Bab 516: Identity Incognita
A/n: I read some annoyed (annoying) comments upset about Jon deceiving people with this Identity Coverage. Well, congratulations! you just earned yourself two more chapter of juicy political explanations.
Have... fun! 😈😈
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Jarl Balgruuf the Greater, the Ruler of Whiterun and the Defender of the Domain, opened his eyes with the rays of the sun driving the sleep away. He woke up with a heavy head, tired eyes and a beaten body seeing the woman on the other side of his bed that was mostly the culprit of his current unbalance of senses.
*Sigh*
Just how much did he sigh those last few days. Even yesterday was a day that broke the record for him.
"Woman, wake up. Get my garments. It is almost noon already. Tsk! The Old Knocker got you or something?" Balgruuf spoke, waking up his wife.
"Hmmm… he'll get you before he gets me. Your things are ready. Just leave me alone." She replied as harshly as he called for her.
Old couples were friendly in most cases but as soon as age hits a certain point, they keep teasing each other with death jokes from time to time like how Balgruuf mentioned the Old Knocker, aka the Grim Reaper.
"Just wake up already, the family should come along when I receive Thane Jonhild. The man has like fifty women following him or something."
"You old leecher, go and I'll follow you already. Quit looking at women or I'll gouge your eyes out."
Jarl Balgruuf was chased out of his room by his wife. Even though the couple had it well last night, all good things were bound to never last. The Jarl walked off after carelessly putting on a new set of ornate raiments, those ones from last night should be reeking with booze.
Thinking of last night never gave Jarl Balgruuf any peace of mind. They slew a Dragon and that man absorbed the Dragon's Soul.
A Dragonborn… Jon Dare is a Dragonborn… as if he needs more excuses to power up. Just what kind of a ticking bomb was sleeping over in the Jarl's Guesthouse?
Soon, everyone in Skyrim… no, everyone in the Empire will flock to see that Dragonborn and curry favor with him. Some will even try to drag him in their political drama and use him as leverage but that won't be a tiny tad possible. Why? Because no one will ever know the identity of the Dragonborn that Jarl Balgruuf was entrusted with.
It all happened from that moment when that terrible Dragon screamed its last breath with two words.
"No…
***
"… Dovahkiin!"
A thousand men or more witnessed the fall of the Dragon Mirmulnir and we're dropping their jaws from the wild phenomenon that wasn't witnessed in centuries. Oblivion! It was barely witnessed even in the fables of old.
A man slaying a Dragon and taking his Soul.
Let alone the absurdity, let alone the logic, let alone anything else, a man slew a Dragon and gained its power. The Divines must be playing some sick joke in these dark times of distress and war.
But no, that wasn't a divine joke but something of a blessing and a slap, the simpleton commoners would celebrate the birth of a Hero but the calculative powerhouses would reorganize their cards all over again. A Dragonborn appearing in this day and age to kill a Dragon means that history is about to be written.
But who is that?
Who is the man standing over the body of a Dragon with his back to the crowd and his face so… so ordinary and easily forgettable. They just needed one look, not the calculative powerhouses but also the simpleton commoners. They just wanted to see his face and engrave it in this memory no matter how ordinary that man's face is.
But to no avail. They walked towards him from all corners wishing to greet him, venerate him, recognize him. Still, the events unfolding were faster than them.
The Dragon's Soul was being absorbed, people could see fine strands of power flowing from the dead Dragon to that Man but as soon as they got closer, everything started glowing. They thought that the man was absorbing the soul at first but it seemed that it was only the beginning. The Dragon's carcass glowed and started turning into light… and disintegrating.
"Divines!"
That Dragon, the mysterious beast with terrifying powers whose scales were unbreakable and wings were broad and proud started turning into waves of light that flowed into the body of the man.
What was left was… a mere skeleton.
There were a lot of emotions fighting each other here. On one hand, there was a legendary Hero from the Prophecies, on another, there goes the priceless carcass of the Dragon that everyone was keeping in mind all the time.
