Rarely do the Divines and Daedric Princes convene together for an extended amount of time.
And when it does happen, it is usually to preside over the events of yet another Omen coming true, with some – like Mehrunes Dagon – merely being there to see what they could gain from such events.
Now, the last part of the prophecy had come true.
The World-Eater is back, and the Last Dragonborn has appeared to face it.
And the Prophecy does not state that the Last Dragonborn shall come off victorious in the clash.
So the Divines and Daedric Princes came together to witness the events, waiting to see if Alduin shall end Mundus, or if the Last Dragonborn was going to achieve victory against impossible odds.
...And then an Anomaly appeared.
Anything they could have expected, or had planned, went right out of the window when the Undead appeared.
He couldn't be predicted, and any possible schemes had to be thrown out of the window due to his mere presence and close proximity with the Dragonborn.
He was such a weird existence that he managed to be blessed by Arkay, as an Undead.
"You have been oddly quiet, Sheogorath." A voice speaks across realities and divine domains to reach the ears of the Mad One, who perks up and draws his lips away from the teacup holding the finest delicacy in Oblivion.
Molten cheese!
"Akatosh! Buddy ol' pal! What brings you to my little very secluded and very questionable corner of Reality?!" Oh boy, he just had to go and take his rest in the Dementia side of his plane… Oh well, Akatosh has seen worse.
"Your silence." The Dragon God of Time and father of the biggest troublemaker ever states flatly through the minuscules wisp of Divine Essence he had sent over to communicate, "It is… worrying. When you are quiet, you are possibly plotting some sort of disaster."
"You know me so well!" The wisp of Divine Essence somehow manages to convey a very flat stare, "But no, not this time." Sheogorath shrugs, nursing his cup of molten cheesy delicacy for a short second, "I'm just waiting for a motherfucker to swing first so I can settle some things."
He hopes it's Molag Bal again. Putting that son of a bitch in a choke-hold was satisfying.
Akatosh sighs deeply, still somehow not used to Sheogorath's brand of insanity. "And what has stopped you from trying to breach your way into Mundus and meet your… best friend?"
Sheogorath shrugs, gaze distracted and distant, "Not my fault that you guys want to unleash another Alduin upon Nirn."
The Divine Essence from Akatosh stills momentarily, "Sheogorath, that young man won't become Alduin-"
"You're right, he wont." Sheogorath smiles kindly, "He'll become worse." Leave it to the God of Madness to actually become the voice of reason.
"They both grow stronger from Death, but while one relishes in it, the other is trying not to snap, because if he does – And trust me, he fuckin' will, then what he'll unleash is going to make my Dementia side of the Realm look like a fuckin' amusement park for children."
His teacup is utterly vaporized as his own Divine presence seeps out for a split second, but Sheogorath breathes in and quells his indignation with ease.
"And you, the Daedric Prince of Insanity, are trying to stop a man from going insane?" Akatosh sounded incredulous, his deep and powerful voice full of shock and surprise.
"Can you still see the future timelines?" Sheogorath suddenly questions, cheek resting on a closed fist and gaze bored while staring fixedly upon the golden star that is Akatosh's presence.
A small golden star that suddenly stills, something that Sheogorath does not miss. "Bingo." The Mad One snaps his fingers and uncrosses his legs, standing up and grabbing his cane to start walking away.
Akatosh's divine presence moved to follow, "It cannot be the young man-"
"Oh but I said nothing. You are the one pointing fingers – Or… Nails, claws- Whatever."
"It could be Alduin's-"
Sheogarth stops and points his finger at the glowing golden star, "Alduin never had that effect on you during the Merethic Era, and I doubt he'd gain such power now, since he is horrendously weakened from his trip to solitary confinement in time jail."
A sigh comes from the golden star floating in the air, "But that doesn't explain how he is such an enormous Anomaly."
Sheogorath smiles and twirls his cape, "Of course he'd be an Anomaly, when he is someone not born within the Dream." Akatosh stills once more, "So it would stand to reason, that he would cause no ripples in a timeline that is not his own."
The golden star that is Akatosh quivers, "And now it has made Alduin unpredictable. Nervous."
Sheogorath waves off those worries with a huff, "That fucker is always nervous. First thing he tried to do when he got out of his jail was try to remove the Dragonborn so he would stand unchallenged."
"He failed, now he can't see possible timelines, so now he is lost, nervous… And afraid." A fearsome beast with the World-Eater moniker, afraid for having lost its cheat 'future sight' ability.
It was a crutch that only the most powerful of Dragons can wield, but it does not make them invincible, as any sudden variable can send their 'visions' into disarray.
Like with how Alduin underestimated the mortals during the Merethic Era and got himself sealed away through the use of an Elder Scrolls.
Once he came back, he tried to be catious and swiftly gain the upper hand by eliminating the Dragonborn before they could awaken. But due to not having yet absorbed a Dragon Soul, Alduin only had a feeling for a general location, not a precise target.
Hence, the Dragonborn escaped, Leonidas appeared out of thin air, and now the World-Eater is confused and nervous.
