Disclaimer: Neither High School DXD nor Elder Scrolls belongs to me, all rights to their respective owners.
Chapter 15
Alinor - Middas 10 Sun's Dusk203 of the Fourth Era
The morale of the troops in Alinor was in tatters. This is because news of the losses in the war had reached the city. This news ended up unleashing several popular revolts. The revolts were almost daily and the Thalmor had stopped them by killing and imprisoning those who led them.
An emergency meeting was taking place in the great hall of Alinor's palace. In it, the Thalmor leaders ran like headless chickens. The reason for this was very simple. News had come in that the Imperial armies and their allies were only days away.
"Is there news of the Arcane Arch-mage?" said a Thalmor.
"None." replied another Thalmor, who then began to search the reports in front of him.
"Then we must assume that he is dead."
"There is nothing to assume, my spy on Skywatch has confirmed it to me." A councilman said as a smile began to form on his face. "Although he was not the only one, it seems that the Dovahkiin has also fallen."
"Seriously?" asked a skeptical councilor.
"Yes, the spy is one of the best we have. He would never lie about information as sensitive as this."
"That's good news. It seems that Cyrelas did his job." said a councilman with a smile.
The other councilors nodded. Cyrelas was the only one who could stand up to the Dovahkiin. And apparently, he hadn't disappointed them. Without the Dovahkiin, the Empire did not have enough striking force to end the war in a single battle.
"All very well. But they forget something." Said another councilor.
"What thing?" asked another councilor.
"The Imperials are coming. Although they and their allies are very worn out, they are still a great danger."
"How many troops do we have?" the first councilor who had spoken asked worriedly.
"We only have ten thousand troops." another answered.
"So, we are lost." commented another, the resignation was heard in his voice.
"Not at all." another Thalmor spoke with a smile.
"What are you talking about?" a hopeful Thalmor asked.
The Thalmor did not reply and simply gave them some leaves. When the counselors read them, they began to smile.
"Yes. This should work." commented a Thalmor.
"Very well, let the preparations begin." the last Thalmor in the room ordered, earning a nod from the other members.
Alinor – Sundas 14 of Sun's Dusk203 of the Fourth era
Titus Mede was in his tent on the outskirts of the city of Alinor. Around him were all the generals of the legions, the King of Valenwood, the Princess of Hammerfell, a general of Elsweyr, the Nords Jarls, and finally, his grandson and heir.
The emperor was an elderly man, his thinning hair and goatee beard were white. He wore a silver-colored lorica musculata with gold accents, and in the center of his armor's chest is a dragon shaped like diamonds made from rubies.
"Very well, what news do the scouts bring?" Titus asked.
"My emperor. Reports say there are only about ten to fifteen thousand Altmer soldiers in the city. " Tulio answered.
"I see. How many troops do we have?"
"About twenty-eight thousand of them all." Decius replied.
"What is the composition?"
"There are twenty thousand legionnaires, one thousand Bretons, one thousand Nords, three thousand Red Guards, one thousand Bosmer and fifteen hundred Khajiit's."
The emperor sighed. They had the minimum number of troops to try to take the city with a frontal assault, but that action was not recommended. Since a frontal assault with so few troops could end in a Pyrrhic victory.
"Remember me, why do we have so few soldiers?" asked Maximilien Mede.
Young Maximilien is an Imperial of average height. He had coppery skin and his eyes were dark brown. His hair was black and he wore it short. He wore silver-colored imperial armor with gold accents, which consisted of a lorica musculata, with reinforced boots and bracers.
"That is easy. We left many troops as garrisons in the conquered cities." Darryn replied.
"Also, we were very lucky in the battle of the Broken Coast and the capture of Arenthia. The rest of the battles were not so easy and we lost many soldiers." Mizaida said.
Everyone present nodded.
"Zan'dul believes the princess is right." Said the leader of the Khajiit's, a Khajiit named Zan'dul.
Zan'dul is a bipedal Khajiit, which has blue eyes. His skin is white and he has several black spots. He had his hair tied with various braids, which had gold rings at the end.
"The cat is right. In the Battle of the Broken Coast we did not have too many fatalities. And the taking of Arenthia was almost without casualties." Balgruuf said.
"Yes. Speaking of that battle. What news of General Edzard?" Thorianion asked.
"There are no changes. He is still in a coma." Hadvar replied.
All those who knew Edzard sighed.
Edzard had fallen into a coma since his battle at the Crystal Tower. His body had been left in the city of Skywatch, since they could not move it. The reason for that was that Edzard's body was burning with fever, in addition to the fact that from time to time he suffers spasm, where the sound of bones breaking and reorganizing is heard.
'What kind of battle did he take part in to be in that state?' Thought the emperor.
Titus Mede felt sad. He had met Edzard's father, in fact, Roland had been one of the most trusted men he could have had. Unfortunately, he was never able to rise to the rank of Centurion thanks to the actions of some generals who did not wish him to rise in rank.
"Have the mages sent to the area found anything useful?" Maximilien asked.
"No. Nothing." Descius replied in frustration. He felt powerless, it was like going back to those days when they didn't know he was from Edzard after the death of his parents.
"We can only wait." Brunwulf said resignedly.
They all nodded.
"Very well, what defenses do the Aldmer have?" the emperor asked as he fixed his gaze on a map of the city of Alinor.
