I, Draugr Chapter 16 (Patreon)

"Leo, you okay?" I snap myself out of the emotional shock of having Paarthurnax himself give me a disappointed look to gaze at Aurelia's beautiful and worried face.

My gaze remains on her face for a short second before I shake my head, "Yeah, just didn't expect for the big guy to appear before us." I hum, dusting off my robes before resting the bottom of my staff on the ground.

Why is Paarthurnax even here?

I'm not complaining, for he probably saved my bony ass by stopping the guy from unleashing that horrifying Shout that had more than four fucking words.

I could have maybe taken him by putting all of my reserves into my Arcane Cannon and mixed it with a 'Fus' Chant… But that all depends on what the Shout would have done.

Aurelia pulls back, looking still very worried and on guard, her gaze drifting towards the colossal Dragon we were fighting now looking very… placated.

He seemed grumpy, but also very respectful towards Paarthurnax.

"Is he a foe?" She asks softly, and relaxes a bit when I shake my head.

"He is the leader and teacher of the Graybeards." I reveal to her, enjoying her cute shocked face as Hildr slowly approaches us while protectively holding Gretel close to her.

"A Dragon is the teacher of the Graybeards?!" The pretty Dragonborn repeats, absolutely shocked and gaping at me with wide eyes.

"Who could be a better teacher for the Voice than a Dragon himself?" I shrug, amusement filling my voice as I speak, "Plus, he is the Dragon that helped us win back during the Merethic Era."

My words evoke a gentle yet powerful chuckle from the ancient Dragon, "It was the fiery determination and perseverance of the mortal races that achieved victory back then. I simply lit up a spark within them."

Heh, cool and humble. Parthubro just gets better and better. "Accept the damn compliment, ya overgrown lizard." Parthurnax chuckles again while Aurelia throws me a dangerous look.

"Leo, don't insult the very powerful Dragon, please."

"I have autism!" Is my very smart and instant reply to her with a very stupid tone of voice.

Aurelia groans loudly and drops her face in her hands, "Lord Arkay, please give me strength…"

"I mean, the motherfucker blessed me, so…" I shrug, "Ain't he just enjoying me torturing you?"

Aurelia's whine grows louder and more desperate, "Why, Lord Arkay… Why!?"

Shits and giggles, I presume. Being a God must be hella boring if you aren't Sheoggorath.

"You're a special kind of weird and stupid, huh?" Hildr drily voices her thoughts as she eyes me with her lone eye before turning her gaze towards Aurelia, "How do you handle this moron?"

"I don't."

"...Wow."

I cackle at the two ladies before quickly calming down and turning my gaze towards the clearly amused Paarthurnax, "So, might I ask what bought you here, Parthubro?"

"...Parthubro?" The Dragon now looks confused at his wondrous new name.

"Paarthurnax and brother put together. Paarthubro." I nod sagely with hands on my bony hips while Hildr just gapes at me and Aurelia looks like she just wants to die on the spot.

Hilariously enough, Paarthurnax actually brings a claw to his chin as if he was thinking about it.

Then the quiet enormous Dragon speaks up, "...It does sound nice, brother." Oh my fucking God…

I shall spread the glory of Paarthubro everywhere!

Paarthurnax hums, then nods, "I quite like the sound of it." Fuck yeah! "And to answer your question, my Undead friend-"

"Undead!?" Hildr shrieks.

I ignore her while Aurelia winches.

"-I have come here to request our Dragonborn friend here-" Aurelia perks up and turns towards Paarthurnax, "-to come to High Hrothgar as soon as possible, for her training in the way of the Voice."

I hum and cross my arms while Aurelia looks at me for advice, which would warm my heart if I even had one, "Apologies if we weren't really eager to make the journey when the senile old fools announced Aurelia's presence to the whole of fucking Tamriel."

