Today the crew's training intensifies, will Gronik accept DB or Will gain mentorship first with the lord Ruthven? with preparations reaching a close and little time left, who knows?

Chapter 36

The Dragon Sword Dilemma...

The Next Day...

Celestine's tower...

Celestine was lying on her bed as Ophilyana was giving her a massage...Finally relaxed after all that's happened with a satisfied smile on her face.

"This...this feels nice..." She complimented, "I would have never guessed you'd be good at this too,"

"Ich wurde geschaffen, um jeden Wunsch zu erfüllen, den Sie haben, egal welcher Art. (I was formed to satisfy every desire that you have, no matter which kind.)" the half-Elf replied, "Herr Swain wusste, dass Sie bei all dem, was vor sich geht, angespannt und gestresst sein würden. Er meinte es wirklich ernst, als er mich auswählte ... da in meinen Adern Elfenblut fließt. (Lord Swain knew that you'd be tensed and stressed with all that's going on. He was really serious when he choose me... since I have elven blood running in my veins.)"

Celestine grinned, until she thought about something, making it wilt into a frown, "I see, if I had to be honest, I don't remember much of my own kin, you're the first I've met in years, and you know our native tongue, it's a nice change from the usual maids I have..." the smile return, "But, you could speak common tongue too if you wanted to, couldn't you...?"

"Aufgrund eines körperlichen Traumas war ich nicht in der Lage, die gemeinsame Sprache zu sprechen. (Due to a physical trauma... I found myself unable to speak the common tongue.)" Ophilyana stated, "Das Leben in den verbotenen Arenen ist nicht so einfach. All die Verletzungen und die Male, in denen ich mit stumpfen Waffen am Kopf getroffen wurde ... Dann stellte ich fest, dass ich meine Fähigkeit verloren hatte, wie alle anderen zu sprechen. Zum Glück brachte mir meine Mutter unsere alte Sprache bei. (Life in the forbidden arenas isn't that easy. All the injuries and the times I got hit in the head with blunt weapons... I then found out that I lost my ability to speak like everyone else. Thankfully, my mother taught me our anciant language.)"

"I...I see...I'm so sorry, I did not mean to inquire on that," Celestine apologized, "But I've never heard of these, "Forbidden Arenas" What are they?"

"Das ist etwas, was die Adligen tun ... neben anderen illegalen Aktivitäten und Festen. (It's something that the nobles do... among other illegal activities and festivals.)" Ophilyana sighed before continuing, "In den Verbotenen Arenen sammeln Adlige Sklaven und verwandeln sie zu ihrer Unterhaltung in Gladiatoren. Ich habe in ihnen jung gekämpft ... gleich danach verkaufte mich der Adlige, der mich gezeugt hatte, nachdem er meine Mutter und einige Male mich angegriffen hatte, an einen Höhlenmeister, der mich in einen Gladiator verwandelte. (The Forbidden Arenas are where nobles gather slaves and turn them into gladiators for their entertainment. I fought in them young... right after that the noble who sired me after assaulting my mother numerous times, and me at some points, sold me to a Den Master who turned me into a gladiator.)"

She furrowed her brow, "Interesting...I've never heard anything like that happening...and now I'm wishing I knew..." ears drooping down, "So...the scars...that's where they come from then...?"

The half-Elf nodded and said, "Viele von ihnen waren für mich fast tödlich, aber ich überlebte dank meines unbeugsamen Willens. (A lot of them were nearly fatal to me, but I survived thanks to my unbending will.)"

Celestine gave her a warm grin, "It truly shows, you've come pretty far to get here...and I'm glad you are,"

"M-M-Meine Dame... ich verdiene solch ein Lob nicht... (M-M-My lady... I'm not deserving of such praise...)" Ophilyana blushed a little.

Celestine lightly giggled, turning around to her, "It's okay and you are, you've been honest with me about how you feel...I appreciate that and I don't get that often,"

Soon after, there was a knock on the door, startling them both...

"Who is it?" The reborn goddess asked.

A woman Red Spear entered with a letter, "My lady, this letter is from the Inspector Shiki." as she handled the letter.

Celestine's eyes went wide, "From the inspector...?" opening the letter, her blood running cold when she read it...

"Due to how unfairly you defend heretics in your kingdom while hunting those in Rad, I decided as the representative of the Emperor to begin with the procedure to cut Rad from the Alliance as we are seen as lower people to the nobles that you protect so much. Rad will no longer be a part of this joke of an Alliance. You can thank your knight for pointing out how much the people of Rad mean nothing to you."

The goddess Reborn stared at the letter for a long period, thinking back on the recent event, "Claudia..." sighing deeply, "So you did nothing about him after all..." turning to the Red spear, "Thank you, that will be all,"

"Well... there was some strange sightings in the lower districts." the Red Spear replied, "Without your authorization, we can't operate there."

Celestine raised an eyebrow, "What kind of sightings?"

"The majority of sightings is about criminals." the Red Spear answered, "However, there were also sightings of monsters such as Orcs, Ogres, and Imps."

She frowned deeply upon that, "I get the criminals being there, but the monsters? Strange...yes, please investigate that, you have my full permission," with a nod.

"Thank you, my lady." the female knight bowed before leaving.

Once the red spear was out of the room, she sighed, glaring back at the letter, "Thank you for the massage, Ophilyana, but I'm going to have to postpone the rest...this was a letter from Inspector Shiki telling me that he was pulling out of the alliance, they must've found out about Troy's blood magic use and Claudia must've let him go...I have to mend this,"

"Wie kann man das reparieren? (How can you mend this?)" Ophilyana raised an eyebrow.

Celestine sighed, "By having a word with the Paladin...she seems to deem it okay to defend her protege's actions but is willing to get rid of valuable assets over the same thing he's being charged for..." narrowing her eyes at a memory.

"Wie können Menschen so egoistisch sein... (How can humans be this selfish...)" the half-Elf shook her head.

"I don't know...but I'm starting to see it and I don't like or understand it..." The goddess Reborn pointed out, standing up, "I'm not sure how it is, that inspector Shiki came across this information, but I'll find out soon enough," leaving her room.

In Feoh...

Sylla got up before getting her armor on and left for the training ground where the knights were training.

"Morning ma'am!" they all saluted her as she waved them down.

"At ease, how are you doing this morning?" she asked.

"We're doing fine." one of the knights answered, "I'm wondering if you'll be willing to teach us some techniques."

"The way I fight is..." the Tarnished was about to say something until.

"We were thinking about how you fight using a Glaive." another Knight interrupted, "You seem like you can hold yourself against the commander with ease."

"As well as mounted combat." a third knight added.

"I get it, I get it..." Sylla smiled as she added, "Once I get breakfast, we'll begin the training."

All the knights were cheering for that.

Nearby, Reynold was eating by himself, watching the knights fan over the newcomer with an eye-roll, going back to his food, 'Once again more knights have come to drool by the mouth about her skills...it's not like they aren't impressive, but still...'

"Now, prepare yourselves and get ready for a harsh training," Sylla said before walking away.

"I always wanted to fight on horseback." one of the knights said.

"So nice and pretty..." another one was daydreaming, "She's the perfect wife if I'm being honest."

"We feel you." a third one laughed, "No one can be better than her for us."

"Yeah!" they all cheered.

"The hell you're doing standing like that?" Niall arrived, smiling, "You need to train yourselves."

"Not to worry, commander, we'll learn how to fight on horseback." a knight pointed.

"Ha! Learning from a member of the Night Cavalry is something to gloat about, so you'd better listen to her," Niall stated with a grin.

"Yes sir!" they all saluted him.

He finished his food with a grin, getting up and tossing the plate in a bin, going back to his training, 'Feels like I'm making a breakthrough, soon I'll be able to take that test,'

Yamahkhroz

House of wings...

The pair of fans were on the table, as Traysek and Recorder stood over them, the former frowning.

"So I've just gotta run these to Erdora and I'm done?" He asked, getting a nod, "Alright, that'll be easy then, I can just warp there and be back...who's this going to?"

She narrowed her eyes at the name on the package box, "A guy called, May-ek or something, in Erdora..."

The Redguard sighed deeply with a groan, "Mayek...by the nine, well, this should be okay, it just depends on what mood he's in,"

"You know him, Dragonborn?" Record asked with an eyebrow raised.

"In a way, he's a Kletzkreig that resides in Erdora, only he's among the two that doesn't like me all that much, so this shall be interesting..." Traysek said, placing the fans in the package and closing it up, "So what's the reward for doing this?"

"A crystalline spear and damn good-looking one too, I figured you would be into that kind of thing," Recorder pointed out.

"I am...Eh, why the hell not, I could use more weapons in the armory and there's no telling when I'll need it...very well," The Redguard nodded, "I know where his house is, just what store do I have to report back to?"

"A place called Kitsune no buki, it's where I got this new bad boy from," Motioning to her hip, "They've got nice weapons there, very nice ones, could've even gotten a rot weapon like Dargo's if we weren't in rush to get them cleaned off,"

Traysek gritted his teeth, "Dammit, so much for a rot scythe...would've been a great weapon, but alright," he sighed, grabbing the box, heading out the door, "I'll see you guys soon," letting it close behind him.

