Chapter 14
Making Adjustments
Skyrim, Saarthal
When the Eye of Magnus disappeared in a flash of light, Kayden thought some chumps from the Psijic Order had ninja'd in and grabbed it while everyone's eyes were spinning. Not once could he have imagined seeing a miniature version of the Eye of fucking Magnus dangling from the end of the Aerith's ponytail.
"What? What is it?" Aerith asked when his bro similarly froze at the sight of the Eye. When Daemon didn't respond, Aerith reached behind her and felt the Eye hanging from the end of her hair. "Oh … oh my … is this what I think is it?"
Daemon absently nodded.
When Ancano, the Thalmor fuck-tard, saw the Eye of Magnus decorating Aerith's hair, he could only point at the magical artifact while babbling incoherently. Looked like something in his brain had malfunctioned; what a shame.
"But why is it …? Oh, never mind! Healing first! Questions later!" Aerith declared as she doubled down on patching up Daemon.
After he was all fixed up, Aerith made her way over to Kayden, but he waved her off and pointed at Lydia. She needed healing more urgently than him.
Besides, being impaled by an Icy Spear didn't really hurt! Or maybe that was the shock talking, or the Icy Spear freezing his nerve endings. Who knows? Bottom line: he wasn't in too much pain, so he could wait his turn.
Aerith needed Daemon's help with Lydia. He slowly pulled out a single Icy Spear at a time while she healed the wound, allowing it to close as the spear of ice was extracted, preventing any bleed outs. A few minutes later, Lydia was whole again. He said it once, and he'll say it again: healing magic rocked!
"Aerith dear!" Colette suddenly called out. Kayden twisted his head, and saw the Restoration Expert was kneeling over someone's smoldering body. "I need your help!"
Aerith glanced at Kayden worriedly, so he said, "I'm … all right. Get over … there."
She nodded, and raced over to Colette.
"You're really brave," Torva, the Breton mage he shielded with his own body, said. "You saved my life twice now, and you're letting Aerith take care of the others before yourself. Now, more than ever, I wish I'd studied Restoration magic."
"Don't sweat … the small stuff," Kayden murmured, forcing a grin. "You saved … me and my bro … so of course … I had to return … the favor."
Torva shook her head. "You saved me first, remember? In the trap room with all the draugr? If anything, I paid you back when I saved you and your brother. Now I'm in your debt again."
"Don't worry … I don't charge … interest …"
Torva cracked a smile. "You've an Icy Spear sticking out of your stomach, and you can still tell jokes? You're amazing."
"Not … really …" Kayden mumbled awkwardly. It's not like this was the first time he'd almost died in Skyrim, or hell, even on Earth. Sure, things got dicey for a sec, but they were alive in the end.
A few more minutes passed before Aerith rushed over to Kayden. "I'm here! Colette ran out of Magicka in the middle of healing Faralda, so I had to take care of the rest!"
"What happened … to Faralda?"
"A Flame Atronach exploded in her face," Aerith said grimly.
Ah, so that was why she'd been unable to assist them.
Aerith healed Kayden the same way she healed Lydia. While Daemon slowly pulled the Icy Spear from Kayden's stomach, Aerith gradually closed the hole in his body with Healing Hands.
Kayden was glad either his shock or the chill from the Icy Spear numbed the pain, as this likely would've felt super weird.
When she was done, Kayden could stand without pain. He stretched and flexed his limbs to make sure everything was in working order, and could confidently say he was back to full health.
It was also then that Ancano regained the full faculties of his brain, as he snapped out of his stupor and stormed forward.
"That does not belong to you!" the Thalmor spat as he grabbed the end of Aerith's ponytail and gave it a harsh yank, like he was trying to physically rip off the Eye of Magnus.
When they heard Aerith's cry of pain, Kayden and Daemon were on the Altmer fucker like white on rice. Kayden locked his hand around the asshole's wrist, while Daemon clamped one down on the fucker's shoulder.
Together, they squeezed, crushing Ass-cano's wrist and shoulder.
Ass-cano howled in agony as he let Aerith go, clutching his limp arm.
"Y-You mongrels!" Ass-cano spewed, glaring at them like he wished he could murder them with his gaze alone. "Do you realize what you've done?!"
Like Kayden fucking cared. This walking sack of mammoth shit tried to kill him and his bro. Fuck him, and fuck any plans Daemon had for 'accientally' offing him.
