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Whoops We Skyrim Now Part 4
  • Sidestory
    • Very few realise that being Dragonborn is not a simple matter of heredity - being the blessing of Akatosh Himself, it is beyond our understanding exactly how and why it is bestowed.

    -Excerpt from The Book of the Dragonborn, by Prior Emelene Madrine.​

    Chapter Three - Whiterun

    It took some very careful downward climbing and a couple of nerve-wracking jumps, but soon Shinji and Asuka managed to get honest dirt under their boots instead of slippery snow-covered rock. Shinji grumbled about something called the 'Levitation Act' and how it made things harder than they needed to be.

    By the time they got back to Riverwood it was well past midday. To Shinji's relief Alvor wasn't working at his forge, which meant any awkwardness about why they hadn't yet gone to Whiterun was avoided. The moment they stepped into the Riverwood Trader they were practically accosted by Camilla shouting excited questions about their journey. While Shinji put up his hands to try and calm her down, Asuka walked over to the counter and set the claw down in front of Lucan.

    "Y-you got it back! That's incredible! Huh, it's... kind of smaller than I remember." Lucan picked it up and examined it closely. "Maybe it's just my imagination. Anyway, this is going right back where it belongs. As for you two..." He took a bag from under the counter and gave it to Asuka. "Of course, if you want to spend some of that right now before you leave for Whiterun, then feel free!"

    Asuka huffed in amusement. "Thanks, but we still have plenty of supplies. Try not to lose the claw again."

    "No need to worry about that," said Lucan. "I'm not letting it out of my sight again."

    Camilla seemed disappointed to see them leave, but still gave a cheerful goodbye wave.

    Outside, they quickly headed back to the bridge that crossed the river, but this time they went north. Without snow and heavy winds to impede their vision they could take in some of the sights, such as an elk on the other side of the river, that interrupted its drinking to stare at them until they were out of sight.

    "So why exactly did you want to come to Skyrim, or rather the College of Winterhold?" Asuka inquired once the companionable silence got too boring. "Are you just going there to study?"

    Shinji, surprisingly, looked a little edgy at her questioning. "Well... I suppose I may as well study at the College while I'm here," he finally said, then looked away and sighed. "The main reason, though... is to track down the man who killed my mother."

    Asuka came to a sudden halt, staring at the back of Shinji's head as he gazed at the river. "Do... uh... do you want to talk about it?" she hesitantly asked.

    "My mother was doing an experiment at the Arcane University that involved a ritual spell," said Shinji, turning to face her. "I wasn't there, and I couldn't get much information from other people at the guild. Despite being her son I don't have any special privileges; she insisted that I not be treated differently by the guild, and to be honest I agreed with her. What I could find out was that a critical component of the ritual failed, and the resulting backlash was what killed her." He paused. "...Well, everyone assumes she's dead. The only thing left of her was a pair of smoking boots."

    Asuka debated whether to mention her adage about not believing a spellcaster to be dead, but quickly decided to wait until a better time.

    "Apparently, somebody went into her office and came out holding something. When asked, he said that he'd come to pick up something my mother had prepared for him. Afterwards, nobody could find him."

    "Okay yeah, that's ridiculously suspicious," Asuka remarked. "But if he was planning on fleeing to Skyrim immediately, it wouldn't have mattered anyway. I'm guessing he swapped out that spell component with a fake."

    "That's the most solid theory," said Shinji. "But all I have to go on is that the man responsible was going to the College of Winterhold. Hopefully he'll still be there."

    "And what will you do when you find him?"

    Shinji looked down at his hand and concentrated. Energy began concentrating in the open palm; fire burst forth, to be extinguished by frost, which was shattered by lightning, which was consumed by fire. The pattern repeated for a few seconds before he clenched his fist tight, dispelling the energy.

    "What I must," he quietly declared.

    Asuka raised a hand, hesitated for a moment with twitching fingers, then dropped it heavily on his shoulder. "And if need be, I'll help you out," she said, then added with a smirk, "Might cost you a bit extra though."

    Shinji tried to stifle a laugh, but it still escaped as a snort. "It's going to take a while to get the septims needed for the second half of your payment as is."

    "Hey, no rush." Asuka smiled, but then leaned forward so their faces were only an inch apart. Her smile turned dangerous. "But you will be paying me, understand?"

    "Y-yes ma'am! I have no intention of not paying you!"

    "Stand aside, you two!"

    Looking behind, Shinji and Asuka discovered that an Imperial patrol had somehow managed to sneak up on them, escorting a prisoner.

    "Huh?" Shinji eloquently responded.

    The leader put his hand on his weapon. "I said stand aside!"

    "Alright, alright!" Asuka grabbed Shinji's robe and pulled him to the side of the road. The Imperials paid them no further attention and continued on, heading for either Riverwood or somewhere beyond.

    Shinji cleared his throat. "Well I guess we were just standing right in the middle of the road."

    "He didn't have to be a prick about it though," Asuka muttered, staring at the soldiers. After a moment she shrugged. "Whatever, let's get going."

    A quarter of an hour later, they reached a crossroad. They didn't need to read the signs to know which way to go, as the large town nearby told them all they needed to know. Heading west, they passed several farmhouses before, strangely, hearing the sounds of battle. Asuka quickened her pace, Shinji jogging to keep up.

    There were two giants in a field, wildly swinging their clubs and trying to stomp on three fighters that danced around the lumbering beasts. Asuka broke into a run, hefting her axe in both hands. One giant got an arrow through its eye, and shook the ground as it fell over. The other grew enraged, swinging harder and faster, but now its back was to Asuka. She carefully picked her target as she approached, and sliced the giant's right calf to the bone. It fell to one knee, and before it had time to react, one of the fighters jammed his sword in its throat.

    By the time Shinji caught up, frost swirling in both hands, the fighters were wiping their blades clean on the bodies of the giants. It didn't even look like any of them were injured. Sheepishly, he dispelled the energy. The female archer, with three streaks of war paint diagonally crossing her face, strode up to Asuka.

    "You handle yourself well," she remarked. "You could be a fine Shield-Sister."

    "A... what?"

    "Oh, an outsider? You must not have heard of the Companions. We solve practical problems... if the coin is good enough."

    Understanding dawned on Asuka's face. "Ah. You're the local mercenary company."

    The woman's eyes narrowed. "Mercenary is a... crude term. We are an order of honourable warriors; brothers and sisters in arms."

    Asuka put up her hands. "Hey, I used to be the second-in-command of a mercenary company. I know some people like to call us scum, but those same people seem to think it doesn't cost a single septim to clear out a nest of goblins or a bandit camp. Like bandages and repair kits just grow on trees."

    "On that, I'll agree," the woman replied. "Anyway, if you're interested in joining us, talk to Kodlak Whitemane up in Jorrvaskr. The old man's got a good sense for people. He can tell your worth just by looking you in the eye. If you go to him... good luck." She turned to her two colleagues. "Alright, time to head back."

    The other two fighters gave Asuka a nod before heading off down the road. She glanced at Shinji, who seemed to be both embarrassed about being too slow to join the fight, and relieved that he didn't have to do anything. Asuka raised an eyebrow but, instead of mentioning anything about the fight, pointed towards the town; more specifically, the castle sitting high above it.

    "I have a sneaking suspicion that's where we'll find this Jarl Balgruuf," she said.

    "We shouldn't waste time then," Shinji replied. "Who knows when that dragon will attack again?"

    They picked up the pace. Several people, presumably residents of the area, greeted them as they passed. Upon reaching the gate, which was closed, one of the guards approached them and held out a hand.

    "Halt! Whiterun is closed with the dragons about. Official business only."

    Asuka blinked. "Huh. Guess they know about them already," she remarked. To Shinji, she said, "So then why did we waste our time coming here?"

    "We still have a message to deliver," he replied reproachfully. "Alvor and Hadvar sent us to ask the Jarl to protect Riverwood."

    "Riverwood?" the guard echoed. "What's going on there that they would want protection?"

    "Helgen was razed to the ground by a dragon," said Shinji. "They fear that they are next."

    "Helgen is gone?!" the other guard exclaimed. "You'd better go on in. You can find the Jarl in Dragonsreach, at the top of the hill."

    The gates were opened, and Shinji and Asuka walked in. Right away, they could see how unconcerned people were about the threat of dragons as they headed through Whiterun. Children were skipping through the street, vendors were hawking their wares, and a priest was loudly preaching about Talos to anyone who would listen. Dragonsreach itself was only accessible by a staircase and bridge over a moat. Up close it was stunning to behold, but there wasn't time to admire it.

    Inside, a wide staircase led up to a large fire pit between two long tables. A regal-looking man slouched on his throne, seemingly only half-listening to a man standing next to him. His gaze alighted on Shinji and Asuka, as an armoured female Dunmer drew her sword and approached them.

    "What is the meaning of this interruption?" she demanded. "Jarl Balgruuf is not receiving visitors."

    Asuka let Shinji do the talking with a wave of her hand. "We came from Helgen. It has been destroyed by a dragon," he said, raising his voice to ensure the Jarl heard him.

    "I see." The Dunmer sheathed her weapon, but did not seemed very surprised. "No wonder the guards let you in. You had best speak with the Jarl immediately."

    Everybody in the room was now staring at them. Shinji flinched slightly at suddenly becoming the centre of attention. Nervously, his face reddening from more than just the heat, he stepped around the fire pit and stopped at the base of the stairs before the throne.

    "You say you were at Helgen?" Balgruuf asked. "So you saw this dragon with your own eyes?"

    Recalling how said dragon had stared directly at him, Shinji nodded.

    "Yeah, he had a great view of it while the Imperials were about to give us our last haircut," Asuka interjected, miming an axe chopping through her neck. "The damn lizard landed on a tower, shouted something, and suddenly it was raining fire over Helgen."

    Balgruuf raised an eyebrow. "You are surprisingly forthcoming about the fact that you are escaped criminals. But Imperial executions aren't my concern right now with that dragon about. Tell me everything you know."

    "Helgen is gone," said Shinji hollowly. "I don't know how many were able to escape besides us two and Hadvar, an Imperial soldier that I guess was stationed there. The last we saw of the dragon, it was headed this way, but that was yesterday."

    "By Ysmir! Irileth was right." Balgruuff turned to his aide. "What say you now, Proventus? Should we trust in the strength of our walls against a dragon?"

    "Not like walls could stop something that flies," Asuka muttered. Jarl Balgruuf fixed her with a stare, which she calmly returned.

    Irileth cut in. "My lord, we should send troops to Riverwood at once. If that dragon is lurking in the mountains, they are in the most immediate danger."

    "But the Jarl of Falkreath will see that as a provocation!" Proventus argued. "He might think we're preparing to join Ulfric Stormcloak and attack him."

    Balgruuf swiftly raised a hand as Proventus tried to continue. "Enough! Irileth, send a detachment to Riverwood at once."

    Irileth bowed. "At once my lord."

    Proventus tried to speak again, but Balgruuf again stopped him. "I'll not sit idly by while a dragon burns my hold and slaughters my people!" he angrily stated.

    As Irileth left, giving Shinji and Asuka a nod, Proventus cleared his throat. "In that case, I shall return to my duties."

    "That would be best," said Balgruuf, now much calmer. Once Proventus left the room, he turned his attention back to Shinji and Asuka. "You have done Whiterun a great service." He gestured to a guard, who nodded and walked into another room, quickly returning with a breastplate. "Please, take this as a token of my gratitude."

    Asuka accepted the gift, bowing to the Jarl. She took a moment to replace her rather damaged leather chestpiece which she dropped into the crackling fire. Nobody seemed to pay this any mind.

    "My apologies, young man," he continued, looking at Shinji, "but I do not have a suitable gift for you as well."

    "Um, that's fine, er... sir?" Shinji stammered. "I wasn't expecting a reward just for delivering a message."

    Balgruuf smiled. "By the look of you, you study the magical arts. Perhaps my court wizard, Farengar, has something you could use. Speaking of which, perhaps the two of you can aid him. He's been looking into something related to the dragons... and rumours of dragons. Come."

    Stepping down from his throne, Balgruuf led them to a side chamber. Inside were several tools and items that Shinji instantly recognised, as well as a map of Skyrim. A man in a hooded robe glanced at them as they approached, and bowed to Balgruuf.

    "Farengar, I believe I've found someone to help you with your... dragon project. Go ahead and give them the details," Balgruuf said, gesturing towards Shinji and Asuka before heading back to his throne.

    Farengar stared at them with an expression like he had just seen something distasteful. "The Jarl thinks you can be of assistance? Well, I could use somebody to fetch something for me. And by 'fetch', I mean 'delve into a dangerous ruin in search of a stone tablet that may or may not be there'."

    Asuka quickly brought a hand up to stifle a laugh. "Oh really?" she said. She made a show of placing her pack on the table, to the disgruntlement of Farengar. "Do you happen to mean this old thing?" She reached into the pack and pulled out the tablet that the draugr at the strange wall had been carrying.