Paarthurnax winches slightly at my words, but I keep going, "They basically gave all the Dragons a location they can watch to ambush us. I can bet my ribs that there are several Dragons already there, laying in wait."

At that, Paarthurnax looks away, and I sniff before shaking my head. "Because of them, making the journey would have been too dangerous back then."

The ancient Dragon hums softly, a powerful sound that shakes the very air around us, "Your worries are indeed fair. Some of my brethren are indeed laying in wait around the mountain." Fucking old bastards.

A visit to them could have been a large boost in Aurelia's strength, but nope, they turned their fucking mountain in the most protected place by just telling all the Dragons around the continent where the Dragonborn will go in the future.

Gods, I want to strangle those old fucks. I doubt they even called for the previous Dragonborns, but I guess back then there wasn't the pressing matter of the fucking World Eater.

I'm surprised those old fucks didn't hit the hay when the goddamn beast popped out right above their home.

Speaking of which… Did Paarthurnax throw hands with Alduin to send him off, or did Alduin just go straight for Aurelia due to sensing her?

"Is being trained in using the Voice really that important?" Aurelia finally speaks up, nervously looking towards the powerful Dragon that has the giant we were facing just quietly sit there in the back like a scolded child. "No offense, but I can just learn more by killing the Dragons that mean me harm."

Paarthurnax chuckles softly, "What you gain from that is how to use a Shout, and power." The Dragon chides softly, voice filled with wisdom, "The way you use the Voice right now is… forceful. You use the Voice as a weapon, and view it as such, and with that kind of view your Shouts will only grow stronger when you devour other Dragons."

"But if you were to meditate upon those Words… You will see that it is much more than a weapon."

Huh… So it's sort of like 'Understanding the Dao' from those Cultivation Novels, I guess?

"Basically, she'll be able to do more than just blast the effects of the Shout at full force." I assume, and Paarthurnax nods while Aurelia looks down in thought.

I guess that is indeed insanely useful. If she can learn to manipulate her Shouts and perhaps focus them in certain ways or forms or shapes like how Dragon's release a constant elemental breath, it could do wonders to her arsenal.

Especially since it can remove the fear she has of possibly hitting a friendly.

"Yeah, that could be useful…" Aurelia sighs out softly, "I don't want to accidentally hit you with a Shout, after all." Don't worry, I'll drive you to the point where you'll want to hit me with one on purpose.

It is the destiny of the Dragonborn partner to be Shouted off a mountain.

"I extend mine invitation towards you too, brother." Paarthurnax turns his head to regard the titanic Dragon quietly just sitting in the background.

"I do not enjoy change, Paarthurnax." The injured Dragon seemingly grumbles out.

Paarthurnax shakes his head with a sigh towards him, "I am not asking you to change. I am asking you to understand."

"We are timeless beings, but the world around us is not." Paarthurnax's gaze roves around the ruined landscape, "This was your home, where you were worshiped alongside Father's statue…"

"They mourned you, as you are mourning them now."

Oh…

So here, in the far past, there used to be probably a large city or even a kingdom that worshiped this Dragon and loved him dearly, and he loved them back just as much.

Then something clearly happened that ended with his death… And through time, his previous home just faded away.

I guess that explains why he is suicidal. Imagine being brought back to life as a pawn, and the place you used to call home is now completely gone.

All of it. People and buildings alike.

I dare not imagine the pain he felt when realization struck.

I sigh deeply, then shake my head. "Hey." I call out, making the giant Dragon turn to regard me with a sharp gaze, "I apologize for my earlier words… But don't go throwing your life away. I doubt that's what those people would want you to do."

His gaze remains on my form for several seconds before he bows his head, "I shall follow you, Paarthurnax."

I can see the relief and happiness in the way Paarthurnax's wings flutter lightly, "I am overjoyed to hear that, brother." He bows his head back, before turning his gaze towards Aurelia, "And I shall eagerly await your visit in the future. Until then, please do take care."

