Power Corrupts: Endings and Beginnings (ch. 72) (Patreon)

For half a year, I had prepared for this. This very moment. I traveled the land, gathering allies and equipment I needed to defeat a single foe. Alduin the World-Eater. A dragon, the most powerful of them all… one that would devour the entire world if left unchecked. The plan was to defeat him at his weakest, right when he emerged from the timestream, but as the skies above began to churn, heavy rain clouds forming, the wind howling as lightning brewed above… I could feel his power despite being miles away, and every hair I had stood on end.

I had prepared for this moment for months and now that it was finally here, my first thought was that we weren't ready.

We were supposed to have a few more weeks left.

"Everyone, get inside! Sound the alarm! This isn't a drill!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, my voice echoing out, but people stood frozen, looking up at the sky in fear and disbelief. "Now!" I screamed louder, and that did the trick for some. The spell was broken and the people made their way to their homes, and upon seeing them move, others did the same.

With a thought, my armor brought itself out, cloaking me in the heavy armor that was made for this day against this enemy. The clouds swirled above, a crack of thunder echoing out, but it couldn't drown out the shockwave of pure power that rippled down from the source. Through my armor, I could feel it on my skin.

Alduin was here. He was early. He was weeks early. How? Why?

"Aela," I started, tearing my eyes from the sight. Aela barely managed to do the same, her skin deathly pale. She looked how I felt -- instantly overwhelmed and scared out of my mind. "Find the archers on the walls. Gather them up and make sure none of them try to run," I ordered her as I took in a deep breath to calm myself down.

Aela offered a shaky nod, swallowing thickly. "And you?" She questioned, trying to keep her voice firm, but I could hear an edge of fear in it.

"I'm heading up," I told her, offering a nod. "Good luck," I told her, before I started to move. I heard her return it, but there was no time to waste sharing a moment. Alduin was here. Now. And we weren't in position to spawn camp him. I sprinted through the streets, distantly hearing the sound of a bell ringing -- the warning bell that Hestia had set up. People were leaving the streams, heading inside. There was organized chaos to it -- people vaguely seemed to remember the drills, but the sense of urgency made them sloppy.

I paid it no mind in favor of sprinting to the manor, moving in a blur to most people. I practically barreled through the door, reducing it to splinters. There I found Lydia and Hestia in the living room, both of them tense. Lydia instantly settled into a fighting stance, only to momentarily relax when she saw it was me.

"Jericho, what happened?!" Hestia shouted, and I wish I had an answer for her. The only thing that I could think of that made sense was…

"Serana wanted to learn Dragonrend ahead of time," I answered, "It may have pulled Alduin out of the timestream early. I don't really know. But he's here," I spoke, my tone grim. Hestia paled as she realized the implications, moving forward, only to be stopped by Lydia, who realized them as well.

"Take care of her, Lydia. And I'll be back soon enough, Hestia. With a guest, so roll out the welcome mat for them, okay?" I told her, trying to interject something other than grim resolve into my voice to put her at ease. As much as I could, at any rate. Lydia nodded, while Hestia adopted a serious expression. I wasn't the only one that had spent the last six months preparing for Alduin.

For six months, Hestia had turned Helgen into something amazing. A perfect medieval metropolis, as much of an oxymoron as that was. Only the entire city was a trap specifically designed for Alduin. A trap that Hestia had labored over, staying behind while the rest of us traveled the country. And I could only hope that it performed how we hoped it would.

"Just bring him here, Jericho. This is where Alduin will die," Hestia swore, her blue eyes burning with a fierce intensity.

I offered a small smile, though she couldn't see it. Her confidence helped stoke my own -- we were caught with our pants down, but we had still spent six months preparing for this. We weren't unprepared. I just wish that I had a moment to spare to stop and say a few words to Hestia, something more than a hopeful reassurance. But, there wasn't any time. I had wasted too much as it was.

Serana and Lili were at the Throat of the World. With Alduin.

I had to leave, now.

"Stay safe," I told them both, heading to the kitchen. The moment before I reached up and touched the Mark on the ceiling, I heard Hestia's response.

"Come back to me, Jericho!" She shouted, her tone betraying how worried she was. I would, I promised myself, even if I didn't say the words. I just had to hope that she knew that I would. Taking in a deep breath, I pressed my hand against the glowing blue Mark, and a familiar flash of light filled my vision.

And a second later, I was doing a one-handed handstand at the top of the world. Wind bombarded me, moving by me in a screeching howl that nearly deafened me. The mountain was being barraged with hail that nearly knocked me off my balance before I planted my feet on the ground -- baseball-sized chunks of ice impacting against my armor, shattering upon impact. The snow flurries were so bad that I could barely see in front of me.

A throaty roar bombarded my ears, and I felt the force behind it. However, despite my lack of vision on Alduin, the sound was a giveaway. Sonar didn't work as well above ground, much less with so much white noise, but a sound like that would take me right to him. My sword appeared in my hand as I took in a deep breath, focusing on the task at hand before I darted forward with explosive force.

I knew the layout to the mountain top like the back of my hand, so I headed for the ridge that Paarthurnax liked to perch on. My feet found the weathered stone, at least confirming that the landscape was still recognizable-

"YOL TOOR SHUL!" I heard a thunderous crack of power before I saw a bright light cut through the snow flurries. I felt an intense heat on my face that seemed to cut right through my armor. The snow in the air evaporated, and for the first time, I saw Alduin in the flesh.