"And I still do not understand where you are going with this, Sheogorath." Sometimes, he still hated being called that name. For it is not his.
He had a name, given to him by his mother and father, within the home where he was born.
But he shrugs that away, "Do you not understand how lucky we are that he is not furious with us? Yes, we had no involvement with him appearing here, but still!"
"Ripped away from his home, ripped away from a comfortable and functional living body, and stuffed into a skeleton… With the power to endlessly grow through slaughter."
Sheogorath frowns as he turns to fully face the Divine following after him, "Why do you think Mehrunes Dagon is salivating after him? Because he can be a destroyer worse than Alduin. He can be the greatest Champion for many of us."
"But we are fucking lucky that deep down, he wants to be a fucking Hero." Sheogorath scoffs at that word. Whole lot of good it did to him, becoming one. "If he could shoulder all the duties for that girl of his, he would within a heartbeat. He'd do it all even if his mind finally gives in."
He said it many times before, but Insanity is a mercy. A bitter one, but still a mercy.
For many, it is their mind opening to a greater world. For others, it is a moment of enlightenment… But in all great and brilliant minds, there exists a sprinkle of insanity that drives them forward.
"Sheogorath has never had a Champion before." Akatosh muses softly.
"I will, when he snaps." And he will. Sheogorath could feel it. The moment something bad happens to those few he befriended and allows to be close to him… Even Sheogorath wouldn't want to be in the boots of whoever causes that. "When it happens, he'll have my Blessing."
His cane taps on the ground close to him, before the Mad One tilts his head to stare at the golden star that is Akatosh, "You should see about finding a Champion too. Who knows, this might be the last Era, after all."
Hell, Sheogorath had a feeling that the other Daedric Princes might start finding their own Champions soon enough, so to make this Era and possibly final battle all the more chaotic.
"I probably should, yes." Akatosh muses softly, "I have had one in mind since the Merethic Era." Well now, consider Sheogorath curious.
Alas, his entire Realm shakes before he could probe out some details from the Dragon God.
Sheogorath pays it no mind and conjures a cup of molten cheese in his hands.
"What was that?"
Sheogorath just sips at his molten cheese without care.
His Realm trembles.
"Sheogorath?"
His sip turns into audible slurping… While he was speed-walking away.
Another tremble, and enormous fractures appear all over the skies of the Dementia Realm.
Then, a very furious screaming voice comes through.
"SHEOGORAAAAAAAAAAAATH!"
Akatosh recognized that voice. Meridia.
What did the Mad One do now?
Sheogorath started whistling innocently even as Meridia kept trying to barge into his Realm with pure bloody Deicide as her goal.
Still, Meridia was overreacting...
~~XXX~~
Meridia was close to tearing her hair out. Violently.
How?
How does that Undead bastard keep doing it!?
"Ayo baby mama lemme whisper in yo' ear-"
A near blood-curling scream nearly leaves the Daedric Prince's lips when she feels the touch of that vile creature land on yet another Beacon.
How did he keep finding more?!
"Did you know I had Chlamydia-"
Damn Arkay.
Damn that bastard for Blessing that filthy creature and making it immune to Holy energies!
Oh she was going to tear both of them apart, and she was going to enjoy it!
And then she feels it again. Another hand touching another fucking Beacon-
"If it hadn't been for Cotton-Eyed Joe, I'd have been married a long time ago-"
"Warning! Warning! Foo' comin' through-"
"Uhm, what the sigma?-"
"We've been trying to reach you about your car's extended warranty-"
Again and again did the Undead's damnable idiotic voice reach her ears.
Again and again she blew up the Beacon he was holding.
Again and fucking again did he somehow find another goddamn Beacon in a split second and keep on going-
Sheogorath.
It had to be his fault. Has to be.
Meridia didn't even care if this wasn't one of the Mad One's pranks. She just needed a victim to release her stress on.
And so, the Lady of Infinite Energies sets off to unleash pure, unimaginable torture upon a fellow Daedric Prince.
Not realizing that this was exactly the Mad One's plan.
~~XXX~~
Oh man, if I had lungs and a stomach, I'd have died twice over by now.
Both from asphyxiation and from possibly throwing my guts out from laughing so much.
Annoying a Daedric Prince to the point they try to nuke me with their artifact is just glorious!
Also, how the fuck did this carriage hold so many goddamn Beacons!?
The chest had at least a dozen, and each sack had one inside them. Each one has now blown up due to Meridia's desperate attempt to nuke me out of existence.
But alas, it was a skill issue, for I still stand!
The river below? Now it has an enormous 'lake' area due to all the constant bombings from me tossing the exploding Beacons down there when they reached the breaking point.
"I thought annoying mortals was his limit." I hear Hildr muse aloud with Aurelia as I recover from my bout of much needed laughter, "But apparently even the fuckin' Gods ain't safe from him…"
"Is it wrong that I find it funny…?"
"Not gonna lie, I cracked a laugh too. So you're good." Hildr pats Aurelia on the shoulder with a sympathetic gaze before turning back towards me, "Dude, there's still one more." She points out, raising the small sack holding the last Beacon.
Which I had her save on purpose.
