Author's note:
My dear readers, here I am with one of the angstiest chapters I've ever written. It recounts the battle against Ancano and I hope the descriptions are not too blurred and confused.
As always, I deeply thank all my followers, favoriters and reviewers. The shout-outs of the week go to the loyal Elspeth, Valtieri and Maz1X for their kind comments. Also, I have to admit that this time your reviews gave me the inspiration I needed to write this instalment.
As for Valtieri's review, I seem to have a radar that allows me to detect your favourite NPCs (Erandur, Marcurio and so on) and forces me to make them do very bad and out-of-character things. I swear I don't do it intentionally!
On to Elspeth's comments, I'm really sorry for the way you killed poor Uthgerd. As for me, I once managed to abandon Lydia in an ancient ruin by mistake (I'd told her to wait for me and later forgot about her). When I came back a few in-game days later, she was dead. Ops... As for dragon priests, I actually agree with you: they are so damned difficult to kill! Every time I come across one, I almost weep in despair. As for the game I'm currently playing, it's Dragon Age: Origins and it's pretty good. Actually, it got me so hooked that one day I may even write a fanfic about it.
Speaking of which...
At first I actually wanted Stein to be 30ish too, but I had to change that detail because, if I ever decided to write a prequel or a sequel to this story, then I would have troubles from the chronological point of view. After all, I don't want to write a follow-up in which the main character is 45! :P
As for Maz1x's comment, I really do thank you for the tip - also, I hope this instalment will provide you with a nice surprise.
Enjoy and let me know what you think!
Although Steinarius pretended to be completely fine, it actually took him a while to recover from his fight against Morokei; yet, even if Agda could see the spasms that still tormented his muscles, the Imperial was keen on leaving for Winterhold as soon as possible.
"Now that we have the Staff of Magnus, Ancano cannot escape us", Steinarius sternly told the young mage. "That's why we need to leave immediately".
Realizing that the Dragonborn was right, Agda nodded and lowered her gaze on the staff she was holding in her hands. The young mage had never wielded anything that powerful.
Before she and Steinarius could leave the final chamber of Labyrinthian, however, Agda's attention was drawn by a little item near Morokei's corpse. The girl hadn't noticed it until then.
"It's Morokei's mask", Steinarius explained once he understood that the girl was very interested by that object. "Every dragon priest wears a similar one".
Spurred by those words, Agda approached the mask and took it in her hands. That weird item vibrated with the power of its enchantment.
"This mask helps magicka regeneration", the young mage pointed out with a very impressed tone. "It seems rather useful".
"You should take it, then", Steinarius smiled. "Actually, I have a few of those things myself".
Agda was surprised by that admission.
"You collect Dragon Priest masks?!"
Confronted with the girl' shock, the Imperial let out a little chuckle.
"I used to collect them, Agds: sadly enough, I had to stop when my huskarls complained. Jordis almost freaked out when she saw me walking around the house with one of those masks on my face".
Agda frowned at the mention of that woman: after all that time, she still hadn't got around the idea that Steinarius owned a house in Whiterun and a much bigger manor in Solitude. Since the man was friend with the local Jarls, he'd also been provided with a huskarl in both those cities.
"I'll take the mask with me, then", Agda announced after briefly thinking that situation through. "With the Staff of Magnus, Morokei's mask and the diadema I found in Shalidor's Maze, I think I have a chance against Ancano. Also, in the future this mask will help me with something else too - if I survive the fight against that Thalmor, of course".
Confused by those words, Steinarius gave Agda a baffled look. When he realized what she meant, however, his expression immediately softened.
"Agds", the Imperial gently said. His voice was full of tenderness and affection. "You can't go around with a Dragon Priest mask on your face. You'll scare the wits out of your friends".
"I'd scare them much more if I met them without a face mask".
For the first time since he'd left for Winterhold to find Ancano, Steinarius took a good look at the scars on Agda's face. Those marks were similar to angry red welts and created complex patterns across her cheeks, her nose, even her lips. Two of them were particularly nasty and formed a long path that went from the corners of the girl's mouth to the middle of her forehead. As he analyzed them, Steinarius felt his heart swell with rage.
