Jessesanman back at it again with a new chapter from he and xTRESTWHOx. Did anyone else experience FFnet going down earlier today? That was annoying.
The group had nearly left the area beneath Whiterun when a roar was heard echoing across the plains. Everyone turned to see a familiar shape flying around the Western Watchtower, causing Maurice and the Khajiits to pale and shiver in place while the huntresses and Lydia quickly readied their weapons. The guards had only just begun to mobilize when the roars suddenly gave way to mournful cries, followed by words.
"Zeymah!" The dragon cried out. "Mirmulnir! Mid gein! Hin miiraad lost drun wah dinok! Fin sil los vod! Pah los queth! Nid daal! Ul los vul! Erei faal laat, Vah Su'um Ven!"
The dragon ceased circling the tower, and then began flying away, heading southwest and away from them. The whole world seemed to be still, not a sound was heard in all of the city and surrounding area. A silence only broken when the group suddenly heard a sniffle, and all looked toward Ruby, who had tears in her eyes and a slight redness to her nose.
"R- Ruby?" her sister asked in concern.
"I- I'm sorry." She sniffed and wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve.
"What…just happened?" her partner asked, hoping for an answer to either of the events that had just occurred.
"He… Aakdremsot. Mirmulnir…knew him. Aakdremsot realized…he was gone and… I feel…bad for him." She rubbed her eyes once again and cleared her throat. "We…should go on. Aakdremsot lived in the mountains near Bruma, and he probably…won't be coming back out for a long time. He's not even…much of a fighter." She began rubbing her forehead as she turned back and began trudging along, her sister staying close by her side, and her team watching over her carefully.
Whiterun disappeared from their view by about midday. There were no more signs of Aakdremsot returning, so they felt relieved about that much, at least. That wasn't to say their trip was uneventful. Their first stop came after little interruption near the border between Whiterun and Eastmarch. Some opportunistic bandits had decided to set up an impromptu toll booth in what their map called the Valtheim Towers. A quick show of force later, the toll booth was promptly cleared, leaving the ruined towers clear and empty, where the group then set up camp and laid down for the night. The next morning they turned south and headed off-road, going by landmarks and guidance from S'dir and M'thri's father, Jo'nir, who led the group with the occasional casting of clairvoyance, an Illusion spell that the otehrs were slowly picking up on from the eldest Khajiit.
It was only slightly odd to most of them that he was the size of a bobcat.
"Ooh, someone up ahead," Ruby pointed out as they neared a small rock face that looked as though a hill had been sheared in half decades ago. At the top of the mound stood an orc, wearing old, battered steel armor across his torso and with gauntlets of a green color, and sword in his hand dripping blood from a fresh kill, likely the pair of saber-toothed cats lying dead near his feet, or the beheaded bear just a little past him and into the woods.
"Be wary," Jo'nir warned through his enchanted amulet. "No telling with orcs sometimes."
The troupe paused a moment, but the Orsimer made no moves to attack them. He simply kept his spot and looked around. Feeling brave, Ruby decided to approach, despite her partner trying to whisper for her to stay back.
"Uh, hello? You waiting for somethin'?"
"Indeed I am," the orc gruffly replied. "I'm here for a good death."
Ruby backed up a step at that, and then steeled herself again. "Um, do you mean…yours?"
"Yes. Mine. Were I to lie down and die, it would not please Malacath. So, I wait for something to rightfully challenge and kill me. A good death."
Ruby felt her teeth clench as her sister came up and tried to pull her away. "But- But why?"
"I'm old," he responded, as if it were the most obvious thing. "My time has come. I'm too old to try and become a chief. Taking wives as I am now would be wrong. So, I'm going to die. Malacath has granted me a vision of a glorious death. I know not what it will be, or what will bring it, but it will be here." He looked towards the group and began eying them over, noting the swords at some of their sides or backs. "Don't suppose it's you?"
"I- There must be some reason to live on? You can't just want to die already! You don't even look that old! Just a few grey hairs at most!"
"Peh, of course! One should find his death while he can still fight!" He looked at his sword and gripped it tighter, the leather squeaking under the stress. "We orcs are not like you humans. Getting old, grey-haired, and frail, losing your strength. Becoming worthless until your body gives out on its own. To cling to something beyond uselessness is unseemly. How long until that useless thing becomes you?" He shook his head and went back to staring out across the distance. "No, I will find my death here. If you won't bring it, then go on. You might end up scaring my good death away with your babbling."
Ruby felt disheartened and began clenching her fists. She wanted to find the words to say to get him out of it, to somehow convince him life was worth living beyond just fighting. But before she could speak, a familiar and dreadful noise erupted from around them. Team RWBY paled and turned eastward to see a dragon, this one with green scales and horns that curled down and then up. The dragon looked about and then Shouted something low, to where they almost couldn't hear it.
"Laas! Yah! Nir!"
The dragon's eyes swiveled about, but then focused on their location. It roared and turned towards them, winging its way up and over them, getting a glimpse at the group as it peered between the trees.
"Yes!" the orc cried out as he raised his sword and shook it at the beast. "YES!"
"Guys, scatter!" Ruby ordered the Khajiiit family and Maurice. They instantly obeyed and headed out for the forest. Team RWBY and the death-seeking orc jumped out into the open, Ruby looking towards the dragon and deciding to get its attention.
"Hey! Over here!"