Once outside, he shoved the package in a haven bag, using a teleportation spell and vanishing in the spot...

Erdora...

The Redguard warped in the center of the village, seemingly unnoticed, as he sighed, looking around to find the red spears and citizens carrying with their day, 'Nice to know things have warmed up here...' heading to the house...

When he arrived at Mayek's house, he knocked on the door and took the package out of the haven bag, waiting after...

But when the door opened, it wasn't Mayek, but another Dark Elf.

"Yes?" Lina sighed, wearing a white apron.

Traysek frowned, "Hello there, I'm delivering an order from Kitsune no buki, a pair of fans, correct?"

"Don't know." Lina answered before mumbling, "I did hear Mayek that he asked for something he saved quite the amount for."

The Redguard nodded, "Okay if he's around, could you get him here? this is his order,"

"He went to the orphanage." Lina stated, "The kids there enjoy his stories."

"I see, well that's fine I can leave it here or you can take it in since he paid in advance," He said, setting the crate down, "Take care," leaving the house.

The Dark Elf simply shrugged.

Once he was far enough from the house, he once again warped, heading back to the city...

Yamakhroz - Sun Eyes district...

Traysek had warped back to the city, looking around, 'Looks like I'm back, but...I don't recognize this district...I'll have to ask around to find the store...' he thought out, walking around, until he spotted strange sunlit guards, approaching them, "Hey there, I'm looking for the store, Kitsune no Buki, know where I'd have to go?"

"You got the wrong turn pal." one of the guards said, "you need to go this way to the Furred Heirloom District, the place of residence of the majority of the Kitsune."

The Redguard looked in the direction he pointed, nodding, "I see, thank you for telling me," before heading in it, following the way out of the current district...

Furred Heirloom District...

He arrived at the next district, finding kitsune guards in heavy samurai armor patrolling the streets as he passed, looking around for the sign, 'Well...this seems to be the kitsune district...did not know they were governed like this...' pressing through the area, he kept going until he finally spotted a sign, 'Kitsune no Buki, this seems to be the place...' pushing past the doors and heading in.

Now in the store, he was treated to a gallery of exotic weapons, whistling at some as passed by them, 'This is the store Recorder got her new sword from, I could use some of these myself,' glancing at a thunder katana on display, he then headed to the counter, finding no one at the front, but spotting movement in the back, "Hello?"

"Coming!" a rather busty kitsune got to the front with a long pipe, "What can I do for you?"

"Ah yes, I'm here to let you know that the fans you wanted delivered have been done, you might not know her by name, but a friend of mine came by with Dargo and accepted that request," Traysek explained.

"Ho~ so it's you?" she raised an eyebrow, "The friend of the little missy who has a thing for Dargo?"

Traysek grinned, "Hey now, they've got something good going there, it's adorable, I'm happy for them," he chuckled, "But if she told you I'd be by, then that makes this better...I'm Traysek, it's good to meet you, and from your wares, I'll be a customer soon,"

the Kitsune took a deep breath from her pipe before saying, "Depends if I'll stay here. After all, I'm planning to return to Rad once things get better there."

"Rad huh? haven't been there yet, heard it was a different land than the other kingdoms," The Redguard said, "Even met the shield princess, seemed more rational than the others, I'm planning to visit one day, probably after Feoh..." he added, "So...you've got something...? Record mentioned that too,"

The fox woman smirked before taking a spear from behind the counter, "Here."

Traysek took the held weapon, inspecting it, "Thank you~ loving the way it looks, heard it was crystalline, I just don't know what all it does,"

"In time, you'll figure it out." she then winked at him, "You'd like the surprise."

The Redguard frowned, before shouldering it, smirking, "I'm sure I will, hoping I'll get the chance, thanks a lot," he nodded before turning and making his way out, "I hope to see you again, Miss-?"

"The name's Kyouka." the Kitsune replied.

"Right, I'll see you soon Kyouka," He waved, leaving the store...

Once back outside, he looked around, 'Well, not bad for a reward and one I can carry around here,' putting it in his back sheath, 'Got some time left for the academy, wonder if it's shibukawa this time, could use more tactics in grappling,' heading to the academy...

First-class:

Advanced Grappling/counters

In today's lesson, the other instructor had returned, once again filling the room with that intimidating aura as he addressed everyone in the class, there were a few in the crew attending this lesson, such as Traysek, Erik, and Inigo, all three glancing around, as the instructor rose to his feet.

"Now then, young ones, I would like someone to help me with this lesson," Shibukawa said with a smile.

This time, the entire class including the trio, hesitated on that being a volunteer, Erik turning an eye at his sweating captain.

"Hey, boss maybe you should go..." He whispered.

"Fuck off..." Said boss growled, "I went last time... it's someone else's turn to get thrown...!"

Inigo nervously chuckled, "Ahaha...no. I need my arms for bows and crossbows my friends, I can't have a broken arm, before learning to do it, maybe you could go Erik?"

"By the gods, no..." The Nord whispered sharply, turning to Traysek, "C'mon man, you gotta do it, we won't move on until we do, and you're strong enough to take it..."

Traysek narrowed his eyes on both of them, before turning to the class, some looking away when he looked, "I fucking hate both of you...! Fine...!" he growled with a sneer, raising his hand, "I volunteer, sir..." not taking his glare off the two.

"We won't forget your valiant sacrifice, sir," Erik saluted with Inigo.

"Shut up...!" Traysek growled in between his teeth while trying to keep a smile.

"Well thank you, young man." Shibukawa smiled, "It does seem like you're the only one who can help an old man in this class."

"I think they're worried about not getting back up again if you throw them," The Redguard chuckled, "So what I am doing this time?"

"It's pretty simple." Shibukawa replied, "You'll have to kick me. It doesn't matter how."

"A kick this time? very well," Traysek nodded, before taking a stance, throwing a fast roundhouse at his head.

Like last time, no one had time to blink as Traysek was face on the ground and his legs locked in a painful position.

The class winced with the two crew mates, as the boss grunted with gritted teeth...

"I knew it was going to be painful...if we were betting, I'd win," Inigo lowly chuckled.

Erik nodded, "Yeah, but I don't think limbs are supposed to bend that way...oof..." he cringed...

Traysek at this point wasn't surprised by the speed of how he was taken down, but the lock on his leg was different, 'So that's how you do that one...ow...'

"Now, do as you did last time and prepare yourselves as pairs." Shibukawa said as he freed Traysek.

The Redguard shook the pain out of his leg, standing up with a groan, now grinning at the pair, who began to sweat...

"He's grinning at us, ain't he?" Erik sweated.

"Yup...it seems like he's looking at you first too," Inigo nervously chuckled.

"Oh, Erik~" They heard him call out in a sing-song tone, finding him grinning, "Your turn~!"

He gulped, turning to Inigo, "Welp, since I'm the first to die, be sure to pass the word to Zephyr,"

"That's if I survive the lesson myself Erik, we'll see," Inigo sighed, as they both headed towards him...

With Recorder...

Today with Dargo busy with something, she was on her own wandering around town, trying to kill some time or find something to do...

'Gotta admit, kinda dull today with barely anything to do...seems like I've learned everything about the quick draw, or at least the start of it...maybe I should check in with the academy today, heard Shibukawa was back...'

She then noticed Dargo talking with someone. It was a dark-clothed woman with a hood over her head.

Record frowned at them, raising an eyebrow, 'What's Dargo doing here and who's that...?' walking up to the pair.

"Look, it doesn't matter who it is, I'm not training anyone." the woman said.

"It would be the best way to pay off your debt toward me." Dargo pointed, "All I ask is that you train only one person."

"You could have asked me something better." the woman glared at him.

"I already said no to that." Dargo stared at her.

"Fine, I'll do it." the woman sighed.

Recorder approached carefully, "Hey Dargo...? I thought you'd be busy today," she greeted.

"I was looking for her." the Dark Elf replied, "Since you said that you wanted to become a good assassin, I thought that she could help you with that."

Record glanced at the other woman who gave her a blank stare in return, "I was thinking about that, sure," turning to the assassin, "My name's Recorder, and I would be honored to learn from you," with a slight bow.

"The name's Évelyne De La Croix." the assassin replied with a sigh, "Well, it seems like I'm stuck with you." she then stared at her more closely before saying, "You do remind me of my sister, you know?"

"Oh?" Recorder said, raising an eyebrow, "In what way?"

"Your appearance." Évelyne answered, "Not a full copy, but close."

"I see...good to know," Record nodded, turning to Dargo, "I wasn't expecting it, but thanks Dargo,"

"W-Well, you did say that you wanted to be an assassin, so I thought that I could use my contacts to help you..." he then began to mumble the rest while blushing.

She felt the area heat up, waving him down with a blush and smile, "It's okay I appreciate it, no need to heat things up," nervously chuckling.

"So, what's the story between you two?" Évelyne asked with a smirk, "Never seen Dargo acting like this before."

Record nervously chuckled, "I'm uh...not sure, we met on a caravan job, been on a few, we've been alright ever since," hoping not to embarrass them further.