"Okay, I'm good…" I shake myself, pat my robes, then let out a few more chuckles, "Time to get to business then, ladies." I dust off my gloved hands, take the bag out of Hildr's own gloved hands, open it up, then grab the Beacon and fish it out.
Instantly it starts cracking all over, so I act swiftly, "I wish to parlay!" The cracking halts momentarily, "I have a deal that might interest you, lady Meridia."
Aurelia and Hildr share a glance as the glow from the Beacon dies down, and a growling and very tense voice speaks through it, "I do not make deals with foul Undead creatures."
My cheeky dumbass couldn't help but point something out, "But Arkay has blessed me, so I am not that foul!" I'm just an annoying son of a bitch!
Meridia outright growls at me, "What. Do. You. Want." I wonder what has made her so irritated… Couldn't be me!
"I would like Dawnbreaker, please." I state my request directly, and I don't need to be observant to feel Meridia's shock at my daring request.
"And why would I, pray tell, give one of my strongest Artifacts to an Undead of all things?" I'd smirk if I could, knowing that I have her attention now.
"For one, I won't be the one wielding it." I start, waving a hand towards my lovely Aurelia, who perks up in surprise at my action and words, "The Dragonborn is a Paladin of Arkay, and hates the bad Undead as much as you do, so you'll be putting that blade in very good hands."
Meridia falls quiet for a few seconds, the light coming from the Beacon flickering faintly as she mulls over my words, "And the second reason?"
Again, if I could smirk, I'd have an enormous evil one on my face right now. "I am sure you know all about the servants of the Dragons, called the Dragon Priests. Powerful Undead, capable of raising armies of undead of their own, so on and so forth…"
"Your point..?" Meridia growls out, clearly already telling where I am going with this.
So, I shrug, "Would you rather have a one silly, yet lovely Undead who goes around doing some harmless tomfoolery around… Or would you rather have armies of vile Undead mages capable of raising armies of Undead around?"
Aurelia gapes my way at my daring while Hildr gives me a nod of respect and thumbs up.
Meridia's answer is a simple "Your existence irks me." that makes me laugh out loud.
"You're just mad that my proposal is tempting!"
"You are using me."
I shrug again, "Feel free to state your own terms, if it'll help you 'save some face' or whatever." I know I have got her hooked with this proposal of mine, so I see it as a win either way.
Meridia falls quiet once more, but her quiet only lasts for a few seconds, "Very well then." Her voice is far more relaxed, pleased even. "My conditions for the use of Dawnbreaker are two."
"When one of these Dragon Priests awakens and news reach your ears, you must swiftly move out to deal with them – If, of course, you are capable of doing so."
That can be done. Easily, even. It isn't forcing us to deal with them instantly, even though their awakening will of course need us to run damage control swiftly.
"And the second condition?"
"Molag Bal has a group of powerful minions in Skyrim. I want them dead."
"Ah, the vampires in the castle close to Solitude, gotcha." They were already a target, but now Meridia wants them dead too so removing them off the face of the planet is even more worth it.
Still, I expected this. Meridia has a lot of beef with Molag Bal, after all.
"Indeed." Meridia sniffs, voice haughty and regal, "Once these issues have been dealt with, I shall retrieve Dawnbreaker."
"But if I find need of your… assistance for other matters in the future, I shall let you know. And payment will be delivered."
The Beacon suddenly cracks and crumbles, releasing a bright and dense light that grows bigger, taking the shape of a long blade.
I pause when the golden blade of Dawnbreaker comes into view, the guard releasing a dense and strong light like usual, with it being surrounded by a bright halo.
It looks… bigger?
"I have modified it to better suit your style, Dragonborn. Wield it properly." Meridia announces, letting the bright Daedric Artifact float towards Aurelia.
The Paladin does not instantly take it, instead looking towards me nervously to seek advice, and only does finally reach out to take the floating powerful Daedric Artifact after I give her a reassuring nod.
The blade's glow intensifies once Aurelia grasps the handle, the bright and visibly hot light intensifying for a short few moments before Aurelia seemingly gets it under control, making Dawnbreaker's glow die down until it looks like a normal dark-gold greatsword.
"Pleasure doin' business with ya, lady!" I salute, yet receive no answer or annoyed scoff from the Daedric Prince. How rude, leaving without saying anything.
Still, glad that the plan I swiftly put together actually worked. "Welp, that's it ladies. Back on the road?" I question while Hildr and Aurelia gape my way.
"Dude…" Hildr starts, "What are you? First you annoyed a Daedric Prince to the point of wanting to annihilate you, then you managed to make her give us a Daedric Artifact… Like, what?"
I chuckle and wiggle my finger her way, "That is entirely due to the way I phrased the deal!
"You'd be surprised at how much Gods care about something as flimsy as losing face, especially before a 'rival's' follower." I state, waving towards Aurelia, "I worded the deal in a way that, if she were to refuse, it'll make her look bad, and if she were to accept, we wouldn't hold each other any favor."
"Still, she added her own two cents in, which I expected." I shrug and move towards my bag, "If she does seek our assistance in the future, we only stand to gain, and even if we do lose Dawnbreaker in the future, by then it'll have finished its job already."