Paarthurnax spreads his wings with those parting words, but halts when the titanic Dragon moves to approach us, his steps causing the earth to tremble.

"A parting gift, for the challenge and fight." The Dragon rumbles out as he lowers his head, then releases a whisper towards the earth.

The ground cracks and splinters, forming large and massive words radiating heat and power, a radiant white-orange glow emanating from them.

Slowly, Aurelia approaches the massive words etched into the earth, "Gol… Golz… Bah…" She whispers as she reads through them, "Earth, Stone, Wrath…"

I tilt my head in thought, "That's not the same Shout you were going to use against me." I point out as the titanic Dragon straightens himself.

His wings flutter, then slowly spread wide open, seemingly having completely healed somehow without me noticing. "She cannot handle that Shouts full might with her current power. In the future, maybe…" His words still, leaving the meaning hanging in the air.

I guess that the answer should've been obvious. That Shout was different, and perhaps the might behind it was dozens of times greater than the one he just gifted to Aurelia.

The glowing cracks into the earth slowly fade away as the last of the wisps of energy are absorbed by Aurelia, who releases a shaky breath and shakes her head.

Slowly, her gaze rises up to stare at the Dragon that gave her the gift, "Thank you." She states sincerely, earning a low bow of the head from the Dragon. "What… What's your name?"

His form stills, and his head turns to stare at where his home used to be. "I do not have one." He whispers softly, head turning away, followed by his wings spreading wide, "Not anymore."

With a powerful flap of wings, the gargantuan beast takes to the skies. Paarthurnax gazes at his form for a few short seconds before bowing his head towards us in one last salute, then following suit.

Then, as the two Dragons disappear into the darkness of the night, the tension hanging around us just… fades away.

Aurelia, Hildr and Gretel all release a deep breath and sag their shoulders in relief, "My apologies for not being of much help." Hildr apologizes softly, but I wave her off.

"Your Familiar was amazing, and I'm sure it could have killed a weaker Dragon with ease. It just got a bad opponent this time." Because of course fighting a titanic Dragon is a shitty match-up.

Despite the grumpiness she usually shows, Hildr throws a light smile my way… Before frowning, "What the fuck did the Dragon mean when he called you an Undead?"

I pause, then shrug, "Might as well give Gretel some nightmares." I state aloud before just removing the leather helmet covering my head.

Hildr gapes at me and shudders back in horror and shock, while Gretel just… sniffs and looks unimpressed.

"I expected a reaction of horror, not… that." This kid is something else.

Gretel sniffs at me once more, "I've seen me granny naked. Trust me, there ain't nothin' worse than that."

…

"I am so sorry that happened to you." Even Hildr looks green in the face, having probably seen such a horrifying thing herself.

Aurelia just shudders with a disgusted face.

Who knew that a naked grandma is far more horrifying than the rotten face of an Undead being...

"Still… What the fuck happened to you?" Hildr asks softly, "You don't strike me as the Necromancer sort."

I snort, "If I was, miss Paladin of Arkay over here would have killed me already." Aurelia pouts my way, not knowing that I very much cherish our amusing first encounter in Bleak Falls Barrow.

"As for what happened to me… I dunno, honestly." I shrug again, "It is rather vexatious, being Undead, but it could've been worse."

"Worse how?"

"I could've been Sheoggorath." Aurelia pales and whimpers, "Truly, this world would not have survived five seconds with me as Sheoggorath."

All the glorious madness and bullshit I would have unleashed upon Tamriel just for shits and giggles… What a wasted opportunity.

"You're weird." Gretel helpfully points out something everyone already knows, "You can't just become Sheoggorath."

"...Oh you sweet Summer child."

Gretel frowns, "What?"

"If I was a certain Hero of the Third Era, I could've certainly become Sheoggorath." Gretel and Hildr just frown in confusion while Aurelia stills, giving me a serious and nearly desperate look.

"Leo…" She starts, "What do you mean by that?"

