YOU WILL PAY FOR MAKING ME MORTAL! I WILL FIND A WAY OUT OF HERE AND BRING DESTRUCTION UPON THIS WORLD!"
Alduin continued to roar in anguish.
"After that, I began to explore my…prison. Fortunately, I had all of my powers and was able to travel the land easily. But, it is as my father said, the moment I try to leave, I am somehow transported back into the land. And true to his word, there were no mortals living in that land. As time passed, my hunger began to increase and realized that I need to consume food. True that I am a god and immortal, I still have those cravings mortals seem to have. Although there were animals to feast on, they didn't sustain my hunger for too long. That is until I encountered creatures I have never seen before. Of course, I didn't know what they were back then, but they were, as the mortals of this world, called Grimm. I have feasted on them and discovered that, while they taste disgusting, they provide a surprising amount of negativity to satisfy my hunger…for a while. And of course, I needed a place to stay in, since my form is that of a mortal and not a dovah, I was forced to live in a cave. It was uncomfortable at first before I start digging more until I found a cavern full of different crystals, to which the mortals call it Dust…I still say it's ridiculous to call it by that pathetic name."
"Yeah, even I have to agree with you on that."
"But the moment I felt the energy emitting from the Dust and onto my skin, I was relaxed and felt like I was home in Skyrim. There were different types of Dust that covered the cavern. And yes, I eaten some of them, while they taste delicious, they did not provide me with enough energy to satisfy my hunger."
"Oh, so they were like snacks for you then?"
"They were. Each Dust had a different flavor to them and I felt their power coursing through my body, but only for a short time. In time, I made it my home as I would go, hunt down Grimm and devour their rotten flesh. And so, for almost 70 years, I have been living by myself with no contact with any living, sentient, being. My fellow brethren were no longer with me, no mortals to enslave and no gods to challenge. It was maddening for me to live like that for all that time. I truly thought I was going insane, that I would remain on Menagerie forever."
"That is…until one day…that all change…"
Alduin was sitting over a cliff that was looking over the land where the forest and the dessert met. For 70 years, he was forced to live as a human, even taking on the habit of wearing clothes! While he never wanted to wear clothes, the idea of his…object moving around without staying in one place, he was forced to wear a part of leather pants, one that he made from the fur of a bear. Thankfully, Akatosh provided him with the knowledge to adapt to living as a mortal. Much to his disappointment
After devouring a Beowolf, which was much bigger than the normal ones, Alduin hissed in disgust and said "When I return, I will have to get rid of this taste. I believe the blue crystals will do the trick."
He continued to stare into the horizon as he saw the sun setting down. Another day gone by and no word from Akatosh. Despite being 70 years, it felt like a lifetime for Alduin as each day was the same for him. It was torture for him and felt like he was going to break down anytime soon. But he was strong and prideful, he will not allow himself to be pathetic and will continue on until the day comes when he return to his true form. However…without a single soul to communicate with, Alduin truly did feel alone. He missed the debates he once had with his fellow dragon kin, he missed ordering his Dragon Priests to carry out his will, he missed…his daughter. Out of everything in his life, his only regret was slaying the one he once called daughter. Her betrayal caused him to strike her down and was forever lost to him.
He shook his head from his thoughts and said "Perhaps…this is my punishment. Curse these emotions! Is this what it's like to be a mortal?!"
He then looked up and shouted "Damn you, Akatosh! Damn you!"
After shouting for a while, Alduin calmed himself down and said "No use for that now…not like he will ever listen to me now."
He then sighed and said "Well…time to return home. Another boring day ahead of me."
When Alduin stood up and was about to walk away, to his surprise, he heard a faint gunshot off in the distance. The sound caused him to stop and looked into the direction where the gunshot was. Surely, it must have been his imagination. Of course, that thought vanished the moment he heard more gunshots.
"What…was that?" Alduin asked himself, "I have never heard that sound before."
Deciding to investigate, Alduin leaped off the cliff and landed hard onto the ground, creating a small crater under his feet. He then dashed through the trees as the gunshots were getting closer and closer. Once he was near, he hid himself as he saw mortals battling the Grimm that were present. From what he saw, he saw the mortals holding strange weapons, almost like the one the Dragonborn had when he fought against him, and were wearing strange outfits. However, two stood out to him as he saw a tall man with a hairy chest and a small woman with markings on her body. But what stood out the most was a pair of cat ears coming out the top of her head. The woman looked like a poor excuse of a Khajiit. He then heard them shouting among themselves, but Alduin was unable to understand them, almost like they were speaking a different language. Still, he continued to watch as the mortals fight the Grimm.
"It was strange for me to see mortals living on my land."
"Your land?"
"Well, since it was only me at the time and there was no mortal living there, might as well make it mine."
"Can't argue you with that. So what was going on?"
"From what they told me, it was supposed to be some sort of training exercise for some new recruits for the White Fang. And of course, it was being led by Ghira and Sienna."
"Keep them busy!" Ghira shouted, "Transport is on it's way! Hold them off until it arrives!"
It was supposed to be a simple training exercise for Ghira and Sienna. The two were assigned to train a few recruits from the White Fang and test their leadership. For Ghira and Sienna, it was supposed to prove themselves that they have what it takes to become the High Leader and led the White Fang. But the two have different perspectives in leading the White Fang and bringing equality for the Faunus. But none of that will matter if they are dead! The moment the day was about to end, the Grimm, more specifically a pack of Beowolves, started to show up and started to attack them. While some of the recruits managed to hold them off, Ghira and Sienna were more experienced and were handling the Grimm with ease. Ghira was wielding a large two-sided battleaxe called Jungle Rage while Sienna was fighting with her metal chain whip called Cerberus Whip.
As a Beowolf charged at Ghira, he saw it as he swung his axe and decapitated it's head off while Sienna was slashing her whip at the others and, when she saw one of them rushing towards her, she pressed a button as one of the knives that was attached to the end of the metal while was released and flew towards the Beowolf as it was stabbed in the chest. Sienna gave it a teasing look as it charged at her once again, but the knife exploded and destroyed it's upper part of the Beowolf's body.
Once Ghira finished off a few more Beowolves, he turned to Sienna and said "Sienna! We need to get to high ground! We can signal the Bullhead to pick us there."
"Got it!" Sienna cried as she started to gather the recruits.
However, just as she was about to do that, the ground started to shake a bit. Feeling the tremor, everyone looked around to see what caused the tremor and, to their shock, saw what caused it. It was a large Beringel that stood over 50 feet tall, there were bones sticking out it's back, it's massive fists were large enough to destroy a building and it stared at everyone with it's crimson eyes. This type of Beringel was one of it's kind, one that they hope they would never encounter: a King Krong.
"Are you kidding me?!"
"That Grimm is massive!"
"We are doomed!"
Hearing the recruits scared and panicking, Sienna looked over at Ghira and asked "How long do we have?!"
Ghira replied "They said 5 minutes!"
"Curses!" Sienna shouted as she looked back at the massive Grimm, "We have to hold until then! Everyone, together!"
Everyone aimed their weapons as Ghira turned his weapon to a rifle and they all fired at the King Krong. While they fired their weapons at the King Krong, Sienna rushed to it's legs and started to whip her weapon at it's legs in hopes to bring it down. However, her attacks seem to have no effect as the King Krong raised it's fists, ready to slam them onto the ground. Sienna saw this as the used her whip to grab hold onto a branch from a nearby tree and swung onto it while the King Krong slammed it's fists onto the ground and sent a shockwave that knocked everyone away. Seeing an opening, Sienna leaped down from the branch and rushed towards the King Krong's arm. Before the King Krong could lift it's arm, Sienna managed to land on top of it's hand and ran towards it's face. Once she was near, she swung her whip and threw an ice knife at it's face and froze half of it. Smiling at her success, before she was about to land another attack, the King Krong suddenly grabbed Sienna with it's free hand, squashed her small body before throwing her onto the ground hard, causing her to drop her weapon. Sienna let out a loud scream as she felt her Aura depleted.
As Sienna was slowly getting up, she heard Ghira shouted "Sienna!"
Alerted, Sienna looked up as she saw the King Krong raised it's fist and was ready to slam it on her. Her ears flattened as she was unable to get out of the way…this was the end for her. As she covered her eyes and held up her left arm in hopes that it might protect her, out of nowhere, there was a powerful shockwave that knocked the King Krong almost 30 feet away and landed on it's back! Everyone was in shock of what just happened, and when Sienna felt the shockwave and saw the King Krong knocked to ground, she looked around and saw a figure landing in front of her. Her eyes widen in surprise as she saw Alduin standing before him.
"Wait a minute…who is this?!" Sienna thought, "And…did he knocked down a King Krong by himself?!"
Sensing Sienna near him, Alduin looked at her and observed her. As Sienna felt somewhat uncomfortable with Alduin staring at her, her ears perked up as she turned to the King Krong that was getting up. Alduin saw that she was looking at something and turned to face the King Krong.
Alduin rolled his neck and spoke in a language Sienna had never heard "Zu'u nu lost aan brit kipraan, hi sunvaar."
Completely confused, Sienna said "W-What? What are you saying?"
The King Krong roared in anger as it charged at him and swung it's right arm downwards towards Alduin. Expecting for Alduin to get out of the way, everyone saw him still standing there and yelled at him to get out of the way. But to their utter shock, Alduin merely lifted his left arm and completely stop the King Krong's attack as it pushed Alduin down, creating a small crater with him unharmed. Alduin then dug his claws into the King Krong's hand as he turned his body and, with some of his strength, threw the King Krong over his head and slammed the large Grimm to the ground. Everyone had their mouths practically dropped to the ground at the sight of a Faunus taking on a Grimm that size all by himself. Just as things were getting interesting, the Bullhead finally arrived and the doors opened.
