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Devon Head: Well, we aren't perfect. Nobody is perfect.
The next morning, Rahgol's training in the Way of the Voice and mastering his Thu'um began with the Greybeards. It reminded him of his youth, when Paarthurnax taught him how to speak the language of the Dragons, and now he can speak fluently in the Dragon tongue. Anyway, Rahgol's first lesson was to master and learn the Word Ro in Unrelenting Force.
When he did so and learned the knowledge, Arngeir told him that he learned new Words like a master, that his Thu#um was powerful t not as powerful as the Greybeards of even a Dragon like Paarthurnax.
After he learned Unrelenting Force and gained the knowledge of it from Wulfgar, he followed Borri out into the courtyard with Lydia who stayed at the step and watched from where she sat.
"Will my throat ever get used to this?" Rahgol asked with annoyance at his throat hurting every time he did a Shout.
Arngeir chuckled. "Our throats are not made to Shout like that, but eventually you won't feel it anymore. Until you Shout too much of course, then you will feel it, but eventually you don't feel pain anymore." Rahgol nodded."Now let's see how you learn a completely new Shout. Master Borri will teach you 'Wuld', which means 'Whirlwind'."
Master Borri demonstrated Whirlwind Sprint, then gave Rahgol his knowledge on the Shout with Rahgol learning one word due to the other two being out somewhere in Skyrim. They then walked towards the closed door with the small path and Rahgol had to follow Wulgar's example in using the Shout to get through the gate that closed down quickly.
"WULD!" Rahgol shouted and with amazing speed and in the blink of an eye, he was through the gate and on the other side before it could've even closed again. Arngeir nodded with a smile.
"Well done, Rahgol. Master Paarthurnax would be pleased at how quick your progress is. Your mastery of the Thu'um is… astonishing. I'd heard the stories of the abilities of Dragonborn, but to see it for myself…" He said with what sounded like awe and amazement in his voice.
"It feels natural to me." Rahgol said. "Like...I know it so casually. Even with my knowledge on the Dragon tongue."
"You were given this gift by the gods for a reason. It's up to you to figure how best to use it. You are now ready for your last trial. Retrieve the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller, our founder, from his tomb in the ancient fane of Ustengrav. Remain true to the Way of the Voice, and you will return." Rahgol nodded but something was on hid mind, which Arngeir easily saw. "Something troubling you, Rahgol?"
Rahgol sighed before he spoke. "What's the meaning of me being Dragonborn? Why was I chosen?"
"That is something the gods chose, Rahgol." Arngeir explained. "They made you a Dragonborn for a reason. Paarthurnax has told you of the Dragonborn, correct?"
Rahgol nodded, remembering some stories of past Dragonborn Paarthurnax had told him, especially when the Dragon wanted Rahgol to sleep. Cold as it was at the top of the mountain, Paarthurnax allowed Rahgol to sleep against him and used his body heat to keep him warm.
"As you already know, Dragons have the inborn ability to learn and project their Voice. Dragons also are able to absorb the power of their slain brethren. A few mortals are born with similar abilities - whether a gift or a curse has been a matter of debate down through the centuries. What you have already learned in a few days took even the most gifted of us years to achieve. Some believe that Dragonborn are sent into the world by the gods, at times of great need. We will speak more of that later, when you are ready."
Rahgol frowned a little at that but nodded. "It can't be a coincidence that a Dragonborn appears and Dragons starts returning, right?"
"No doubt, the appearance of a Dragonborn in this time is no accident. Your destiny is surely bound up with the return of the Dragons. You should focus on honing your Voice, and soon your path will be made clear." Arngeir said. Rahgol let out a slow exhale but nodded once more. Arngeir asked to see Rahgol's map and he handed it to him, allowing Arngeir to show and pinpoint where Ustengrav was.
Taking his map back, Rahgol walked towards Lydia who stood. "Shall we?" He asked and she nodded. Rahgol looked back at the Greybeards and nodded in farewell before he and Lydia left the monastery.
"So where do we go?" Lydia asked, looking at the Dragonborn.
"Ustengrav, to find something called the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller." Rahgol told her, looking at his map. "From the looks of it, it'll be a few days walk from here. We'll head to Whiterun, grab a carriage to Marthal since Ustengrav is close."
The trip to Ustengrav was calm and quiet, and took only a few days to get there. The sun was setting when they reached the ancient tomb. At first sight, it didn't really look that special. It was just a barrow. Rahgol and Lydia walked inside the barrow down the stone stairs. The first thing they came across was a few bandits clashing with some mages.