"In addition to their walls, it is quite possible that they have a large number of magical artifacts installed there." Thorianion replied.
"Are you sure?" Mizaida asked.
"Yes. Those defenses have been there for several years. I saw them once when I came to town on official business."
"I see. What else can they have." Tulio asked.
"I see. Can they have something else?" Tulio asked.
"Besides those artifacts, I think they might have something up their sleeve." Thorianion replied.
"Because you believe that?" asked Balgruuf.
"It's very simple. They are in the last, they know that if the city falls they will die."
"Zan'dul thinks like King Bosmer. They are cornered, it is very possible that they have something to finish off as many of our troops." Zan'dul said looking at the map.
"Dammit. What can we do now?" Maximilien asked.
The prince was beginning to lose patience, but before he did anything else, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning his head, he could see Mizaida smiling at him to reassure him. Maximilien sighed and responded with a smile.
Mizaida and Maximilien were currently engaged. This is thanks to the fact that this was one of the clauses that were negotiated in the treaty of alliance between the Empire and Hammerfell. While he had initially protested, his protests disappeared when he met Mizaida. The Red Guard were fiery and very determined when they wanted something.
"We must think very well about our movements. If we fail, the Thalmor could turn the war around." Tulio said, earning a nod from the others.
While the meeting before the final attack on the Thalmor was taking place, in a castle room in the city of Skywatch Edzard opened his eyes.
'Shit, someone saw the giant who hit me.' Edzard thought as he got up from the bed he was in.
Examining himself, he could see that his body was completely healed. Mannimarco's wound had left a new scar on his body, which was a few inches from his heart. Meditating, he could feel that his magic reserves were at half his full capacity.
Looking around, Edzard could see that he was in a very spacious room whose walls were made of white marble. Already out of bed he tried to walk, but his legs failed. This caused him to fall flat on the ground. The noise caused a servant to enter the room.
"General Edzard. Thank the gods he's awake." The Altmer said as he approached Edzard.
The Altmer helped Edzard to his feet and led him to the bed.
"Thanks."
The Altmer nodded in response.
"Tell me, how many days was I asleep? And what news is there from the battle front?"
"He has been asleep for almost a month. And the forces of the empire are already on the outskirts of Alinor city."
Edzard nodded and began to use restoration magic on his body.
When he felt he could walk, Edzard got up and ordered the Altmer to bring him his armor.
The Altmer nodded and quickly withdrew from the room. When he returned, he did not do it alone. With him were several maids, who brought his imperial armor along with his greatsword.
Edzard received the armor from him and put it on. Sheathing his greatsword, he withdrew from the room.
As he walked, Edzard was thinking. The battle against Mannimarco had shown him that it was the Lich who had stopped the Thalmor from attacking during the dragon crisis. The exact reason for the elf's action he did not know yet, but it was surely because it was not yet the time to steal his blood. Shaking his head, Edzard continued on his way.
Outside the palace, Edzard shouted. "OD! AH! VIING!"
After a few seconds, the roar of a dragon was heard.
Odahviing descended and perched on the patio where Edzard was standing.
"Dovahkiin. I see that you are already recovered." Said Odahviing
"Yes. It was a good nap. " Edzard said with a smile. "I need you to take me to the outskirts of Alinor."
Odahviing nodded in response.
Edzard climbed on the back of the dragon and it took flight.
Hadvar was walking around the outskirts of the imperial camp, as he did so, he was thinking about the meeting. The meeting had paused momentarily to allow everyone to take a break.
'Ahh…. We're in a very screwed-up position.' Hadvar had that thought thanks to what was happening at the meeting.
All the leaders were very worried, since they did not have the troops to attack directly and win. And they knew very well that the Thalmor would not go out to fight in the open. Even if they were besieged, it was very likely that they would not flinch.
As he continued walking he heard a crash. Hastening their pace, he and several legionaries approached the source of that sound. When he got to the place, his eyes widened.
"The gods really have a very bad sense of humor." Hadvar said as he looked at Odahviing.
Edzard climbed down from the dragon and saw that several legionaries were gathered.
"Hello. They could take me to their leaders." Edzard said with a smile.
The legionaries were open-mouthed, but they all managed to come out of their daze and gave the appropriate salute.
Edzard walked over to his friend, who was looking at him with a smile on him face.
"Hello, Hadvar. I hope you have been doing your job well as my replacement."
Hadar just grimaced. He didn't like having to replace Edzard. The amount of work he had to do as a general was appalling. He was happy with being a centurion, less work to do.
"Well. I have tried to do well." He replied with a smile.
Both friends met face to face and embraced.
"It's good to see you awake." Hadvar said when he and Edzard parted ways.
Edzard simply smiled.
Both friends walked in the direction of the camp. When they had arrived, they were greeted by a legionnaire, who informed them that the meeting had been resumed. So both friends continued towards the command tent.
Titus Mede was sitting at the head of the command table when he saw the entrance to the tent open. His eyes widened when he saw Hadvar enter with Edzard.
"General Edzard?" asked the emperor.
Edzard simply nodded.
Balgruuf, Brunwulf, Decius, Darryn and Igmund got up and gave Edzard a big hug.
"By Shor's beard. You really scared us." Balgruuf said.
"Yes. I didn't know how we would have to tell your fiancée that you were dead." Darryn said with a smile.
"Well. I don't think we should tell her that I almost died." Edzard replied with a somewhat forced smile.