"The Bullhead is here!" Ghira shouted as he turned to the recruits, "Everyone in, now!"
The recruits nodded as they rushed into the bullhead. Ghira rushed to Sienna, helped her up and said "Come on, let's get you on that ship!"
"Wait!" Sienna shouted, "What about that man?!"
They turned to Alduin as he landed on the King Krong's chest, kneeled down and dug both of his hand-claws into it's chest. The King Krong roared in pain as Alduin's body was covered in black fire as the Grimm also glowed back and, to their horror, the energy from the King Krong was being transferred to Alduin. While Alduin was draining the King Krong, Sienna and Ghira noticed that the color of the Grimm's black fur was slowly turning grey as the eyes were lightly dimming. Their attention was broken when one of the recruits shouted that they need to leave now. Regretting what Ghira does next, he grabbed Sienna, placed her over his shoulder as he got on the Bullhead and the door closed on them and they took off.
Meanwhile, Alduin had just finished draining the energy from the King Krong had completely turned white and, when Alduin pulled his hands back, the King Krong slowly crumbled and was reduced to dust. As his body shivered due to the disgust he felt when he absorbed the King Krong, he looked up and saw the mortals he saw earlier gone and he then saw, what look like, a flying carriage disappearing into the distance.
Alduin stood up and said to himself "From the looks of it, they are heading West. Are there…mortals on my land? That is impossible, Akatosh said that this land is dangerous for them to live in, so why are they here now? I need to find out where they are hiding."
As he walked towards the direction of the Bullhead flew to, he felt something under his foot. He looked down and saw Sienna's metal whip laying on the ground. He picked it up and saw that it was light and saw the knife connected to the end as it had a yellow glow to it. He raised it to his nose and sniffed it and realized that the knife has the same scent as a yellow crystal.
"Hmmm," Alduin said, "This contains traces of the yellow crystal, these mortals somehow weaponized them to fight these creatures. Interesting."
He then sniffed the weapon again and he got the scent from the owner and said "Now that I have a scent, I should be able to track them. Now, we shall see where these mortals are hiding."
With that, Alduin gripped the weapon tight as he ran into the forest, following the scent he picked up.
"It took me 2 days to reach my destination. When I got there, I was surprise to see civilization and the fact that the Faunus were living in peace."
"And you didn't know that for 70 years? Why didn't you? You should have known something like that."
"Considering what I was told, I didn't bother going everywhere without a place to stay. Also, I was living near a dessert."
"Why would you live near a dessert? I figure you live in a mountain."
"True, but honestly, I like the weather. Real nice. Anyways, I arrive to Kuo Kuana just days later."
After two days of traveling, Alduin finally arrived at the place where the scent he was following led him to. Expecting a camp where the mortals would be hiding, instead, he found an entire village located on the other end of the land.
"Now this…this is a surprise," Alduin said to himself, "Mortals are living here? How did I not know of this? How long have they been living here for them to create a living? I must know."
With that, Alduin made his way into this village. When he entered the village, he expected mortals to cower in fear due to his appearance. However, that wasn't the case. When he looked around, he noticed that the mortals had one of many animal traits on them: from ears, to tails, to even wings. He had seen many different races when he ruled Skyrim, but he had never seen mortals with different animal parts. He would think they were all from different races, but one sniff, and he noticed that they all have the same scent of species.
"So they are of the same race but different aspects of them? How very…unique…" Alduin thought.
As he walked around and observed the mortals, he noticed them speaking to each other, but he was unable to understand them. But when he turned to face them, he noticed that some of them were looking at him with interest while others were looking away in fear. He could practically sense their negativity, however, not all of it was directed at him. He looked around and noticed smoke from a large house, which was in the center of the village. He saw mortals running from the home while there were some in uniform armor leading people to safety while keeping the others away. Curious, Alduin walked towards the home, while ignoring the mortals in armor. He could practically smell the negativity from that specific home, it almost smelled like treachery.
"Turns out, when I arrived, there was a coup that was raiding the home of the chief at the time, who was Ghira's father by the name of Panthor Belladonna. The guards were sent to calm the citizens to prevent the attraction of Grimm while others defended the chief. Only Ghira, Sienna and Kali had luck in fighting the more experience members of that coup."
"Wait, Blake's mom fought them? She seems so nice."
"You would think so, but no. That woman is a fighter and she can hold her ground very well. Anyways, they were in the middle of a battle before I arrived…"
"This is just great!" Sienna shouted as she hid behind a pillar as Dust bullets flew through the air, "I would fight back if I had my weapon!"
"You can borrow one of mine!" Kali shouted as she held two pistols and fired back.
"You need them more than I do!" Sienna shouted
Ever since she and Ghira returned, they had to explain to both their High Leader and the Chief about why they had to return from their training exercise. They explained what happened to them, including the King Krong and an unidentified Faunus that took down the King Krong. While the two leaders were somewhat conflicted of that, they were both relieve for them to make it back safely without the loss of life. Though Sienna was irritated due to the fact that she lost her weapon.
However, today turned for the worst as an unexpected group, a coup so to speak, attacked Chief Pantor Belladonna at his home. Apparently, they were no satisfied that the Belladonnas were always in charge of Menagerie, so they decided to overthrow the current chief so a new one could be named. Of course, this was a planned attack since the High Leader of the White Fang was away and the council was nowhere in Menagerie, so the timing was perfect.
While the guard handled the smaller grunts, the real threat were the ones who Ghira, Sienna and Kali were facing. Standing in the entrance of the room was a large Ox Faunus by the name of Oxton Strongarm who's Sembalance allows him to turn his skin into an indestructible metal. His ox horns stick out from his hair with his grey hair and he was just wearing a pair of dark blue pants and black boots with black armbands. Currently, he was facing Ghira as he was protecting his father from the rebellious coup leader.
"Why attack my father, Oxton?!" Ghira shouted as he fired his weapon at him, "My father has done great things for Menagerie! Why attack him?!"
Oxton replied as the Dust bullets bounced off his metal skin "Your family has led Menagerie for too long! It is time for a new leadership! One that is strong to lead the Faunus to a better future! One that will show the Humans that we are a superior race!"
"No!" Ghira shouted, "We are supposed to bring equality, not oppress the humans!"
"You are a fool to believe that, Ghira!" Oxton shouted as he swung his massive hammer at Ghira, to which he evaded.
Meanwhile, Kali managed to take out a few coup members while Sienna took them down the old fashion way as she used her agility and skill to take down the rebels. She gritted her teeth as she would have easily taken down these rebels if she had her weapon!
Ghira was pushed back as Oxton gripped his hammer as he pointed at Ghira and Panthor, who was standing behind his son, and said "Your lineage ends here!"
Ghira growled as he raised his axe and shouted "Bring it on!"
Before the two were about to resume their fight, they heard loud commotions outside the door. Ghira, Panthor and Oxton all turned their attention at the door as the door exploded and in came three rebels, all who were knocked to ground. Everyone heard the explosion, turned and saw Alduin walking into the room and looked around. While everyone was confused at who this Faunus was, only Ghira and Sienna knew who this person was and were in complete shock.
"What the hell?!" Sienna shouted, "How the hell did he get here?!"
"No," Ghira said, "How?"
"Son?" Panthor said as he looked at his son, "What is it?"
Ghira turned to him and replied "Remember the Faunus we told about? The one who fought against the King Krong? That is him."
Alduin sniffed the air once again as he set his eyes and Sienna and walked towards her. Seeing Alduin walking towards her, Sienna readied herself as he got closer but a few rebels got in between the two of them, aimed their weapons at Alduin and fired Dust bullets at him. Instead of the bullets harming him, the bullets were merely crushed the moment they made contact with Alduin's body. The rebels were scared at the fact Alduin just stood there and took the bullets head on. As the rebels just stood there, Alduin let out a low growl as the rebels were quickly reloading their weapons.
Right before they were about to finish, Alduin shouted "LIZ SLEN NUS!"
Everyone was a bit shock to see the rebels suddenly turn into a block of ice. After that, Alduin walked to Sienna as he was finally in front of her. Feeling a bit brave, Sienna asked "What is it you want?"
As if he understood her, Alduin raised his right hand, showing her the weapon she lost and said "Los daar zun hin, vahdin?"
Seeing her metal whip, Sienna gasped in excitement as she quickly grabbed her weapon and said "My weapon!"
She then looked at him and asked "You…brought me my weapon?"
"Enough of this!" Oxton shouted as he turned his hammer into a mounted rocket launcher, placed it over his shoulder, "I have had enough of this! Now die!"
He then aimed his weapon at Ghira and fired a missile at him. Kali shouted in fear as the missile got close to Ghira and it exploded. Everyone, except for Oxton, gasped in shock as the smoke died down. Expecting for Ghira to be fatally injured, they were a bit surprised to see Alduin standing in front of him with his right arm out, as if he blocked the attack himself.
"What the?!" Sienna asked as she looked at where Alduin stood before, "How did he get there so fast?!"
As Ghira was surprised that this stranger just saved him, Alduin spoke "Mey do hi wah nos olnid naan morah."
Everyone just stood quiet as Alduin spoke until Kali said "Does anyone have any idea what he is saying?"
Panthor then said "He seems to speak in a different language. What language? I have no idea."
"I don't care about that!" Oxton said as he changed his weapon to his hammer, "Get out of my way, you fool, or die!"
He then charged at Alduin, raised his hammer and swung it against Alduin's head. Instead of knocking him to a wall, Alduin just stood there as he took the attack head on, not even flinching. Oxton was in shock that his attack did nothing on him as Alduin said "Hi los rinik kril wah luft zu'u, joor."