    Farengar's attitude immediately changed. "Oh! You already went to Bleak Falls Barrow and recovered the Dragonstone! I'm impressed. You certainly seem to be a cut above the usual sweaty brutes the Jarl dumps on me."

    "Does there happen to be a reward for this?" asked Asuka. "The Jarl gave me a reward for delivering a message, but he doesn't have anything for my friend here. He said you might have something instead."

    Farengar glanced around his chamber. "Well, I suppose I could see what I have-"

    "Farengar!" The Dunmer woman, Irileth, suddenly ran into the room. "You must come at once! A dragon's been sighted nearby! You should come too," she added to Shinji and Asuka.

    "A dragon?!" Farengar sounded like a child about to receive a toy. "Where was it seen? What was it doing?"

    "Could you please try to take this seriously?" Irileth irritably replied. "I don't know if we can stop it if it decides to attack Whiterun."

    She left the room, Farengar close behind her. With only a glance shared between them, Asuka and Shinji followed. The castle seemed to be in an uproar, soldiers running everywhere. Irileth and Farenger weaved between them, heading up a set of stairs near the Jarl's throne. On the second floor, Balgruuf was standing near a map on a table, talking to a soldier.

    "You came from the western watchtower?" he asked.

    "Yes my lord," the soldier replied. "We saw it coming from the south, faster than anything I've ever seen."

    "Is it attacking the watchtower?"

    The soldier shook his head. "No, it was just circling above when I left. I've never run so fast in my life! I was sure that dragon would chase me down!"

    "You did well, son. We'll take it from here. Head to the barracks for some food and rest."

    The soldier bowed and left. Balgruuf stared at the map for a moment before turning his attention to Irileth. "Gather some guardsmen and get over there right away."

    "I've already ordered my men to muster near the main gate," said Irileth.

    Balgruuf gave her a hard stare. "Do not fail me." Noticing Shinji and Asuka, he said, "My friends, there's no time to stand on ceremony. Whiterun needs your help again."

    "You want us down there too," said Asuka. "Of course we'll help. I want to give that damn dragon a piece of my mind." Shinji nodded his agreement, and immediately began preparing a defensive spell.

    Balgruuf nodded. "You survived Helgen, so you have more experience with dragons than anybody else. Go with Irileth and help her protect my people from the dragon. We shall discuss rewards, both for this and retrieving the Dragonstone for Farengar, when you return."

    Asuka bowed, and Shinji mimicked it a moment later. They quickly ran down the stairs to catch up to Irileth as they heard Farengar bemoan the fact that he couldn't join them.

    "Irileth!" Balgruuf's voice brought the woman to a halt. She looked up the stairs at her lord. "This is not a death or glory mission. We must know what we are dealing with."

    "My lord, I am the very soul of caution!" she retorted with feigned offense.

    XXX

    Outside Dragonsreach, it seemed that Whiterun was still not overly concerned about dragons. Irileth, Asuka and Shinji ran through the streets, drawing puzzled looks from citizens. They quickly reached the gatehouse, where half a dozen guards were waiting. Irileth wasted no time getting them up to speed.

    "Here's the situation. A dragon is attacking the western watchtower." This was met with cries of shock and disbelief. "That's right, a dragon. I don't much care where it came from or who sent it. What I do know is that it made the mistake of attacking Whiterun!"

    "But how can we fight a dragon, Housecarl?" one of the soldiers nervously asked.

    "A fair question. Until today nobody has ever even seen a dragon, let alone expected to battle one. But we are bound by duty to fight, even if we fail. This dragon is threatening our homes. Threatening our families! Could any of you still call yourselves Nords if you fled from this monster? Will you make me face it alone?"

    "No, Housecarl!" the soldier replied, echoed by his comrades. Asuka could see the respect these men held for their leader, despite her being of a different race.

    "But it's more than our honour at stake here. Just think of it: the first dragon anyone has seen in Skyrim since the first age! The glory of killing it is ours, if you're with me! What do you say? Shall we go kill us a dragon?"

    The soldiers pumped their fists in the air and shouted their affirmations. Irileth grinned and pointed at the gate. "Then let's move out!"

    In Asuka's opinion, things were already starting to look up. She had had her doubts about going toe to toe with something that had a head large enough to swallow her in one bite. Even with Shinji, it would likely have been a close thing. More men, especially some with bows, meant a much higher chance of clipping this dragon's wings and avenging Helgen.

    Together, the group of soldiers and two adventurers proceeded out of Whiterun at a brisk pace. The watchtower was close, so it only took a few minutes to reach it. Even before they got there, Asuka could smell smoke on the wind, and as they crested a hill she could see several patches of fire surrounding the tower, as well as smoke leaking out of an upper floor window. Of the dragon itself, there was no sign.

    "This looks bad, but we need to know what happened," Irileth quietly stated. "That dragon may still be skulking around here. Spread out and search for survivors."

    Everybody drew their weapons and cautiously advanced. Asuka and Shinji followed close behind Irileth, who was heading for the door of the tower. As they got close, a man shouted from the tower, "Keep back! The dragon is still here somewhere! Hroki and Tor got grabbed when they tried to make a run for it!"

    "Guardsman, where is this dragon?" Irileth demanded.

    "I don't kn-" A roar from over the mountains interrupted the soldier. "...Kynareth save us, here it comes again!"

    Backing away from the tower, Asuka looked to the sky. There was an obvious outline of a dragon rapidly approaching. "From the south!" she shouted.

    "Talos save us!" one soldier cried out as the dragon passed overhead. It made a low pass behind the tower, and at this distance Asuka could see that this was not the same dragon that had burned Helgen. It circled around and landed hard enough to shake the ground. Archers began to pepper it with arrows, Shinji harried it with rapid-fire spikes of ice, Irileth and two soldiers faced it head on, and Asuka moved to the side to strike at a wing. The dragon retaliated by spitting flames from its mouth. Most of the melee attackers got out of the way, and Shinji put up a ward spell, but one unfortunate man was struck full on by it and died before he could even scream.

    "Thuri du hin sil ko Sovngarde!" the dragon shouted victoriously, as it took to the air with shocking speed. The archers and Shinji tried their best to lead their shots, but the dragon bobbed and weaved through the sky before suddenly grabbing a soldier in its claws as it passed overhead and flying up high. It let go; the soldier hit the ground with the sickening sound of cracking bones and did not move again.

    The dragon landed again, its gaze focused on Asuka as she steadily advanced. "Krif krin. Pruzah!" it said.

    "I don't know what in Oblivion you just said, but your time has come!" Asuka angrily retorted, catching the dragon in the side of the head with her axe. It was only just able to break through its tough hide.

    The dragon laughed even as blood ran down its face. "You are brave. Bahlaan hokoron. Your defeat brings me honor."

    Shinji and the soldiers seemed surprised at hearing the dragon speak their language, but Asuka merely growled as the dragon flew off again. It circled around, breathing fire on soldiers that were just barely able to get out of the way. Asuka saw Shinji, perched on a piece of broken tower, hold off on casting spells for a moment, instead carefully watching the dragon as it soared above.

    "Brit grah. I had forgotten what fine sport you mortals can provide!"

    Shinji narrowed his eyes while the dragon taunted them, focusing his magic into a dual-cast spell. He held it at his side, waiting for the right moment. He didn't have to wait long; the dragon came in low over the ground, intent on grabbing an archer who was still stolidly launching arrows even as a monster bore down on him. The dragon latched onto him, began to rise...

    ...and a chunk of ice ripped a gaping hole in its left wing as Shinji turned and unleashed his spell. Unbalanced, the dragon fell to the ground, tearing a great furrow in the earth. The archer it had grabbed was left laying on the ground, but he was alive and swearing profusely while clutching at his leg.

    Stunned from the impact, the dragon was helpless as Asuka, Irileth and the melee soldiers bore down on it, chopping and stabbing at its other wing. Soon that too was torn apart, even as the beast tried to get away. It tried to retaliate but the fighters, now wise to what it could do, were able to stay away from its mouth. The dragon bled profusely from a dozen open wounds in its soft underbelly. Finally, after what felt like hours of fighting, the dragon raised its head to the sky and roared feebly before falling to the ground.

    The fighters breathed heavily but kept their weapons up. "Damn good shooting, men!" said Irileth, cautiously approaching the dragon's head. "Let's make sure it's truly dead."

    The dragon's skin erupted into flame. Asuka heard the dragon cry out "Dovahkiin?! Nooo!" as the flames consumed its body. Lines of raw energy leapt from the dragon, flying towards her just like at the wall in Bleak Falls Barrow but more numerous and much, much brighter.

    "Everybody get back!" Irileth shouted, retreating to the road with her men close behind. Shinji, seemingly awestruck, hesitantly climbed down to the ground and drew closer to Asuka. She held her hands up in front of her, entranced by the glowing of her skin as it absorbed the energy from the dragon. Soon the energy dissipated, revealing that only the bones of the dragon were left. Asuka breathed heavily, clutching at her chest and feeling as if something had been gently thrust into her heart.

    Irileth and the soldiers slowly returned, gazing at the dragon's bones. One soldier approached Asuka. "I... I can't believe it. You're... Dragonborn!" His voice had an almost reverent tone.

    "Dragon-what?" Asuka replied, hand still on her chest, still reeling from the experience.

    "In the very oldest tales, from back when there were still dragons in Skyrim, the Dragonborn would slay dragons and steal their power."

    Asuka's hand clenched slightly. "Is that what I did? I absorbed that dragon's power?"

    "You absorbed something," said Shinji. "I think we could all see it. Something left the dragon and entered you."

    "That has to be it," the soldier insisted. "There's one way to be sure: try Shouting. The old legends say that the Dragonborn could Shout without training, just like a dragon."

    Asuka recalled the draugr that had almost killed Shinji in Bleak Falls Barrow. What were the words it had used?

    The soldiers were now talking amongst themselves. "My grandfather used to tell stories about the Dragonborn. Those born with the dragon blood in them, like old Tiber Septim himself."

    "I never heard of Tiber Septim killing a dragon."

    "Because they weren't around back then, idiot. They're coming back now for the first time in... forever."

    One of them looked at Asuka. "But the old tales tell of the Dragonborn who could kill dragons and steal their power. You must be one!"

    Another turned to Irileth. "What about you, Irileth? You're awfully quiet. Do you believe in this Dragonborn stuff?"

    Irileth scoffed. "What do I believe in? Maybe you lot should stop flapping your gums about old stories. Here's a dead dragon, and that's something I understand for sure. I believe we just proved we can kill the damn things! I don't need some mythical Dragonborn. Someone who can kill a dragon is more than enough for me."

    The soldier who had posed the question sighed and shook his head. "You're not a Nord, Housecarl. I should have known you wouldn't understand."

    Irileth's head reared back slightly. "Excuse me? I've been all across Tamriel. I've seen plenty of things just as outlandish as this. I'd advise you all to trust in the strength of your sword arm over tales and legends."

    As they argued, Shinji walked up to stand beside Asuka and leaned in close to whisper in her ear. "Try that thing the draugr did," he suggested, also remembering Bleak Falls Barrow. "'Fus Roh Dah', remember?"

    Asuka gave a slow, thoughtful nod. She took a deep breath.

    "Fus R-"

    A wave of energy erupted from her mouth before she could finish saying the words. The soldiers in front of her staggered backwards, one tripping over the bones of the dragon and sprawling on the ground.

    Asuka put a hand to her mouth. "Oh hell! Sorry!"

    The men dismissed her apology, even the one that had fallen over. "By all that's holy, that's a Shout!" he exclaimed. "Just like the Greybeards on their mountain!"

    "You really are Dragonborn, then!" said another. "I'm glad you're on our side."

    Irileth gave some orders, and the men began to spread out to secure the area. To Asuka and Shinji, she said, "That was the hairiest fight I've ever been in, and I've been in more than a few. You two should head back to Whiterun. Jarl Balgruuf will want to know what's happened."

    Asuka nodded and made to leave but Shinji paused, looking at the dragon's bones. He approached the corpse, slowly running a hand along the skull and up the horns. He then crouched down next to the ribcage. "Asuka," he called out. "Can you give me a hand here?"

    "Sure, what do you need?"

    Shinji pointed into the ribcage, where Asuka could see the mangled body of a dead soldier. "Can you get some of these bones out of the way?"

    As it turned out, dragon bone was shockingly tough. Asuka didn't so much break the bones as eventually lever them out of their sockets. Thankfully only a couple needed to be removed before they could drag the body out.

    "That's Hroki," a soldier sadly remarked, kneeling next to the body. "Poor bastard never saw the dragon coming. Young, just barely a man, hadn't been with us long. Tor had taken him under his wing." He swiped a hand down Hroki's face to close the eyes. "Hopefully he's in Sovngarde now."