Rahgol summoned ice spikes in his hands and threw them at the mages, while Lydia took care of the bandits. "Bloody bandits." Rahgol growled with annoyance as they walked on. "We may end up coming across more of them."
"Well, then they''ll fall like all the others." Rahgol chuckled at the smirk Lydia had on her face as she said that.
They walked through a narrow passage and saw some mages fighting against Draugr. Rahgol took his bow out and shot a few arrows at the Dragur, then at one of the mages while Lydia cut one in half with her sword. The third mage tried running but was shot in the head by an arrow. Rahgol then looted the corpses for anything of value, finding nothing except a few gold and that was it.
Rahgol and Lydia walked on, killing more Dragur along the way. They walked through hallways, and soon enough came to a very large caved room that had a waterfall, with a Word Wall at the bottom and right next to the waterfall. Hearing the chanting and feeling the call to it, Rahgol made his way to it, destroying some walking skeletons along the way. Lydia looked around up above while Rahgol approached the Word Wall and felt it's knowledge enter him.
"Feim..." Rahgol muttered before he turned and yelled. "FEIM!" Upon shouting it, Rahgol felt himself become spectral. "Woah..."
"A ghost?!" Lydia said in surprise when she came down to see Rahgol. "This one makes you a ghost?"
"It's called Become Ethereal." Rahgol said as his body returned to normal after a few seconds. This Shout makes me spectral in appearance and will make me invulnerable to all damage for a small time. It's only one Word just now, so I can't maintain it for a long time. I'll need to find the other two in order to make it stronger."
They walked back up and decided to ignore the fire traps with treasures and walk straight towards the stone bridge. They came across a long hall with three doors and three stones standing next to a path. When Rahgol walked next to the stones, they suddenly activate and the doors began to open. However, they quickly closed in again.
"Hmm..." Rahgol narrowed his eyes as he looked at the stones before looking at the doors. He then looked at Lydia. "Stand back, this'll take a second."
"Okay...?" Lydia took a step back, confused.
Rahgol made sure she was safely out the way before he looked at the gates and took a deep breath before he yelled. "WULD!" With Whirlwind Sprint, Rahgol blurred past the stones, causing them to activate the gates, and he was able to get onto the other side of them before they closed. Rahgol pulled a chain, causing the gates to open up for good and allow Lydia through.
"Those Shouts are useful." Lydia noted.
"That they are." Rahgol smirked.
They continued on, and to Rahgol's annoyance they entered a Frostbite spider's lair and had to kill the annoying arachnids, then cut their way through the webs in front of them. Finally, they came to the last chamber and as they entered, pillars rose from the water. Rahgol walked up to a stone coffin-looking ornamental that had a support on it, with nothing there except a note.
"What the fuck?" Rahgol frowned before grabbing the note, opened it and read it aloud. "'Dragonborn, I need to speak to you. Urgently. Rent the attic room at the Sleeping Giant Inn in Riverwood and I'll meet you.' Dammit!"
"Someone took the Horn?" Lydia frowned. "We came here for nothing?"
"it wasn't completely nothing, Lydia." Rahgol said, referring to the Word Wall but he was still simmering at being led onto a wild goose chase like this. "Whoever took the horn...they really want to meet me. Seems like we're going to Riverwood, unless you want to head back to Whiterun so i'm not wasting your time dragging you on wild goose chases."
Lydia laughed. "You're stuck with me, Rahgol."
Rahgol gave a smile back at her before they left the tomb and the ruins, heading to Morthal where Rahgol used the gold he had to buy two horses for himself and Lydia, and they started riding in the direction of Riverwood...
Arriving in Riverwood three days later, Rahgol and Lydia got off their horses at the entrance and made sure they wouldn't bolt before they entered the Riverwood inn where people were drinking, eating, laughing, having a good time.
"Here." Rahgol gave Lydia some gold, getting a confused look from her. "Buy yourself some food and mead, my reward for sticking by me even if I can be an asshole to you."
Lydia chuckles. "From what I've seen and been told by you so far, you aren't that much of an asshole."
Rahgol chuckled at her and watched her go to buy herself something while he looked around before walking over to a blonde haired woman sweeping the floor.
