Ancano steadily gets to his feet, a hand already channelling a healing spell to the side of his fractured skull. He felt like he'd just been kicked in the face by a giant, and felt like he was being glared at by a Daedric Prince when he looked over to the person responsible.
"You fucking cunt!" Michael growls as he marches over towards him, "Did you think I wouldn't hear about this stunt!? Did you think you could get away with it without consequences!?"
Ancano sends his best sneer at Michael, still healing his head, "No, I counted on it. You've just assaulted a member of the Thalmor and interfered in a sanctioned duel. I'm sure even a fool like you could understand what that means."
Michael continues walking towards him, "Yeah, it means I'm going to have to fuck up the Thalmor after I bury your body." he states, shocking Ancano as he grabs the mage's robes and lifts him off of the ground with one hand.
"Y-you wouldn't dare! You wouldn't push Skyrim and the Empire into another war just for this!?" Ancano frantically questions, while beginning to conjure spells... Only for his spells to peter out into nothing, the elf unable to conjure even the simplest cantrip.
"Michael! Let him go! You'll damn the College if you continue!" Faralda exclaims, though, doesn't approach the duo despite her words.
"W-what have you done to me!" Ancano exclaims as his magic fizzles every time he attempts to use it. He attempts to punch Michael, only for his limbs to be locked in place via Telekinesis.
Michael carries the elf over to where Megumin was being attended to, Collette using Restoration magic to heal her. "Apologise to her, or I'll tear you apart." he demands the elf.
Ancano grits his teeth, weighing his pride against his self-preservation... Despite all his talk about elf supremacy, he relents, glaring at Megumin while whispering, "I apologise!"
"Apprentice! That's enough! The apology should be enough! We'll leave matters be like this!" Savos says as he approaches the group with Saya, wishing to stop anything drastic from occurring.
Ancano shakes his head, regaining some confidence at the appearance of the Arch-Mage, "Leave matters be!? While he's still holding me like a slaughtered hen!? NEVER! The embassy will hear of this! The dominion won't suffer this slight!" he cackles, not noticing the sigh the Arch-Mage was letting out.
"Oh really? Then there's no point in letting you go then." Michael says, casting a Spatial Shatter at Ancano's arm, the spell tearing it completely from his body as the elf begins screaming in agony.
"MICHAEL! LET HIM GO! THE COLLEGE WILL NOT SUFFER FOR YOUR ANGER! Justified it may be! But there are ways to go about things that don't include slaughtering a dignitary in front of the entire College!" Savos shouts, using Michael's name to emphasize his point...
Michael shakes his head, "I've had enough of these stuck-up fucking elves traipsing around like they own the place! Skyrim is a free land! They have no right to claim importance here, even at the Empire's edict!" he states before turning to Ancano and preparing to Laguna Blade his face off...
*Thud!*
Michael abruptly flips upside down as his head collides with the floor, Ancano falling to the side in a pitiful lump. He looks up at Savos with a scowl.
"Just as the elves don't run Skyrim, you don't decide how things are done in MY College, Apprentice!" Tiffania and Illococoo come over and help Michael to his feet, standing beside him as he and the Arch-Mage lock eyes with one another.
"Are you really just gonna let this piece of shi-" Michael pauses as he looks over to where Ancano is... Or was. Finding the spot empty with a now fading light. "Where's he go!?"
"Looks like he teleported? Smashed a mirror and disappeared." one of the nearby Apprentices say.
...
"Now will you calm yourself? He is gone, but the trouble you've already caused the College is irreparable..." Savos says, palming his face as he goes over things in his min to decide what action to now take.
"You let him get away! For fuck sake! Are you really going to say he wouldn't deserve the death he was going to get!?"
Savos frowns, "That isn't the point! The point is-"
"Hey, is that him over there? He's running from-" an apprentice that was looking over the exit to the College starts but is interrupted...
"ExploooooOOoooosiioooonh!" Megumin shouts, slurring her words slightly as she does so.
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
A huge explosion occurs, one rivalling the one that'd shaken Skyrim months ago... And that was played off as something only Savos was capable of casting...
Everyone runs over to see the damage, all of them gaping as the smoke begins to clear. the bridge leading to the College had all but vanished, and a part of the land that'd connected the College to Winterhold had all but disappeared, with everything remaining looking like scorched glassy stone.
"Hehahahaha! I win! I ammm the victooor!" Megumin maniacally laughs at the destruction she'd just caused as everyone gapes at her.
"W-what of the Thalmor?" Savos manages to get out, asking one of the Apprentices that'd been watching the whole thing...
"Er, well... I imagine he's been scattered from here to Solstheim..."
...
Savos turns and glares at both Michael and Megumin, "Both of you will leave! You are expelled from this College! I will not have you stay another moment!" he declares.
Michael lets out a sigh, knowing that this was going to happen as soon as he heard of Ancano's actions. "How are we going to leave with the bridge collapsed?" he shrugs while gesturing down at the destruction.
...
"I WILL MAKE A WAY!"
