This one was a tough one, had a lot of writers block for this and have been working on another fic, like write 20 chapters levels of working on, yeah, the second version of Battle-born may drop soonish, if I feel like it.
Now,
Enjoy,
…..
This was where he belonged, armed and armoured exploring the depths of an ancient ruin, discovering the secrets of those who came before. Jon found himself smiling under his helmet, with his visor flipped up he could breathe easily, tasting the dusty air of the ruin, mixed with the scent of oil and metal. The stairway down was shrouded in darkness, only the light from a pair of glowing crystals at its bottom to signify its end.
"You seem almost happy, I can't grasp why anyone would prefer to be underground instead of under the skies."
"It's not the location exactly, it's the act of exploration Hella, the discovery of things lost to time, its what I enjoy most."
"Being a Thane must be tough then, your unlikely to get much time to explore."
"For now there is little for me to Thane over, just a few mines in the safest area of the hold and fort under repair."
"Then why don't you do this more often?"
"Honestly, I don't know, I have had some love trouble a little while back, and my position as Thane means that I can't just go adventuring, my servants and administrators won't know where to contact me."
"Hmm, I suppose that is true, but if you have little in the way of responsibilities for now but still need to be in contact, you can sate that need for adventure by joining a merchant convoy."
The idea was not a bad one, not at all, finding a reputable merchant that would allow him a position of at least minor authority would be an issue, but not an insurmountable one... he would have to consider this idea further. The chance to explore some more of this island that had drawn him to it was not something easily ignored. He refocused on their surroundings, the bottom of the dark staircase opened up into a cavernous room, bridges of stone and alloy seemingly floating above a great pool of murky water, supported by only a few towers of stone.
Jon could spot the various positions for archers and mounted ranged weaponry along the sides of the cavern, as well as the massive gatehouse at the other side.
'So it seems he uncovered the fortress city of Bthardamz after all, I had taught it was some small outpost he had mistaken for it but... it really is.'
'Anything I should know?'
'Be careful, this city was renowned for its massive population of Falmer slaves working in the mines, it's likely that they have broken through into the city proper by now, most constructs are likely out of power, with the exception of the Centurions which could still pose a threat if found.'
"I can see a pair of Falmer at those doors, just in front of those crystals." Hella said, he frowned for a moment as he looked for himself, now that she told him he could spot them too, the lanky tall forms of the mutated Snow-elves wore armor made out of some kind of chitin and the held makeshift weapons of dwemer alloy. Very well equipped.
"Would your brother have spotted them too?"
"Most likely, he would have gone down one of the other paths, we should too, if the Falmer don't spot us."
"They won't, the have bad eye sight but their hearing is very good to compensate, as long as we stay out of the light when on those platforms we should be fine."
"Then let's move."
…..
'Grab that gear! And that wrench! Don't forget those bolts! Oh a dynamo core frame! Score!'
'This sack is getting a little heavy Alessia!'
'Just leave it at the door and don't forget it on the way back, we can do so much fun stuff with this Jon!'
"Why are you taking all of that scrap, we have to hurry."
"Sorry, I can't resists, it's like a voice in my head is forcing me to take it all."
"Just drop it all for now and lets find my Brother, we can loot all we want when I know he is safe."
He nodded and placed the sack at the door, taking point as they went further down the hallway of what he and Alessia had recognized as the city's main workshop area. He had seen the trails of human footsteps in the dust going this way, the prints going in and out of rooms as the man was likely exploring. This area was largely separated from the main city, to keep the loud noises of the work done here from the others inhabitants, as such it was likely that Hella's brother was safe.
"Fuck..." The Altmer's words made him to where she was look, and he revealed his previous assessment, a crudely dug tunnel that led into the area, the Falmer had gotten into this part of the ruins, recently judging by the debris spread around. He looked down at the trails, noting the dust foot prints heading further into the district, a set of larger ones followed by a grouping of smaller ones.
"They went in deeper, no sign of them returning, the breach is recent, likely a few hours old at most, we have to hurry." Jon muttered, Hella nodding as she readied her axe Jon sheathed Fire-Eater in favour of stealth, drawing the dagger sized dragon bane. "No idea how many of them there are, stealth is preferred here."
"Alright, as long as we hurry." He nodded, the footsteps continued for a few corridors, before fading, leaving them guessing as to where to go, they searched through the halls for over an hour before Hella signalled him. Pointing around the corner she was standing at, Jon took a quick peek, spotting two dozen Falmer standing in front of a large door, clearly trying to open it.
He shook his head at Hella, they had no chance of fighting that many of them silently, and any noise would attract every other Falmer within the entire district. She glared at him, so he frowned back thinking, he knew that he had no choice but to fight and run, but this had to be planned, he knew the quickest way back to the entrance to the district, but it would require them passing by the breach again. Not preferred but still it was best to just charge and run.