"Excuse me, I'd like to rent out the attic room?" Rahgol asked as politely as he could. He was still annoyed at having to go back and fourth due to some mysterious person wanting to speak with him. He should've seen this coming with his reveal as Dragonborn.
The woman looked up at him with a frown."Attic room eh? Well, we don't have an attic room, but you can have the one on the left. Make yourself at home."
Rahgol nodded and looked over at Lydia who raised her mead and he went into the room, shutting the door behind him. He sighed and looked around, looking for any clue to this mysterious person that wanted to see him. His looking was cut off when the door opened and the woman he just spoke with entered, shutting the door behind her.
"So, you're the Dragonborn I've heard so much about." The woman said, and Rahgol now realized this was the woman who took the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller. His eyes narrowed and he was about to demand answers when she took the horn out and gave it to him. "I take it you want this?"
"Who the hell are you?" rahgol demanded with narrowed eyes. Before the woman could speak, Lydia stormed in, tense.
"Rahgol, saw her walk in." Lydia said, eyes on the woman. "She the one that took the Horn?"
Rahgol held the horn up as evidence. "Seems so." He kept his eyes on the woman as Lydia shut the door. "Answer my question before i lose my patience, who are you?"
"Not here." The woman said and walked over to the wardrobe, opening it to reveal a hidden door, which soon slides to the side to reveal a staircase going down into another room. Rahgol and Lydia followed the woman into the room and gave her expectant looks.
"Okay, talk, who are you? What do you want?" Rahgol demanded. "And don't bullshit me because I'm not in the fucking mood. Why did you take the Horn?"
"Surprised? I guess I'm getting good at my harmless innkeeper act. I wanted to talk to the Dragonborn." She said. Rahgol took another look around the room and aside from an Alchemy table, some potions and a shelf, he saw a lot of weaponry hanging on the walls.
"Of fucking course." Rahgol muttered and looked around the room. "What's with all these weapons?"
"You can't be too careful. Thalmor spies are everywhere." The woman replied.
Rahgol hummed before he looked at the woman and narrowed his eyes. "Okay, talk. Who are you? You better not be wasting my time because if you are, Lydia's sword is gonna have blood on it before we leave this room."
The woman sighed. "I expected the distrust, but it was the only way to make sure that the Thalmor won't get in the way. I am not your enemy. I already gave you the horn. I'm actually trying to help you. My name is Delphine and I just need you to hear me out."
Rahgol stared at her with hard eyes before he gave a slight nod, butt he look he gave Lydia told her she was to kill her if she did anything against them. Lydia nodded back, her posture still tense.
"Very well then, talk." Rahgol said, his tone cold like it always was when being around humans.
"As I said in my note, I've heard that you might be Dragonborn. I've been part of a group that's been looking for you… well someone like you, for a very long time. If you really are Dragonborn that is. Before I tell you any more, I need to make sure I can trust you." Rahgol noticed that she kept mentioning he MIGHT be Dragonborn.
"How can I trust you?" He asked.
"If you don't trust me, you would be a fool to walk in here." She shot back. Rahgol narrowed his eyes at that.
"I don't trust ayone, save a small few who earn it through actual means instead of playing cloak and dagger with me." Rahgol growled, almost like a Dragon. "And right now, every bone in my body and every instinct inside of me is telling me to kill you. So if you want to live, don't challenge me, and get to the fucking point!"
A staredown happened between Rahgol and Delphine as Lydia remained tense, her eyes on Delphine in case she made any sudden moves. Eventually, Delphine sighed and broke the stare down.
"To prove to me you are Dragonborn, you need to kill a Dragon. After all, the Dragonborn is the ultimate Dragonslayer." Delphine sighed.
Rahgol narrowed his eyes. "i may not have had a good meeting with two Dragosn thus far, but I am not some mindless killer going around killing what hasn't done me any harm."
Delphine's eyes darkened. "Dragons had always tried to enslave us you know. And now they're not just coming back, they're coming back to life. They weren't gone somewhere for all these years. They were dead, killed of centuries ago by my predecessors. Now something is happening to bring them back to life. And I need you to help me stop it."
'I doubt this can be so easily stopped and all the Dragons get put back into the ground.' Rahgol thought with his arms crossed before speaking. "How do you know this?"
"I've visited their ancient burials and found them empty. And I figured out where the next one will come back to life. We're going to go there, and we're going to kill that Dragon. If we succeed, I'll tell you everything you want to know."