"I feel like something good happened." the assassin pointed with a smug before asking, "Have you already walked past the important step?"

Record thought on that, "To... keep silent and your blade away from innocents?" she guessed, unsure if it was the right answer.

"I was talking about your relationship." she then pulled her and whispered, "Did you show him your flower?"

"Oh um...well this is awkward...We're just...friendly...that's all and what flower...?" Recorder asked, trying not to stammer.

"I can imagine you on top of the other with him piercing you with his bastard sword and you feel the best feeling in the world," Évelyne added, causing Dargo to turn completely red.

Recorder was red in the face too, trying to regain composure, "W-whoa, whoa! Okay we're not even on that...Yet...I did not show him any "flowers" of mine, you're going to start a fire if you keep going," quickly nodding her head to area burning around Dargo.

"Then why don't you see how much of a fire you can start." she then pushed Recorder on Dargo tripping them.

Once they both fell, Recorder groaned, slowly raising her head, going wide when she saw how red his face was, nearly looking like he was going to faint, but she could also see the flames rising around them, 'Oooooh shiiiiit...' glancing down at him, placing a gentle hand on his chest, "D-dargo...? Hey! stay...cool...I'm going to get up...Okay...?" in a nervous calming tone.

People began to circle them as a sleeping dart was shot at Dargo.

"I knew that you'd be the one to make the first move." Endra approached them, smirking, "You're too bold for your good."

"H-hey HEY, NO! Not what it looks like! I was shoved into him by-" She nervously defended, not finding the woman there going wide-eyed, "-Her...oh dear god, of course, she ditches now!" getting up from the unconscious elf, looking around for the assassin.

"You couldn't hold yourself so you jumped at him? How romantic." Endra added, "Next time, wait until you get a room."

Record took a deep sigh, unable to control the flushing in her cheeks, "Dammit it wasn't like that! I just...got a new mentor and she shoved me into him..."

"Pushing the blame on others? not good." Endra chuckled before adding, "Anyways, it seems that she just taught you your first lesson; make a scene to escape."

Record sighed, shaking her head, "It seems like I got played in this lesson..."

"Well, I'm gonna need to get him home." Endra pointed to Dargo, "A little help?"

"Yeah, we better get him out of here," She concurred, going to the other side and helping Endra lift him, carrying him to his house...

With Yuriana...

She walked into the gym, this time finding it way hotter than usual, fanning herself and taking off her top, exposing the bra, but even that wasn't helping, 'By the gods...it's so damn hot...like a desert and two ovens...' cautiously looking around for older elf.

"Do you know what's the problem with places like this?" the Elf asked as he walked toward her.

She huffed, wiping the sweat off her brow, "Not sure, haven't fought in places like this too often, feels like I can get exhausted easier though..."

"Well, it's one of the many problems." Moiroy stated, "The real problem is how to deal with sweaty opponents. Or, how not to outburn yourself in the heat. Of course, there are more problems, but they're minor compared to those two." he crossed his arms, seeming unaffected by the heat, "You need to learn how to deal with layers between you and your opponent."

'Easier said than done...feels like my skin's going to melt off...how the hell does HE do it?' she mused, eyebrow twitching, taking a deep breath, "I see, so it'll be a lesson on retaining while not passing out, I think I got it, when do we begin?"

"I want you to grab me, then you'll have to pull. This can give you an idea of how your sweat can be turned on you." the Dark Elf informed.

Yuriana took the counter stance, "So go for a grab, got it..." She nodded, before attempting it, seemingly getting a grip on her mentor, 'I've got him...!'

But, when she tried to pull him, her hands slipped due to how wet they were.

Yuri quickly regained her footing, preventing herself from falling back, 'Okay...not as easy as I thought...damn...' looking at her sweating hands, 'Going to be hard if can't get them to stop...' taking her stance once more.

"You need to know how to fight the layers between your skin and your opponent's..." Moiroy grabbed her arm and easily pulled her, "By knowing how to remove those layers."

She had a surprised look, at how easily she was pulled, before she nodded, her lips curving to a determined smirk...

House of Wings, Backyard...

Once the class with Shibukawa ended, Traysek went back home to train himself with the current weapons he earned lying on the table, starting with the new axe he had gotten from the chief of Ulak, inspecting, 'Once again, a bit on the heavy side, but not unwieldable...' before focusing on the weapon, feeling the familiar warmth come back, 'And since I've learned to use weapons like these, now I can tell which has it and which doesn't...' before taking a stance with the axe, getting a quick image, before copying it, revealing to be identical ash of war with the same barrier going over him, performing a heavier two-handed swing, 'Okay...so it's like the greatsword, but much stronger, good to know I had a weapon like this...' going back to the table and placing it back down.

The next thing he grabbed, was another weapon from Ulak, this time the sword they took with them from one of the dead Kuroinu, 'Like the axe, this weapon has one too and it's even easier to do...' he took a deep breath, before performing a spinning slash, finishing it with a final slash, slicing a bit of air in the process, 'So that one does THAT, not a weapon I'd use often, same as the axe,' placing it next back on the table.

He then moved on to the recent crystal spear he'd just got, wielding it and automatically feeling the ash within, 'Without too much focus, I can already feel this spear's magic...interesting...' before giving it a swing, getting a crimson aura, before another, and another, changing it to rapid thrusts, the energy of the spear flaring out with each one, a few shards of crimson crystal that came flying out with the last enegized thrust, going into a spin with it, generating a red mist and crystals as he spun the weapon, a pleased smile as he kept spinning it, going for a leap and slamming the spear down, getting a volley of shattering crystals, 'Okay...this one...I like and I don't think I've fully tested it either...looking forward to using you,' with a nod and grin, sitting back on the table...

The Redguard glanced at the rest of the weapons, picking up the spear of thorns and getting nothing from it, going to his unsealed death jaw blade next and checking it...instead of an ash of war, there was another strong presence hidden within it, looking back at him almost...small, but it was there, making him frown, 'Okay...no ash of war in these, but there is something up with this sword...I recognize the power and yet...' thinking about something, a smirk forming on his face, putting it back on the table, 'I could be wrong, but that'll be something to test later...for now...' opening his palm, a ball of flame filling it, 'Think it's time to give this new magic a test run...'

Meanwhile...at the Archive...

The imperial was there today, not for a class, but in hopes of getting a few things translated in the red book he held, heading to the Felinefolk at the counter, "Excuse me? I was wondering if you sold or knew someone who could get a few of these pages translated," placing the book on the counter.

"For translations, we have a set price that can't be changed... no matter who asks." she finished with a dark tone.

Lucien nervously chuckled, "Oh, well I wasn't asking, and, I don't think I have enough to get this entire book translated, a few pages will do though and I'm willing to pay however much,"

"We don't do that here." was the reply he got, "We translate books and the payment is that we keep the original one while we give you the copy."

He blinked with wide eyes, "Oh...so that's how it works...alright, do I give this to you then? or is there somewhere else I can turn this in?"

"Sir... does it look like I said that you need to hand over the book to someone else besides me?" she gave him a blank stare.

"I'm just making sure, it's not often I bring translations here," Lucien sighed, shaking his head, sliding the book to her, "On that note, here you go, the language is in Dwemer, I'll be back when you have the copy ready,"

"Well, have a good day." the Felinefolk smiled before teleporting away with the book.

Lucien blinked at her sudden teleportation, shrugging, "O-okay then, see you soon," before heading out of the building...

Back at the house of wings...

Traysek stood in front of targets, holding his new fire spell, before casting it, causing a small area to catch flame quickly, nodding at his results, 'So that's the new fire spell I got...not bad...seems like I've got others too but can't access them yet...wonder why...' coming out his thoughts, extinguishing the flames.

He then channeled wind magic this time, aiming the spell and discharging a cone of wind at one target, the blast expanding and leaving smaller shallow cuts, making him frown, 'Okay...left some cuts into it...not bad, even if they are shallow...'

Switching to ice magic, he got an even deeper chill in his hands, but not shivering from it...The Redguard aimed his spell at another set of targets and fired what he thought was an ice cone into it, frowning, 'That's it...? Just an ice cone? I'd be lying if I wasn't disappointed by that...but then again from the notes I read, it's not going to be as strong right now...'

Now, switching to the lightning element, violet sparks danced off the held spell, 'Knowing how the lightning in this world works, I wonder...' Zapping them with a torrent of lightning, watching the lightning run through the wood of it, 'Okay...identical to sparks, except...it's a bit stronger...' watching the sparks blast out of the wood, leaving burning cracks and smoke, 'Way stronger...it's no Lightning-flame, but it's effective...'

He took a deep breath, channeling earth magic this time, watching the rocks swirl around his hand, before aiming it and discharging an endless torrent of hard pebbles, leaving deep dents into the last target, 'Not bad for a start on this one either...they almost fire like bullets...' stopping the bombardment, 'So now that I know I can use these spells, I'll have to find a way to grow these...maybe during the war I'll get that chance, for now...with the spells I already have, until that gravity tome is translated, it'll have to do...' with a satisfied grin.