I hum and rest my hands on my hips, "You know the Hero of Kvatch?" I start, and she slowly nods.

"The Hero of the Oblivion Crisis and the Auroran Crisis, yes." Hildr speaks up, "I doubt there's many that do not know about that legend."

I nod, "Well… He is the current Sheoggorath."

Silence.

"Bullshit." I gasp at Aurelia's curse, never having expected my beautiful Dragonborn to utter such a word out of nowhere!

"It does sound like bullshit, yeah?" I chuckle, knowing that most of the Elder Scrolls lore is massive bullshit and insanity.

Hildr is just gaping my way while Aurelia is flicking through emotions like a gust of wind blowing the pages of a book. "Leo… This is just…"

"I know, it's absurd, but you underestimate how powerful Daedric Princes are." I point out, "If they want to, they can elevate someone else to a status of Godhood."

The current Sheoggorath might not be as powerful as all the other Daedric Princes, but I doubt that's what gives the other Daedric Princes headaches when it comes to him.

It's the sheer unpredictability about his actions. He could fuck over all of existence for shits and giggle with the snap of a finger and the other Daedric Princes wouldn't realize it until it might be too late.

"How do you even know this stuff?" Hildr asks in utter shock, confusion and disbelief. Aurelia falls quiet and pensive as the red haired woman asks her question, "That was over an Era ago, and all records about the Hero of Kvatch end with him walking through a portal and disappearing. That's it."

The portal that led him to Sheoggorath's Shivering Isles, so to help him with the Greymarch.

"I had one too many beers and got way too into the lore videos." That was a wild fucking night.

Pretty sure that by the end of it I could see sound and hear colors and was on a near comatose state.

My head was gone after all those long videos.

"The hell does that even mean…" Hildr palms her face, already driven to exasperation by my mere existence.

"That's how he was rewarded?" Aurelia suddenly asks, voice soft and eyes downcast, "A Hero of the people, of an Empire… He was rewarded by becoming an insane God?"

I sigh softly, as I can guess the thoughts going through her head right now.

"Sometimes, you don't get to choose the reward for your hard work." I tell her, making her gaze at me with her gentle and beautiful eyes, "Sometimes, all you can do is just pat yourself on the back for a job well done, and keep on going."

"Other times, you can just smile and nod at your finished work." Slowly, almost hesitantly, I reach over to grasp one of her hands in mine. Wish I could feel the touch, though. "And sometimes, you don't get to choose if you'll have a happy ending or not."

The Hero of Kvatch might not have had a choice in becoming the new Sheoggorath, but I can only hope that he is enjoying his new life and powers.

At the detriment of the other Daedric Princes and Divines, of course.

"There are many things you don't get to choose." Hildr speaks up, giving Aurelia a gentle and comforting look, "I myself was born with… What many would consider a blessing, but was a curse for me."

"I couldn't control it, and had no choice in bearing it… And it ended up with me tearing our parents apart shortly after Gretel's birth." Hildr sighs, accepting the tight hug from her shorter and younger sister.

"But… You get to choose how you live." She states, "And I believe that is more than enough."

Aurelia takes a deep and long breath, then nods in agreement at Hildr's gentle words, "You're right." She sighs out, "I apologize for bringing down the mood."

I give her hand a squeeze, bringing a smile on her wonderful face.

"You worry too much." I shrug, "It could've been worse."

One of her eyebrows goes up, "Worse how?"

I hum, then shrug again. "I dunno."

Crack.

The sound of the earth crunching beneath feet rings out from behind me, followed by my body stumbling as a long dagger stabs clear through my chest.

Huh, fancy.

"Like this!" I joyfully say as I tap the dagger skewering me from behind, Aurelia and the two sisters gaping at me in shock and surprise "I could get stabbed!"

And as I say that, I turn my head to show my Undead face hidden beneath my hood to gaze at the surprised Argonian man that is now slowly becoming visible.