So, as I said, a win-win. Struck a partnership deal with a Daedric Prince, got us to owe each other no favors, had a powerful anti-undead Daedric Artifact loaned to us, and Meridia will come to us when in need of something.
"You're fuckin' terrifying…" Hildr voices aloud, and I chuckle softly as I pick up my bag- Hm? Is it… heavier?
I can't really tell due to my new Race Modification giving me insane strength that I still need to fully check out and experience, but the bag does feel somewhat heavier… Something to check out later.
"Meh…" I shrug again and toss the bag over my shoulders, "You shouldn't think that Gods are smart just because they are Gods."
"Mind your words when talking to a God, and sometimes you can strike up a deal that benefits both without any loopholes to be used against you."
Like hell I'm going to let myself be used by a God for free.
Also, I am totally sure that the only reason Meridia so swiftly accepted the deal I made is because she feared I would annoy the fuck outta her if she didn't.
Which… Fair.
I totally would have.
~~XXX~~
We'll split up once morning comes.
There is a fork in the road up ahead. Hildr and I will go straight forward, while Aurelia will take the path to the right so to reach the village below High Hrothgar.
I know this was coming, but… It's still making me feel empty.
I'm going to miss her, a lot. But this is needed. She needs this. She needs to grow.
And the only one in Skyrim that can help make her strong is Paarthurnax himself.
I have a feeling that once her training is done, Aurelia will be downright terrifying, and will be worthy to bear the title of Dragonborn.
And that is when the real Dragons will truly start showing themselves, ready to face a worthy adversary.
Still doesn't mean that I have to like being away from her.
She is the first person I met here, and I very easily got attached to someone so… simple yet innocent and lovely.
And she is probably the one who has kept me sane all this time. I cannot exactly tell if I am going insane, or if I am breaking, but sometimes my thoughts… They start to wander in way I do not enjoy.
"You know…" I start from my place near the fire Hildr started, with the two ladies on some of the food they brought along for the trip. Canned food is actually a thing here, hilariously enough. "I never asked what you two want to become in the future."
Hildr and Aurelia tilt their heads at my question, "What do you mean?" Aurelia asks, confusion lacing her tone.
I lean forward, glad that I can put myself in weird positions and not feel stiffness from them, "I mean, like… A dream to achieve. A mage of great renown or… Whatever positions your Paladin order gives out for higher ranking members."
Understanding dawns upon the two of them, and Hildr leans back with a distant gaze, "I've never really thought about it…" The redhead muses, "Though, since I've been young and gained my Familiar, my desire has always been to study and understand Spirits."
"There is still very little knowledge about them. Like how they come to be, what helps them form, what grants them intelligence, so on and so forth…" She shrugs, wistful smile on her face, "I don't really care about fame, but I'd love to be known and remembered as someone who put her all into studying Spirits."
There is quite a lot I have to learn and find out in this changed world, and honestly? I am quite looking forward to it.
I spent so long learning the lore of this world and whatnot, so doing it again will be fun. Wish I could enjoy a beer or some wine while doing that, but oh well, can't have everything in life.
"What about you, Leo?" Hildr asks.
So I instantly give her a thumbs up, "I shall become a problem for this whole world and its Gods."
"Yeah, forget I asked."
"Hey, I'm serious!"
"I know!"
Poor Hildr, I can't wait to bully her plenty more in the coming days!
The red-head sighs and shakes her head, then gives me a look with her lone eyes, "What about gaining a body back?"
I pause at her question, then sighs softly, "Alas, I have a feeling that it will be a useless endeavor." I muse aloud, bringing my bag closer as I do so, "It is an annoying thought, but…" I don't finish speaking, and instead opt to just shrug.
I just prefer to not think about it. As long as I can gain back the ability to sleep, then I should be… mostly alright, I think.
Hildr visibly wants to speak further, clear worry on her face, but decides not to do so, hence I turn my gaze towards the quiet Aurelia, "What about you, 'Lia?" I ask, using my new nickname for her.
Since she shortened my name, it is only right that I do so for hers too!
She perks up, a cute look on her face when she registers the nickname I used for her before her gaze grows… distant, "I… Do not know." She starts, almost hesitantly, "I don't think I've really thought about it."
I tilt my head her way, "Does your Paladin Order not have any high positions and whatnot?"
She makes a so-so gesture, "It is less of a Paladin Order, and more of a group loyal to Arkay. There are Paladin, who slay the Undead, and there are Priests, who go around making sure people have a proper burial, while also blessing cemeteries and the likes."
"The… higher positions you speak of are mostly those that retired veterans take, where they focus on simply teaching the new members before they set out." Ah, I see.
And retiring in such a rough line of work doesn't seem or sound that easy, to be honest. From my research, the Undead can get absolutely fucking terrifying.
Still, I hum softly, my gaze quietly lingering on Aurelia's form for several seconds. I don't like it. "I've always had this fear, for a while now." I start as I lean forward, "So, I just want to confirm this, 'Lia."