"Fuck you," was all Kayden said before scooping up Lydia's iron sword and ramming it directly between Ass-cano's eyes, shoving it in with such force the pointy end burst out of the back of Dead-cano's skull, spraying the floor behind him with blood, bone shards, and brain matter.
Dead-cano actually remained on his feet for four full seconds before collapsing.
"W-What have you done?!" Colette cried. She'd been approaching with a fully-healed Faralda, and just witnessed Dead-cano's execution.
"He was pissing me off," Kayden said without an ounce of regret. Ancano was always going to die anyways. He merely sped up the process.
His bro sighed heavily into his hands.
"You killed him … because he pissed you off?" Colette slowly repeated as if she hadn't understood the first time.
Kayden shrugged. "Well, he's also a Thalmor, and the only good Thalmor is a dead Thalmor. Also, he tried to kill me and my bro with his fucking Fireballs. Hmm, what else? Would you believe me if I said he was plotting to kill Savos and Mirabelle before blowing up the College?"
"That's enough out of you," Daemon said as he smacked Kayden on the head. That hurt!
"C'mon bro! You were also looking for a chance to off the bastard!"
Faralda and Colette turned to Daemon, whose sigh deepened. "Admittedly yes, but I was going to disguise his death as an accident, not outright murder him."
"Then there's nothing more to say," Faralda said as-a-matter-of-factly. "After all, that is what happened." All heads spun towards the Altmer mage. "It was all so very tragic. Ancano vastly overestimated his own abilities and recklessly attacked the draugr all by his lonesome, and was killed before any of us could save him. What a tragedy. At least, that's what I plan on telling the Arch-Mage and any Thalmor replacements the Aldmeri Dominion decides to send to the College."
Damn. Kayden had to say, Faralda was looking mighty sexy at the moment. Even Daemon raised an eyebrow.
"Y-You can't be serious, Faralda!" Colette protested. "You're going to cover up Ancano's murder?!"
"I never liked Ancano," Faralda stated simply, crossing her arms. "If he'd been at least a little less condescending … he'd still be an ass and a blight on our College. Don't tell me you'll actually miss him, Colette."
Colette's shoulders sagged. "No, no I won't. Part of me is even glad he's dead, as horrible as it is to say. But—!"
"—but nothing," Faralda interrupted. "Everyone at the College knew Ancano was less of an advisor and more of a spy, even you. Didn't you tell me you suspected him of stealing your research notes?"
"Only suspected! I had no proof!"
"And if your thief mysteriously stops pilfering your notes after Ancano's tragic passing?"
Colette raised a finger as she tried to say something, but ultimately lowered it. "Fine, fine. This was an accident. One big blooming accident. Happy?"
"Excellent," Faralda said with a smile, and turned to the Breton student who saw and heard everything. "What of you, Torva?"
"… can I say he wet himself as he died?" Torva asked.
Kayden grinned. A girl after his own black heart! "Might as well go the extra mile and say he soiled his robes too!"
"Now, now, let's not besmirch the dead too much, even if Ancano did deserve it," Faralda chuckled.
Man, Faralda must've really hated Ancano! Her spite meter was off the charts!
"What about the other students?" Aerith asked.
Colette suddenly became despondent. "They're still busy getting ready to move Rithin's body. I don't know if they actually saw anything."
"Whoa, hold up!" Kayden said, making a time-out sign with his hands. "What happened to who?"
The Restoration Expert's misery seemed to spread to Aerith and Faralda, because their mood plummeted straight down to Blackreach.
"Rithin, one of the students who came here with us, didn't make it," Aerith said sorrowfully. "It looks like she was standing right next to the Flame Atronach when it blew itself up. She died instantly."
Kayden felt a stone drop in his stomach; a stone of regret. Even with the close call they just had, he'd been confident all of them (minus Ancano) would be getting out of Saarthal alive. To hear one of the students, albeit one he barely knew, died was a serious blow.
"Well … fuck," Kayden murmured, not knowing how else to word his current feelings.
"She knew the risks. They all do," Faralda said solemnly. "The path we walk is one fraught with danger. Death can come to any of us, in any shape or form."
"I still didn't want her to die," Kayden bit out.
Faralda's gaze sank. "Neither did I, but there's nothing we can do for her now."
Kayden couldn't argue against that, but still clicked his tongue.