The dragon responded by circling around and then hovering near the group, buffeting them with the winds of its wingbeats.
"This sign of life! So it is true! A Dovahkiin comes forth once again!"
"We don't need to fight!" Ruby tried to reason, hoping that maybe this one would listen.
"Wrong, little mortal! We exist to rule, and you exist to fight our rule! Ful ni los! Swear on your name to our lord, and only then is mercy considered, but you shall not?"
Ruby kept silent. She didn't know everything about the dragons, but from what bits and pieces she'd seen, their 'lord' was the one leading this whole thing, having them attack people in preparation for conquest. Mirmulnir's memories weren't clear, but she could see that they'd tried it once before, so long ago. She shook her head and steeled herself as she pulled out Crescent Rose.
"No. I will stop you! All of you! Even if…" She swallowed, feeling a lump form in her throat. "I won't let you destroy this place!"
"Then fight! Show me the power of your Thu'um, and I will show you the might of Paalduzaam!"
"Let's just fight already!" the old orc screamed before taking a bow from his back and letting loose an arrow at the dragon. The arrow struck Paalduzaam on his breast and he roared before winging forward and dive-bombing at them. Everyone moved aside, but with a flap of his wings the dragon was headed straight up and turning back to them. Fire poured out from his mouth as he tried to set the girls ablaze, but Weiss was able to summon up a glyph in time to block it from hitting her and Lydia while Yang remained nearly unaffected and Blake had fully dodged it.
Both Lydia and Blake took out their bows and began firing arrow after arrow along with the orc, tracking the flying creature's movements and trying to hit him. A few landed, but Blake could see they weren't doing much damage.
"We need to get him on the ground!" Ruby shouted as she aimed with her scope. "Maybe… Wait, I got it!"
Before Ruby could enact her plan, Paalduzaam came back around and roared before looking towards Lydia and Blake.
"Zun! Haal! Vik!" he Shouted at them, and suddenly their bows were ripped away from their grasp and sent flying. Lydia clutched her wrist in pain while Blake immediately set after her weapon. The dragon's eyes locked onto the housecarl, but before he could take in another breath, a bolt of lightning struck him from below, followed by several spikes of ice that sunk deep into his belly.
Weiss began charging up to fire another lightning bolt through her weapon when fire began raining down from above. Her glyph appeared, but the force of the pyre caused it to crack and nearly shatter. She gasped in fear of the dreadful flames, but held her ground and fired upwards again before using a repulsion glyph to get her away.
"Fastball, go!" Ruby yelled as she jumped forward and was given more momentum by a throw from her sister. Blake leapt up and grabbed onto Ruby's hand before going into a spin and throwing her up and over even further, which Ruby fueled more with her Semblance, leaving a trial of rose petals to drift through the air. Paalduzaam looked up in curiosity to see the Dragonborn about twenty feet above him at the top of her arc, and then Ruby felt the power within her. It course through her very soul, and was launched out from her lips like it had once before.
"Fus!" she Shouted down at the dragon. The force hit him solidly and sent him careening downwards with a roar of surprise. The ground shook and parted as the dragon skidded along the forest floor, and the orc laughed as he drew his blade.
"Here I come, lizard!" As Paalduzaam pulled himself up, the orc charged for his face and swung his sword with both arms. The blade hit dragon scales with a clang and Paalduzaam's head was knocked sideways by the force, scales coming loose and flying off with a bit of blood spatter. He roared and turned towards the orc, ready to bite down, but missed as the Orsimer ducked away and then swung his sword up, this time carving a furrow into the neck.
"Ruth Strun Bah! Ogiim, fen naak hin kopraan!"
"That's disgusting!" Ruby called out as she landed nearby and slashed out, digging a wound into the dragon's left leg. A pained roar rang out, and then Paalduzaam swung his tail at her, missing by inches. The orc went in for another swing, but the dragon ducked his head down in time and slammed the top of his skull against the smaller being, tossing him back dozens of meters away.
Yang had now closed the distance and watched warily as she prepared herself to fight up close. The dragon turned to look at Ruby, and she went in for the opening and smashed her fist against his shoulder. Something cracked under the blow, and Paalduzaam roared out again as his right wing went limp. He backed away, and when his wing contacted the ground, it flinched up in pain. Worry seemed to etch itself across the reptile's face, and he looked back to see his foes surrounding him.
"You're only the third dragon we've ever met," Ruby called out to him. "I don't know much about you, but I don't think we need to fight. Please, at least-"
"Cease…your whimpering," Paalduzaam snarled. "Do you expect surrender? To betray my great overlord, Alduin? I don't need to fly to end you, Dovahkiin! Tiid! Klo! Ul!"
Everything went back to that molasses-like state that Ruby recalled from Mirmulnir's battle, only this time the dragon was already lunging at her and so close. She knew she wasn't going to get out of the way in time. Instead, Ruby held her scythe up vertically and tucked in as she jumped forward, right into the dragon's closing mouth. Putting as much focus as she could into her defensive Aura, she waited for his jaw to try and close.
Time sped back up and the dragon's mouth was halted as Crescent Rose was wedged into his jaws. Paalduzaam seemed confused by this and tried shaking his head to dislodge her, but only found that Ruby had gotten purchase against the backs of two of his teeth and was holding herself in.
"Ruby!" her team shouted in fear.
"I got this! Hit him until he goes down!"