She blinks and faces me, confusion visible on her face and in her beautiful eyes lit up by the fire, "What fear?"
I remain quiet, wishing I had a lower lip to chew onto right now, but alas… "Deep down, I do not believe there is much you… in you." She startles, looking even more confused at my words, "I see little Aurelia, and more… other things."
Aurelia audibly gulps while Hildr furrows her lone eyes, "I… I do not follow, Leo…" My first and lovely friend starts, voice worried and uncertain.
"Bear with me for a while…" I start with a sigh, "Who are you, for yourself?"
I best nip this in the bud, for this is not healthy. I want my Aurelia to be more herself, and not someone following a duty.
Not a tool, or a robot.
And at my question, Aurelia blanches.
"A Paladin is what you are for your God and Order."
"The Dragonborn is what you are now for the people of Skyrim, for the Dragons, for the Greybeards, and for anyone coming forward."
"You are something, for someone else. Like how a Father is a Father for their children. A Husband is a Husband for their Wife, and a Friend is someone you are for your friends…"
"But who are you, for yourself?" Her eyes tremble, and her hands start shaking, visibly afraid that I am unraveling what I know she has been running away from, "Have you ever thought about yourself, and only yourself, even once?"
Her breath starts growing in pace, and Hildr visibly grows alarmed, "Leo, I don't think-" I raise my hand towards her, and her words come to a halt.
"'Lia, have you ever thought about just enjoying the little things in life?" I question softly, gently, while I stand up and slowly draw closer to the panicking young woman, "Tell me, is there anything you enjoy? A favorite sound? A favorite scent, or Season? What do you like?"
"And don't try to use logic, or your Order, or anything else. Use only your heart."
"Like the scent of rain after a storm. The sound of rustling leaves carried by the wind. A road stretching into infinity. The sound of rushing waters from a waterfall or a river."
"A sunset reflected on water. A clear screen of water that mirrors the sky above. So on, and so forth…"
I reach out, my voice a faint whisper as I grasp her shaking hand and give it a gentle squeeze, "The world has much to offer, but you clench your fists tightly, then try to look at it through the hole made by your curled fingers, thus seeing only the darkness and the bad."
Aurelia sobs, her eyes full of panic and fear, "I-" Her voice cracks, and her body shakes as she sobs once more, tears flowing down her cheeks, "I don't know? I-I can't think of anything!" The fear in her eyes is genuine, and it makes me grip her hand tightly.
Since I've met her and we stopped in Whiterun, all I have ever seen is Aurelia, the Paladin of Arkay.
If she doesn't train her body, she trains her Magicka. If she doesn't have a target to focus on, she spends her time finding another one.
Since I've met her, the Aurelia I have known is the Aurelia that just does her duty.
I've never seen her wonder. Never seen her find some food that she likes and want to eat a lot of it. Never seen her stop and read a book.
I've never seen Aurelia be Aurelia.
It's just duty, duty, duty and more fucking duty.
"I want you to spend time to wonder about such things while you are with Paarthurnax." I tell Aurelia as she clutches my hand tightly, leaning into my side for comfort as Hildr comes over to pat her back soothingly, "From now on, I refuse to let you focus only on work."
"No offense, but fuck your duty, and fuck the goddamn Dragonborn prophecy."
"Preach." Hildr grunts, "Not gonna lie, that shit always felt like a fuckin' chain to me the moment I learned of it."
"It's a chain only if you let it be one." I correct Hildr, "The prophecy never states that you will have to fight Alduin, or that you will win. Just that the wheel turns on the Dragonborn, whatever happens after is up in the air."
That brings both Aurelia and Hildr to a pause, and Aurelia sniffs softly, wiping away her tears as she speaks up, "You mean… We can lose?"
I sniff, "Oh nah, we're gonna fuck Alduin up the ass. Brutally."
"What's with you and Dragon's assholes?" Hildr whispers in disgust.
"They are a viable target to blow up." The soldiers back in Whiterun are more cultured than this fool. "Anyway, yes. The Prophecy never truly states that the Dragonborn will win."
Instead of growing dejected, Aurelia breathes in deeply, fully calming herself down, "Losing is not an option." She states heavily, gaze heated and full of determination.
If I could smile, I would, "That is for the future." I drawl out, then gain her attention through one last squeeze of the hand, "I hope that when we meet again, I'll get to learn more about who Aurelia is, and what she likes."
Hildr nods with a grin on her face, "Same here!"
Aurelia's gaze reddens as her lips twitch into a large, happy and loving smile, "I will do my best then." She sniffs softly, "I promise."
I chuckle and give her hand a shake, "I'll hold you to it, woman!"
That's when Hildr perks up with a smirk, "Let's make the promise more serious then!" Raising a hand, she stretches out her little finger, "Pinky promise!"
Me and Aurelia instantly laugh aloud at that- That is, until I double up and stretch out my own towards Aurelia, leaving her floored.
For about a few seconds, before she uses one hand each to shake both of our little fingers, "Fine! If I fail to keep this promise, may I fall off High Hrothgar!"
"That shit is barely gonna scratch ya…" Hildr drawls out flatly, earning a cute pout from Aurelia.
