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It took longer for the smaller group to make it back to Whiterun with being wounded but they made it back before nightfall. While the guards went to get healed in the temple, Irileth led the brothers to Dragonsreach to tell the jarl the good news.
When they entered, they saw Balgruuf pacing by his thrown before spotting them and striding over. "Irileth, is the dragon dead and are my people safe?" asks Balgruuf. "Yes, my jarl, the dragons are dead" replies Irileth. "Dragons? You mean there was more than one?" he says. "Yes, two more showed up after the guard who left came to get help" responds Irileth. Balgruuf sighs before sitting back on his throne and asking how many guards were killed. "57" she replies. As Balgruuf rubs his forehead in frustration over the loss of so many brave guards, Irileth states none of us would have survived without the brothers' aid, and explained what she and the remaining guards saw the brothers do.
"It looks like I'm once more in your debt my friends and I think I know of a way to start paying it. I name you three thane's of my hold and that is not just a ceremonial title for you. You shall rule a stretch of Whiterun in my name. The hold of Pridehold is yours now. You have the power to judge, collect taxes, and train soldiers in defense of the hold and you will be given a housecarl and a steward to help you, as well as a book on the laws to uphold in my name. Everything else will be up to you to manage." spoke Balgruuf. The brothers were shocked and humbly accepted.
"I don't know how you do the things you do, but keep an eye out, because the Thalmor might take a interest in you because of it and they are the reason I choose not to take a side in this civil war. I also want my hold to be a refuge for others tired of the meaningless bloodshed" said Balgruuf seriously. The brothers nod before Balgruuf beckons a woman they know to be Lydia forward and a Breton in fine clothes with a sword at his waist. As Balgruuf introduced them as Lydia and Ashton,there housecarl and steward respectively they see that Linda is in her steel armor while Ashton was a 30 year old with black shoulder length hair and brown eye's and a styled beard. After the introductions were over with they told Lydia and Ashton that they would set out within a few days to a week,they set out to get some things done before they left.
Johnathon used a blank journal he bought to right down the shouts from the game to meditate on. James went to train and learn a few more tricks before they left in a week,while his brothers were doing that Desmon was outside Whiterun trying to perfect ash mincery when he noticed his visitor was back.
As she walked, the grass decaying with every step she took,she hummed before turning and facing Desmon. "How about a deal" she asks. "What type of deal" he responds. "You do tasks for me or the occasional sacrifice and murder and I will reward you with things you can not acquire in this world or even forbidden knowledge to protect yourself and your brothers or anything else you desire" she replies with a deceptively kind smile.
"What is it you expect to gain from me for doing this" Desmon asks. "When you become strong enough,which i have no doubt you and your brothers will,i want you to be my equal,I'll have you know I've never taken a interest in a mortal or anyone this way but with what you are,truly are I can't help find my self attracted" she says. "And what is it that I truly am" he asks. "A living disease,have you not thought of infecting others,the beautiful chaos that would happen" she trails off before asking if he does not find her attractive getting him to blush at her piercing gaze which was hidden by his biomass. "So do we have a deal" she asks. "Yes" Desmon replies. "Good" she says before leaning in and giving him a chaste kiss. "That was to seal the deal and a promise of more if you succeed in getting strong enough" she says before disappearing as if being unsummoned leaving a red book behind with what appeared to be a bat with a dot above and below it in black on the cover.
After picking it up,he opened it to the first page seeing some writing. Write what you desire and a task that needs completed will be given to earn it,it read before the words faded from the page. He decided to tell his brothers about it after they get settled in their new hold before putting the book in his pouch. After the week was over the brothers bid Farwell to Balgruuf before setting off with Lydia and Ashton in tow towards Pridehold.
They killed some bears and wolves that attacked and Johnathon skinned,using what he learned from their stay in Whiterun while Desmon collected the bears claws.Three days into their journey the brothers were sitting around the fire talking while Lydia and Ashton were asleep in their tents. Johnathon looks to his brothers and asked if they thought there new housecarl and steward were trust worthy. Desmon doesn't say anything,he just stares into the fire but James says they may as well give them a chance.
