Power Corrupts: Helping Hands (ch. 64) (Patreon)

"FUS RO!" I shouted and reality bent to my will. An invisible force spread out from my mouth, racing through the snow-filled air. Faster and larger than the previous FUS I had been capable of before. That much was proven by the outcropping I had shouted at the first time. What was leftover was struck by an unrelenting force and it gave way with explosive force. Like using a pressure hammer on a sugar cube.

My voice echoed from the Throat of the World, and I couldn't help but wonder how far the Shout would travel. It wasn't like a normal shout from a high place. I had just shouted at reality to make it do what I wanted. The words had power so they would be more than just an echo.

"You have made considerable progress, Outsider," Paarthurnax remarked from his vantage point, draped over the Word Wall like a cat on on the back of a couch. "What is it that helped you understand Ro?"

I took in a deep breath, feeling so very satisfied at the moment. For two months, I had come to this mountain and tried to understand balance. I tried to imagine it. I tried to feel it. I tried to picture it and know it. For two months I failed spectacularly. My progress had stalled to a maddening degree, even with Paarthurnax, and occasionally Agnier, reassuring me I was making prodigal advancement in my understanding.

Then, one morning, as the deadline I gave myself drew near, I realized… Skyrim was balanced on a knife's edge. Lean too far one way or the other, and it would fall into absolute chaos. In that sense, it had been easy to see myself as a counterweight that maintained its balance. When I looked at myself as a force of balance, something had just clicked inside of me and I understood.

I was unstoppable. I was a check on otherworldly powers to ensure that they didn't fuck it up for everyone.

And because I understood, I could shout.

Taking in a slow breath, I held it in for a few seconds, letting my heart start to calm down. I thought of a word that I had spent a lot of time thinking about. A word that I understood better than most others.

"JOOR!" I shouted, and I heard Paarthurnax shift behind me, a noise of distaste escaping from his long throat. This time, there was no shimmering force that I could follow. The shout was just said, but without a target, it was just a word. The word for mortal. Human.

The ancient Nords had crafted Dragonrend from a place of hate. They wanted to tear down the dragons, to rip them from the skies, to strip them of their defenses… they had wanted the dragons to know fear. To know death. And to know that it was they that brought it to them. Arngeir had said that I would have to take in that rage, to let it become a part of me if I wanted to learn the shout.

But I didn't. I had my own way of understanding the words. I was a human being. I died. I died a pointless death, possibly by the manipulations of a god for their own amusement. Few understood just how fragile life was better than me. So, instead of harnessing the rage, I was applying my own experience at how… temporary and finite mortality is.

The only downside was I really had to think about my death and… that wasn't exactly a fun experience.

"I had known my students had crafted such a shout, yet until now I had never heard it," Paarthurnax remarked, sounding perturbed by what he had heard. "To think that their anger was so great…" He let out a sigh as he settled back down on the Word Wall. "No matter. You have made greater progress than I expected, Outsider. Not only have you learned to use the Thu'um, but you are also learning to temper yourself and its influences over you."

"As much as I can," I agreed. It wasn't a simple thing to do. Most of the time, I only realized I had let the Thu'um influence me after it had been too late. Like with Lili. Part of it had been the fact that she had enjoyed the experience, but another part had been me… not being willing to stop, take a step back, and hold off. That had been the Thu'um in me. The unrelenting force of my nature that couldn't be stopped.

Lili didn't regret it. The opposite, really, but after it was all said and done, I knew it was something I had to keep an eye on.

"But, I think this is a good place to call it quits for now," I told Paarthurnax, making the ancient dragon shift to look at me. "I'll be leaving the College shortly. Maybe next week if there's a lull in the weather. And without a Mark, I won't be able to come here so easily."

Paarthurnax let out a hum of thought, "If you believe what you have learned is enough for Alduin, then you will pay the price for it your arrogance, Outsider. You and the world."

I shook my head, "I know it's not." Learning a few words showed me just how far I had to go. How powerful dragons were. And that Alduin being the most powerful of them all actually meant terrifying things. "But I also can't stay here. I might not be a match for Alduin, but together, Skyrim might be."

"There is wisdom in that, yet you foolishly underestimate the Thu'um," Paarthurnax remarked. "Descend to High Hrothgar, and speak to Arngeir. Tell him of your intentions, and that Phantom Form shall be used. You will be given a runestone -- this you must keep on you at all times."