"Then what do you suggest?"
"You'll have to get bullied by Leo for a whole hour."
"You monster!"
"Now hold on a fuckin' second!" I shout, breaking the two apart, "When did I become a goddamn curse!?"
The two give me a flat stare that makes me twitch, "Leo, no offense, but you literally make anyone who earns your attention go insane. I dread the bullshit that will go down at the College…" Hildr flatly states, making me cross my arms with a childish huff.
"A man can't even commit a little bit of harmless tomfoolery nowadays…"
"Your 'harmless tomfoolery' has started bar fights that lasted hours, led to Dragons being dealt the most humiliating possible deaths in existence, and to the God of Insanity squaring up against all the other Gods because he wants to meet you. Personally."
Well, when you put it like that… It shows that I ain't workin' hard enough!
"Speaking of Sheogorath…" I start, and Aurelia nearly startles towards the fire, afraid that I might go ahead and do another sacrifice in his name like last time, "Relax, I don't have any cheese on hand…" She relaxes as I walk towards my bag and open it to retrieve an item that was not in there this morning.
"But I do got his book filled with the insane rambles from madmen of all Eras!" I announce as I hold the large Daedric Artifact Sheogorath somehow snuck into my bag during the chaos high above my head.
[Folium Discognitum – Daedric Artifact]
A book holding the insane ramblings and sometimes brilliant insights of many great fools, madmen and lunatics.
Modified by Sheogorath, this book holds only the magical side of all those oh so wonderful insane scribbles!
Hildr and Aurelia pale instantly.
"We must burn that thing."
Aurelia stands slowly, arms stretched out, reminding me of that one Velociraptor scene from Jurassic World, "Leo… Listen to me, and please… Give me that thing…"
I childishly hug the wonderful book to my chest, "Over my dead body!"
Hildr, the fuckin' smartass that she is, dumbly points out "So we just gotta walk over ya...?"
"...I will commit the most unspeakable fuckin' crimes against your bloodline, woman."
Needless to say that I had to use the book as a bludgeoning weapon after that.
~~XXX~~
I lower my hand as Aurelia swiftly disappears from sight atop her horse.
She was sad, obviously enough, but also in high spirits after I tore down her… issues, if they could even be called that.
I know there is a trauma related to her parents and her hate for the Undead that made her only focus on her duty, but it is not something that I wish to pry into just yet.
So I just tore down that duty-focused mindset of hers, and hopefully when I see her next time, I'll see and learn more about Aurelia and who she exactly is for herself.
"Is it wrong that I got attached to her so easily?" Hildr questions as she turns away from the road Aurelia took so to look in my direction.
I couldn't help but snort at her question, "Considering the company you had in Falkreath, getting attached to Aurelia is the right fuckin' choice."
She bursts out laughing at that before she snaps at the reins of her horse, resuming our trip down the road and towards Winterhold.
Once the road becomes less fucked up, we can push our horses, so we'll probably reach the College in two or three days at most.
"How's the study of the Spells I got you going, by the way?" Hildr perks up at that, face lighting up at the chance to chat about magic. Cute.
Her face kinda reminds me of Gretel when she smiles, now that I think about it.
"It's going well!" She exclaims, raising one gloved hand to conjure a cloud of dense smoke and floating, flickering blood-red embers, "I've already got two of them down, though the hardest part is how to ignite them from a distance without throwing another fire-based Spell at it."
I hum and cup the chin of my Krosis mask, "I should also think about adding a detonation effect to my Magic Missile, now that I think about it." Usually, in games, adding an explosive effect makes the penetrative ability absolutely worthless, as the projectile explodes before they can penetrate further.
But I know for a fact this won't happen here, and instead my Draconian Howl will instead explode each time it impacts something, so instead it'll turn even deadlier.
I need to make it pack more of a punch than it already does, because so far, we've only been fighting against the scrub Dragons. The worthless ones that have been hiding away this whole time like Mirmulnir.
I doubt Alduin wasted his time going around to bring back the cannon fodder of his army, and instead has very likely been going around grabbing his trusted aides, his generals, and his strongest warriors.
"I still find it absolutely insane how you can so easily change a Spell…" Hildr mutters beneath her breath, making me tilt my head to the side.
I do use Souls to cheat when I modify my Spells and Evolve them, yes, but…
I raise a lone finger and create the sparkling and humming star that is my Draconian Howl before Hildr's wide gaze, then just… will it to start spinning.
The glittering star, albeit slowly, does start spinning while the hum it releases becomes slightly louder.
This of course does not come without cost, as I feel the drain on my Magicka reserves grow bigger the faster I make the glittering star spin. Still, it is not a drain that is enormous or wasteful, probably due to my massive reserves.
"I really do not understand why you seem to find this hard." I muse aloud, then nod towards Hildr, "Conjure a fireball in your hand."
She doesn't question me and swiftly follows suit, creating a large, head-sized ball of crackling flames floating in the palm of her gloved right hand. "Now, do you know how to make fire hotter?"
Hildr furrows her brows at me, "By… feeding it wood? Or something to burn?" I chuckle and shake my hand.