His form almost reminded me of Paarthurnax, but something was just off about it. His wings were stretched out, proving that he had more than a hundred feet wingspan, while the bulk of his body hovered in the air, kept afloat. His scales were jet black that seemed to gleam in the torrent of fire that spewed from his mouth, his red eyes glowing an ominous red that I could see despite the fire. His neck was slender and long, going to a bulky body, with powerful hind legs tipped with razor-sharp claws. He almost looked like a normal dragon, but…

His scales jutted upwards into spikes, especially around the head -- they formed a mockery of a crown… but considering he had once ruled the world, perhaps mockery wasn't the right word. Alduin seemed otherworldly, different… sinister, even. He seemed like he truly was the most powerful creature in all of existence. And this… this was him at his absolute weakest.

I saw a mist fly up, avoiding the fire, before the mist condensed, revealing the body of a High Vampire. Serana. Tall, gray skin with wings jutting out of her back. In each clawed hand, she held orbs of crackling lightning that she unleashed on Alduin. Alduin responded by shifting the aim of his torrent of fire.

The scene filled me with awe, but now wasn't the time to gape.

"FUS RO DAH!" I shouted, the words rippling from my mouth and racing towards Alduin. The Unrelenting Force slammed into him, knocking him back -- those words had the power to move mountains, but against Alduin, it barely dazed him. He clapped his wings once, cutting off the torrent of fire before he shifted his attention to me as I sprinted across the ridgeline. Serana was to my upper right, flying in the air as she conjured lightning. Lili… I didn't see Lili anywhere, but Hestia would have said something if Lili had died. More concerning, I didn't see Paarthurnax anywhere.

This was not how I wanted the opening barrage to go.

"Insolence," Alduin remarked, his words rumbling with power. He spoke the word like a death sentence, and I suppose it might be. "FAAS RU MAAR!" He shouted, and I almost tripped over my own two feet, expecting something to happen, but nothing did.

Serana, however, recoiled as a scream of terror ripped from her throat -- she flew higher as if she were going to flee altogether. The Shout wasn't one I recognized, but I puzzled out its effects. Alduin was hitting us with fear. It just wouldn't work on me.

"FUS RO DAH!" I returned in kind, hitting the dragon in the face with the words of power. Alduin shook his head, recoiling before he unleashed a thunderous roar. The moment I saw him throw his head back, I saw a crossbow bolt impact against his eye -- it merely bounced off of it. I didn't see the point of origin for the arrow, but I knew it meant that Lili was still in this fight.

However, it looked like bows and arrows were worthless until he lost that natural protection from being a piece of time rather than a living creature. Dragonrend rested on my tongue, but I swallowed the words. Not now. I needed to save that to catch him off guard. I didn't know how else we could lure him to Helgen to spring the trap.

"VEN GAAR NOS!" Alduin returned the shout in turn, flapping his wings, and the steam that covered the mountain swirled into a tornado. Serana flew away, heading towards me. At that same moment, a second blur joined the battle. I recognized Paarthurnax on sight, and I knew it was him a moment before he slammed into Alduin, his mouth biting at his neck just under his head, and both of them crashed into the ground with an impact that felt like it shook the entire mountain.

"Jericho -- he appeared out of nowhere," she informed.

That wasn't important anymore. "Did you learn it?" I questioned her, glancing at Serana. It was the first time I've seen her as a Vampire Lord. Her face was more angular, her ears moved back and ending in sharp points, and while her brow was more pronounced her mouth almost seemed too small. It looked absolutely nothing like her. And another thing that I learned was that the form didn't come pre-dressed.

Serana nodded, "I haven't tried it yet," she warned. That was good. I only had two of the three words down so far. We had someone that could fully use Dragonrend.

"Wait until Paarthurnax is clear, then hit him with it," I told her, looking down at the two thrashing dragons just in time to see Alduin's tail slam into the ridge I stood on. It began to crumble, forcing me to leap down to the ground.

"Traitor!" Alduin roared, having broken free of Paarthurmax's bite to return one of his own. His jaw clamped down on Paarthurnax, biting him at the base of the neck before he turned sharply and flung Paarthurnax through the Word Wall. Rubble rained down as Paarthurnax fell and Alduin unleashed a furious snarl, knowing that wasn't the end of it. "Your pathetic rebellion ends now, Paarthurnax."

"JOOR ZAH FRUL!" Serana shouted, the words washing over Alduin, and he recoiled -- the words didn't do any damage to him, but out of everything, it seemed to have the most effect on him.

That same moment, I darted forward, "FUS RO DAH!" I shouted, the Unrelenting Force slamming into him as I closed the distance. Alduin recoiled again, scales breaking off of him as he was knocked back from the attack, proving that Dragonrend worked. Alduin roared, and my eardrums threatened to pop from the shockwave.  He only seemed to have eyes for me as I rushed towards him, ignoring the spells from Lili's wands.

"I am Alduin, mortal! How dare one of your ilk stand before me!" Alduin roared, rearing his head back, towering over me. There was no comparing him to the infant dragon I faced in Danmachi. There was no comparing him even to Paarthurnax. Alduin stood taller than all of them, appearing more like a force of nature than a dragon.