Irritated, before Oxton was about to deliver another attack, Alduin was already in front of him as he delivered a powerful backslap across his face and sent the Ox Faunus into a wall. As Oxton grunted in pain due to the force he received from that attack, before he even recovered, Alduin was already in front of him as he grabbed Oxton by the neck and pulled him off the wall. Oxton was trying with all his might to free himself from Alduin's grip, but he gripped his hand tighter. So long as Oxton had his Sembalance activated, he should be safe from Alduin's grasp. However, he felt Alduin's claws digging into his skin and somehow felt his claw slowly penetrating his skin.
In fear, Oxton looked at Alduin as he said "Hi fen mindok sahlo."
All of a sudden, Alduin's body was suddenly covered in black flames while Oxton was glowing grey. Alduin then opened his mouth, took a deep breath as Oxton's grey energy was being sucked into Alduin's mouth. Everyone was stunned at what was going on while Oxton grabbed Alduin's arm and tried to break himself free. After Oxton tried so hard to break free, he suddenly felt his strength leaving him and soon felt very tired. His arms limped as he was now motionless and his skin turned back to normal. Once Alduin had finished draining Oxton's energy, he threw him to the ground…and suddenly, his body began to twitch a bit. Alduin the let out a shout as his whole body was covered in black energy and released a powerful shockwave everywhere. Ghira, Panthor, Sienna and Kali all held their ground while their instincts told them to run away. The presence of Alduin was terrifying to them a lot, to think a Faunus like him existed for so long without them knowing.
Alduin then laughed and shouted "Nu daar lostaan kipraan! Ok sil los pruzaan wah fin gein zu'u lost ahst fin vod!"
A bit scared, Kali said "W-What just happened?"
"Did…Did he…eat Oxton's Aura?" Sienna asked.
Alduin then looked at Ghira and Panthor and asked "Wo los hi, joor? Wa los hi dreh nau dii golt?"
Panthor then said "I…I am sorry, but we don't know what you are saying."
Alduin stood silent for a moment before he closed his eyes for a bit and, when he opened them, he said "Who. Are. You? What. Are. You. Doing. In. My. Land?"
"So wait, all it took for you to understand their language was by eating Oxton's soul?"
"Devouring a soul is almost like obtaining information. Why do you think absorbing all those dragon souls allowed you to learn a Word of Power?"
"I see your point. So you like have his memories?"
"In a way. In the past, when I devour a soul, I would obtain the memories of my victims. But over time, I just ignore that and focus on the source of power."
"And since you have eaten a normal soul in the past, how was it eating a person with their Auras unlocked?"
"It is like eating from one of those high society restaurants compare to those terrible fast food places."
"…I am honestly surprise you even know that…"
"Yes, well, after I apparently stopped the coup, that is when I start asking my questions."
"Wait a minute…you have been living in Menagerie…for 70 years?" Panthor asked.
After the rebels were arrested and Oxton was taken away, Alduin stayed behind Panthor and his son, who he called Ghira. Alduin replied "Yes, I have been."
"How do we know you aren't just making this up?" Ghira asked.
Alduin replied "I do not lie with this sort of stuff. I was banished to this world by my father and was forced to live in this land until my time to return is needed."
"Your time? For what?" Panther asked.
"To devour the world and everyone in it," Alduin said.
Ghira raised an eyebrow and said "You speak as if you were a god."
"I AM a god," Alduin said, "A God of Destruction. If I wanted, I could destroy this wretched village with everyone in it."
"You wouldn't dare!" Ghira shouted.
Panthor wasn't convinced and said "And yet, why haven't you done so? If you claim to be powerful."
"Because I was aware that this land was too dangerous for mortals to live in, yet you are all settled in," Alduin said, "Explain."
"Well," Panthor said, "After the Great War, the Faunus were given Menagerie so there can be a place for our kind to live. Of course, we've lived in Menagerie for 60 years."
"Only 60 years?" Alduin said, "I am surprised none of you had fled the land by now."
Ghira then said "We are a proud race. It will take more than the Grimm and the wildlife to get rid of us."
Alduin tilted his head and said "Grimm?"
"Creatures of darkness," Ghira said, "You know, the one that you fought when we first met?"
"Ah yes," Alduin said, "Those creatures with the awful taste."
"You actually eat the Grimm?" Ghira asked.
"Yes, unfortunately," Alduin said, "They are the only source of power that can satisfy my hunger. I have learned that the older these 'Grimm' are, the more energy they provide for me."
"I would imagine," Ghira said, "But one thing is still bothering me: How is it that a god, like you, has been living in the wilderness for 70 years and not realize that there was civilization just a few miles away from him?"
"I may be a god, I am not all-knowing," Alduin said, "Besides, I was comfortable where I was living."
"Okay, hold on a moment, you mean to tell me that they just believed that you are a god? I am surprise they took it so well."
"Well, Panthor's Sembalance allowed him to see if a person was telling the truth or not."
"And of course, being the proudful god you are, you just had to brag about it."
"Of course."
"Oh? You have a house out there?" Panthor asked, "If so, there can be arrangements to have it moved here."
"Oh?" Alduin said as he looked at the chief of Menagerie, "Are you offering me a place among your kind?"
"God or not," Panthor said, "You are a citizen of Menagerie for the longest time, it is fair for you to live among us."
Ghira looked at him and asked "Father, are you sure this is a wise decision?"
"Why not?" Panthor said, "Perhaps living among us can change his views on how we live day-by-day."
"You want me to live among your kind?" Alduin asked.
Ghira turned to him and said "What? Faunus?"
"Mortals," Alduin corrected him, "Race, species, it doesn't matter to me. You, and every living being in this world is a mortal regardless."
Panthor stroke his beard and said "And what you think of equality between Faunus and Humans?"
Alduin replied "There will always be conflict, equality is but an illusion meant to satisfy everyone."
Ghira then said "But it is possible."
"I would like to see that," Alduin said, "And as for you moving my home here, I am afraid that would be impossible. I have lived in a cavern for decades, and it would be a shame to leave it."
"And why is that?" Panthor asked.
Alduin replied "Because it contained these unique crystals covering the whole area. They come in different colors and each had a different element to them. They taste delightful, but they don't fill my hunger. They are good at removing taste from the Grimm I devour."
When Alduin said that, both Ghira and Panthor looked at him in shock as Ghira said "Wait, you were living in a cave filled with Dust?!"
"Dust?" Alduin said, "The cave was rather clean for it not to have any dust."
"No, No, No," Ghira said, "The crystals you mention, they are called Dust. We use them for transportation, power and for our weapons."
"I did notice that when I had that woman's weapon," Alduin said before giving him a deadpan look, "But Dust…really? Seems kind of pathetic to call it that."
"Don't blame us for that," Ghira said as he turned to Panthor, "Father, if what he says is right, then you might have our own supply of Dust."
"Perhaps," Panthor said, "But it is only one cave, chances of finding more locations with Dust deposits would be impossible to find."
Alduin heard this and said "Just how valuable is this Dust to you?"
Panthor replied "Well, very valuable. It would save us a lot of trouble of having to rely on shipments to obtain them."
Alduin rubbed his chin and thought "Perhaps I can use this to my advantage. They need Dust to live…and I know exactly where the locations are for them to harvest the Dust…by Oblivion that is an awful name."
Alduin placed both hands behind his back and said "What if I told you that I know the location of EVERY Dust deposits?"
Both Ghira and Panthor looked at him in surprise as Panthor said "You know the location of them?"
"When you live for as long as I have, you need some form of entertainment," Alduin said, "And yes, I do. I have traveled throughout Menagerie and found locations on where these Dusts were hidden away."
"And how did you do that?" Ghira asked.
Alduin simply tapped his nose and said "My sense of smell allowed me to pick up the scent of Dust, no matter how deep they are buried underground."
Ghira narrowed his eyes and said "And I don't suppose you are going to show us the locations out of the goodness of your heart."
Alduin then placed a hand on his chest and said "To show you that I am telling you the truth, I can show you the location of one close by."
"And what of the Grimm?" Ghira asked.
Alduin replied "The Grimm have always avoided me for some reason for some reason. That is why I had to hide my power just so I can hunt them properly. As long as I am nearby, your people will be safe."
"But my son does have a point," Panthor said, "This is, technically, your land. And we will be mining the Dust from you. So, what do you want from all of this?"
Alduin thought about it and said "Well, you did offer me a place among your kind. So I will take that as part of this little deal of ours. I show you the locations of these Dust deposits so that your people can live more peacefully. And in return…well…mostly a place to stay, one that will satisfy my needs."
"Sounds reasonably," Panthor said, "Though we can discuss further details once we start mining the Dust and estimating their value so you can receive the profits."
Alduin thought about it and said "Very well. I suppose this agreement will do for now."
Ghira crossed his arms and said "You'll see how determined and proud we are."
"Of course," Panthor said, "Telling the public that there is a god among us will not only cause panic, but also think that we are going insane. So if you like, we can tell them that you are a Faunus."
Alduin rubbed his chin and said "I suppose that is reasonable, not many would be open-minded to follow a god nowadays. I suppose I can pose as a Faunus. As for what kind, my form in the past was that of a Dovah."
As both Panthor and Ghira gave him a confused look, Alduin sighed and said "It means Dragon in my language."
"A Dragon Faunus?" Ghira said, "There never was a Dragon Faunus of any kind in the past. You may be the first of its kind."
"Hmmm," Alduin said, "Sounds interesting. Very well, you have a deal."
Both Panthor and Alduin shook their hands, sealing the deal.
"Once the pact was sealed, Panthor began to make arrangements to travel to the nearest Dust Deposit. Afterwards, Ghira introduced me to Sienna and Kali, who at the time was his 'girlfriend' as they call it. They were also told the truth of existence but were told to keep it a secret as well. Once the council was summoned, Panthor introduced me to them and told them of me, how I am a Dragon Faunus and lived on Menagerie before it was given to the Faunus. They were skeptical at first, but Panthor managed to convince them otherwise, so they believed him. Afterwards, I led a group of miners, along with Ghira and a handful of White Fang followers to the deposit. Once there, they began mining while I stayed to make sure no Grimm would attack us. It took almost weeks for them to discover the Dust resigning in the mine and began harvesting it. The look on their faces, along with the council, was almost satisfying to see."
