It is rare that I find myself at a loss for words.
When one can't feel anything other than emotions, they focus on their own mind and just start thinking, and thinking, andthinking.
It is all I've been doing since I've appeared in this world.
Thinking about the challenges ahead. About the why I was sent here. About who sent me here. About the how.
Thinking on how then strength needed to survive is one that cannot be described.
Two of the strongest Dragon Priest fighting reshaped the land and cracked Skyrim apart, splitting a piece of it and sending it far into the ocean.
And that level of power won't allow me to survive.
I dare not imagine the level of strength Alduin wields, and I am wondering why he hasn't just started laying waste to the continents as a whole.
Is it because it bores him? Because he'd rather not waste his time? Because he'd rather aim straight for Sovngarde the moment it has an army that can stall for him?
The answer I came up with that is due to a certain line from the game that one may hear when they meet Ulfric in Sovngarde.
He regretted his actions, because only in Sovngarde he realized that all that death was making Alduin stronger.
So the reason behind Alduin's inaction is not that he does not want to, but because hecan't.
He is too weak right now, likely weakened from his trip to time jail at the top of the Throat of the World. So now he won't waste strength uselessly beside when he tried to preemptively end Aurelia in Helgen, but failed for not having a clear target.
Hell, he doesn't even have to do anything, just let his army go around and cause chaos.
After all, I doubt he grows stronger from the deaths that happen only in Skyrim.
How many wars are going on? How many villages are being destroyed by crazed lunatics? How many bandits are slaughtering innocent caravans?
How much death is going on right now, and is all currently feeding the World-Eater, who just relies on Men and Mer nature to kill each others so to regain is strength?
All these thoughts are terrifying. Me and Alduin are similar, growing stronger from death, but we are also different.
He leads senseless slaughter to gain it, while I do not.
I am at a disadvantage. I will always be. One way or the other, I need to find a way to catch up. To hinder him.
Or, to make up for my shortcomings.
As much as I wish I could bear this burned all by myself, I know that I cannot. I am just one man, even if gifted with a rather busted power that can so easily be abused.
So, the only other way I could think of is to gather allies. Help people reach a level that even if they cannot stand toe to toe with Alduin, they can still hinder him.
Hildr… She is a stroke of luck. Aurelia hasn't noticed it, but I did after hanging around the red-haired woman for a while.
She is blessed with ungodly talent in Magicka.
Lacking in reserves she may be, but Hildr picks up Spells ten times faster than anyone else. I heard Faralda has instructed some of the current students at the College on a certain Spell foryearsnow.
And I watched as Hildr broke the Spell down into her notebook as Faralda gave more tips to those students.
To not speak about how easily she manipulates her Magicka.
Finding someone like her is like finding a needle in a haystack, and funnily enough, I originally entertained the thought that maybe, ignoring how the game works, Hildr might be the one to become Archmage of the College in this world.
After all, the Dragonborn can't really become everything here. The duties would just pile up, plus they'd need to be masters in basically everything they do.
Hence why I am glad we met and befriended Hildr, even if it was by chance, and it was mainly done through a request from Hircine himself.
I need allies. Powerful allies. Powerful enough to stand against the strongest of the Dragons. Against their army and their Dragon Priests.
But they don't grow on trees. I cannot have the same luck I had when I found Hildr. And I refuse to find disposable people, treating them like tools to further my own survival or that of Aurelia and Hildr.
So, when I heard that story, I latched onto it.
The story of the Guardian, the man who by his lonesome helped Winterhold form. From a small settlement, to a massive city.
A man who is said to be capable of reshaping the land with his horrifying strength. A man feared by Dragons and their servants both.
Of course, stories are usually very overblown. The feats inside them can be scaled to however much the fanboy sharing the story wants them to.
But there is always a modicum of truth in these stories.
For one, the Guardian does exist. That much I can confirm now.
The rest, like questions about his allegiance and the likes? Those I cannot confirm.