I frowned, "Alright? What will it do?"

"It shall allow you to continue learning. You are not Dovahkiin, but an exception must be made for you. If you cannot stay here to learn, then you shall be taught as you travel," Paarthurnax informed, and I had never even considered the possibility that I could learn as we traveled. Phantom Form didn't sound familiar, but there were a lot of shouts that weren't included in the game. It must be one of them.

Still, that changed things a lot. With any luck, I wouldn't have to climb a mountain to bring Kayne to the Greybeards to convince them to help me. And I could continue to get that bonus for being taught with Astute Student.

“Thank you for this. All of this,” I spoke up after a moment, glancing down at the path that would take me to High Hrothgar. “I know you could have just booted me off the mountain, but you didn’t. So… I appreciate it.” I voiced, knowing that my tutelage under the dragon was coming to a close. It had been… rather surreal at times, but for the most part we just chilled atop of a mountain and thought about words.

“Think nothing of it, Outsider. Though, it has not escaped my notice that of all of the Greybeards, you have yet to ask me for aid against my brother,” Paarthurnax noted. I glanced at him, but I could only offer a shrug in response.

“I didn’t think I needed to. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? This is where he’ll pop up when he returns,” I figured, looking around the mountain top. I couldn’t quite place where Alduin had been sent through the time stream. The game hadn’t exactly been precise in the first place, and with snow everywhere, it was next to impossible to tell even if it had been. Paarthrunax let out a noise that I couldn’t quite place.

“I suppose I should be honored by the trust placed in me,” he remarked, turning his head to look at me. That was raising some red flags there. “How do you know I simply do not wish to be the first to welcome home my brother when he returns?”

The sudden third-degree caught me off guard. It felt like it was coming out of absolutely nowhere at the final hour. For a moment, I failed to answer as I really considered that. Really considered it. Because, in the game, Helgen had been the first place that Alduin had burnt down. But… why? If he spawned here- if Paarthurnax was here, and all of the Greybeards too… why wasn’t Alduin dead before the game could begin?

Paarthurnax had been spawn camping Alduin for thousands of years, only to fumble the ball when he actually shows up? Was he just caught by surprise or was there really something to that theory about him playing the long con and trying to supplant Alduin as leader of the dragons, and everything was him using the Dovakin to bump him off for him? For that moment, I really had to consider that I got played. The fact that Alduin had even made it to Helgen was a red flag.

However, I shook my head, “If that was the case, then you wouldn’t have said anything,” I pointed out. To that Paarthurnax’s head bobbed, a content noise rumbling from his chest.

“Good. You will see much in your travels, Outsider. Your beliefs will be challenged with truth and lies alike. Remains suspicious of all that you are told. And all that you believe to know. At the end of your road, you will find yourself a wiser man for it.” Paarthurnax offered, a final lesson, before closing his eyes and giving me a silent dismissal.

I thought that over for a moment, before I started heading down to inform Arngeir that he was my new teacher.

Though, I couldn’t help but wonder what he meant by that. I couldn’t even ask him, because in the time I was getting the stone Paarthurnax had pulled a runner and had disappeared by the time I came back to teleport to the College.

…

“It’s done?” I echoed, not quite believing my eyes as I looked at the rack that was covered in armor. My armor. The only thing that was missing was the left sleeve that belonged to the Hestia Armor. I had almost forgotten about my dwemer armor. More often than not, it was easier to just go without and have the Ebony Mail mist over me. It made getting armored up that much easier.

But this was the training set. The set of armor that would weaken me tremendously. It looked mostly the same as it had when I gave it to the two master enchanters to work on. The same bronze color with a low shine. The same Glass highlights that had been added in because I didn’t have enough dwemer metal to complete the set. I knew better than to expect it by now with the necklaces, but there wasn’t so much as a glimmer to tell that they had been enchanted.

“It is done,” Nelacar confirmed with a nod, sitting in the corner of his room in the inn. He munched on a piece of bread, eyeing me warily like I was a coiled snake in the room with him. Wasn’t sure why, though. Wasn’t like I didn’t bring in a chest of gold with me to pay for the enchantments.

Sergius leaned forward and inspected the armor with an enchanted magnifying glass. “An enchantment of Weakness on the arms, and inscribed on the chainmail. You haven’t lost your touch,” he complimented, before he looked to me. “It’ll feel like you have boulders strapped to your arms and chest. Looking at it now… if it belonged to anyone else, I’d say it’d kill you the moment you put it on. By Oblivion, it still might.”