'Now then...' turning around to his sealed sword, 'Time to see what this is finally about...' walking up to it and grabbing the blade, taking off the sealing wraps, the crimson glow brightening as he held it, feeling a warmth, but not the same as the ashes of war, and yet...it felt...comforting...he frowned at it, before taking a relaxed stance, giving it a few practice swings, the blade humming as it soared, burning as it sawed through air with every motion. He stopped with a final hard downward swing, causing a gust of wind and crimson slash to come out of him, smiling, 'Huh...that felt...good...? and not restraining either...that's odd for a Daedric dragon Sword...is this how Miraak felt with his blade...? if so...I can understand completely...' that smile curving into a smirk, taking his stance once more.

With Gronik and Kurenai...

The two were covered under a blanket, and panting.

"Gods... if it wasn't for the residue of Sheogorath's powers... I would be dead now." the Imperial stated.

"Well, you're the one who can satisfy me." she pointed, "And large enough to get me hooked on you."

"Can we stop talking about it?" Gronik asked.

"I would love to talk about any part of you." Kurenai purred as she turned to him.

"Please, wasn't it enough to do it for 3 hours?" Gronik sighed, "Still, I need to launch an investigation... I felt like a rift was about to be opened between this plane... and the Oblivion one."

"Is it that bad?" the woman asked.

"Trust me, I lived through the Oblivion Crisis, fought in it, and survived it." Gronik looked at the ceiling, with a worried look, "This world is now my world... and I won't let it be consumed by that place.

"Scary~" Kurenai giggled before adding, "That reminds me, the Dragonborn wants you to teach him some stuff."

The Imperial narrowed his eyes as he said, "Does he now? I believe that his current powers are enough."

"It seems like he seeks more," Kurenai replied.

"Is that so... it can mean that he's the source of this dark power..." Gronik took a deep breath before stating, "When I get some free time, I'll talk with him."

"Been a long time ever since I saw you with a face like that." Kurenai smiled, "It brings back memories."

Dealing with the wrong Daedric Princes can ruin the world." Gronik pointed as he clenched his fists, "I will do all in my power to stop it, even if I have to sacrifice myself."

At Dargo's house...

Once the duo carrying the unconscious elf reached the house, Recorder sighed staring at the door.

"Is anyone home right now?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"His siblings, probably," Endra answered

Record nodded, "Hopefully they aren't at school," knocking on the door, waiting there until a click was heard, followed by the door opening, revealing it to be his little brother, "Oh! Someone was home, hello again~" she greeted, "Your brother passed out thanks to a...Situation earlier, we need to lay him down,"

"What happened to him?" the boy asked.

"Someone couldn't wait until they got a room," Endra smirked.

"NOT!" she quickly screeched at him, before turning back to the child, "Someone shoved me into him, and when things started...heating up...he shot him with a sleeping dart," nodding her head at Endra.

"Because you were on top of him, ready to spread your flower," Endra added.

"Flower?" the boy tilted his head.

"Nothing! Just plants!" she quickly told his brother, before taking a deep breath, "Between you and the other mentor, I don't know who's trying to kill me of embarrassment faster!"

"Anyways, you'd better take a decision soon." Endra pointed with a serious tone, "Youth isn't forever."

Record snorted, "You act like I'm already pushing towards thirty...there's no rush, and besides..." she sighed, glancing down at Dargo, "I...like what we have now and knowing what all he's been through and going through...I can't bring myself to force it, especially towards something we're not ready for yet..." with a sad smile, "That's not saying I'm a virgin, but...I'm also not as forward as Yuri when it comes to that...I like him, I do...but I also don't want to scare him by being aggressive,"

"Well, just bear in mind that he already set his loyalty to you." Endra pointed out, "For him, your life is better than his."

Recorder blinked at that, a small blush appearing, "O-oh...I didn't...wow..." at a loss for words, while rubbing the back of her head as a million thoughts came through, shaking them out, "We...we should get him inside...his house I mean! yeah..."

Endra got a smug grin as he said, "You want to enter his house? How bold."

She sighed deeply, defeated, 'Oh my god...now I know how misty felt, check it, this even more embarrassing than the day of the Dragonborn...' Record closed her eyes, already feeling done, "I-...let's just get him in..." helping Endra carry Dargo in, his younger brother holding the door for them.

With Yuriana...

The entire gym at this point now had moist heat blowing through from the constant heat mixing with the sweat in the air and on the ground. The culprit of the mess was a busty red-haired woman with messy hair, covered in sweat and huffing as she stood, planning out how to grab the elf who still stood there.

'I need to figure this out...how is he not sweating himself...? it's almost like he's accustomed to the heat somehow...' she thought out, observing how he stood or rather how...clear minded he remained, 'It's almost as if he's in a tranquil state, even with this extreme heat...come to think of it, this isn't the first time I've seen that...Traysek can do it in the colder cities or mountains, Inigo too, despite being where they're from...I wonder...is it a mind thing perhaps...? could I will myself to cool off...? I haven't tried that yet...maybe I should...if it doesn't work, I'm out of options...' relaxing her stance and closing her eyes, deeply breathing.

'Good luck with that way. The problem with the heat is that the body is already at a high temperature. Which means that it keeps on increasing.' Moiroy thought, 'To stop the heat... you'd need a heavy bag of ice... or have the same element.'

She continued to focus, imagining herself on Skyrim's tundra, the cold snow and winds blowing around her, still feeling the heat outside of the mindscape...then the winds around her picked up, becoming a blizzard...a cold rush replacing the heat, however unknowingly, her magic had kicked in, cooling her off as steam came off from it, opening her eyes and finding the heat dying down off her slowly, taking a breath before lunging forward and grabbing both of his arms, applying a cold grip which had steam rushing off, 'I...I can finally grab him...' feeling herself smile, before locking the grip, 'Now to pull him...!' going for the pull, unaware that her hands had once again, started to sweat.

Moiroy stood like a rock, unmoving and staring at the red-haired woman, as the sweat got between their hands.

Her eyes went wide at the sweat reappearing more and more, the aura that was over her was already faded, 'No no no no...keep your grip, keep your grip!' she mentally panicked, but alas, she didn't have the time to refocus that aura, as he elf once again slipped out her hands, causing her to stumble back.

The older wrestler sighed before saying, "Look, if you have to fight someone in a place like this, you shouldn't play smart, but you need to know how to interact with them. Instead of grabbing them, do quick throws, move less than usual, and make sure that you have a way to hydrate yourself."

She caught herself, stomping on her heels, and slid a bit until she stopped, huffing, "Quick throws...? like takedowns?" panting as the sweat began to build up over here, walking back over to him.

"By quick throws, I meant something like this." he swiftly kicked her in the stomach, but instead of being thrown away, she was lifted in the air before being caught by him at the landing, "Your arms aren't your only way to grab someone, all that you'd need, is to know the technique."

Yuri nodded, being helped up, before staring for a minute, 'He used his legs for that one...okay...it's not like I can't kick...but I doubt I'll be able to meet the same result...unless...' thinking back on her lesson with Shibukawa, how quickly her leader was thrown, remembering that he had used his legs for leverage, and what she learned from him, 'It's a long shot...but I...just might be able to do this after all...if that's the goal...then...' taking her stance again...once more she made the same predictable lounge, seemingly going for a grab, until she feinted it when she got close enough at the last second, moving slightly to his side, using her leg to give his a powerful sweep, grabbing his shoulders, 'Got him lifted...now to take him to the ground,' taking him over her hips.

"I would have called that impressive if it wasn't for the fact that you let anyone know of your actions." before she could react, she was on the ground with her arms locked behind her.

She had widened her eyes, "H-how...? did I make that...obvious...? you read minds...?" Yuri struggled out.

"Your actions told me of your intent." Moiroy stated, "I was seeing it from far away."

That made her frown as he got off of her, "I'm that predictable...?" she asked, as she got back up, "What's giving me away then?"

"Look at a mirror and you'll know." he answered, "You don't know how to control your actions."

Yuri went to retort, but thought about it, nodding in agreement, "I've just...never had to think about utilizing it in this form, it comes naturally to me...or at least I thought so...seems like I've got plenty to work on," sighing in defeat, wiping the sweat off her brow.

"I know how you feel." the Elf said, "I was like you; a frontline fighter who believed that he could take on any challenge... still, that doesn't mean that you should change, just that you need to get better at protecting those that are dear to you. Train for the sake of your loved ones, and be prepared for anything..."

She stared at him for a moment, "I...I see...thank you for that, and today's lesson..." thinking back on the crew, until she also got the memory of Inigo and Lucien singing...often, making her cringe mentally, 'Although sometimes, they deserve to get hit...' her eyebrow twitched.

"Next time, we'll fight in a humid forest." Moiroy said, "Once you get here, we'll depart for it with a portal spell that I know."

She sweatdropped but smiled, "Getting the feeling that'll be something, but I look forward to it," heading off to grab her shirt.

Celestine's office...

In her office, the goddess reborn sat across from the paladin, regarding her with a smile, but it wasn't a nice one...it was rather...cold this time around. Grave was also present with this, knowing his relationship with Claudia and Shiki.

"Hello, Claudia...I trust you know why you're here, correct?" She asked sweetly.