Decius saw the smile and immediately knew what was happening.
"Oh. It looks like someone is already on a leash."
The phrase spoken by Decius made those who knew Edzard begin to laugh.
While they laughed, Zan'dul got up and approached Edzard.
"Zan'dul is happy to meet my cousin Ri'saad's partner." Zan'dul said with a smile as he extended his hand towards Edzard.
Edzard looked at the outstretched hand, then reached out and shook hands with the Khajiit. "It is a pleasure to meet a relative of that cat."
The way Edzard mentioned the word cat made Zan'dul smile, as there was neither hatred nor contempt, there was simply joy.
After that greeting, everyone sat down.
"Very well. Before starting this meeting, General Edzard." Titus said looking at Edzard. "What happened in the Crystal Tower?"
Edzard saw everyone's sight on him. So he sighed. "Ah… I faced the Arcane Arch-mage. The battle I won, but I had to use all my power to do it."
"Wait. Are you telling me that that Altmer gave you so much trouble that you had to use all your power? " asked Balgruuf.
Edzard nodded.
"By the nine. That must have been a very destructive battle." Igmund said trembling.
"Don't mention it please. That battlefield reminded me a bit of Helgen. " Hadvar said.
Tulio flinched when he remembered Helgen. He even he had not been able to overcome what had happened there.
"How did he remind you of Helgen?" asked Balgruuf.
"That place was completely full of craters and destruction on all sides." Hadvar replied as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"So you had to use all your power. This is the first time you have used all your power since the Solstheim affair, right? " Brunwulf asked.
"Yes, but the truth is that I had to use it because I got too trusting. And Cyrelas put me on the ropes." Edzard said with a shy smile on his face.
The truth is that if he had used the power of the dragon aspect from the moment Cyrelas told him he was Mannimarco, the battle would have been different. But thinking that he could defeat him without using that Thu'um had cost him almost to die. He was reckless, which he would no longer do. Now, if he saw that his enemy was stronger, he would use all of his power.
The emperor showed a smile. It seems that Edzard hadn't changed.
"Well, we better focus on the battle ahead."
"Yes. About that. Hadvar already told me what they were planning." Edzard said calling the attention of those present. "You see, I have a plan to get this over with quickly. And if the gods are with us there won't be many more unnecessary deaths for both sides."
"What do you mean?" Thorianion asked.
"The Altmer civilians, like many of those here, are also weary of this war." Edzard said looking into the eyes of those present. "So I plan to get this over with quickly."
The emperor and those who knew Edzard were intrigued. What would Edzard's plan be?
"So General, what is his plan?" Titus Mede asked.
Edzard simply smiled and then began to tell his plan.
Alinor - Morndas 15 of Sun's Dusk 203 of the Fourth era
The emperor Titus Mede was in front of his troops, he was looking at the beautiful walls of the city of Alinor.
"Very well. It's time to end this." He said as he turned around. There, in front of him, all the soldiers they had gathered were forming.
They were formed in blocks; the first line was made up of legionaries in heavy armor. Behind them were the Imperial Auxiliaries and mages. To the flanks were the soldiers of Valenwood, Hammerfell, Skyrim, and Elsweyr.
There were many siege weapons, there were battering rams, siege towers, catapults and ladders.
'Let's hope everything goes well.' Titus thought as he prepared himself for the speech he was going to give.
"My legions and my Allies! We have reached this day! The day when we have within our reach the great victory against a common enemy!"
The legionaries stared at their emperor.
"An enemy who tried to impose his beliefs on us!"
The Nords soldiers tightened their grip on their weapons as they remembered relatives they had lost to the Thalmor's hunt for Talos worshipers in Skyrim.
"An enemy who lied to us and tricked us into using us!"
The Khajiits remembered the great lie of the Thalmor. Who had claimed the return of the moons of Nirm.
"An enemy who wants nothing more than to use us as slaves! We have sacrificed a lot to get here! But today we are here, not only for ourselves, but also for those who are not with us!"
The Imperial Legionnaires began to clank their shields by striking them with their swords.
"On this day we will put an end to the Thalmor government and free ourselves to this land from a group that wants nothing more than to control everything! On this day we will welcome a new future, a better future than we imagine!"
All the soldiers clashed their weapons with their shields.
"Yes! We do not have an overwhelming numerical superiority, but that does not matter! Each of you is worth the same as ten of those Thalmor soldiers! You are fierce, tenacious warriors who do not know fear!"
"So fight, fight, even if your shields break! Even if the weapons are ruined! Even if your arm with which you hold the weapon gets tired! Fight, even if the air leaves your lungs! Fight for your families, for your gods, for your comrades!"
"CHARGE!" with that final cry the troops of the imperial side charged.
The legions began to carry the siege towers, the ladders and the ram. While being followed by the rest of the troops.
As the battle to take the city of Alinor began, Edzard was walking through the city's drainage system. He was dressed in his imperial armor, with his greatsword on his back.
"Shit, this place sucks." Edzard said as he held his nose.
He was in a place where having a sensitive nose like he had was hell.
'How good that my boots allow me to walk on these waters, otherwise I would have to bathe for at least a month. Besides, that Asia wouldn't let me get near her or Marie.' Edzard thought as he followed a purple line of magic.
The plan Edzard had devised on the way from Skywatch had been simple. The army would attack the walls while he would infiltrate the city through the drainage systems.
