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22.1% A Nascent Kaleidoscope. / Chapter 130: Interlude 6

Chapter 130: Interlude 6

Interlude 6 Artoria POV

I walked the stone steps up to the library. It was still an odd thought, to have so much magical knowledge freely available.

I was not a Magus, nor would I ever describe myself as one, yet I could still appreciate the atmosphere this College created. There were many things reminiscent of the Clock Tower, yet this place felt much more alive even if it only had a fraction of the people walking the halls.

There were no blatant political schemes woven into every conversation, no attempts at subterfuge when someone walks around the wrong corner. While I would not say every person I've met here to be pleasing, they are leagues above the average Magus back home.

It was a pleasant experience.

Mayhaps, a small part of me considered learning a little bit of magic if this was what I had to look forward too. Such thoughts quickly died down, Merlin's lessons still haunt me to this day. I often thought about him, about the others in the past. I wonder, would they approve of how I now live my life? No crown upon my head, no gilded throne to elevate myself above the common folk. I simply was another person in the crowd.

But, I felt a happiness I could only vaguely recall from my childhood. Mayhaps It was not merely 'happiness' it was that I felt content, that I enjoyed my life and was free from those harsh burdens.

My duty to Rin still remained, yet I was almost free to do what I wished, to pursue any whimsy that came to the forefront of my mind. Well, most of my time was spent with Rin, she is my closest friend and some I trust absolutely. The Wizard Marshal has also been very welcoming and I feel comfortable in his presence. Not to mention I have recently made a new friend in Izanami, something I had never expected I would ever utter.

I couldn't help but furrow my brow when I recalled that I had yet to tell Wilhelm of my time with Izzy when he was away. Lord Zelretch being kind enough to allow me to visit her. She had been teaching me about all the wonderous technology of their era, something we would be discovering in a few decades.

Then, there is Wilhelm.

I could still feel my cheeks heat up and my heart beat a little faster when his face appears in my mind. That night we spent together, feeling of his gentle touch on my skin. The way he looked at me so hungrily still sends shudders down my spine. I do not know if I would have been able to resist him had he tried to be more assertive. But he never crossed the lines I did not wish to just yet, and this warmness in my chest still persists from that night.

The way he can just turn me into a stuttering foolish girl with but a few words. Yet, I look forward to it all the same.

Was this what Kay always spoke of, was this love?

I shook my head, dismissing the thought and doing my best to rid my cheeks of this pink tint. Pushing the nearby door open, I was welcomed with rows upon rows of bookshelves, filled to the brim and overflowing onto the tables and ground. Stacks and stacks books in every direction.

My eyes only wandered a moment before finding the target of my search. The very distinct blue colored skin of the women I was looking for.

"Artoria." Jinn happily greeted me, setting down several books in her hands.

"Hello, Jinn." I replied courteously. I was still unwholly sure of how to treat this woman. With Meridia, we had somewhat found a common ground to work from, but Jinn I still did not know much about. "How are you?"

She gave a big smile. "I'm doing great!" She lightly landed on her feet, having been floating slightly above the ground this whole time. I briefly admired her shoes and wondered where she acquired them. "How about you, what brings you up to my library?" Jinn took a seat at a nearby table, gesturing for me to join her.

I obliged, sliding onto the wooden chair. "I was running an errand for Rin and I wished to perhaps trade some words with you." I answered simply.

"Did I do something you don't like?" She looked at me, head tilt in confusion.

"No!" I quickly dissuaded her of that notion. Maybe I came off a little bit aggressive? "I merely wished, to speak with you." I held back a sigh, I was never proficient at this kind of lackadaisical conversation.

"This was a long time coming I guess. You wanted to know where I stand with regards to our shared interest?" She gave me a knowing smile, and I refrained from showing any bashfulness.

"It was a thought on my mind." I admitted. "I had a conversation with Meridia before, we were able to talk about how to handle being in a relationship with the same person. It was an…..interesting experience."

"Oh, the goddess, huh?" Jinn seemed interested at the notion. "What's she like?"

I mulled that over. I did not spend a long while in her presence, but I did not find anything about her particularly distasteful. "She was as one would expect a goddess to be." I had not met many divine spirits, but Merlin did give me teachings on them, and how to approach a conversation with one if I had ever been unlucky enough to garner their attention. But I doubt he ever foresaw this situation...unless he had and was laughing himself silly right now. "She was surprisingly polite." I noted. Not as an insult, but a being of her stature, I would assume she possessed a certain arrogance to her. "She was willing to speak to me as an equal in this regard."

While blunt with her questions and own wants, she did not come off as mean. I was merely attributing that to her 'personality'. Though, it was amusing to see her give similar reactions to me when Wilhelm teased her.