I swung my blade and sent an arc of sharp air at him. The arc impacted against his jet black scales, barely scuffing them, but it sure pissed him off. His glowing red eyes narrowed into slits before he opened his mouth, that I only now noticed was filled with incredibly sharp teeth. "RII VAAZ ZOL!" He shouted, a word of power washing over me, but doing nothing else. That seemed to catch him off guard, because not a moment later, I closed the distance between us and leaped towards his chest.

My sword stabbed into his scales over his sternum, but even with the weight and force behind the stab, it barely made it halfway into Alduin. I was so used to my sword just cutting through everything that it almost shocked me when I felt incredible resistance as I yanked the sword out, carving a line down Alduin's chest. It felt like my sword was moving through concrete.

I kicked off of him when he lashed out at me, attempting to strike at me with the clawed hand on his wing. Before he could follow up the strike, Lili stepped out of the mist and unleashed a barrage of arrows at Alduin's flank and a fireball impacted his side and washed over his scales. It had little effect. Serana had better luck -- a powerful lightning bolt flung from her hands that hit Alduin in the side of the head, knocking it off course when he lunged for me. The moment my feet touched the ground, I threw myself back into the fight.

There was something that I realized as I took in a deep breath, slamming the edge of my sword into Alduin's leg with an Explosive Strike that barely did a thing.

I didn't like fighting things bigger than me.

"FUS RO DAH!" I shouted, catching Alduin in the chest with the shout, knocking him back towards the edge of the mountain that he sent Paarthurnax over.

"FUS RO DAH!" Alduin returned, and there was no comparing the two unrelenting forces. Mine was powerful, to be certain, but the moment that Alduin"s made contact with the ground it felt like a nuke had gone off. One second I was rushing towards him and the next my ears were ringing and I'm flying through the air. My heart leaped to my throat as I gained my bearing easy enough thanks to my expanded vision.

I was heading straight for Helgen. Alduin had shouted the top of the mountain off.

I twisted in midair, searching the dust and rubble for Alduin. Instead, I found Serana.

"Lili!" I shouted at her, not spotting the girl or her oversized bag. Serana's hand pulsed as we fell through the air before she darted off, hopefully saving the girl. Though, that did leave me free falling off of a mountain.

A roar caught my attention, reaching me over the sound of rushing wind -- Paarthurnax and Alduin clashed overhead, biting into each other. Alduin was winning handily, tearing into Paarthurnax. I noticed Alduin was flying under his own power -- had Dragonrend worn off already? That was barely any time at all. Was it only good for an opening? Shit. How effective would mine be if I hit him with it-

My thoughts were caught off by a sudden impact. My first thought was that I had hit the ground, but that was proven false when I saw it was… a carpet?

"Well, would ya' look at that! I wonder if you can really call that the Throat of the World anymore?" I heard Sheogorath question, bringing my attention to the mountain that I had just stood at the peak of… it was difficult to tell because so much of the mountain had been falling with me, along with the avalanche of rubble and snow that was racing down…

A solid few hundred feet of the mountain were suddenly gone. High Hrothgar… shit, I think the Graybeards were dead.

"And ain't he a bit early?" She questioned, tapping the jabbawak against her shoulder as she stood on the purple and orange flying carpet. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Serana emerge from the dust carrying Lili. Both looked dirty, but they were alive.

"He is," I confirmed. "Are the others…?" I trailed off, really hoping that those promised reinforcements came through. I had hit Alduin with my best and he barely flinched. And he was at his weakest.

It was mind-boggling. I had slaughtered an army on my own. A single word could tear through solid stone and steel. The bards hadn't stopped singing about me since I arrived.

And I don't think I qualified as an annoyance to Alduin. I knew he was powerful, but… it was something else seeing the best attack I had doing nothing to him. I should have given myself a year to prepare. Maybe more. Alduin… if I wanted to fight him like I wanted to, then I should have picked that option to be born in Skyrim to give myself a solid twenty years to prepare.

“Should be on their way,” Sheogorath remarked, making sounds of awe as Parrthrmax and Alduin shouted at each other above. The results were explosive and the effects could be felt for miles in every direction. “By the way, I got you a little present,” Sheogorath informed, pulling a pair of boots from empty air as Serana and Lili neared.

I blinked, and she seemed to sense my confusion. “They’re an old pair of boots of mine from my days as a lowly thief,” she explained, tossing them at me. I caught them, wondering if this was really the time for gifts. Then it clicked what they were.

The Boots of Springhill Jack. The boots that let the Hero of Kvatch survive falling down the White-Gold Tower.

I slid them on, noticing that the boots confirmed to my feet, and my armor conformed to my new boots. Standing up, I saw Sheogorath wasn't paying attention, but she seemed to know that I put them on. "Lovely pair, but I never had much use for them. I just stacked paint brushes. But, they should keep you alive if you fall." She remarked before the jabbawak in her hand began to glow.

"Thanks," I told her, looking up to the two dragons that were battling it out. They disappeared into the heavy clouds, and only images of them fighting could be seen in brief flashes as lightning brewed in the sky. We had to get up there. I looked to Serana, who still carried Lili, my lips thinned. "Bring Lili down and get ready to use the Thu'um again," I ordered before Sheogorath stepped off of the magic carpet and stood on empty air for a split second before she flew straight up towards Alduin.