    Asuka frowned. "This dragon-" she kicked the skull, "-said something about Sovngarde. Isn't that the Nord afterlife?"

    "Yeah," said Shinji. "Nords who die in battle go there. Apparently there's a lot of feasting, drinking and fighting."

    The soldier gave a bittersweet chuckle. "What more could a warrior ask for?"

    "So then why did the dragon mention it?" said Asuka. "'Thuri du something-something Sovngarde.'"

    "I couldn't say," said the soldier. "It's not a language I've ever heard before. Maybe the Greybeards would know."

    "The who?"

    "I think you'll find out soon enough." The soldier got to his feet. "We'll bury Hroki near the tower. You should get back to Whiterun before it gets dark."

    Asuka nodded, and together with Shinji jogged back to Whiterun. As they neared the city, a tremendous sound ripped through the sky, followed by what sounded like a dozen voices speaking in unison that caused Shinji to clutch at his head.

    "DOV AH KIIN!"

    "...Was that the Greybeards?" Asuka wondered aloud.

    "Either that or another dragon," said Shinji. "Maybe the one at Helgen? And... 'Dovahkiin'. The dragon at the tower said that when it died."

    "Calling to its master, perhaps?" Asuka shrugged. "Whatever it is, let's not keep the Jarl waiting."

    XXX

    "Good, you're finally here. Jarl Balgruuf has been waiting for you." said Proventus as Shinji and Asuka made their way to the throne. A man who had been talking to Balgruuf stepped aside and stared at them.

    "We were just talking about you," said the man, his face streaked with red war paint. "My brother wants a word with you."

    "What news do you bring?" said Balgruuf. "Was the dragon there?"

    "It was, sir," said Shinji. "The tower is destroyed, and most of the men there are dead."

    "But we killed the dragon," Asuka continued.

    Balgruuf let out a sigh of relief. "I knew I could count on Irileth, and you two. But there must be more to the tale."

    Asuka and Shinji glanced at each other. Shinji shrugged, suggesting it was up to her what to say, so she decided not to hold anything back.

    "That wasn't the dragon that destroyed Helgen," she said, to gasps of surprise. "I think we can assume that there'll be even more dragons eventually. Oh, and apparently I'm something called a 'Dragonborn'. More gasps filled the room. Balgruuf, his brother, and Proventus shared glances with each other. "When the dragon died, I absorbed some kind of power from it. The soldiers there saw it and called me Dragonborn."

    "It's true then," said Balgruuf. "The Greybeards really were summoning you."

    "The soldiers mentioned that too," said Shinji. "Who are these Greybeards?"

    "Masters of the Way of the Voice. They live in seclusion high on the slopes of the Throat of the World."

    "And just what do they want from me?" Asuka asked, her suspicion growing.

    "The Dragonborn is said to be uniquely gifted in the Voice. The ability to focus your vital essence into a Thu'um, or Shout. If you really are Dragonborn, they can teach you how to use your gift."

    Asuka slowly brought a hand up to her mouth, remembering the wave of energy she had accidentally released. It had felt powerful, but also like it wasn't entirely under her control yet. Besides, she had only managed to say one word, instead of the three that the draugr had used.

    "That thunder in the sky," said Balgruuf's brother, excitement etched on his face. "That was the Greybeards summoning you to High Hrothgar. This hasn't happened in... I don't know... centuries maybe! Not since Tiber Septim himself was summoned."

    Proventus sighed. "Calm down, Hrongar. I don't understand what any of this Nord nonsense means for our friend here."

    "That's right," said Hrongar, anger replacing his excitement. "You don't understand, you ignorant fool! These are sacred Nord traditions that go back to the founding of the First Empire!"

    Proventus put up his hands. "I meant no disrespect!" he stammered. "It's just... what do they want with her?"

    "That's their business, not ours," said Balgruuf with finality. To Asuka, he continued, "The Greybeards obviously sensed whatever happened when you killed that dragon. And if they think you're Dragonborn, who are we to argue? You should head up to High Hrothgar right away, to learn what the Greybeards can teach you.

    "It's a tremendous honour." Balgruuf looked off into the distance. "I envy you, somewhat. To climb the Seven Thousand Steps again... I made that pilgrimage once. High Hrothgar is a peaceful place. Very... disconnected from the troubles of this world. Sometimes I think that the Greybeards don't even notice what's going on down here. They certainly haven't seemed to care before. But anyway. Go to High Hrothgar and learn what the Greybeards can teach you. If there are more dragons to come, you'll need that knowledge."

    "Well, guess we'll have to put off going to Winterhold a bit longer," Shinji remarked. "This does seem rather more... critical than tracking someone down."

    Asuka could tell he was being intentionally vague in front of, in a sense, strangers. She patted him on the shoulder. "Relax. I said I'd help you out and I will. But becoming Dragonborn and learning how to control this power will help me help you, know what I mean?"

    Shinji gave her a small smile and a nod.

    "You two have done great services for me, my city and its people," said Balgruuf. "By my right as Jarl, I name you... err... I just realised we don't know your names yet."

    Shinji bowed. "I am Shinji Ikari of Bravil, and this is Asuka Langley-Soryu, or Asuka the Red."

    Balgruuf nodded, then restarted his speech. "By my right as Jarl, I name you, Asuka the Red, Thane of Whiterun. It's the greatest honour that's within my power to grant."

    Proventus and Hrongar looked mildly surprised at the news, but Asuka was stunned. Her, a thane?

    "My lord, to appoint someone a thane requires them to own property in the hold," Proventus politely interjected.

    "Ah, of course," replied Balgruuf. He thought for a moment. "Is that Breezehome place still available?"

    "Yes, my lord," said Proventus. "Nobody seems to want it at all. Is it your wish then that she be granted its deed?" Balgruuf nodded. "Then I shall make the arrangements immediately."

    "I shall also assign you Lydia as a personal housecarl," Balgruuf went on. He signalled to a nearby guard, who approached Asuka and presented her with a large axe. "And this weapon from my personal armoury to serve as your badge of office. My guards will also be informed of your new title. Wouldn't want them to think you're part of the common rabble, would we?" He chuckled, but quickly grew serious again. "We are honored to have you as Thane of our city, Dragonborn."

    Remembering herself, Asuka bowed to the Jarl. He nodded, then got up from his throne and walked upstairs. Proventus invited Asuka and Shinji to take a seat, and called for food and drink. They sat down next to each other, Asuka still shocked at her sudden rise in status. A meal and some ale arrived, and they quickly served to help her regain her composure.

    "I take it you weren't ready for that?" Shinji remarked with a grin.

    Asuka huffed bemusedly, slouched over her mug. "Comes from spending years as a mercenary I guess. Normally you just get some heartfelt thanks and a bag of gold. Sometimes you don't even get thanked."

    "Instead now you're practically nobility, with land, a title, and a servant all at once. I almost feel envious."

    "Hey, yeah!" Asuka sat up straight. "You've been through just as much as me. Where the hell is your reward, huh?!"

    Shinji shook his head. "It's really not that much of a deal, honestly."

    "Stop being so damn modest! You helped kill a dragon!" Asuka grabbed Shinji's full mug and pushed it into his hands. "Be proud of what you did. Now drink up! I'll make sure you get a reward, or my name isn't Asuka the Red, Thane of Whiterun!"

    Shinji gave in good-naturedly. "Fine, fine."

    They toasted and got to eating and drinking. It suddenly occurred to Asuka that she hadn't had anything to eat since their first arrival at Whiterun, and now she was starving. Fortunately there was plenty of food and the ale ran freely. Other people, mostly soldiers coming off duty, sat down nearby, offering congratulations on her title and asking for details of their battle with the dragon. She... may have ended up exaggerating a few parts. Shinji definitely gave Asuka a look when she mentioned jumping on the dragon's back.

    More and more people showed up; soldiers, castle servants, Balgruuf's children, and even Irileth. More food, more drink, more merriment. At one point several soldiers lifted both Irileth and Asuka up onto their shoulders and paraded them around the room to the cheers of everyone.

    The entire time, Shinji was relaxing in his seat, watching the proceedings, almost entirely ignored by those around him.

    But he was smiling all the same.

    XXX

    It fell to Shinji to find their way to their new home, as well as support Asuka while she staggered through Whiterun. It was well after midnight when they stumbled through the door of Breezehome. The first thing he noticed was how barren and dilapidated it was. Empty boxes and crates littered the building, there were cobwebs everywhere, many of the floor tiles were cracked or missing entirely, and one corner even had a pile of loose straw for some reason. The second thing he noticed was the armoured Nord woman.

    "Greetings, Thane," she said. "I am Lydia. The Jarl has assigned me to be your housecarl."

    Asuka's eyes were barely able to focus. She slurred something that may have been a greeting. Shinji decided to take the lead. "Hello Lydia. We'll probably be better off saving this until morning. Where are our beds?"

    Lydia took one look at Asuka and seemed to agree. "Upstairs and to the right," she said, then put a fist to her chest and bowed. "Goodnight, thane and sir."

    The second floor was just as bad as downstairs. The bed was nothing more than a layer of straw on a wooden frame with some animal hides for blankets and old sacks for pillows. There was also only one of them; still large enough for the two of them but Shinji was hesitant about sleeping in the same bed. He laid Asuka down on the bed, where she almost immediately fell asleep, and went to ask Lydia about another bed.

    The only other bed was hers in a side room; Shinji refused point blank to take that bed when it would leave Lydia without a place to sleep, even when she offered to go back to Dragonsreach for the night. Instead he gritted his teeth and carefully got into bed next to Asuka, making sure to leave as much room between them as possible.

    The furs were uncomfortable, but at least they were warm. Despite his nervousness Shinji soon drifted off into sleep.
     
  • Sidestory
    • CalumTraveler said:
    Dovahkiin! Dovahkiin!! *mumbled humming because forgot the rest of the lyrics!*
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Dovahkiin, Dovahkiin, naal ok zin los vahriin,
    Wah dein vokul mahfaeraak ahst vaal!
    Ahr fin norok paal graan fod nust hon zindro zaan,
    Dovahkiin fah hin kogaan mu draal!

    (yes I did look those lyrics up for no real reason, shut)

    MisterHalt said:
    The furs were uncomfortable, but at least they were warm. Despite his nervousness Shinji soon drifted off into sleep.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Dang, Shinji - you're already in her bed and everything :p
     
    I can't wait to see how Shinji and Asuka might deal with the silly love triangle quest the next time they return to Riverwood. Seems like something that might elicit some frustration...
     
    Mega Skyrim sidestory update!


    Python: 
    print(An intense digital illustration of the Eva Unit, pause in time, jaws 
opened wide to release a formidable Fus Ro Dah attack, Skyrim motif, shaking
the very core of the surrealistic environment.)
    Dunno if generative art can do it justice, but those are some examples.
     
    marcoasalazarm said:
    Which generator did you used, dude?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Appreciate the interest!

    About a month ago, Erisia Discord rolled out the breakdomainxl which is brand spanking new and really potent, being able to print out roughly the same look across multiple takes. Building upon that somewhat with new improvements is allysxl, which the above art plugs are using.

    Still working out the issues with it to some success. Though, as this really isn't the art thread about it though, I'm just going to show thumbnails for now.

    It gets pretty good at doing colorful anime characters especially power armor, office ladies and mahoujo.
    Breakdomainxl and Allysxl

    But, give it a curveball like "Skyrim / Evangelion" anime shows and videogames from a decade ago or earlier? It starts getting confused.
    What are you doing Third?


    Look forward to the next update, OP MH!
    I just want Paarthurnax redeemed and Fuyutsuki as one of the Greybeards please!
     
    Whoops We Skyrim Now Part 5
  • Sidestory
    • Just discovered that SV, at some point, fixed the issue I was having where if I copy/pasted from LibreOffice to here, it would add like three spaces between each paragraph. Before, I had to get around it by uploading to FFN then copying from there to here. Don't have to now though!


    Whether there can be more than one Dragonborn at any time is another mystery. The Emperors have done their best to dismiss this notion, but of course the Imperial succession itself means that at the very least there are two or more potential Dragonborn at any time: the current ruler and his or her heirs. The history of the Blades also hints at this - although little is known of their activities during the Interregnum between Reman's Empire and the rise of Tiber Septim, many believe that the Blades continued to search out and guard those they believed were (or might be) Dragonborn during this time.

    -Excerpt from The Book of the Dragonborn, by Prior Emelene Madrine.​

    Chapter 4 - High Hrothgar?

    For once, Shinji found himself getting up after sunrise, instead of with it. Despite not drinking much last night he still had a headache, so he went downstairs and drank some -hopefully clean- water from a barrel near the door. When he turned around, he saw Lydia seated at the rickety table in the far corner of the home.

    "Good morning, sir," she said, leaning on the table. "Is the thane still asleep?"