"Yes..." the woman replied with a low tone, "It's... it's because I failed to protect Troy..."

Celestine blinked twice at that, "No...you succeeded in that, so well that Rad is now going to pull out of the alliance...so you protected him alright, but at the cost of good allies, more good allies, let's not forget the last we lost..." narrowing her eyes, "My question is, why? you've never let the act of heresy go, not even to most other holy knights...but we're making exceptions when it comes to him?"

"The Musel family is one of the most loyal ones." Claudia replied, "They aren't here-"

"Silence!" Grave snapped at her before turning to the Goddess Rebord, "I'm sorry about this. I thought that I raised her to serve you faithfully."

Celestine waved him down, "It's alright, I wanted her to speak on the matter..." turning back to Claudia, "You're correct, for the most part, I know Otto Musel well, during his time as a young man, he was loyal to us...and has remained that way, his wife, Katherine, was one of my healers...and a good one at that...so I don't believe for a second that they are, but their eldest son is...and what makes this so bad, is that he kept it hidden until he used it on one of swain's maid's, and then to seriously hurt that maid later, who's still recovering as we speak..." staring directly into her eyes, "He lied about his magic, but do you know who didn't...?"

"He's a criminal, a bandit!" the woman pointed, "Troy is a noble, someone better than that traitor."

"Hate to say it since I hate him, but even that crow didn't lie about his magic..." Grave added with a sigh, "Not to forget that Inspector Shiki is on his way to Rad as we speak. I can't believe that I'm going to say that... but I wish that the old crow was here now."

The reborn Goddess's eyebrow twitched, following a loud thundering boom outside, "I wish so too, but please refrain from calling him a "Crow" Lord Grave," turning back to Claudia, "Really? Traysek's the criminal? not Troy? his actions that day would tell me differently... he was disrespectful, fought the maid and used illegal blood magic, snuck around in a lord's home, then stole things from this same home and injured the same maid he fought with earlier trying to get away with what he took...everything that I just listed there, was way more criminal than what our former contractors did..." in a stern tone, "Is there some kind of prejudice I'm unaware of?"

Claudia was about to say something until a knock was heard.

"My lady, the High Inquisitor is here." the guard said, waiting for a response.

Celestine cut an eye at the door, "Send her in please," she simply said.

The door opened and the armored woman entered.

"Greetings, my lady." Marpesia bowed, "It's been too long since we had the pleasure to converse, right?" she then turned to Grave, "You too, Grave. I think that the last time we spoke was two months ago when you came to Thorn to speak about something."

The Goddess gave her a nod and grin, "Welcome Inquisitor, it's been too long, your visit is unexpected, but I'm glad you've come, please have a seat," motioning her to a chair.

"Thank you." the High Inquisitor sat before removing her helmet, "I've been called to interrogate someone who's been accused of being a Heretic, even got from Feoh where I had a little recruitment operation." she then turned her head to Claudia, "But it seems like someone has a favorite toy..."

Claudia huffed, "I do not have a favorite "Toy" that's preposterous, one of them was criminal and the other was a knight loyal to our order, the decision was obvious,"

"It's good to see you again too, High Inquisitor, I trust you have that taken care of?" Grave greeted with an eyebrow raised.

Celestine gave her a deadpanned stare, "You still have yet to answer my question..."

"My lady, we can't accuse someone we know of a crime like heresy." Claudia tried to defend herself with, "It would taint the entire family name."

The High Queen sighed, "Defending him is tainting yours and costing allies, I understand not arresting the rest of the family, even Reynold is clear from these charges, but Troy was in our order when he learned that magic, The man you deem a "criminal" came with the magic...how would someone not from our world, understand our laws? I knew he didn't know them, so I allowed him to use what he needed as long as it wasn't toward the people here...and you all chased them out...Troy did NOT have that permission and you spared him...do you not understand how that looks?" frowning deeply at her.

"Should we harm our people?" Claudia nearly snapped, causing Ophilyana to go for her longswords, "We need to protect our people, not do that to them."

That same hot feeling in her chest that she felt with Satakal was slowly returning, although this time it was in the form of a cold glare...which made the paladin shiver, "No...I don't expect you to hurt our people, I expect you to be fair to them...and uphold the law as you should, you don't have to execute them or even their son, but you need to be fair, exile would be more than enough...than killing them...especially given their long term service as you say..." closing her eyes, trying to calm the burning, "But because you've been my most loyal, I'm giving you time to do what you know you need to do...the longer you take, the less likely it will be for you to remain after this war..." with a cold emotionless glare.

"Y-Yes." Claudia replied with a defeated tone.

Celestine sighed, "See to that as soon as possible, Claudia," before turning to Grave, "As for you Lord Grave, you're reputation will remain unaffected by this, your deeds have earned you that, is there a way you could contact Lord Shiki?" she asked, "I'd rather not lose any more allies over something so...trivial..."

"I don't know if he'd like to reconsider, but I'll do my best to change his mind," Grave said with a solemn tone.

"Just do what you can Lord Grave, if you cannot, I'll send for Princess Kaguya, but hopefully by then, the situation "Mends itself" The citizens of Rad, should not feel that from us, as the capital we need to set a better example and especially if we're hunting heretics in their lands," The high queen finished, cutting an eye at her, before turning to Marpesia, "Are these terms acceptable to you, high inquisitor? Once again, I do not believe that the rest of the family should be charged, but they don't have to live here,"

"I don't have a problem with it." the High Inquisitor replied, "After all, you rule over these lands."

Celestine nodded, "Very well, this discussion's over...Paladin you have your duties, you're dismissed," in a cold tone.

The people nodded before leaving.

"Das muss doch sehr anstrengend gewesen sein, oder? (This must have been very tiring, huh?)" Ophilyana stated.

Celestine sighed deeply, "More than anyone knows..." offering her a smile, "But I'm beginning to know who my friends are..." glancing at the door, "And...who isn't..." shaking her head.

"Ich konnte die Bosheit der beiden anderen spüren. (I could feel malice from the two others.)" the half-Elf narrowed her eyes, "Du solltest nicht nachlassen ... egal, welche süßen Worte sie sagen ... (You shouldn't let your guard down... no matter the sweet words they say...)"

She slowly nodded, "I won't...especially after all of that..." sighing deeply, "With time getting closer, the last thing we need, is more people leaving us...I just pray Lord Swain is alright where he is..." turning to her with a smile, "Thank you Ophilyana, but I need to be left to my thoughts right now..."

"Wenn Sie Hilfe benötigen, rufen Sie mich bitte an. (If you need help, please call for me.)" Ophilyana bowed before leaving the room.

Once her faithful guard was out of the room, Celestine sighed and walked up to the window, looking out of it...the view from her angle was gorgeous, it reminded her why she and shields came together in the first place, this was her home, but did she truly know it? understand it? she often questioned herself on it when she was alone...her smile then began to wilt remembering everything that occurred, eyes now cold as she stared out of the window, before leaving it...

Back at the house of wings...

Traysek was chilling in the back, rewrapping his weapon back up and taking it back in the house, heading to the basement and placing it back on the rack, 'Well, that settles that, it's a strong weapon, but not one to be used casually...' he mused with a grin, heading back upstairs.

Once he reached the top, he heard a knock at the door, making him frown, 'Who could that be...?' heading to the door, "Who is it?" he asked.

"Members of the Investigation units." a female voice responded, "We have some questions for you."

The Redguard frowned hard, 'investigation unit...? What in the blazes happened?' he mentally cursed, throwing on a robe before walking up to the door, and opening it, "Hello...? Can I...? help you with anything?" he asked, genuinely confused.

In front of his door were two individuals wearing a long blue coat over a red shirt and blue pants; one was a young woman Dark Elf while the other was a mature Manticore woman.

"We're investigating some sort of dark power under the orders of Lord Gronik." the Manticore said.

Traysek frowned deeply, even more confused, "Huh? Dark power? I wouldn't know anything about strange dark power, I was training earlier, and I would've felt something off if there was, I must've missed it, I won't deny your claim if there was something like that running around, but as far as I know, I haven't seen anything or felt anything, apologies," he calmly told them.

"I see..." the Manticore went in thoughts, "If you learn anything, contact Lord Gronik." and they both left.

"Will do, take care~" he smiled, closing the door after going back in, locking it behind him, an ice-cold glare on his features, and walking back downstairs...Once he arrived back at the basement, he walked up to the weapons and put a finger to his chin, scanning over each one, until something dawned on him, making him widen his eyes in the realization of why they may have been there, making him scowl,

'Hide the blade...' Dargo's voice reminded him.

'What if this blade WAS the source...? that would mean the power from it, is unstable...especially unsealed...maybe I should tell him about it...out of all my swords, this one is questionable, it's not like it felt wrong but...it felt good, TOO good...I'll have to bring it with me when I see him...'

"Vul Dinok Jut..." he muttered, causing the blade to dematerialize, flowing into his left arm, leaving a crimson dragon tattoo on his forearm before it faded, heading upstairs to change.

But as soon as he left the basement, a Dark Blade appeared, "The only reason he'd do that would be to hide something, something compromising." then disappeared in the shadows.