"Mr. Jericho!" Lili shouted back at me, wanting to protest, but there wasn't any time. Lili would be more of a help down below when we brought Alduin down. Serana seemed to realize that because she dove down a second later while the magic carpet rose, seemingly obeying my desires. As I flew up, I was hit with a shockwave from a bolt of lightning arcing down in a flash of light. The first of many. As I flew up, more lightning began to arc down, hitting the world below. The carpet must have protected me because I should have gotten hit when I entered the clouds.

Clouds were overhyped -- they weren't fluffy cotton balls in the sky. They were cold as hell, and wet, I found as I flew through it, blinded by the sheer amount of gray and black I saw. Right up until I saw a flash of light-

"YOL TOOR SHUL!" I heard before a torrent of fire cut through the clouds, revealing Alduin. Sheogorath floated before him, unafraid as she stood inside a bubble shield.

"Scary! You know, in a lot of ways… I was never the hero of my story. I was just the companion that happened to lead the real hero to his destiny," I heard Sheogorath say, despite being covered in fire. "My big bad was defeated with divine intervention… the only villain I truly defeated was Jigiliag, and for it, I was cursed to become the Prince of Madness."

As she spoke, I saw the fire bulge as if something was traveling through it. It was only when it reached Alduin's mouth that I realized it was Sheogorath herself, cutting off the torrent of fire by lodging herself and a bubble shield in his jaw, like some giant jawbreaker.

"So, I'm looking forward to this," she informed before a beam of light fired from her staff right down Alduin's throat. I heard her demented giggle as she flew out of his mouth as Alduin roared in pain. I flew forward taking in a deep breath -- I wished I had time to master more shouts, but I only had the one.

"FUS RO DAH!" I shouted, following up the strike while he was distracted, aiming for his wings. They seemed to be a bit weaker because the Unrelenting Force tore through them, sending black blood flying from the wound. However, dragons didn't seem to need their wings to fly, because Alduin barely seemed to notice the hole. He clapped his wings once before he threw his head back and roared.

The entire world could hear it, it radiated that much power. In response, I saw a glow of red above me. I looked up just in time to see a massive hunk of rock racing right towards me.

"FUS!" I shouted, knowing that I couldn't let it sail right by me. Helgen was below me. Worse, there was more than one. My Shout slammed into the meteor the size of a building, fracturing it and reducing it to chucks that I could only hope would do less damage than a singular whole one. I was forced to evade the rubble I created, eying the other meteor that seemed to appear from nowhere above us that rained down to Nirn below, intermingling with the lightning storm.

The sight of it… the only way I could think to describe it was apocalyptic. It looked like the world was ending.

"Brother!" Paarthurnax roared before he emerged from a cloud, slamming into Alduin while his focus was settled on Sheogorath, who darted around and peppered him with blasts that managed to injure him despite his immortality. I had to swallow the urge to do the same -- I was practically useless until Serana arrived. My incomplete Dragonrend… at best, I could use it once to catch him off guard. I doubt it would be worth more than that.

Worse, I was feeling the drain from using the Thu'um. I didn't know how to describe it other than this… ache in my soul. Something that I felt deep in my bones, almost like a sore throat or a pulled muscle, but the physical component wasn't there.

Luckily, Serana arrived a moment later, soaring upwards. I saw her lips move, and I knew exactly what she was planning to do.

"JOOR ZAH FRUL!" Serana shouted, the Shout washing over both Alduin and Paarthurnax. Both dragons dropped like a stone, while I flew in after them, knowing that this was a chance to injure Alduin. I felt a rising deep in my balls, but I jumped off the magic carpet all the same, leaping to the two thrashing dragons that were intent on doing as much damage to each other as they could.

I free fell for a second, my eye on my target. I half expected Alduin to turn at the last second, but he didn't, and because he didn't, my sword slammed into the base of his wing as I activated Double Swing. My Ebony sword managed to bite deep into his scales, but with double swing kicking in a split second later, my sword bit into bone. Not very deep, but it didn't need to be.

Alduin roared in pain, thrashing to throw me off. I lunged for his wing again, lashing at it with an Explosive Strike next, but I failed to see if it did more damage to him or not because the next thing I knew I was flying away from Alduin as he flung me off. My heart leaped to my throat, but the magic carpet flew in to catch me, preventing me from falling to my death.

I watched Alduin and Paarthurmax go at it under a barrage of fire and lightning courtesy of Sheogorath and Serana. The two hit the ground like a meteor strike, slamming right in the center of Helgen. The city quaked, recoiling from the impact, and I saw buildings collapse because of it. People were dead. I just had to hope that it wasn't anyone I knew.

The trap activated a second later -- dark blue lines traced the city walls, each guard tower that survived serving as a focal point, before they launched a beam of energy up to a central point. They impacted something invisible and it was only when every point hit it, that I saw what it was -- the Eye of Magnus. So that's why Sheogorath wouldn't let me have it. Each beam of light interlocked, forming a dome over the city to prevent anything draconian from getting out. A trap made for Alduin, one that had been perfected by Sheogorath and the Neveraine.

Yet, no plan survives contact with the enemy. From my vantage, I saw a problem -- the rubble from the mountain. Helgen was at the base of the mountain. I could see the damage done to the walls from where the stone impacted and then flooded over the mostly intact walls. They were still up and functioning, but I didn't see a beam of light for that guard tower.