"Agds, I'm sure that your colleagues will help you hide those scars with their magic", he reassured the young girl. "And don't forget that you're beautiful anyway, sweetie pie".
The mage blushed in embarrassement at those words - she wasn't used to receiving compliments and was actually amused by the nickname Steinarius had just given her.
"Flatterer", she murmured with a little smile. A moment later, however, Agda regained her sterness. "Face mask or not, we have to go and kill Ancano", she reminded her friend.
Steinarius nodded, then reached the young girl and laid a hand on her shoulder.
He was more than ready to put an end to the troubles caused by Ancano.
Agda hadn't planned on revealing Steinarius how worried she was by her new scars, but the man's understanding had managed to make her feel better about it. Moreover, his desire to retrieve the necklace he'd once given her had caused a rush of tenderness to warm her heart and her soul.
With that powerful warrior by her side, Agda felt ready to take on every possible enemy.
Shortly before reaching the exit to Labyrinthian, Steinarius surprised the young mage by asking for her permission to make a brief pause. Worried by that request, Agda immediately made to cast a healing spell and help her friend with the injuries he'd recently sustained. Yet, the Imperial was quick to stop her.
"Nature is calling", he sheepishly admitted. "That's why I need to stop: I'm afraid you'll have to wait for me while I look for a restroom".
Agda blushed at that, then she let out a tiny chuckle - despite all the legends regarding him, the mighty Dragonborn was nothing bu a common human.
As she waited for Steinarius to reach her, however, the young mage had a nasty surprise: a Thalmor namely walked inside the room where she was waiting, thus causing her to shudder in surprise. Despite that unexpected meeting, however, Agda was quick to react: she summoned a Storm Atronach and a powerful defensive ward, then she used the Staff of Magnus to drain her enemy's magicka. When the Atronach killed that unfortunate Altmer, the Nord mage frowned: she really needed to get to Winterhold as fast as she could.
After discovering that the Thalmor were already lurking around Labyrnthian, both Agda and Steinarius realized they had no time to lose. Spurred by that awareness, they immediately reached the place where they'd left their horses and rode back to the College as quickly as they could.
Now that Steinarius was giving her some advice, Agda had no troubles directing her mare; the Dragonborn, on the other hand, had no problems whatsoever during the fast journey towards Winterhold - as she admired the way he confidently led his horse, Agda even started to believe that Steinarius was the best rider of Skyrim.
Upon reaching Winterhold, the two unlikely allies were shocked by the sight that paraded in front of their eyes: an unnatural magical maelstrom surrounded the College, whereas many injured guards and mages had gathered at the entrance of the city.
"All is lost!", a very upset man screamed as soon as Agda and Steinarius hopped off their horses. "Flee if you can, or else you should die here!"
Through the face mask she had just put on, Agda gave Steinarius a worried look. The girl immediately felt relieved when she saw the calmness and the braveness in the man's eyes - and when he nodded at her, she felt all of her fears dissipate at once. As she walked towards the huge maelstrom that surrounded the College, however, Agda understood that Steinarius' presence wasn't enough to kill Ancano - given that the man had no magical knowledge whatsoever, cutting a way through the barrier that divided them from the College was entirely up to her. For some reason, that thought made the young Nord very unease.
Luckily enough, Steinarius was quick to understand Agda's worry. While contemplating the maelstrom that surrounded their destination, the man namely laid a hand on the mage's elbow. When Agda looked at him, the Imperial slightly squeezed her arm and smiled.
"I'll be right behind you for the whole time, Agds", he promised. "Let's go and kill Ancano".
The woman nodded at that, then she returned her gaze to the College. She was more than ready for the final battle against her torturer.
Agda had been surprised by the way her fellow mages had refused to offer her any help; as a consequence, when a very battered Mirabelle reached her together with an equally tired Tolfdir, the girl welcomed them with a smile.
"You've made it!", the Breton teacher said when she noticed the Staff of Magnus and the way Agda was holding that precious weapon in her hands. "We have no time to lose: let's use the Staff of Magnus and put an end to this disaster!"
Agda nodded, then she prepared to cut her way through the magic ward that prevented her from reaching Ancano.