In Gronik's office...

The Imperial Hero was looking at some papers until he noticed the Dark Blade.

"We know who did it." the Elf said as Gronik narrowed his eyes.

Not too soon after that, a came ringing on his stone...

Walking to his desk, he touched the crystal, "Yes?"

"Hey, Gronik? Was that you that sent investigators to my house?" Traysek's voice asked over the line.

"I sent them to investigate the entire District," Gronik answered.

"I see, I heard it was over a dark presence," Traysek's voice added, "To be honest, I didn't feel anything too strange, but I was messing around with weapons earlier giving them their testing swings, one of which is a Daedric Dragon sword, but I don't think those two connected...I would've still told you about it if you had asked,"

"Did you say... Daedric?" the Imperial widened his eyes.

"Uh...Yeah? I did, there was this black market I could call upon and I ended up getting a Dragonborn sword crafted by them, it looks like a crimson meteorite from how it glows...very exotic looking, but it makes me nervous to use...hence why I just tested it on air today,"

"Which... Daedric Prince..." This time, it didn't sound like a question.

There was silence and a defeated sigh at the end of the line, "Herma-mora...now before you chew my head off hear me ou-" he began with, but...

Fury could be seen in his eyes as he yelled, "THAT OCTUPUS FACED BASTARD!?"

Back at the house, Traysek had the stone away from him and a finger to his ear, "Ow gods...my ears..."

"Yeah, I take it you and the ball of tentacles have history and not a good one..." Traysek's voice sighed, "But it was him who had sent me that blade for besting the first Dragonborn in his realm, but because it's from him, it doesn't mean all that negative energy is coming from me, you know the corruption of these lands here and-"

"You're telling me that you made a contract with that tentacled waste of creation!?" Gronik snapped, "Who in his right mind would do that?!"

Once again there was silence, until a deep frustrated groan come from the line, "Are you fucking kidding me?! Do you think I made a contract with him after everything he's done- Where did you hear me say that?! I don't serve him! I don't serve ANY daedra! why would that be the first thing that comes to mind when you know how bad things are in the seven kingdoms?! with all of that, there's no telling how long they've been coming and going from here, but you'll blame me and my new sword for "Drawing them in" Unbelievable, really!" his voice in an angry snarl.

"You have a weapon made to create travel ways for him, you use it without wondering why you have it... if you really know the Daedra, you would know that nothing comes for free from them!" Gronik shook his head before adding, "I don't think that I want to hear more of it, even if it means my death... especially from someone who works for Hermaeus Mora."

There was a deep groan, "By the nine...you did not just..." in a frustrated growl before the line clicked, a portal opened up soon after with an agitated Redguard walking in, "Color impressed, you made me come here," he said in a dark tone, closing the portal, "I decided that I'm not going to do this on the stone, out of fear of being cut off again" putting it away, "Are you really that paranoid...? Do you really think I serve...him...out of everyone to worship, you assume I serve...him?...okay Gronik, you wanna know who I really serve...? Fine...I'll let you meet him...Ahmu Bahrumu Satakal!" he shouted, causing a crimson portal to open over them, a six-armed serpent appearing from above.

"Did somebody call my name...?" Satakal said, flexing all six of his arms, spotting Traysek and Gronik, "Greetings mortals, I see I've made it just in time,"

"This appearance... you're the Worldskin..." Gronik narrowed his eyes, "The one who plays with lives."

Traysek sighed, "More like I owe him my life, he's the reason I live..."

Satakal narrowed his eyes, "That would be Lord Satakal to you Mortal...and I'm glad he called me here, I've been listening to this conversation...and now I believe it's time to intervene before anyone does anything rash..." narrowing his eyes on both of them.

The Redguard folded his arms, "The smartest thing said today..." he growled.

"Shut it..." turning to him, "You're right to how you feel, what's yours is yours and you've got a right to it...what you have though, while it is a dragonborn sword, there's a corruption waiting to surface... through you...should you keep using it as it is...so he's not wrong in that regard, Traysek..."Turning to Gronik, "And you...knowing your experiences, I more than understand how you feel and how capable the daedra are... instead of getting angry at the kid, why don't you share your trauma with him...? He doesn't know...and how can you expect him to? when he was born two centuries ahead of you..." turning to both now, "You're both good men in respected eras, take a moment, talk, each of you wants to do what you believe is right and you'll follow your paths to it...come to decision that's best for everyone, one should not be talked down to like a child..."

Traysek glanced up at Gronik, "You have war trauma from those days, Gronik...? he genuinely asked.

"Do you believe that fighting in that crisis was a cakewalk?" Gronik turned and opened a drawer taking a broken sword, "That was more than what you had to fight. In my first fight, I was with three Imperial guards... none of us were ready for that, for what Dagon had in store for us in his Plane of Oblivion. Of course, I was the only one who was fortunate enough to survive... after losing an arm..." he then looked at Traysek, "And it wasn't just Dagon who was involved. After all, Hermaeus Mora was also behind the crisis by sharing information with him, telling him that he could win by killing the Septims... and even gave knowledge that was passed to Mankar Camoran to make the plot."

The Redguard's expression softened, looking down, "I...see...I've read bits and pieces of it, but never how deep it ran...or who was involved, from what I got, the main players were Molag Bal, Dagon, and Maphala...I had no idea Herma-mora had a part to play there...I can see why you got upset now...it looks like I'm soiling that,"

Satakal nodded, "Indeed, but it can't be helped, you've had different experiences with the Daedra, each more pleasant than others...his anger towards you comes from a place of concern...not contempt...but I could see how it could be viewed that way...especially with earlier dialogue before coming here...Yes, Traysek, Herma-mora had a lot to do with that too...and from what you've witnessed, it's not impossible to believe is it...?"

"Not really when you think about it..." Traysek groaned, facepalming.

"There were far more beings there." Gronik corrected before looking at the divine serpent, "You know that, right... Atakota? Or perhaps you like the name Alduin better. After all, I did my research; a reptilian form whether it's a dragon or a serpent, the ability to end worlds, and the never-ending hunger..."

Traysek frowned hard, looking up at him, "Who's Atakota? And wait No..." looking back at Gronik, "I'm pretty sure I destroyed Alduin in our last fight, there's no way he survived that battle in Souverngard, it was over, even earned his favor at it's highest after," pointing his thumb at him.

The divine serpent nervously rubbed the back of his head with one of his hands, "Well, Yes...TECHNICALLY you saved the world from him...in a way..." quickly muttering that last part.

"Huh?" Was the Redguard's response, with a shocked expression.

"The name 'Alduin' was created by the Nords, same as the Snow Elves call Akatosh Auriel or Auri-El." Gronik explained, "There are many mythologies in Nirn, and each possesses a name for their deities. For instance, your god here is called Alkhan in the Khajiiti Pantheon."

Traysek glanced up at Satakal who looked away, "So wait a minute...you mean to tell me, that it was you I was fighting as Alduin? And make it worse, I've got your divine power in me, Red form? No wonder that feels destructive as it does..." narrowing his eyes, "So how were you doing it? jumping pantheons?"

"You know the skin shed ability? the ouroboros? it's a bit like that, except I can enter different timelines and pantheons...I've done this, but you knew that already, that's why you didn't get a dragon soul when bested "Me" I returned to this form after, which explains the high favor..."

"Gee...tell me you used me, without telling me you used me...by the gods..." The Redguard groaned.

"Well, gods enjoy these kinds of games, It gives them some sort of fun when they're bored." the Imperial stated.

"Of course they do...he seems to enjoy my displeasure at them too..." Traysek sighed, glaring at him, "So since you're familiar with him, who was he during that time? The same as now? or someone different? Inquiring minds need to know..." narrowing his eyes on the serpent.

Satakal waved him down, "Oh I'm sure you don't wanna know that...no need to go digging through old. history..."

"Oh no...no no no...I made a contract with you and I'm finding this out? Nope, we're doing this..." The Redguard folded his arms.

"Hard to say." Gronik sighed, "But, the Gods refused to intervene in that war... it was us, mortals, against the Daedra. Azura did help us, as well as a few of the others... but not the rest. Well, the matter of Sheogorath is hard to explain since I became him."

Traysek let out a nervous chuckle, "Actually speaking of that...I ran into him back at Olga's former fortress, I ended up giving it to him in exchange for letting us pass to her throne...it was either that or the black dogs would have it now, he took it back to the shivering Isles I think,"

"If only you knew how many creepy castles and Fortresses he has there." Gronik sighed as he shook his head.

"Yeesh that many..." The Redguard sweated, before shaking the thought out, "But, back to what we were talking about, I'd ask if you still think I'm a servant of the daedra, but after finding out what I just found out, I don't know who's worse..."

"Might I make a fair suggestion? You can give me the sword, I can take it to Akatosh and we can purify it with our dragon fire and burn out the entity within, it'll take a couple of moon cycles, but you'll get it back, in your favorite color too, and that'll give Gronik some relief on his end knowing the potential threat's been purged," turning to Gronik, "I mean, that is what you want right? to purge this completely...?"