"Hmm…I wonder if I'll get the chance to meet her. Such an enigma, these foreign 'gods' how much they must know." Jinn seemed enthused by the idea.

"I would assume she will appear before you at some point. The only reason she departed so quickly before was that Wilhelm had some immediate business to attend to and she wished to watch over him." I gave her a brief explanation of what occurred.

"Watch over him, or make sure no more sisters are added to our little group?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Sisters…." I whispered to myself, earning a small giggle from Jinn. It was….an appropriate term, considering I was now apart of a harem. Another thought I never believed I would have in my life. But, once again, I find myself not opposed to the arrangement. "Unfortunately, I fear that will be an endeavor destined to fail."

"Don't I know it." Jinn giggled again. "He did tell me all about the women in his life, or supposedly he did. I wonder, did he leave out any little details~?"

"Meridia, Scathach, You and Me." I stared off for a moment, thinking it through. "It is likely another will end up in this grouping before long. Has he mentioned his daughter yet?"

"Oh yes, he would not stop talking about his cute little fox." Jinn smiled pleasantly. "I assume you are referring to her mother?"

"Mmm, Yasaka. She is a very…..attractive women." I said plainly.

"Big on both ends?" Jinn gestured to her chest, but I could assume her intent.

"That is not inaccurate." I held back a small laugh at her response. "Yasaka is a very voluptuous woman."

"Well, he doesn't seem to be the type to be led around purely by a big chest or a big rear." Jinn didn't seem worried.

"W-well….he seems content with me." I said quietly.

"Oh, sweetie." Jinn looked at me with a strange mix of pity and sympathy. "You know damn well he wants you just as much as any of us."

"Yes…..he has made that abundantly clear." I refuse to believe my cheeks were red once again.

"Oh my~" Jinn cooed. "Sounds like someone had a little fun. Should I ask about his size?" She gave a lascivious smile.

"We did not go that far…." I muttered, regaining my steady façade.

"What a shame." She sighed.

"But...I did see him in his under cloth" I added lightly. "I may have noticed a certain part of him pushing against the fabric."

"Ohoh." Jinn let out a small laugh. "How did it look?"

"I did not know they could be that large."

"Well, maybe I have something to look forward to." Her voice full of anticipation. "If he ever accepts my advances."

"Your advances…?" I questioned her. "Have you tried to….?"

"Did he not tell you what I proposed to him when we first met?" She asked, earning a headshake from me. "I told him I would be his, with everything that entails. I expected much more than a few gropes on my rear from someone his age. Practically threw myself at him a few times and barely a response, started to make me question my appeal."

"Truly?" I looked at her in surprise. I have very strong feelings towards Wilhelm, but I would not have ever been bold enough to suggest such a thing when we first met. "Do you not regret such actions?"

"Regret? I don't think I would ever regret that decision I made, even if I lived each day chained to his bed." She let out a sigh. "I never even contemplated my existence beyond what I was 'designed' for until he came along and I glimpsed at what laid beyond my little corner of reality." She gestured to the surroundings. "Look where we are. So much knowledge, so many things I simply don't know, all available for me at my leisure. If I dropped dead right at this moment, It would be with a smile on my face." She looked content, truly at peace and a happiness in her eyes that I found envious. "I gave him my body, and if this keeps going on, I think my heart will belong to him eventually as well. And I can't say I don't feel something when he so blatantly calls me 'his'." She pushed her cheeks up with a bashful smile.

I see, that does give a lot of context to this woman that I had not understood. I can't fault her on her choices and reasoning, and she seems genuinely happy with how her existence turned out. She looked to be thriving here, and from what I understand, she had certain restrictions lifted from being away from Remnant. I was glad she found her happiness so easily.

"But, I think I'm rambling, something I seem to enjoy doing now." She gave a wistful smile. "I don't think you came here to hear about all of that. What did you need?"

"I did intend to come and share some word with you….but I did have another matter that required me to come to the library."

"You are so cute, I can see how Wilhelm fell for you~" She chuckled. "What do you need, Artoria?"

I mumbled under my breath, reaching into my bag and taking out a sheet of paper. "Rin asked me to find these books if you possess them here."

She reached over, reading from the parchment. "That's easy." She waived her hand and books flew out from all over the library, landing on the table. "This should be all of them, except I changed the 'Introduction to Alchemic Practices' to 'A Beginner's Guide to Alchemy'. The latter has a more thorough explanation on the basics, the former assumes you are familiar with the basic concept and considering where we came from…."

"I see, thank you very much, Jinn." I gave my heartfelt thanks.

"Oh, think nothing of it. I enjoyed talking with you, I hope we can do it again sometime." She beamed, and I recalled that such a thing was very uncommon for her. I made a mental note to also come to her more in the future.

