Chapter 179: The Gift of Tongues II
The witch who stowed her dagger slowly approaches me with her hands raised and bows her head before saying, "Greetings to the Champion of the Wild One."
I'm thrown off for a second, but I stow my weapons before returning her bow.
"And greetings to you..." I say, trying to mimic her tone before slightly bowing to her.
"It is an honor to meet the Wild One's Champion, have you come to deliver a message to the Mothers?" The witch asks with an inquisitive but slightly reverent tone.
'This is... Weird... I guess this is due to Hircine's blessing? I wonder what I can get out of this?' I think to myself before nodding to the witch who leads me to the circle of hagravens who seem to be creating a Briarheart warrior.
I watch patiently as the hagravens conclude their ritual.
I can faintly see a green light shrouding the foresworn's body as one of the hagravens drives her hand into the man's chest with her clawed hands, ripping out his still-beating heart before another hagraven puts a spriggan heart in its place.
That green energy circles around his open chest wound as the spriggan heart seems to take root and heal around the wound.
The whole process is over in a few minutes, with the new Briarheart warrior taking up a new weapon, a boney great axe.
Before the Briarheart silently kneels down before the circle of hagravens.
The hagravens begin chanting before the central crone pulls out a deer hide water skin, from which she draws a thick black substance, almost like crude oil, that she begins drawing a symbol on the Briarheart's forehead.
After drawing a crescent moon on the Briarheart's forehead, he stands before giving a final bow to the hagravens.
The Briarheart warrior then walks out of the camp. Stopping when he passes me, staring into my eyes for several moments before nodding and walking away.
I make my way to the group of hagravens. Standing before their blood-soaked alter as they hobble around it to stand before me.
The oldest of them, who seems to be this coven's leader, bows to me before lifting her head and asking, {What brings the Wild One's Champion to our humble coven?}
I pause for a moment, contemplating what to tell the hagraven since this is the first time I can recall talking to one, except when you marry a hagraven in that one quest.
"I come for Nettle Bane and to let you know my people are building a city nearby and for you and your coven not to attack them," I tell her commandingly.
{Anything for the Wild One's Champion...} The old crone says as she motions to one of the witches, who walks off before coming back a few minutes later with the blade.
A young witch returns with the blade and is about to hand it over when the old crone holds up her hand, stopping her in her tracks.
{However... This is a powerful weapon, painstakingly forged by me and my sisters... Through the deaths of many tree folk… And to ask us not to use the foreigners as we see fit... You may understand my confusion... What might we get in trade... The Wild One's Champion...} The old crone asks, obviously angling to get something from me.
I think for several moments before deciding to pull out everything from the [Ingredient] Category in my inventory space.
I picked up quite a lot of random crap so far. Pulling it out took about five minutes, but once I pulled out the Deadra heart, I picked up from God knows where I could see the light twinkle in her and her sisters' eyes. However, the old crone was quick to try and suppress it before clearing her throat.
{These are some... Mundane ingredients, but they will suffice... For now...} She says, reaching for the pile of ingredients.
I, however, am not going to let her take all my ingredients, even if most of them are just junk, so I quickly grab her wrist.
Feeling her cracked and pox-scarred skin against my own almost makes me want to lurch back in disgust, but I hold firm.
Surprisingly, I sense a sickening green energy starts to flow from the hagraven, into me. Though, before it finishes traveling past my elbow, my heart seems to pulsate with a deep amber-tinged power in response to the unexpected intrusion, forcing it back.
With the intrusive energy expelled, I glare at the hagraven, tightening my hand around her wrist before saying, "I could choose to trade in your lives instead." This prompts all the remaining witches and hagravens to draw their daggers and claws. However, before anyone can advance toward me, the old crone raises her free hand, making them stop dead in their tracks.
{Apologies, Champion of the Wild One… I mean, no offense…} The old crone apologizes, though I can feel the dissatisfaction in her voice.
I release her hand, glad to be rid of the diseased claw, I bend down and take the Deadra heart from the pile of random ingredients and place it in the old crone's clawed hand. Making her eyes glimmer with a dangerous shine of excitement.
Seemingly making the previous disagreement disappear with the wind as she is enraptured by the Deadra heart.
With the old crone distracted by her new prize, I nod, taking all my ingredients and grabbing Needle Bane.
The dagger feels ancient and warm to the touch; the second I grab it, I feel a connection to it as the energy that emanates from it, much like the old crone's had earlier.
But instead of a sickening infection, as it had been with the old crone, this dagger seems to be soaked in a primal hunger, similar to what I feel when I'm in wolf form.
Instead of repelling the energy, I feel the dagger and my heart flow as one, and it seems to grow roots out from its handle, firmly latching onto my hand.
However, when I stow the blade in an empty sheath at my ankle, the roots retract back into the handle, and my hand seems perfectly fine.