"Gladly!" the orc shouted as he rejoined the fight, his steel armor now gone and his chest bare. His swung his sword and sliced into the dragon's body, spraying hot blood onto his frame. Snapping themselves out of it, the others went forward, Blake and Lydia trying to slash at his flanks while Weiss called upon ice magic and Yang bashed the creature's front. Gurgled roars of pain came from the dragon's throat as Ruby held herself in place.
Paalduzaam thrashed about, his tail, talons, and one good wing trying to beat back the assault. He scored a lucky hit against Lydia with his tail, but it was mostly absorbed by her shield and just sent her rolling back. One foot finally kicked the orc away with a deep yelp, only for the old warrior's sword to get caught between his toes. Stumbling about, the dragon tried shaking his head again, and then went still.
Ruby felt heat building up, and looked forward to see light coming up from Paalduzaam's throat.
"Yol!" the word came out gurgled, but clear enough. "Toor!" Ruby felt the heat rising even more, and in desperation, pulled the trigger of Crescent Rose, firing a shot straight up into the roof of his mouth. Ruby came loose as she willingly freed herself and hopped out of his jaw, only to find that she was going straight up.
The Dragonborn looked down to see the mostly broken dragon trying to fight off her friends almost pitifully. Grabbing onto the handle of her scythe firmly, Ruby sent herself into a spin as she fell. Her scythe hit flesh and sank in as something slammed into the ground, and she looked up to see that she had struck Paalduzaam right behind his skull, the blade of Crescent Rose dug in deep in his neck, the sharpened edge directly pointed at his vertebrae. The felled dragon looked her dead in the eyes and snarled.
"You…cannot win. I am weak…compared to my…brethren. Hin sil fen…kos du…gein sul! When it finally happens…we…shall…reign…"
Ruby's muscles tensed and her teeth clenched with a grimace.
"It won't!"
She fired Crescent Rose and sliced through the dragon's spinal cord. Paalduzaam went still as his body fell limp to the ground. A last rush of air escaped his lungs, and then his flesh began to burn away. Knowing what to expect, Ruby braced herself, but still wasn't prepared for it as the soul of a dragon crashed into her own.
Bormahu has given me form. We are meant to rule this world? Then I shall do so. I haven't thought of what to call myself, but I will know eventually. The eldest already has a name. Al Du In, for he is meant to eat the world at the end, for that is the procession of Time. Things Begin, and so they must End. He is strong, so I will follow him for now.
Mortals. Strange beings. Their Time is short. Their Ends come so quickly once they Begin. Constantly renewed. I think we were meant to rule these.
Such sport they provide! Their Voices are so tiny, they can hardly hope to hold dominion over one another. Weak as I am, they are so much weaker! They hate me for finding it fun to eat them, for ruling over them. Let them, for I am Paalduzaam!
Alduin is gone! Ripped away from Time itself! In their moment of bravery, so many mortals have challenged me! I've killed many, and I have no fear for death, for there is no Dragonborn left amongst them. These wounds still sting, though. I may need one of my brothers to help me.
I have been asleep so long, but I awaken to a glorious sight! Alduin has returned! He tells me to watch the mortals and keep an eye out for the Dragonborn. I shall obey! This Dragonborn will fall, and then there will be no more! We will rule once more! I will grind my slaves underfoot once again! Fear me, little Dragonborn! I shall find my Foe and Consume them!
The girls watched as Ruby stumbled over in a daze. She didn't seem to be all there, and her arms gave an occasional twitch to the side as if she was hitting something away. Yang felt apprehension run over her, but she became distracted by pained grunts coming from another direction.
Everyone turned to see the old orc lying on his back, only he was in terrible shape. Weiss slapped a hand over her mouth to stop herself from screaming, and the others could see why. His chest had been cut open, likely by one of the dragon's talons, severing even part of his sternum. Other long lines bled from the orc, making a pool of blood grow around him.
"Ho- Hold on!" Yang called out as she ran up to him. She was hoping to find some way of helping, but this close she was seeing how little there was that could be done. She looked over to Weiss, who had followed her along with Blake.
"Can- can you heal him?"
"There's… I don't think I could heal this kind of injury. I can barely mend little cuts."
"Don't…" the old orc groaned out, "bother. Seen better…than this…end orcs…younger than me." A smile appeared on his face. "Vision…was right. Died fighting…a dragon. I made it bleed before…I fell, didn't I?"
Yang felt a little heartache, but put on a brave smile. "Y- yeah, of course! You were…amazing out there. You smacked him around like a- Like a punching bag."
"Thought so. Didn't want to think…I'd imagined it." His breaths became shallower, and his eyes widened. "A good death…indeed."
A last breath left him and his body stilled. Yang looked back at her teammates for a moment, and then looked over at her sister. Lydia was watching over the leader closely as she stopped against a tree and leaned on it. The three all looked to each other and then at the body of the orc.
As Ruby tried to regain her senses, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Maurice, and the family of Khajiits took stones from the surrounding area and began stacking them around the fallen orc in a simple burial cairn. None of them knew anything about Orcish burial rites, but a large, flat stone was picked out from them all and they carved an epitaph upon it.
Here lies an Old Orc
Who died fighting a Dragon
He made it bleed.
"Maybe someday some Orsimer will come by and…" Weiss began, only to stop herself.
"If we did anything wrong, I'm sure they'll…fix it." Maurice was uncertain. "Is your…friend going to be all right?"