"I would like that very much, mayhaps along with Rin we can have one of those 'girl nights out' she speaks of."

Jinn blinked, a big smile growing on her face. "That sounds very enjoyable, do you think Rin would bring her Artifact with her as well?"

"Artifact?" I questioned, before realization dawned on me. "I had forgotten about Ruby, I think Rin can be convinced to let her out for a bit."

Yes, I believe Ruby and Jinn would get along well.

***

I walked out of the main hall, the Arcanaeum as it is called. The cold air greeted me immediately, but the spells woven over the school made them bearable to the mundane person walking around the courtyard. The amount of magic this college had in every corner, it would never cease to amaze me.

Instead of light fixtures or candles, there were magic spells that lit up the area, Candlelight spell, I believe it's called. A glowing orb of light that floated in a spot. Not to mention the spells that prevented people from jumping off the balconies, that kept the temperature moderate, and a plethora of other uses that I hadn't bothered to investigate.

There was no doubt in my mind that this building was filled with defensive and offensive measures woven into the very foundation.

One thing that grabbed my attention over all of that was the large statue of a hooded silhouette standing before a font of mana – or magicka as they called it here. It was palpable to the point there was a pillar of it that rose to the sky, visible without any auxiliary means.

"What do mean 'add more fire', that doesn't make sense! What concepts are added to the actualization of the spell, am I supposed to focus on the combustion, or is the chemical makeup of fire more important?" I turned to see Rin arguing with a….cat person. No, that wasn't correct, and I felt a bit embarrassed for even thinking of this person in such a way. His species was called 'khajiit'.

"J'zargo, doesn't understand what you speak of. To make fire spell better, just add more fire." I did not know what I had walked into, but he demonstrated by throwing an impressive fireball into the air, letting it explode high above.

"That doesn't make any sense! How does adding fire make the fire 'better'?" Rin looked like she was going to pull her hair out.

"J'zargo thinks you should practice the basics again."

Rin audible twitched at his comment, I can only assume this conversation had been going back and forth for awhile now.

"Alright, J'zargo, I believe your teasing has gone on long enough. Miss Tohsoka may show you what 'adding more fire, to the fire' will actually do if you push her any more." Once again, I was surprised at the sudden appearance of the Archmage, merely stepping into the courtyard from another place.

Rin looked at him in a bit of shock and confusion then back to this J'zargo. "You what?" She narrowed her eyes.

The Khajiit let out a small laugh. "J'zargo apologizes. It is tradition to haze new student, J'zargo finally had his own turn after being teased when he first entered. "J'zargo will answer your question truthfull. Miss Tohsaka is focusing too much on final result of the spell. J'zargo thinks you should focus more on the initial casting."

"Initial casting?" Rin muttered. "You mean the structure I used to formulate the spell was flawed?" Rin seemed to be lost in her own world again for a moment. "Got it!" She waved her hand and shot a fireball up into the sky, mirroring the Khajiit's own as it exploded.

"Well done, Miss Tohsaka." The Archmage praised.

"You!" Rin turned around, pointing at the Khajiit. "You were teasing me by telling me the truth. 'Add more fire'" she scoffed. "I wasn't using enough magical energy aligned with the fire element, opting for something more neutral, since I was more used to that."

"J'Zargo does not know what you speak of." He smiled wistfully.

"I'm watching you, kitty cat." She pursed her lips, earning another small chuckle from J'Zargo.

"J'Zargo looks forward to learning with you. J'Zargo is envious of your talent. It took J'zargo a month to learn that spell, and Miss Tohsaka learned it in a few hours. J'zargo hopes that he will be able to learn the secrets of your success."

"Wait, are you telling me you want to steal my 'secrets' right to my face?" Rin looked at him oddly.

"J'Zargo does not steal. J'Zargo will watch, learn, and acquire by skill."

Rin didn't seem to know how to process that information. I think she was too used to all the subetfuge and backstabbing in the clock tower. Someone blatantly saying they were going to try and learn from her success was probably something entirely new to her.

"You know what? Alright." She tossed her hair back. "Let see if you can keep up."

"J'Zargo has taken that as a challenge, he hopes you will be prepared for J'Zargo is also a genius."

Rin let out a genuine laugh.

The Archmage cleared his throat, grabbing their attention. "I am sorry to interrupt, but I have your documents ready and the supplies you requested, J'Zargo." The Archmage held out a satchel to the Khajiit.

"Oh, J'Zargo is excited, he will depart tomorrow morning and return in a weeks time with a successful mission."

"I have no doubt." The Archmage nodded with a small smile as they all watched the young Khajiit hastily make for the common rooms.

"Lucky." Rin muttered under her breath as I approached them. "Saber?"

"I'm back, Rin. I have the books you requested, Jinn was a big help." I gave her a smile. "And greetings, Archmage."

