Chapter 125 (Patreon)

About two chapters worth of words, as i wanted to get through some interactions without spacing it out over two chapters. Popping back over to DxD to see Kunou, then the house is finalized and people can start popping up across world lines who know whats going on. Going to make the house an impenetrable fortress by the time he's done. Magical staves, Scrolls, and Talismans filling the sky when attacked. 

Also, i tweaked a small part of last chapter like i said in the comments.

***

I made sure to find a secluded area before opening a portal, and walking to a new place before repeating this a few times. I didn’t know what kind of schemes these Daedric Lords had, but I wasn’t going to risk anything on the off chance someone saw that I popped into Meridia’s realm.

The familiar throne, which at this point I assumed was there for my own benefit. The metaphysical makeup of this realm was something I had trouble comprehending in a physical sense, even with my absurd context involved. I could parse it in my head, to understand that I couldn’t understand it, but to see it with my eyes just threw everything for a loop.

“Honey, I’m home.” I gave her a bright smile, eyeing her milky white legs, crossed as she leaned back on her throne.

Thankfully, I had a means to make sure I wasn’t icky after last night, magically scrubbing away filth and any lingering smells of alcohol.

Meridia looked at me, unamused. “You’re back.” She simply replied.

“Yeah, I just wanted to check up on Thorum and make sure he was good for now.” I scratched my cheek. “I may have gotten a bit caught up thought.”

“I could tell.” She drolled.

“Is something wrong?” I asked. She seemed a little….I don’t know if upset was the right word, and it didn’t seemed aimed at me in particular.

She furrowed her brow, frowning a little. “It is nothing to concern yourself with.”

“Meridia.” I gently called to her, walking up closer. It was cute how almost expectant she was when my hand reached out for hers. It was like she was trying to keep her stoic expression but was having trouble. With a little bit of effort, I managed to guide her off her throne and into my arms. “You can talk to me. Even if you just want to vent, I’m here for you.” I pushed a few strands of hair away from her face that came loose in the sudden movement.

One of those things I had to remember, she didn’t ‘have’ anyone to talk to. Friends, family, lovers, I pretty much introduced her to all of these as a first, as far as I could tell. Atleast within the context that I would recognize these words as.

She pursed her lips, a little bit of frustration clear on her face. “I am annoyed that the ….others were looking at you when you belong to me!” She hissed.

“The other Daedric Lords?”

She grunted in confirmation, opting to pull herself a little closer, head pushed against my chest. “Many of them were watching over the Dragonborn and then you when you came to aid him. I had to listen to their incessant prattling as they treated you as another of their ‘things’.”

“Was it bad that I showed off Dawnbreaker? They should all know now that I belong to you.” I kissed her forehead, doing what I could to make her feel at ease. She squeezed me a little harder when I confirmed that I was ‘hers’. I knew the feeling, and I loved to hear those words just as well.

“Of course.” She said arrogantly. “You are mine.” She looked up at me again. “And you are not allowed to approach those others. Do you hear me, Wilhelm Schweinorg? You are mine and those Divines, those Daedric Lords, you are not allowed to consort with them.” She stated, leaving no room for retort.

“Of course.” I wasn’t put off by her possessiveness at all. “I am yours, and you are mine.”

“Good.” She grumbled, sinking back down into me. “I’m happy.” She her mumbling reaching my ears. “You used my sword in the open, and showed them that you are with me.” She fully explained. “Thank you.”

“I just hope I didn’t cause you any trouble.”

“Nonsense, what trouble could you cause me. Only the bickering of those idiots in my ears, nothing more.”

Well, if she said so. “Were there a lot of higher powers watching?”

“Many. What the people here know as the ‘Divines’ and many of the Daedric Lords. The prophecy surrounding your friend has been many centuries in the making, since the Dawn of Nirn. His actions will dictate if this iteration of the world ends or not. A reset of the board, in their eyes, so they are paying apt attention to the ones involved.” She carefully explained.

“So that legend of Alduin ‘eating’ the world is true then.” I hummed.

“Indeed, though he does not physically eat the planet.”

“I assumed not. But that raises another question, if he has the kind of ‘strength’ to go through with a full eradication of the world, how could Thorum ever be a threat to him?”

Meridia looked like she was deep in thought for a moment. “I am having trouble putting it into words you would understand. He lacks the……allowance right now.”

“Allowance……perhaps Authority would be a more accurate term?” I offered. His situation was reminding me of Arcueids.