"Why is that?"
"Because they wouldn't believe some 'stranger from the wilderness' would know where Dust would be hidden. And so, I accompanied the miners to ward off the Grimm. After a while, I would stay back at Kuo Kuana to see if the Grimm would attack. Fortunately, the Grimm wouldn't attack them, which made Dust mining safe in that area. While I lived in Menagerie, Ghira and the others taught me how to blend in with the other mortals, even trying to help me start up a business, they would say."
"That would explain you owning your own Dust Company. What did you end up calling it?"
"It was difficult at first, but eventually, I decided to call it The Dovaruth Dust Company."
"Dragon's Rage? Really?"
"Either that or Sovngarde Dust Company, but there is already another SDC existing. Don't want another bad Dust company."
"Good point."
"But just as mortals from our world, their hearts are full of avarice. They wanted to start more mining operations in the locations I have provided for them. I have told them that one mine at a time would be sufficient for the time being. Of course, they ignore my reason."
A thunderous roar shook the sky and ground as the citizens of Menagerie all cower as Alduin was pacing back and forth from his home. It has been almost a year since he had started to live among the Faunus. Although some fear him due to their animal instincts, they still interact with him. It felt strange for Alduin to live among the mortals without them worshiping him. Though, they do praise him for the Dust he had provided for him. Who knew that these mortals relied on Dust so much?
However, right now, he was furious because of that reason.
He had learned that the council had conducted their own Dust mining operation without his permission, and because of that, most of the miners lost their lives due to a Grimm attack. Some of them even tried to cover it, but a few survivors told their side of the story and enraged Alduin to no end. He even forced the council to publicly admit their mistake and pay the family of the deceased. But that still won't repair the damage that is done.
"Those imbeciles!" Alduin shouted, "If I had my way, I would kill them where they stand!"
"It's nice to know you are starting to care for us," Sienna said as she sat on a couch, "But even I have to agree with you. Why were they thinking?"
"They weren't thinking," Alduin said, "Mortals are greedy, they will do whatever they can to get what they want, no matter what. Agh! I just want to eat their souls and leave their rotten corpses to the Grimm!"
"As much as I would agree with you, you cannot," Sienna said as she leaned back, "Besides, they are already taking a lot of fire from the people and Chief Panthor. It is only a matter of time before they are all replaced."
"I suppose so," Alduin said as he turned to her, "Why are you even doing here? Shouldn't you be with Ghira and Kali?"
Sienna waved her hand and said "Those two are out on their little date. Though, if you ask me, I think Ghira is going to pop the question."
"Pop the question?" Alduin asked "What question?"
Sienna looked at him and said "You know, ask Kali to marry him."
"Ah," Alduin said, "That kind of question. I would imagine so."
Sienna fake gasped and said "Alduin, are you learning to be a gossip? I thought I never see the day."
"Silence, woman," Alduin said, "But back to the matter at hand. What am I going to do now? Everyone will think twice to work for me and mine the Dust, and they will resort to purchasing Dust somewhere off this land."
"Fearing the competition?" Sienna asked.
"More like worrying," Alduin said, "If any Dust company hears that Menagerie wants to purchase Dust from them after almost a year, they will ask question and will perhaps charge the people more than average in their desperation."
Sienna thought about it and said "I see your point. Though I wouldn't worry about that."
"But I have to admit, we do need to expand the resources a bit," Alduin said, "One Dust mine won't be enough to provide Menagerie. We need more, but I can't be two places at once."
Sienna got up and said "I'm sure you'll figure it out. In the meantime, I am going home and rest for the night. Long day tomorrow."
With that, Sienna left. Alduin growled as he walked to his study room and began to think on what to do. Even though there might be miners working in the Dust mine, that still doesn't leave out the problem at hand. True that they would need more mines to harvest Dust, but he can't be two places at once. How would he be able to accomplish this? It was good that the Grimm fear him, but only in one area. Unless…
"Hmmm," Alduin said to himself, "What if…there were pieces of me protecting them? Would that work?"
Alduin looked down at his hands and said "Perhaps…some sort of protection to cloak their presence."
The thought occurred to him multiple times as he then realized what to do. He then went to the study to create his idea.
"And that is when I began to create a device. One that will ensure the same mistake will not happen again."
"I am really worried, Ghira," Sienna said, "It has been five days since Alduin shut himself in."
Ever since Sienna talked to Alduin about his problem, he had closed off his home from the public. Of course, during that time, just as Sienna predicted, Ghira proposed to Kali, and she of course said yes.
While walking with her, Ghira said "I am sure he has his reasons for keeping things to himself. Though I am a bit curious on what he is working on."
Eventually, the two of them arrived at his door ad Ghira knocked on it. After knocking a few times, Sienna rolled her eyes as she took out a key and used it to unlock the door. As she opened it, Ghira gave her a confused look and asked "Since when do you carry a spare key?"
"Ever since none-of-your-business," Sienna quickly said before putting away.
Ghira just shrugged as the two entered the manor. As the two wondered around each room to find Alduin, they eventually arrived at his study room where they suddenly felt a dark chill in the air. The both of them hesitated for a moment before Sienna slowly opened the door and they saw Alduin sitting behind his desk. Confused at what he was doing, the two of them walked up to him and they noticed a metal collar on the desk that had strange symbols on it as it glowed black for a few seconds before it faded.
"Uh…Alduin?" Ghira asked, "You alright?"
Alerted, Alduin shot up and they noticed that he was worn out and looked like he was lacking some sleep. Alduin rubbed his eyes and said "Oh, Ghira, Sienna, I didn't know you two entered."
"That's because we let ourselves in," Sienna said as she walked by him, "What were you doing? And what is that?"
Alduin slowly got up as he gently picked up the collar and said "What I have been working on these past few days. By making this collar and transferring part of my essence into it, I believe I created a device that will drive the Grimm away from the person wearing this."
When Alduin said that, both Ghira and Sienna perked up as Ghira said "Wait, you manage to create something that can drive off Grimm?"
"Or at least ignore the wearer," Alduin said, "But it needs to be tested first to see if it works or not."
He then collapsed onto the chair as Sienna rushed to his side worried. Alduin then said "And apparently, making a device drains me of my power. So, it will take some time for my powers to be restored."
Taking a breath, Alduin looked up at Ghira and said "Ghira, I want you to gather the council and bring them here."
"The council?" Ghira asked, "For what?"
"For a test," Alduin said, "And perhaps a chance to amend their mistake. Now go."
A bit confused at what he meant, Ghira just agreed as he left the room. Also confused, Sienna looked at him and asked "What are you planning?"
Alduin replied "Something that will make sure this never happens again."
Almost an hour later, Ghira, Panthor and five of the council members, four male and one female Faunus, arrived at Alduin's home. As everyone was wondering what they were doing, that is when Alduin and Sienna made their way downstairs to them. Once they were near, Alduin said "Greetings, I welcome you to my home."
One of the male council members said in a nervous tone "L-Listen, we apologize for any problems we have caused you. I know you are angry at us and…"
"Angry?" Alduin said, "On the contrary councilman, it is I who should be thanking you."
Everyone was confused by what he said as he continued "Because of your foolish and irresponsible decision to mine Dust without my consent, it inspired me to create something, something that will protect the workers from any Grimm attack."
Everyone, except for Ghira and Sienna, gasped in surprise as Panthor asked "And did you?"
"Yes I did," Alduin said as he motioned at Sienna, "The device, if you may."
Sienna nodded as she walked towards them and showed them the metal collar. As everyone observed it, Alduin said "During my time out in the wilderness, I noticed that the Grimm fear me and my powers, that is why I had to conceal myself so I can hunt them properly. And then it occurred to me, what if the workers wore a piece of me while working in a Grimm-infested area? And the results, this collar infused with part of my power."
Another male councilman member asked "And you want the workers to wear this? This will make them feel like more of an animal, which will offend some of them."
"I created something that will protect them from the Grimm and you are complaining that it will make them feel more like animals?" Alduin harshly asked them, "I needed to create something that will not break while they mine. Also, this is just a prototype, we can always make improvements."
"And how can we be sure it works?" the councilwoman asked.
"Well thank you for asking that," Alduin said as he grinned menacingly, "Because one of you is going to test it."
The moment he said that, everyone turned to him in shock as Sienna said "Oh I see where this is going."
"You expect one of them to wear it and send them to the Grimm?!" Ghira shouted.
"Of course not," Alduin said, "I am not that cruel."
As everyone let out a sigh of relief, he then said "That is why I decided to bring one here."
When Alduin raised his hand, it was soon covered in black flames as the door near them opened and a large metal cage containing a vicious Beowolf floated to them. As Alduin placed the cage on the ground, the Beowolf growled as it tried to bite and claw the Faunus in the room.
Everyone backed away as Ghira said "I have to admit…why did we not notice that?"
"I agree," Sienna said.
"Are you insane?!" the third councilman shouted, "You kept a Grimm in Kuo Kuana?!"
"Please," Alduin said, "If it tried to escape, I could easily kill it. But in this case, I figure it would be the perfect test for the device."
The fourth councilman said "This is nuts! Chief Panthor, do something!"
Panthor then said "Alduin, you can't be serious, are you?"
Alduin then pointed at the council and said "These five are responsible for the deaths of those workers and their families have suffered for it. They must answer, and what better way than to test this. However, I am curious…"
He slowly walked up to them and asked "Was it a unanimous vote to mine for more Dust in a different site? Or did one of you force the others to cooperate? So tell me…and be honest…who's idea was it?"