But the bones, they should be good, right? If absorbing the Dragon's Soul meant that it is impossible to recover its carcass then there is nothing to do with it, at least the bones are fabled to be better than any known metal… but hold on a second, here goes the bones as well.
Well, now that's absurd! If a Dragon kills another, then the dead Dragon loses his soul and becomes a skeleton. But why has the skeleton disappeared just now?
The answer is simply, it is obvious that the Devil is in the details or rather… he is just standing right over there taking the huge skeletal remains in the Cube making it as if the Bones disappear as well.
{Well played, Master!}
In the Cube, Beth was receiving the gigantic skeletal remains with a huge jump as she touched it in wonder. Still, Jon didn't answer her, he was busy at the moment.
It was hard to focus, too hard to control. If Beth didn't remind him to take the Dragon's Skeleton just now, he may have remained in his daze but it was only getting stronger. Jon was losing control altogether.
The Sin Artifacts, the Mystical Tattoos, the Chaos Infection, even Nefertiti in his shadow. It was all going into madness.
It was because of none other than the Dragon's Soul.
What power! What energy! What vigor!
The Dragon Soul was too powerful as it is. Too overwhelming and full of power. Even Jon lost all the confidence he had to handle such a thing. His body was bathed in pain. Not a bad pain but another kind of pain, a pain he is very familiar with.
The pain of absorbing Power and Knowledge.
The Dragon Soul was more than just the Life Energy of a Dragon but a Piece of an Aedra, a Divine Fragment of one of the Eight Pillars of the Mundus.
Dragons, Dragonborns, Akatosh the Dragon, Auri-El the Eagle, Alkosh the Cat, Alduin the World Eater. These are all faces of the same coin. The Aka (The Time) broke into fragments for the sake of creating the Beginning (Auri-El), the Present (Akatosh & Alkosh), the End (Alduin) with Dragons and Dragonborns between those bigger fragments.
Think of it as a large piece of mirror that broke into big pieces and small pieces. The big pieces are the Auri-El, Akatosh, Alkosh and Alduin while the smaller ones are the Dragons and the Dragonborns.
Unlike the Dragons who are natural small fragments, the Dragonborns were fragments created by Akatosh for the sake of gathering the Dragon Souls and returning them to the bigger pieces. The Dragons live forever as they are immune to the effect of aging so Akatosh exploited the Mortality of the Humans to create the Dragonborns that can absorb the Dragon Souls upon killing them and once those mortal humans die, Akatosh gets to reclaim all the Dragon Souls and the Time becomes more stable causing the existence of the Kalpa to be prolonged.
[A/N: the Kalpa is a Time-Loop which keeps resetting the World from the End of the Dawn Era to whenever Alduin eats the world.]
Even though Alduin has the role to come later and devour the Time of the World to end the Kalpa, it was necessary to cull down the numbers of the Dragons by returning them to Akatosh and ensure the continuation of the Present.
That is all there is to it.
That is the Role of a Dragonborn.
Jon knew so from the start but what he understood through absorbing the Soul of Mirmulnir felt like more of a magnificent knowledge and endless enlightenment. These wild flashes of memory were all over the place but Jon and the System were madly organizing them too fast. That's why Jon wasn't focusing on his surroundings one bit.
"If you want me to gather those Dragon Souls so I hand them over to you once I die, at least let me exploit all this power. I promise to abuse it to the best of my ability." Jon thought as he started dismantling the Dragon Soul on the spot.
Assimilating its Knowledge, understanding its Magnitude, using every part of it to maximize the reward. Jon was having something incredible in his hands this time. If he refines the Energy of that Dragon Soul, who knows how much power and benefits he will get. Before, he estimated it would take him another hundred years to reach the Apex of his Method of Training but he just chipped four years of intensive training and effort in one go.
It is not yet perfect but in theory, there are many things he can do with the Dragon Soul but at the time, he was focusing on something else. Something that was Awakening inside him filling him with life and power. Something he knew that it was inside him the moment he reincarnated but it started to show itself now. Capabilities beyond the realm of man, endless possibilities and overpowered strength.