Peculiar. Do different Argonians have the capabilities of chameleons? Or is it a Spell?

Still- "Too bad it don't work on me, pal." And just to make the fucker experience further horror, I open my jaws and use my magic through them.

The Argonian man screams and squeals as a rush of glacial, stabbing winds flows out of my mouth and straight into his face, his hands releasing the handle of the dagger he used to stab me to try and protect himself.

Though that is very useless, as his forearms are swiftly frozen and shattered into ice cubes from how cold my Frost Magic is.

A shout from Gretel makes me halt my nightmarish punishment upon… Is he even one of the guys that I beat the fuck out of within the Falkreath?

I dunno, some Argonians just all look way too alike.

...That's racist.

I turn my head, ignoring the whimpering and near-frozen to death Argonian at my feet to look towards the girls.

A roar from the flaming Familiar of Hildr's shakes the valley, though the beast is barely a third of the size of when we fought the Dragon.

Still, it stood tall enough to manhandle two Argonians and stomp on a third one like he was an ant, the other two struggling and screaming in his flaming grasp as Hildr murderously glares at them.

Aurelia instead is just waving her head with an annoyed frown, an Argonian with a caved in skull laying at her feet.

Well, he's fucking dead for sure.

"Seems like they really did come for us for revenge." I drawl out, hands on my hips as I stare down at the hole in my robes.

The stab broke some of my bones, but now I can feel a… sap in my Magicka reserves.

It seems I can repair my body by simply spending Magicka, huh? That is good to know.

Guess I can rip off my arm and beat a motherfucker with it one of these days!

"Your idiocy came in hand this time, Leo." Aurelia praises, a light smile on her lips.

I huff at her, "What do you mean by 'this time'?" She flushes and looks away, refusing to bring up the other times my idiocy has been very useful.

Like during our first meeting and killing the final boss of Bleak Falls Barrow, or me blowing a Dragon's back out.

This woman does not appreciate my idiocy, I swear!

With a sniff, I crouch down and grab the ankle of the Argonian I nearly froze to that in a very horrifying way just for shits and giggles, then drag him towards Hildr and Gretel.

"At least they saved us the waste of time of going after them…" I muse as Gretel cackles and kicks the frozen Argonian between the legs. The proceeds to full body jump and stomp upon that sacred and weak spot with a cackle of utter insanity.

I let her have it as Aurelia approaches my side, dragging the corpse of the poor fucker that tried to attack her but only ended up with his brain turned into slurry and pushed out of his nostrils. "How do we even contact Hircine now?"

"There is no need for that." With a gentle flap of wings, a black crow slowly lands down on the trembling frozen body of the Argonian that ambushed me.

Glowing red eyes cruelly regard the Argonian man, then his group, with a cruel satisfaction that promises endless pain and torment. "Finally, you filthy things have ended biting more than you could chew." Craning his head, the crow turns to regard me with visible gratitude in those glowing orbs.

"You have my thanks, Leonidas. Dragonborn." Then, his gaze moves to the very quiet Hildr and Gretel. Gretel is excited and just waves with a happy smile as the crow regards her, while Hildr is nervous and holding her close, "And you too, children of mine."

Huh, guess Hircine regards those with Lycanthropy as his children. That's kinda cute, I guess?

"Make those fuckers suffer!" Gretel cries out, wide grin on her lips as she punches the air, earning a deep rumbling chuckle from the crow.

"That I shall do, little puppy."

"I'm not a puppy!"

Hircine just ignores her and turns his gaze back towards me, "As promised, your reward." A rift opens in the air next to him, showing a green valley of hills and trees beyond, yet the majority of the sight is blocked by a towering figure that steps through the rift.

An enormous Minotaur, nearing four meters in height and with muscular arms bigger than my body, clad in heavy fur armor and with a massive war-ax rested over his shoulders.