"Miss Pendragon." He nodded back. "Yes, Jinn has been a wonderful addition to the staff. Why, Urag actually praised her when we had a meeting earlier. Never once have I ever had that old Orc say anything nice like that about another person in my life." The Archmage chuckled. "But I digress, I did not appear here to talk about Miss Jinn's wonderful performance." He produced a piece of parchment in his hand and with what looked like a necklace. "I have heard you were looking for a Job to take but none of them caught your interest?"

Rin blinked for a moment, hesitantly taking the document, giving it a once over. "A field research job?"

"Indeed." The Archmage nodded. "It was actually Wilhelm who brought this little trinket back, or rather, he unearthed it in a rather explosive manner."

"Are you being literal?"

"Very." The Archmage deadpanned.

"That sounds like him." Rin snorted. "So what do you need done?"

"Well, this Amulet apparently comes in three parts from what we could dig up in a few tomes. Supposedly it should be fairly powerful when put back together."

"And you want us to go get the pieces and bring them back to you?" Rin asked.

"Oh, well, I don't care too much for the Amulet itself, I was more interested in the ancient knowledge found in accompany of this thing."

Again, Rin seemed a bit flabbergasted. "You don't care about this supposedly 'powerful Amulet'?"

"Well, my interest is piqued, I wouldn't mind taking a look at it." He admitted. "But I have no desire to make it mine, if that's what you're asking. If you take the job, there will be no payment In monetary value, but the Amulet would be yours to keep, along with what wealth you can dig up during your trip. All I ask for is things of historic value to be given to the College."

Rin's jaw hung open for several moments before she regained her wits. "Okay." She said bluntly, still shocked at what she was hearing.

"Wonderful." The Archmage clapped his hands, producing a few other items, a book and a staff. "Wilhelm also 'dug' this staff up in his little adventure. While it would technically belong to him I don't think he would care that I'm giving it to you."

"You're giving this to me as well?" Rin couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Do you not want it? It's a fairly good staff, I think my personal one is only a little bit better." He mused.

"No! I'll take it." Rin happily grabbed it, earning a laugh from him.

"It should more or less double the output of your offensive spells." He revealed.

Definitely a boon to receive. I understood why Wilhelm had such a high opinion of this mage. If there were more people like this back home, mayhaps the world would have been a much better place.

"Does it have a name?"

"The texts only referred to it as the 'Staff of Jyrik Gauldurson' feel free to rename it as you wish. The previous owner was not what one would call a 'role model'." He chuckled, disappearing back from wherever he came from.

"Rin, do you wish to take this job?" I asked her.

"Well, I kinda already did. But, yeah, I wanna do this. Think about all the good stuff we can find! Money, magical items, this Amulet!" She shook it in her hand for added effect.

"You remember what we spoke about? What enemies lay beneath the tombs that litter this land? Undead, magic creatures of all kinds, Giant Spiders." I emphasized that last one for added effect.

She visibly shuddered. "We need to prepare." She stated, earning a small smile from me. It's good she was excited, but I did not wish for her to get ahead of herself.

"Potions are a must." She muttered and I agreed whole heartedly. The potions here were quite phenomenal. "You have food covered."

"H-hunger is the enemy." I looked away, hearing a snort from her.

"What else do you think? Maybe pick up a dagger or something. Some leather armor maybe? The College might have some mystic codes available for purchase, I still have a lot of gold left over that Wilhelm gave me. I should probably get started on a few dozen gems I have stored, get them ready for spells."

"It seems like you have thought this through." I nodded, pleased with her foresight this time. It was as Wilhelm spoke before, she wanted to rush off, perhaps some blind notion of 'proving herself' but she was willing to slow down in this instance. "Let us make a list of things we could possibly need while adventuring into the wilderness and delving into tombs. Then we shall acquire everything needed and set out."

"Yes! Finally going on a real adventure." Rin pumped her fists in the air, her excitement very contagious.

***

Just an interlude from Artoria's POV of whats going on with them, and an adventure they will go on. So, finally wrote my first bit of smut, Meridia and Wilhelm finally do the horizontal Tango, very vanilla sex, but it was their first time. Should be a bit lewder in the future. Well, jury is still out on if it's badly written or not, i'm half falling alseep over here so anythings possible. Worse case i rewrite it when i have a fresh mind to me.

Anyways, if you want to read 6 chapters ahead, visit my pat.reon.com/astoryforone


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Chapter 131: Chapter 124

I groaned; eyes shuttered open. I felt a kink in my neck and a hard surface below my head, the light straining my eyes as I focused on my surroundings. I picked myself up from being sprawled across a wooden table, glass bottles falling onto the floor as I set myself upright.