"She'll be fine," Yang reassured him. "She's just…a little shook up. She was stuck in the dragon's mouth for a minute."
"If I was half as well after something like that I'd call myself the bravest Breton in the world." He looked over at the dragon bones. "Strange how they die."
"Khajiit found several patches of scales," Jo'nir explained, pointing his nose towards a pack slung across his elder son's back. "Bones are heavy though. Will get cousin Sintesh to carry the skull back once we return to Whiterun. Rich men will clamor for real dragon skull to decorate their walls."
"I'm sure they would," Blake stated.
Ruby walked up to them, a glassy, faraway look in her eyes. Yang walked over and patted her on the shoulders.
"You okay?" Ruby shook her head. "You wanna talk about it?" Another shake. "Okay, but we're here and ready to listen. Remember that." She wrapped her little sister in a hug, and Ruby slowly reached up to hug her back. Yang led the near catatonic girl by the hand, and the procession left once again, leaving behind the grave and dragon skeleton as the only indicators of what occurred in that space.
They reached Ivarstead around dusk and went straight to the Vilemyr Inn. The Khajiits gained some sideways glances, but they mostly seemed directed at M'thri rather than the family as a whole.
"Not sure if I have enough rooms for all of you," the inn keeper told Weiss once she requested them all places to stay the night. "You're going to need to do more than double-up to all fit."
"This one can sleep in a cushioned chair," Jo'nir offered.
"S'dir can lay at the end if M'thri does not kick him off."
"This one will endeavor."
"Well, uh, this is a mite awkward," Maurice muttered, looking at Team RWBY and Lydia. "Not that I mind sharing a room or anything, but…"
"How about…Blake and Yang share with Maurice, and then Weiss, Lydia, and I get another."
"Wow! Way to throw me into danger, sis," Yang joked.
"He's more in danger from you than the other way around," Blake remarked.
"And what about you?"
"I trust him not to do anything. After all, anyone who did would never be seen again."
Maurice chuckled nervously at that and then gulped.
"I'll just, uh, go settle in. This way?"
"Third on the left," Wilhelm directed. As Maurice scampered away, he sighed with a small smile. "Puttin' the fear of the Gods in him, you are. Well, I won't charge but per room since it's like this."
"Thank you very much," Weiss demurred with a pleasant grin. "Is there anything special being prepared for supper?"
"Just salmon, garlic bread, and baked potatoes. Feel free to use the fire to prep something if it's not to your taste though."
"We'll keep that in mind."
Weiss looked around the inn and then closed the door. "Okay, coast is clear. Are you certain you're feeling well?"
"I'm fine, Weiss," Ruby reassured her partner. "Just felt really…scrambled, I guess. That's the kind of thing that happens when…" Ruby trailed off and shook her head. "Well, let's do this!"
"Don't be so enthusiastic about…something like this," Weiss told her with a slight grimace as she pulled out the knife they made doubly sure was sanitized after supper.
"I'm just happy to help you, even if it's kinda weird." Ruby rolled up her sleeve and looked at the side of her palm. "Right…there should be good."
"Okay." Weiss held the knife up and started to press the edge against Ruby's skin.
The door suddenly opened and shut, Lydia walking in quickly.
"My Thane, I…" The housecarl's words cut off as she absorbed the scene in front of her. Weiss moved the knife out of sight and started stammering, trying to think of an excuse.
"It- it- it's not- We're were just going- You see-"
"You were going to..." Her eyes widened. "Your eyes… You're a vampire," she uttered under her breath, reaching to grab the hilt of her sword.
The girls' felt their blood run cold. Weiss had forgotten that her eyes tended to change when she began anticipating her 'feeding time'. The heiress clutched the sides of her head while trying to keep herself from breaking out into…whatever passed for hysterics to her now. Feeling the situation quickly deteriorating, Ruby stood up and raised her hand.
"Lydia, this is an order! Do not leave this room until I say! You can't tell anyone about this!" Lydia immediately halted, her eyes never leaving Weiss' form, ready to move at a moment's notice. Feeling that at least something was under control, Ruby took in a deep breath. "Look, where we come from, there are no such things as vampires," she calmly explained while reaching over and holding Weiss's hand for support. "When Weiss got bitten, we didn't know what it was about. We thought it was just a crazy man who got a lucky hit in. We went a whole week before Weiss…" At that point, she wasn't sure if she should be the one to tell the story. Luckily, Weiss had regained herself and looked up resolutely.
"It was a bandit named Arvel," she continued for the team leader. "I didn't even realize it was blood I wanted until then. Ever since that day, I've subsisted off of what my friends have donated to me."
"It was my idea, actually," Ruby admitted.
"So…you gave her your blood? Willingly?" Lydia seemed shocked by the entire concept.
"Weiss isn't a bad person. I know people are afraid of vampires for a reason, but she only ever hurt a guy who lied, stole, and maybe even murdered some people. And that had to have been at least six days after she was bit."
The housecarl looked to her side and shifted her weight. The Huntresses watched as she seemed to ponder over what she had been told, holding each other's hands tightly. The Nord looked back to them, and let go of a breath neither realized she'd been holding.
"You've been a vampire the whole time?"
"Since before we ever met, yes."
"I see." She walked forward and took the knife from the bed, the younger girls unsure of what to do. She stepped back again and looked the small blade over. "I swore to protect my Thane from all harm."