I shrugged, “One way to find out,” I said as I kicked off my boots and headed to the stand. Sliding one boot on, I felt a sharp decrease in… something. As if i was hit with a wave of exhaustion out of nowhere… no, rather, I was just less 'not tired' than I had been a second before. It was a difficult thing to describe.

Slowly, I pieced together the armor, and with each piece, I felt weaker. Like my strength was being peeled away the more I armored up. By the time I put on the helmet, I felt like I was a newborn babe or something. And they were right -- it did feel like I had a boulder strapped to my arms. And my chest. And my legs. And my head. It didn't… bother me, per-say. It was a bit like fighting with Lili hanging off of my neck back in the dungeon.

Curious, I pulled up my stat screen to see the damage done.

Jericho

Level: 38

Title: Astute Student

Health: 3500

Magika: 633

Progress to next level: 6,000/225,000

Strength: 133 (-250)(+151= 34)

Endurance: 190 (-375)(+225= 40)

Dexterity: 144 (-250)(+169= 63)

Intelligence: 110 (45) (+77= 187)

Sense: 160 +240= 400

Damn. It really hurt to see most of my stats so low. Intelligence and Sense were the only two that were untouched. I could hit them both, but my Intelligence stat hadn't stalled out like my physical stats, and Sense was too useful to cut off. It could be the difference between life and death. It was the warning that would give me time to switch gear. And, at the very least, my health and magika remained unchanged.

"How do you feel?" Nelacar questioned, inspecting me as I inspected myself. "You said to focus on Endurance, so that's what I did… is it too much?" He pressed and it was only then that I noticed that he had a stamina potion at the ready.

Rolling my shoulders, I tried to get used to having my strength stripped away from me. It… was difficult. I felt… vulnerable. Vulnerable in a way I hadn't felt since before the War Game and my level up. I felt weak. Even though my stats were still decent all things considered, but I still felt so very weak.

"It's fine," I answered. I could probably stand to lose more, but I wasn't willing to. Now to test out my theory. With a thought, I summoned the Ebony Mail, the black mist floating over my body. With it, I felt the weakness wash away. I didn't even need to look at my stats to know that the enchantments had been removed once I stood in full Ebony. Even still, I checked them to make sure. I was back in fighting form.

"Remarkable," Nelacar muttered, "I was certain that would kill you before you even managed to put the curtis on, but you really are fine?" He continued, sounding like he was talking to himself just as much as he was me. "Are familias truly so powerful?" He questioned, frowning in my general direction.

I didn't answer his question, "And everything is set with the Star, right?" I asked, earning a distracted nod, before the question caught up with him.

"Oh? Yes, between Sergius and I, that old fossil was no match," Nelacar stated, almost dismissively.

Sergius nodded, "Malyn Varen was talented, just not enough to fend off two masters of the craft. His soul has been purged from the Star." That was good news. I thought I was going to have to follow the Questline and go into the star to gank him, but that wasn't the case. Because the two were working on a shared order for me, they ended up talking about the Star. And ways to get rid of the pest inside. I didn't have to lift a finger.

They just waved their hands, did their thing, and the guy was expelled from the Star. Pulling it out of my inventory, I gave the star a look. The soul gem was still dyed black, but the broken bits were starting to regrow. It wouldn't be long before the Star was back in full form. And once it was...

"I suppose it would be pointless to request that you let us study it? The things we could learn from it…" Sergius muttered, looking at the star mournfully until I put it away. However, it was Nelacar that answered him with a scoff.

"If you know what he had to pay Lady Azura for it, you wouldn't be asking that question," he spoke up. I grimaced at the reminder of the deal I made. It hadn't really hit the bank account yet, but it would when all the parts of the deal were in play.

Swallowing a sigh, I let the Ebony armor fade and I was hit with just… weakness. "Speaking of which, I should get going. Before she robs me of anything else…" I muttered, offering the two a nod, before heading out of the inn while leaving behind a heavy trunk of gold. The enchantments had been obscenely expensive. Enough so that it was rather obvious why I saw so few in my travels.

Still, it was worth it, I thought as I suppressed a shiver as I headed out of the inn. Looking to my left, I saw the Jarl's house -- a building that had once been grand, but much like the city around it, had fallen into ruin and disrepair. Inside would be Azura, doing whatever she did all day.