I almost slipped, steadying myself as I grabbed onto the table. I cast a curious glance around the room, I was not the only one who had apparently passed out in a compromising position.

"Fucking hell." I muttered, running my hand down my face, letting my eyes focus better.

How much did I drink last night?"

[Yes.]

"Thanks, Ddraig." I sighed.

[No problem.]

Well, at least I had the sense to put my clothes back on before I got passed out drunk. Which was something I don't usually do, even that one time with Izzy, I still made it back home before collapsing on my couch.

I ran a hand through my hair, noticing something very peculiar. It was not up in a pony tail, while not something I would be overly picky about, I couldn't find the binding I used.

I started looking all around, under the table and between the chairs…..nothing.

The piece of cloth was practically worthless, except, it was the one that Scáthach used to bind my hair the first time. I felt a small pit in my stomach at the thought of losing it.

To say I slightly panicked would be an understatement, I didn't care how frantic I looked as I started practically crawling on the ground looking for it. Every nook and cranny I checked and found empty just increased my growing anxiety. I paused, doing the obvious thing and checking inside my storage space both my ring and my hat, but it was not there either.

I leaned against the table, staring off into the ceiling, a pit in my stomach. I couldn't help but clench my fists in frustration, the only thing stopping me from shouting was that I was in public with other people sleeping off their drinks.

Fuck.

Rather forcibly, I pushed all these raging emotions down.

I need a distraction.

Look around, it was quietly and it was only a few moments later that I felt something grab my attention in my ring, I took out my new phone. It had apparently been buzzing me since yesterday. The way it alerted my through my storage device was interesting, and I had to give credit to Rin, she really did a good job.

'Saber and me are going exploring, be back later.' – Rin.

Huh.

Good for them.

Even though I collapsed back into a chair and let out a sigh, I was happy for them. I didn't want to drive a wedge between the relationship they developed over the years they've been together. I briefly wondered if I was 'taking' Saber away from Rin when I first sought out a relationship, but I honestly never saw anything resembling romantic inclinations between them. Honestly, they seemed to be almost like sisters, and I didn't wish for Rin to feel like a third wheel when me and Saber are around.

So, I was happy for them. Let them go out, have fun, explore and get into dangerous situations. I know for a fact that Artoria wouldn't let Rin go running around unless they made ample preparations. Not to mention, the Archmage was probably keeping an eye on her, so everything should be on the up and up, and I would not be babysitting her.

Sitting up again, I stretched my arms, leaning side to side to give my back a good crack as well.

Would it be overstepping if I tried to set Rin up with someone?

I mean, not like in the creepy way. But maybe see if any of my friends would check any of her boxes? Granted, my male friends list is lacking compared to my females, but then again, I think Rin swings both ways.

Perhaps I should ask Artoria first, get a feel for that situation. It's not like she 'needs' a romantic partner, and I certainly don't want to force anything like that on her.

Bleh.

Let's see how she is in a few months of finally getting a sense of 'freedom' and adventure.

Well, I have some time to focus on some tasks I wanted to accomplish while here again. As much as I wanted to see Meridia and give Rin an avenue for further strengthening, I did have some things I wished to get done.

Speaking of my beautiful goddess, I should go see her before I set off anywhere important. But, before then, I guess I should see Thorum and make sure he's good before I head off.

I turned around, eyeing Sir Wiggles in the corner, he was curled up into a little floof ball, but his eyes were open, as if he had woken up recently.

"Hat or with me?" I asked, giving a feeling through the bond of what I was offering, either going back in the hat, or accompany me.

He hopped over, and quickly scaling my arm, onto my shoulder.

I just chuckled, lightly patting his head before grabbing anything else of importance and heading out the back door.

There was a large courtyard, well moreso just an open area, behind the companions building. Benches all around, an area that had seen a lot of feet trampling any kind of foliage into just a hard dirt ground. What caught my attention were the sounds coming from the forge where I had Mirage created. Well, I wouldn't mind paying a visit to the smith again, he did good work.

Sir Wiggles sent a sort of displeasure through the link about this place. I don't know what it was, but apparently the 'fire' here was distressing him. I gave him a mental affirmation that he could go run around.

He had been cooped up for a bit, I wouldn't mind him having fund around Whiterun.

"I'm telling you, this doesn't make a lick of sense!"

"Sorry, Greymane, I don't know." Thorums apologetic voice responded to the Smith's irate words.

Eyes fell on me immediately as I climbed the stone path up to the sky forge. Aela, Thorum, and Eorlund were all sitting around, Eorlund holding Gram in his hand and a few broken swords on the ground beneath them.

"Hey." I greeted with a lazy wave.

"Will." Thorum happily returned. "I had not thought you would be up this early."

Aela let out a snort of amusement. It felt like some distance was closed between us. I still wouldn't call us friends, but she was much more friendly. "Maybe you should stick to something lighter next time, milk boy."