< New Blessing Received! >
< [Blessing of Akatosh: Dragonborn] >
< [Blessing of Akatosh] absorbs the [Blessing of the Dragon Guardian] >
< [Blessing of the Dragon Guardian: Ashen Flame] evolves into [Blessing of Akatosh: Dragonsfire] >
< [Blessing of the Dragon Guardian: Dragon Affinity] evolves into [Blessing of Akatosh: Inner Dragon] >
If absorbing a Dragon Soul awakened his dormant Dragon Soul then that was just the beginning. Once the Dragon Soul awakened, everything started to change according to it. The old scars on his Human Soul, the bottlenecks he struggled with, the Energy Channels he painstakingly cultivated, the Energy Center where his Magicka is stored, the Astral Access, the Eternal Flesh, the Soul Spark.
Jon experienced all the power a Dragon can muster and even saw beyond what he can do. It was by no means something easy to grasp yet he did grasp it. His hard-work all those years was being Rewarded as his Dragon Soul awakened to fit his experience and his hardened body.
For a moment there, he saw a glimpse of the true power that moves this universe and gives it purpose. It was a beautiful feeling, an Awakening he never thought to experience but once it ended, Jon felt bitter as he wanted to experience it one more time yet alas, it will never be possible to experience such a Harmony twice.
And Jon opened his eyes.
Back to reality, back to the presence.
How could such a couple of seconds equal this much feeling? He wondered.
Not much has passed, no one got closer to him yet. He just stored the Dragon's Skeleton away a moment ago and just started tapping into the power of Mirmulnir when his own Dragonborn Soul was Awakening.
He is no longer a mortal now, no longer a human.
He is a Dragonborn.
Jon smiled. He saw the various system messages coming to him. He saw the Blessing of Akatosh with its overwhelming power. He kept smiling as he inspected himself further.
Dragonborn!
Dragonsfire!
Inner Dragon!
"Just what did that Akatosh add without my permission? My ultra-cool Ashen Flame? My Dragon Affinity that allows me to speak with Cats? My Carefully Cultivated Soul? Dammit! I need to study myself for a month to fully understand all that?"
That was true? Who said a new power always brought sweet things. There seemed to be a lot of sorting out. Strong Powers require more time to perfect and Jon stall has no idea what he's up against.
More to that, he can use a new Aura.
The first Aura he used was the Mad Aura, the second was the Tyrant Aura. They were Basic and Advanced Auras respectively. Now, he is entering the final stage of the Art of the Battle Spirit, the Manifested Aura.
Jon was not ready to use it yet. He hid his Aura thanks to the Mystical Tattoos but the Manifestation of the Battle Spirit is something like a signature move. He can't use it at the moment.
Right now, he needs to go to someplace secluded and start studying but… this was not the time. People were approaching him from every corner.
The first person to arrive was some warrior that participated in the battle, once he got close to Jon, he screamed madly.
"I… I can't believe it… you are… you are a Dragonborn?!"
Jon knew this line very well. He almost wanted to laugh but he held it. He wanted to turn and face the warrior but as soon as his foot moved from the ground, it hit something light. Jon wasn't bothered but he subconsciously looked towards what that was and all of a sudden, he almost lost his mind in one go.
It was a helm.
Just an iron helm, the kind of headgear made in Skyrim with a low level of craftsmanship that doesn't even resist rust.
But this helm was unique. It didn't look like anything a Craftsman would make for a warrior but seemed more like a ceremonial helm. The thing is… that helm had horns and looked exactly like the Iron Helm from the game. That helm that the Dragonborn wears on the game's poster.
Even if Jon wasn't a believer in Fate, this would have been too good to be a coincidence.
This is a sign and one he can't ignore.
The Helm of the Dragonborn was right at his feet, Jon lowered himself down, picked it up and stood back again while dusting it off, it seemed to have fallen from some warrior while fighting the Dragon.
Jon held it right to his head and put it on. It was a perfect match that covered his face well. It made him confident. He finally turned around and faced the warrior with a smile.
"Kinsman! What's a Dragonborn?"
***
And that concludes it! I am a Dragonborn.