I stare into the brilliant red eyes staring back at me silently, no words spoken after my greeting as the massive man simply lays there.
Knelt on the floor, and bound in glowing golden chains stabbed into the air.
The majority of the Magicka that disrupts my Mind's Eye is coming from those very chains, telling me that whoever made them holds a horrifying level of power.
But I doubt that the Magicka coming from the chains is what causing the people that approach the area to shrink back in fear or have heart-attacks.
And I doubt it's the man before me too.
Deinmaar. It means Guardian, if translated from the Dragon Language.
Is he a Dragon Priest? He wears a Mask beneath his dragon-skull shaped helmet, after all. And one of the marks on the map gained from Bleak Falls Barrow did have a mark here.
My faint hopes do crumble a bit at the sight, but this does not confirm his allegiance.
After all, why would he bechainedhere, instead of simply buried like all the other Dragon Priests?
This feels more like a punishment.
Plus… He is alive. He is flesh and blood, with a working heart and body. This makes no sense.
How is he alive? How has he survived with no sustenance since the Merethic Era? Is it the power of his Mask, or something else?
So many questions, and no answers.
"Not much of a talker, are we?" I muse while tilting my head, a low sigh escaping me, "I'm not Krosis, in case you knew the guy." I tap my Mask, visible beneath my hood, "I killed him some time back and stole it for my own."
No reaction, but his eyes do follow me with each movement. Never blinking or faltering.
My shoulders slump slightly, and I let my gaze rove around, "Why are you trapped here?"No answer.
"Who did this to you?"Nothing.
"What is this place?"More nothing.
I sigh again, then stand up, but his head doesn't move to keep staring at me, it remains bowed low, like it was when I entered the place.
The circular room he is trapped in… Other than the artwork on the floor – which is covered in dust and cannot read – there is nothing else here.
Other than the set of stairs going down behind Deinmaar, of course.
I step around his form to go towards them, and finally there is a reaction from him.
His relaxed hands clench into fists.
I ignore the reaction and take a step past him. His arms start shaking.
A few more steps forward, and the golden chains start creaking loudly.
I come to a halt with a loud sigh, "You don't want me to go down those stairs." It is not a question.
I turn my head, the rattling and shaking of the glowing golden chains echoing loudly in the empty room.
That's… not anger. No, it's that and something else.
Shame.
What did you do, Deinmaar?
I sigh again, and throw a look down towards the stairs, the darkness coming from them seemingly calling towards me, my curiosity piqued.
"If you don't want me to go down those stairs…" I start, and turn back towards Deinmaar, "Then just open your hands."
The rattling of the chains stop, as if he is surprised by my request, so silence once more filled the hall.
Then, in the silence, I watch as both of his hands slowly relax and open.
If I could smile, I would right now. But I just let out a chuckle and start moving back towards Deinmaar, "Very well."
I stop in front of him and drop down on my ass, his eyes now slightly wide in faint surprise and confusion as they stare at me, "I'm curious, but I won't push it." I shrug, then turn my gaze back to his chain, "That did answer one of my questions though."
"You can break these chains whenever you want, can't you?"
Of course, I do not really receive a response, but I do not need to. I lean back with a hum, crossing my arms before my chest as I mull over what to do, "You must've been lonely."
I don't dare imagine what it must've felt like for him. Thousands of years just chained up here, with probably no visitors.
"We are two-hundred years into the Fourth Era." I start, then lean forward once more while cupping my hands together and gathering my Magicka.Time for a test,"And Alduin is back to finish the job."
Deinmaar's eyes widen slightly, before being tightly shut as a deep sigh comes from him.
Is that remorse? Sadness? I can't read him well through only his eyes.
Had he tried to break the chains after hearing that, I'd have poured all of my Magicka into a Draconian Howl to obliterate him on the spot.
But this… This shows that his allegiance isn't fully with the Dragons. I'll keep my guard up still, but I shall also hold some hopes.
Hopes that this man is everything the people of Winterhold believe he is, and not a mere servant of the Dragons.