She raised an eyebrow. “Yes, that would be more accurate. He lacks the Authority to fully excavate the world from start to finish. Just as the Divines rule over aspects of Nirn, he too has his purpose and since he not currently fulfilling it, his strength is greatly diminished to something ‘merely’ the eldest child of Akatosh.”

“Ah, I think I understand. For some reason or another, he’s not doing his job and so he doesn’t get the benefits that come with it. So instead of going full world ender, he’s something resembling a dragon demi-god. No godly ‘authority’ that gives him an absolute authority over the planet.”

“That is a decent summarization. To delve further would require talking on ends about the conceptual and underlining principals of Nirn’s existence. Most of which would further require discourse on the birth of all creation…..from our perspective.” I felt like she added that last bit on the end due to knowing that her corner wasn’t everything there was.

“So, Thorum beats Alduin, world is saved and continues to spin forever?”

“No.” She said curtly. “Alduin is eternal. He can be stopped, destroyed, in this era, and many follow it after, but eventually he will return, as well another Dragonborn. It is a cycle; the prophecy dictates it will happen until it finally does. It could be trillions of years from now, but eventually, Alduin will end this world and another will take its place.”

“All things have their end.” I let out a sigh. “Even this universe will end at some point, when the last spark of life finally dies out and everything returns to the chaotic nothingness to be rebirthed into something new.”

“I had thought you would be more upset?” She looked at my oddl.y

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’ve seen universes die and be birthed an infinite amount of times in a single moment. It is simply the way of creation, I don’t know why, only that it simply is. I try to help where I can, when something goes bad right in front of me, but I’m not going to stop get upset about the natural order of everything.” I pressed my forehead against hers, feeling the warmth of her breath against my cheek. “Does it bother you that I feel that way? That I don’t care that this universe will end along with everything in it at some point?”

“It does not.” Her reply surprisingly simple. “It is….refreshing, in a way. I am pleased that you have a wider perspective than most mortals”

I felt her hand move up, lightly pressing against my head as she moved in for a kiss on her own accord. It was very welcomed as we share the passionate moment. My hands also moved, tracing the outline of her hips as I made my way down and felt the ample flesh of her butt. Giving it several good squeezes through her robes, our lips still locked.

“Pervert.” She mumbled, breaking out kiss. But I senses no hostility in her words, as if it was a means to settle her own spiking feelings. “How much longer do you intend to hold my rear?”

“As long as you let me.” I shot her a cheeky smile.

“….If you wish to do so more often, I will not object.”

And suddenly my pants feel just a tad bit tighter.

I made a promise to myself as I saw her slightly red face at my light touching. I was going to settle my house then I was going to take her fully. I was going to push her down and discover all the cute sounds she can make when we really get going.

Having her hand run through my hair sent a shiver down my back. The way she was being intimate, it was getting harder and harder to resist.

“I prefer your hair up like it was previously.” She stated.

I couldn’t help but sigh. It wasn’t as if her words were harmful, I also thought I looked better with my hari in a pony tail. “I lost my binding.” I muttered. “Scáthach gave it to me.”

“….Do you miss her?” She asked quietly.

“I do.” I did not wish to hide my feelings from her, even if they were for my other girls. “I miss her every day.”

“Did you not say you have a way to bring her back?”

“I do, but that will take some effort and I wished to come see you first.” I pushed my head down into her chest with a groan. “And I’m still angry. I’m pissed at what she had me do, emotionally blackmailed me into doing, but I can’t stop caring for her.”

“You chose to come see me before bringing back your other woman?” She seemed surprised at my statement.

“Do you think I don’t miss you when I’m away?” I gently poked her cheek. “I care for you just as much as them.” Well, sometimes being told the obvious was needed for it to settle in.

She made a cute sound, but didn’t otherwise respond. Instead, she reached out her hand into the void, grasping at something and pulling it through. “I believe this is what you lost.”

The little piece of cloth that Scathach gave me. I happily took it, giving her a smile as I did my hair up as I always did. “How does it look?”

“Acceptable.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle, my hands taking hers again. “You’re too good to me.”

“Yes, and do not forget it.”

“Cute.” I squeezed her hands.

“No one else would ever dare call me ‘cute’ as flippantly as you do.” She huffed. “If it was anyone else I would be very upset.”

“It’s my privilege as your man.”

“So, it is.” She didn’t refute, accepting my words. “Are you aware that Artoria and Rin had left that college of yours?”