"Yeah, yeah." I rolled my eyes. "I'm not used to drinking that much."

"Lad, are you the one who gave Thorum this – thing?" Eorlund waved around Gram.

"Yes….?" I answered in confusion. "What's wrong with it?"

"What's wrong with it!? What's wrong with it is that I can't find a single indication of any forging techniques! It split my steel like it was wood!" He looked exasperated.

"Ah, I see. It wasn't purely made by mundane means, I'm not exactly privy to the details, but powerful magics were construed in the creation process." Didn't feel like giving a lecture on Alchemy from my birth world.

Eorlund just scowled, pushing the sword back into Thorum's hands. "Atleast my work is still better." He grumbled. "How is my blade doing, lad? Have you slain any memorable foes with it yet?"

I brought Mirage out, floating next to me. I got a few eye raised as it slowly moved towards Eorlund.

"Beautiful." He praised. "The edge is still pristine, the grip is well maintained. If I didn't know any better I'd say it's never seen a proper battle."

"I have some other swords, if you want to take a look." As much as I felt I needed to hide secrets, I really had this strange desire to show off my collection.

"If they're anything like this 'Gram', I wouldn't mind taking a gander." He carefully set Mirage down on a nearby table. "Alright, Lad, show me your weapons."

I smiled, waiving my hand and my other swords flew out. I started pointing to each one. "Whisper, Ascalon, Sword of Destruction, Dawnbreaker."

Eorlund looked intrigued, he didn't immediately grab them, but walked up close and began to analyze them with a keen eye. "I would ask what you would want with so many swords, but I heard about how you fought that dragon earlier." He said idly.

"Aye, my friend. It was a strange way to fight, but it was impressive." Thorum slapped my shoulder. "This one here, it gives me a similar feeling to Gram." He pointed out Ascalon.

"Another Dragon Slayer sword." I said simply, earning a nod from him.

"I've never heard of a 'Dragon slaying sword' the way Thorum described it, are these types of weapons rare?" Aela asked, also inspecting my swords.

I had to admit, I preened under their inquisitive gazes. The thought of them envying my collection brought some strange feelings inside me.

"They are. The factors at play to produce one…..it's not really something you can artificially create unless you have some very rare resources and it might be a waste to use them for such a reason." I explained, earning their attention. "I ran into a brat who was the descendant of Sigurd – the original owner I mentioned."

"Aye, I recall. A normal man who slayed a dragon by skill and wit. I hope to hear the full story another time." Thorum seemed intrigued by the idea, I couldn't fault him with how his existence seemed to revolve around dragons.

"Well, Sigurd didn't only have Gram, merely Gram being the strongest. The others were…..not particularly interesting in my opinion. So, when him and a group of his companions conspired to kidnap my Daughter to use as leverage against her mother, I took the weapons after we defeated them."

"You're little Fox~" Aela lightly mocked.

"Pardon?" I blinked in surprise.

"Oh, my friend, did you not know?" Thorum looked at me, and I just stared at him blankly. "When you were many drinks in…..you would not stop speaking about your daughter, calling her your little fox." He laughed.

"Oh great." I sighed. Never going to live this down.

"Fear not, my friend. You are but a good father, even if you will never stop hearing jests." Thorum and Aela shared a laugh at my expense.

Well, I did tell Thorum a sort of abridged story about Kunou before I drank too much.

"Anyways!" I changed the subject. "I took Gram, left the rest with Kunou's mother since the damage was a bit extensive, they were decently strong, so they would be good recompose."

"This is a Daedric Artifact." Eorlund interrupted, poking at Dawnbreaker.

"Yes, I got it after clearing out Meridia's Shrine out north." I had nothing to hide, and I think Meridia was pleased as it slowed just a little brighter.

"Hmm, is that wise to carry such a thing around?" He eyed me.

"I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world."

He grunted, turning to the next sword. "Not any of my business." He looked at Ascalon, scowled again and I can only assume he was comparing it to Gram in how it was made. I decided not to voice any thoughts on that, never knew who was peeking right now and the idea of a Noble Phantasm was way too foreign to properly bullshit my way through. "What is this." He finally landed on Whisper.

"Whisper, it's similar to Mirage in that it helps cast my magic."

"Hmm, these symbols….." He ran a finger over the blade.

Usually, I would be much more tense about someone touching my swords…maybe it was the fact that he was a true smith? A respect for his profession and that he would treat my prized possessions with respect.

He looked up at me, then back down at the sword. "Did this used to be a spear!?"

"You can tell?" I laughed awkwardly.