Chapter 180: The Gift of Tongues III
The witches and other hagravens watch my short exchange with the dagger with keen interest as if what just happened had confirmed something for them. They all give a deferential nod as they return to their previous duties, and I leave the camp, slightly confused but not entirely dissatisfied with the outcome.
I leave the camp to find Inigo sitting on a fallen tree, resting his chin against his bow as he looks at my returning figure with confusion.
"My friend... Your gifts are truly peculiar... To think you can walk amongst those creatures without concern... I don't know if I should be envious or worried." Inigo sighs as he stows his bow and accepts my hand helping pull him to his feet.
"You're telling me, let's go back and let Valerius and Marcus know the witches won't be a problem for now." I tell him starting to head back to Helgen.
"What did the bird women tell you?" Inigo asks.
I spend the time traveling back updating Inigo about my conversation with the hagravens and the start of an idea that's taking root in my mind.
Once back at Helgen I update Marcus and Valerius about the witches and hagravens before gathering Gringar and M'rissi who had been training with the recruits.
We travel for three days, it was a peaceful journey with no complications. It was nice geeting to hang out with just M'rissi and Inigo, despite their bickering and occasionally drawing their bows on one another over being hangry during breakfast. Gringar spent the journey teaching me more about the language and culture of the orcs.
While traveling I start to get a terrible migraine that lasts several hours waxing and waning as I feel a strange energy flowing around me that reminds me of a faint memory of similar sensation. Though, I don't pass out this time, M'rissi is still concerned and we take a short break. Using her lap as a pillow, I feel much better after taking a short nap.
And despite not having a dream, I see a swirling orange and white vortex, surround me, at its nexus... After waking up we continue traveling without issue.
On the third day we come across a fork in the road that would lead us to Largashbur.
(Go to our people...) I hear Gora for the first time in a long time.
'Gora? You're still there?' I question him in shock, but I receive no reply once more and I'm left at the crossroads.
I turn to Gringar after making my decision.
"I know I said we'd hit Largashbur on the way back, but mind if we detour to it first?" I ask Gringar.
"Of course, Blüdtoth. Though, I recommend our other companions remain behind. This is a task for kin, I don't want the tribe to doubt your claim to rule." Gringar explains.
"Who will doubt her Fluffy?! She will scratch their eyes out of their stupid heads!" M'rissi argues back angrily.
"I agree, are you sure we can't fight with him?" Inigo asks with concern.
"It is for the best, lone wanders have little standing when coming to a new stronghold. Even moreso if they travel with other races." Gringar explains.
"It's okay guys, I've got this." I tell them with a reassuring smile as I take some cloth to turn into a makeshift face covering since I'm planning to change my face soon and don't want to cause confusion at the orc stronghold once I do.
"If her Fluffy is sure... Then she will stay." M'rissi says dejectedly.
"I wish you the greatest success, my friend." Inigo says with a confident grin.
{You got this, Green Fucker!} Mr. Dragonfly buzzes in support.
I snort to myself at his antics before walking with Gringar towards the direction of the stronghold when we start to hear the sounds of battle.
"Shit! There's a giant attack! Come on!" Gringar shouts, driving us forward.
I pull out my ebony sword as I charge forward to see five giants fighting nearly twenty orc warriors with verying degrees of heavy orc armor.
It seems fairly patch work and full chest pieces are quite rare, but despite this, or perhaps inspite of it, the orcs are fighting with wild and ferocious abandon.
Rushing forward to stager a giant or two, while another orc follows up with a heavy attack before they would rush back to avoid the swing of the giants.
This dance continues as I get in range and start launching ice spikes into the back of the assaulting giants' legs as I close the distance with Gringar. Distracting them as the orcs use the moment to deal a fatal combo attack to one of the giants.
The four remaining giants close ranks, preventing the orcs from using their previous strategy.
I use my shockwave ability as I jump up towards the left most giant, tackling their neck and stabbing my blade into the giant's shoulder firmly anchoring myself as I slice the giant's throat with an ice spear I managed to summon in my off hand.
Killing the giant, making it fall backwards as I ride it to the ground causing chaos within the remaining giants.
Enraptured in the thrill of battle I can't help but bellow at the top of my lungs as I pull my blade from the giant's corpse, "Blood for Malacath!"
This rallies the other orcs into a berserk frenzy as they charge forward with reckless abandon quickly tearing through the last of the giants with Gringar taking a heavy war axe to the back of one giant.
While another orc tackles the giant's leg out from under them as a second orc mimics my previous attack, not able to use the shockwave ability like me.
Instead, he jumps up at the crouched giant, gorging the giant's throat with their tusks, reminding me of my first dragon kill.
The last two giants quickly get overwhelmed with the rest of the orcs attacking like a wild pack of wolves.
(Author's Note: Updated picture of Silvantus Malborne's Commissioned art!)
Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
10 Power
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