“I am, she sent me a message.” I took out my phone to give her a look. “It’s a device used for long distance communications. The origin is mundane in nature, but Rin was working on making it possible to use over world-lines in real time. I was going to have her commission a few more so you could contact me and vice versa.”

Meridia tilt her head, examining the device that must have been very strange in her eyes. “It reminds me of the of some contraptions those Dwenmer created.” She hummed. “And you said that Rin Tohsoka was the one who created this device, that she could make more?”

“Yes…is it something you want?”

“Indeed.” She said without hesitation. “I shall see about procuring one myself, I am sure I can provide sufficient payment.”

Did she want to reach out without my intervention? Was she trying to establish a sort of relationship with the people in my life? The thought made my heart beat a little bit faster. “Would it be possible to keep an eye on them while they’re out and about?”

“Do you fear for their safety? From what I had spoken with Artoria about, she is very strong, relatively speaking. Not many things can harm her outside of…..things like me. I dare say that even Alduin would be surprised if he tried to attack her without proper planning.”

“I’ll always fear for their safety. But, I just want to make sure no one outside interferes, if possible. My biggest fear is that someone like Molag Bal taking an interest.”

She tensed at the mention of his name, a scowl on her face. “If he attempts to touch them, I will personally disabuse him of that notion.”

“I would also express my…displeasure.” While I knew I would not be a match for him in his realm, I was sure I could make him suffer even if it cost me my life.

Seemingly wanting to change the subject, Meridia spoke up again. “What do you want to do now?” She asked. “if you wish to stay here…..I will not be annoyed for as long as you decide to remain.”

Why are you so cute?

“I have some errands I have to run.” I gave an apologetic smile, cupping her cheek. “I want to set up my house to connect over multiple worlds. Should I be successful, we won’t be too far apart for long periods of time.”

She blinked at that, processing what I said. “I will have to see what you wish to create.”

“I need to go speak with Jinn, she’s crucial for this part, then hop over to my birth world. I may take a day or so as I check in on my daughter, but otherwise I’m focusing on getting this finished.”

“Your daughter.” Meridia mumbled. “Would it be…..can I possibly meet her?”

“I’m sure Kunou would like to meet her Aunt Meridia.” I laughed, sweeping her up close again, much to her chagrin. I think the thought of Kunou calling her Auntie made her flush. “A glimpse into the future? I bet Kunou would love some siblings.” I whispered.

“D-don’t speak nonsense.” That had a critical effect on her. “I am incapable of producing with you.” She turned away in a huff.

“Are you sure about that? That there is no way, even outside of this universe that could provide the means?” I raised an eyebrow.

She paused at that, a flash of realization dawning on her. “Are you saying…..?”

“I can’t claim anything right now, but in the future…..if it’s possible, I always thought having a big family would be nice…..if you wouldn’t be against it, I don’t want to force anything on you.”

She had a look similar to the one when I first broke her world view with my origins. “ A child….me?”

Ah, I think she’s lost in her own thoughts. Perhaps it was wrong to tease her like this, even if I wasn’t sincere in my thoughts. “Meridia, thoughts for later.” I pulled on her gently, snapping her from her thoughts.

“Right.” She nodded. “We can discuss this later.” She agreed, apparently pushing down those feelings she was having moment prior. “Go, deal with your chores. I shall await your return to inspect whatever it is you wish to accomplish.”

I pulled her hand up and gave it a light kiss. “I’ll be back soon.”

“Leave.” She huffed.

“Oh, are you kicking me out?” I laughed, opening a portal to the college.

She pursed her lips, kicking me through like last time.

“I will be upset if you dillydally for too long.” Her words reached me as the surroundings of her realm changed to that of snow and mountains.

I stood up, the snow cushioning my fall right outside the college gates. “That woman.” I couldn’t help but smile. She really knew how to make my heart flutter.

Walking through the nostalgic halls, the fact that the Archmage didn’t pop over was probably a good thing. Not that I didn’t enjoy his company, but there was probably no pressing concerns he needed to speak to me about.

I paused, seeing a familiar face sitting on a bench in the courtyard, spellbook in one hand, apple in the other. He looked up in surprise and greeted me with a smile. “My friend, it has been awhile.”

“Enthir, it’s been too long.” I replied with a polite greeting. We weren’t ‘friends’ but we were friendly. “What’s the word on the street?” I sat down next to him.