At the very least, she had been serious about learning leadership skills. And the first she seemed to learn was how to buy goodwill, because she used my money to buy everyone food for the winter. Everyone had their own supplies, but meals at the inn were free for however long the supplies lasted. Though, I knew who she would turn to the moment they ran dry with an added demand. So, I needed to leave the city, before Azura had me trekking through nature, in the dead of winter for every winterberry and squirrel.

Quickly heading to the College after crossing the stupidly dangerous bridge, I saw the courtyard was mostly empty except for Vilkas. He had his greatsword in hand, going through some practice swings, when he noticed me. He flashed a smirk, "You move like a wounded man. How is the armor?"

"Awful. Feels like someone put sand in every joint," I started to gripe. "And I'm as weak as a newborn babe." In response to that, Vilkas tossed a second blade that he had prepared at me. It flew towards me, and I almost managed to catch it without any fumbling. It felt… weird, for the most part.

I expected a lot more fumbling since I was used to having stats three times as high but I didn't. If I was then I probably wouldn't have been able to cross the bridge. I'm guessing Gamer Body was saving me there. The real issue I found was with my Sense stat. It almost felt like there was a moment of lag between me being able to perceive something and being able to react to it.

"Let's test the strength of that newborn babe," Vilkas remarked, sounding like he was really looking forward to this. I tested the weight of the sword and found that it still seemed weightless thanks to my perks. Settling into a stance, I nodded, showing that I was ready. Vilkas looked doubtful, but that didn’t stop him from doing a quick thrust.

To both our surprise, I was able to block the strike. It was a jerky block, my instincts conflicting with what I was used to and seeing. The two pieces of iron clashed, the sound ringing out. However, I couldn’t block the small flip he hit me with when he guided my blade down to thump me on the shoulder.

“Heh,” Vilkas let out a small laugh that was a lot like his brother's. "I remember you being faster," he remarked.

"Go on, enjoy it. Won't be long before I'm wiping the floor with you, with and without enchantments," I returned, not really surprised that he was taking a little too much enjoyment out of this. Vilkas flashed me a smirk before the duel began in earnest. My weapon was as light as a feather in my hand, but everything else was all wrong. It wasn't exactly body dysphoria, but… everything just felt awful. I felt too stiff, too heavy, and too weak.

Because of it, Vilkas made up for the effortless defeat I had handed him when we first met with interest. Now that we fought on an even playing field, it was clear to see how he was simply better than me. More skillful. I had noticed it when we first sparred, but now that I wasn't able to effortlessly block, it really drove it home.

His defense and offense flowed naturally, blocking a strike only to counter with the same stroke. For every single attack I could deliver, he could give three, each targeting a hole in my defense. Not to mention the blows he delivered each time I took a swing at him.

"You're lucky that you're wearing that armor," Vilkas said, before the tip of his blade poked into a gap in my armor. It was more annoying than anything because the chainmail protected me. "You'd be battered black and blue without it."

He was right about that, I had to admit. It wasn't a comfortable thought. The lessons that I received from Ryuu were less effective… or, rather, my rudimentary sword skills grew rusty in the past months because they hadn't been used. I was too used to just barreling through and slaughtering everything in my way. Between my sword and my strength, that's all I needed.

I bit back a growl, batting Vilkas' sword away before I tried to take a swing at him. Only for my swing to be diverted. I felt the edge of his blade cut underneath my armpit, biting into the chainmail.

"I fucking suck with a sword," I muttered, trying to accept the strike and make him pay with another. Instead, I felt the flat of his blade rap against the side of my head.

"You do," Vilkas didn't sugar coat it. "Without your speed and strength, you fight like a particularly massive child." Okay. I could have done with a little sugar coating. "But you know this. That's why you're trying to learn, is it not?"

He was right. And, annoyingly, I could tell that my swordsman skill was going up. A few points, probably just as many I had earned in my entire stay in Skyrim, in a short lesson. I knew it was a skill that I was lacking in. I knew that. I just didn't like the fact that I was lacking so badly compared to my previous prowess.

"You can learn. It might slow us down on the road, but you can learn," Vilkas decided, lowering his sword and offering a nod. Sword lessons and the Thu'um. I've probably learned more in the past few months than I had in college and high school put together. Though, admittedly, that wasn't exactly hard.