Johnathon nods before turning and asking Desmon what's wrong. He hesitates before telling his brothers about the deal he made with the dangerous woman that was interested in him. Johnathon just asks him if he's sure this is what he wants. Desmon nods and says "this is a good way to get things from other worlds and realities,like books on sealing ,making Johnathon's eye's widen,or forbidden knowledge,making James perk up,or anything else we desire" he says while grinning. "And don't worry about me because she has caught my interest as well" he says.
James and Johnathon nod before heading to bed, since Desmon has first watch. As his brothers fall asleep Desmon just stares into the flames before grinning. The next day they finally made it to Pridehold around noon. As they entered the town The people whispered wondering who they were. they passed a blacksmith,apothecary,a trader,some farms and few other shops and stands before they came upon a big open area. "My thanes just give me the specifics of what you want built for your residence and I'll get it started right away" says Ashton.
The brothers share a look before Johnathon steps forward saying that there was no need before putting his hands in the snake seal." earth style earth ceiling" Johnathon says before in front of them to the left the earth rose up 30 feet into a cavern with a hole on top (like a volcano with out the lava),before going through the hand signs hare,ram,snake two times and slamming his hands on the ground saying earth release great earth core causing the ground in front of them and secretly the ground inside the new mountain to sink nearly a hundred feet into the ground. Johnathon sweating goes through the last hand seals of the day,snake,rat,ox,ram,snake before Shouting wood release four pillar house jutsu. A beautiful house rose all the way up filling the near hundred foot hole.
Johnathon fell to his hands and knees,drenched in sweat. While James and Desmon were helping Johnathon up, Lydia and Ashton looked at the house and then to Johnathon who was being helped up in awe. "Are you a divine" asked Lydia. "No, Desmon says amused,we just have blessings from one". After Lydia and Ashton nod they open the door and enter the house.
The inside looks a lot like a jarls longhouse with the thrown on a raised dias with two rooms on each side and stairs leading to two rooms above those and a fire pit with tables 3/4's around the stone containing it,the side without a table is the side were the door they entered is located. But behind the thrown there was a railing with stairs descending to the first of the ten floors with the entrance to the fake volcano on the bottom floor with another stairwell heading up the ten floors of it. It had been a week and over that time the brothers had built a secret panel hiding the entrance to the volcano and had added bars at the opening at the top.
Johnathon when he had free time when not training or having audience with the towns folk to sort out and help them with their problems,a job he took when his brothers refused stating he was the most level headed had started expanding the town by building houses and businesses while also using earth style earth wall to make a stone wall around the town to better protect it.
Desmon had made the top floor of the fake volcano a alchemists garden using planters and the sunlight coming through the bars above and had plans to add bee hives like the ones at Goldenglow estate, while James built an alter and everything they might need to practice the darker arts on the bottom floor and gathered the bodys of bandits around their hold using a sack with a extension and feather light charm so they could practice their necromancy,he had also upgraded their pouches with the feather light charm so they didn't have to worry about the weight of things they put in them,which he had honestly forgot about when he realized he wouldn't be able to carry that much weight when collecting bodies after using the stasis charm to keep them from decaying.
The second floor above the first with the alter they made into a library for rarer,forbidden or just books they didn't want others to know they had along with research tables,while the floor above the basement of the house was made into a regular library that housed their more tame books that James swore would be the envy of all scholars in nirn one day.
When they were at one of the tables in the thrown room eating a few days later Johnathon brought up something he wanted to talk about. "Do you guys feel anything odd after absorbing your dragons soul" he asks. "I felt like my skin was constricting and temper was worse for a few days afterwards" comments Desmon. "Yeah not to mention my spells became a bit stronger along with my connection to the force" mentioned James. "I know what you mean i would of never been able to build this place in one setting before i absorbed the soul of that dragon" says Johnathon. "So we all feel slightly stronger, and your theory is we should keep getting stronger the more dragons we kill" asks Desmon.
Johnathon nods and asks James to put testing the theory on our to do list. Later the next day James had just got done setting up a alchemists and enchanting lab in the basement of the house when he thought of were they could find more people needing a house in their town that was turning into a city day by day,so he set out to find his brothers. In the thrown room Johnathon had just got done agreeing to build a forest and a mill by the time James showed up.