Without hesitation, three out of the four councilmen and the councilwoman all pointed at the remining councilman, who was a Mouse Faunus and his tail stick right up when they ratted him out. The Mouse Faunus was shocked as he said "N-No! T-That isn't true!"
"Oh?" Alduin said, "Then why not allow the chief to decide that? After all, doesn't his Sembalance allow him to see through lies?"
As the Mouse Faunus stood silent, Alduin said "Nothing? Good."
He then suddenly grabbed the councilman by the collar of his shirt and dragged the Faunus to the cage. Everyone tried to interfere, but the Grimm started to slash through the bars at the councilman. The Mouse Faunus shrieked in fear as he tried to get away from the Beowolf, but Alduin merely held him just a few inches away from the Beowolf's claws.
"As you can see," Alduin began his demonstration, "The Beowolf is very hostile towards the councilman right now. Not surprising considering the fear this rat is giving off."
"I am a Mouse Faunus!" the councilman shouted before he screamed as the Beowolf almost clawed him.
"And now for the test," Alduin said as he raised his free hand, "Sienna, the device."
The Tiger Faunus nodded as she walked up to him and handed the collar to him. Once Alduin got it, he opened it and slapped the metal collar around the councilman's neck as it glowed black for a moment.
"Now, watch," Alduin said as he forced the councilmen closer to the Beowolf.
The councilman screamed as he got closer to the Beowolf. However, the moment the Beowolf sniffed the councilman, it whimpered a bit as it slowly backed away. Everyone as astonished as Panthor said "It's…scared."
"It worked," Ghira said in amazement.
Sienna then said "I suppose. But how do we know it's just you and not the collar?"
"Hmmm, you have a point," Alduin said before he grinned, "Second test I suppose."
Before anyway was about to ask, Alduin opened the cage and threw the councilman in there. Everyone shouted in fear while the councilman cowered in a corner believing the Beowolf was going to attack him. But instead, he slowly looked up and saw the Beowolf curled up in a corner as it whimpered.
"Huh," Alduin said, "I guess it worked too well."
He then raised a finger and fired a small beam of black energy at the Beowolf and killed it instantly. He walked up to the councilman, removed the collar and handed it to Ghira as he said "I want these collars mass produce in a few days and bring them here so that I can transfer my power into them. Once that's done, hand them to the workers."
"Y-Yes sir!" every member of the council said.
"You all have a chance to amend your mistakes," Alduin said, "Pray you don't disobey me again. Because if you do, you will be fed to the Grimm. Now get to work!"
"I am honestly surprise that you would do that. The old you would just complain about work being slow and would kill those who disobey you."
"Yes, well, I would have done so, but if I did, then everything I have built would fall apart."
"Guess old dragons can learn new tricks."
"Silence, you fool. And of course, after that began a long and hard process of mass producing these protection collars. Once they were created, I would transfer part of my power into them and were then assigned to a worker. I have to admit, making these collars drains my magic faster than normal. Ironic that I can effortlessly destroying anything in my path while only using a bit of my magic, but I have trouble making the collars. Maybe being use to using my powers for destruction, that if I use them for other purposes, it would drain my strength."
"I would imagine so."
"It took almost months for the collars to be ready and distributed them among the workers. And of course, the devices worked as there were no Grimm attacks since then. But we hired a few extra securities in case something happens. Then, of course, came a very…special…day. Ghira's and Kali's wedding."
"And they invited you?"
"Worse…I was, apparently, the best man."
"What the hell?! How did you guys become fast friends for that to happen?!"
"It's because of all the things I was doing for the Faunus living in Menagerie that I gained Ghira's respect. I mean, look at the things I have done: I provided Dust for everyone without to rely on outside help, improve their lives a lot better, and created a device that can protect them from the Grimm. The mortals view me as some sort of savior."
"Surprised they aren't worshiping you as a god."
"Baby steps. But after their wedding, the High Leader of that time stepped down and Ghira was chosen to be the next High Leader. It was then when he and Sienna came to me and once again made me an offer."
"You want me to join the White Fang?" Alduin asked in surprise.
"Yes," Ghira said, "Me and Sienna believe that you joining the White Fang can help our cause a lot."
"You are aware that I cannot leave Menagerie," Alduin said, "No matter how hard I try."
"We know that," Sienna said, "But you can help us in other ways, whatever help you can provide for us."
Alduin crossed his arms and said "And what is your plans when you lead the White Fang?"
Ghira replied "Well, I am going to bring equality between Humans and the Faunus."
"Yes, but how?" Alduin asked, "From what I heard, all the White Fang has done is just boycott businesses that refuse services to your kind. No, your actions need to be more than that."
"Yes!" Sienna cried, "Thank you! I have been telling Ghira that for the longest time! Actions like that will never teach them to respect us! If I were the High Leader, I would revoke and show the Humans that we are not to be treated like trash!"
"Sienna," Ghira said as he narrowed his eyes at her, "That is not what the White Fang represents."
Alduin then said "And I would also agree with Ghira on that."
Both Sienna and Ghira looked at him as he said "My friends, if ruling over the mortals have taught me one thing, it's this: they are persistent. They will refuse to submit to those ruling them, whether it be kings or gods, it is in their nature to fight back."
Alduin looked at Ghira and said "Avoiding their hatred is not an act of proving who is better, but it shows how easily submitted you are towards their hatred."
He then looked at Sienna and said "And showing them violence will only produce more violence from them and you will lose your way."
"You're saying that no matter what we do, they will retaliate no matter what?" Ghira asked.
"Yes," Alduin said, "But there might be another way to gain the Human's trust."
"There is?" Sienna asked.
Alduin nodded as he pulled out something from his desk. They looked and saw that is was a jigsaw puzzle box with an image of the map of Remnant on it. Alduin opened the box and said "You cause is much like this puzzle: scattered, unfinished and a mess. You know what the picture is, but you don't know how to assemble it."
His hand then glowed black as the pieces floated in mid-air and said "You want to focus on the important pieces but that will get you nowhere. However…"
He then moved his fingers as some of the pieces started to assemble by themselves as he said "Instead of focusing on the important pieces, focus on the smaller ones. Ones that can help you become aware of the bigger image. That way…"
In a matter of second, the full puzzle was complete as he said "You can have the completed work in your hands."
As he lowered the puzzle on the table, Ghira said "So…focus on the smaller problems rather than the bigger one."
"And act upon them accordingly," Sienna said.
"Exactly," Alduin said, "Spread the White Fang beyond the kingdoms' walls and aid those in need. Build a reputation for the White Fang as a group to help those in need, whether it be Human or Faunus."
"But to do that, we would need protection against the Grimm," Ghira said, "And we can't ask you to make more of your collars."
"I am aware," Alduin said, "And if that is the case, I will provide the White Fang with Dust from my company to aid you."
"That sounds grand," Sienna said, "Though one question: Did you had that puzzle on you for the soul purpose of that explanation?"
"Yeah, was it?"
"I neither will confirm or deny that. Anyways, I joined the White Fang and provided them with enough Dust so that they can help them. The first few months, nothing really happened and they thought my ideas weren't working. But it wasn't until one incident where a village was under attack by a horde of Grimm and the White Fang charged in and defended the people. They praised the White Fang for their action and soon word spread as the White Fang began to aid more and more villages. Soon, they began to construct buildings to offer those in need, and soon, the Humans began to view the White Fang as a force of change. Though they were still hated by some Humans, that didn't bother them at all."
"Kind of weird that someone made for destruction is helping mortals bring order."
"Laugh it up if you must. But of course, there were some in the White Fang that view the White Fang as weak and needed to remind the Humans who is the dominant race. I can assume you know who I am talking about."
"Leonidas. But how did that happen? Blake said that Sienna was supposed to be next in line. Care to explain that?"
"Um…well…it's…complicated."
"Not that complicated. You and Sienna fell in love and had a baby. Though I am VERY curious on how that happened."
"Ugh, fine. Might as well tell you, if it gets you to stop bothering me."
For the next few years, the White Fang has prospered in the cause as Humans began to view them as a force for peace between the Faunus and Humans. Alduin's Dust company was growing ever more thanks to the collars he created to protect the Faunus and opening up more Dust mines. However, there were attempts to steal them when word got out that there were devices that can protect people from the Grimm. Although there had been a few successes, their victory was cut short when bandits wearing the collars were killed off by the Grimm outside of Menagerie. As it turns out, the collars only work within Menagerie where Alduin resigns in, if any collars were taken away from Menagerie, the magic within the collars would suddenly vanish and would be just a plain metal collar. So anymore attempts to steal the collars stopped shortly after that. In truth, things were going great.
However, that is all about to change. And it starts with one small spark…
"You have got to be kidding me," Alduin said, "You expect me to care for this…thing?"
In his hands was a 3-year-old Blake, who was cooing at him and was reaching for his horns. Ever since Blake was born, Ghira and Kali asked Sienna and Alduin to be Blake's godparents and be her guardians in case something ever happens to them.
"Oh come now," Kali saw as she fixed her dress, "Me and Ghira are just going out for the night. And besides, you will have Sienna helping you."
Sienna, who took Blake from Alduin, said "Well, I had nothing better to do, so might as well."
"Good to know," Ghira said, "We will be back later."
Kali then looked back at them, gave them a teasing look and said "Don't try to have too much fun."
While Alduin stood there unfazed, Sienna's face blushed and cried "Oh just go already!"
Kali let out a little laugh as she and Ghira left for the night. Once they left, Sienna and Alduin began to look after baby Blake as Sienna fed her and Alduin would just hold her, despite him trying to keep her still. As Alduin managed to keep Blake still, Sienna sat next to him and relaxed for a bit.
"Who would have thought that raising a child would be this difficult?" Sienna asked.
Alduin huffed and said "Someone who thinks they can handle the challenge."
After a moment of silence, Sienna blushed a bit before her ears flicker a bit and asked "So…you have any plans?"