There was a small cough off to the side and I turned my head to see that it was Lili. One downside to the helmet was the fact that it messed with my expanded vision, so I took it off and offered a smile. "Sorry. Didn't see you there," I told her.

"Lili thought that Mr. Jericho would get distracted before meeting with Mirabelle, so Lili decided to bring Mr. Jericho there," Lili informed and… fair enough.

"Thanks for being the responsible one, Lili," I told her and Lili preened at the praise, puffing out her chest and adopting a smug expression. I turned to Vilkas, who nodded, understanding why the lesson was getting cut short. Handing the sword back to him, I turned to Lili and nodded to tell her I was ready. Her eyes raked over my armor for a moment, but she decided to not comment on it considering that it would be a bitch and a half to take off when we were already running late.

Turning around, Lili decided to lead me to the acting headmaster of the College.

“Are you ready to leave?” I asked her as we headed to the main office that she used.

Lili offered a nod, “Lili is. She has the books that she would need to learn magic on the road. But, according to Mr. Jericho, Lili will get plenty of time to read and practice while we travel.”

That, she would. Both of us would be learning on the road. It might even be worth looking into helping others learn the Thu’um. Just in case. “Good. We’ll head out as soon as the weather allows. Probably swing by Dawnstar as we head down,” I had planned our route. The idea was to get to Kayne first, but there were a few things I wanted to cross off the list on our way down.

Lili nodded, sending me a look as she walked ahead of me. I sent her a smirk, knowing why she was looking, and that in turn made her flush down to the roots of her hair. Things had been good between us since we slept together. Better than good, even. And I think they would get better when we finally headed home.

I didn’t get to comment on it before we reached the main office. It was left open, a part of her policy and… I saw Mirabelle sitting behind her desk which was piled high with various scrolls and manuscripts. Tucked in the corner of the room was a magical animal pen that housed the mudcrab that was the… previous Archmage. More importantly, I saw the one that had turned the Archmage into said mudcrab kneeling before it, poking at its shell through the apparently one way walls of the pen.

My gaze lingered on Sheogorath. I opened my mouth to speak, when Lili spoke up. “Master Wizard?” She asked, not even acknowledging the Prince of Madness’ presence. Her voice made Sheogorath and Mirabelle both perk up -- one from tormenting a mudcrab and the other likely trying to reverse said mudcrabification. Sheogorath offered a wave and a cheeky grin to me while Mirabelle spoke. “Ah, Lili, and Thane Jericho. Are you leaving already? I know several teachers shall miss you.”

What… was going on…? I looked between the two -- given the circumstances, I didn’t think they would be willing to be in the same country as one another, much less the same room. Lili answered, “Not yet, Master Wizard… but Mr. Jericho had something that he wanted to speak to you about.”

I nodded and stepped forward. Lili was the apple of pretty much every teacher’s eye, and she had been since she arrived. It’s probably the only reason why Mirabelle didn’t toss me out when she heard what I wanted to talk about. “In about three months, the world will be ending when Alduin returns. I’m trying to put a stop to it, but to do that, I need some serious firepower. And the college fits the bill. Even if it’s just healers.”

There was no easy way to break it to people that the world was ending. Lili winced at how blunt I was about it, but I figured being direct was best. Unfortunately, Mirabelle was already shaking her head, not considering it for a moment. “No. The college is apolitical. We are a learning institution, not a personal army for anyone. No matter what excuses are given to us to get us involved in a civil war.”

“I’m trying to avert the civil war too, you know. But I’m serious about Alduin. If you don’t believe me, then just ask Sheogorath,” I told her. To that, Mirabelle scowled deeply.

“If that were possible, I just might,” she responded testily at me. I looked at her, a look of confusion settling on my face while I glanced over at Sheogorath, who had gone back to poking at the Archmage mudcrab. “She hasn’t come back. Some Archmage…” Mirabelle muttered, her tone dripping with bitterness.

I looked between them before my eyes settled on Sheogorath. “Can… she not see you?” I questioned, earning looks from the three women in the room. Two were confused and the other was delighted.

“Who is Mr. Jericho talking to?” Lili questioned, looking over at Sheogorath, but apparently, she didn’t see a thing. Mirabelle did the same, a deep frown on her face as she came to the obvious conclusion. Then she flinched back as if she had been slapped in the face or something. I couldn’t tell why. Though, based on the glare she gave Sheogorath as she rose from her chair, I’m guessing the Prince of Madness had made herself visible.