Johnathon looked at his brother before commenting that with all the new buildings i have to build at least it's allowing me to practice my wood release. Just then Desmon walked in the house and walked over. "Guess what I've been hearing in town" Desmon asks with a grin. "What" Johnathon asks Desmon wearily seeing him grinning." Well word on the streets is they have a new god watching over them " he says cuasing Johnathon to put his face in his hands and groan causing his brothers to laugh. "This is serious" Johnathon says irritatedly. "yes but in might not be far from the truth" James responds indicating his red tattoo covering his upper body cuasing Johnathon to become thoughtful."I had forgot about that in my excitement over actually having chakra" he said.
"Well your at least a demigod,just not one from this world" James says before asking what he came up for. " What do you guys think about more dark elf citizens" he asks. Johnathon looks at him before saying that more citizens are always welcome but were are you going to find them he asks. "Why Windhelm of course" he says cuasing Johnathon eyes to widen and Desmon to chuckle. "Brilliant we can stop there on our way to the college and give them the invitation" Desmon responds.
James nods before handing Johnathon two rings connected by a piece of metal."Is this what i think it is" he asks. "Yep you are looking at the first successful working sling ring I've been looking into recreating in my free time,that way you can always have a shadow clone here as we travel" James replies. Johnathon put the rings on the middle fingers of his left hand before rotating his right hand anticlockwise cuasing only orange sparks. It took him a few more tries before a portal showing the entrance to Riverwood showed up before him before closing it.
As Johnathon admired the ring James explained that you have to know were your going with a clear picture in your mind and that he would have two more ready by tomorrow afternoon. A couple days later the brothers were sparing, a free for all between them. Right after having his sword knocked away,then blowing Desmon away with the deva path,Johnathon looked over to see James coming down in a over handed blow with his sword and on instinct he raised his hand and a black rod came out of his palm blocking the blade.
James jumped back as Desmon sat up eyes glowing red before beams of energy shot out tearing up the ground heading towards Johnathon and the same as last time Johnathon moved as if on autopilot raising his hands making a barrier appear blocking and absorbing the energy beams, feeling himself absorb the energy and giving him what he lost back.
As Desmon stopped his attack, covering his eye's in pain,Johnathon wanted to put his brothers on the defensive felt his body go on autopilot as his left arm came up and he watched transfixed as his right arm took a metallic color and his left hand detached his right revealing a bunch of rockets before firing. Desmon after uncovering his eye's after hearing whistling see's the rockets and his body goes dull grey and starts to flake before he's consumed in flames as the rocket's detonate around him. James upon seeing the rockets uses the force to shield himself and even use force stasis to stop some of the projectiles cuasing them to go of prematurely.
After the explosions stop Johnathon looks at himself in shock before putting out the fire around them with water style, while Johnathon is doing that the ash on the ground swirls around before reforming into Desmon before he colapses on his ass. After the fires are put out James and Johnathon who are breathing heavy drop down next to him.
After a moment Desmon spoke up,congratulating Johnathon on unlocking three of the seven paths and part of the outer path ,referring to the metal black receiver he used to block James sword, of his rinnegan. "Yeah now you have four left, the human,the animal path,the naraka path and the outer path" James said. "I know but they seem to unlock out of need and the first time i use them i do it out of instinct,its weird feeling my body move on autopilot when i use them the first time" responds Johnathon happily before asking what they have been working on in their spare time.
"As you saw i have been working on using cyclops abilty with beams but it hurts like hell afterwards leaving me vulnerable so their not battle ready" says Desmon. "And I've been creating undead hidden inside our fake volcano to guard it" responds James. "What are in the coffins in each corner of the ground floor" asks Desmon. "Dragur overlords" replies James before saying they can only use the first word of unrelenting force but that will change once we learn the rest.
That night in the cemetery James with sulfer eye's was standing and chanting for a hour the same thing over and over."Tikazi sis miestas kash zeprie siege, pradzia xok ir zudyti edoui kuris tariam rixik kia vulti zhol ir defend edoui kuris visita zhol home(When this city is under siege,rise up and kill those who would dare to attack it and defend those who call it home)"chanted James for a hour more before he felt the dark sith magic settle in the cemetery of Pridehold. Afterwards he left to get some sleep so they can head out in the morning, none but him and his brothers knowing what James had done that night.