"Can I tell!? Lad, who do you think I am?" He grumbled. "I would normally call something like this a piece of scrap….but the craftsmanship is astounding." He looked at the sword in awe. "I can only imagine how beautiful the spear must have been, but to turn it into a sword, and be properly weighted, to have all the dimensions aligned like this…."

"She was good at what she did." I thought briefly of the spear in my ring, but I was extremely possessive of that particular weapon and didn't want anyone to touch it but me.

"She?" Eorlund whispered. "Lad, what's the name of this weapon's creator?"

"Scáthach." I answered simply.

"Scáthach." He let the name sink in. "I will remember it."

I don't think my Sword of Destruction interested him much. It looked very ceremonial, and I could guess that he was thinking it a magical sword like the others and didn't care about its creation.

"These have given me some idea." He immediately went back to his forge. "Get out, I have some work to do."

Thorum and Aela didn't look disturbed at his sudden forcefulness, merely bidding him farewell and I called back my sword as I followed them along down the stairs, back into the Companion's compound.

"You know, I'm curious. What exactly have you been up to when not fighting Dragons, Thorum?" He told me about his previous fights, but nothing much beyond that. Granted, we hadn't spoke for too long.

"Well." He scratched his head. "The Jarl asked me not to venture too far away while the dragons are around."

Ah, that makes sense. He wanted Thorum in dragon slaying distance.

"Must get boring, being cooped up here for so long."

"Aye, the Skyrim horizons call me something fierce, but I am needed here, for now." Thorum admitted, somewhat sad, but also a certain amount of resolve in his voice.

"Well, if everything goes well, it won't be too long. We just have to find Alduin and stop him." I offered a smile.

"I am not quite sure it is that simple, but I look forward to the day."

"What about you, Wilhelm." Aela spoke up, merely listening in at this point. "Are you going to stick around?"

"Did you miss me?" I smirked.

"As if." She rolled her eyes. "I prefer more 'man' in my lays." Aela laughed.

"Oi, do I have to take my shirt off again? I'm plenty of man over here."

"Keep telling that to yourself, milk boy." She said humorously.

"Well, my self esteem has thoroughly been shattered. But to answer your question, I'm mainly working through the College, with some personal errands I want to run. I'll keep an eye out when I'm away, if I hear anything about dragons, I'll hurry on back." I decided to be honest with my intentions. "That reminds me…"

"What?" Throum asked.

"The Jarl owes me some land, and I have a use for it now." I rubbed my chin. "You think he'd mind if I set a house up near the city?"

***

I walked up the steps towards the Jarl's hall again, this time by myself. Thorum and Aela had some Companion business they needed to take care of and politely told me it was private, so I headed over here.

The guard just nodded towards me as I approached the large wood doors, their might and stature clearly indicating a fortification mindset when created, yet I was easily ushered inside.

The place wasn't crowded as before, there were a few people at the tables set up, eating, lightly chatting, but 'court' wasn't being held.

The Jarl, his eyes turned to me as I entered, standing next to his attendant that I recalled from the other day.

"Wilhelm, a pleasant surprise." The Jarl greeted me, and It felt distinctly more casual.

"Jarl." I once again gave a very slight bow. They weren't big on 'etiquette' here, but a token of respect was mostly appreciated.

He gave a pleased nod. "What can I do for you, Wilhelm?"

"Well, I wanted to ask about that piece of land…."

He blinked for a moment, realization dawning on him. "Oh, I had forgotten." He clapped his hands. "I had the parchment drawn up weeks ago. It is my study if you wouldn't mind accompanying me."

I furrowed my brow. "By all means, please lead the way." I put on a strained smile as he happily started leading me behind closed door, waiving off his attendants.

It wasn't particularly, far, and not exactly what one would call a 'study'. There were several bookcases, a large desk, and another table with a map of Skyrim along with flags showing many different things. There were little dragons on some, the Stormcloaks insignia on others, and what I assume was the Imperial legion on others.

"Sit." He gestured to a chair infront of his desk as he took the seat behind. I obliged, as we shared a look. He appeared as if trying to read me. "I am at odds on what to do with you, Wilhelm." He spoke up.

"What do you mean by that?" I feigned ignorance.

"That." He pointed out, letting out a small sigh. "Realistically, I should do everything I can to put you under my authority, but the actions I've made have been sidestepped by you at every turn."

I was surprised by his candid attitude. "I didn't expect you to be so blunt about it. I guess we're dispensing with the song and dance here?"

He let out a snort of laughter. " I do not enjoy playing the political games when there is no need. You have shone your intentions not to be roped into my plans as it is."

"That's true, I like to stay out of politics." I agreed.

"You are powerful, enough that it frightens many people under my command."

"And I'm not a Nord." I pointed out.

"This is true as well." He didn't hide it. "I have no issue with other races, but there is a pride in our own heritage that blinds our perceptions."