It was safe to say that nothing went like the game from the moment the Jarl decided to go fight the Dragon. Actually, things are much more logical this way but whatever. I feel better.
"Good morning!"
"Good morning."
It was the second morning in Whiterun and my life was just perfect. Everything I hoped for is here.
"My wife, my beautiful wife."
"Stop it, will I?"
"No, I'm too happy to stop."
"Hmmm~ then keep going."
I am back between the arms of the one I love, that alone is a blessing I can't possibly deny.
My wife just moved away the curtains for the sunlight to Illuminate the room and I pulled her back in bed. I have two years worth of hunger to fulfill.
"God, I missed you." I said as I tried to undo her robe.
"I missed you too." She said as she took my hands off the robe and pushed them back.
Her face was close to mine as she was about to take the initiative and come closer for a kiss but as we were getting closer to each other, a third party decided to participate. All of a sudden, Jullanar's face was between ours.
"Psycho!"
"You two won't get to action without me." Jull said trying to get between us.
"Tsk! You insolent girl, I remember saying Jon is all mine this month." Alina jumped off me and held Jullanar down on the bed and started catfighting.
Last night, Alina chased away Jullanar, Aela and Miranda off the room and even sealed it on us but Jullanar managed to sneak in and the three of us had a wonderful night. It seemed that by the morning, Alina was pissed at Jull for sneaking in.
Seeing the fair and calm wife of mine turn childish and jump over Jull like this, I feel like I missed more than just two years. Still, maybe we made a mess of the Jarl's Guesthouse after we stayed the night here. I feel like this poor furniture won't withstand two raging girls fighting their hearts out.
I smiled as I looked away with my head returning to the deep thoughts that were bothering me.
"Hey, we'll do it or what?" Alina's voice interrupted my thoughts and I returned to them.
I could see the two girls over each other with their sleeping robes almost undone as the two were upon each other.
"Threesome it is then?" I asked.
"You bet! We're tired of being together for the last two years." Alina replied.
"I've heard about that from Aela. It seems that my beautiful wife has taken my two girlfriends as hers the time I wasn't around." I said as I approached them.
"Fufufu! You can't just leave two beautiful maidens and your ultra-gorgeous wife alone without expecting some girl on girl action." Alina replied.
"And we even have a lot of plans for you." Jull continued.
"Hehehe! I can't help but think of all those evil things we'll do together."
As I said so, the two girls pushed me back and hopped on me.
"You'll have to wait until we go home then. Psycho and I are having something special in mind." Alina tempted me more.
It was nice to get my head off things and keep myself excited about what sort of erotic dungeon has the two constructed in our basement… well, knowing the two, it is possible. While my head was sandwiched between two pairs of soft breasts I returned to my personal heaven ignoring the shit storm that was pouring outside because of what I did yesterday.
***
*Yesterday*
Frankly speaking, Jon was plotting for this day ever since he reincarnated. Everything was going according to plan.
Once he absorbed the Dragon's Soul heroically and put on the Iron Helm of the Dragonborn. The people around him started turning crazy.
A Dragonborn walking among them. That was the breaking news that was literally breaking everything.
How will the Jarls react?
How will the Empire react?
How will the war get affected?
Just as Jon was afraid, everything was turning to him.
The Nords were scary when it came to belief, everyone knew that the Dragon is an incarnation of Ysmir, also known as Ysmir Wulfharth, the most epic hero of all Nord heroes, a Shezzarine and the Nordic version of Talos. With that under his belt, things were bound to turn Chaotic wherever he goes.
Annoyingly, Jon can't let anyone know that the man they all revere as the Dragonborn is actually Jon Dare, the maniac Thane of Winterhold. The political Drama that will follow may cause an awful backlash on the economy and the political standing of Winterhold or maybe Skyrim. The plan which he made with High King Torygg would go to waste at that rate.
Still, this was just one of the reasons why Jon hid his identity. The other major reason is Winterhold in General.