"Winterhold still stands, too." His head perks up at that, "They call you 'The Guardian'. I'm sure you are the guy that helped the city form and stand on its own two feet." He stares at me for a bit, before bowing his head.
Again, if I could smile, I would.He is thanking me for the information.
"Man, you missed a lot of things since the Merethic Era." I chuckle to myself, "For one, the Dwemer deleted themselves from existence." His head shoots up at that, eyes wide, "No, I ain't joking. They really did."
The sheer confusion in his eyes is amusing. He isn't talking, but I doubt it is because he is mute.
Oh well, I'll get him to talk with time.
"Let's see, what else… Ah, two people ascended to Godhood. One is an Imperial man now known as Talos, and another is a dude that… had sex Molag Bal and had some kind of spiritual awakening or something. Weird shit."
"Mehrunes Dagon tried to invade Nirn during the previous Era but got his shit kicked in by Akatosh."
I just sat there for what must've been an hour or so, just sharing events that I could remember off the top of my head to Deinmaar, catching him up with everything and… Well, amusing myself with the weird and shocked and sheer confused looks he kept throwing my way with each event I kept sharing.
"And, most recent of all, Alduin came back, Krosis woke up and got killed by me and a friend after he tried to destroy a city, and well… Now we're here." I slump with my shoulders, then tilt my head towards Deinmaar, "Now, do I gotta tickle you to make you talk, or what?"
His right hand clenches into a fist, and his eyes deadpan into a 'Try me, bitch.' look that I really wanna challenge.
In the end, I must relent, but I do wave my fist his way, "You're lucky that I gotta go now. I've spent too much time here, and a dear friend must be worried sick now." I sigh and stand, patting away the dust on my robes.
"I'll come back to visit." I tell him, because honestly… I do not wish to leave him alone any longer than he already has. "Every night."
At least I'll have something to do beside being alone with my own thoughts in a dark room.
Deinmaar's head lowers, not reacting to my promise as I turn around.
This simple act, after all, may be the one thing that stops him from joining the side of the Dragons once more.
I shake away those thoughts and walk down the hallway filled with Dragon Priest statues, all staring down at me as I walk past their broken and still forms.
I stop by the doors and turn my head to look back towards the chained giant, his head now lifted to stare towards me.
With a nod, I step outside and let out a heavy breath, my gaze flicking towards Marius's massive form, leaning against the wall to the right of the giant doors.
"Sorry for the wait." The Minotaur shakes his head and straightens himself as I let the werewolves hanging around go back.
"It was not a problem, Ser Leonidas. The area is clear, and only this temple stands within this crater." Marius reassures me, his head moving to take in the imposing building. "Have you gained the answers you were seeking?"
I hum softly, "No. Just more questions." This feeling of Deja-Vu, this nostalgia creeping up at me… It confuses me a lot, more than I already am.
Before I send Marius back, I throw the doors one last gaze, "Say, Marius… What do you make of the murals on the doors?"
The Minotaur's gaze moves to said murals, his eyes narrowing faintly, "Rituals the Dragons used to recruit servants. To recruit Dragon Priests."
I hum again, glad that he sees the same thing I do.
The doors are enormous, and the murals aren't that big. On both doors, there are at least hundreds of these murals depicting these scenes.
All these events that allowed one to become a Dragon Priest.
But if there are so many ways for a nobody to elevated to the rank of Dragon Priest…
Why the fuck are there only a dozen of them in Skyrim?
~~XXX~~
Hildr is suddenly startled awake by loud, metallic bangs that echoed in the large room a kind Thalmor gifted her after she helped him discover how nice fire feels on his flesh.
Her lone eye widen in panic as she jumps up in her bed, ready to set whatever has disturbed her sleep on fire from the inside out-
"Wakey wakey!" Leonidas hollers while smashing two pans – she could already tell the fucker stole them from the goddamn kitchen – together, "Wake the fuck up, Samurai! We got a city to burn!"