'There's little time for this to end.' thought Edzard.
As he walked, he watched as the purple line began to dissipate.
'Strange. I haven't dispelled the spell.' Edzard thought as he watched the line disappear.
Before he could think of anything else, he was attacked by a dremora that appeared out of nowhere.
Edzard dodged the daedra's blow and drew his greatsword.
'So they have put up defenses in their sewers. Very clever, you can tell they are not Stormcloaks and neither are they Rulorn or Rulotar.' Edzard thought as he deflected the weapon from the dremora.
The dremora began to attack Edzard with speed and force, but he was still defending himself very well. He was defending himself until he saw an opening in the dremora's defense. Taking advantage of that opening, he stabbed the weapon into the dremora's chest. Action that caused the daedra to be banished to Oblivion.
As he sheathed his greatsword, he began to hear the sound of catapult shells hitting the city road.
'The attack has already started. I'd better hurry up.´ Edzard thought as he started to run.
The Imperial troops had managed to bring the ladders and the siege towers up to the ramparts.
"Archers! fire at will!" It was the order that the emperor gave.
The archers began firing volleys of arrows, inflicting casualties on the Aldmer defenders.
Balgruuf, Brunwulf, and Igmund were fighting shoulder to shoulder on the walls.
"Die damn pointy-eared scum!" yelled Balgruuf as he beheaded an Aldmer soldier.
Brunwulf had driven his weapon into the chest of another soldier and Igmund had gutted another.
"Damn it, how long do you think it will take Edzard to do his part?" asked Balgruuf.
"I do not know. But I hope it's quick." Igmund said as he stopped an Aldmer's sword.
Brunwulf nodded as he struck the head of an enemy soldier with his fist.
While the Jarls slaughtered left and right, Maximilien and Mizaida were fighting on another part of the wall.
Mizaida parried an Aldmer's attack with her shield and quickly cut its throat with a flick of her sword. Then she looked at his fiancé and asked. "Hey, how long have you known the Dovahkiin?"
Maximilien used his imperial sword to cut off an Aldmer's arm and then thrust the sword into its mouth. After that, he decided to answer his fiancée's question with another question. "Why do you ask?"
"It's just that I saw them very close last night."
Mizaida's question was based on the fact that after the battle plan was finished, Edzard and Maximilien had been chatting for quite some time, plus they had a smile as they did so.
"Ah. Are you jealous?" Maximilien asked with a smile.
"No not at all. I know he doesn't like men and I also know that you don't like men. I confirmed it that night. " Mizaida said with a sensual tone.
Maximilien blushed remembering that night. Shaking his head he saw an Aldmer charge at him. By feinting, he managed to stumble him. When the enemy soldier was on the ground, he used the edge of his shield to break the elf's head.
"I've known Edzard since we were kids."
"What do you mean?"
"I used to play with him when his father came to the imperial palace." Maximilien said remembering those days.
He and Edzard had met when he was four and Edzard two. He vaguely remembered that Edzard was a somewhat rambunctious child. They both met in a lot of trouble together. They had put laxative in the imperial guard's food, burned some important documents and mostly been scaring the moth-priests.
"So they are childhood friends?" Mizaida asked as she killed an Aldmer.
"You could say yes."
Edzard was in the cellar of Alinor's palace. He had gotten there not long ago. He had been delayed thanks to the traps the Thalmor had set, those traps would have worked if they were trying to stop a nightingale. It had been easy to spot the traps once he knew the road was littered with them.
'They haven't skimped on their creativity.' Edzard thought as he started up the stairs.
The traps he had faced had been many and complex. There had been magic puzzles, elemental runes hidden with illusion magic, daedra summoning runes, wire traps, poison dart traps, scythe traps, floors that fell down if you stood on them for too long, pillars with soul gems that they cast spells in all directions, minor vampires, battering rams, oil and fire traps, among others. There was even a part where they put almost all those traps in one place.
Shaking his head, Edzard opened the door that led to the main corridor of the castle. Sticking his head out, he could see that there were no guards nearby. So he came out of the cellar and started running as quietly as he could.
When he turned a corner, he ran into a guard. Guard who ended up dead when Edzard beheaded him with a swift movement of his greatsword. He paid no attention to the corpse and kept running.
He had been running for what seemed like hours, but he had finally made it to the door that led to the throne room. Taking a few steps back, Edzard kicked the door so hard that he ended up knocking it down.
Entering the throne room, Edzard saw the entire Thalmor council assembled.
The Thalmor council consisted of about twenty members. All wore Thalmor robes richly embroidered and decorated with gold thread and jewels.
Edzard was disappointed when he saw them. The magic power they emanated was similar to that of a normal Altmer.
"You know. I'm a bit disappointed that the great Thalmor council is just a bunch of gullible idiots who have no more power than a normal Altmer." Edzard said as he walked towards the council.
The Thalmor looked at Edzard between astonished and frightened.
"How are you here?!" yelled a councilor backing away.
"Easy. Enter through the city's drainage system. By the way, you have to give it maintenance. " Edzard said as he took his greatsword.
Some councilors attacked Edzard with fireballs. Fireballs that did nothing, as Edzard easily dodged them.
"Come on, is that all they have?"
"Don't be arrogant, you damn human!" yelled a Thalmor as he hurled spears of ice at Edzard.