So, we had to make sure Alduin didn't notice that it wasn't there either.

I dived down, sailing through the barrier to see Alduin fling Paarthurnax through a stone building, reducing it to rubble. "I have grown weary of your games, Paarthurnax. I have never blamed you for them -- our father made you so, but you have overstepped." Alduin spoke, taking no notice of us. He only seemed to have eyes for Paarthurnax.

"Jericho!" I heard someone shout -- I looked away to see that it was Farkas. He was here, along with the rest of the Companions. Among their number was a man clad all in Ebony. The Ebony Warrior.

I only realized I had looked away when I heard Alduin continue. "Die. ZII LOS DII DU!" My heart went still in my chest when I heard the Shout. I recognized it. It came from Miraak… when he devoured a soul and their power.

I looked over in time to see the Shout rip through Paarthurnax -- his scales splintered, giving way to the shout. It burned his flesh away, blackening his bones. I heard Paarthurnax let out a final roar of pure agony, before the shout ripped through his chest, reducing his flesh and bones to ash. Something was ripped from him and it flowed into Alduin. His soul. Alduin devoured his soul like a Dragonborn did to a dragon… for he was the devourer.

It never really clicked what that name meant until I saw it. Alduin would devour the world and all that it contained.

Alduin's form swelled, whatever damage we managed to deal to him was undone in an instant. He seemed to bask in his power for a moment, savoring it. If I had to guess… he wasn't at his weakest any longer.

Fuck.

"FUS RO DAH!" I heard someone shout, and the moment was broken. The Ebony Warrior. I clenched my sword, looking up to Alduin as he towered above us. He didn't seem to notice me as he glared at the Ebony Warrior.

"Protect Serana," I ordered everyone in earshot. Then we rushed forward to battle the beast -- Farkas and Vilkas behind me. I could only assume that Aela was with the rest of the archers. Fuck, I hoped Hestia was on the other side of the planet.

That thought never felt more prudent than when I heard Alduin take in a deep breath and I knew what was coming next.

"FUS RO DAH!" Alduin seemed to take exception to the shout because he once again returned it. My lips formed the words, intent on battling it out with the Shout, only for the words to fail me as I suddenly found myself somewhere else.

I stood on a building, Sheogorath placing a hand on my shoulder. Had she-

My attention was stolen away when the Shout hit the ground -- it was like the hand of god carved a line through Helgen, wrecking buildings and everything else in its path. I didn't even know what to compare it to. It was simply an unrelenting Force that demolished everything in its way until it slammed into the walls of Helgen, where it was stopped in its tracks. The walls glowed blue, protected by the Eye of Magnus above.

"Shit… we need to hit him with Dragonrend, so stay away from him until then," I spoke, turning around to make sure the others got the point. Serana stood next to me, a hand on her shoulder -- I could see her there because of my expanded vision…

But there was no one in my blind spot. No one was behind me. Not Vilkas or Farkas or any other of the Companions.

My heart plummeted like a stone, a sense of horror filling me. That… no, that…

They were supposed to join the Familia.

"No time for that, lad," Sheogorath spoke, her tone unusually grim. "You can mourn the dead later." She ordered and I swallowed my questions with no small amount of difficulty. Dead. They were dead. Why just me and Serana? Why…

Anger blossomed in my chest. A flame of rage that hadn't been sparked since the War Game half a year ago. A spark of rage that could only be quenched by ripping a man apart with my bare hands and slaughtering his Familia down to the last man. My hand tightened on my sword to the point that it trembled. I felt the exact moment that my Berserker Skill kicked in, making my stats swell.

"There's the right attitude. The beasty is a wee bit stronger than anticipated. Take this," Sheogorath said before she tossed me a chain that wasn't much bigger than a normal necklace. "We need to muzzle him."

I liked that idea.

"Let's start the second act then, shall we?"

I agreed. I leaped off the building that we were on and landed in the street below. They were all covered in dust and rubble, and I saw pieces of gore that had landed after the Unrelenting Force. A thought niggled at my head, wondering which arm or leg was Farkas or Vilkas. The thought fed my rage, turning it into a roaring flame that burned in my chest and boiled my blood.

Sheogorath brought down a stream of lightning from the Eye of Magnus, the stream of pure power impacting directly into Alduin. It drove him to the ground, a roar of pure agony escaping him as I headed right for him. His eyes seemed to make eye contact with mine for a brief moment, his gaze hateful and murderous. Almost as much as mine.

"JOOR ZAH FRUL!" I heard Serana shout, and Alduin's roar of rage and pain doubled under the force of the Eye of Magnus. Heat radiated from the pure magical power driving Alduin into the ground -- stone began to glow red before it began to melt, but still, Alduin managed to endure the attack.

"FUS RO DAH!" I heard another shout -- the source was the Ebony Warrior. His arm was gone, and one of his legs was twisted in the wrong direction, but he still limped towards Alduin with a sword in hand. His shout hit Alduin in the face, busting teeth, but the dragon endured the blow. His mouth opened, and it seemed no matter how fast I made my legs move, I just wasn't fast enough.