First of all, the young mage hung the diadema she'd found in Shalidor's maze around her neck; a moment later, she put on Morokei's mask and used the Staff of Magnus to destroy the barrier created by the Thalmor.
There was a loud explosion and a few magic anomalies immediately attacked the young mage and her three allies. Caught between Steinarius' sword and the teacher's spells, however, the creatures met a quick and merciless death.
Once the path in front of their eyes was cleared, Agda, Steinarius, Mirabelle and Tolfdir ran up to the entrance of the College and entered the building. When they saw Ancano, they realized that the man had clearly lost his mind.
"You've come for me, haven't you?", the Thalmor screamed when he noticed the four people who were about to face him. His eyes shone with a strange light, whereas his mouth formed a cruel smirk. "You think I don't know what you're up to? You think I can't destroy you? The power to unmake the world at my fingertips, yet you think you can do anything about it! Unfortunately, I am beyond your pathetic attempts at magic. You cannot touch me!"
Annoyed by the Thalmor's arrogant words, Tolfdir cast a few fireballs at his enemy. Just like Ancano had announced, the spells were unfortunately dissipated by an invisible ward that divided him from his adversaries.
"You fools!", the Thalmor shouted when confronted with those useless attempts at hurting him. "You have no power here!"
Infuriated by that attitude, Tolfdir made to cast another spell at that arrogant Altmer, but Mirabelle was quick to stop him by laying a hand on his elbow.
"The Staff of Magnus is our only chance to make it to Ancano", she explained. "Agda, you know what you need to do".
Confronted with the determined look in the Breton's tired eyes, Agda nodded. A moment later, she used the staff to destroy the barrier that divided her from Ancano. In the meantime Tolfdir and Mirabelle cast a few more spells, whereas Steinarius used a Fire Shout to weaken that magical ward. Eventually, all those efforts proved to be successful: there was a booming noise, then the whole College shook as an effect of the explosion that destroyed the magic barrier that until then had prevented Agda and her allies from attacking Ancano.
The Thalmor welcomed that unexpected fact with a rageful shout.
"You cannot defeat me!", he screamed.
A moment later, when Ancano cast a powerful spell and Agda's world was overrun by darkness, the young Nord realized that her enemy actually meant what he'd just said.
As soon as Ancano let out a rageful shout and raised his hands towards her, Agda reacted by summoning the strongest defensive ward she knew . She heard Steinarius try and shout in order to become ethereal, she heard Tolfdir curse loudly, she heard Mirabelle shout in despair; a moment later, the ground shook again and Agda had to fight hard to open her eyes. As she did, the mage was confronted with a terrible sight: part of the ceiling had fallen into the Hall of Elements, whereas some of the windows had been broken; pieces of glass now adorned the floor of that large room, whereas the nearby sources of magical energy seemed to have lost all their power. But most of all, Agda noticed Mirabelle's broken body not far from her and Steinarius' paralyzed form beside her. When Tolfdir crawled towards the woman and let out a pained cry, the girl realized that her mentor had just been killed.
There was a long moment of silence during which Tolfdir's desperate yell echoed through the room. Confronted with the pain of the old man, Ancano burst into an evil laughter.
"You will be next!", he announced. At that point, Tolfdir was hit by a powerful lightning spell that caused him to lose consciousness.
The sight of the limp body of that kind mage was enough to snap Agda out of her shock: moved by rage, the young Nord let out a scream and charged towards Ancano. The man cast a spell by lazily moving his arm, thus causing the girl to fly through the room and collide with one of the stone walls of the hall. Shocked by the power of her enemy, Agda fell to the ground with a whimper.
"Look who's here", Ancano said while approaching her. "I thought I'd never see you again, filth - yet, it seems I underestimated your stubborness. Also, I underestimated how much you enjoy being tortured. You didn't get enough and you came back for a second round, didn't you? I shall fulfill your wish, then - and this time we will even have an audience".
As he spoke, Ancano slowly turned towards Steinarius. The Imperial hadn't had enough time to use a shout and defend himself from the Thalmor's powerful spell from earlier, therefore he'd fallen to the ground as a consequence of the powerful wave of energy that had unexpectedly washed over him. From the way Steinarius was clutching his shoulder, Agda realized that he'd probably broken it.