Alduin looked at her as he raised an eyebrow and asked "What you mean?"
"I-I mean if you are busy this week," Sienna said trying to hide her blush, "Perhaps take a break from your paperwork. I assume you work non-stop."
Alduin thought about it and said "I suppose I could take a day off to relax. Any ideas on what to do?"
As Sienna mentally cheered, she said "Well, I would go to a spa to relax your body. Unless you know places around here to help you clear your mind."
Alduin thought about it and replied "Actually, I know of one place while my time in isolation."
Her cat ears perked up and asked "Where?"
Alduin replied "You will see soon enough. Just bring something light, you may get wet."
"W-Wet?!" Sienna cried, causing Blake to flinch a bit.
"When do you want to head there?" Alduin asked.
Sienna replied "Perhaps tomorrow, if that is alright with you."
"Very well," Alduin said, "Consider it done."
"What are you laughing about this time?"
"N-Nothing! It's just…oh my god you are so obvious!"
"Ugh, anyways!"
The next day, Alduin left his home as he made his way to where Sienna lived. As he got there, he saw her arguing with another Faunus, this one was from the White Fang since they were wearing the uniform. This person was a male Lion Faunus who had golden mane on his head and orange eyes. As Alduin got closer, he could hear them arguing between themselves.
"I told you Ghira is busy right now!" Sienna shouted, "And besides, you really think he would agree with your idea?!"
"Why not?!" the Lion Faunus shouted, "You know about the SDC and their treatment with the Faunus!"
"But raiding their shipments?!" Sienna continued shouting, "That will only strengthen their violence towards us! We don't want that!"
The Lion Faunus then said "Why would it matter to them?! They use us as cheap labor and toss us aside like trash! I bet if Alduin lend us some Dust…"
"Leave him out of this!" Sienna shouted, "He is helping the White Fang to protect both Humans and the Faunus! We don't want to use his Dust for violence!"
"And why not?!" the Lion Faunus shouted, "You claim he is stronger than the whole White Fang put together yet he stays here like a coward!"
The moment he heard that, Alduin growled loud enough for Sienna and the Lion Faunus to hear as he said "A coward? Is that how you see me?"
Before the Lion Faunus could reply, Alduin stood in front of him as he said "Don't confuse my actions to that of a coward. Believe me, I would give ANYTHING to leave this land, but I am bound to this land whether I like it or not. So, if I so much as hear you make comments like that behind my back again, I will feast upon your pitiful soul and throw you to the Grimm! Now leave before I do that!"
A bit scared, the Lion Faunus quickly ran away. Alduin huffed and said "Who in Oblivion was that?"
Sienna said "That is Leonidas Lionheart, he hailed from Mistral and joined the White Fang a few months ago. Thinks he already owns it, claiming that he is next in line for High Leader."
Alduin gritted his teeth and said "I don't know why, but he makes me sick. I can practically smell treachery off of him."
"I'll warn Ghira about him," Sienna said, "But let's not let him ruin our day. What you think?"
Alduin observed her as she was wearing, what looked like a two-piece dark red bikini piece with a black skirt tied around her waist and black sandals. Seeing her outfit, Alduin nodded and said "It should be sufficient."
Sienna's ears flatten when he said that. Of course, he is a god, so he wouldn't understand basic human, or in this case, mortal contact. She then said "Better than nothing. Shall we then? Where is the Bullhead?"
"Bullhead?" Alduin said, "We won't need it. Just hold on.
Before Sienna was about to protest, Alduin grabbed her by the waist and immediately took to the skies. It wasn't until a few minutes later when Alduin reached his destination and he landed on the ground. However, Sienna was too scared as she wrapped her arms and legs around Alduin real tight. As Alduin tried to get her off, she then quickly got off and shouted "Don't you ever do that again!"
Alduin simply rolled his eyes as Sienna looked around and saw they were in the middle of the desert! Confused, Sienna asked "Ok, why are we here?"
Alduin replied "Over here."
Sienna turned to where he was and saw a large rock carven that seems to go underground. A bit suspicious, Sienna said "Um…where does that lead to exactly?"
Alduin looked at her and replied "Do not worry, so long as you are with me, you will be safe."
When he held out his hand, Sienna blushed a bit before she gently held it and he led her into the cavern. Following Alduin, Sienna was beginning to feel a bit worried about the situation. The cavern was dark the moment they entered, sure she can be able to see in the dark since she was a Faunus, but that didn't help her in this case. Just as she was about to ask where they were going, she sees a light ahead of them. The moment they stepped into the light, Sienna's heart dropped as her cat ears perked up at what she saw. What she saw looked like an underground lake with hot water inside a large cave, there were different Dust crystals on the walls, even large ones the size of houses coming out from the ground and there were Dust crystals on the ceiling that giving out a lot of light for them to see the cave a whole lot better.
"This…" Sienna said, "This is…beautiful. I have never seen anything like this."
"I have discovered this place a few decades after I was brought here," Alduin said, "The Fire Dust in the water made it so that the water is always hot and it relaxes my skin."
"A hot spring heated by natural Fire Dust?" Sienna asked, "That would sound like an interesting idea. Perhaps open a Hot Springs."
Alduin groaned and said "It's enough that I am running my Dust Company, opening a Hot Springs will be more troublesome. Besides, this is all natural, can't get any better than this."
"I agree," Sienna said as she removed her skirt and slowly eased herself into the water.
Her body twitched from the heat but soon relaxed as he lowered herself more and more. Meanwhile, Alduin removed his coat, boots and pants, leaving him in only his underpants and made his way into the hot water. The two relaxed their bodies in the pool of hot water as Sienna floats on her back and slowly took breaths. Alduin himself went underwater for a moment before coming up for air as his whole body was wet. The two have been relaxing for a while before Sienna turned to Alduin and let out a sigh of confidence.
She then swam towards Alduin and said "Alduin…"
Hearing her voice, Alduin turned to her and asked "What is it?"
Sienna's heart started to beat faster as she said "We have known each other for a long time. Well, long in my case since you are a god and all."
"Of course," Alduin said.
Sienna started to blush and said "You have aided us in our cause, helped my people out and changed everything when you entered our lives. And…well…um…"
Sensing something wrong with her, Alduin asked "What's wrong?"
Sienna just sighed and said "I am going to be honest here, I don't know if you will feel the same way, but I have to say this. Otherwise, it will just eat my feelings up."
As Alduin raised an eyebrow, Sienna looked at him and said "Alduin…I am in love with you."
When Sienna said those words, Alduin's eyes widen in shock. Sure, in his past life, he had a mate and the two had his daughter, but there was no love between them. But for a mortal, especially Sienna, to tell him that they love him? He was in complete shock.
"I…" Alduin managed to say, "I don't know what to say."
"Do you…" Sienna said, "Do you feel the same way?"
Alduin hesitated for a bit and said "Well…I can say that I admire your motives to your cause and wanting to help the Faunus. But…I never experience 'love' before. I…don't know if I am capable of doing so."
Sienna chuckled and said "And you said that you don't like mortals, and yet, you are helping us."
"More like tolerate you all," Alduin said as he smirked at her, "Big difference."
As Sienna laughed, Alduin said "So forgive me if I can't return your feelings. After all, it will be new to me if I ever experience."
Her ears then perked up and said "Well…why don't I help you with that?"
Alduin raised an eyebrow and asked "What you mean?"
Sienna replied "Why don't I teach you about it and you decide for yourself?"
Alduin thought about it and replied "I suppose so."
"Great!" Sienna cheered, "Lesson one!"
Before Alduin was about to ask, Sienna suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck, leaned in and plants a soft kiss on his lips. Alduin was surprised at first before he relaxed a bit before he wrapped his arms around her waist and returned the kiss.
"Oh great. You got fooled into falling in love with the girl you know?"
"Wait, what do you mean I was fooled into falling in love with the girl I know? And who else you know got fooled?"
"Well, let's just say you aren't the only dragon that was tricked into falling in love."
"You were fooled as well, weren't you?"
"More like tricked into going on a date and the becoming official."
"Anyways, I have been 'testing' out this love emotion with Sienna for about a few months. It was…an interesting experience. For as long as I can remember, I don't remember expressing these feelings towards anyone else besides Sienna. I guess, after a while, the two of us were inseparable and we, as people would say, became a couple."
"Surprised that you two didn't get it on while you were together at the time."
"…"
"Oh my god, you guys actually had sex. Didn't you?"
"I will not answer that…but…"
"I bet Sienna had to teach you the basics, right?"
"SHUT UP!"
"Wait…if that is true…then why wait this long to have a kid?"
"That's…actually rather complicated. See…Sienna is unable to reproduce like many mortals. She told me that she had a battle injury to her that damaged her reproductive organs, as she puts it. So, no matter how many times we did it, she would be unable to bear a child."
"Similar to my mother. But if that's the case, how did you two have Tali?"
"Ugh…it happened before she was nominated to become the next High Leader, along with that fool Leonidas. And as for what happened…let's just say…it was an accident…"
This was indeed a first for Alduin. He has heard of and had eaten many varieties of Dust in his time in Menagerie. However, what he is seeing before him was completely unexpected and even he was having difficulty on what was before him.
A Pink Dust Crystal.
Earlier that day, one of his workers brought him this Pink Dust, which was unheard of in Remnant. They were the first to discover this strange Dust. For everyone's safety, Alduin wanted to test this Dust for himself to see what effect it has. As he took out his Scroll and was taking pictures of it to document it, the door of his study opened and Sienna walked in.
"I heard one of your workers made a discover," Sienna said as she saw the Pink Dust on the desk, "Is that it?"
"Yes," Alduin said, "I was just finishing up the profile on it. Now I am about to test it out."
Sienna walked closer to him as she leaned on the side desk and said "Well? Are you just going to stand there or do something about it?"