Once through, the Minotaur slams down on one knee and bows his head towards me, "You have my thanks for assisting Lord Hircine with hunting down these deplorable fools, Sir Leonidas." The tall monster speaks, voice deep and regal, before he stretches a large hand towards me.

In it lay a sort of necklace made out of bones, with a yellow eyeball attached at it's end. "Use this Artifact to call upon my strength whenever you need it. I shall gladly accept any challenges, and be your weapon at any time." Damn…

This dude does look like he could kick some serious fucking ass. Having him around is a big boost to our strength.

I take the offered necklace Artifact with a hum, "What's your name, big guy?" I ask, offering him a hand.

He takes it and shakes it as he stands, "Marius the Hunter. At your service." Yeah, he'll surely be insanely useful to have.

Nodding in satisfaction, Hircine turns his head towards Aurelia, "For your assistance, I'll grant you the Saviour's Hide… But the usual one would be far too weak for the likes of you." He hums, then his glowing gaze moves towards the group of Argonians laying below and around him.

"How about I forge a new one out of their scales and Enchant it for you?" He finally offers, surprising me greatly.

He clearly values Gretel a great deal, since he is being so generous with our rewards.

Aurelia's eyes sparkle, uncaring of the fact that she'd be wearing the scales of dead Argonians, "That will suffice. You have my thanks."

Hircine snorts, "No, you have mine." Finally, his gaze softens and moves to Hildr and Gretel.

He remains quiet for a few seconds before his powerful voice once more echoes out from the bird's body, "You have no need to fear me, child." He whispers gently, clearly speaking to Hildr, who lowers her gaze, "Your blessing is strong… Too strong for you to control, it seems."

He sighs softly, "If you wish for it, I shall take it back." He makes his offer, and Gretel throws a worried look up at her sister.

Hildr remains quiet, biting down on her lower lip for several seconds before she finally sighs and sags her shoulders, "I will keep worshiping you, even without it." Hircine stills, then chuckles happily.

"Then, allow me to grant you something else as I take away my blessing." His gaze strays to the flaming demonic Familiar, "I'll give your friend here a boon." With a flick of his wing, the Familiar disperses into a gust of embers, and Hildr gasps and straightens herself.

Before smiling brightly, something that brings out her cool beauty, "Thank you, Lord Hircine." She whispers softly and warmly.

Then Gretel cuts in, "What about me?!" She pouts, earning a hearty chuckle from the Daedric Prince and a bonk on the head from Hildr.

With a hum, Hircine gazes down at the trembling and terrified Argonians, "How about you decide their punishment then?" Gretel's gaze instantly lights up with the cruel brilliance of a thousand Suns.

With a cruel and furious grin, she bares her teeth down at the bastards that clearly wanted to hunt her down, "Stuff them into rabbits, set them free in your plane, and have them be hunted and feasted on for eternity."

...Jesus Christ.

"And that is why you are my favorite, little puppy." Hircine chuckles, his words earning an indignant squawk from the young girl before he waves his wing once more.

Instantly, howls and squeals of agony fill the air together with the sound of flesh being torn apart, and scales being slowly ripped off their bodies in the most violent and painful manner.

I don't flinch at the sight, but instead quite enjoy it, knowing that filth like them deserved every last bit of this pain.

"Now I feel bad for killing one of them…" I hear Aurelia muse from beside me, clearly of the same mind.

Slowly, their blood, flesh, scales and even their bones are gathered together and turned into a suit of compact blackish-green armor.

The set of armor, divided into helm, gauntlets, pants, boots and chestplate, now glistens brightly and slowly floats down and over to Aurelia, who quickly gathers it up and folds it neatly.

"Wearing it fully shall grant you night vision, enhance your senses, and greatly boost your speed and strength." Hircine reveals the quite shocking Enchantments he stuffed into the Daedric Artifact now in Aurelia's hands, whose eyes now sparkle with delight.