Her panic dies down and is replaced by cold, rage and exasperation, "Leo…" She starts, dragging a hand along her face as she breathes in deeply, "What in the actual fuck?"
The robed skeleton huffs and puts his arms on his waists, "Watch your fuckin' language!" He chides her, earning himself a near murderous glare, "Giddy up, we're going for a run."
Hildr blinks, completely stumped as Leo throws the pans aside without care, "...What?"
"We are going on a run!" He repeats, voice jovial, "Time to put some meat and muscles on those bones!" What's wrong with her current body?
...Right, she's still too underweight, but she is slowly fixing that issue.
"May I ask why, at least?" She sighs out, giving up on going back to sleep as she throws her legs over the large comfy bed, uncaring that she is wearing nothing but a long shirt.
Damn Ancano literally had sheets enchanted to be warm and super comfy. Using those made Hildr have the best naps and sleep she could have imagined.
"...I've had some time to think since yesterday." Leonidas answers after a while, having flipped around the moment he took notice of her state of undress.
A part of her wanted to tease him, but she feared that he'd easily flip the situation around.
The guy had Aurelia salivating over him, after all. She wasn't blind to the looks the Dragonborn used to throw towards Leonidas whenever he wasn't paying attention.
And to be honest? Hildr highly doubted she'd be able to resist if Leonidas were to push advances her way.
Never before did she see someone get along so perfectly with her little sister. Never. Not even her Gradma was able to fully handle the small bundle of pure feral energy and violence.
Yet Leonidas did not struggle one bit. He matched her energy, and even overwhelmed Gretel, to the point that Gretellooked up at him.
Seeing her sister so happy to have someone that understands and matches her energy… It warmed Hildr's heart far easier than any flame could.
Hildr found it hilarious. How the most charming part of Leonidas is how genuine he is in everything he does. Especially the craziness he unleashes upon any poor victim he encounters.
So, despite known what is beneath those robes and that Mask… Hildr cannot fault herself for feeling a small bit –quite a bit– of affection for the foolish Undead.
"Things never end well when you think." Leonidas snorts, though Hildr frowns minutely as she stares at his back.
It has been a while since he caused chaos or did his usual 'tomfoolery'.
She didn't like this sudden quiet form him. Not because she didn't want to see what sort of chaos he was going to unleash, but because she feared for his mental health.
She had to inquire the College's teachers about any field trip for studies that are approaching. If it'll take too long, she just has to convince Leonidas and Aurelia to lead the way to Saarthal and go there post-haste.
"Harmless fun, I assure you." Hildr snorts this time at Leonidas's words. Yeah, 'harmless'. Only Sheogorath would believe that excuse.
"Yeah, nobody believes you." Throwing her hair over her shoulder, Hildr fixes her pants, then swaps her shirt for a much heavier one. Of course, she does not forget the gloves, for she does not wish to lose her fingers to the nasty cold outside. "So, what's this about?"
Turning around, she fixes her eyepatch before running a hand through her wild hair. She'll brush them later. Much later.
"Several things, really." Leonidas starts, flipping around –and Hildr squashes down the self-consciousness that hopes he likes what he sees– and sighing heavily while crossing his arms. "But first, your physique."
"I have plans for a Spell that can strengthen the body far better than Flesh Type Alteration Spells could, but it'll take a while to get it down." The robed Undead reveals, speaking about making Spells like it is second nature for him. And Hildr actively believed him.
After all, he is the man that turned a children's Spell into a Dragon Slaying weapon of unquestionable power.
"But it'll be a crutch, and it'll also actively enhance what is already there, and I am sure it'll also heavily strain the body."
"So I need to build muscles to better handle that strain." Hildr concludes, her lone eye narrowing slightly in realization, "Setting a foundation for this Spell of yours."
Leonidas nods and snaps his fingers towards her, "That, and I do not want you to be a glass cannon and have no stamina in case you need to run." That was a fair concern from him.