Edzard deflected the spears with his greatsword. After that, he started running at high speed towards the Thalmor. He managed to cross the gap so fast that the closest councilors didn't even have time to react. Grabbing his greatsword, Edzard chopped off the heads of two of them with a single swing. Spinning on his own axis, he disemboweled a third Thalmor.
"Come on, I hope they give me more battle than this." Edzard said looking at the remaining councilors.
A councilor smirked. "Oh. Of course we will defeat you. After all, you just fell into our trap!"
After that scream, the remaining councilors activated various magic runes. From these runes came various spells.
Edzard saw the spells coming from all directions, smiling, he shouted. "TIID!"
The shout slowed time. Taking advantage of this, Edzard deflected all the incoming attacks. When time returned to normal, Edzard was in the center of the room, completely unharmed.
The Thalmor were amazed and terrified. They didn't expect Edzard to have these abilities.
"How is it possible that you have these abilities ?!" a Thalmor yelled as they pointed at Edzard.
"It's true, our reports didn't say anything about this!"
A third Thalmor was looking at Edzard and realized a horrible truth.
"You ... you ... you have never fought seriously in any of the battles of the war." The Thalmor said pointing his finger at Edzard.
Edzard simply smiled. "Wow, it looks like someone has a working brain. Although it is almost true. For if I seriously fought the final part of my battle against Cyrelas."
The remaining Thalmor began to retreat. As they did so, they whispered to each other.
Edzard watched confused as one group moved away, while another stayed in front.
'What are they planning?' Edzard thought. 'I don't think they're trying to attack from two fronts at the same time, after all, they don't have the necessary amount of magic to overwhelm me.'
The Thalmor in front raised their hands and from these they began to cast all kinds of elemental spells.
Edzard created a monstrance and withstood the Thalmor spell bombardment, but he began to get bored.
"YOL!" Edzard shouted as he deactivated custody of him.
The flames of the fire breath struck full and burned a Thalmor.
The rest stopped casting spells of destruction and began casting curses to weaken Edzard.
Edzard saw the curses coming and dodged them as he approached the Thalmor. Already facing the Thalmor that made up the first line, he gave a powerful blow to the stomach to one of them.
"Argg ...!" the Thalmor screamed as he spat blood. This is because Edzard's blow had completely destroyed the Altmer's internal organs.
The other Thalmor's, seeing this, stepped back and surrounded Edzard.
"It's over, Dovahkiin! Dies!" a Thalmor yelled as he and his companions cast every spell they knew.
Edzard's hand lit up purple as he cast a spell. The spell was unleashed in the form of a black dome, which had a black miasma inside. This dome was spread throughout the room. When the magic dome struck the spells the Thalmor's had used, he completely vanished them.
"What just happened?" asked a Thalmor as he recoiled in panic.
"Dispel magic. A very useful spell for fighting mages." Edzard said as he watched the Thalmor. "Although in addition to removing active spells, it has the peculiarity of momentarily nullifying item enchantments."
After saying that, Edzard lunged at the Thalmor's that had surrounded him. Using the inertia of speed, he split a Thalmor at the waist, causing the Altmer's guts to spread onto the ground.
A Thalmor tried to flee, but did not take five steps when his head was pierced by an ice spear. Another tried to attack Edzard from behind, but to no avail as Edzard ripped off his head using his free hand.
The rest of the Thalmor's tried to flee when they saw how Edzard massacred his companions.
Unfortunately, none of them were able to escape, as Edzard caught up with them and proceeded to kill them. A Thalmor was killed when his chest was pierced by Edzard's greatsword. To another, he broke both of his legs and then grabbed his head and ripped it off. Those who remained died a quicker death, as they were turned to ashes by a lightning spell.
Looking around the room, Edzard saw that there were no more Thalmor left. Using the clairvoyance spell, he saw that the remaining Thalmor's had fled up the stairs to the highest tower in the castle. Wasting no time, he started running.
As he ran, a chill ran down his spine as he felt an enormous amount of magic gather at the top of the tower.
'This amount of magic is similar to what Mannimarco used in the crystal tower.' Edzard thought as he quickened his pace to get there on time.
As he was about to reach the top, he passed near a window, looking out of it, he saw a truly grotesque sight. Below, around the castle, there were thousands of Altmer who were floating while a ray of purple color sucked the Magicka from them.
'These bastards. How can they do that to their own people?' Thought Edzard angrily. Since not only were there adults, there were also children and newborn babies.
Looking up the stairs, Edzard started running at full speed. He no longer cared to hold back. He wasn't going to leave any of them alive.
When Edzard reached the top of the tower, he could see that the gate was guarded by two Atronach. Wasting no time, he conjured a bound sword and with two swift blows managed to banish the Daedras back to Oblivion.
Edzard kicked the door apart and when he entered he saw something that made his blood run cold. In front of him, the remaining councilors were forming a circle and in the center of them was a purple orb. From this orb hundreds emerged, no, the correct thing to say was that there were thousands of tendrils that emerged from there.
"Hahaha! You're late, Dovahkiin!" a councilman laughed insanely.
"Yes! The spell is complete! Even if you kill us, you won't be able to stop it!"
Edzard watched as the orb began to rise, smashing the roof of the tower. When he left the tower, he continued his ascent slowly.
Wasting no time, Edzard pounced on the remaining Thalmor. The amount of magic the orb emitted was so great and unstable that it was causing him great concern.