"If you need anything else in the future, we're always open for requests." I tell the Daedric Prince with a thumbs up, earning a strange gaze from him.

"I'll keep that in mind, but I'd rather not test Sheoggorath any further." That bad, huh? "He currently has Molag Bal in a chokehold."

That's my fucking guy!

As I cackle at the mental image, Hircine turns towards the two sisters, "Do take care, children. Remember that I always listen to your prayers and offerings." And with those gentle and warm parting words, the Bird just disappears into thin air, leaving us behind into the quiet of the night.

I turn my head towards the towering form of Marius, "You can go back to join hunting down those bastards." The Minotaur bows with a feral grin before stepping back, his form rippling and fading away into nothing as he returns to Hircine's plane of existence.

Grabbing the necklace, I set it around my neck with a hum, then sigh out a "Now what?" as I look towards the girls. Of course, I start putting on the leather helmet too, as it is best like that.

"Now you're gonna help me!" Gretel announces, sniffing and turning her nose up at us, small fists on her hips.

I blink and look at Aurelia, who is holding her new set of armor in her arms, then towards a slightly annoyed Hildr. "With what?"

With another sniff, Gretel jabs a finger towards her sister, "Convincing my Big Sister that she can go to the College of Winterhold!" I pause at that, while Hildr just sighs and shakes her head.

"Gretel, you know why I can't."

Stomping her foot angrily, the younger sister turns to glare at the older and taller woman, "You now won't lose control of your Lycanthropy as you do not have it anymore, so you are not a risk or danger anymore."

"Yes, but I cannot leave you." Hildr states heavily, stunning her little sister, "I just… I don't want to leave you here, in this boring and shitty place, while I enjoy myself at the College. Granny isn't… She's nearly fully gone, Gretel."

Slowly, Gretel slumps her shoulders with a small sigh, "She didn't even remember me this morning." She whispers softly, making me feel a slight pang of pity.

Old age is one hell of a nasty curse, especially if it brings memory loss problems or illnesses.

"Her worries are fair, Gretel." I chime in, earning a pout from the girl as I turn to regard Hildr, "Have you already tried entering the College, in case there is a test?"

Hildr shakes her head, "I received an invitation, many months ago. I really want to go, but again…" She nods towards Gretel, who looks on the verge tears for seemingly holding her sister back from doing what she enjoys.

The sight makes me ponder about a certain possibility, "What if you leave her with the Companions in Whiterun?" The sisters still, then turn to look at me in confusion, "Some of them have Lycanthropy too, so Gretel should feel right at home."

"Some of them have Lycanthropy?" Aurelia asks me, utterly surprised. Have I not mentioned this to her before?

"Yeah, like Aela." Aurelia blinks, then sniffs out a 'Huh…' before falling quiet.

Turning my gaze back towards the sisters, I notice that Gretel's eyes are now sparkling with excitement, "I can join the Companions?!" I never said join…

Hildr sighs with a fond smile on her face, then gives me a look, "She always wanted to grow up and join them." She reveals, much to my growing amusement, "Are they reliable?"

"Very much so." I instantly nod and quell her worries, "They are very loyal and open, and I'm sure they'll love Gretel." Farkas will for sure, the big dumb fool.

"I guess…" With a sigh, Hildr looks at her excited little sister and visibly starts to give in. "Fine." In the end, she gives up, and the high-pitched squeal from Gretel could have killed a Dragon.

"You're free to join us on our way back, though we'll be taking the long way around." I offer and inform Hildr, who perks up.

"How come?"

I jab my thumb towards Aurelia, "We'll be visiting around… four Dragon Mounds, I hopes of removing a few more Dragons from possibly coming back and becoming threats."

Hildr shudders at that. Her first Dragon encounter clearly wasn't with a weak one, or a small one.

We got a damn Juggernaut, goddamn…

"I'll take you up on that offer, then." With a smile, Hildr nods and grabs Gretel's hand in her own, earning a smile from Aurelia.