"Oxygen. Or the very air you breathe in." Her eye widen in shock and surprise, "Breathe in and out, and try to have your fireball breathe in the surrounding oxygen."
Hildr keeps her gaze on me for a few seconds before closing her lone eyes and starting to take a slow and deep breathe, then lets it out slowly.
She does it again, yet no change.
But it happens on the third deep breath. As she breathes in, the fireball shudders and lights up, the air warping around it as it grows visibly hotter and brighter.
So much so that Hildr notices it and snaps her eyes open to stare at the glowing fireball in her hands, at least several times hotter than the previous one, "Holy fuck…"
Yeah, I've always had this thought. It's not that Skyrim's magic is not advanced, or that it's bad… But it's their studies and research into physics and these kinds of fields that are not as advanced.
They have many ways of making Spells stronger, like through chanting or the Magic Stones and equipment, but what they don't know is that the very world around them can help make their Spells stronger.
"How did that feel?" I question Hildr, who swiftly gets a hold of this new ability and makes her Fireball grow in size and heat once more.
"It's…" She starts, wetting her lips as she dispels the Spell, "A big drain on my reserves, but it is very easy once I get a feel of it." The excitement in her voice couldn't be hidden, and it does make me chuckle softly.
I didn't focus too much on these studies back home, but I can recall several things that can easily make Spells stronger by just changing one thing or two.
"I'll write down everything I can remember that can help you and you can study at your own time once we reach the College. If I forget, do remind me, please." Her face lights up at that, making me glad that I paid attention in class.
Honestly, even whatever else I can remember and put down won't be as worth as her being able to let her flames draw in oxygen. With that alone, she can easily grow to be a powerhouse once she masters it.
Imagine if she can mix that with her Familiar. That'll be terrifying.
Though, I remember that there is a type of fire that is invisible during the day… Something to think about later.
I perk up when I see Hildr frown and lift her head, sniffing the air a few times before glaring at the slightly cloudy sky, "Looks like we might catch some rain." She mutters aloud while I take notice of something in the woods far ahead of us.
"It could be worse!" I start cheerfully, making her look at me with a raised brow.
"We could get raided by bandits!" And that's when an arrow stabs into my chest, cracking and shattering when it impacts my massively reinforced frozen corpse.
A tree falls and smashes into the road, not really blocking our path as our horses can easily just jump over the damn thing, but… Free Souls!
"We surrender!" I call out cheerfully, hands high in the air as Hildr groans, already expecting the tomfoolery I am about to unleash upon these fools- Aww, it's just four idiots…
A big Nord wielding two axes taking the lead, a Khajiit following close behind with two daggers, a Breton wielding the bow, and a female Breton hanging behind him with what looks like a cheap wand for Spells.
I dismount my horse as the Nord stomps closer, nasty grins on his face that shows his yellowed and badly cared for teeth. "Man, ever heard of a toothbrush, pal?"
My question makes him halt right in front of me, then he turns to look at the Khajiit following behind for some reason.
I tilt my head as he turns his head, making me notice- "That a new fade my boy?" I couldn't help it. My hand moved before I could even think.
"I like ya cut, G!" My palm viciously slaps against the nape of his neck, and to add more 'Oomph' to the already nasty blow, I add a Draconian Howl to the mix.
A roaring sonic boom roars forth, shaking the trees and utterly vaporizing the distracted Nord before he could even process anything.
Did I evaporate the Khajiit too? Aw man…
"The fuck was that?" Hildr questions aloud as the last two bandits don't even get the chance to turn around before she tosses an enormous fireball their way, setting them alight.
I turn to her with a shrug, "A very Ancient and cruel Spell, capable of the most thorough humiliation together with giving the target a nice compliment on their new hairstyle."
"Well, he sure as fuck ain't feelin' anything right now…" Hildr deadpans flatly, gaze thoroughly not impressed. But her lips are twitching so I can tell she is amused.
"Semantics."
I hope we meet more victims on our way to the College…
~~XXX~~
"Hildr, look! It's Windhelm-!"
"If you hit the Palace of the Kings with your Magic Missile from here, I'll sacrifice a wheel of cheese to Sheogorath."
"...You miss Gretel, don't you?"
"Yes, a lot. Now, fuckin' do it!"
Boom!
"Shall we run- And she left me behind…"
~~XXX~~
"Are we lost?"
"Why do you think that?"
"All I see is snow. We haven't seen a road in like… five hours, and it's about to get dark."
"I mean, as long as the mountains are on our left and we keep going straight, then we'll reach Winterhold!"
"Leo… You don't have a map, do you?"
"...I may have forgotten to get it from Aurelia."
"I hate you."
"Have some faith, woman!"
"In you? Never."
~~XXX~~
In the end, we somehow managed to reach Winterhold. Somehow.
It took one day longer than we expected, mostly due to having underestimated the sheer amount of snow on the way there, but Hildr got a workout by basically heating up the air around us for our horses.
I even called her a portable fireplace once, and got hit by a house-sized fireball as my reward, so I have learned my lesson and shall proceed to call her that more often.