Ruby gulped, afraid of what she might say or do next.
"So if you really need blood, then don't look to her." She raised the knife up and quickly cut open a line in her arm. The scent of mortal blood hit Weiss and she leaned forward a bit before righting herself. Lydia offered out her arm, but then pointed the knife towards her. "But if I feel your fangs so much as prick me, I will drive this kitchen knife into your neck, to the hilt."
"R-right," Weiss responded, unsure if she was kidding or not, and then moved forward and wrapped her lips around the cut.
"Th- Thank you Lydia," Ruby whispered. "I can't…tell you how grateful I am. Or how grateful Weiss must be." She looked at the vampire drinking from her housecarl's arm and made a small giggle. "But she's pretty grateful too."
"I can…imagine. Um, how much-"
Weiss detached herself and held a hand to her mouth as if she was caught eating a small snack she wasn't meant to have. "Sorry. Uh, here."
Yellow Restoration Magic flowed through Weiss's hand and over the cut on Lydia's arm, sealing up the severed skin until there wasn't so much as a blemish. Lydia rubbed the space and nodded.
"So, you're okay with this?" Weiss asked her.
"Well, you didn't immediately use your vampire magicks to hypnotize me and make me kill myself, so I suppose I do trust you somewhat."
"Okay, where are people getting these ideas? Besides not feeling hungry for food and feeling significantly less pain, I have not felt any sort of 'power' or 'strength' from being a vampire. It's nothing but an annoyance. A very deadly, life-altering annoyance."
"Maybe…we should ask a vampire?" Ruby suggested.
"And where would we find one?"
"I dunno. That was as far as I went with that plan."
Weiss felt a chuckle slip her by and began rubbing her head with a smile. "Ruby, sometimes I truly wonder about you."
Ruby looked up at the mountain before her. The steps were in sight, yet the peak high above them was not. High Hrothgar was somewhere near that peak, and it was her next stop.
She looked back to her teammates, Weiss and Blake packed for a trip to the tip of the country, and Yang unburdened and ready to move. The sisters hugged first, Ruby burying her face into Yang's shoulder for a minute before letting go.
"Just watch out for the cold, okay?"
"I will. Got plenty of extra clothes."
Weiss walked up and received and gave a shorter hug.
"Don't take too long now. Some people apparently spend years up there learning what you're after."
"I won't," Weiss declared in a way that told Ruby Weiss wasn't lying.
Blake's hug was about as long, but it also ended with the faunus giving her an affectionate head-butt.
"Take care."
Ruby nodded and began backing away before turning towards the mountain once again. She took a deep breath and grasped the straps of her bag before heading forward. She glanced back just before the first of the steps to see her friends still watching her go.
'They are Strong and Loyal,' a voice that seemed to be hers, yet was not, said within her mind. She hummed, thankful that the other one hadn't deigned to make itself known. She turned back towards the ancient stairway, and took her first step.
When Ruby and Lydia were nearly out of sight climbing up the mountain, the rest of the team headed for the opposite end of town, where Maurice and the Khajiits were waiting. The plan was to head south for a little while to get back to the main road, and then follow it north towards Windhelm, and then go off-road just before the road crossed the river near Mistwatch. The two girls looked to Yang for a moment, each wondering what to say. Blake made to speak and stopped herself, but then both found themselves pulled in to a double hug by Yang's arms.
"You two watch each other's backs," she told them. "It's a rough world out there."
She let them both go and Weiss nodded. "We will. You just keep your wits about you. And…try not to do anything too crazy while we're gone. We don't want any…repeats of 'The Night'."
"Hey, I'm keeping it cool. You just make sure to hold on to that staff tightly." She looked over to Blake. "And you make sure she eats well, but don't overdo it. There's…plenty out there." The meaning went unsaid, but the two girls understood it clearly.
"You just worry about yourself. Whiterun might be nice, but it's not always safe."
"Hey, we've beaten two out of three dragons. That's a passing grade." Smiling, she hugged her partner again. "I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too." They separated and Blake looked over to their awaiting travel partners. "I promise I'll write."
"Me too. Just have 'em send it to Jorrvaskr, and I'll write back."
"All right." The two teammates began walking away, the other four following behind them. Yang watched them go for a long moment and then released a sigh. She sniffed and rubbed her eyes, but found them drier than she'd feared. With no more goodbyes to be had, she went back into the village, set on meeting with the client about the bear trouble.
"So you see, the damned things are ruining my business!" Temba Wide-Arms exclaimed. "Now, I can't just pay you to kill every bear in the area. I haven't the money and I doubt you'd take that much time looking for them. So, just kill about ten of them, and bring me the pelts as proof. I'll know if they're fresh and from around here."
"Kill about a dozen bears, skin 'em, and bring you the skins," Yang affirmed. "Sounds about like a training mission I once had."
"Don't be a braggart," the mill owner reprimanded with a smirk. "But seriously, good luck hunting."
Yang saluted the woman and immediately headed into the woods. Stopping herself for a moment, she raised up her hand and focused a blue sphere into existence. She pictured Ivarstead, and a misty trail formed from her hand and lined itself towards the village. Suddenly the spell puffed out and Yang felt a sort of exhaustion separate from both physical and mental sorts.
"Well, won't get lost," she reasoned with herself. "Takes a minute to recharge, but I'll find my way."