Alduin merely rolled his eyes and he picked up the Pink Dust, placed it against his mouth and slowly bit on it. He was surprised on how tough this Pink Dust Crystal was. Normally, he would have bitten through a Dust Crystal in mere seconds, but this one was different. But Alduin gripped the Dust Crystal and took a hard bite onto the Dust Crystal. Instead of breaking into pieces so he would consume it, the Dust Crystal exploded, releasing a cloud of pink dust everywhere. Both Alduin and Sienna violently coughed as the room slowly cleared up from the pink cloud.
Worried, Alduin rushed to Sienna and asked "Are you alright? Are you injured?"
Sienna shook her head and replied "I'm alright. What was that?"
Alduin shrugged and said "I don't know. That never happened before when I eat one."
"Well?" Sienna asked as she shook the pink dust off her clothes, "Anything?"
Concentrating, Alduin tried to channel whatever power the Pink Dust contained, but nothing is happening. He raised an eyebrow and said "Odd, I am not feeling anything."
"Really? Nothing at all?" Sienna asked as she began to heat up and pulled the collar of her shirt.
"No," Alduin said, "Nothing. I guess it was a fake."
"Yeah," Sienna said as she wiped the sweat off her forehead, "Is it getting hot in here or is it me?"
"Maybe you are working too hard today with all the work you are doing for the White Fang," Alduin said, "Why don't you use my shower to help you cool off?"
"That sounds like a great idea," Sienna said as she left the study.
After she left, Alduin sighed as he picked up his Scroll once again and began typing on it, concluding that there were no effects to the Pink Dust. Once he puts it away, he sat down and began to go over the paperwork for his Dust company. He growled as he had several letters from the Schnee Dust Company, requesting for him to travel to Atlas to meet with the head of the SDC. He had heard of the SDC and how they treated the Faunus, men like this Jacques Schnee was one of the reasons why he hated mortal men and wanted to kill them and eat their souls.
"Damn that Schnee," Alduin growled, "Forcing me to leave so that I can meet him. Even if I wasn't stuck on this land, I would never meet that fool. And if I did, I would feast on his pathetic soul."
As he used his powers to burn the letters, he heard the door open once again. He looked up and his eyes widen as he saw Sienna wearing only a towel wrapped around her body as she was breathing heavily and her face was blushing a lot. Before he could ask what was wrong, Alduin could smell her scent from her body…and she is very aroused at the moment.
"Um, Sienna?" Alduin asked, "What is…"
He didn't get a chance to finish as Sienna threw the towel to the side, let out a low growl as she rushed towards Alduin, leaped over the desk and tackled him to the ground.
"What the hell?! How did she get so wild?!"
"Apparently, it had to do with the Pink Dust. Turns out, it increases a person's…sexual activity…"
"You're joking right?"
"6 hours…non-stop…"
"…6 hours? All from that crystal? And I am surprise you can last that long. But why weren't you affected by it?"
"I am a god, I doubt some of the Dust will have that kind of effect on me. And I may be a god, but I still have a mortal body. But Sienna…she just kept going and going…"
"What happened afterwards?"
"The next day, I ordered the workers if they spot anymore Pink Dust, they should put it in a secure vault so that it can never be used ever again."
"I mean, I kinda understand that, but that doesn't explain…"
"Yes, well, aside from the…'prolonged activity', as it turns out…it had…another purpose."
"What kind of god creates a Dust, specifically designed to kill the Grimm, that would make a woman go crazy!" Alduin shouted from his home, "Apparently two incompetent ones!"
It has been days since Sienna's…actions and Alduin had ordered his workers to lock up any Pink Dust they find. He would not have the same thing happening again to anyone. He may use to be the God of Destruction and was cruel to the mortals he once ruled over, but he is never that cruel to create a substance like the Pink Dust.
Alduin sighed as he sat by the table and slammed his face onto it. Just then, Sienna entered his home and walked to where he was. When Alduin heard her footsteps and looked up, he noticed that she had both a surprised and shocked look across her face.
Seeing her like this, Alduin got up, walked to her and asked "Sienna, is something the matter?"
"Um…" Sienna said, "I'm…not sure how to say this…even I am having a hard time believing it."
As Alduin tilts his head in confusion, Sienna then said "Alduin…dear…I'm pregnant…"
The moment she said that, Alduin's eyes widened in shock as he said "You…are…with child?"
"Yes," Sienna said, "With YOUR child."
"But…But how?" Alduin asked, "I thought you aren't able to have children."
"I thought so too," Sienna said, "But yesterday morning I was throwing up and I felt dizzy. So, Kali took me to the doctors and…well…they told me I was pregnant."
Still in shock, Alduin leaned on the wall and said "How did this happen? We have made love in the past…"
"I am glad you are saying it like that instead of just saying sex like a normal person," Sienna sarcastically said.
"But what could have changed that got you pregnant?" Alduin asked before his eyes widen in realization, "The Pink Dust. It must have been that."
"The Pink Dust?" Sienna asked, "You think that is the cause of my pregnancy?"
"What else could it be?" Alduin asked as he looked at her, "So how did Kali take it?"
Sienna replied "She is already arranging for a baby shower for me. What you think?"
Still processing the news, Alduin leaned against the wall and said "Still processing this. Honestly, I didn't know a god can have a child with a mortal."
"Are you…not happy about this?" Sienna asked.
Alduin shook his head and replied "It's not that I am happy about this…it's just…I am in shock."
"That is the normal reaction," Sienna said, "But…I am sensing something is wrong with you. What is it?"
As she gave him a concerned look, Alduin sighed and said "This…won't be the first time I had a child…"
Sienna's eyes widen in surprise and asked "You have a child?"
"I had a child," Alduin said, "Back when I ruled over Tamriel, I had a daughter. She was one of the Dovahs who ruled over the mortals."
"You said you had a daughter," Sienna asked in a worried tone, "What happened to her? Was…Was she killed by the mortals?"
"Yes…she was killed," Alduin sadly said, "But not by their hands…but by mine."
Hearing this, Sienna gasped in shock and said "You…killed your own daughter? Why?"
Alduin replied "She rebelled against me by aiding the first Dragonborn to overthrow me. However, the Dragonborn had other plans and I saw her treachery…and slain her. And now…"
"You think you don't deserve another child," Sienna asked as her ears flattened, "Do you…regret what you've done?"
"It was the only thing I have regretted ever since I came to this world," Alduin said.
Sienna walked up to him, gently held his hands and said "Well…don't worry this time…this time…you have me to help you."
Alduin looked into her eyes and she gently placed one of his hands on her stomach and said "Let this be your second chance, a chance to make things right this time around."
As Sienna smiled at him, Alduin slowly smiled back at her.
"And so began the long process of Sienna bearing our child."
"And did you? Do you regret killing your daughter?"
"I do."
"I see."
"I don't know how you mortals manage to deal with this whole pregnancy business. For months, Sienna had gotten strange eating habits, her emotions are all over the place and would annoy me to get food for her."
"Trying doing that twice in your life."
"As the months went on, my company stored any Pink Dust the miners find so it can be…properly processed and make sure the same mistake doesn't happen again. Since it is rare and the effects are…unusual, we would store them in small vials. And since it is rare, it is rather pricy, but many people, mostly married couple, were happy to buy this Pink Dust. And it was around that time when Ghira stepped down from High Leader when his father passed away and was made the new Chief of Menagerie. It was decided between Sienna and Leonidas to see who the new High Leader was going to be. Of course, many believed that Sienna was going to lead, but that fool Leonidas convinced everything that allowing Sienna become the High Leader would put more stress on her and our child."
"I'm surprised that he played the sympathy card instead of telling everyone that he is strong enough to lead the White Fang."
"I would imagine so too. But either way, it worked as Leonidas was made High Leader. That made Sienna very upset as come newcomer became the High Leader while she was a member for the longest time. It was until the 9 months had ended when Sienna gave birth to our daughter, Tali Khan. I would name her, but they didn't want a long name that will have no meaning anywhere. So, I allowed Sienna to name her."
"I forgot to ask, did you guys ever get married?"
"We did…much to her delight. However, our happy celebration came to an end when we heard that the White Fang launched an attack on Atlas and Mantle. I don't need to tell you what happened."
"Yeah…The Atlas Massacre."
"The organization that the Faunus worked so hard on to bring equality, and in the past few years was close to achieving that dream, was all ruined by Leonidas."
"Was he ever tried because of that?"
"No! The council had tried to capture the traitor and have him tried but he had been avoiding Menagerie up until today. And they couldn't strip him of his title until he was captured. And when my people on the inside had told me that he used the Dust I have been providing for the massacre, I cut off the supplies to him. However, that didn't stop them from trying to steal from me or raiding the SDC."
"What happened when they stole from you?"
"I feasted on their souls and left them to their base as a reminder to not steal from me!"
"And of course, you got away with it because no one would dare challenge you. And what about Blake?"
"She was too young to know any better. But me, Sienna and Ghira all left the White Fang because of Leonidas' actions, but Blake was too naïve to know any better. She called us cowards for leaving the White Fang and left to join them. Both Ghira and Kali were devasted that their girl joined, but I made sure she was far from Leonidas's cause as I had followers on the inside and ordered them to keep her away from him. It may not have been much, but it was all I could do for her."
"Considering she was your goddaughter, I can understand your need to protect her. But even all of that, they still allow the White Fang to have a base here?"
"At first, I wanted to wipe out that place from existence, but Ghira and Sienna planned to have that around when Leonidas decides to return and have my followers inform us if he ever showed up. That way, we can storm the base and capture him. But that never happened until now."
"So, the members that were taken to Atlas, were there some of your followers among them?"
"Sadly, yes. They knew the risks of staying in the White Fang with Leonidas in charge and they are aware of the consequences. But they did so regardless if it meant taking down that traitor."