He sheathed Dragon-bane and held his hand on Fire-eaters sheath, ready to draw, while readying his other hand and focusing, the fire within him answering eagerly as it always did, pulling at the wisps of energy and igniting them, sending a wall of fire down the hallway towards the Falmer. The tall, bone white skinned, tattooed elves turned their heads to the sudden light and heat, the flames burned through them quickly, a dozen of the snow elves dead before they even knew who was attacking them.
A group of Falmer still remained, having been safe in cover around the corner of the hallway, and began charging the two of them ready to get revenge for their companions. Hella stepped forward and slammed her Axe into the chest of the first one, cleaving through the chitin armor and into flesh, then kicked the Falmer off her blade to swipe it around and over the throat of the second.
"Clean kills." Jon said, moving to the door the Falmer had been attempting to open, Hella a step behind him, the door was made of alloy like damn near everything the Dwemer made, and bolted shut from the inside. Hella moved to it and knocked a specific pattern, he did not recognize it, but Jon could tell it was well practiced.
"Hella!" the voice that came from behind the wall sounded strong and old, gruff and oh so much like a Nord, not the fluid and charming Altmer tone he was expecting.
'Huh, half-breed, knew there was something strange about the girl.'
'How does that work, with an elf and a human I mean?'
'It doesn't happen often mind you, but the child always matches the parent they share a sex with, so in case of a human father and elf mother like Hella here, daughters are always elves and sons are always human.'
'Huh, strange.'
"Its really you Hella! Thank the gods! I am so sorry I forgot our meeting! Let me open the door!" The sounds of many heavy locks and latches releasing, the massive door slowly opening inwards to reveal a tall, long silver haired old Nord. The man bore a heavy headed two handed mace of alloy, the image of Zenithar, god of work and commerce clear upon it, his armor was made of strapped together pieces of Dwemer scrap, gears and pipes, medallions and plates mended to make a shoddy yet strong set of armor. "Big sister, you haven't aged a day!"
"That joke stopped being funny after we turned 40 Rangar!" Hella protested as she was pulled into a bear hug, Jon found himself smiling, it was true, Hella looked not a day over 20 while Rangar looked to be approaching 50. "We have to move, the other Falmer are going to be coming soon!"
"Alright then, I hope its more than just you and big, silent and gold over there."
"I have my Housecarls at the entrance, but we have to get to them first." Jon responded, noting the way Ragnars eye brows furrowed under his makeshift helmet. "That means carving our way through anything between us and our way out."
"Housecarls? Wait, not important, lets just get out of here." Ragnar hefted his mace over his shoulder, grabbing a large metal plated tower shield from inside the room, along with a bag filled with scrolls that he slung over his back. Jon nodded, drawing Fire-Eater and taking point as the three ran towards the exit, the moment they passed the first corner the first group of Falmer appeared in front of them.
The first Falmer was cleaning decapitated by Jon, the second had his face caved in by Ragnars mace, the third was bisected by Hella, Fire-Eater tore through one Falmer's chitin armor, then another, then another, then another, on and on it went until there were no more to kill, it was a familiar dance of fire, ebony, blood and death, it felt like breathing fresh air once more after months.
"Jon, we need to move, we have no idea how many more of Falmer are here and the three of us wont fair nearly as well against a hundred Falmer as we did here."
"Right."
…
"Thrain open the gods damned door now!" Ari's ears perked, she and Thrain jumped from their seated position and ran to the door as quick as they could move, pulling the heavy thing open, revealing her Thane, the elf and an old Nord, as well as a veritable horde of albino milky eyed Falmer chasing after them, hundreds of the damned snow elves chasing them.
Ari's spear was in hand in less then a second, the ebony weapon sharp and readied to pierce any monster who would dare to harm her Thane and friend. The elf and old Nord passed first, Jon stopping in the centre of the gate, Ari was ready to step forward and pull him away physically before her love put a hand on her shoulder, she was ready to shout at him before she noticed something.
"I need a boost here Alessia."
Her thane's whispered words were barely picked up, but brought a frown to her face, then the wind picked up, air coming from somewhere that wiped around the Thane like a winter storm, the mans eyes lit up in silver light, hands burning with familiar flame. She was forced to close her eyes when he thrust them forwards, heat, unlike anything she felt before, like the very centre of a forge's fire, washed over her, and even through her closed eyes she saw the brightest light she had in her life.
Then it was gone, as her eyes opened, thoughts skipping a beat as she took in the sight before her, the Falmer were gone, turned to ash and charred bones, the metal and stone of the Dwemer ruin glowing and slagged, the light from the sun above feeling dim compared to the light from the gates. She knew then why Thrain nearly worshipped their Thane, the power he just showed was one she had only heard of in stories, magic more powerful than any army, greater than any man.
As for the Thane himself, he simply stood, breathing deeply, calm as could be.
…..
"So you're the merchant Hella speaks so highly off?"
"I am Thane Alesian, I must say it is an honour to meet the hero of Skyhaven."
"The honour is all mine good Merchant."
"Please call me Igor my lord, if you wish."
"Only if you call me Jon Igor."