She headed in deeper, looking out for trees marked by bear claws. One was surprisingly close to the village, and so she looked around for any more indications of a bear being around. Almost out of her line of sight was another marked tree, and so she went over to it and saw it to be a bit fresher, though not fresh per se. There were a few more trees she had to follow, and then she came across one that looked like it had been clawed possibly that day, leaking sap and giving off a smell of cut and ground green wood.
'Well, one's gotta be close,' she thought to herself. 'Maybe…'
A bellow interrupted her musing and she turned to see a brown furred bear roaring at her in challenge. She stared the creature dead in the eyes without flinching, and the bear seemed to realize it wasn't looking at an easily intimidated human. It backed up a bit before rearing back onto its hind legs and roared again, and Yang had to sigh.
"Sorry buddy, but I've got a contract to keep," she cracked her knuckles and moved in. "I'll be quick."
Only a few steps up the stairway, Ruby noticed a sort of shrine that a man was sitting in front of, seemingly meditating. A fresh candle was set before him, giving off a sweet scent into the air. Giving a respectful nod to the man, Ruby looked into the shrine and saw words etched onto a tablet inside it.
Before the birth of men, the Dragons ruled all Mundus; Their word was the Voice, and they spoke only for True Needs; For the Voice could blot out the sky and flood the land
She mulled the words over as memories came forward. She could see the ground…far below her and passing by at great speed. Forests, tundra, deserts, jungles, oceans, and mountains, all were going by in the blink of an eye as she…flapped her wings.
She pulled herself away from the foreign memories and continued onwards. The way was somewhat winding and rough. After a while, she started stepping on snow, and felt the temperature difference in the air. Then she came across a second shrine.
Men were born and spread over the face of Mundus; The Dragons presided over the crawling masses; Men were weak then, and had no Voice
'Does that mean that people couldn't speak, or that there was no one with a Thu'um?' Ruby mused over the tablet's meaning before moving on, pausing only to shiver slightly.
As Ruby continued to hike up the mountain, she began to realize that the steps would have been a little trickier if she hadn't gotten some new boots meant for walking through deep snow the other day at Weiss's behest. It was still scattered this low, but that may have only made it worse to tread around.
Past another turn Ruby heard a wolf howling. Normally she would have expected Beowulfs, but the everyday wolves of Tamriel proved to be hostile enough to go after people before. Crescent Rose was extended and Lydia drew her sword, and a few seconds later several wolves popped up from the surrounding vegetation.
"Okay, little annoying," Ruby complained. Her senses screamed at her and she turned and slammed her scythe against a wolf leaping at her from the side. Unfortunately for the lupine, she used the bladed edge, and so it was thrown in two halves towards its pack. Several wolves began yelping and scrambling in fear, while the only ones standing their ground seemed to be older specimens. A particularly brown wolf went for Lydia, only to get a shield in the face, dazing it, and then the housecarl's sword digging into its chest. The others finally scattered, and the two were left alone from there. Once they felt confident about moving on, they stowed away their weapons and went back to the path.
Snow began gathering thicker underfoot, but many of the steps could still be seen. In a bit of a flat area Ruby came across another shrine.
The fledgling spirits of Men were strong in Old Times; Unafraid to war with Dragons and their Voices; But the Dragons only shouted them down and broke their hearts
'So dragons were winning at first? But what actually started the war?' she thought to herself.
The snowy, wind-blown path went up and down from there. Ruby eventually had to pull out her thicker coat and fur pants from her pack after a while to defend herself from the chill. Lydia, Nordic as she was, just pulled on a regular coat. She wasn't sure when it happened, but Ruby looked outwards and noticed that they were about half as high as the mountain in the distance. Being that Hrothgar was supposed to be taller, that told her that they weren't even halfway up.
"Oh Brothers," she mumbled under her breath. Up ahead, she saw another shrine, this time a woman sitting in front of it. Being certain not to disturb her, Ruby looked around and read the tablet.
Kyne called on Paarthurnax, who pitied Man; Together they taught Men to use the Voice; Then Dragon War raged, Dragon against Tongue
'Oh, so that's the war. The Goddess Kyne asked…someone for help, and they… Taught? Created? They did something, and that must have made the first Dragonborn. Then before that it must have been…just slaughter.'
A phantom pain struck at her chest and Ruby clenched the spot over her heart and stumbled back. Lydia quickly caught her and held her still.
"Are you all right, my Thane?"
"I- I'm fine," she half-lied. The back of her neck started stinging. She stood herself back up and cleared her throat. "We should…keep going."
"Only if you're certain you're fine."
"I am. Just…soul searching."
Another bend, and this time the path led upwards for a long while. About halfway up the steep steps, Ruby felt her legs burning and her lungs pining for more air. They had to stop for a moment, Lydia taking deeper breaths while Ruby gasped for oxygen.
"If nothing else," the girl got out, "my lung capacity'll increase from this. That's gotta be only good for Shouting, right?"
Lydia merely laughed and shook her head.
Past the steep stairway Ruby saw a rocky overhang ahead of them. At first she thought nothing of it except that it could guard someone from the wind, until a white form appeared on top of it and roared with a sound that she was certain should have been fictional. From the looks of it, it was bipedal, with arms like a gorilla, ending in claws that wouldn't have looked out of place on an Ursa.