While Daemon checked on Lydia (who was still unconscious), and Aerith sought out Sif to heal her familiar, Kayden and Torva joined the teachers to break the news of Ancano's untimely demise to the students.
"Good riddance to bad rubbish," Onmund spat.
"I'm sure he'll be missed. Just not be me," Vinnmeer added.
"J'zargo wishes Ancano the best in his next life, and prays he does not waste it like he did this one."
"Huh? But wait … didn't Ancano leave after …? I'm sure I saw … oh, never mind! So Ancano was killed by the draugr? Yes, Ancano was killed by the draugr. He was killed by the draugr and not"—Brelyna's eyes briefly darted to Kayden—"yep, definitely killed by the draugr."
Resting at their feet was someone wrapped in a bundle of linen wraps, ancient sheets likely scoured from the tomb.
Kneeling down to the unmoving figure, Kayden asked, "Is this …?"
"Yes, it is Rithin," J'zargo said, his whiskers twitching. "J'zargo is sad to see her go."
"Really? She hated you," Kayden recalled.
"She did, most passionately," J'zargo agreed, "but J'zargo did not hate her. She was a good student, and a better mage. She will be missed."
Huh, he hadn't expected that from the competitive Khajiit.
When they were ready to get the hell out of Saarthal, Kayden volunteered to carry Rithin's body. It was light, unnaturally light for a human body. It was probably because so much of her had been burned away.
Naturally, he didn't forget to search through the pile of ash that used to be Jyrik Gauldurson. The Writ of Sealing that should've been on the draugr was burnt to unrecoverable pieces, but Kayden didn't need it anyways. He was searching for the Gauldur Amulet Fragment, and was pleasantly surprised to find it still intact despite his bro's dragon fire.
He tucked it underneath his armor. Quest item secured.
Because the way they came in from had collapsed, they had no choice but to search for an alternate exit. Onmund started panicked all over again (guess the dude really didn't do well with being trapped), and wouldn't stop even when Daemon promised they'd find a way out. Aerith hit the annoying Nord with another Calm spell.
Just as Daemon assured, they found a tunnel leading deeper into Saarthal, and as they traversed it Kayden could hear the students speaking amongst themselves.
"So what has become of the Eye of Magus? J'zargo would hate it if we came all this way for nothing," J'zargo said.
"It's here," Aerith replied, showing the mini Eye of Magnus dangling from her braid.
The students began hovering so close to Aerith to get a look at the Eye that it was making her uncomfortable.
Sif barked at them to back off, and not wanting to piss off the super-sized white wolf, they did.
"It's fascinating," Vinnmeer said as he stroked his pointy chin. "How did this come to be? How have you accomplished this?"
"I keep saying I didn't do anything," Aerith tiredly said for the third time. "When Daemon told me to disrupt the Eye's connection to the super-powered draugr, I had no idea what to do, so I tried to destroy it with a few Thunderbolts." The students gasped at her, as if she said she'd seen the face of Magnus and chose to spit on it. "After a few hits, this happened."
"May I touch it?" Onmund asked.
"No pulling," Aerith warned.
"I would never," the Nord said as he palmed the Eye of Magnus in his hand. Kayden swore he took a silent sniff of Aerith's hair while he had the chance. "It feels … cold? No, hot? I cannot tell. But it is definitely emitting Magicka, albeit far less than before."
"Are you invincible now? Like the draugr?" Torva asked.
J'zargo pinched one of Aerith's cheeks.
"Ow! Mind the claws!" Aerith cried.
"Not invincible," J'zargo confirmed. "Then what purpose does it serve?"
"At the moment, I'm trying to think of it as nothing more than a fancy hair accessory," Aerith said.
"How wasteful," J'zargo sniffed. "If it was stuck to J'zargo, this one would be taking every opportunity to see how it works."
"How's it even attached to your hair?" Vinnmeer asked.
Onmund rolled the Eye around in his hands. "It looks like there are several tendrils extending from the Eye, and wrapping themselves around Aerith's hair."
"Well, hopefully we can cut it off when we get back to the College," Aerith said.
At the end of their passage was a small chamber containing a Word Wall, granting him and his bro the second Word for Ice Form.
When the others asked why Kayden and Daemon had been blankly standing in front of the Word Wall for half-a-minute, Kayden explained what had happened.