"And the Dragon Priests? When did they show up?"
"Funny you should ask that, I didn't want to at first, but because there have been reports of White Fang attacks near the mines and trying to steal my property, I needed more protection against not only the Grimm, but also the White Fang. That was when I decided to form my own organization. And it started with one member."
A loud shockwave shook the home of Alduin and Sienna as items were thrown all over the floor. Alduin stood there as he chuckled while Sienna's hair was tangled up and was frustrated. The both looked down as they looked at their 3-year-old Dragon Faunus daughter, Tali Khan, looking embarrassed when she let out a burp after she drank her bottle of milk.
Sienna then narrowed her eyes at Alduin and asked "How do your kind deal with this kind of stuff?"
"We Dovahs live on the mountains so that our voices can be heard throughout the land," Alduin said.
"We'll we aren't living on a mountain," Sienna said as she glared at him.
As Tali heard her mother upset and looked down sad, Sienna saw this as she hugged her daughter and said "Oh no, sweetie! Mommy isn't mad at you!"
While Sienna hugged Tali, Alduin just smiled at the sight before him, believing that he would never have a family in this life. However, he felt a presence near him, or rather, somewhere around his home. Ever since meeting Ghira and the others, he had learned a few tricks and it helped him extend his powers even further than in his normal form. One of them being able to sense other Auras, or in this case, sense ones that would threaten his family.
As Alduin let out a low growl, Sienna heard him and asked "What is it?"
Alduin replied "I sense someone near the house. I believe they are spying on us."
"Should we warn the guards?" Sienna asked as she held Tali close to her.
Alduin shook his head and said "That won't be necessary. I will deal with the intruder myself."
When Sienna nodded as she took Tali to her room, Alduin flexed his claws as he looked at the direction this spy was located at. He then walked towards the entrance of his home and left. Once he was outside, he took a deep breath before he took off in lightning speed towards where the spy was hiding. In mere seconds, Alduin was already near the spy and he got a good look at them, or in this case her. When he saw the spy, he immediately recognized her as Ilia Amitola, a White Fang member who specializes in espionage and participates in Dust raids according to his sources. The moment Ilia saw Alduin suddenly appeared before her, she quickly reacted and drew her sword/whip at him. Before Ilia was about to make an attack on him, Alduin grabbed her neck and violently threw her to the ground, causing her to cry out in pain as her Aura was completely depleted! She was shocked at how Alduin was able to deplete her Aura in one move! No one told her he was capable of that! Before she could run away, Alduin landed by her and grabbed her by the back of her neck as he picked her up. As Ilia struggled to break free, he dragged her back to his home and, when he entered, he threw her onto the floor.
As Ilia shakily got up, Alduin snarled and asked "Care to explain to me why you were spying on me and my family, girl?"
Ilia got on one knee and replied "I-I can't…"
"Can't or won't?" Alduin said, "Let me guess, Leonidas wants to spy on me? Trying to sneak in to steal any valuable information?"
"I can't," Ilia said, "He'll…He'll…"
"I'm guessing he'll punish you, or worse kill you, for failing," Alduin said, "So let me tell you what your fate is: either you die by him or by me."
As Ilia stood silent, that was when Sienna heard the commotion as she headed downstairs, saw them and said "Wait, Ilia? Is she the one spying on us?"
"It would seem so," Alduin said, "But she isn't talking right now. Leonidas ordered her to spy on us."
Sienna shook her head and said "I swear, that fool is ruining everything we worked so hard on."
"At least he is doing something!" Ilia shouted, "Our people are still suffering from the humans! Many families lost to them! Including the Schnee Dust Company!"
"Believe me," Alduin said, "Nothing will bring me satisfaction to burn the SDC to the ground. But seeing how I am unable to leave my land, the only thing I am able to do is provide for the victims of the SDC."
"And what of the lives that were lost?!" Ilia shouted.
Sienna sighed and said "We know about that, Ilia. What do you expect us to do? I know you lost your parents in the Dust explosion in one of the SDC mines, but what you are doing and Leonidas' cause will not bring them back. You think your parents would want you to throw your life away like this?"
When Sienna said that, Ilia merely looked down in shame as Alduin said "Now…what to do with you?"
As Ilia remained silent, Alduin said "I suppose killing you would be a waste of my time and energy, considering you were sent on a suicide mission. And Leonidas will not be pleased to see you returned since your mission failed and will likely punish you for doing so. So…"
As he raised his hand, Ilia shriek as she was suddenly lifted into the air as she was facing him and he said "The way I see it, you owe your life to me. I will spare your pathetic life, and in return, you will live to serve me and my family. Refuse and I will strip you of your life and leave you like others before me. Do I make myself clear?"
He then slowly closed his hand as Ilia's body started to tighten and she cried in pain and said "Y-Yes! I-I'll serve you! P-Please stop!"
"Good," Alduin said as he released her and she dropped to the ground, "Tell whoever you take your orders from and tell them that you serve me now. And if they disagree, I will remind them of who they are dealing with. Now go."
Ilia shakily nodded as she ran out the door. Sienna looked at him and asked "Was that necessary?"
Alduin replied "I could have done worse. But now that I think about it, we do need people I can rely on to ensure the White Fang doesn't interfere again."
"And you think having Ilia defend the mines would be a good idea?" Sienna asked.
"Maybe," Alduin said, "But right now, I need more people serving me."
"And thus began a long search of finding people to aid me."
"And Ilia just switched over to your side just like that?"
"At first, she was furious at me for taking her away from the White Fang. But when she guarded one of the mines and protected the workers from both the Grimm and, with no surprise, the White Fang, she saw what they were doing to the workers and slowly came over to my side. Now she follows me to no end. As for the Dragon Priests, well, let's say a Leviathan Grimm came near the docks when it followed a boat of frighten Faunus and arrived at Kuo Kuana. Before they launched an assault on the Grimm, I just eliminated it with ease before everyone's eyes. Before, the Faunus were doubting of my abilities or why those with influence on Kuo Kuana would easily submit to me. But after I killed that Grimm, many started to view me as more than their savior."
"Oh my god…they were starting to view you as a god."
"Well…kind of. Many have approached me and asked of me to train them so they too can become strong like me. At first, I didn't want to, but I then saw it as a chance to increase the protection of the workers, so I agreed. After learning how to unlock a person's Aura, I created my own organization of fighters to protect the people against the White Fang."
"The Dragon Priests. And the uniform?"
"Well, they needed a form of uniforms for them to use. And the only thing I could think of was what the Dragon Priests wore. Though, I don't hear them complain about it and just wear it with pride. Except for Ilia, she says that wearing that will interfere with her objectives."
"And I am guessing life for you was pretty normal then."
"It was. I was…happy. Never felt joy in my life. That is…until you came along."
Alduin was finished using the shower as Sienna went in and began to use it. For the past 2 years, everything was going his way. He has a home to call his own, a business that he started from the ground up and a family that he loves and would do anything to protect them. Walking to the door that exited to the balcony, Alduin opened it and walked outside as he saw the storm that had started earlier that day. From what he heard, the storm would go on in the coming days and there would be powerful winds and heavy rain. His wife had begged him to use his Shout to clear the storm away, but Alduin liked this kind of weather, helped him relax a bit. As he took a deep breath and inhaled the scent from the weather, he truly felt at peace.
That is…until he heard it.
"LOK VAH KOOR!"
Both of Alduin's eyes suddenly opened as he looked up and saw the sky slowly clearing up and he could see the night sky. The Shout he heard was faint, but there was no mistake about it, that was the Clear Sky Shout. In all his life, he had heard of that Shout when he was in Sovngarde before his defeat, but there was only one person who's voice he recognized.
"Dovahkiin!" Alduin shouted in his mind, "T-That's impossible! Why is he here?! Is he here for me?! Did my father bring him here?! I haven't done anything wrong for the past 90 years!"
His thoughts were interrupted when Sienna walked besides him and asked "What is going on? I thought the storm would be going on for the next few days."
Alduin looked at her and said "It was supposed to be. However…something changed all that."
He then thought "I don't want to worry her yet. I need to find him and figure out why he is on Menagerie. I will send out Ilia and some Dragon Priests to go out and find him and figure out why he is here of all places."
Sienna looked at him and asked "What do you mean?"
He looked up at the sky and said "I'll tell you tomorrow. Let us rest for the night."
Sienna sighed and said "I sometimes wonder why I put up with you."
Alduin looked at her, gave her a playful smile and said "I don't hear you complaining."
"So that's why you sent Ilia and the Dragon Priests out there, you thought I came to Remnant to kill you, right?"
"That was the original thought. The next morning, I told Sienna, Ghira and Kali that my time would come to an end and that you were here for me, they started to panic and Sienna, that woman, practically cried and refused to let you near me. I told them that I would handle it, but in the case I don't make it, told them that I cherish the time we all had together."
"That's…really comforting to hear you say that to them. Though, how did you feel when you found out that I was here to save my friends?"
"When Ilia and the others informed me that a Human girl was here with her friends to save their friends, who were taken by the White Fang, that's when my mind clicked: You weren't here for me, you were here to save them. And when Ilia told me that a Dragon Faunus was among then, there was no doubt that it was you. And the rest, well, you already know the rest."
After hearing the report Ilia inform him of and confirming that the Dovahkiin was indeed here, but not for him, but instead for the White Fang, Alduin was in relief that it was not his time once again. But when he heard that Leonidas had bought his goddaughter AND the Schnee Heiress to his land and planned to execute them, that filled him up with rage. And since Leonidas was finally on Menagerie, it was finally time to bring him in to have him removed from High Leader! Grinning at the thought, his whole body was covered in black flames and immediately took off in the direction of the White Fang base.
And that is all! I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter and the backstory of Alduin. Anyways, hope to hear you all again and will see who will win in the challenge. Until then, please review!