"I want to keep this world safe from him and his peers." Gronik replied, "I lost a friend because of him... and he suffered a lot before dying..."

Traysek stared at him for a second, sighing with a smile, "Vul, Dinok Jut," holding his hand out, as the blade spun being materialized, turning to Satakal, "Here, take it and work your magic, I've got other weapons to keep me busy, including the one from Kitsune no buki,"

"Are you sure? you won't see it for two more weeks, it won't come back until the middle of the war..." raising an eyebrow.

"I'm fine with that, trust me...I'll be alright, go ahead," The Redguard nodded, handing it to him, turning back to Gronik, "It wasn't about keeping the sword with me...it was the lack of trust...but I understand where it comes from..." a small smile on his lips, "I love it here man, I really do... you and Greil built something great here, even more than the seven kingdoms themselves...the people, the food, the adventures it leads us to, and more importantly, the friends we've made here...including you...I wouldn't trade all that away being drunk on power...especially since I already consider this my second home...the price isn't fair..." in a genuine tone.

Gronik took a deep breath before saying, "I'm on edge... because I know that Hermaeus Mora knows about this world now... which means that I need to call upon some of my former powers to keep him away. Maybe some sort of barrier, I'm going to be very busy in the next few days that's for sure."

Traysek nodded, "That's for certain, but maybe all that negativity from kingdoms could also be Drawing the Daedric lords here too, because if he knows, then there's a chance they all know...and with all the corruption we're warring against soon, I could see that being the case, think about it..."

"That's..." Gronik went in deep thought, "It's possible... maybe some are already here... if it's Azura, it wouldn't be bad. But if it's someone like Molag Bal..."

"I think it's time I got this back, I've got so long to be here, this was...interesting, I'll see you all later, Mortals..." Before flying into a crimson portal, closing it behind him.

The Redguard whistled, waving at Satakal, "Yeah...and considering all the twisted and demented things they do over there,...it's very likely they've got easy access to this world, because of them...It wouldn't shock me if I found Dagon running around in a flower field out there,"

"What if... what if some of them were here from the beginning..." Gronik widened his eyes with fear, "What if they were part of the Demon Gods... by the Nine, I need to ask the Archive to search the matter."

"They...could be? but that would mean the moon of oblivion wouldn't be by Nirn still..." Traysek pointed out, "I think one of them visited during the darker times and might've left something, possibly a curse, and then returned to Tamriel... the reason I think that, is because Dwemer was here too, Lucien found a ruin near Ulak village and explored it with a man named Ethan, apparently they were here during the god wars as he described,"

"If one of them was here, then he left a door open for the others." the Imperial opened his palm as a green light appeared, creating a ghost version of himself, "I need to take this matter in my own hands."

"I've never seen a spell like that...What's it for?" The Redguard asked eyebrow raised.

"It's called Fighting Spirit, I use it when I need help with complicated spells." Gronik answered, "Well, took me quite a while to get that spell from the Astral Plane."

Traysek hummed at that, "I have a similar spell, Ocato's recital... works exactly like that spell does, except it's a book in place of it..."

"Well, the Astral Plane is where I went when I was learning the spells of Midas; either by surviving trials or by collecting some components that could be turned into spells." Gronik explained, "I do have a... summon that I can use once per day... but it can't be controlled..."

"So it's an untamed Daedra, that must be fun to deal with," The Redguard chuckled, "So...I have a question...and it might solidify what I thought, but, if your past is so bad with the Daedra, how are you able to govern a city of monster-folk? and with Greil on top of it...I've met some of the people here and a couple do remind me of some of the Daedra back home, I wouldn't think it'd be possible, with how deep it runs,"

"It's more about what's in their hearts." the Imperial took a deep breath, "Most of the Daedra are seeking to make life miserable... cause pain to others. But these people... they've been thrown out of their homes, hunted, killed, enslaved... do you think that a reasonable person would think of them as monsters that should be killed to extinction?"

The Redguard shook his head, "No, of course not...the fact that it's been happening in the human cities is...barbaric and that's the nicest way to put it..." sighing looking around, eyes dark and low, "I...I guess I owe you an apology...From how our earlier talk went, I was...very quick to assume things...without considering where that anger was coming from, the way they made it sound in the stories, you were unstoppable and undaunted...but I had to remember too that's also how they made my deeds sound...the irony there," giving a bitter chuckle, "I... wanted to learn from you since you were a blade of the past and you knew about the eighth lost school of magic, that's why I talked to your wife, Kurenai, about it,"

"What lost school?" Gronik was confused by that.

"Mysticism..." Traysek answered with, "There were books and mentions of it, but no one teaches that anymore back there, like it was forgotten for a reason...if anything I'd think Conjuration would've been the one getting banned, but instead it's this art that is...I've tried to search for it in the college of Winterhold and was unable to find much other than those vague mentions,"

"Why though?" Gronik was more confused, "Mysticism wasn't something to be wary of... most of those spells are more helpful than hurtful."

The Redguard frowned, "Seriously? helpful in what way? because it almost sounds like Alteration magic..."

"Well, Alteration affects the body, while Mysticism is more about your surroundings; Lock, reflect, absorb damage, Soul Trap, and Telekinesis" Gronik answered, "There were also Levitation spells, but they were deemed to be dangerous."

Traysek stared in shock, "Gronik...those spells mentioned are in different schools now...reflect damage is in Illusion, soul trap is in conjuration, the open lock and Telekinesis spells are both in Alteration...think I'm getting why it's no longer taught now...okay, well at least I know now that it wouldn't be much of a use, since the other schools have taken them over...and as for the other spell, levitation, yeah...heard of way too many falls from death with that one," he shivered, "But what about what you learned as an ancient blade, those akaviri techniques? I wanted to refine my sword style with them..."

"I didn't get the time to train with the other members of the Blades." Gronik replied, "I was too busy going left and right to help with the crisis."

Traysek frowned, "So you didn't learn any Akaviri combat of that during those days? That kinda comes as a surprise,"

"I was very busy dealing with the Mythic Dawn and other problems that happened in Cyrodiil." Gronik sighed, "I hardly got time to sleep."

"I can imagine, would be hard to sleep with all that going on," The Redguard sighed, concurring with him.

"Still, I had to do something." Gronik stated, "What kind of useless person would I be if all I did was watch?"

Traysek nodded, "Yeah...you don't need to tell me that...I can't imagine what Nirn would've been like had you sat by...just like me with the Dragon crisis, I pray that never comes here..." he sighed, thinking about it, "Well, now I feel silly for assuming you were taught their combat, but then again, I can't see you taking time off for yourself during that dark time...to be honest I didn't learn anything from the blades either, guess we're pretty even there,"

"It was after that I left the Blades that I had time to train after founding scrolls left by the Akavir," Gronik stated.

The Redguard hummed to that, "So you didn't learn from them, but you taught yourself? right?" he asked.

"Well, I had a lot of free time during my travels," Gronik answered.

Traysek slowly nodded at that, "Okay, so you did take time off to teach yourself, okay, that's still something, it helped you beat the crisis amongst other things" he hummed, "To be fair, I've also heard you've...got a unique style of teaching, Kurenai was warning me about it...but if you were rushing yourself, it would be hard to remember certain things to pass on..."

"Everyone's been saying this." Gronik frowned as he crossed his arms, "I have my own way."

The Redguard chuckled, "There's nothing wrong with that, everyone does...even with me and Lucien, so no shame there..." waving him down.

"You have no idea how much people say that to me." Gronik then began to imitate them, "'You can reach to them in that way.', 'You are more confusing than an Ogre.', 'You need to do something else besides teaching.', even Greil didn't want me to teach someone."

At that Traysek laughed, "From even Greil huh? Gods be damned, but again, everyone has their own way to teach I think," materializing a tankard and a mead bottle, pouring it tankard, "When I started teaching Lucien and Erik how to be adventurers, I was pretty nervous, and given how young we were at the time, didn't think I could do it...but after the mages college and dealing with the issues there, I learned it was easy...just keep it simple and don't teach everything at once, find out what their interests are, lean into with them, find out where they're weak at, help them improve it," sitting at his desk, "Once you have grasped, teaching becomes pretty easy, especially when you know what to teach," taking a gulp.

"I tried to teach the Kletzkrieg how to use magic, but they said that I was 'Cryptic'." Gronik took his blade in hand, "I taught myself, therefore I can teach others. But they don't think that I can teach that well."

The Redguard sighed, "Well, that... isn't always the case...because what if you taught yourself wrong? not saying you have, but in some cases, that can happen...now in the case of you not teaching yourself wrong? just because you're wired to learn something one way, doesn't mean the next person is...people do not think the same nor do they learn the same...they may have to learn a different way, it doesn't mean you're a quack teacher, just...a different kind..." with a smile, "And you also have to into account that we both come from Nirn and most people here don't...so what they didn't understand...I might be able to...maybe...but that's up to you," he nodded.

"There's no harm in trying..." Gronik sheathed his blade.

"No there isn't I-wait...did you just accept?" Traysek asked, caught off guard.

"Is there something wrong?" the Imperial raised an eyebrow.