“It is I! Sheogorath! Prince of Madness and deadly delights!” Sheogorath announced herself, springing up while she carried the flailing mudcrab in her hands. “And I must compliment you on your choice of pets! He’s a cutie patooty,” Sheogorath said, presenting the mudcrab to Mirabelle.

A myriad of emotions flashed over Mirabelle’s face as she looked down at the mudcrab being shoved in her direction. She seemed to shake with rage rather than fear, but in the end, an ice-cold expression settled on her face. “That mudcrab is the Archmage.”

Sheogorath blinked, looking absolutely floored by the information. “Mudcrabs can use magic now? Oh, what a wonderful world we live in!” She decided with a cackle… yeah, she completely forgot about turning the Archmage into a mudcrab. “I’m not even angry that he usurped my position. He needs official attire so no one mistakes him for a simple mudcrab… and a wide brimmed wizard hat…” Sheoorath let go of the crab to stroke her chin, but the mudcrab didn’t fall to the floor.

Then, with a snap of her fingers, the mudcrab was wearing a mudcrab version of the Archmage robes along with a wide brimmed hat. It looked absolutely ridiculous.

“He’s so cute,” Sheogorath gushed, and now Mirabelle was trembling with rage. Enough so that it didn’t escape Sheogorath’s notice. “You don’t think so?”

“He’s Savos Aren! You did this to him!” Mirabelle half snarled at the Prince of Madness, her composure faltering. Sheogorath blinked, then she looked to me as if asking for confirmation. I offered a nod -- I wasn’t here for that, but I doubt that Mirabelle was just making it up.

Sheogorath tilted her head, her eyes twinkling with mirth… then, without any warning, that mirth died. Leaving behind a cold, hard look in its place. “I did do that, didn’t I? I suppose I couldn’t stop myself. You see, I have precious few things that truly, truly bother me. Things that anger me,” she started, making the mudcrab float towards her with a beckoning finger. “One of those things is sacrifice. Oh, don’t get me wrong. Self-sacrifice is all fine and dandy. Heroic even.”

“But,” Sheogorath continued and the temperature in the room seemed to drop with that word. A shiver raced down my spine, a harsh reminder that Sheogorath was without a doubt one of the most powerful people that I had ever met. “Sacrificing others? That I cannot abide. The only person that anyone in this realm has a right to sacrifice is themselves. That’s it.” She reached out and forced the mudcab to look into her eyes. “What really makes me angry is when someone sacrifices others without their consent. Or their knowledge. Especially when you were too big of a coward to bite that bullet yourself.”

… right. So, Savos is fucked and a mudcrab forever.

Then that cold look on Sheogorath’s face vanished like smoke in the wind, replaced with a dazzling smile and amusement in her mismatched eyes. “But, enough of that! I came here for a very specific purpose… I think. Probably. I might have forgotten when I saw the mudcrab… eh, probably couldn’t have been too important-” Sheogorath paused, “No, wait, it was really important. Baby Giant,” Sheogorath turned to me, “Don’t go trying to get your grubby

huge sausage fingers on things you shouldn’t be touching. Just because you want it doesn’t mean you should have it.”

I went still at that, wondering exactly what she meant. Mostly because that applied to several things. “And since you did so good, I’ll give you a super special recipe for the Forge downstairs. A lot of the ingredients are stuff you were already planning on getting, so you’ll just have to stop by the College when you collect them all,” Sheogorath continued without pause.

To that, I frowned, “I’m a little short on time and spread thin, you know. I can’t just run across the country at the drop of a hat.”

“That’s because you don’t know how to fly. Or teleport. You just… walk everywhere. Like some kind of peasant,” Sheogorath responded disdainfully. “But dear ol’ Sheo has you covered. Follow me Baby Giant and little girl!” With that, Sheogorath started leaving the room, walking with a confident swagger as she blatantly ignored Mirabelle. The Master Wizard slumped into her chair, not bothering to look up as both Lili and I cast a lingering look before following.

Sheogorath led us to the Archmage room, twirling the wabajack the entire way. It was every bit as grand as it had been in the game -- half a garden, and the walls were basically just library shelves. However, my attention was drawn to a map inscribed onto the ground. A map of Skyrim.

It was fairly large. Large enough to fit a dozen Marks -- one for each major city, one for Helgen, The Throat of the World, and what I’m guessing was the Skytemple. A map that would let me teleport across the country with ease.

“Ta’da~!”