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With that, Michael and Megumin were expelled from the College, forced to stand on a boulder of stone so the Arch-Mage could levitate across the abyss which the bridge had once been. Megumin was still too out of it to understand the severity of this, but in all honesty, Michael knew it was only a matter of time before something like this occurred.
Tiffania, Saya, and Maria were still members of the College, so Michael intended to use them to access the facilities through them if needed. In the meanwhile, he'd take Megumin and stay at the inn until his property is built.
As he was carrying the drunken girl to the inn, however, he's greeted by the small crowd of people that composed the entire town of Winterhold, all of them circling the scorched entrance of the College with looks of fear and surprise.
"Michael! What happened here?! Has the Arch-Mage finally decided to pull down the College!?" Korir, the Jarl of Winterhold asks, his eyes scanning the unreachable College entrance with a large amount of glee.
Michael hefts Megumin on his shoulders, "Er, we kinda blew up the bridge so, we got kicked out. We'll be staying in the inn for the meantime..."
...
"Hehahahahahahahahahaha! Hehahahahahahahaha!... Wait, you're serious?... Hehahahahahahaha!"(Imagine the J. Jonah Jameson laugh... Or search it?)
Michael shakes his head, deciding to take advantage of the Jarl's good mood to ingratiate himself more with the man. "Yeah, bridge couldn't handle it when we launched a spell at the Thalmor as he was running away."
...
"Y-you killed that Thalmor? And he was running away?" the Jarl presses, looking as if he'd faint from happiness.
Michael nods, deciding not to place the target on Megumin, "Yeah, beat him up, cut his arm off, was about to finish him off but he got away... He went with the bridge."
Korir gives a toothy grin, stepping forward and clapping him on his shoulder, "Then you've done Winterhold-no, Skyrim a service. " the man pauses before nodding to himself, "You know, I need more men like you, how would you like to be my Thane? I know you've already begun to build your residence." he points his thumb over his shoulder towards the mountain that already had stone steps built into it. "But I think being a Thane would suit you... You brought me the Helm of Winterhold already, that would've been enough... But killing a Thalmor?" he spits on the floor, "You've truly earned it."
...
A few of the townsfolk murmur to one another at this, excited to have Michael involved in the running of the town. As small as the place is, they hoped that he could bring the place back to it's old glory days.
Michael lets out a sigh, "I... I can't accept it..." he says, causing Korir to frown.
"Why? You'd receive an annual stipend, the honour to serve the people, the right to have a say in how Winterhold and Skyrim is run..."
"I just. Don't want the responsibility. If I want to help, I'll help, I don't want someone telling me I need to, or obligated to..." Michael trails off, finding it difficult to articulate his feelings. "Plus, making me Thane would put Winterhold first on the Thalmor's shit-list."
Korir scoffs, "You think any of us give a fuck what those scum think?"
Michael nods, "Not right now, but when they send bandits, the empire, even their own troops to raze this place? You will. Just leave things as is, Korir. I'll reconsider once the Thalmor is a none-threat. Deal?"
Korir huffs, "Fine. Deal. But we'll get back to this, eventually."
Michael smiles, "Right, I'll be taking this one to the inn, she fell headfirst into a barrel of ale if you know what I mean." he says, walking past the group and to the inn.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Sooo... What are we going to do now?" Saya asks as she and everyone else sit around a table in the Frozen Hearth inn in Winterhold.
Michael shrugs, taking a moment to snigger at Megumin silently sipping a flask of water while massaging her head, first time hangovers do that to you... "Nothing'll change for you guys, me and Megumin'll just have to find something to do until the tower is done. You guys can continue your studies as far as I'm concerned... Plus, you can borrow books from the Arcaenum for us if we need something."
"I'm not going to be your gofer..." Saya deadpans, "Just getting in and out of the College now is difficult enough..." she states, referring to the slippery frozen, ever swaying rope bridge that'd replaced the previous stone one...
Tiffania shakes her head and smiles at Michael and her familiar, "Don't worry, I'll help you with anything you need. I'm sure Urag wouldn't notice me slipping some book out through a Teleportation Gate... Just make sure to return them, otherwise I might get kicked out too."
"Thanks, love." Michael smiles.
"What's this mean for the two of you though...? You aren't going to teleport away every day for a 'quickie', are you?" Saya asks, causing Tiffania and Megumin to blush.
"Ain't nothing quick about it." Michael retorts while folding his arms, only making it worse. "Anyway, you guys should be wary, we're pretty well known in Skyrim so the Thalmor'll probably come knocking for you once they get word of Ancano's death. Be wary of any elf that approaches you, or is new to the College..."
"Are you going to..." Tiffania trails off, but everything gets her meaning regardless.
"Eventually, we'll see what happens, or if the Thalmor makes me move up my plans to remove them from Skyrim. By the way everything's going though, I might end up having to ally with the Stormcloaks..."
"Will the loyalists not help if you asked? We've helped most of the Jarls..." Tiff says.
"Most Holds wouldn't risk helping us. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens."
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