"So these Word Walls, as you call them, can teach a Dragonborn new Shouts?" Faralda said as she studied the ancient monument with newfound appreciation. "I've come across quite a few of these during my travels, yet it seems their true purpose has always eluded me."
"Do you need Word Walls to learn Shouts?" Vinnmeer asked.
"No, we can learn new words through meditation as well," Daemon said, "but learning a Word through a Word Wall greatly speeds up the process."
"What did this Wall teach you both?" Colette asked curiously.
"A Word for the Shout Ice Form, basically something that'll let us freeze someone or something solid," Kayden said.
"J'zargo is intrigued. May he ask for a demonstration?" J'zargo asked.
Daemon shook his head. "Later. For now, let's get out of here."
An hour later, they found their way out of the Nordic tomb. After the daunting experience the students went through, Faralda and Colette insisted they spend the remainder of the day resting at the Saarthal camp. Kayden and Daemon didn't have a problem with that.
They headed back to the College the following morning.
During the trek, Kayden, Daemon, Aerith, Sif, and Lydia walked ahead of the others. Lydia spent almost an hour profusely apologizing for her failure to protect her Thanes, with Daemon assuring her she'd done her best. He insisted she was strong, but their enemy had been exceptional in its own right.
"We need better armor. Much better armor," Kayden grunted as they trudged through the snow.
Lydia glanced at the fist-sized holes in her armor, where she'd been impaled by Jyrik's Icy Spears, and silently agreed.
"Not only that, but yesterday showed us we're seriously lacking when it comes to defenses against magical attacks," Daemon added. "We can't rely on Aerith to keep shielding us."
"I'm sorry I wasn't able to help much against that draugr," Aerith said somberly.
"Don't be," Daemon assured. "You were busy saving lives. If anything, the only person I blame is myself for being so weak."
"Don't forget me," Kayden grunted, hating how useless he'd been against Jyrik. "But you're right, bro: we need to up our magical resistance."
"Any suggestions?"
"Try learning Wards?" Aerith recommended.
"Kayden and I both like using two-handed weapons, and using a Ward will take up one of our hands," Daemon said. "Besides, we're unusually terrible when it comes to learning magic. Even after I got some pointers from Savos, I still can't cast Flames."
"Then it comes down to equipment," Kayden said. "We need gear that has the Resist Magic enchant."
"I think Sergius has a few rings with that enchant he's willing to sell," Aerith said. "Still wish he wasn't so busy with all the orders he gets from across Skyrim. I'd love it if he held classes about how to enchant stuff."
Skyrim, College of Winterhold
When they made it back to the College after sundown, Savos and Mirabelle were waiting for them. Apparently, they were gone for a day longer than usual, worrying the Arch-Mage and Master Wizard.
Faralda and Colette briefly filled the two in with what happened. Savos and Mirabelle were stunned that something so powerful was uncovered in Saarthal, and were even more surprised when they learned it'd attached itself to Aerith. Although they were saddened by Rithin's passing, and promised to see her body was properly lain to rest, neither shed a tear for Ancano.
If anything, Kayden swore he saw Mirabelle crack a smile.
Savos had to write a letter to the Thalmor Embassy explaining Ancano's "accident," but promised to leave out any details concerning the Eye of Magnus. Mirabelle saw to Rithin's body, and the rest of them dispersed for the night.
Kayden was back in his guestroom a floor above the library yet below the Arch-Mage's private quarters. His room was five times bigger than the dorms the students were given, and a whole lot fancier. He actually had shelves stocked with Honningbrew and Black-Briar Mead; he found he liked Honningbrew Mead a whole lot more.
With Ancano dicking around in Oblivion, he had the guest floor all to himself. His bro was with Aerith, trying to help her remove the Eye of Magnus. Cutting off the end of her braid had been the first thing they'd tried, but the Eye would make her hair temporarily indestructible whenever they attempted to cut it off. Lydia had gone to get a meal to fill her stomach, and Sif accompanied her.
Kayden guessed they were going to need the Staff of Magnus to remove the Eye, as it was the only thing that could bring the magical artifact to heel.
Then he heard a knock on his door.
"What's up, bro?" Kayden asked as he set down The Lusty Argonian Maid and opened the door.
Except it wasn't his bro standing on the other side: it was Torva.
"H-Hello," the Breton said nervously. Instead of her usual Novice Robes, she as wrapped in a thick winter cloak that covered everything below her neck. "M-M-Maybe I come in?"