Though, why is her smile shaky?

"Now, I won't be the only one to suffer under him…" Aurelia laughs, as if relieved.

Hildr blinks.

Her lone eye slowly moves towards me.

Then, very slowly, she pales.

"Actually, I think it's best we go on our separate-"

"Too late."

More victims!

Yay!

                                                                           xxxXXXxxx

"A letter from the College of Winterhold?" The Jarl Balgruuf blinks at the offered letter in Irileth's hand.

"Indeed." His faithful bodyguard and friend nods, voice cool and collected, "It seems it is for the Dragonborn's companion."

Ah, the peculiar Mage that had Farengar nearly pop a vein.

Staring at the symbol of the college upon the letter, Balgruuf hums momentarily before waving over a nearby guard. "Keep it safe for when our friends come back. Inform the guards at the gates to let me know of their return posthaste."

With a respectful bow, the guard collects the letter before hurriedly moving to fulfill his Jarl's order.

Nodding his head, Balgruuf turns to regard Irileth once more, "Any news from the guards on the walls?"

His Housecarl falls quiet for a short second before sighing, "Another Dragon sighting, near Shearpoint."

Balgruuf curses under his breath. This one is the third in a row now, all clearly different Dragons of different sizes.

So far, none of his lands have been attacked, and he has not heard from the other Holds of any attacks either, but this might as well be the calm before the storm.

"Have the Guard and the Companion know to be ready at all times, even at night. Have them sleep with swords and bows in hand, if we must." He hated to request help from the Companions, but he knew they would offer it without missing a beat. Only when it came to battle, of course.

"That shall be done." Irileth bows her head, then straightens herself, "Anything else, my Jarl?"

Cupping his bearded chin, Balgruuf thinks about it momentarily.

The college surely sent the letter as an invite for Leonidas, probably having received word of his unique Spell that wounded and killed a Dragon.

A Spell that should, for all intents, be a simple toy taught to kids.

That man is truly weird…

"Nothing comes to mind." He sighs out, then gives the woman before him a look, "Anything else for me to handle?"

"A request for a personal meeting, my Jarl." His Housecarl reveals, making him perk up, "By a woman named Delphine."

Delphine…

Balgruuf breathes in, already not liking this. Not one bit.

The dumb woman could bring the attention of the damn Thalmors to his city if she wasn't careful.

"Push back the meeting for another time, make an excuse." Balgruuf decides, too tired to want to deal with the woman at this hour.

He could tell what she wanted, and like hell he was going to help her with it and ruin his chances at keeping his city safe from Divine forsaken Dragons.

With a knowing smile, his housecarl bows, "As you wish, my Jarl-"

Then the skies tremble.

The very air vibrates with the wrath and fury of a God of Thunder.

A voice thunders across the valley;

                                                                 "STRUN-BAH-QO!"

The Firmament itself howls and wails.

The stars fade from view, replaced by ink-black clouds.

Followed by chains of lightning dancing across their surface, each one the size of a house.

Balgruuf slowly curses under his breath as he rushes out of Dragonsreach with Irileth in tow, gaze focusing upon the furious skies above… Until a bright light catches his eyes.

A sparkle of violet light that blooms into a blinding sphere, then unravels forth, descending down the mountain Balgruuf knows is Shearpoint.

Like a tidal wave, the violet light descends down and across the land, dissipating before reaching the walls of Whiterun… Yet, even through the thick darkness of the starless night...

The Jarl Balgruuf could still see the thousands of glowing blue eyes of Undead beings crawling out of the earth en masse.

"Gather the army." He whispers towards Irileth.

"Now!"

A.N. I've been apologizing a lot for the slow updates, but Summer is just evil.

I can't promise when the next chapter shall be out, but it should be soon? Hopefully.

Still, hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and thank you all for the constant support and bearing with me!

P.S. A possible 'I, Dragon' fic might be in the works.

Toodles!