"GAAN LAH HAAS!" Alduin shouted, directing the words at us both, but it simply washed over me. The Ebony Warrior staggered a step, then collapsed to his knees before falling over dead. Alduin had stolen his vitality. I would assume it wouldn't be much, but Alduin instead pushed himself up against the torrent of pure power pushing him down. "FIEM," the moment he said the word, the torrent of power went through Alduin.

That same moment, Alduin surged forward, and all I saw were teeth.

Good.

"FUS RO DAH!" I screamed the word with every ounce of strength and will that I had, channeling my rage into the words of power that ripped from my throat. The force slammed into Alduin's gullet, and it seemed that even he felt that. Blood erupted from his softer insides, and it gushed out from his mouth as I effortlessly leaped upwards, avoiding the strike. I saw that his back had been stripped of scales, his flesh burned and blackened. He was wounded. Just not dead.

As he sailed by underneath me, I landed on the back of his neck in a run, stabbing my sword into it with every bit of my strength -- between it, and his own momentum, I carved a bloody line down the back of his neck before he thrashed, throwing me off. I sailed through the air, and Serana and Sheogorath were right there with the distraction. Sheogorath brought down another blinding torrent of power on Alduin, but he was warier of the trick now.

I slammed through a building across the street, but I saw the moment that Alduin lunged for Sheogorath. I tore through a brick wall, and I felt bones in my body snap from the impact before quickly reforming. I rolled to my feet, channeling the pain, and sprinted for the exit I had just made. Then I saw that Sheogorath had baited Alduin into a trap.

She led him by the nose, taking aim with her staff, and sending a blinding flash of light directly into his eye. I expected a roar of pain, but Alduin simply pressed onward -- both to my surprise and Sheogorath's. He… was Dragonrend becoming less effective?!

"ZUN HAL VIIK!" Alduin shouted, ripping Sheogorath's staff from her hand so quickly that it took her fingers with it.

"Whoops!" Sheogorath shouted gleefully, before she dove right into his mouth. I almost smiled at the tactic, knowing exactly what was about to happen next. As predicted, Alduin roared in pure agony as Sheogorath tormented his insides.

That was my chance, I thought as I rushed forward, clenching the chain that Sheogorath gave me in hand. Serana fired lightning from her hands, hitting Alduin with everything that she had. I saw an arrow bounce off his scales, bringing my attention to the source as I crossed the street. Aela stood on a half-collapsed building, bow in hand. And a torrent of arrows from Lili told me that they were both in the fight.

We needed the Neveraine. Only Alduin's Unrelenting Force had managed to destroy the Mark… and the one at our house was now useless.

I shoved the thoughts aside and focused solely on the task at hand -- killing Alduin. The dragon thrashed, slamming into buildings as he clawed at his chest, distracted by Sheogorath. Because of it, he didn't notice my approach until it was far too late. I jumped onto his tail, running up his back before I leaped up towards his head. The chain in my hand whipped out, growing in length and size-

A bright light erupted from Alduin's mouth.

Sheogorath was dead.

The thought caught me so off guard that I hesitated and in that split second, Alduin reacted. He whipped around, lashing out with his winged arm, and smacked me away. It felt like I had been hit with a truck. I slammed through stone walls, punching through a few of them before I impacted into the street. My bones shattered from the force and I tasted blood, but they reformed a second later.

Sheogorath was dead. It didn't feel real.

I didn't have time to even think about the implications of that because I heard Alduin a second later. "FUS-" he started, making me spring to my feet, but something cut him off. Even still, the first word had been uttered, and the building I had flown through was reduced to dust along with a tunnel of destruction slamming into the street, narrowly missing me. I pivoted on a dime, heading through the rubble to get to Alduin once again, my mind reeling.

This wasn't how this was supposed to go.

Alduin slammed his wing through a building, sending debris flying across the street as he turned his attention to Serana. She flew above him, lightning and fire washing over him.

"FUS RO DAH!" I shouted, hitting him in the side with the Unrelenting Force. It knocked him into a building, crushing it under his weight, giving Serana a chance to give herself some breathing room. I looked to my right -- we needed to find the staff. It could use the Eye of Magnus. Right now, it was our best shot-

My gaze landed on the staff. It was clutched in a familiar hand that wore a vambrace.

Aela.

My gaze darted over to her, seeing her prone form laying on the ground. A chunk of rubble was on top of her, pinning her to the ground, but she still reached for the staff with her remaining hand. She couldn't reach it. Not even close. It was on the other side of the street.

God fucking damn it.

Damn it all.

Fuck.

I moved, my mind blank except for a singular thought. A singular desire. A desire that I would make a reality. I couldn't and wouldn't settle for anything less.

I reached into my inventory and launched a high potion toward Aela while I headed for the staff. It landed perfectly in front of her and I hated that's all I could do for her. the potions would buy her time. Time so Lili could get to her. Time… I should have spent more time learning magic. I should have…

My regrets fanned the flames of my rage. My hate. Snatching up the Staff of Magnus, I just about bent it, my hand was so tightly wrapped around it. My sword trembled in my other hand, as did my body -- shaking in rage as Alduin righted himself.

"What are you, creature?!" Alduin snapped at me, while I took aim with the staff.

I should have come up with a witty one-liner. I just didn't have one on hand. I wanted him dead too badly.