One that did warm her heart quite a bit. The fact that he worries about her and her safety is… nice.
"This is going to take a while…" Hildr sighs, but Leonidas chuckles.
"Oh no, it won't take long." A lone brow rises up at his words, "I'll abuse Healing Magic. Growing stronger means tearing your muscles apart, then letting them heal so that they grow stronger. But the body heals slowly… Magic heals near-instantly."
He gives her a big thumbs up, "You'll be a fit and proper beauty in a month or two. Trust me!"
Her lips rise out of sheer amusement, but she did believe the robed fool before her. "If I'm going through this hell, then I want you to coach me on magic."
"Foolish of you to think I wasn't planning on doing that too."
Hildr's smile falls, and her eye widens in horror. "I'm going to have a horrible time, aren't I?"
"Yes. Yes, you will." Hildr's stomach drops, then Leo drops another horrid bomb on her, "Hircine approves, by the way."
Her God has forsaken her to the madness too now…
"Now! Training montage time!"
"Fuck my life…"
~~XXX~~
"Think of a big black man chasing you!"
Leonidas 'cheered' from the side, encouraging her to run faster, and to keep on running despite her lack of breath.
He, of course, lacking a body, was just hopping along, swinging his arms side to side while keeping up with her with laughable ease.
"I- fuckin'- hate- you-…" Hildr curses out in-between each gasped breath, her legs feeling like they were made of lead, and her chest feeling both cold and hot at the same time.
The people of Winterhold threw confused glances their way as Hildr ran past them, but she felt too tired and too heavy to even care about any stares or words directed their way.
"Bah, you look like you're out of breath!Just breathe, dummy!"Oh, she's going to give this fucker a body back then shove a fireball down his throat.
"Let me tell you about the time Keith tried to deep-fry a turkey." The robed, damnable Undead speaks up as he runs along a bit behind her, "Third-degree burns over ninety-percent of his body-"
An inhuman screech erupts from behind her, and Hildr's lone eyes widens when she sees Leonidas fly above her head and launch himself towards a Khajiit wearing the robes of the college.
He did mention wanting to find and murder a Khajiit in the College for 'Explosive Anti-Undead Spells' some time ago…
Hildr considers stopping the assault as she hears the vile curses and insults and sees Leonidas use the poor Khajiit as a weapon, swinging him around while hollering…
But instead she shrugs and keeps on running.
The Khajiit's sacrifice to keep Leonidas away from her for a while won't be forgotten.
~~XXX~~
"I'm not even that good…" Leonidas whines in a very annoying, child-like voice to mock her while she sits on the ground, head lowered. "The desire to create a frozen hammer and break it on your skull is strong, woman."
Hildrdoes not poutat Leo. She just glares murderously at him.
"You stupid sandwitch." The robed Undead sniffs, and Hildr pauses at the weird insult that made no sense, "Gods, I am so mad right now!" He huffs and stomps the ground, then freezes, "I'm gonna tickle the fuck outta you."
"Don't you fucking dare!" Hildr screeches, crawling back with pure horror on her face, flames bursting out from her hands and feat as she nearly calls her Spirit out to defend her.
Leonidas menacingly points a trembling finger towards her, looking very expressive despite wearing a mask, "I will go and grab Gretel, bring her back here, load her with coffee and sugar, then lock you in a room with her."
"Youmonster…"
Finally, Leonidas relents and leans back, sighing deeply while crossing his arms, "Do you know how many Chants our fellow students can do at most?"
Hildr gulps at his question, "No…?" She did not fully pay attention to the lesson about Chants, just that they were powerful and useful. And the book about it she found in Ancano's room –his own research notes– held mostly the best Chants to use for which element.
"Two. Or three, at most." Leonidas reveals, voice flat, and Hildr's eyes widen, "You got to six on your first try, Hildr."
His robed form approaches and squats down in front of her before her shocked gaze, "I don't think you realize how bullshit your Magicka control is."