"Frost troll," Lydia warned as she armed herself. The troll had apparently spotted them, and was now closing the distance far quicker than something with that kind of gait ought to.
"Any advice?" Ruby asked as Crescent Rose came out again.
"Dodge, and fire."
Ruby leapt over its first swing and swung back at it, only for her blade to stop after cutting about an inch of flesh on its shoulder. She jumped back and watched as the wound seemed to close itself rapidly.
"It's healing!"
"Trolls can regenerate quickly! Hit it fast, hard, or burn it!" Lydia began swiping wildly, cutting it in several places at once. Ruby figured she was going for the 'death by a thousand cuts' route, but the Huntress was never one to prefer extended engagements and instead always looked for the quickest ways to end a fight.
"Keep it looking at you!" Ruby commanded as she squared up behind the beast. Lydia kept her shield up as the troll's three eyes focused on her. As claw went swinging, but Lydia met it with her shield and stabbed forward, the blade sinking deep before being pulled out. The housecarl grunted as the wound immediately began to close itself, but she pressed forward and bashed her shield into the frost troll's face, sending it staggering back. Ruby took the opportunity and used her Semblance to dash forward, giving her scythe an over-under spin and then stabbing it into the frost troll's exposed back. The scythe sunk into flesh, for a few inches, and then was halted by the sheer density of trollflesh and thickness of its fat. Surprised, Ruby's grip slipped from her main weapon as the troll spun around and backhanded her away.
The girl yelped and rolled through the snow for a moment, and then sprung up back to her feet in time to see the troll coming at her. It reared back a clawed hand and went for a powerful swing, but Ruby was more than fast enough to move out of the way. She noticed her scythe still sticking out of its back, and had to somewhat admire its tenacity. The troll was probably the closest thing to a Grimm she'd faced on Tamriel, even more than the dragons, which she would count more as super powered people the size of a bullhead VTOL.
Ruby drew her sword, which she had thought about naming but hadn't gotten around to, and prepared to fight the troll further. As the beast lumbered at her, Lydia blindsided it, knocking it to its knees. Ruby aimed at the neck and dashed forward, rose petals trailing her as she impaled her blade into it neck, shoulder, and through its chest. The troll gurgled, and then fell onto the snow, bleeding from the wound for a moment.
"Whew, that was a little hairy!" Ruby went to tug her blade out of the troll, but found it to be stuck. She pulled with even more effort, but couldn't seem to get it to budge. "What the…"
"It healed around the blade while it died," Lydia explained as she grabbed the hilt of the sword and yanked on it, tearing it free and causing more blood to spill. Ruby stuck her tongue out in disgust at the pints of troll blood flowing out and took her sword back with a thankful nod to Lydia. The housecarl then went to extract her other weapon while Ruby cleaned her sword in the snow.
"I've been meaning to ask," Lydia began as she pulled upon Crescent Rose, "why a scythe? It does not seem a practical weapon."
"I guess not, but I always thought it was so cool when I was growing up, especially since my Uncle Qrow uses one. Only…his can turn into a sword. I thought about adding a mode to Crescent Rose in order to turn her into a sword, but the best I got was a spear setting."
"So your uncle taught you?" Lydia asked as she finally got the blade free.
"Yeah, actually. I was totally bad at it before he started teaching me. Still tripped up a lot, but I think it was audience nerves, because I didn't really trip much when I started training on my own." She sheathed the sword and took her main weapon back in hand before dipping the bloodied bit of blade into snow.
"I still don't quite understand using it. I've heard of peasants resorting to using scythes to fight bandits when there weren't enough weapons, but they always reset the blades so that they'd function more like a spear or bardiche."
Ruby just shrugged, unsure of what else to say on the subject. She could probably mention some of the weirder weapons she'd seen; like that one person whose weapon seemed to be a hoverboard, but something like that would fly right over the heads of people from Tamriel.
Only a little past where they'd killed the troll was a fifth shrine. Ruby looked in and read the words.
Man prevailed, shouting Alduin out of the world; Proving for all that their Voice too was strong; Although their sacrifices were many-fold
'And so people won! But, going by what people have been saying, and what I can see from Paalduzaam, Alduin's back. Al. Du. In. Destroy. Devour. Master.' Ruby itched at her head as the foreign knowledge blended into her memories. 'So, the World-Eater must be Alduin. But I don't know where he's getting these dragons from. Those two were really old, but maybe he's been growing an army somewhere to replenish their numbers? Maybe baby dragons take a long time to grow?'
They persisted, going down a short ways and then walking through more open ground, where the snow was deep, even in the closing summer months. Ruby was thankful that there seemed to be pillars made to guide folks through the path, otherwise they might have gotten lost. The next shrine was between two piney trees, just up a short set of steps.
With roaring Tongues, the Sky-Children conquer; Founding the First Empire with Sword and Voice; Whilst the Dragons withdrew from this World
'Hm, didn't Cynrrbert say something about another continent?' Ruby thought to herself before remembering she had a person right there who could provide an answer. Still moving up the mountain, Ruby turned her head to Lydia, who noticed the movement and turned as well to make eye contact.
"Hey Lydia?"
"Yes?"
"What do you know about a place called Akavir?"
"Admittedly, not much. Though, I have heard that it's populated by snake-men, monkey folk, some sort of tiger folk that might be like the Khajiit, and snow demons. Some people say the dragons first came from there to escape the snake people who ate them."