Rahgol's frown deepened a little at this. While he didn't look like one and they may not consider him as such, Dragons were his brethren due to being Dragonborn and holding the Dragon blood within him. He was basically a Dragon in human form. He sighed, he might as well humor this woman to get his answers.
"Very well, where are we going then?" He asked with annoyance.
"Kynesgrove. There's an ancient Dragon burial near there. If we can get there before it happens, then maybe we'll learn how to stop it." Delphine said. Rahgol nodded.
"All right, let's go then." He said.
"I need to get into my travelling gear. Give me a minute." As Delphine went to get changed, Rahgol and Lydia left the Riverwood Inn to wait outside.
"What do you think?" Lydia asked, noticing Rahgol with his arms crossed and a displeased look on his face.
"i'm thinking...that every bone and instinct within me wants this woman to die." Rahgol said darkly. "There's something about her that sets me off and I don't like it, but for now...I'll humor her."
After a moment of silence, Delphine came out the Inn in armour. Rahgol narrowed his eyes, now feeling even more tense. No matter what this woman tells him, he won't trust her. He'll make it look like he does, but at arm's length. Just because she wants to see him in action and tells him a few things doesn't mean she's going to be a friend of his.
Getting their horses ready, they set off for Kynesgrove.
As soon as they arrived in Kynesgrove and got off their horses, a woman ran up to them.
"Help, a Dragon is attacking!" She screamed.
"Where?" Rahgol instantly demanded with a serious tone and so the woman pointed in the direction, to which Rahgol set off.
"Wait up!" Lydia called as she and Delphine ran to catch up with him. When they got to the top of the hill, Rahgol froze in his tracks upon seeing a familiar Dragon. or Dragoness he should say.
"Shit." Rahgol muttered as he watched the Dragoness hover over the burial mound that was glowing with something coming out of it. "What is she doing?"
"She?" Lydia frowned next to him.
"That Dragon in the air...is a she." Rahgol explained, getting a nod from Lydia as they and Delphine watched a skeleton of a Dragon rise from the tomb and soon, organs appeared, followed by skin, then scaled flesh until a normal Dragon stood there, this one with just two legs unlike the Dragoness.
The Dragon looked up at the Dragoness. "Alduin, thuri! Boaan tiid vokriiha suleyksejun kruziik?"
Rahgol's eyes widened as he looked at the Dragoness, now knowing her name. 'That's Alduin?! I heard the stories and legends of her from the Greybeards and Paarthurnax! She's...my nemesis, the one I'm meant to stop. Crap.'
Alduin seemed to smile down at the Dragon. "Geh, Sahloknir, kaali mir." Then tuned her eyes to the watching audience and looked around until her eyes fell on Rahgol and an amused smirk came onto her face. "Well, well, we meet again, little Dovahkiin. Lost hi bo wah kos dii mid rez?"
Rahgol narrowed his eyes at that but smirked. "Zu'u fund wahl volzah rez fah hi, Alduin."
The guards, Lydia, and Delphine looked at him, obviously thinking he insulted her and shocked at how he can speak the language, well Lydia knew he could anyway. Sahloknir growled at him while Alduin...laughed?
She laughed in genuine amusement, shaking her head. "Bold of you to address me as such when you should be bowing to me. The arrogance. How ironic, I save you twice when we are meant to destroy one another."
Rahgol shrugs. "Life has a funny way of messing with you."
"Tol nii dreh." Alduin agreed but narrowed her eyes at him. "Despite how you just amused me, you are still my enemy. FUS RO DAH!"
"Shit!" Rahgol shouted before he was hit and sent flying, going down the mountain and his vision went black...
That's it for this chapter. Rahgol and Alduin meet again and seem to banter a little before Alduin decides to try and kill him. I'm really trying to stretch out the relationship between Rahgol and Alduin, make it develop, make them interact before their final fight, make them know each other yet still remain enemies.
Dragon Tongue Translations.
Sahloknir: Phantom Sky Hunt, a Dragon name
Alduin, thuri! Boaan tiid vokriiha suleyksejun kruziik?: Alduin, my overlord! An age past, did you not destroy the power of the ancient kings?
Geh, Sahloknir, kaali mir.: Yes, Sahloknir, my trusted ally.
Lost hi bo wah kos dii mid rez?: Have you come to be my pet?
Zu'u fund wahl volzah rez fah hi, Alduin: I would make a bad pet for you, Alduin.
Tol nii dreh: that it does.