He blinked twice at that, shaking it off, "No, no problem at all, quite the opposite in fact," with a smile, "But I've been told you're only available at nightfall...if you're not," stopping to snicker, "'Recovering'" with a smug smirk.

Gronik stiffened before adding "You have no idea... how big her libido is... it takes 8 hours to satisfy her a little before adding another 6 hours to be fully satisfied... I barely sleep at night..."

The Redguard chuckled, "Gods man, sounds like somebody else I know, A certain Volkihar princess...fourteen hours though? damn...well, that's why you always keep a stockpile of stamina potions, but if those don't work," he smirked, opening his jacket, exposing his tattoos, which were glowing green, "Enchanted ink always comes in handy..." closing it back up.

"I use my own stamina." Gronik waved, "I never used a potion in my life... well, I did when I first adventured... but stopped after joining the Blades."

Traysek grinned and nodded, "To each their own I suppose, although if it gets to be too much, I don't mind lending you any," sighing, "Well, thank you for accepting me, and once again, I'm sorry for being difficult earlier...I didn't like the idea of being accused of harboring the Daedra or being a worshipper of theirs, but I understand where it all comes from now if you ever feel a spike like that again, please do contact me, I may know, or not know about it...and since that blade's being purified, I doubt it'll come from me again..."

"I doubt that he'll give up." Gronik pointed, "He'll try to get in, no matter what..."

The Dragonborn had a determined smile, "If he does get here and try to cause trouble, I'll help you expel him...since I'm familiar with him, and found and learned his foul abysmal magic in his realm, It'll be even easier to send him back to it should he come to this world..." he assured, before snapping a finger, opening the same portal he used to enter, "I'll head home for now, whenever you're ready, do call me, I'll be here or wherever you want to teach, it depends, but I'm getting some dinner, also!" he pointed at the bottle on the table, "You're more than welcome to have the rest of that, it's mead with juniper berry, I'm not sure if they had this in your time or not, but if they haven't, that'll be new to you,"

The Imperial began to think, "Well, we had drinks like Cyrodilic Brandy, Surilie Brothers Vintage, Bernice's Wines... some really high-quality drinks if I'm to be honest."

"I've actually got a bottle of those, minus the Bernice wines, never tried those, but that drink was made in Skyrim, so either way it should taste alright," Traysek nodded, until he heard a knock at the door, "Another appointment?"

"Not really." was the answer Traysek got as the door opened, revealing a very busty Felinefolk with pink hair.

"My~ it's been quite a while, Human leader." the Felinefolk said with a smile, "I'm wondering if you have some time to discuss a proposition."

"It depends, Queen Matron, does it have something to do with the humans?" Gronik asked.

"Something like that." the Queen Matron replied, "But this kind of discussion isn't for outsiders' ears."

Traysek threw his hands up, "That's okay, I was done with business here anyway, I'll be seeing you soon, Gronik, take care," He waved, before leaving through the portal...

Later at the house of wings, living room...

Most of the crew had returned home after a long day of training and were now in the living room, discussing today's events...

"So that's what happened...that's insane, all this trouble over a sword?" Lucien asked with a raised eyebrow, "Then again, considering what I know about the oblivion crisis, it wasn't a walk in the park for...anyone... The Daera were out in force...it was a really hard time two hundred years ago... if he wasn't traumatized, I'd think him crazy..."

Traysek nodded, "Yeah, but it's resolved now, still, I got the mentorship I was looking for..." he shrugged, taking a pull from his pipe.

Inigio went into thought, "But that does make me wonder, what would've happened if you did bring that sword into battle? some kind of berserk state?"

"From what I got off that sword, it felt like I could at any moment, the problem though was how...good it felt to wield...too good, like it was trying to meld into me, had to stop practicing with it after awhile," The Redguard sighed, taking another pull.

Recorder frowned at that, "It's a good thing you never used it then, might've made things worse than they are..."

"But with that said," Yuriana began, fanning herself off, "Getting your sword purified by those Gods, something tells me it's going to be much stronger if not a different blade if you get it back...what kind of weapon would you consider this? a divine weapon?"

"Yeah...come to think of it, that's exactly what it would be," Traysek concurred, "Especially given the fact those two are tinkering with it,"

"If that's the case, could more be made? because there's a chance we're going to find some exotic weapons out there, if your Daedric dragon sword is getting purged of its inner evil, maybe the same could be done for them," Erik added.

"Perhaps, if you do come across some corrupted weapons, I could probably get that done...it might not be the same as mine, but it'll be divine and as nice," The Redguard explained, "But even with if we all manage to get them, keep them as sheathed as possible because if they're as strong as I think they're going to be, we'll have something on par with the Deathbringers... And weapons like that, bring nothing BUT attention...tread carefully when wielding one,"

Inigo nodded, "Got it, so if I get a divine bow, and hopefully with ammo, keep it wrapped up, got it,"

"Huh, always wanted a divine axe and possibly a shield, hoping I get lucky enough to run into a pair," Erik laughed, getting nods from the others.

Traysek grinned, "So with that out of the way, anyone learn anything interesting?"

Yuri sighed, stopping the self-fanning, "Well, I sorta know how to deal with sweaty opponents now, unfortunately, It took me to be just as,"

The Redguard took a sniff, cringing, "Yeah, I can see and smell your effort, godsdamn Yuri..." Fanning his nose, "Before you cook, please take a shower..."

"Yeah, I know...but we also do this whenever we come back, wanted to at least call in before that point, but yeah," takes a sniff and cringes, "This smells pretty rancid, I was also thinking about cutting my hair shorter too since we're going to a moist forest for the next exercise,"

Lucien had a hand on his nose, "That mentor of yours has really been putting you to work, Moiroy right? I looked him up at the archive, he was a pretty good wrestler in his time, Dargo set you up nice,"

Traysek nodded in agreement, "It definitely shows, you've toned out pretty well," turning to Recorder, "Speaking of Dargo, how's your training going with him Record?"

"Oh...uh...well learning the quick draw is done, but I've got another mentor, an assassin but..." She began by blushing at something, "She...pulled a fast one on me and Dargo and it led to a scene in town!"

The rest of the crew chuckled and snickered at that, the captain waving them down, snickering himself...

"Now now...I'm sure we've all done our share of teasing on the matter," The Redguard chuckled, "But it's nice that you're getting that training you wanted, so win-win, I wouldn't complain,"

"Easy for you to say, giggling jerks..." She grumbled with puffed cheeks, getting nudged by Yuri.

Traysek turned to the rest of the guys, "What about the rest of you? what'd you all do?"

"Stayed in the academy and worked on my archery and tracking, trying to improve those..." Inigo said with a nod.

"Good idea and a nose like yours will come in handy when we're back out there," The Redguard nodded, turning to the other two.

Erik cleared his throat, "Same as Inigo, stayed at the academy, but I took defense and light armored courses, trying to get better in the lighter stuff in case the armor isn't available..."

"I was also at the academy for some time, but I had come back home to give that schematics book to the archive, I'll get a translated copy when they're finished with it,"

"Excellent, those schematics could help us out there, especially from some of them I've read on," Traysek nodded, impressed, "As for you Erik, smart, you may never know when you'll have to fight, learning how to do it in both will serve you well," with a grin.

"Thank you, Captain," Erik thanked bowing his head.

Traysek stood up, "So with that, keep at it with these lessons and cherish the days...we've only got a few left and I know most of you are eager for this to kick off, but once it starts...you'll long for the days of taking it easy and training...because something tells me, shit is going to hit the fan once it boils down...and the very breaks we will get will be brief...until then, train hard and once again, Lucien, Inigo," turning to those two, "If there are skills of mine you want to learn, you're more than welcome to ask, I can train you in them...but for the rest of them, I'd stick to the academies..." looking around, "Any questions?" he asked, getting headshakes in return, "Alright then..." taking a large gulp of his tankard, "Enjoy the rest of your night..." slamming down his tankard.

To be continued...

Whew...! And another one for the records folks :) I'm honestly surprised I was able to get this one out as sick as I've been for these last couple of days leading up to now, so now that I'm actually feeling better, it's about time I did that :) thank you for being patient, I know I said I'd get this out much sooner if I made you wait long... with that said, keep an eye out for the next chapter, since this one was the last overdue one we had, you're all as caught up as we are, congrats ;* but you might get one in the next since we're talking about it, until then...time to answer reviews :)

To cross: If you mean Diyha? not a very good one I can imagine, and yeah they are, but he doesn't see her romantically, I even had that confirmed with the co-writer, it's due to past reasons that come up much later on...but yeah, no luck there..As for the league characters, those are coming in by my Co-writers hand there, I wasn't the one who thought of Lee Sin, but regardless, he's welcome to stay :)

To Guest: No...and I've seen you spamming this comment on everyone else's works, such as CrazyMeem, Espa120, and Touhoufanatic, along with whoever else you've been spamming that on, why don't YOU write it, since you already got the idea down instead DEMANDING other writers to do it for you...?

Thank you, everyone, stay tuned for the next chapter, and may the gods, watch over your free mods my friends, I trust many of you know what Bethesda has recently done... :( way to live to be the villain...huh? take care everyone :)