The training room they were in falls silent after that, and her heavy gulp nearly echoes in the air as she straightens herself. "I-I thought it was normal…?"
Leonidas sighs deeply and shakes his head, "I forgot you haven't really been outside Falkreath until recently…" He drawls out before straightening himself, "Still… This is probably your greatest weapon. One you must hold dear."
"I haven't done many tests with them just yet…" Hildr reveals lightly, earning a nod from Leonidas.
"We'll have to check and quantify the power increase after each Chant, but we can do that another time." He waves the idea to the side before standing tall and offering her his gloved hand, "Come on, let me teach you something."
She takes his hand with a smile and rises up, and Leonidas nods towards the other end of his room, "Let's make your own bullshit Magic Missile, how about it?" Hildr could hear the massive grin in his voice, and she couldn't help it… She grinned right back, the thought exciting her a great deal.
"Now, my Magic Missile is as bullshit as it is for two reasons. Speed, and Kinetic Force." Leonidas starts explaining as he lifts her arms up, aiming them towards the other end of the training room, "With you, we'll focus on pure firepower. No speed."
Hildr tilts her head curiously at that. She had questions about this 'Kinetic Force' thing, but she held them back, instead she asked something else, "Why no speed?"
Leonidas snaps his fingers towards her, "You can control your flames even when they are far away from you, can't you?" Hildr blinks at that, then nods.
"I fuel them with my Magicka, so yes." It was also the way she used to call out her Spirit. Her original idea was to create a fire near an opponent, then have her Spirit come out from said fire to catch them off-guard.
"So why focus on speed when you can unleash the Spell directly on your target?" Leonidas points out, and Hildr grins a nearly savage grin.
With his instruction, she releases a massive wave of flames that fills the other side of the training room.
"What do I do now?" She questions, and Leonidas leans back nonchalantly.
"Now? Now you condense all those flames into a sphere, and keep compressing that sphere more and more." Hildr blinks at his instruction, then narrows her lone eye as she sticks with it.
The crackling flames followed her command with ease, all of them sliding across the floor and towards the center of their miniature conflagration.
There, a small wisp of flames rose up and started gathering itself into a head-sized sphere.
The more flames she poured into the sphere, the smaller she squeezed it, sweat starting to form on her brows once the sphere of flames became smaller than her fist.
Yet, she noticed it. The air trembling and warping around it, the heat of it growing stronger and stronger the more she compressed it.
"Have it suck in oxygen." Leonidas adds another instruction suddenly, and Hildr follows suit without a second of hesitation.
The roar that follows suit surprises her as she watches a storm of air rush towards the now brightly glowing white-gold sphere, which she kept squeezing and squeezing more and more until- "This is as much as I can, Leo!"
Her voice is strained as she glares towards the sphere, now the size of a baby's fist, the heat radiating from it now downright horrifying as more and more oxygen rushed into it.
The glow had also become near blinding, leaving spots in her eye, and even closing it did not help her much.
Lifting a hand, Leonidas conjures an enormous Ward between them and the trembling and whistling sphere, the sound being akin to a quiet but very sharp, hurtful to listen whistle.
"Cut your connection to the flames. Just release everything." Hildr was confused by that instruction.
When she does that, her flames just disperse and die out instantly, like they were never there.
The same will happen now…right?
With a gulp, she follows Leo's instruction, and she is nearly blinded by the ensuing flash, the whole room shaking from the catastrophic explosion that cracked the enormous Ward conjured by Leo.
So powerful was the blast that Hildr felt her organs and bones rattle, her form stumbling back from the shock-wave and nearly falling on her ass while her ears ring loudly and painfully.
But she powered through and ignored all of that as her mouth hangs open in shock, completely in disbelief at what had just transpired.
Of all the things she expected to see happen, an explosion of horrifying strength was not among them.
"What the fuck was that…?" She questions towards Leo, her mouth completely dry as she looks at the scorched black area where the sphere of flames used to be.