"That…sounds like a pretty tall tale. Especially considering what happens when dragons die."
"True. It has been a long time since anything from Akavir came to Tamriel, and the last expedition to the continent was made by the Nerevarine, the hero of the Dunmer. That was two hundred years ago, and he still hasn't returned."
"Maybe that's where the dragons were hiding?" Ruby suggested. "They came from there in the first place, so maybe they went back after losing the Dragon War."
"Sounds logical," the housecarl agreed.
"How about the First Empire? What's that about? How many were there?"
"Well, the Empire of today is the Third Empire. The First Empire was established when Alessia, the Slave-Queen, rebelled against the Ayleids and took Cyrodiil from them. I believe some armies from Skyrim helped her at the time."
"Never heard of an Ayleid before."
"They're extinct."
Ruby sucked air through her teeth and clicked her tongue. The idea of a 'people' going extinct was a new and unwelcome one to her. Afraid of what more she might hear, she decided to drop the subject and move on.
The next shrine wasn't much further ahead, but they would have missed it if she hadn't been looking for them. It rested at the very edge of a precipice, and Ruby was a little scared to get too close to it, but she was enthralled by the story, despite the breaks in it, and wanted to know what happened next now that dragons weren't an issue.
The Tongues at Red Mountain went away humbled; Jurgen Windcaller began His Seven Year Meditation; To understand how Strong Voices could fail
"Red Mountain's in Morrowind," Ruby recalled.
"It is", Lydia affirmed. "I think it refers to the failed invasion of Morrowind."
"To understand how Strong Voices could fail…" Ruby murmured as they went on their way. 'So they were strong, but still lost, and they didn't really know how they could have at that point. Well, they did beat an army of dragons. I'm sure I'd have felt indestructible for a while if I wasn't…distracted. Yeesh, that's a bad way to put it. My sister could have been dying for all I knew! She still has a scar from that on her left thigh!'
The next was also nearby, just before a turn that led further upwards.
Jurgen Windcaller chose silence and returned; The 17 disputants could not shout Him down; Jurgen the Calm built His home on the Throat of the World
'He built his home on the… Oh, this is the history of how the Greybeards began! Okay, so Jurgen fought in the Dragon War, and ended up founding the Greybeards and… What did Balgruuf call it? Something with the Voice.'
As the path led on, upwards with the occasional walk downwards, Ruby began to see a building in the distance. She immediately knew that it was her destination, and that the Greybeards would be inside, waiting for her.
'Hopefully it's warm in there.'
They stopped at another shrine, this one made in front of a statue like the one in Whiterun. A statue of Talos. Ruby read the tablet within.
For years all silent, the Greybeards spoke one name; Tiber Septim, stripling then, was summoned to Hrothgar; They blessed and named him Dovahkiin
Ruby admired the story for a moment and then went to go on, but paused in her steps. Her heart began hammering in her chest as she looked back at the statue.
"…she's definitely Dragonborn. Like Tiber Septim used to be."
"Then…it was you the Greybeards were summoning."
"The last time this happened was when they called on Tiber Septim himself."
For years all silent, the Greybeards spoke one name;
Her eyes seemed to focus on the statue for a long moment as she consciously weighed the words in her head.
'The last…and first person they called up here…became a god.' She wasn't sure if the thought of that horrified her or not, and the thought of not being horrified by that scared her.
"My Thane?"
Ruby snapped her focus back and shook her head. "I… I'm fine. Just a lot to think over."
"I understand."
'I doubt it,' she thought as they trudged on towards the stone building. As they walked towards the fortress, Ruby admired the stonework. Just before the split stairway that led up to the doors was another shrine. Ruby looked within and saw what she figured must be the final part.
The Voice is worship; Follow the Inner path; Speak only in True Need
'True Need. Like the dragons did before the war.' She looked up at the structure and gulped. 'Like…dragons…'
The stairs here seemed to hold more weight than the ones leading up the mountain, each step having a seeming finality to it, yet she began to feel a sort of calm wash over her. She thought back to the shrines and the plaques within them, and took courage in the fact that she was here to learn from the masters themselves. Even as the weight of her footfalls increased, she felt her spirit grow lighter. As she reached the door, she looked off to left and gasped. Through the mist and in the distance, she could see Whiterun from where she was. The sight of the familiar city brought a smile to her face and she took in a deep breath of the chilling air. Her eyes locked onto the door a moment later as she released the breath in a fog of steam.
"Let's do this."
She reached forward, and opened the door.
Zeymah! – Brother
Mid gein! Hin miiraad lost drun wah dinok! Fin sil los vod! Pah los queth! Nid daal! Ul los vul! Erei faal laat, Vah Su'um Ven! - Loyal one! Your path has brought (you) to death! The soul is gone! All is bone! No return! Eternity is dark! Until the end, farewell!
Vah Su'um Ven - Spring Breath Wind - used as a farewell (similar to Drem Yol Lok - Peace Fire Sky - used as a greeting)
Laas! Yah! Nir! - Life Seek Hunt - The Aura Whisper Shout
Zun! Haal! Vik! - Weapon Hand Defeat - The Disarm Shout
Ruth Strun Bah! Ogiim, fen naak hin kopraan - Rage Storm Wrath (expression of anger and hatred)! Orc, (I) will consume your corpse!
Hin sil fen…kos du…gein sul! - Your soul will...be eaten...one day!