"I didn't know that the Dragonborn of legends would think of me as a threat", Ancano said while approaching the injured Imperial. He cast a spell to paralyze him, so that Steinarius was completely at his mercy. "I should probably feel honored by that. Also, I should probably go to Elenwen and tell her that she's right: a weak man like you has no chance to save the world, Crepusculus. Hopefully we'll soon find an Altmer who can take on your role as the Last Dragonborn, so that Alduin will be defeated and Skyrim will be at our feet once again. On a side note, that will also mean that we won't need you anymore, Crepusculus, and that we'll finally be able to wipe off you and your family from the face of Nirn".
Ancano cruelly smiled as he said those words, then he turned once again to face Agda. The girl wasn't paralyzed, but the collision with the walls of the room had been enough to make her unable to move.
"Ladies first, as they say in the Empire", the Thalmor said with a low chuckle. "Your friend Mirabelle is dead and Tolfdir will soon follow suit, filth", he added. "I'd like to eliminate your Dragonborn friend too, but first I want to kill you once and for all, brat. Don't hope for a merciful death, though: you were a pain in my ass for the whole time, Agda of Anvil, so I think you deserve a slow and painful demise".
As he spoke, Ancano took a little dagger out of his pocket. A moment later he cast a spell that caused Morokei's mask to fall from Agda's face. The girl reacted with a shocked whimper.
"First of all, I think I'd like to carve a few more scars in your pretty cheeks", the Thalmor announced as Agda let out a pained whine. The girl was in evident distress. "And since we're at it, this time I'd like you to be completely conscious while I do it. Then I think I'll use your body again, just like I did that time while we were in the Midden. Who knows, perhaps your Imperial friend will enjoy the view and ask to join - I could let him, you know: after all, this may be your last occasion to be together before I kill you both".
Those words caused Steinarius to let out an angry growl, to which Ancano replied with a laughter.
Ignoring the man's attempts to break free from his paralysis spell, the Altmer approached Agda and forced her upright with a spell. A moment later, he approached her and laid a hand on her chin.
"Where would you like me to start from, filth?", he asked her. "Shall I begin from your forehead or..."
Ancano never got to finish that sentence: when Agda used the power of the Serpent Stone, he could only fall to the ground and watch in horror as his paralysis spells suddenly ceased to work.
Even when her enemy collapsed as a consequence of her spell, Agda couldn't find the strength to attack him. The collision with the wall behind her had caused her legs to feel numb and useless, whereas her back was throbbing painfully. In those conditions she could only do one thing: reach for the pockets of her mage robes and try to gulp as many healing potions as possible.
On the other side of the room, Steinarius was doing almost as badly as Agda. His shoulder was broken, he was sure of that, and he even had a few worries about his ribs and his hip and his legs. Yet, when the spell that was preventing him from moving ceased to work, the Imperial was quick to react: spurred by rage and hatred and disgust, he let out a rageful groan and turned into a werewolf.
Agda could only watch in a mixture of horror and awe and anxiety as the huge animal Steinarius had just shifted into approached Ancano - and she could only scream in terror when the Thalmor regained his powers shortly before the wolf's jaws closed around his neck. There was a powerful explosion, then Steinarius was shoved against one of the pillars of the room as a consequence of the Thalmor' spell; nonetheless, the huge grey wolf didn't even flinch: he groaned in anger, then he charged again at his enemy.
Ancano seemed utterly shocked by the creature who was now facing him, and he seemed even more shocked by the way Steinarius had recovered from his injuries - after all, he couldn't know that werewolves were much more resistant than men and that their broken bones healed as soon as they shifted into their animal form.
Despite the surprise, the cunning Thalmor seemed to know how to avoid the dangerous claws of his furry enemy: every time Steinarius got too close to him, Ancano would namely use a teleportation spell to take himself out of harm's way.
As the fight unfolded, Agda was overrun by worry for Steinarius' health and by amazement for her opponent's talent: teleportation spells were very difficult to learn and even more difficult to master. At the same time, however, the young mage didn't forget that she was holding the Staff of Magnus in her hands; as a consequence, she soon got to her feet and began draining as much magicka as she could from the Eye of Magnus.