“Word on the street?” He repeated, an amused smile on his face. “Interesting phrasing. I have heard some particuarlly noteworthy rumors as of late.”

“Rumors, huh?” I could read between the lines. He’s telling me he has some hot info for sale. “And what are the basis of these rumors?” Basically I was asking what they were about without details for now.

“Something about Nightingales, Thalmor appearing in droves, and the Dragonborn over in Whiterun.” He gave me a brief overview.

I tapped my chin. He clearly hasn’t received word of my involvement yet. I guess messages are a little slowed due to the situation around the provenance right now. “Tell me of the Thalmor.”

“The Thalmor” .Even Enthir had to stop himself from scowling. “The Thalmor have supposedly been reported approaching every Jarl that still sides with the Empire. Even my….ears are having trouble getting the details. But so far, only Jarl Balgruuf had been seen kicking the emissaries out of his territory.”

“Interesting. Any idea why?”

“Well, I may have heard they suggested something about taking the Dragonborn ‘under their wing’, in less polite words.”

Yeah, that would do it. What worries me is the fact that the Thalmor are out in force in about half of Skyrim. Something to look out for.

“And these Nightingales?” I only new the vaguest information, but they were associated with a Daedric Lord, so I wanted to know a bit more just in case.

“Curious lot. Not much is known beyond legends, but reports of individuals that match the descriptions have been seen in the towns that used to be near Riften.”

“Nightingales, champions of Nocturnal, the patron of thieves, and they appeared near the remains of the thieves guild. What a coincidence.” I deadpanned.

“Quite.” He seemed just as amused.

“Anything to be worried about?”

“They seem to be going after high value targets, stealing from the rich who can afford the loss, and making it very public to boost their reputation.”

“That’s some interesting insight for mere ‘rumors’. Almost as if you were intentionally spreading them.” I still remembered how he apparently got in contact with the Thieves Guild so easily last time.

“Oh, I’m but a humble purveyor of goods.”

“Of questionable origin.”

He laughed, not even shying away from my insinuation. “Any other information you wisht to obtain, or perhaps any good you want?”

“Well, I had some thoughts, but with the situation around skyrim, I don’t know if it’s feasible when supplies are being routed to protect towns and cities.”

Enthir let out a small sigh. “Even I gave up a large portion of my supply to help the effort around Skyrim. Stores of weapons and armor are pointless if Skyrim is burned down in dragon fire.”

“Well, I guess it couldn’t hurt to ask.” I shrugged. “I’m looking for two things. First, I want staves, magical obviously, but a very specific kind.”

“Powerful Staves are hard to come by, mages guard them jealously.” He pointed out.

“Well, I’m not looking for the powerful variant, atleast what you’re assuming.” I corrected. “I want the ones that are imbued with singular spells opposed to enhancing a mage’s magics.”

There are basically two types of staves here. Ones that act as magical foci, like the Staff of Magnus and enhance your spells by existing and being used. And ones that are imbued with a singular spell, like say a fireball. To be cast without dipping into your own magical power, and can be recharged with a soul stone. They are….not as popular as the first iteration, but they have a purpose, mostly for novices when they’re out adventuring.

“An interesting request. Such a thing can usually be picked up in any kind of general store, why are you coming to me?” He seemed confused.

“I want them in large quantities. All of them atleast imbued with a mid-level spell, with no upper limit on quality from there. As many as you can get.” I thought it over. “I guess I’m adding a third thing to the list, I’ll need soul stones, but they aren’t a priority right now, especially with the supply issues in these times.”

“The staves are feesbile, if an odd request. But, yes, soul stones are in short supply with trying to arm every hand in Skyrim with some enchanted steel.” He nodded at my statement. “What was the last thing you required?”

“Similar to the staves, I want Magic Scrolls.”

“Curious.” He tapped his cheek. “Magic Scrolls are not very popular. They are generally more powerful than the staff variant even if they serve the same purpose. Not to mention they are rather expensive in comparison, and they require a slit bit of magicka to invoke, making them not very popular outside of mages even more. I have quite a few strong ones stored, and I know how to acquire more, but they will not be cheap.”

“Get them all.” I said without a second thought.

“Well, I do like to hear those words.” He smiled brightly.

“I’m sure.” I snorted, a small smile formed on my face as well. “What do I owe you for the information?”

“Well, I wouldn’t mind forgoing it, a friends discount.” He looked at me expectantly.