"Sure," Kayden said, curious as to what brought Torva here.
Upon stepping inside, Torva looked around his room. "Wow, so this is what the guest quarters are like. I've … never actually been up here."
"With Ancano being the only one using this floor before we came along, I can see why," Kayden chuckled as he poured a bit of Honningbrew Mead into a cup. "Drink?"
"By the Divines, yes please!" Torva said as she reached out, snatched the cup, and chugged the mead in one go. In doing so, Kayden saw her arm was mysteriously bare underneath her cloak.
Actually, now that he stopped to think about it, was Torva old enough to drink? She looked like she was around Aerith's age, so it should be okay. Wait, did Tamriel even have drinking laws to begin with?
It was shit he'd ask his bro later.
"So what brings you here?" Kayden asked as he took the empty mug from Torva before sitting in his usual seat. It was the comfiest chair in the room.
"I …" Torva cleared her throat, her cheeks ruby-red. From the alcohol? No way, he hadn't given her that much. "I came to thank you … for saving my life so many times in Saarthal."
"And I told you not to worry about it," Kayden reminded.
"Yes … but … but I really wanted to thank you."
With that, Torva let her cloak slip from her shoulders.
Her bare shoulders.
Kayden's eyes almost jettisoned from their sockets when he saw Torva standing stark naked in the middle of his room.
"… and … and I was hoping you'd accept," Torva added quietly as she hugged her bare bodice in embarrassment.
Kayden's thoughts were racing so far ahead of his body he could've reached enlightenment if he put his mind to it. Unfortunately, his brain was busy processing the sight before him, kicking philosophy to the curb.
Was this the first naked female body he'd seen? No. He'd been with plenty of chicks back on Earth, and even before then he'd learned of all the magnificent gifts the internet had to offer.
Was this the first naked female body he'd seen in Skyrim? Yes.
Now that it'd come to this, Kayden got a look—a real look—at the Breton. She had dark golden-brown hair that reached her shoulders, and brown eyes so full of nervous anticipation it made Kayden gulp. The blush on her comely face had become so profound it was beginning to spread down her neck. Her freckles only made her cuter, and when Kayden's eyes started dropping below the border, he saw they reached all the way down to her bush.
She was a bit on the chubby side (likely because the only exercise she got was from walking up and down the stairs of the College), but was still curvy in all the right places. Jesus, those College robes hid a lot.
"Is that a yes?" Torva asked shyly as she slowly sauntered towards him.
For a rare moment in his life, Kayden was tongue-tied. He did not expect this! The Dragonborn never got this lucky in the game, so he sure as hell didn't think it'd happen to him here and now! He thought he'd have to be the proactive one, so having a chick come onto him seriously caught him off guard!
He raised his hands, gesturing for Torva to give him a moment, only for his palms to end up pressing against the Breton's glorious breasts. Moses on a unicycle! They were huge! And soft!
"You like what you see?" Torva asked a bit more confidently as she straddled his lap.
Kayden's armor was currently tossed into a messy pile in the corner of his room, so he only had a simple tunic and pants on! He could feel Torva's heat radiating from her through the thin fabric!
Now his dick was sailing at full mast, bulging against his pants leg so fiercely Kayden was worried it'd rip its way free and slap Torva on her bare ass.
When the eager Breton felt his third leg rising against her, she glanced down at it. Her eyes widened comically upon beholding its full length.
"I … oh merciful Dibella … you weren't kidding about it being dragon-sized," Torva laughed nervously.
Then Kayden felt a bit of dampness against his pants. Shit, was he leaking already? No! It was coming from Torva! They hadn't even started foreplay and her sex was already dripping!
Jesus fucking Christ! She was wet, willing, and offering! He'd be a madman not to accept!
Then again, his bro always insisted Kayden was crazy.
Looks like he was about to prove Daemon right again.
As Kayden carefully laid his hands on Torva's naked shoulders (Christ, she was small compared to him), he gently pushed her away so his green eyes met her brown ones.
"Sorry," Kayden said with half a smile, "but we can't do this."
Torva's crushed expression made Kayden feel like he'd just kicked a baby seal into the mouth of a hungry killer whale.
But he had his reasons. He never slept around without protection, because he absolutely refused to bring a child into this world that would grow up not knowing their father. Kayden knew what kind of guy he was: he was an asshole, a perv who liked sex simply because it was fun and felt good, and a hard headed son of a bitch who punched first and asked questions later. Just ask Ancano!