My response was bringing down that torrent of power onto Alduin with a thought. A desire. I wanted him reduced to nothing. I didn't even want there to be ash left. I wanted to tear him apart with my bare hands and the screams he unleashed as he was hit with the full force of the Eye of Magnus was a sweet, sweet symphony to my ears. A cruel smile tugged at my lips, bringing forth all of the Eye of Magnus' power down onto him. I could barely look at it, the flashes of light were so bright. I could just barely make out Alduin-

"FUS!" I heard a split second before I felt it. The Unrelenting Force slammed into my chest and I didn't have a comparison to make to it. I had been hit by the word of power twice so far -- both times from Deathlords. The first just about killed me. The second knocked me on my ass. This one… it felt like I had been hit with the entire weight of a mountain hurled at the speed of light. My bones shattered into pieces, my organs ruptured from the force, sending blood spewing out of my mouth and nose. For a second, I couldn't see anything.

Then, as soon as the impact registered, it was gone. I felt myself fall, though I was only barely aware when I hit the ground. My mind was reeling, struggling to comprehend what in the hell that was. I felt something shift underneath my eyelids and it was only then that I realized that they had ruptured in the blow. I opened them, uncaring of the blood in my eyes, as I groaned in pain, my bones putting themselves back together.

Pushing myself up, I was surprised to see that I still had my sword and staff and chain in hand. Hell, I was surprised to see that my hands were still attached.

My armor. My armor had saved me.

Looking up, I saw Alduin had turned his focus back to Serana. I clenched my teeth, forcing myself to stand as I raised the staff once again. And again, I brought the full force of the Eye of Magnus onto Alduin. A torrent of power slammed into him, informing him that I was still alive. I took a shaky step forward, my body feeling numb, but I could still stand. I snarled as I channeled more power into bringing Alduin down. I wish I knew what else the eye could do, but I didn't. So, all I could do was brute force it and make Alduin hurt.

But even it was losing its effectiveness. I saw Alduin fly up, crawling over a house, turning intangible to avoid the pale blue lightning. He spotted me, beginning to shout, but Serana hit him with another Dragonrend, interrupting his intangibility so I could nail him with the Eye.

We had to shut him up. We had to…

"Serana!" I shouted, walking forward. Despite all the noise, Serana seemed to hear me. She flew over, and I held the staff out to her. "Take this, and hit him with everything you have," I told her -- Serana could remain mobile, more so than me. And with her Dragonrend, she could time the blasts to make sure they connected. Though, it seemed that the staff needed focus because the eye lessened significantly the moment I became distracted.

"How?" She asked, taking the staff, cutting off the torrent of power completely.

"By wanting to hurt him," I answered while Alduin roared his defiance for the world to hear.

Serana looked at me, "What are you going to do?" She asked, and I clenched my hand down on the chain that Sheogorath had given me.

"I'm going to shut Alduin up," I answered, striding forward as Alduin stared hatefully at me. Surprised, maybe? It didn't matter. Hate, or confusion, I was going to fucking kill the lizard if it was the last thing I did.

"More than thrice you have survived my Thu'um, mortal. How can this be?" Alduin expected an answer. He expected me to fucking banter. After everything. Farkas was dead. Vilkas was dead. Sheogorath… she was dead for now. And Aela… at the very least, Aela lost an arm if she wasn't also dead.

I wasn't in the mood to talk.

He was going to die. And I would make sure he died screaming.

In response, I rushed towards Alduin, ignoring his question, much to his annoyance. I darted into a house, slamming through the stone walls to get to Alduin faster. They gave way to me, barely slowing me down. A good thing too because Alduin tore through the buildings with an Unrelenting Force, reducing the block of buildings to dust and rubble. I didn't even want to know how many people had died in the attack, cowering in their basements. Too many.

I was a shit king.

I tore through the final stone wall between me and Alduin, catching him by surprise. "FUS RO DAH!" I shouted at him, nailing him with an Unrelenting Force of my own. Alduin recoiled, scales and twisted spikes on his body chipping off. I was doing a little more damage to him, just not enough. "FUS RO DAH!" I shouted again, knocking Alduin into a building.

"LI-!" Alduin started, only to be cut off by the Eye hitting him with its power. It pushed him through the building, and despite the overwhelming nature of it, I sprinted towards Alduin.

Serana cut it off as I neared, worried that I would die from it. Maybe I would. I probably would, but that thought was a distant concern. I would have kept moving even if she hadn’t.

"FUS RO DAH!" I shouted a final time, catching him in the chest and knocking him on his back, however temporarily. It was an opening that I needed. I leaped forward, closing the distance between us, and landed on his tail. I sprinted up as he started to turn over. He looked down, fury etched into his draconic face. I matched his snarl with one of my own. "FUS RO DAH!" It slammed into his face, knocking it back like it was a half-decent punch to the chin.

That strain inside of me grew worse with each shout, but I ignored it. I sprinted up Alduin's body, leaping up as he tried to turn himself over and lash out at me at the same time. "FUS RO DAH!" I shouted, hitting him in the back of the head, buying those precious few seconds that I needed. I reached the back of his head, the chain lashing out to wrap itself around Alduin’s head. It coiled around his maw a half dozen times before the other end raced towards me.

I dropped my sword to catch it, wrapping the chain around my hand and arm while I planted my feet to the back of Alduin’s head. Even still, Aldin’s mouth was parted, and it was gaining more slack as he forced it open wider.