Still… Winterhold is fucking enormous. I expected a small village, like Falkreath, not a full blown city built into the side of a mountain and towards the cliff where the college lay, standing above the ocean waters below.
I did not expect this, but I did learn from my previous researches that Winterhold is one of the main source of ores, raw materials and weaponry in Skyrim.
And I can see that now, with how they seem to have hollowed out a piece of the large mountain beside them – far bigger than the one in the game, now that I think about it – so to build further into it.
It looks very interesting, and I can't wait to explore the place a bit at a later date. And not only to find targets to terrorize when I have that craving for some civilians casualties.
"This is a city of blacksmiths…" Hildr muses as we walk down the road, having left our tired and famished horses at the stable so to let them rest as much as they want.
"Yeah… No shit they don't get along with the mages of the College." The population of Winterhold is surely all about brawn, while the Mages are all about the power of Magic and whatnot. I can respect both, as mixing them together can lead to incredible things.
"Will that be a problem for us in the future?" Hildr questions, slightly nervous, but also visibly excited as we draw closer and closer to the College.
"I don't think they'll turn us away in case we want to buy stuff." I muse, having already noticed a very large building for the Merchant Guild as we walked through the city. "But the College is known for having caused a great deal of disasters that harmed the city, so… We'll have to prove ourselves trustworthy."
Because leave it to the proud Mages not to find a secluded and distant area where there will be no casualties so to undergo their experiments and whatnot.
Turning around another corner down the street, we finally reach the gate that leads towards the bridge of the College, the enormous castle standing proud and far above the frigid waters below.
"Excited?" I question Hildr, who looks like she is shivering, shaky smile on her face as we approach the bridge.
"Aren't you?" How do I tell her that I've become the Archmage of this place so many times that it has gotten old?
By the way… Where the fuck is Faralda? Shouldn't she be waiting out here, all alone, in the cold, for twenty-four hours straight of every day, of every month, to have any new Magic student shoot a flimsy firebolt at the floor so to see if they are 'worth joining the College'?
No? We can just walk right in? Don't mind if I do then.
As we walk across the suspended stone bridge – which actively looks like it has been repaired and reinforced instead of the one that looked one bad storm away from collapsing – I turn my head to the right and towards the horizon.
I am so far up that I can see so many islands in the distance, but my gaze focuses on the biggest and the most distant one.
One I am sure not only houses the Serpent Stone… But also one of the Dragon Priests I know nothing of.
It is quite far from the College, but I'll find a way to go and check it out in the future. For now, I don't feel confident enough to go there yet.
Krosis was stupid and overconfident, so he got bodied the moment he lost his cool from me being me. Plus, my Draconian Howl gave me a massive edge against him.
But had he not played around, he could have probably killed Aurelia before I got there.
It's annoying, but it also opened my eyes to how truly horrifying the other Dragon Priests will surely be, and to not underestimate them.
I turn my gaze back towards the College just as we step through the main gates that lead into the square with the large statue in it and the entrance to the main hall and the dormitories.
It all looks so enormous, but it is also protected by the snow, seeing how the garden is glistening green with large trees growing fruits despite the snow still falling down all around us.
I perk up when I take notice of the people at the front of the statue, a group of teachers and students discussing things from the looks of it, and- Would ya look at that, Savos Aren!
And the golden man in black and gold clothing standing beside him is the Thalmor agent Ancano. I already dislike him a lot. Such a slappable face.
Me and Hildr pause, expecting someone to come and talk to us, but… Why wait!?
"Leo…?" Sorry lady, gotta make myself known. I cannot wait.
So I step forward and start walking towards Savos Aren, swiftly gaining his and Ancano's attention.
The relaxed smile on Savos Aren's face instantly twitches and grows stiff while I grow closer, while Ancano scowls in disgust and takes a step forward, gloved hand reaching forward.
"The College truly has fallen low to let even stray beggars in-" Ancano starts, mostly muttering beneath his breath, but his words barely finish as I take a step closer to him, tilt the right side of my body backward, stretch out my whole arm, spread all five of my fingers, then-
"Get yo' bitch ass outta my face!" - proceed to slap him across the face with the meanest, most humiliating bitch-slap that ever graced the land of Skyrim.
So strong it was – I had to hold back from not killing him, sadly enough – that teeth went flying, then his body followed, doing a wonderful spin and twirl just a few feet off the ground as he flies out of my way.
And I proceed to step up to Savos Aren, pat him on the shoulder, and ask him a very important question.
"Tell me, does my Mask evoke some kind of PTSD in you?"
And this is how you make the best first impression possible!
A.N. Gods, I need to speed up my update speed. I wanna try and update five chapters of Draugr this month alone for y'all.
Still, hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! I'll get into explaining what the gift Sheogorath left for Leo for the next chapter, but it is quite easy to understand.
Next chapter will show what Aurelia's training will be like, and what she will train in besides the Thu'um, and other stuff.
Until then, take care y'all!
And if any of you are in Florida or around there, hope you all are okay! Lots of love from me!
And remember, if you wish to read FIVE CHAPTERS ahead of this one, then hop on over to my !
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Toodles!