And he was scared—terrified—he was exactly like his dear old pa, the heartless fucker who split when he learned Kayden's and Daemon's ma was pregnant with them.
What would Kayden do if he learned he knocked a girl up? His bro always assured him Kayden would man up and accept the responsibility like a champ, but Kayden didn't share his bro's confidence in him.
Which was why putting a bun in the oven was one mistake Kayden would never make, no matter how tempting.
Besides, he hated brats! Even if he did stick around, he'd be a downright shitty father!
"I … I get it," Torva mumbled dejectedly. "I'm nowhere near as beautiful as Aerith, and—"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold the phone!" Kayden interrupted. "What's Aerith got to do with any of this? Besides, you look great! Any dude would be lucky to lay with you! Believe me when I say you're not the problem here, not even close. It's all me, babe."
"Then why—?"
Kayden pressed a finger against her lips to stop her. Would she understand the concept of contraception? No, likely not. It was the first thing he asked the teachers of the College, and they all looked at him like he'd sprouted a dick from his head.
"I have a rule when it comes to sleeping with women, even the beautiful ones," Kayden said, eliciting a deeper blush from Torva. "Unfortunately for me, I've no way of fulfilling it right now, so this dragon bone is staying dry."
"You really are strong, Kayden," Torva said quietly. "I don't think many others would've turned a chance like this down."
"Except my bro," Kayden snorted. "He believes in love before sex; prude. If you'd gone to him like this, he would've tossed you into the Sea of Ghosts to chill off."
Torva laughed lightly. "Then I must thank Shor it wasn't he who rescued me." She stared into the windows of his soul for a good handful of seconds, and when she saw he would never budge on this matter, gave a small sigh of disappointment. "I should return to my room."
"Whoa, leaving so soon?" Kayden said.
The Breton glanced at him quizzically. "We're not laying together tonight, so—"
"Sure, I'm not going to have my dragon plunder your treasure trove but"—Kayden dragged a finger across Torva's front, enjoying the way she shivered as he traced it across her collar bone and around her nipple before slowly reaching his true destination: her little bean. When he gave it a light rub, she gasped—"no one said we have to go all the way to have fun. Why don't I show you what the dragon tongue is good for, and I'm not talking about the Thu'um."
Kayden was pleased to discover all the techniques he'd learned and mastered on Earth worked well in Tamriel, extremely well. Dibella herself would envy his skills.
With Torva occupying his bed, lulled into a blissful state of unconsciousness by yours truly, Kayden quickly wobbled over to his lavatory pail to deal with his own erect problem. Afterwards, he changed his pants and poured himself another—much larger—cup of Honningbrew Mead.
Hot damn, if this was how the women of Skyrim always showed their gratitude then the Dragonborn should've been drowning in pussy. Hell, there was probably a mod for that.
Knock, knock.
Someone was at his door again. Perhaps Faralda? He didn't mind seeing the Altmer's beautiful body.
So when he opened the door, he asked in his slickest voice, "How may I help you tonight, my dear?"
Daemon wasn't amused, and was making sure his face conveyed so. Fuck, he wasn't alone either, as Aerith peeked her head into his room and sniffed.
"Why does it smell like sex in here?" she asked as she invited herself in before Kayden could stop her. She didn't have to go far to see the naked Breton lying on the stained sheets of his bed. "My, oh my! Someone's been having fun!"
Kayden coughed to clear his throat, and hopefully any awkwardness. "Y-Yeah, fun. Fun good."
"Are you sure this was safe though?" Aerith asked. "What if she ends up pregnant?"
"Kayden wouldn't do that," Daemon said from the doorway. "The one thing he's terrified most of in the world is having a child. Back where we came from, he'd never go anywhere without a condom."
"But if you didn't have sex, what happened here?" Aerith asked.
"I'll have you know I was quite the gentleman tonight. The only things that got any pussy were these boys," Kayden said, wiggling his fingers. Then, with a somewhat saucy grin, he asked her, "Want me to give you a demonstration? I promise a good time."
"No thanks," Aerith was swift to reject. "I don't know where else those things have been."
Oof! Her tongue was as sharp as always!
"If you're gone playing, we should talk," Daemon said. "Let's do this in my room."