The Dragons are not mindless lizards with wings. They are cunning, dangerous and absolutely manipulative. If his identity is known and his power is feared by the Dragons, they will directly attack Winterhold and he can't just handle them alone. Truth be told, he barely handled one Dragon.
Those two reasons were just the beginning of a long list. Also… wouldn't it be cool if Jon revealed his identity at the right time when he can gain the most priceless reactions to it?
Anyway, none of this meant that his identity would be an absolute secret. Some associates need to know and that includes a good friend of his, the Jarl of Whiterun, Balgruuf the Greater.
"DOOOVAAAAHKIIIIIIIIIN!"
And those guys as well.
"I can't believe it. I am hearing right?"
"It is the calling of the Greybeards… this has only happened in Legends!"
"By the Eight, Balgruuf. Let us speak with the Dragonborn. Move aside. I am Olfrid, Patron of the great clan Battle-Born. A name I'm sure you know well."
"Humph! Move aside Battle-Born. The Grey-Manes are the best smiths Skyrim has known. I am Vignar and my brother Eurlond runs Skyforge."
"Big Challenges, Real Solutions. Time to join the Empire."
"Make Skyrim Great Again!"
And let's just say that Jon's fears were way off the mark. They were already about to carry him each to his faction. With Nefertiti feeling agitated in his shadow, Jon started praying that another Dragon would spawn nearby and rid him of this mess but he got the next best thing.
"Alright, Lords and Ladies. We can't trouble the man much longer." Wulfur set the crowd apart with his massive physique intimidating all those annoying people, "Jarl Balgruuf, I am sure you were about to lead us to your keep, right? Can't leave your guest standing here."
"That's right… Kinsmen, we can't stay here longer. I'll throw a banquet at the honor of the Dragonborn here so make sure you all attend. Until then! Guards, clear us a way."
Jarl Balgruuf controlled the scene thanks to Wulfur and the remaining guards split into two teams. One that takes care of the aftermath while the other was to escort the Jarl and the Dragonborn back to Dragonsreach. The Nords were complaining but one can't deal with all those crazy fanatics at the same time without suffering from. brainrot along the way.
The situation in Whiterun was chaotic. Actually, every major city in Skyrim heard the call of the Greybeards. It was said that the thundering sound reached south until the Jerall mountains. A power that reminded everyone who the Greybeards truly are. As Whiterun was the city that heard it the clearest, the streets of the city were already littered with people who wanted to know what was happening.
Thankfully, the Jarl's men were swift enough to reach Dragonsreach without delay. There, Wulfur and Jon along with the rest of the others were all there. Jon was still in disguise refusing to remove the Helm off his head.
The Jarl took a deep breath and held a goblet of wine pouring it down his dry throat. His armor was scratched and bloody due to the fight and his appearance looked as if he had been through hell. Actually, that can be said for all even Jon.
With everyone picking a seat to rest on, the Jarl found his way to his throne and sat down exhausted. He looked at Jon and spoke.
"May the Gods watch over your path my friend! You have done Whiterun a service I can never ignore. I don't know how to reward you for this but if you be so kind and let us have a look to memorize your face and record your name, we will prepare a handsome gift worthy of your honor as Dragonborn." The Jarl said.
Jon felt troubled about showing his face but thankfully, someone had to intervene.
"A Dragonborn? What is that?" Proventus, the Jarl's Steward asked.
"You don't know?" Hrongar, the Jarl's brother joined the conversation, "In the old tales, the Dragonborn heroes would use the power of their Voice to defeat the enemies of Skyrim. Wulfharth was Dragonborn. Talos of Atmora as well."
"Hrongar, calm yourself. What does any of this Nord nonsense have to do with our friend here? Capable as he may be, I don't see any signs of him/her being this, what, 'Dragonborn.'" Proventus faced the Hrongar's excitement with skepticism.
"Nord nonsense?! You puffed-up ignorant! These are our sacred traditions that go back to the founding of the First Empire!" Hrongar should at Proventus aggressively.
"Hrongar. Don't be so hard on Avenicci." The Jarl had to stop the two from arguing.
It seemed the court of Whiterun can't have enough discord even with the Ebony Blade taken away from here.