When he was in front of the first Thalmor, he beheaded him with his greatsword. The second Altmer tried to strike him with lightning, but Edzard protected himself with a ward. Once the Altmer stopped attacking, Edzard killed him by piercing his chest with his weapon. For the third and fourth Altmer, Edzard used a spell called a dragon's tooth, with which he fired seven flaming darts, which hit the elves squarely in the chest. For those who remained, Edzard used a explosion of lightning, with which he turned the elves to ash.
The imperial troops had managed to capture the walls. The battle to take them had been bloody, but they had managed to seize them and with that they forced the defenders to retreat to the barricades they had built in the streets of the city.
"Report of casualties." Titus ordered his generals.
"So far we have lost about three thousand troops in total." Tulio said.
"I see. They are less than we expected." Titus said looking at his troops.
"What do we do now?" Darryn asked.
"We must prepare to move forward." Titus said, but before he says anything else, he was interrupted by a projection.
"Do not advance beyond the walls!" Edzard said through the projection.
"What's up, Ed?" asked Balgruuf.
"We have problems, Thorianion was right. They had a plan up their sleeve."
"What are you talking about?" Maximilien asked.
"Look at the sky and you will know"
Everyone present looked up and watched as the purple orb continued to ascend.
"By the nine! What is that thing?!" asked Balgruuf.
"I don't know, but I have almost no time to find out. The sensation it gives is similar to a spell that Cyrelas used on the Crystal Tower."
"What should we do then?" Mizaida asked.
"They must fortify their position. Have mages and anyone who can use magic create a barrier if they see the orb explode."
They all nodded and went to give the orders to their respective troops.
Edzard had finished the communication and looked up at the orb.
"Well. I have to destroy you." Edzard said as he gathered magic on his legs. In a single jump he managed to reach the roof of the tower.
Looking up again, he could see the orb a mere ten meters away.
'Here we go.' Edzard thought as he waved his arms. As he did so, he began to gather large amounts of magic in his hands. The amount of magic was such that small rays came out of Edzard's body. The moment he felt the spell ready, Edzard extended his hands towards the orb and released a constant stream of lightning.
The spell slammed into the magic orb. Upon impact, a purple light was produced, which bounced the spell, which was directed towards Edzard.
"Shit ..." was the only thing Edzard could say before being hit by his own spell.
The force of the spell was such that it sent Edzard flying towards the walls, where it ended up impacting.
Titus Mede, Maximilien, Tulio, Darryn, Decius and the rest of the leaders watched in amazement as an injured Edzard emerged from the rubble of the impact. The breastplate of his armor was shattered, leaving Edzard with only his pants, boots, and bracers.
"Shit. Did anyone see the dragon that made me fly?" Edzard asked, trying to lighten the mood.
He had survived the attack by turning ethereal a second after receiving the spell.
'Now I know how my enemies feel when they receive a spell from me.' Edzard thought.
"Edzard, what happened?" Darryn asked.
"I used the lightning storm spell against the orb. But how they saw this reflection my attack." Edzard replied. "But that attack allowed me to see that the spell has a very powerful protective barrier. And I'm afraid that none of the spells I know will be able to pass over that barrier."
"Then we are finished ..." Balgruuf's words were interrupted when cries of pain began to be heard from all the mages in the vicinity.
Edzard's head was pounding, the pain it caused him so excruciating that he could barely stand.
'What the fuck is going on?' Edzard thought as he used all his strength to stay conscious.
Looking around he could see that the mages were falling unconscious.
At that moment, the orb began to expand. Thousands of tendrils of purple energy began to fall on the Altmer civilians. The sky darkened and began to fill with hundreds of purple lines.
Edzard got up slowly and when he was about to do something, a great shout was heard.
"¡DOVAHKIIN! ¡DAAR LAH LOSDAAR AL FIN BARIER DAAR GOVEY LEIN NOL OBLIVION!"
Edzard's eyes widened when he heard Paarthurnax's cry. His brother just told him that the Thalmor spell was breaking the fabric of Nirm's reality and was destroying the barrier that Martin Septim's sacrifice had created.
Looking at the sky, Edzard saw how a kind of portal began to be created from the orb, which showed a kind of room full of colors.
'And a shit. You are wrong if you think you will destroy that barrier.' Edzard thought through gritted teeth in anger.
Looking around, he knew he must do something. The spell was self-sufficient so if he didn't completely destroy it, he couldn't stop it. And from the look that he was showing, it was very possible that it would end up expanding throughout Nirm. Which would cause the death of all mortal races.
Edzard stood up and shouted. "MUL! QA! DIIV!"
Everyone present was amazed when they saw how Edzard had black scales, horns and dragon wings.
"Edzard?" asked Balgruuf.
Edzard nodded in response. After that, he flapped his wings and quickly went towards the center of the orb to try to destroy it and thus close that portal.
'Every self-sustaining spell has a core that allows it to sustain itself without the need for a mage.' thought Edzard.
And that was the truth. Self-sustaining spells normally worked on soul gems. But in this case, it was very likely that he had something more powerful than a soul gem. Since even Azura's star could not contain so many souls as to open that portal.
When he got to the vicinity of the core, he had to use magic on his own body to protect himself, as the magical energy emitted by that orb was terrifyingly high and could cause damage to his body.
Scanning the orb, Edzard saw what he was looking for. In the center of the core was a blue orb.