His bro's guest room was right across the hall from Kayden's. The layout was identical inside, except Daemon's shelves were filled with thick books instead of mead. Geez, how boring.
"Aerith?" Daemon asked as he closed and locked the door behind them.
Aerith snapped her fingers, and erected her Muffle Room around them.
"So what's up, bro?" Kayden asked as he grabbed himself a chair.
When they were all seated, Daemon said, "We need to plan our next move. Obviously, things did not go the way we wanted them to down at Saarthal. Not only did we uncover the Eye of Magnus, but its latched itself onto Aerith."
Kayden leaned back on the hind legs of his chair to see the mini-Eye was still exactly where he last saw it.
"Savos and Mirabelle tried everything they could to remove it, but to little avail," Daemon continued. "The Eye actively rebuffed all their efforts."
"Is it doing anything at the moment?" Kayden asked curiously.
"Not that I can tell," Aerith said. "Honestly, if we didn't see what it could do at Saarthal, I'd think it was nothing more than a decoration."
"A decoration that can unmake the world," Kayden snorted, remembering Ancano's villainous spiel in the game.
Wrong thing to say, because Aerith was horrified. "It can what?"
"We did tell you Ancano almost managed to destroy all of northern Skyrim with it," Daemon reminded.
"And now that WMD is stuck to my hair? That's not good, guys! Really not good!"
"I think it's kind of cool," Kayden said with a shrug. "I always kind of wished we could keep the Eye of Magnus in the game, and now we can!"
Aerith glared at him. "If this Eye had suddenly latched itself onto your penis and refused to come off, would you be saying the same thing?"
"So how do we ditch the thing?" Kayden asked quickly.
"Our best bet is the Staff of Magnus," Daemon said. "As far as we know, it's the only thing in Skyrim that can contend with the Eye."
"So we've got a trip to Labyrinthian in our near future," Kayden said, cracking his knuckles.
"We also need to deal with the Oculory in Mzulft," Daemon added. "And, we've got a time limit. Savos has to tell the Thalmor Embassy about Ancano's 'accident,' else he risks the wrath of the Aldmeri Dominion. It'll take a month for his missive to reach the Embassy, and—if we're lucky—another month before Ancano's replacement arrives. That's two months."
"Wait, why's it matter?" Kayden asked.
"Because while we knew how Ancano would generally react thanks to the game, we've no idea what his replacement will think or do, especially if they find out about Aerith and the Eye."
"Then we kill them too. Stage another 'accident'."
"Kayden, once is an accident; twice is coincidence; three times is enemy action. If we keep this up, it'll only be a matter of time before the Thalmor send an army to the College instead of an 'advisor', and that's trouble they don't need. Plus, we can't take on a Thalmor army, not as we are now."
"Then we ditch the College. Tell them we had a great time, but shit came up and we're never coming back."
Daemon rolled his eyes. "And deprive Aerith the chance to learn Master-level spells?"
"… fuck."
Aerith raised a hand. "I'm sorry, Master-level spells?"
"Basically the strongest spells in Skyrim," Kayden grumbled. Yeah, it'd be totally badass to have that kind of firepower on their side. "Imagine shooting giant death lasers of lightning, summoning storms of fire that can annihilate entire armies, and conjuring blizzards so thick you can't see past the tip of your nose."
Aerith gulped. "That … sounds insane. Why have I never heard of these before?"
"The teachers are likely keeping that shit under wraps until you're ready to learn them. Guess we spoiled the surprise."
"Do you think you could learn everything the College has to offer in two months?" Daemon asked.
Aerith vigorously shook her head. "No way! I'm good, but I'm not that good!"
"Bro, what's our best case scenario here?" Kayden asked.
"Destroying the Oculory in Mzulft, securing the Staff of Magnus, and using it to rid Aerith of the Eye of Magnus, all within two months. Ancano was the only Thalmor who knew the Eye attached itself to Aerith, so when he died that secret died with him. His Thalmor buddies in the Dominion shouldn't know a thing. If we manage to get rid of the Eye before Ancano's replacement gets here, Aerith should be nothing but an ordinary College student to their eyes. As long as she avoids attracting anymore attention beyond that, she'll be fine."
"But the Eye looks like a hair decoration at the moment. Won't the fucker the Thalmor send make the same mistake?"