    Shinji nodded. "I think it'll be a while longer before she's able to get out of bed. I take it there's no food in this place yet?"

    "No, and to be honest I'd be suspicious of any food that was here," said Lydia. "From what I've heard this place has been abandoned for a while. Nobody wanted to live here because of the rumours surrounding it. Some people claim it's haunted, some say a brutal murder happened here, and there's even one story about it formerly being the meeting place of a daedra cult who sacrificed children."

    Shinji looked around nervously. Could that be a bloodstain on the wall, at head height? "And... is any of that true?"

    Lydia smirked and shook her head. "Nope, none of the rumours are true, not even a little bit. All that happened was that the previous owner sold almost everything here and moved to Solitude. That was something like five years ago now. No idea where the rumours even started, but now it seems like all of Whiterun believes at least one of them."

    Shinji's stomach rumbled. "Alright, I guess I'm going out to get breakfast. Where would you recommend?"

    "Try the Bannered Mare, at the market. Good food and their prices are reasonable."

    "Thanks." Shinji went to the door, then paused and glanced at the old boxes next to it. "By the way, could we get this stuff cleaned up?"

    "Well, I could do that," said Lydia. "But it would have to be the thane that gives me the order, not you. I mean no offense, but I am sworn to her service, not yours."

    "...Can you at least tell me where we could start getting some furniture?"

    Lydia thought for a moment. "Proventus Avenicci is the one to speak with about that. Normally you would have purchased this house from him, anyway."

    Shinji thanked her and stepped out into the brisk mid-morning air. A few people passed by on their way to the market, seemingly surprised at the fact that somebody was living in the haunted house, or the murder house, or the child-sacrificing cultist house, or whatever else they believed about it. Shinji awkwardly greeted them and headed in the same direction.

    Several merchants were already hawking their wares, but Shinji paid them no attention, instead heading for the inn on the opposite side. Inside, the innkeeper greeted him while a bard sang a tale about someone called Ragnar the Red. He stood by the fire until the song was finished then sat at the bar.

    "Welcome to the Bannered Mare, I'm Hulda. What can I get for you?" asked the innkeeper. "Think I've got a clean mug around here somewhere."

    Shinji wasn't sure whether to take that as 'this place is very busy' or 'I'm lazy and haven't been keeping up with cleaning dishes''. Thankfully he wasn't in the mood for more alcohol after last night's celebration.

    "I need some breakfast, plus an extra serving to take home, if that's alright." An idea occurred, and Shinji added, "Actually, make that two extra servings."

    Hulda nodded. "I have some chicken stew cooking at the moment, as well as vegetable soup. I can also wrap up some meat, bread or fish for you." She examined his face. "And if you were part of that celebration up at Dragonsreach last night, I recommend juice. Got a recipe that seems to help after a night of drinking."

    That made things easier. "I'll have some chicken stew and some juice then," said Shinji. "As well as a loaf of bread and a few pieces of fish."

    "Coming right up. That'll be... ninety-five septims."

    Shinji counted out the money from his coin purse, noticing how little he had left. Regardless, he paid Hulda and she headed over to the other side of the inn to the kitchen. A short time later, a young woman with scars on her face came out with a bowl of stew and a cup of juice, setting them down in front of him. Shinji thanked her and began eating, idly wondering what had happened to cause those scars.

    The stew was good, and the juice certainly helped him feel better. Hulda returned with some food parcels that he placed in his pack. Shinji thanked her and waved goodbye before beginning to head outside.

    "One moment," said Hulda. Shinji glanced over his shoulder at her. "If you're in need of some coin, I'll pay for firewood. Oh, and..." she reached under the counter then placed a piece of paper on the table. "Some of the Jarl's men came by and left this bounty letter."

    Bounty

    By order of Balgruuf the Greater:

    To all able bodied men and women of Whiterun. The bandits located in Silent Moons Camp have been harassing, robbing, and attacking citizens and visitors. A reward will be offered to anyone who kills their leader.

    --Proventus Avenicci    ​

    This seemed like something Asuka would be interested in. A brief inquiry revealed that the camp in question was not far northwest of Whiterun. Shinji pocketed the notice and left the inn. Outside, he caught the tail end of an argument between an old woman and two men. Heading back home -what an odd thing, to already have a home after only a couple days in a strange land- he left the food parcels with Lydia before leaving again, asking the housecarl to inform Asuka that he was paying a brief visit to Dragonsreach.

    At the castle, he was glad to see that Proventus wasn't busy, and inquired about furniture.

    "There are many ways to improve your home," said Proventus. "Provided you have the coin."

    "I don't have much at the moment," Shinji admitted. "But I would like to get an idea of what's available and what the prices will be so I can plan things out."

    Proventus nodded. "Perfectly understandable. I actually have a book that can help there. Normally you would have received it with your purchase of a home, but yesterday was rather... busy, so please forgive my lapse. Although I must point out that Breezehome actually belongs to Thane Asuka, and you are not her housecarl, so I cannot arrange anything at the moment."

    "Ah... right. Well, I can at least still get that information so I can pass it onto her, yes?"

    "Oh of course, that's fine."

    Proventus gave Shinji the book -and a list of prices for the furnishings- which he began to leaf through as he left Dragonsreach. He immediately knew that a children's room would be unnecessary; Asuka didn't have a partner, and anyway the home would be too small if she did marry and have children, what with him and a housecarl living there too.

    Instead of going back through the market, Shinji took the right path at the dead tree, briefly glancing up at it and wondering why it hadn't been removed and replaced. Along the way he heard what were presumably a husband and wife arguing, and two children shouting at each other. It was when he reached the gate, however, that something finally pulled his nose out of the book.

    "You there!"

    Two men with curved swords and clothing signifying them as Alik'r approached him. Nearby, a soldier groaned in frustration.

    "We're looking for someone and will pay good money for information," said the man who had stopped Shinji.

    "Um... okay?" Shinji closed the book. "Who exactly are you looking for?"

    "A woman, Redguard like us. Probably not using her true name. We will pay for information on her whereabouts." He glanced meaningfully at the soldier. "The guards have made it clear we're not welcome here, so we will be in Rorikstead if you find out anything."

    "But why are you looking for her in the first place?" Shinji inquired.

    "That's none of your concern. All you need to know is that we'll pay for information. If you're not interested, feel free to walk away."

    "She cannot hide from us forever," the other man stated, before the soldier yelled at them to leave.

    Shinji watched them pass through the gates, trying to think of anybody he had seen. A female Redguard was not exactly a good description.

    "Damn Redguards," the soldier muttered as he returned to his post. "You're better off not getting involved with them. We caught one last night sneaking over the walls with a dagger. Safe to say they're not here for anything good. Stay out of trouble, Imperial."

    Thanking him for the warning, Shinji turned and headed home, now only a minute away. Inside, he saw that Asuka was finally awake, if just barely, and sitting at the table slowly eating the food Shinji had bought. Lydia had found a broom somewhere and was beginning the arduous task of tidying the place up. Shinji sat down next to Asuka and wordlessly placed the book and list in front of her.

    Asuka stared at them for a moment, then looked through the book with one hand while still eating with the other. When she was done she gave a grunt that could have meant anything and pushed them to one side. Shinji immediately replaced them with the bounty notice. This time, the grunt was one of interest.

    "Right. Something simple, and we get paid for it," she said when she had eaten her fill. "Plus whatever the bandits themselves have of course. Those Greybeards can wait a bit longer."

    XXX

    On their way to the bandit camp, Shinji and Asuka had to take care when happening across a group of mammoths. A nearby giant stomped his feet and growled angrily at them, and they gave the animals a very wide berth, which seemed to calm the giant down.

    They also saw a mudcrab. To Asuka's confusion, Shinji requested they avoid it too, as he found them rather cute. She thought they were horrible things. Though their meat was supposedly tasty. She kept that thought to herself though.

    Silent Moons Camp appeared to be a ruined stone temple. gradually collapsing in on itself as the centuries bore down on it. The first sign of trouble Shinji got was when Asuka yanked him behind a wall just in time to avoid an arrow. One archer had been hiding in the grass nearby, while another was coming down the stairs and a third was standing in front of a door. Between Shinji's spell's and Asuka's own bow, they were quickly eliminated, the last one being blasted into the door by the force of an ice spike through his chest.

    Hearing the commotion, three more bandits came down the steps, including a mage that blasted Asuka with lightning. Shinji immediately stepped in front of her to take the attack on his ward spell. The mage put up his own ward, but it quickly died under Shinji's attacks and a moment later so did he. The other two bandits also died quickly. After checking the bodies, Asuka decided that the bandit leader had to be inside.

    Inside, the bandits certainly had made themselves at home. Bedrolls surrounded a large campfire, and a table and shelf showed that the bandits had obviously been here for a while, judging by their contents. While Shinji was examining the bottles on the shelf, Asuka had to drag him out of the way of another arrow. She then immediately slapped him across the head and dispatched the archer.

    "This is hostile territory, idiot!" she angrily said, stomping up to him. "Never let your guard down!"

    Moving through a rough-hewn tunnel, they spotted a couple barrels of food and a chest, none of which contained anything interesting besides money. Their progress forward was soon halted by a reinforced and locked door.

    "I take it you don't have some kind of unlocking spell," said Asuka.

    Shinji shook his head. "If there is one, my mother never found it to teach to me."

    Asuka sighed and lifted up her right foot, fidgeting with the boot heel for a moment before pulling out a thin piece of metal. "Good thing I always keep a lockpick on me. Hopefully this isn't too complicated, I was never great at this."

    It took several minutes of slow work for Asuka to succeed. The moment she did, she signalled Shinji to get ready. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she focused on what the Nords had called her ability to Shout. Now seemed like a good time to experiment, rather than in a busy city with easily breakable things and people everywhere.

    Asuka kicked the doors inward and followed up with a Shout of Fus! A mage and a large man with a battleaxe, not expecting someone with the power of a dragon, were caught off-guard and staggered backwards. Shinji immediately blasted them both with a spray of ice. The mage recovered and blocked the spell with a ward, while the leader charged forward to engage Asuka. It could have been a close battle, but she was simply better. A minute and another Fus! later both enemies were dead.

    That seemed like a successful test.

    The room contained more looted spoils, including a few iron and steel weapons with a green glowing enchantment that Shinji couldn't discern, and a ladder leading outside. They took what they could stuff into their packs, mostly food and septims, and Asuka gathered up some weapon sheathes so they could take the enchanted weapons too.

    Shinji also found an amulet of Talos. He chuckled and offered it to Asuka, saying, "I reckon this would suit you, what with your fondness for axes."

    Asuka snorted, and Shinji might have caught a hint of redness on her face, but she quickly recovered and accepted the amulet, immediately putting it on.

    Back in the fresh mid-afternoon air, they began to head back to Whiterun. Shinji caught Asuka up on what he had done that morning, and Asuka frowned when he mentioned not having the authority to arrange things for their new home. She promised to do something about that.

    XXX

    Spotting a blacksmith as they entered Whiterun, Asuka talked to the woman working the forge and managed to sell the enchanted weapons for a couple hundred septims. As they began to head to Dragonsreach, they were confronted by an armoured orc.

    "The Dawnguard is looking for anyone willing to fight against the growing vampire menace. Are you interested?"

    "Vampires?" Shinji echoed. "I haven't heard anything about them here in Skyrim."

    "Well we've only been here a few days, dummy," Asuka retorted.

    "Then you probably haven't heard yet that the Hall of the Vigilants was destroyed by vampires," said the orc. "They never took the threat seriously, and paid the price."

    Shinji was shocked. The Vigilants of Stendarr were an order created specifically to hunt down vampires, werewolves and other creatures that preyed on people. How could vampires have wiped them out?

    Seemingly knowing his thoughts, the orc went on. "The Vigilants here were mostly interested in fighting daedra worshippers, so they were sorely unprepared for vampires. Now our leader, Isran, is reforming the Dawnguard. Real, serious vampire hunters."

    "That does sound like a worthy cause," said Asuka. "Unfortunately our current duties take priority. Where can we find the Dawnguard if we decide to join up later?"

    The orc looked mildly disappointed. "A shame, you two look like a good team, and we need all the help we get right now. You can find us at Fort Dawnguard, southeast of Riften. Talk to Isran and tell him Durak sent you, if I'm not already there. Farewell, and I hope to see you in our ranks one day."

    Shinji and Asuka nodded and Durak headed out of Whiterun.

    XXX

    "Excellent, here's your reward," said Proventus upon hearing the news that Asuka and Shinji had dealt with the Silent Moons bandits. He gave them a bag with a hundred septims in it. Asuka bounced the bag on her palm for a moment. After a brief consultation and pooling of resources with Shinji, they found they had enough money to purchase furnishings for both a kitchen and dining area with some left over.

    Proventus took the money and said, "Very well. It's late in the day, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow to make the arrangements. After that, it will be a day or two until everything is moved in."