“Hmm, and what does my ‘friend’ want to know?”

“Why, as your friend, I know nothing about you. Would you be as kind as to tell me about yourself?”

“Really, am I a hot topic right now?”

“Hot topic? What ever do you mean, Red Dragon Emperor.” He deadpanned.

I rolled my eyes at his comment. I though it over, deciding on what to basically reveal to the world. “The dragonborn recently acquired a new weapon. Supposedly it is very attuned for killing dragons, one could say it’s their natural enemy, courtesy of his friend.”

“Now, that is particularly interesting.” Enthir grinned. “I’m sure many people would be enticed by where such a weapon could be procured in these troubling times.”

It was going to be revealed eventually, may as well benefit from it, and I would rather people focus on me than Thorum.

“I think that should be sufficient?”

“Certainly.” He nodded.

“Stay safe, Enthir, it’s crazy out there right now.” I pat him on the shoulder, getting up from my seat. I had plans, most importantly was to make sure my home was going to be extremely well defended, especially of my Jinn was going to be looking after it.

There were a few more faces I saw, but none I was really on good terms with, merely sharing a word or two with in the past. I didn’t see Tolfdir anywhere, but the Archmage said he was in good health, I could only assume he was busy with important matters.

The spiral staircase leading up to the library was the same as I remembered, and the doors to the grand room were pushed open with haste. I was greeted at the beautiful sight of books upon books all around me.

Urag looked up from behind his desk, giving me a grunt of acknowledgement, before ignoring my existence.

A few books floating around in the corner told me where I needed to go. I happily eyed my beautiful genie in the corner, sorting books at an impressive speed.

I didn’t manage to sneak up on her, as I got close she saw me out of the corner of her eye, but I wrapped her up all the same. “Miss me?” I kissed her cheek.

“Wilhelm~” She giggled, letting go of the books in her hands.

“How’ve you been?” I put my chin on her shoulder.

“Amazing!” She beamed. “This is so wonderful, so many books and I can read them all whenever I want!”

Seeing her so excited really set me at ease. “Good, as long as you’re happy.” I had to resist the urge to nom her ear again, the way they twitched at her excitement was too adorable.

“Did you need me for something.” Her expression turned sultry. “Or do you ‘need’ me?”

Soon, I’ll make you regret those words when you can’t walk under your own strength.

“I was going to set up my house, it’s finally time to get that sorted.”

“Oh…” She looked depressed, and I think she was misunderstanding this.

“Hey, hey.” I booped her nose. “None of that, you aren’t going to be confined anywhere, no will your ‘life’ change. I had the calculations going already, you just need to go spend about 8 hours every three days there to keep it all up and running, otherwise you can take the Lamp with you whenever you want to go somewhere.” I did take her life into consideration. I was going to finagle something to support the place on a temporary measure when she wasn’t around. The Lamp acting like a battery that reaffirmed the anchors when she came back, and charged them up which would take about 8 hours since I knew she couldn’t move too far away from her lamp.

“That’s it?”

“That’s all.” I nodded.

“…promise?” She asked very quietly.

“I promise.” I reassured her. Maybe the thought of having her hopes dashed at this point made her a little hesitant. “Why don’t I show you where I was born.” I offered. “We can even go meet my daughter.”

Among a few other errands. I wanted a large amount of Talisman making supplies to go along with the Staves and Scroll I was purchasing.

She perked up at that. “I get to see where you were born?” She seemed genuinely enthused.

“Yup, and once I get everything done, you can visit over there whenever you want.”

“Let’s go!” She happily fidgeted in my arms.

“Ahem.” A gruff voice grabbed our attention. Both Jinn and I turned around to see who was there.

“Uh…..sorry for being loud?” I offered the stern looking orc as he looked very unamused by our noise.

He narrowed his eyes. “Are you leaving?” He asked, though I think the question was directed towards Jinn.

“I am.” Jinn just nodded.

“Hmm, did you finish organizing the history books about the founding of the empire?”

“In alphabetical order, with an emphasis on partiality”

“The Enchanting tomes?”

“Done.”

“Fire Destruction spells?”

“Done, and I already started on the Ice ones as well.” Jinn said smugly.

Urug just grunted, turning his attention back to me. “If anything happens to her, I’ll snap you like a twig.” He threatened before walking away.

I just blinked, looking at Jinn. “Did you get adopted?” He felt like a protective father.

“Maybe?” She seemed bewildered as well.