I sighed, rubbing my forehead. "It's to be expected. I've been treated very well by you Nords since coming to Skyrim, but your people are very proud of your culture, it makes sense that they view what they're familiar with in a better light than a foreigner like me." I remarked. "And I suppose my strange nature doesn't help as well."

"Yes, your wings are a strange thing indeed. Many think you some kind of Daedra worshipper or a citizen of Oblivion."

"If I said neither, would you believe me?"

"I would." He said without hesitation. "I like to think myself a good judge of character." He continued. "I do not believe you to be like Thorum, not a deceitful bone in his body, but you don't seem the type to lie to my face. Half-truths, skewing my perspective, I would not put it against you though."

"That's a fair assessment." I had nothing against what he's noted so far. "So, where does that leave us?"

He leaned back, another sigh escaping his lips. "You being with the College is both annoying and helpful in this situation."

"Ah, I see. You're using the fact that I'm with the college to keep any hot heads quiet? With how helpful they've been, no one wants to cause any trouble on that front."

The Jarl smiled lightly. "It is as you say. But, there are still many open voices calling for some more extreme action."

"Farengar?" I hazard a guess.

"He is among them." The Jarl confirmed, and I guess there was no need to keep that tidbit a secret. "You possess powerful artifacts, many a thing they would do well in my 'hands'."

"And what do you think?"

"I think, many of my people are short sighted and frightened by the attacks. You are not a citizen of Whiterun, nor of Skyrim as a whole. You respect my Authority, but you are not beholden to me outside these walls and if you wished to leave, would I even be able to stop you? Assuming I could, If I truly did wish to confiscate from you, then what kind of picture would that paint of me? Where would it end after that? If a merchant comes along with a bit more gold than normal, do I simply take that was well?" He shook his head. "I would rather continue our current relationship, but I wish for it to be more…..ironclad."

"An agreement then?" I thought out loud. "You want a guarantee from me."

"In simple terms, yes." He didn't hide it.

I rubbed my chin, mulling it over. "You are being very open with me, so I'll return the good will. I do feel guilty somewhat. I heard some of the Dragons that came around have been calling me out as well?" I looked up at him.

"That is true, I think the name – Red Dragon Emperor – is more known than your true name." He mused. "Most folks believe it to be in reference to your eye catching hair color." He added.

I ran a hand through my hair at the mention of it. The lack of a ponytail was surprisingly grating on me. "I already decided to help. Not to mention Thorum is my friend, I would always stand by his side. And my heart isn't made of stone, if Whiterun was in danger, I would lend my aid." I left out that I did think of this place as almost a second home, Skyrim that is.

He seemed genuinely pleased by my confession. "A weight is lifted off my chest at your words. I am glad I did not think incorrectly of you, Wilhelm." The Jarl rummaged through his draws, fetching a rolled piece of parchment. "This has my mark, I found a particular piece of land that matched what you asked for previously. It is a little bit outside the wall, I do not know if it has been damaged by the dragon attacks or not."

"It doesn't matter, I can manage that on my own." I waved off his concerns.

"Out of curiosity, what is your intention for this plot of land? It is not particularly large, the area is also not suitable for farming."

"I wanted to build a house." I admitted. Though, technically, I was going to slap my current house right on the land there.

"A house? We do have properties inside the walls for sale, I could find one as a proper reward."

"I wanted to use my own and be far enough away from other people so my magic stuff wouldn't bother them."

He paused, considering my words. "I see. I have no quarrel with the magic arts, but many Nords find it a bad omen since the issues with the College many years ago. The Archmage has done much to revert those thoughts in the mean time, but how long this good will lasts, I can not claim to know."

"It's fine, I don't' plan on advertising what I'm doing. I'll set up the proper defenses so nothing could get out of hand by accident."

The Jarl accepted my words, standing up. "Wilhelm, I am thankful for your honest words. I feel more at ease with you around, and I hope you will not take to heart any harmful things spoken about you in my city. You are welcomed here with my blessing."

He held a hand out for a shake, I took it gladly.

"I'm glad to help." I smiled as he gave me leave to head out.

It was time to go visit my beautiful genie and get started on my home.

***

Going to make a short trip to DxD to bring the house on over, and visit his little fox while he's at it. I know some people don't really care for Skyrim, so i was picking up the pace a little bit, making the chapters longer to get through it a little faster.

Edit: Just wanted to address this because it's been said several times now. Thorum isn't stronger than Wilhelm. They had an arm wrestling contest without any kind of magic or enhancements not passive. Yes, Thorum who is a dragon in human form, who munched on atleast half a dozen dragon souls, is -physically- stronger than MC when he doesn't use anything to boost himself up further.

Anyways, if you want to read 6 chapters ahead or support me, visit my pat.reon.com/astoryforone.


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