"As you say Jon." The fat but healthy Nord had his blond hair cut short, but his moustache nearly touching the floor, braided intricately in flowing patterns around gemstones and golden rings. His voice was the loud and strong one Jon expected to find from a farmer selling his goods at the market more then that of a wealthy merchant, still it fit with the rather jovial looking man. "Now may I inquire as to the reason of our meeting?"
"Of course, as you may know I have recently assisted one in your company, Hella, and talking with her revealed a possibility I had not considered, ever since I arrive in these lands I have felt the need to explore." Jon paused for a moment as the merchant's servant handed him a cup of wine, taking a sip of the spiced liquid and noting to find out where it came from. "With me being made Thane I thought the chance of doing so passed but, traveling with a merchant would allow me to do so."
"So you wish to join my humble caravan? My what a lovely idea!"
"Not so simple I am afraid, a Thane can't simply accompany a merchant as a guard, the only reason people don't look down on my excursion with Hella is because of my history as an honourable mercenary, they simply think I helped a desperate woman for the sake of honour, I cant push it much further." Hoping that the man would catch on to his hidden suggestion Jon took another sip of his wine, hearing Alessia chuckle in the back of his mind, she found the suggestion of Hella being a desperate woman amusing apparently.
"A command position then, a grand idea! My guard captain retired three months ago and I have been unable to find somebody of skill, and your skill at war has been clearly shown! I you would like the position its yours Thane Jon."
"Then I will accept it gladly, when do we leave."
"Oh I love that word, the Caravan will depart in a week, if you are in need of anything to help whip the Guards in to proper shape please ask!"
…..
She stared at the departing line of men, horses and wagons with a mix of despair and happiness that confused her to her core, he was leaving, she knew he would, it was what he was like, she knew even though they had never talked about it. He had a wandering heart, the need to explore and discover, just as she had the need for power, she understood that much.
She had been confused about her feelings ever since that fateful night, being forced to tell the truth meant she even did so to herself, she was not sure what she felt for him, if she even truly felt anything. Going to him would have not helped her, she knew instinctively that she would fall into her normal habits, that she would try to manipulate him, that would not help her understand her feelings.
So Morghannah sat on the battlements of the outer wall of her city, watching the only man who had ever made her feel something ride away, wishing she could be riding at his side, like the housecarls who followed him everywhere, or the elf girl and old Nord who he spoke with . She simply watched unsure of the future, watched him get ever closer to the horizon, away from her, caressing the slight bump within her belly...
….
MHUHAHAHAHHA!
Oh I love it when a chapter I have been struggling on come together perfectly! So for those wondering where the next arc is going, its travel time! Expect a whole lot of world building, the introduction of characters and a big bad as expected and promised. Anyway, exams are coming up, so don't expect an update for a while, at least for a month, probably more, unless I stress write, which can happen, often.
Reviews:
Anubis1650: Good to hear and will do!
Fyr RedNight: Thanks dude, always nice to hear!
Charly22salazar: Cant really refuse a reward like that, and I hope this chapter made it clear that he is still adventuring, his return is going to happen eventually, but its still at least a year, closer to a year and a half (in universe) before the start of GOT proper.
About it: Gonna be a while unfortunately, I might include a few interludes with the status of Westeros/Essos in a little while.
Septimus Heap: Same as above dude, still thanks for showing interest!
LincolnRonnie94(x3): In order, you right, basically, and a thing I wont spoil and yes.
Anom: Thanks Dude, always makes my day to get reviews like this!
MahinaFable: Fair enough, I am not, nor will I pretend to be an expert in armor, and am prone to mistakes, especially with specific terms as I am not a native English speaker/writer, so certain terms get lost in translation.
Yeah I had to scale down, but personally I felt that Iceland was a nice stand in size wise, that would work well for the story, and as with every crossover, compromises have to be made.
Yeah, I can understand it break the immersion slightly, I tend to take side characters our of other universes I like, its already happened bunch of times in the story so far, Hori being basically Iroh form ATLA sailing the ship Iref, which is just spelling reversed Fire and a few more, still I feel the satisfaction some people get from seeing a character they know get a cameo overrules the slight break in immersion and confusion experienced by people who don't know the characters.
As to Jons character, one of the things Alesia and the Ring does is change its wearer, not always for the better, it also tends to mess with the mind of its wearer, making them closer to Alesia in mentality without either even knowing it. Its not an entirely benevolent artifact, even if its wielder thinks it is, the ring has its own goals and purpose, I truth it's a burden, one that comes with an advisor that can manipulate better then damn near anyone because it can quite latterly read its wearers mind. Okay that was a lot more foreshadowing then intended, still Alesia has changed Jon massively, both physically and mentally, making him more confident, rebellious and seeking adventure, the ring wants to regain what it lost, and will do everything needed to do so.
And yes, I am not put down, I love criticisms like this man! Makes me think and evaluate, and that is the best thing any review can make me do! Glad to hear that you are enjoying it and hope you will enjoy the next arc of travel and world building!
Vargos: Good to hear and thank you, and yes I am thinking about doing some interludes back in kingdoms soon ish.