    "That's fine," said Asuka. "We'll be heading for this High Hrothgar place tomorrow morning. Any idea how long it would take to get there and back?"

    "Scaling the Throat of the World itself would take at least a couple days just for the ascent," said Jarl Balgruuf, overhearing their conversation. "The biggest problem is that your body needs time to adjust as you go higher and the air gets thinner. As for reaching Ivarstead, at the start of the Seven Thousand Steps, that would be another day or two. And since you two are not Nords, I strongly urge you to get some cold weather clothing and a strong tent to rest in while you're making the climb."

    Asuka bristled slightly at the implication that she couldn't handle the cold, but then the thought of a blizzard striking while they were climbing entered her mind. "Where can we go for that stuff?"

    "Try Belethor's General Goods in the market. He has a bit of everything," said Proventus. "Better make it quick though, the shops will be closing soon."

    Asuka nodded. "Alright. Oh, before I forget." She put a hand on Shinji's shoulder. "My friend here speaks with my voice. Please allow him to make any future purchases for our home that he asks. My home is his, after all."

    Shinji's face immediately turned red as everyone focused on him. "Oh?" Balgruuf leaned forward on his throne. "Will the two of you be getting married soon?"

    "M-married?!" Asuka's face turned bright red, and Shinji's blush only got worse. "No! Nothing like that! H-he's just a friend, that's all!"

    Balgruuf and Proventus laughed as they quickly fled the castle.

    XXX

    "Welcome to my humble establishment!" said the man behind the counter. "I'm Belethor. Let me know what you need."

    "Cold weather clothing, bedrolls and a tent," Asuka promptly requested. "We're heading to the Throat of the World tomorrow."

    Belethor's eyebrows raised. "Doing the pilgrimage, eh? Well I certainly have some warm clothing in stock, the only question is whether it's the right size for ya."

    For Asuka, the clothes fit almost perfectly. Shinji, on the other hand, was only lucky enough to get boots in his size. Everything else was slightly too big, but at least it wouldn't chafe. That plus the bedrolls and tent, some more food and a bigger pack for the journey set them back just under two hundred septims.

    When they got home, it was already looking much cleaner; the cobwebs and loose straw were gone, and so were some of the boxes. In fact, it looked as though the boxes had been broken down and set aside for firewood. Lydia greeted them with a bow, and Asuka restated her request that Shinji received similar respect as her.

    "If that is your wish," said Lydia, and bowed to Shinji.

    "By the way, we'll be heading for High Hrothgar tomorrow morning," Asuka added. "Oh, and furniture will begin arriving tomorrow too. Will you be able to look after the place for a few days?"

    "Yes, my thane. I will take care of everything."

    "Uh..." Shinji scratched his head. "Do we need to pay you in advance for this?" Their funds were now running drastically low.

    Lydia shook her head. "You don't need to pay me at all, sir. I am technically still employed by the Jarl, and simply... loaned to you, in a sense. He pays me, rather well I might add, and I serve you."

    Asuka's eyes widened. "Wow. That seems like an easy job."

    "Normally I would also accompany you on your travels for protection, However, I get the feeling the two of you would rather travel by yourselves."

    "Uh..." Asuka blushed slightly, but quickly recovered. "Yeah. Sorry about that, it's just..."

    Lydia put up her hands. "No need to apologise, my thane. It's no trouble for me to stay here. I guard you, and all you own, with my life."

    While their conversation continued, Shinji drifted over to the table, deep in thought. He took out his mother's burnt book and stared at it for a while. The pages were half-ruined beyond readability, and the outside of the cover was charred black, bits flaking away as he handled it. He gently flipped through it anyway, hoping against hope that something would still stand out.

    Yui Ikari had been a very... eccentric archmage, but according to others at the Arcane University that was pretty much normal for the position. She had taken it to another level though, delving deeply into records of ancient spells and Mysticism, a long-defunct School of magic. She would quite often ignore anything that didn't further her mysterious goals in some way.

    Despite all that, she had loved her son and wanted the best for him. This book had been her last gift, given to him a month before her fateful accident. She had claimed that it was encrypted to only be readable by his eyes, which explained the time she had brought him in for some kind of test that involved lots of flashing light and a sensation of magicka being pulled out of him. When he had first tried to read it, he was only able to understand the first couple pages, one of which consisted of a letter from Yui. The second page merely stated that the book was ensorcelled to only let him read what he was capable of understanding. As his magical skill grew, so too would his ability to read the book. The contingency spell was one such thing he had acquired from the book shortly before his journey to Skyrim.

    From what little he could gather so far, Yui Ikari had wanted to ensure her son had the magical knowledge to handle anything life threw at him, but at the same time she had made sure he wouldn't get ahead of himself and try to cast a spell he couldn't control.

    Of course, there was no point to being able to read something new if... hold on... Here was a page that seemed to be complete enough to read.

    Mark/Recall
    School: Mysticism
    Last recorded widespread use: 3E 427

    Mark lets the mage create a spiritual anchor at their current location. This requires intense concentration to ensure the runes are inscribed correctly, otherwise the Recall spell could fail catastrophically. Once complete the anchor is permanent unless dispelled or the runes are altered or removed.

    Casting Recall will teleport the mage back to the anchor, with no limitation on distance. This requires a large amount of magicka, several uninterrupted seconds to cast, and will leave the mage greatly exhausted when they arrive.

    Underneath was an image of a runic circle, which had to be the anchor, and below that was a note from his mother.

    Shinji, you may find this spell incredibly useful... that is if you can concentrate long enough! I remember you used
    to have trouble focusing when you were younger. Let's see if you've improved. It took even me sever
    hours to create the anchor, just because of how complicated the runes are. I was able to modify
    allow the caster to bring one person with them. Unfortunately my attempts to also allow you
    anchors failed. The Recall spell simply returns you to the last one inscrib
    to the anchor runes to

    The rest was unreadable. Shinji brushed a tear from his eyes and began to memorise the runes. If creating an anchor had taken an archmage several hours, he would probably be going all night. But it would be worth it, to be able to return home quickly. It looked like there were just enough unbroken tiles to fit the anchor in the corner. He made a mental note to make sure people knew not to put anything over the anchor.

    XXX

    The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon as Shinji inscribed the final part of the anchor in the unused corner of the room. The circle of green runes glowed gently, just barely illuminating the area. Unfortunately, by this point he was too tired to test the Recall spell; it would likely render him unconscious if he tried. He checked, double-checked, and triple-checked his efforts against the image in the book, thanking the Nine Divines that the fire hadn't eaten away at that part of the page.

    Somehow, despite his head feeling stuffed with cotton and his eyes like they were full of sand, the anchor was perfect. Now he could finally get some damn rest. But fate, it seemed, had other ideas.

    "Goooooood morning! I see you're up bright and early too! Had to answer the call of nature too?"

    "Huh?" His brain felt like it had been gently fried. Which, in a way, was somewhat accurate.

    Asuka put her hands on her hips and stared at him. "You're one of those people that need a pick-me-up in the morning, I see."

    "Um... no," said Shinji. "I've just been up all night preparing something."

    "Oh is that what you were doing? I thought you were casting yourself up a bed for the night."

    He blinked slowly. "As far as I know that spell doesn't exist."

    Lydia chose that moment to come downstairs. "He slept in the same bed as you the first night you were here. Good morning, my thane."

    "Morning Lyd-... wait what was that?!"

    Thank the Divines that Lydia was able to explain, because Shinji was barely capable of rational thought. Asuka calmed down to the point where she only looked greatly annoyed.

    "When we renovate the bedroom, we're getting two beds with some dividers between," she stated, leaving no room for argument, not that Shinji had one. "But right now, I guess we're delaying the journey until you've at least had a nap. I won't be carrying you if you fall asleep because you were more interested in... whatever you were doing last night." With what seemed like great effort, she pointed upstairs and growled, "Go to bed!"

    "It's something that should help us later, just don't put anything over it," Shinji sleepily murmured as he went upstairs. He collapsed on the bed and was dead to the world seconds later.

    XXX

    Asuka stared at the runic circle on the floor. She had about as much magical ability as a rock, so she could not even begin to understand what it was for. About the only thing she could rule out was that it wasn't a rune trap; she was fairly sure Shinji wasn't crazy enough to booby-trap their own home.

    "Since we still don't have a kitchen yet, I'm going to go grab some breakfast," she said to Lydia. "Oh, and where is the Jorrvaskr place? We met some of the Companions when we were coming to Whiterun and they said I should consider joining them. I may as well see what they're about"

    "Jorrvaskr? That's east of the Gildergreen," said Lydia. When Asuka gave her a puzzled look she added, "Oh... you probably don't know what that is. The Gildergreen is the large tree near the foot of the stairs up to Dragonsreach."

    Asuka nodded. "Ah, the tree that looks dead."

    "Yes, a great shame about that. It got burned up when it was struck by lightning, and never recovered. The Jarl considered removing it, but the priestess of Kynareth insisted it wasn't dead, just slumbering."

    "Well, maybe it'll wake back up one day." Asuka headed for the door. "See you later."

    Lydia bowed. "Be safe, my thane."

    Outside, Asuka filled her lungs with crisp morning air, then headed to the Bannered Mare for some food. She then headed to the tree, Gildergreen, and stared at it for a moment, wondering if it really was still alive. Since she didn't have any knowledge on plants, other than what leaves not to rub on bare skin out in the wild, she couldn't say one way or the other. To the east, she spotted a longhouse that looked as if it had been built from a ship; that had to be Jorrvaskr. On a small hill nearby, there was a bird statue that seemed to be lit by a large fire underneath it.

    Inside Jorrvaskr, she was immediately surprised by someone running past her muttering, "Those two at it again?" followed by the meaty thumps of flesh hitting flesh; a fistfight was happening. A crowd was gathered around a male Dunmer and a female Nord, shouting advice as they pummelled each other. Eventually the Dunmer fell to a knee and shouted his forfeit. The crowd dispersed, chatting about the fight, and a familiar face walked up to Asuka.

    "Well well, I was wondering when your curiosity would draw you here," said the woman who had originally suggested that Asuka join the Companions. "I'm Aela. Welcome to Jorrvaskr. Have you decided to join the Companions?"

    Asuka shrugged. "At the very least, I figured I'd talk to this Kodlak person and see what he thinks. Where do I go to find him?"

    Aela pointed at a staircase leading down to a basement. "Our living quarters are down there. I'm pretty sure Kodlak is too. He's probably just finished breakfast by now." Her lips twitched upward into a slight smirk. "Oh, and... good luck."

    "Luck's for those who have no skill," Asuka cheerfully retorted, before heading down the staircase and through the door.

    Downstairs was a large hallway, with a barrack room and several private rooms branching off it. As she went down the hallway, Asuka saw an open door with two people inside sitting at a table. Guessing one of them was Kodlak, she was about to go in but paused when she heard the two of them speaking.

    "...but I still feel the call of the blood," said the dark-haired man.

    We all do," said the older man, who had to be Kodlak. "It is our burden to bear. But we can overcome."

    "You have my brother and I, obviously. But I don't know if the rest will go along quite so easily."

    "Leave that to me."

    The dark-haired man looked over to the doorway and saw Asuka. He pointed at her; Kodlak glanced over and said, "A stranger comes to our halls. Come in."

    Asuka approached them, studying Kodlak intently. Despite his age, here was a man that fairly radiated skill and power. A fight with him would not go her way, even with the power of a dragon.

    "Aela said that I should talk to you about joining the Companions," she said, respectfully.

    "You want to join? Well, let me have a look at you." He began to stare intently at her, but the other man interrupted him.

    "Master, you can't really be considering letting her join!" His tone suggested that he considered Asuka about as useful as a skeever.

    "Don't call me 'master', Vilkas," Kodlak sternly replied. "And the last time I looked, we had plenty of beds for those with fire in their hearts."

    Vilkas coughed into his hand. "Sorry. Maybe now is not the right time. Besides... we don't even know who she is."

    Kodlak's eyes darted to Asuka. "Sometimes the famous come to us. Sometimes men and women come to us to seek their fame. It makes no difference. What matters is their heart."

    "And their arm," Vilkas added.

    "Yes, that too." Kodlak turned his full attention back to Asuka. "How do you fare in battle, girl?"

    Fighting down the urge to talk back about that 'girl' comment, Asuka instead said, "I can handle myself, but I know there's still plenty to learn."

    A huge grin split Kodlak's face. "That's the spirit! Well then, Vilkas here will get started on that. Head out to the yard, both of you."

    Asuka nodded, and Vilkas gave a defeated, "Aye."

    She was led upstairs and outside into the yard. A few people were sitting at a table, and they casually glanced at the pair as they passed by.

    Vilkas began to limber up. "The old man said to have a look at you, so let's do this."

    Asuka did the same, and grinned. "Bring it on!"