As Ancano' spells got slower and weaker, the girl realized she was doing the right thing.
When his powers seemed to abandon him, Ancano frowned in confusion. Unfortunately for Agda, it didn't take him long to understand that she was the one to blame for that sudden change in his skills.
Willing to put that young mage out of the game once and for all, the Thalmor temporarily forgot about Steinarius and made to charge at her. When the werewolf prevented him from getting too close to the girl, however, Ancano realized that he needed to kill that creature if he wanted to dispatch Agda. Spurred by that awareness, the Mer exploited his last amount of magicka to use an old trick he'd learned when he was younger: he disappeared into thin air, then he teleported himself right behind Steinarius.
The werewolf seemed rather surprised by that dangerous technique, but he was quick to close his jaw around the Altmer's arm. Unfortunately, the Imperial hadn't considered the sharp dagger Ancano held in his other hand.
There was a loud growl as the weapon dug its way through the werewolf's chest and there was an even louder scream when Ancano freed his bloody arm from the jaws of the creature. That rabid beast had almost ripped his limb away from his body and the Altmer was about to make him pay for it. Before Ancano could lower his dagger again, however, a shrill scream echoed through the room.
Driven by arrogance, the Thalmor had underestimated Agda once again.
Agda watched in shock as Steinarius fell to the ground and slowly shifted back into his human form. Upon noticing the pool of blood that immediately formed around his body, the girl took a quick decision: there was no way she was going to let Ancano live after he'd hurt her best friend that badly.
Overrun by hatred, Agda forgot about the Staff of Magnus, forgot about her pain, forgot about her inexperience with particularely complicated spells: right then the young mage only wanted to avenge Steinarius, Mirabelle and herself. Spurred by that desire, the talented Nord succeeded in using a teleportation spell that carried her right behind Ancano's back.
The Altmer had been too busy with his injured limb to pay Agda any attention - and when the girl appeared at his side and let out a rageful scream, Ancano could only turn his head to be greeted by the deadly look in the Nord's eyes. A moment later, a dagger was violently shoved through his ribs, right where his heart was beating.
"This is for Winterhold", Agda hissed. Her voice was thick with hatred and rage and despair. "And this is for Savos Aren and Mirabelle Ervin", she added while twisting her blade in Ancano's chest. "This instead is for Steinarius. And this... This is for me".
Agda watched as Ancano slowly crumbled to the ground, as the light left his cruel eyes, as her dagger slipped away from her bloody hands. A moment later, the mage fell to her knees.
It's over, she briefly thought. Over, over, over.
With one last effort, Agda tried to crawl towards Steinarius. When she finally reached him, the girl laid her hand on his forehead and gently caressed his sweaty hair. The skin of the Imperial was cold and slick with blood.
Please let him be alright, the young mage thought as she gently ran her hand through the man's hair. She was too weak to move any further and check whether Steinarius' heart was still beating. Please let him be alright.
While she was still worried about her unconscious friend, Agda's visual field was filled by a white light; a moment later, a seemingly ethereal mage appeared right in front of her eyes.
For a crazy second the girl believed she recognized Quaranir, the Psijic Monk she'd met in Winterhold what felt like a lifetime ago.
"We knew you would succeed", the yellow-eyed man said. His face was lit by a gentle smile. "Your victory here justifies our belief in you, Agda of Anvil. You have proven yourself more than worthy to guide the College of Winterhold".
There was a brief pause during which Agda felt on the brink of fainting. Right then she found it hard to understand what the stranger was telling her.
"The Eye has grown unstable", Quaranir added. He was now talking more rapidly, almost as though he knew that Agda was about to pass out. "It cannot remain here, or else it may destroy your College and this world. Ancano's actions prove that the world is not ready for such a thing, so we shall safeguard it... at least for now. You now have the opportunity to maintain your College, Agda, and carry on with your life. You have our gratitude, Arch-Mage".
Agda was puzzled by those last words and would have liked to ask Quaranir a lot of questions; yet, the monk was quick to disappear, thus leaving her alone on the cold stone pavement of the College - and when weakness washed over her, the young mage stopped fighting and slowly slipped into the welcoming embrace of darkness.