'Because of Akatosh's beard. Are those Welkynd stones?' Thought Edzard, surprised to see an object like that.
'Wait. These stones are usually destroyed when the magic within them is exhausted. unless…?'
Edzard decided to get a better look at the core and finally saw fully what was there.
The core consisted of ten Welkynd stones. These stones formed a kind of cross. The center stone was the largest, being three times the size of the other stones on each arm. In each of the four arms of the cross there were two stones and finally a stone that was in the lower part of the central stone. The stones were linked together so that one absorbed the magic and then distributed it to another, which was recharged and was the one that sent the absorbed magic to the large stone in the center.
'Well. I already saw the place that I must destroy.' thought Edzard.
Gathering magic in his hands again, he released a powerful bolt of electricity. The moment the lightning struck the barrier of that orb, Edzard could see that the barrier originated from the stone at the bottom.
Before he thought of anything else, the orb attacked him with a beam of magic.
"But what the fuck?" Edzard said as he created a ward.
The lightning struck the ward and sent Edzard to the ground. Moving his wings, Edzard managed to stabilize himself and thanks to that he did not end up hitting the ground.
'Does that thing have a mind of its own?' Edzard thought as he saw the orb attack.
'Damn it.' Edzard thought as he saw how the orb began to create another beam, which seemed much more powerful than the previous one.
'It seems I have no other choice.' Edzard thought when he saw that if he dodged the attack, it would end up hitting the wall. Which would cause the death of thousands of soldiers.
Edzard flew again in the direction of the center of the orb and as he did so, he used telekinesis to attract his greatsword. When he had his weapon in his hands, he watched the orb shoot the beam.
"Well. This is over." Edzard said as he spread his wings to steady himself and prepare for what he was going to do.
"QO! ZAHKRII! EVENAAR!" Shouted Edzard.
Edzard's greatsword began to create small lightning bolts on its blade. Taking the greatsword in both hands, Edzard thrust his weapon toward the beam that had created the orb. This action unleashed the power of the Thu'um.
The Thu'um took the form of a sword made of lightning bolts. When both attacks collided, they created a shock wave so great that it was felt throughout the city.
The winds generated threatened to blow up the soldiers, who saw with total surprise the collision of both attacks.
"By the gods, what power." Mizaida said seeing the power of Edzard's attack.
"Thank the gods he was on our side." Thorianion said.
"Zan'dul agrees with you." Zan'dul said.
At the top of the throat of the world, two dragons felt the power of Edzard's Thu'um.
"Krosis… You really have obtained a great Suleyk… power…. Zeymah… brother." Paarthurnax said looking in the direction of the city of Alinor.
"You're right. His power has already surpassed ours." Odahviing said.
However, not only both dragons felt the power of Edzard's attack. At the College of Winterhold, old Tolfdir was helping the other mages to their feet after they all suffered one of the worst migraines they ever experienced.
"You really know how to do things in a big way." Tolfdir said with a smile as he felt Edzard's power.
"Well, we're talking about the Arch-mage." Mirabel commented.
"Yes. You're right." Tolfdir said.
At Volkihar Castle, Serana and her mother were in the laboratory. And their eyes widened when they felt enormous magical power.
"Mother ..." Serana whispered.
"Yes. I felt it too." Valerica said as she put down a book that she was reading.
"That power belongs to who I think it is?" Serana asked.
"Yes. It seems that he can no longer be considered a mortal." Valerica replied.
Asia was with her friends recovering from the headache they had felt. That pain she reminded her of the day Edzard used the parchment so that they could understand each other.
"Mom." Marie said as she pulled the sleeve of Asia's dress.
"Yes. What's going on?" Asia said as she carried her daughter.
"Dad. Fight." Marie said pointing to the south west.
Asia looked at her daughter in amazement. It seems she could sense that Edzard was struggling. She knew it too, her intuition telling her that Edzard was struggling.
"Yes. Your dad is fighting now." Asia said as she smiled at her daughter.
'I hope you come back soon, Ed.' Asia thought.
The orb's beam and Edzard's lightning sword were mutually neutralizing each other, but the Thu'um began to gain ground and finally managed to overcome the orb's beam.
The orb barrier tried in vain to resist the blow, being knocked down as if it were not there. Finally, the lightning sword struck the core of the orb and ended up pulverizing it.
The orb began to disappear as the magic that held it faded. The tendrils dropped the corpses of the Altmer's from whom he had taken power.
Seconds later there was a great explosion. This explosion was caused by the portal becoming unstable.
After the explosion, the sky returned to normal.
"It's finally over." Edzard said.
Edzard turned his gaze to his hand when he felt that his weapon was very light. He sighed when he saw that his greatsword blade had disappeared. He literally only had the handle of the weapon.
Descending from the sky, Edzard landed softly on the ground. Around him were the bodies of thousands of the citizens who had died from the spell unleashed by the Thalmor. But there were also several who had survived and who would die if they did not get help quickly. So he sent a projection to the imperial leaders asking for help. While help arrived, he decided to save as many lives as possible.
By the end of the day, thousands of the wounded Altmer had been saved, and the Empire had occupied the city. The following days the relatives of the Thalmor councilors were imprisoned and after a trial they were all executed for crimes against their citizens. After the executions, a new royal family swore allegiance to the ruby throne, thus ending the second great war.