    They drew their weapons and began sparring. Vilkas seemed both surprised and impressed with Asuka's skill, but she could tell he was holding back. Disappointingly, Vilkas called an end to the spar after only a few minutes; her blood was barely even pumping yet!

    "Not bad!" he said. "Next time won't be so easy. You might just make it. For now though, you're just a whelp. You do what we tell you. Take my sword to Eorlund to have it sharpened." He pointed at the top of the hill. "Be careful with it too, it's probably worth more than you are."

    Again, Asuka had to fight down the urge to retort. The same kind of thing had happened when she had joined the mercenary group she'd eventually been second-in-command of. New people and hopefuls always got the drudge work. If they couldn't handle that, if they cracked under the pressure or got mad and took a swing at a superior, then what good would they be long-term, or in a real battle?

    Asuka took the sword and headed up the hill. The weapon didn't look all that impressive, but she knew that the true value of a weapon was in how well it did its job, not how fancy it looked. Ornamentation wouldn't stop a better equipped opponent from shattering the blade and running its owner through.

    At the top of the hill, she saw what was lighting up the bird: a forge, built into the statue, but this one was so hot she could barely even get near it. From what little she could see, it seemed like the forge was full of magma. An old man who had to be Eorlund was standing next to it, seemingly immune to the blazing heat.

    "Uh, hi," she said, handing over the sword. "Vilkas sent me to get this sharpened."

    Eorlund took the weapon but didn't so much as glance at it. "You must be the newcomer."

    "Yeah, does Vilkas do this with every rookie?"

    "Everyone here was a whelp once. They just prefer not to talk about it." Eorlund set the sword down on a stone table. "Word of advice though: don't just do what everyone tells you. Nobody rules anyone in the Companions."

    Asuka quirked an eyebrow. "But doesn't someone have to be in charge?"

    The old man shrugged. "They seem to do just fine. Haven't had a leader since Ysgramor. Kodlak is the Harbinger, and he's something of an advisor, but every man and woman are their own."

    There was something about the way he said that. "Hm. You're not a Companion, are you?"

    Eorlund grinned. "No I'm not. But none of them know how to work a forge. I'm honoured to serve them nonetheless. I'm Eorlund Gray-Mane, and I work the Skyforge. Best steel in all of Skyrim. All of Tamriel!"

    That was one hell of a claim, but Asuka didn't have time to learn more. "Alright, I better get going."

    Eorlund held up a hand. "Wait, could you do me a favour while you're here? I've been smithing a shield for Aela. My wife is in mourning and I need to get back to her soon. Could you take this to Aela?"

    "Hold on." Asuka narrowed her eyes. "Didn't you just tell me not to do what everyone says?"

    "I did, but this isn't a command. It's just a request from an old blacksmith."

    A fair point. "Alright, I'm going back there anyway."

    Eorlund thanked her and handed over the shield. Asuka took a final glance at the statue and the forge then headed back into Jorrvaskr. Almost immediately she was started by a loud scream followed by a slamming sound. Her eyes quickly darted around the room before her brain kicked in and gave her some context: the scream was actually a shout of joy and the slam had been a mug hitting a table.

    A purple-haired woman, wearing what was likely her sleeping clothes and a head full of messy hair, was refilling her mug with more ale. She spotted Asuka staring at her and raised the mug in greeting with a wide grin. Asuka, puzzled as to why someone would be drinking first thing in the morning, hesitantly nodded at the woman and hurried downstairs. After asking a passing Companion for directions, Asuka soon found Aela in her room, talking to someone. She let them finish before approaching Aela.

    "Hello again," said Aela. She noticed the shield, which Asuka handed over. "Oh good, I've been waiting for this. Thank you."

    "You know her already?" the man remarked. "This is the one that was sparring with Vilkas in the yard."

    "And I heard you held your own against him," said Aela, with what almost sounded like admiration.

    The man chuckled. "Don't let Vilkas hear that!"

    "Do you think you could take him in a real fight though?"

    Asuka shook her head. "A few minutes of sparring wasn't enough for me to get a full measure of him, but right now I wouldn't fancy my chances if we fought to kill."

    Aela hummed thoughtfully. "A woman who knows her limits. I think you'll do well here. I'll have someone show you where you can rest your head when you're here. Farkas!"

    Seconds later the man Asuka had seen fighting the giants came running into the room. "Did you call for me?"

    "Of course I did, ice-for-brains!" Aela pointed at Asuka. "Show the rookie where the whelps sleep."

    "Oh, I remember you. Come along then." Asuka followed him out of the room. When they were out of earshot, Farkas said, "Those two like to tease me, but they're good people. They challenge us to be our best. I hope you stay, this can be a rough life at times."

    To Asuka's lack of surprise, they ended up at the barrack room she had seen earlier. "Just pick a bed and fall in it when you're tired. Tilma always keeps the place clean. There's others that are keen to meet you by the way, so when you have time go introduce yourself to everyone."

    "I'll do that," said Asuka, but quickly added, "Not right now though. I'm supposed to be going to High Hrothgar. I just stopped in here to see about joining while waiting for my friend to wake up."

    "Oh yeah, I heard about that. Dragonborn, huh?" Farkas didn't sound all that convinced. "Well that might make things interesting around here. When you're done with whatever the Greybeards want, just come on back here."

    Asuka bid farewell and left Jorrvaskr. The sun was well up now, and Whiterun was bustling. When she got back to Breezehome, she discovered that people were already starting to move in furniture. Lydia was organising them, and it appeared that Shinji wasn't tired enough to snooze through it all. At least he no longer looked like he was about to fall asleep standing up.

    "Morning Asuka. Were you waiting on me?" he said after splashing his face with some water.

    "Don't worry, I kept myself busy," Asuka replied. "We'll leave as soon as you're ready."

    "Alright, let me just grab my stuff."

    As they headed out through the gate, a hooded figure with a longbow on their back bumped into Shinji. He immediately apologised, but the person simply stood there. Asuka sighed and dragged him by the arm, restless to put Whiterun at their back. Shinji stumbled over a rock and focused his attention forward, but for just a split second he saw the person begin to turn their head. His eyes had to be playing tricks on him, and perhaps he was still tired, because it appeared that, under the hood, there was a lock of bright blue hair.

    "Alright, let's get going!" Asuka exclaimed. "High Hrothgar and the Greybeards await!"

    Shinji put the encounter out of his mind and focused on the journey ahead.
     
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  • Sidestory
    • MisterHalt said:
    Just discovered that SV, at some point, fixed the issue I was having where if I copy/pasted from LibreOffice to here, it would add like three spaces between each paragraph. Before, I had to get around it by uploading to FFN then copying from there to here. Don't have to now though!
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    It still does it when you copy out of SV though, so if you have corrections you spot after pasting make them in the original rather than fixing and pasting back.

    Not at all aware of Skyrm, but this is starting to be interesting. :)
     
    grommile said:
    hey, skyrim actually correctly represents that you need two thin pieces of metal to pick a lock! :)
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Be sure to tell Shinji that when the bra unclasping happens. ^_^

    edit: Still pretty stoked to see these updates happening, MH. Going to warm up the old fanart thread with a big DALL-E 3 Skyrim Evangelion art dump hehe.
    [ASUKA]

    [/ASUKA]
     
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    Whoops We Skyrim Now Part 6
  • Sidestory
    • I leave you with what is known as "The Prophecy of the Dragonborn". It often said to originate in an Elder Scroll, although it is sometimes also attributed to the ancient Akaviri. Many have attempted to decipher it, and many have also believed that its omens had been fulfilled and that the advent of the "Last Dragonborn" was at hand. I make no claims as an interpreter of prophecy, but it does suggest that the true significance of Akatosh's gift to mortalkind has yet to be fully understood.

    When misrule takes its place at the eight corners of the world
    When the Brass Tower walks and Time is reshaped
    When the thrice-blessed fail and the Red Tower trembles
    When the Dragonborn Ruler loses his throne, and the White Tower falls
    When the Snow Tower lies sundered, kingless, bleeding
    The World-Eater wakes, and the Wheel turns upon the Last Dragonborn.

    -Excerpt from The Book of the Dragonborn, by Prior Emelene Madrine.​


    Chapter 5 - High Hrothgar (For Real This Time)

    Asuka kicked the corpse of a wolf off the path after wiping her weapon clean on its fur. Shinji glanced back at the bridge across the river and wondered about Whiterun's guards allowing aggressive wild animals to linger so close to town. Most likely sheer laziness.

    After travelling further down the road a figure ran out from behind a large rock. Asuka's axe was immediately ready, and Shinji's hands came up for a brief moment before he noticed that the woman was dressed in rags and barefoot.

    "Oh thank goodness!" the woman exclaimed. "I've been wandering alone for so long I thought I'd never see another soul again!"

    "What happened to you?" asked Shinji. Asuka kept her head on a swivel, presumably expecting a trap.

    "I was kidnapped by bandits weeks ago," said the woman, her gaze darting behind her. "They locked me up in the towers near Mistwatch. I managed to pick the lock and escape while the guard was asleep. I barely have any idea where I am now. Can you please help me?"

    Asuka jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "Whiterun's not far away, and we just came from there."

    The woman seemed about ready to collapse with relief. "Oh, thank you! Please, stop those bandits before someone else ends up like me. Do you have a map? I spent enough time staring out a window to work out where they are."

    Shinji unfolded his map. After a brief minute, the woman pointed at a spot to the east of Darkwater Crossing. She thanked them again and hurried off down the road towards Whiterun.

    Asuka raised an eyebrow at the marked spot. "If we follow the main road we'll end up passing by there anyway. But that depends on if you want to do that or take a shortcut on the east side of the Throat of the World."

    "I think we're better off on the road," Shinji remarked, after taking a close look at the map and considering their options. "We could end up lost in the woods, or end up stumbling into something nasty."

    With a shrug, Asuka began walking. "Fine by me. Bit strange though, that she apparently didn't see a single person between that tower and here."

    Shinji folded up the map. "She was on the run and scared. I'm guessing she escaped at night, found the main road and followed it. With all the dragon talk going around, people are probably preferring to stay where they are for the time being."

    "Yeah, I suppose so."

    XXX

    As they travelled, Shinji occasionally stepped off the road to pick herbs. Some he immediately put in his bag, while others he examined more closely, sometimes even chewing on them to Asuka's confusion.

    "Remind me to see about getting a mortar and pestle next time we reach a town," he said, wishing he had the tools to make a few simple potions for their journey. His mother had insisted he know enough about alchemy to survive in the wild, and according to her, Shinji had a better eye for preparing ingredients than most senior students at the Mage's Guild.

    After a couple of hours on the road, Asuka suddenly stopped with a serious look on her face. Ahead were a pair of ruined towers on either side of the river they were following, with a narrow bridge connecting them. Before she could say anything, Shinji asked, "Bandits?"

    "Most likely. Old forts and the like are almost perfect for hideouts. Whoever's here will either try and rob us outright, or demand a toll."

    "Should we try and talk our way past?" At Asuka's incredulous look, Shinji continued. "We can't waste our time fighting every group of bandits we see and hear about. That'd take months and more will just keep showing up."

    "Kill one bandit, another takes his place. Might as well try and punch the ocean," Asuka mused. She shifted her shoulders and checked that her axe and bow were ready. "Right, I'll watch your back. This time, try not to stand still while an archer is about to skewer you."

    Shinji smirked. "No promises. Besides, I do have a ward spell."

    "Ooorrr you could just... I dunno... get out of the way?"

    As they drew closer, they could see a woman standing guard near a campfire in front of the door into the tower. The woman immediately put up a hand and ordered them to halt. "This here's a toll road! You want to use it, you need to pay the fee. Two hundred septims!"

    Shinji glanced at Asuka, who said nothing but gestured for him to get on with it. Deciding not to bother arguing too much, he said, "Sorry, but I can't afford that much. Will fifty do?"

    A look flashed across the woman's face for a brief second. Relief that they were going to hand over money? Or relief that they weren't going to fight? She blinked rapidly and said, "Eh, fine. You don't look to be worth the trouble anyway."

    Once the tower was at their back, Asuka spoke up. "I'll just bet you're thinking about how they could use the money from the tolls to help them get a proper start in a real life, right?" Shinji stumbled slightly, turning his head to stare at a now grinning Asuka. "It's a nice thought," she continued. "But most likely that money will go to booze and drugs."

    "Perhaps," Shinji admitted. "But nobody had to fight and die. Fifty septims is a small price to pay for that."

    "You're too nice for this world," Asuka sighed. "Just remember we're not a charity. I would like to be able to afford some proper furniture for our house."

    XXX

    A couple more hours of travelling went by uneventfully. Occasionally a wild animal would walk onto the road, spot them, then immediately sprint off back into the forest. An old fort came up on their left, and Shinji quickly double checked his map to see if it was the Mistwatch tower that woman had escaped from, but this one was on the northwest side of Darkwater Crossing.