“You dare?!” Alduin shouted as I forced him to look up. He sounded beyond furious and indignant. At that moment, I was certain that he hated me every bit as much as I hated him. I didn’t respond in favor of pulling on the chains with all of my strength, my muscles burning with effort and the chains strained against the surface of my armor, all to close his mouth. I grit my teeth, pulling with all of my might and beyond, but Alduin fought me for every millimeter.

Then he paused and I knew he saw the exact thing I didn’t want him to. The missing arc of energy from the covered guard tower.

I yanked back as hard as I could until I could feel the chains digging into my hands through my armor. Even still, Alduin spread his wings and leaped into the air, nearly knocking me off and I only managed to stay in place because of the chains. “Serana! Do it!” I shouted, my heart falling to my gut. We had to keep him inside of Helgen. The trap was set. If he got out…

The blast didn’t come and I screamed as I yanked my arms back. I heard a rumbling from Alduin.

“FO-” Alduin started, and I screamed my hate and rage at the top of my lungs in a wordless howl.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” I screamed, yanking back and I heard the sound of Alduin’s mouth snapping shut. He strained against the chain that kept him quiet, and already I could feel him working his way back up to opening his mouth again. I didn’t have much time. “SERANA!” I screamed, looking up at the eye that grew closer by the second. “NOW!”

The Eye began to glow and my world became pain. It felt like I was doused in gasoline and then set on fire, only the pain grew more intense with every second. It was hell. The only reason I wasn’t blasted to pieces was my armor, but I was still dying. I could feel it. Like the hand of death was steadily gripping my heart and squeezing the life out of it. All my efforts… everything I’ve done up to this point, all that I’ve achieved and all I could achieve… meaningless.

Temporary.

“JOOR ZAH FRUL!” I shouted at the top of my lungs, hitting Alduin with the entirety of Dragonrend. And then we began to fall. The torrent of power pushed us down to the ground, Alduin’s flight stolen from him. I couldn’t see the ground. I had no clue how high we were up.

What I did feel was the impact. Alduin slammed into the ground, driven down like a hammer. The boots saved my life, I thought. Otherwise, I would have died on impact. Even still, I was thrown forward, landing flat on Alduin’s back. The Eye cut off a moment later, leaving both of us reeling from the impact, but I forced myself to move. Every inch of my body felt like absolute hell. It felt like I was dying.

Still, I brought the chains together in my hands, moving to make a knot, but the moment they made contact with each other, the two ends melded together. The chain became a circle, and it dug into Alduin’s maw, preventing him from saying another word. But he was still alive. And still dangerous. The fight wasn’t over.

I rolled off of his head, landing in a heap next to him. I heard Alduin breathing heavily, but he didn’t move when I used him as a prop to help push myself up. A groan escaped me as I rose to my full height, my muscles rebelling against my wishes, but they obeyed all the same. Turning to face Alduin, I found that I was at eye level with him. There was rage in the glowing red orb I could see. Rage and rebellion.

“Fus…” I started, but the word wasn’t a shout. I swallowed thickly, tasting blood as I went light-headed. That strain in my body increased to the point that it was painful. I shook my head and gathered myself. Wait… I needed… I…

My hand reached into my inventory to retrieve the Black Star. I clutched it tightly, pressing it against Alduin’s side and I met his gaze once again.

“FUS…!” I began, the shout taking shape. Alduin started to move, and in the distance, I could hear shouting, but I couldn’t make out the words.

“RO!” I continued, feeling the tension deep inside of me began to snap. To tear. I forced the next word out anyway.

“DAH!” I finished the shout, aiming directly for Alduin’s eye. The shout punched through the glowing red orb, heading directly into its brain. I had no clue if the Shout would kill the World-Eater. Not really. But no matter how many times it took, I was going to kill him.

The Black Star grew hot in my hand as if I were holding a red hot piece of charcoal… and that was the moment I knew that Alduin had died.

His scales began to crack, revealing embers underneath that spread with every second. The Star grew hotter in my hand, apparently the source of heat, and I watched in muted awe as Alduin began to be absorbed into the Star. The parts that were touching were first, Alduin’s body reduced to ash and dust that the Star sucked up, and as I held it in place, more and more of his corpse was being absorbed. And the more that was absorbed, the hotter the Star became. I clutched it all the same, even as I fell to a knee and gasped raggedly at the pain.

I couldn’t let go. Not now. Not at the last second. Too much had been lost for me to fuck it up now.

So, I grit my teeth and held what felt like a sun in the palm of my hand. Alduin’s head vanished, then his body and his wings… lastly was the tip of his tail, going up in a puff of ash that was dragged into the Star.

Alduin was no more. He was dead. I killed him.

“Heh,” I managed to gasp out a laugh as I fell, landing on my side like a puppet with its strings cut. My body radiated a pure agony that I felt all the way down into my soul. I swallowed thickly, tasting more blood. I… I should drink… what…

A familiar sensation washed over me, one that I had felt once before nearly a year ago. I struggled against it, fought against it, but it wasn’t a foe that could be defeated.

My vision went dark, my hearing was muffled and a sense of coldness spread from my chest…

Then…

I died.

…

So ends the Skyrim Jump. Bet you didn't see that coming.