Castle Volkihar - Loredas 18 of Evening Star of the 203 of the Fourth era
Asia was quietly taking care of the plants while Valerica gave her and her friends a class on the different applications of some of these plants in alchemy.
"So Asia. How have you been the last few days?" Laure asked approaching her friend.
"Relatively good. Although I still have those nightmares." replied Asia while looking closely at a deathbell plant.
Asia had had nightmares where the face of the Altmer she had killed appeared. She had spoken with Aela and Serana about it and both had told her that in time those nightmares would stop being so recurrent.
'How does Ed handle this?' Thought Asia.
That thought was because, unlike her, Edzard had killed many more people, and he didn't seem too affected by it.
She was so deep in those thoughts that she didn't see her daughter start to get up and walk slowly towards the entrance of the garden.
"Marie?" Asia asked when she realized that her daughter was not next to her.
Looking around, she saw a silhouette enter the garden. That silhouette had Marie in him arms.
Edzard was rowing his little boat. He had arrived in Haafingar not three days ago and after they got close to the north guard fort, he had decided to separate himself from the rest of the returning army. He got off his horse and gave it to a soldier who was close to him. He then said goodbye to everyone and started walking towards the fort. When he had traveled part of the way he deviated towards the beach and when he arrived he looked for a small boat that was always there.
Once he found it he sighed, since he thought that Serana and Valerica could have removed it from that place to prevent someone from taking it. Pushing the boat he put it into the sea and after getting on he began to row north.
Moments later, in the distance he could see the castle of Volkihar. It was still the same gray stone castle that had an aura that made many believe it was cursed.
'Maybe that castle is cursed.' he thought as a smile spread across his face.
He continued paddling until his boat finally ran aground in the sand on the island's beach. Once on the island, Edzard walked in the direction of the castle gate.
When he was passing by the watchtower he could smell someone.
"Good to see you again Lydia." Edzard said with a smile as he saw the aforementioned appear.
"Good to see you again my Thane." Lydia replied with a smile before walking over to Edzard and hugging him. Hug that was reciprocated by Edzard.
When they parted, she got a good look at him and raised an eyebrow. "You are changed."
Edzard simply smiled in response.
They both began to walk silently towards the castle. When they entered the main hall they saw that it was empty.
"Where are everybody?" Edzard asked looking around the empty room.
"By the hour. They must be in the garden." Lydia replied.
Edzard nodded and headed out into the garden. When he was about to reach the door, he heard footsteps. Looking in the direction of the steps, he saw Marie arrive.
"Dad?" Marie asked looking at Edzard.
Edzard saw his daughter and smiled.
"Wow. She has just taken his first steps." Lydia said when she saw Marie there alone.
Edzard looked at his housecarl and asked. "What do you mean?"
"She had started to stand without help, but she hadn't walked alone until now."
"I see." Edzard said as he knelt down and held out him arms.
Marie started to get closer to Edzard, but at one point her small, uncoordinated footsteps made her stumble, but she never got to touch the ground, since Edzard had grabbed her before that.
"Dad." Marie said as she hugged Edzard.
Edzard hugged his daughter back.
Lydia watched the scene with a smile on her face.
Once he stopped hugging his daughter, he took her in him arms and putting on him hood began to walk towards the garden.
"I don't know who you are, but you'd better put my daughter down or I won't answer for what I do." Asia said as her hands began to emit small rays.
"Your power may have increased, but you couldn't beat me even if you used all your power, Asia." Edzard said as he took off his hood.
"Ed?" asked Asia.
Edzard nodded as he bent down and set Marie down. "Come on daughter, go to your mother."
Marie saw her mother and started walking towards her.
Asia saw her daughter walk alone and her eyes began to fill with tears. When her daughter reached her, she reached down and carried her into her arms.
Edzard seeing that, started walking towards Asia. when he was in front of her, he kissed her.
Asia returned the kiss as tears of happiness began to fall down her cheeks.
When they parted, Edzard wiped away her tears.
"You are changed." Asia said when she got a good look at Edzard's face.
And that was true. Edzard wore his hair long, tied in a high ponytail while leaving two strands of hair on either side of his face. On top of that, his eyes had changed. Now they were both green with silver edges, plus his pupils were shaped like a cross.
"I know." Edzard said before hugging Asia and Marie.
"Welcome home." Asia said when they stopped hugging, to then take Edzard's face and kiss him.
"It's good to be back." Edzard replied with a smile when they parted.
Author's note:
To those who have made it this far, Thanks for reading. Because being honest, I don't know how to write much in English and I'm relying on Google translators and the dictionaries that come with office 2019.
With this chapter the second great war is concluded. The effects that the spells of the Thalmor's and Cyrelas had will be explained by a peculiar group of individuals in a few chapters later. The chapters to come will serve as a kind of interlude. There will be some fights, but mostly they will be chapters of a relatively peaceful life for the Dovahkiin and his family.
I had to rewrite this chapter twice this week, since originally there would be a pseudo Daedric invasion, but after thinking about it, I decided to leave an event of that magnitude for later chapters.
Phantom Thief of Hearts: To be honest, I had originally only planned for the Dovahkiin harem to be just Asia, Lint, and Aika, but while I was writing the timeline I want this fic to follow, new girls started to enter the harem. And answering your question in the simplest way, yes, she will be in the harem.
Well, I apologize for any misspelling. Do not forget to leave a review if you liked the chapter or if there is something that needs to be improved. With nothing more to say, until the next chapter.