    The sun was now starting to get low, and clouds were blotting out the sky. Since Darkwater Crossing was little more than a mining camp, they had to push onward and upward to Ivarstead. At the crossroad, Asuka stepped off the road for a moment and looked over the cliff, beckoning Shinji to join her. Down below was, presumably, Mistwatch. He could see no way of safely getting down there without backtracking.

    "Guess that settles that," said Asuka. "Not going to waste my time trying to get down there just for some bandits, at this time of day."

    Shinji shrugged. "Oh well. Maybe we can pass the info to some soldiers."

    "You mean you want the military to actually do their job and keep the region safe?" Asuka's hand came up to her mouth to stifle a snicker. "That's cute."

    "Hey, it might happen."

    "And I might become the Emperor." Asuka walked back to the road. "It's nice to dream, I guess."

    Shinji chuckled and joined her.

    XXX

    Halfway between the crossroad and Ivarstead, Shinji spotted a wrecked cart and an injured man sitting in the dirt with a bow strapped to his back.

    "Hey, you alright?" said Asuka.

    The man tried to get to his feet. Asuka grabbed him by the arm and hauled him upright. "Thank you. Bandits attacked and ransacked my cart. Could you please help? My camp is nearby in the ruins of Nilheim. Get me there safely and you'll be rewarded."

    One look at Shinji's face was all it took for Asuka to acquiesce.

    "It's just up that hill," said the man as they crossed a bridge next to a waterfall. Up ahead, an old tower sat on the edge of a cliff. Something twanged in Shinji's mind and he frowned. He dropped back slightly, letting the man run ahead up the hill. Asuka clearly had a similar thought, and she gave him a nod. The man glanced over his shoulder as he reached some steps carved into the rock. He immediately drew his bow and called out an order to attack while retreating towards the tower.

    The first arrow slapped against Shinji's ward. As he predicted, the man -bandit- had attempted to take him out first. He returned the favour with a shard of ice that missed, but made the man duck behind a tree.

    Asuka moved in front, standing at a natural choke point on the path as several more bandits joined in. Counting the man who had tried to trick them, it was now five against two. Odds that would have previously made Shinji consider retreat, but Asuka simply grinned and opened her mouth wide.

    FUS!

    Two of the bandits were almost blown off their feet. With Asuka acting as an aggressive shield, Shinji blasted the other two with ice. The chilling spikes slowed down their movement, and the man with the bow could no longer easily attack them. Asuka's axe cut one man's belly almost entirely in half and he fell screaming. The sickening scent of blood and guts filled Shinji's nose even as he hurled an ice shard into a bandit's chest, knocking him to the ground where he didn't get up again.

    He preferred ice when it came to having to kill, as things were generally... cleaner with ice. But, as he saw the archer continuing to use the tree as cover, he saw a use for fire. As the last melee fighter fell to Asuka, flames burst forth from Shinji's palm and licked at the tree. Branches and leaves ignited, and the archer yelped in fright. He ran away from the fire, and Asuka was on him immediately, knocking him to the ground with the flat of her blade.

    After tying his hands with some strips of leather, Shinji watched over the man while Asuka headed to the tower to check for any more hostiles. It only took a minute for her to return, with a face like thunder.

    "Go see for yourself," she growled, stomping a boot on the bandit's back to keep him in the dirt. Puzzled, Shinji headed up the steps. As he began to cross the small bridge to the tower, he glanced down into the crevice between the tower and cliff, and suddenly realised why Asuka was so angry.

    They weren't the first victims of this trap. Four bodies laid broken on the rocks where they had been thrown after getting murdered and stripped of valuables. Shinji grimly walked back to Asuka, who was grinding the bastard's face into the dirt with the sole of her boot.

    "We'll drag him to Ivarstead," he announced. "Tell the guards about this. Those people's families deserve closure."

    Asuka nodded and knocked the man out with a well placed fist. After checking the camp for any possible personal belongings to return, she easily slung him over her shoulder. "Good thing we're close."

    The sky was beginning to turn dark when they finally made it to the bridge at Ivarstead. A pair of guards approached them, likely because of the man over Asuka's shoulder, who was starting to wake up. She dumped him to the ground at their feet, and together they told the story of what happened.

    The guards glanced at each other. "We'd only just gotten reports of people gone missing in the Rift," said the female guard. "That tower was on the list of places for us to check tomorrow."

    "Guess they saved us some time," said the male guard, spitting on the ground next to the bandit's face.

    Shinji handed over a small bag containing the personal belongings that had accrued at the camp. "These should go back to the families."

    Both guards looked surprised, but the woman took the bag. "Thank you. We'll see to that. And I'll arrange for free food and beds at the inn tonight. It's the least we can do. Markel." She turned to the other guard. "Find somewhere to lock this filth up, and in the morning we'll take him to Riften."

    "Sure thing, Katla. Up you get." Markel kicked the bandit to his feet and hauled him off.

    Shinji and Asuka followed Katla to the Vilemyr Inn. Inside, the innkeeper got partway through his welcome before cheerfully saying, "Katla! Finally decided to relax, have you? Even guards need to have some fun every now and then."

    "Not on your life, Wilhelm!" Katla retorted amusedly. She gestured to Shinji and Asuka. "These two just did a great service for the Rift. Take care of them for the night, will you?"

    "Your wish is my command, my lady!" Wilhelm jokingly bowed deeply. Katla snorted, bade Shinji and Asuka goodbye, and headed back outside.

    Wilhelm directed them to a table and brought them some mead and warm bread for starters. "So what was this great service you performed?" he asked while preparing their main meal.

    Asuka took a swig of the mead. "Well we only found out about that when we got here. Apparently some people had been going missing in the Rift?"

    Wilhelm's expression turned solemn. "Ah, yes. Including one of our own here at Ivarstead. Considering you didn't walk in with him, I assume..."

    Shinji nodded. "Yes. Bandits were tricking people into an ambush, then murdering them and dumping the bodies. They tried the same on us."

    Just one look at them told Wilhelm and the inn's patrons how that encounter went.

    "Oh, and speaking of bandits, on our way here we ran into someone who escaped from more of them at Mistwatch," said Asuka. "If there's anyone still unaccounted for, maybe let the soldiers know to check there."

    Wilhelm rubbed his stubbly chin. "That's Eastmarch territory, so our soldiers can't really do much. We can at least pass that on though."

    Shinji finished his mead, and waved off the barmaid, Lynly, who offered a refill. "No thanks, we want to be fresh and ready to head up to High Hrothgar tomorrow morning."

    "Pilgrims? Or... perhaps not." Lynly looked curiously at them. "One of you wouldn't happen to be the Dragonborn, would you?"

    Asuka sighed and raised a hand. "Yeah, that's me," she said, sounding almost disappointed, to murmurs of surprise.

    "Well!" said Wilhelm. "Bit of a shame you already earned your meal and bed! Word's reached us about what happened at Helgen and Whiterun."

    Asuka spent the next hour or so fielding questions, before Shinji pointedly got up and headed to their room.

    XXX

    In the light of the morning sun, there really wasn't much to Ivarstead; simply an inn, lumber mill, a small farm
    and some scattered homes. An almost forgettable place, which to Shinji felt strange for the start of a famous pilgrimage.

    At the bridge that crossed the river to the mountain proper, Asuka and Shinji stopped and checked their bags. They were already wearing their cold-weather gear, which meant more room for supplies that they had bought from the innkeeper. As they closed up their bags, they overheard a conversation between two men nearby.

    "On your way up the Seven Thousand Steps, Klimmek?" said the Bosmer.

    The Nord, Klimmek, shook his head. "Not today. I'm just not ready to make the climb to High Hrothgar. The path isn't safe."

    "Aren't the Greybeards expecting some supplies?"

    "Honestly, I'm not certain," Klimmek said with a shrug. "I've yet to be allowed in the monastery. Perhaps one day."

    The Bosmer walked back into town, while Klimmek looked up at the mountain. He then turned around and saw Asuka and Shinji. "Passing through on your way to High Hrothgar?" he asked.

    Asuka nodded. "Yeah. Heard you say something about how it isn't safe though."

    Klimmek looked between the two of them. "Well, to be honest you two would be just fine. It's simply that my legs aren't what they used to be, and in these winter conditions the stairs can be treacherous."

    "But you need to get the supplies up there somehow, right?" said Shinji, already thinking on if they could carry more stuff. "Since we're going up anyway, we could save you the trip."

    Klimmek visibly cheered up. "Really? That would be kind of you." He pointed to a sack sitting against the bridge. "There's a chest at the top of the steps. Just leave this bag inside and you'll be done."

    Asuka gave Shinji a cool look but hefted the sack onto her back. "Apart from the weather, anything we should be careful of?"

    "The occasional wolf pack or stray is all I ever had to deal with. Between the two of you I don't see them being a problem."

    "I don't suppose you know anything about the Greybeards themselves, do you?" asked Shinji.

    Klimmek shook his head. "Nah, never even laid eyes on one of them despite going up there many times. Being masters of the Thu'um, they can kill you with a single word. Well... probably not since they seem peaceful, but I wouldn't want to provoke them."

    Bidding him farewell, Asuka and Shinji set off across the bridge. Near the base of the first steps of the climb, there was a wayshrine with a tablet engraved with Nordic runes.

    Before the birth of men, the Dragons ruled all Mundus
    Their word was the Voice, and they spoke only for True Needs
    For the Voice could blot out the sky and flood the land    ​

    Asuka quirked an eyebrow as Shinji finished translating. "'Flood the land'? How would Shouting accomplish that?"

    "This 'Thu'um' seems to be, in essence, just another form of magic," Shinji mused. "And look what magic can do. I'm sure if I got powerful enough I could potentially do something similar."

    Their journey continued upwards. The Seven Thousand Steps were clearly not actual steps; numerous times the stone would give way to dirt, which would in turn yield to stone again. As Klimmek had said, the steps were treacherous and they found themselves preferring to walk on the dirt wherever possible. After a second switchback they found a second wayshrine, with a hunter meditating in front of it. Asuka exchanged greetings while Shinji read the tablet.

    Men were born and spread over the face of Mundus
    The Dragons presided over the crawling masses
    Men were weak then, and had no Voice    ​

    "I can already see where this is going," said Asuka, to which Shinji agreed.

    The sun climbed higher, and so did they. Along the way an ice wolf jumped from the rocks above where its coat had allowed it to blend in. Cursing his reliance on frost, Shinji only managed a brief burst of fire that missed before he was bowled over. Only his Stoneflesh spell prevented his throat being immediately ripped out.

    Asuka's axe smacked the wolf off of Shinji, deeply gouging its flank in the process. Shinji sat up and sprayed the wolf with fire. Its coat ignited and, in its panic to get away, the wolf fell off the side of the mountain.

    "No more ice spells today," Asuka ordered, hauling Shinji to his feet. He sighed and nodded, calling fire to his hands.

    The next wolf wasn't nearly as lucky.

    XXX

    The fledgling spirits of Men were strong in Old Times
    Unafraid to war with Dragons and their Voices
    But the Dragons only shouted them down and broke their hearts    ​

    "That won't be enough to stop them," said Asuka. The third wayshrine had an offering bowl with a few herbs in it. Shinji carefully stepped around it to translate the tablet.

    The fourth wayshrine had another person meditating in front of it, who did not even look up at their approach. This time, Shinji translated the tablet in his head then told it to Asuka once they were out of earshot.

    Kyne called on Paarthurnax, who pitied Man
    Together they taught Men to use the Voice
    Then Dragon War raged, Dragon against Tongue    ​

    "Kyne? A... Nordic goddess, right?"

    Shinji nodded. "Goddess of the storm, chief deity of the Nordic pantheon. I don't know who this Paarthurnax is though. A sympathetic dragon?"

    The weather was starting to turn bad. Wind was kicking snow up into the air while more fell from above. Thankfully, Asuka's eyes were still able to see well ahead of them. As they were about to approach a chokepoint, she swiftly raised a hand to halt.

    "There's a frost troll on the rocks above the path ahead of us," she reported.

    "That man at the bridge didn't say anything about them," Shinji nervously said. "Trolls regenerate wounds almost as soon as you cause them, and I don't think my fire is strong enough."

    Asuka studied the troll for a short time. "Doesn't seem to be too alert, maybe we can slip by it." She glanced at the bow on her back. "Perhaps I can make some noise away from the path to distract it as we approach."

    With the wind at their back her arrow flew far and true, clattering against a rock and drawing the troll's attention away from the path. It snorted and lazily got to its feet, strolling up the mountain as Shinji and Asuka crept by below. A fifth wayshrine was along the path, and to Asuka's frustration Shinji headed over to translate it. She quickly got him moving again, and together they hurried down the path until the next wayshrine.