"A Thermobaric Spell. Kinda." Leonidas muses with a shrug, "Heat and Pressure being released all at once."
"When your flames are dispersed, they don't hold much power. But gather them all together, and squeeze them down into a tiny sphere. All of that heat is now compressed, too many flames into a too little space, and with them having become a vacuum that sucks in oxygen no less."
"The moment you released that pressure keeping the sphere in place, all of the immense heat dispersed forth. It created a blast wave that reached supersonic speeds, which is followed soon after by a blast of wind that sucks everything back in due to the air rushing in to fill the vacuum created."
Leonidas makes a clicking sound, the air around him being quite smug and satisfied, "Pressure is one hell of a thing, ain't it?"
Hildr gulps again and wets her dry lips as she takes in the difficult to understand information like a sponge, utterly drunk on how interesting and fascinating it all is.
"...That barely took any Magicka at all…" She reveals in stunned disbelief.
Then, of course, Leo points out the obvious, "Now imagine that, but boosted with Chants."
Hildr shudders at the thought, "So… This is my version of your Magic Missile?"
"Yup!" Leonidas nods and pats her on the back, "Congrats, now you can kill Dragons even without your Spirit."Now wasn't that one hell of a rush…
"Though, I am a bit disappointed that I cannot explain things well to you, else I'd be able to help you do even more powerful things." Her friend muses, disappointment clear in his while Hildr's brain short-circuits at the mere idea of him having more powerful Spell ideas than the one they currently did.
"Things like using Hydrogen, or Fusion, or Fission… Should've paid more attention in school." The man whines, childishly kicking the ground as he moves away while sulking deeply.
Ignoring him for now, Hildr looks down at her gathered palms and starts conjuring more flames, then condensing and squeezing them into a tiny ball.
Unlike before, she wasn't planning on releasing it all and making it explode, instead she had another brazen idea in mind.
The air rushed in, the heat of the compressed sphere sky-rocketed, and then Hildr released the lid on the immense pressure squeezing down on the sphere.
But not from all sides, but from a small tiny point aimed straight at the wall at the other end of the room.
Escape route gained, heat, force and pure power rushed forth at what Leonidas mentioned was 'supersonic' speed, a blinding beam of light cutting through the air with an ear-piercing screech that left her head aching.
The explosive force pushed Hildr back, her arms still outstretched as the concentrated blinding beam of energy swept from left to high in an instant due to her lack of control, mainly from the sheer amount of force it released all of a sudden, leaving her unable to aim it properly.
It lasted for just two or three seconds, but this time Hildr was able to see the Wards inside the training room shoot up to maximum strength to contain the power of her Spells, the Runes on the walls glowing brilliantly as the beam of heat carved against them uselessly.
When the Spell ended, Hildr slumped, eye wide, once more utterly stumped at how little Magicka that took.
Such a small, unthinkable change… could truly bring forth such horrifying power?
Slowly, Hildr turns her lone eye to stare at Leonidas, who is quietly staring back at her.
Then, he speaks, "I'm not even that good…" He childishly mocks her again before scoffing, utterly exasperated as her cheeks flush heavily, "Now, imagine having the assistance of your Spirit when you unleash these two new Spells in your arsenal.With Chants."
Gulping heavily, Hildr straightens herself, a feeling of… fulfillment enveloping her whole.
She knew that she still had a long way to go, but she finally did not feel like a complete burden. She had ways to fight, and not entirely rely on her Spirit.
Still, this was a start in a good direction. "Shall we move onto Restoration Magic?" Hildr questions with an excited grin, eager for more.
With a nod, her Undead friend moves closer, "Yeah, let's switch to your Ward. What problems are you having with it?"
"Well, for one, it basically blocks nothing. I think it's too thin?"
And so, Hildr spent a few more hours being coached by Leonidas with her training –she also nearly had a heart-attack when the Undead idiot used that insane book of his to find a solution to a problem she was having– and found herself having a broader mind at the end of it all.