Daemon shook his head. "From afar its innocuous, but Savos told me he could sense tremendous Magicka from the Eye when he got close. Whoever the Thalmor send might be able to sense the same."
"Okay, okay," Kayden murmured as he tried to make sense of his bro's plans. "What about the teachers and students? Won't they tell the new advisor about Saarthal and all this other shit?"
"We get them to lie for us," Daemon said. "As long as everyone tells the same story, the Thalmor should be none the wiser. We'll all say the Eye was discovered underneath Saarthal, but disappeared when the draugr guarding it was destroyed. Not only does the College owe us for saving two of their teachers and some of their students, but most of them dislike the Aldmeri Dominion. They'll do this much for us."
Kayden scratched his head. "I trust you, bro. You usually know what you're doing. Where do we go first? Mzulft or Labyrinthian?"
"That's why we came to find you. You're the one with the map of Skyrim memorized," Daemon said. "Which is closer?"
Kayden pondered the question. "I'd say Mzulft beats Labyrinthian by a smidgen."
"How long would it take us to get there?"
"I'm only guessing here, but judging from how long it took us to reach Winterhold from Whiterun … maybe three weeks? That's if we go on foot, and don't take any detours."
"And Labyrinthian?"
"With all the snow and mountains? Four weeks."
Daemon crunched the numbers and variables in his head. "If we went to Mzulft, returned to the College to resupply, then set off for Labyrinthian and came back, it'd take us much more than two months."
"Can't we get horses?" Aerith asked.
"Can you move our Inventory Box as fast as a horse can gallop?" Daemon asked.
"No," Aerith said glumly.
"And we can't afford to travel light while we're on the road for so long, so leaving the Box behind is a no-go."
"Do we have to go to Mzulft?" Kayden asked. "The dudes who went there all got wiped out, save for a single guy. He's probably dead by now too."
"Hold on! Someone's trapped in those Dwemer ruins?" Aerith asked fantically.
"A Synod researcher and Imperial mage by the name of Paratus Decimius," Daemon said. "He and his team were working on the Oculory for months to change its original purpose so that it would instead track and locate magical artifacts in Tamriel." His bro turned to him. "What makes you think the Synod's Grand Council won't send another, more successful, team to finish what Paratus started? You know how close he was to succeeding. All he needed was the Focusing Crystal to get the Oculory working, and the dang thing is in Mzulft. We do not want the Synod to be able to track and find the Eye and the Staff."
"Fuck. Okay, I got it," Kayden said, wondering when living in Skyrim required so much thinking and plotting. "The sooner we fuck up the Oculory, the better. But how? We don't have enough time to do all this in two months!"
"Here's what I'm thinking: all of us head to Mzulft to destroy the Oculory. Afterwards, we double back to Windhelm. How long would that take us?"
"If we hurry? A week."
"Manageable. From there, Aerith, Sif, and Lydia will return to the College while you and I either hire a carriage or buy horses that'll take us to Labyrinthian. Once we grab the Staff, we'll all meet up back at the College and remove the Eye within the two month time limit."
"Wait, wait!" Aerith protested. "Why're you leaving me behind?"
Daemon gave Kayden a knowing glance before replying, "Because of Morokei."
"The Dragon Priest?"
Kayden understood what Daemon was getting at. "Oh fuck. He has the Staff of Magnus. He uses it."
"And?" Aerith asked.
"Throughout the dungeon he's in, that bitch is constantly doing something—probably with the Staff—to drain the Dragonborn's Magicka. Doing so makes that fucker stronger. Against two Nords who barely have more Magicka than the average bloke? Not a problem, hopefully. But against someone with unlimited Magicka—"
"—there's no telling how much stronger he could become," Aerith realized.
"Exactly," Daemon said.
Aerith nibbled on her lower lip. "Will you two be okay on your own?"
"We'll be fine, promise."
"Although there is some shit we could prepare beforehand to better our chances," Kayden said, realizing this might be the perfect chance to test out a particular 'exploit' that'd been on his mind since they first got here. "The enchanter dude sells rings with Magic Resist on them, right?" Aerith nodded. "We buy one, and have Aerith disenchant it. Then we buy a whole bunch of regular rings from whoever, and have Aerith enchant all of them with Magic Resist!"
Daemon's eyes widened. "You mean—!"
"In the game we could only wear a single ring at any given time, but here there's nothing stopping us from wearing ten enchanted rings all at once!" Kayden cackled evilly.