    Man prevailed, shouting Alduin out of the world
    Proving for all that their Voice too was strong
    Although their sacrifices were many-fold

    With roaring Tongues, the Sky-Children conquer
    Founding the First Empire with Sword and Voice
    Whilst the Dragons withdrew from this World    ​

    "So Men defeated the dragons with their own power, then... kicked them out of this world and started our own civilisation." Asuka thought for a moment then grinned. "Wish I could have seen it."

    "As would most historians."

    The path was now mostly snow-covered. They came upon more wayshrines, now speaking of Jurgen Windcaller making his home on the Throat of the World. Soon they could see a castle in the distance which had to be High Hrothgar itself. The second-last wayshrine had a statue of Tiber Septim, and its tablet spoke of the Greybeards naming him Dovahkiin.

    "That's what we heard after killing the dragon!" Asuka exclaimed. "Does that mean I'm related to Tiber Septim?"

    Shinji thought back to The Book of the Dragonborn. "Not necessarily," he said. "Dragonborn is a blessing from Akatosh, and nobody knows how or why the blessing happens."

    "Well maybe the Greybeards can tell us something. Just a little longer to go." Asuka huffed and shifted her pack. "Didn't even need this tent..."

    "Guess we got lucky with the weather."

    One final waystone awaited at the foot of the stairs leading up to the castle.

    The Voice is worship
    Follow the Inner path
    Speak only in True Need    ​

    With those words in their mind, they headed up the stairs. A chest lay partway up, surrounded by sacks and jars. As instructed, Klimmek's supplies were left in the chest to the relief of Asuka's back. And finally, after spending most of the day climbing the mountain, it was time to enter High Hrothgar.

    The first thing they noticed as they walked in was how old the castle looked. The second thing was the circle of bearded old men wearing robes standing in front of them. Knowing he had no business here, Shinji gestured for Asuka to proceed as he returned to the door. Before he could get too far, a hand like a vice grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him along.

    None of the old men paid him any attention, but one stepped forward to address Asuka. "So... a Dragonborn appears at this moment in the turning of the age."

    Asuka looked around at the other Greybeards, but none spoke. "Um... I'm answering your summons?"

    "We will see if you truly have the gift. Show us, Dragonborn. Let us taste of your voice."

    She glanced at Shinji but found no help there as he gently pried his wrist free and stepped back. "Do you mean... you want me to Shout at you?"

    The old man nodded but remained silent. Asuka thought quickly. These men were known across Skyrim as masters of the strange power she had just recently acquired. The chances of her actually being capable of hurting them were so low as to be impossible. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and focused.

    FUS!

    The hair on the man's face barely even fluttered as the shockwave passed around and through him, but he smiled nonetheless. "Dragonborn, it is you. Welcome to High Hrothgar. I am Master Arngeir, and I speak for the Greybeards. Now tell me, why have you come here?"

    "Er... well... I'm answering your summons." Asuka scratched at her head. "I have this strange new power, and I want to know how to control it."

    Arngeir nodded. "And we will do our best to to teach you how to use your gift to fulfil your destiny."

    "My destiny?" Asuka narrowed her eyes. "Are you going to tell me my destiny is to... I don't know... destroy the dragons and then take my place as Emperor?"

    "That for you to discover," said Arngeir with a small chuckle. "We can show you the way, but not the destination."

    Asuka found herself feeling almost relieved at his words. This whole thing had started to sound like a story book where the hero defeated the villain and got rewarded a kingdom. "I want to know what it means to be Dragonborn."

    "We will guide you in that pursuit, just as the Greybeards sought to guide those of the dragon blood that came before you."

    Shinji looked like he was just barely holding back dozens of questions. Asuka hoped her conversation would answer at least a few of them. "I remember reading on the tablets that the Greybeards found Tiber Septim and named him 'Dovahkiin'."

    "Dovahkiin, Dragonborn, yes. There have been many of the dragon blood since Akatosh first bestowed that gift upon mortalkind." Arngeir gave a slight shrug. "Whether you are the only Dragonborn of this age is not for us to know. You are the only one that has been revealed thus far. That is all I can say."

    Asuka couldn't stop her eyes from flicking over to Shinji. What were the chances of him being Dragonborn too? As she refocused her attention on Arngeir, she caught a glimpse of surprise on his face before his eyes returned to her.

    "Well. I guess I'm ready to learn."

    Arngeir stepped back next to one of the other Greybeards. "You have the inborn gift, but do you have the discipline and temperament to follow the path laid out for you? That remains to be seen. Without training, you have already taken the first steps towards projecting your Voice into a Thu'um, a Shout." He put his hands on his hips. "Now let us see if you are willing and able to learn. When you Shout, you speak in the language of dragons. Thus, your dragon blood gives you an inborn ability to learn Words of Power. All Shouts are made of three Words, and as you master each Word, your Shout will become progressively stronger. Master Einarth will now teach you 'Ro', the second word of Unrelenting Force."

    The Greybeard next to Arngeir walked to the centre of the circle where a diamond made of rough stone bricks sat.

    "'Ro' means 'balance' in the dragon tongue. Combine it with 'Fus' - 'Force' - to focus your Thu'um more sharply."

    Einarth looked down at the stone diamond, and Asuka was barely able to hear him whisper a syllable. To her surprise, glowing red runes appeared at his feet, etched into the stone itself. Cautiously, she knelt down and laid her fingers on the runes. Suddenly, she felt the same sensation as in Bleak Falls Barrow, only without the mysterious chanting. She looked up, and Einarth nodded at her.

    Pride was evident in Arngeir's voice. "You learn a new word like a master. You truly do have the gift," he said with a smile that quickly turned serious. "But learning a Word of Power is only the first step. you must unlock its meaning through constant practice in order to use it in a shout."

    Asuka was right on the cusp of groaning in frustration when she was interrupted by Arngeir continuing. "Well... that is how the rest of us learn Shouts. As Dragonborn, you can absorb a slain dragon's life force and knowledge directly."

    "Wait, that's what happened at the watchtower?" Shinji blurted out, no longer able to contain his curiosity.

    Asuka, frankly, was amazed he'd held back this long. She snorted in amusement and briefly described to Arngeir what had happened when she had slain the dragon near Whiterun. After a moment, she also mentioned the mural at Bleak Falls Barrow.

    "You learned a Word of Power from a Word Wall, and then absorbed the knowledge of how to use it from a dragon," Arngeir summarised. "Remarkable! But since there is no dragon here to slay for knowledge, Master Einarth will allow you to tap into his understanding of 'Ro'."

    Einarth began to wave his arms in some sort of meditation. Orange lines of energy erupted from him and streaked into Asuka's chest, just like how the dragon's life force had flowed into her.

    "Now, let us see how quickly you can master your new Thu'um. Use your Unrelenting Force Shout to strike the targets as they appear."

    Another Greybeard stepped forward. This time, he did not speak in a whisper, but the result was still surprising to see.

    FIIK LOH SAH!

    A ghost of a robed man appeared in the stone diamond. Asuka stared at it in puzzlement for a moment, before remembering what she had to do.

    Force... Balance...

    FUS RO!

    The ghost disappeared, and some pots laying against the wall behind it were scattered about. Asuka was about to apologise for making a mess, but Arngeir waved it away.

    "Well done! Again."

    More targets were summoned, and Asuka unleashed several more Shouts. Each time, a ghost would be slain, and the pots were thrown into more disarray.

    "Impressive. Your Thu'um is precise. You show great promise, Dragonborn." Arngeir pointed at the Greybeard who had first summoned a ghost. "Follow Master Borri and we will perform your next trial in the courtyard."

    Outside in the windy weather, Asuka learned the start of a new Shout, Whirlwind Sprint. To her consternation the test left her with a sore nose after she failed at the timing and smacked into the gate she was supposed to sprint through, but she soon mastered it.

    "I had heard the stories of the abilities of Dragonborn, but to see it for myself..." Arngeir sounded like he was in awe of Asuka.

    "Wait, you mean it isn't this easy for everyone?" she asked.

    Arngeir laughed. "Indeed not! But beware that your skill does not outstrip your wisdom. Anyway, you are now ready for your final trial."

    In the fane of Ustengrav sat an object called the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller, the founder of the Greybeards. Asuka's job was to retrieve it. Thankfully, Shinji was allowed to accompany her. Before they left, the two of them learned as much about the dragons, the Voice, and Greybeards as Arngeir was willing to teach them. As it turned out, the other Greybeards had such mastery of the voice that they could not speak without the risk of killing someone.

    Theoretically, Shinji could learn to use the Voice like Asuka. However, it would take him long, long years of study to get to even the nascent point that Asuka had reached in only a few days.

    "There are actually five of us," said Arngeir when Shinji asked about how few Greybeards there were. "Paarthurnax, our leader, lives alone on the peak of the Throat of the World."

    "Paarthurnax?!" Shinji echoed. "As in the Paarthurnax who was sympathetic to Men and helped them learn the Voice?"

    "The very same. Once the Dragonborn can open the path to him, only then will she be ready to meet him."

    One look at the path leading to the peak was enough to know the challenge: a localised blizzard was keeping the way blocked. For the life of her Asuka couldn't work out what she would have to do to pass through it, so she gave up for the time being. By the time they finished their business at High Hrothgar, it was nearly sunset and the snow and wind was only getting stronger.

    Shinji discovering just where Ustengrav was didn't help matters.

    "The other side of Whiterun?!" Asuka smacked a fist down on the table they were sitting at. "Not to mention after that we need to walk all the way back up here! Ugh..."

    "Well fortunately we can just take a carriage from Whiterun to Morthal," Shinji reasoned.

    "Yeah but we still need to get down the mountain, and I'm not doing that at this time of day in this weather."

    "Well now, I have a solution to that problem." The smirk Shinji gave Asuka was immediately concerning.

    "...Is this going to be some weird magic thing?"

    It was.

    "Okay, I don't yet know the margin of error so I need to you stand very close to me," Shinji instructed.

    Asuka stared suspiciously at him, then stood about a foot away. "Is this fine?" she pointedly asked with arms crossed.

    "Uh... I really want to be safe here so... a bit closer. Please?" Shinji stammered.

    Asuka growled threateningly. "I swear to the Divines if this some wizard thing to try and grope me I'm going to Shout you off a goddamn mountain!"

    "I don't doubt it, but I'm not doing it for... that." Shinji looked away and took a deep breath. "I'm about to perform a spell that could help us immensely if I got it right. This is a spell that hasn't been in normal use since the Third Era that only survives because my mother is obsessed with ancient spells and wanted me to learn it. I don't know for sure what will happen if any part of you is outside of its radius, so please, Asuka." His stare nailed her to the wall with its sudden intensity. "Please... trust me."

    Asuka, a person with the power of the ancient dragon language, found herself at a loss for words. Her mouth snapped open and shut several times before she gave up. She pressed herself right against Shinji's chest and even put an arm around him. A small measure of smugness welled up in her as she watched his face, just over chest height, begin to turn red. Finally, she worked out what to say.

    "Let's go, Shinji."

    She had no idea what to expect as Shinji began chanting, but she quickly got an answer. A humming wall of bright green energy sprang up around them, and she was suddenly thankful for his insistence. The humming began to grow louder and loud until-

    THUMP

    The world jolted sideways. Asuka got the faintest sense of travelling across the entire world while standing in the same spot. The green energy went silent and vanished. She stared over Shinji's head at a familiar wall, then blinked several times and then slowly turned her head to look around.

    They were back in Breezehome. In Whiterun.

    The sound of clattering armour came from the stairs. Lydia, with her blade drawn, shouted, "Halt! Who dares intrude in the Thane of Whiterun's home?!"

    Asuka gathered her wits and retorted, "The Thane of Whiterun herself, Lydia. Relax, it's just some weird wizard thing Shinji did."

    Lydia stared at the two of them in shock, slowly returning her sword to its sheath. "Oh! My thane! I... didn't hear you come in."

    "Because we didn't. Sort of. A minute ago we were in High Hrothgar, then Shinji cast a spell and, well." Asuka gestured around her. "Guess that's what the rune circle thing is for."

    "I see." Lydia looked at Shinji. "And it appears this has exhausted him as well."

    "Huh?" Asuka finally noticed that Shinji was slumped against her, his face pressed against her chest. She was just about to make good on her promise and Shout him into a thin smear before Shinji let out a small snore. She clenched her fists, gritted her teeth... then sighed and gave him a soft pat on the back.

    "Good job, you idiot."
     
  • Sidestory
    • Hey wait, Asuka is reading his mind in this one too!

    Practical reasoning, but very sad about just how big the bandit problem is in Skyrim.

    Shinji: Heck yeah, we'll totally help you carry those supplies all the way up the mountain. Asuka, carry the supplies, would you?
    Asuka: I am not reaching for your hand if you slip off the mountain.

    Very durable earthenware, they should ask the greybeards how they made them. They'd make great dragonproof armor.

    Huh, I thought he was going to featherfall them down the mountain, but that's even better, heheh.
     
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