A different perspective truly helped her –even if it came from an insane Undead that started throwing hands with her Spirit half-way through her training– and she found many of her questions and problems solved within a few hours, leaving her with much less work to focus on.
So when they exited the training room, she was both tired, but also very refreshed.
Maybe this 'Training Montage' of Leonidas wasn't as bad as she thought-
"-told you five times already that the Magic Circle has no problems! I quadruple checked it!"
"Then why is it not working properly?!"
"I don't know! I'm the one in charge of making sure the Magic Circle is set properly, and it is! The activation is not up to me!"
An argument from an open training room draws Hildr's attention, a trio of Mages arguing over a large and inactive Magic Circle scribbled on the ground.
By the looks of it, a sort of Fire Rune meant for traps. Hildr had to wonder if the Mages even knew that it was a trap Fire Rune, not a Flame Atronach Conjuring Circle.
The two were similar, but the giant Fire Rune in the middle was slightly different. It was easy to mistake one for the other.
So, Hildr wanted to point out that the Magic Circle is working properly, and that they just set a highly explosive trap on the ground. One wrong step, and it explodes in their face.
Her mouth opens- "I know what's wrong with it!" Leonidas cuts in, striding into the room confidently as she blinks and keeps walking out of pure surprise.
"Ain't got no gas in it-!"
BOOM!
High-pitched screams filled the air as waves of scorching flames overflowed out of the open training room door, followed soon after by Leonidas running out, looking completely unarmed.
Yet, Hildr paused as she watched him run, his legs bent and spread wide apart, arms spread beside him and bent upward, opening and closing like they were crab claws.
"Woop-woop-woop-woop-woop-"Were the noises coming out of her idiotic friend as her rushed past her, getting away from the disaster he had caused as screams filled the air.
Hildr stumbles as laughter bubbles out of her at the utterly idiotic sight, relief filling her at seeing Leonidas act 'normally' once more.
At the expense of others, of course.
….
Hildr stares at the package in her hands with a blank stare.
The letters from Gretel and Aurelia had come at the same time, together with a small head-sized package.
She opened it after giving Leonidas the letters, and now they were both staring at the contents inside.
A mask lay in there. A Dragon Priest Mask.
Leonidas brings up the letter written by Aurelia, the words 'Oh, I also beat up Rahgot! It wasn't that hard!' were written at the end of the letter with pure, smug energy that overflowed out.
Also, they were written in very, very small letters. Minuscule, even. Clearly, despite being written with a smug air, the idiot Dragonborn was fearful of their reaction.
A redhead and an Undead look back at the package, then share a look.
"I'll hold her down and you tickle her?" She offers, but alas, Leonidas has a far darker, more twisted mind.
And when he speaks, only the worst kind of torture imaginable overflow out.
"I'll grab Gretel, overload her on caffeine and sugar, unleash her on a tied up Aurelia to tickle her, and then I'll dunk her bare feet in sugar water and let a goat lick them."
Far away from them, and atop the highest peak in Skyrim, a certain silver-haired woman feels a shudder go down her spine, thoughts about leaving Skyrim entering her mind for some unknown reason.
Meanwhile, in the middle of Whiterun, a red haired child lifts her gaze towards the sky and breathes in, a manic grin on her face.
"My time has come…"
A.N. Small interlude chapter after the events of the previous one.
This is mostly because I needed to put some time between the events so to set up the next Arc.
What to expect from it? Lore on Deinmaar, Alduin finally showing up, lots of Falmer, lots of lore on the College plus more focus on it, and more focus on Hildr too.
The Arc after the next will have the group reunite for Saarthal, which I am still thinking about how to make it unfold.
The next arc will be very long, probably double the length of the current available chapters? So yeah, am looking forward to writing that!
Hope y'all have enjoyed the story so far! I plan on making even better in the next Arc!
If you want to read FIVE CHAPTERS ahead, then hop on over to my ! Or not, ya ain't being forced!
p at re on SamuraiCheem
Toodles!