"I meant no disrespect, of course. It's just that… I don't understand the situation! What's with that Dragon showing up and what do these Greybeards want with him?" Proventus asked.
"That's not our business. The Greybeards have called and answering them is a tremendous honor and an obligatory duty." Jarl Balgruuf concluded the talk about here.
As an Agent for the Imperials, Proventus would always try to understand Jarl Balgruuf's plans and report them to the Empire. With the appearance of the Dragon, the whole political situation was bound to be disturbed. Even a small pawn like Proventus could figure out the value that the Empire will put on the Dragonborn.
Still, something was exceedingly bothering everyone, Jon was still keeping a silent protocol and refusing to take the Helm off. Also, the people of Winterhold seemed to have been the only outsiders present in the court for some reason. Still, luck was smiling on Jon today as Irileth came running into the court.
"Jarl Balgruuf… my Lord. We have a situation." She said.
"What's it, woman? Don't run around when you're injured." Balgruuf jumped off his seat when Irileth walked in. She was supposed to be present but she was injured in the fight and had to rest in the barracks but something must have happened.
"The Clan Heads, the Imperial emissary, the Stormcloak… Everyone is at our door seeking audience. Even that clown Nazeem!" She said.
"…" Jarl Balgruuf wanted to curse out loud but he controlled himself.
Of course with the presence of the Dragonborn and away from the commoners, all the big forces will flock like birds of prey and he can't hold them out much longer. This was a bit out of his hand but thankfully, the Dragonborn seemed as stubborn as any Nord and kept his face hidden under the Helm.
Jarl Balgruuf didn't want to deal with all those troublesome people but this was out of his hands. He can only allow them in.
"Show them in… and keep Naseem out for all what's it's worth!" He said.
"Yes… my Lord." Irileth wasn't comfortable with the situation either but they were out of options.
Currently, there is a Dragonborn with an unknown identity and everyone is just going mad about him. Who knows what this man is capable of? Will he be swayed by politicians or will he be used to do the dirty work of the others? Such answers were indeed putting a lot of pressure on Jarl Balgruuf but the situation at hand was terribly unstable and he has to make sure nothing goes wrong. All he knows is that the Dragonborn was nothing but a mercenary who worked for… for…
The Jarl sank in deep thoughts instantly.
"Wait… could it be…"
Associating that man's name with anything is exceedingly uncomfortable but if Jon Dare had prior knowledge that this man is a Dragonborn and he sent him here in this time on purpose… this explains a lot.
More to that… the people of Winterhold were present in the court and during the fight. This is no coincidence.
Jarl Balgruuf looked towards the doors of his hall as the men flowed causing a lot of noise all wishing to speak with the Dragonborn and get to know him. Jarl Balgruuf paid them no heed and kept looking towards the doors of his hall with patience, making a small bet with fate.
"Could it be…" he thought of the possibility that soon started to turn into a reality in the most bizarre of scenes.
The sudden mess, the unexpected ruckus and most importantly, the cool entrance. The man who can send the most powerful figures in Skyrim early to bed.
He was walking in stealing all the spotlight off the Dragonborn that was supposed to be the savior of the day. Not only was he coming in but his sight made the guards run from his way… maybe due to the Minotaur that was following him… but that didn't matter. It is still him.
But still there is more. It can't be him if he didn't say something exceedingly cool.
"That's a lot of ugly faces gathered in one place. Let the most handsome young man in the world grace you with his presence." He said.
The Jarl stood off his seat not noticing the Dragonborn who was covering his face from the punchline that went completely off-script.
"It's really him!" The Jarl said.
While in fact that was Mirren on the Transformation Potion, Jon has successfully made sure that both his identity and that of the Dragonborn remain separate until he decides otherwise. Yet of course, the fun part (politics) is finally about to start.
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I hope you're all staying home quarantined reading novels and playing games or even studying! Let's take this chance to pray for the world to be a better and loving place where everyone share toilet paper and hygiene products with love and reason. also no wars and other shit but we've to be realistic while praying. May God bless you all.
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