I, hereby announce the beginning of Season 8 "Blade in the Darkness". Happy New Season, and may the release rate be ever in our favor.
Also, big thanks to our new Patrons:-
@bbqweeb
@Singularity
@Carl Uera
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Jon opened his eyes.
It was morning.
He was still in Arcwind Valley where the mountains and the terrain were reshaped by last night's fight.
The chaos didn't let anything in its place. Many corpses were lying around the place some even turned into charred mess. However, the most important corpses were the two large Dragon Skeletons lying on his left and right.
He killed two more Dragons, four in total by. Mirmulnir around Whiterun, Nahagliiv near Rorikstead, Nahkinax and Thurlotyol in Arcwind Point.
More to that, his power experienced a serious leap as he went through a Breakthrough and absorbed Two Dragon Souls at the same night.
He felt invincible.
But last night… Last night he experienced all sorts of pain that he almost lost his mind a few times in a row. The Lightning that struck him during the Aetherial Tribulations almost made him grow deaf and dumb.
Even the remaining clothes on his body were completely burnt and he was left naked.
Finally, he decided to move. He tried but he found it hard. It was as if every joint in his body was overloaded with enough tension to break the back of a mammoth. If he let his body move carelessly right now, it would only brew disaster.
The best thing to do after getting hit by that crazy amount of lightning is to exercise some stretches and flex out all that tension. He put his hands on his hips and broadened his shoulders then pushed against his hips and stretched his spine left and right.
*Crackles*
Each segment in his spine from the neck to the sacrum made a crack as all the residual lightning energy was released.
"Boy boy boy boy… this felt amazing!"
Jon took a deep breath then started to twist, flex and stretch again. Each time he released the tension, it was akin to the thunder coming out of his bones.
"Damn it felt good."
Jon stood up in an energetic manner but the moment he kicked the ground up, the world started to go down in his point of view.
"Whoopsie!"
Or rather, it was him kicking the ground too hard, almost jumping unusually very high. He enjoyed the moment mid-air and rolled his body around then made a very intentional Superhero Landing. He couldn't resist it at all even though he was still as naked as the day he was born.
There was nothing around him, not even anyone. Arcwind Valley was as silent as the dead lying around.
Yet the surprises didn't stop here, once he opened the system screen, there was a truckload of notifications waiting for him.
< Congratulations! You have forcefully skipped the "Frozen Heart Formation" stage to the "Thunder Heart Formation" stage. The growth speed was unprecedented. You have leaped from Lv.74 to Lv.80 in one night. >
< For such a monstrous growth speed, A Blessing has been Rewarded. >
———————————
[Blessing of Shor]
- Heartbreaker: Weaker opponents submit faster while Stronger opponents become weaker with time. On the other hand, Losing Resolve weakens you.
———————————
< You have absorbed 2 Dragon Souls! >
< Something awakens within you! >
< [Blessing of Akatosh: Inner Dragon] has been updated. >
———————————
[ Blessing of Akatosh]
- Inner Dragon: Kril??
———————————
< [Wrath] has sustained a lot of damage, going into recovery mode. >
< [Ahzidal's Evil Fists] are damaged, request repair. >
< [Ahzidal's Boots of the Apostle] are damaged, request repair. >
< [Ahzidal's War Belt] is damaged, request repair. >
< [Helm of the Dragonborn] is damaged, request repair. >
"You can't be serIOUS… WHA…"
< WARNING!!! You're Voice is in an energized state. Please restrain your Voice or else anyone in the range of 100 Feet around you may get affected! >
"DAAAMN!"
Jon was no longer sure where to be surprised so he just held his head and started thinking. This is a good situation but also very annoying nonetheless. He knew his Voice would get out of control someday and this day is today.
He can still control his voice if he must but it is like trying to walk on eggshells. Alina can help him control his voice for sure but this means he needs to stick with Alina for some time… and now that he thinks about it, this isn't too bad after all.
He started gathering the things that were thrown around. Fragments of his armor, the chains he uses, the weapons thrown around and anything that can be looted from the dead cultists. He also found the body of Helmer Bloodsail, the supposed Dragon Priest of the Wise Dragon Cult.
Jon took a deep breath and then spoke to the dead of the valley.
"DISINTEGRATE!"
The intentional power of his voice caused all the corpses lying around to turn into ash. He had no intention of burying them one by one and that is the last courtesy he can offer for the defeated.
Nothing remained in the valley after that other than the ash, dust and stone. Now that the heat of the Battle and the Tribulations has finally passed by, the snow started to descend again and cover the scorched land.
Jon smiled as Winter finally showed itself. Unlike the game, when the winter descends on Skyrim, everywhere from Falkreath to The Rift and the Reach get covered in snow. This season will be tough on the Imperial Legion and the Stormcloaks may actually gain more momentum.
"SIGH…" Jon sighed but as he did, a gust of wind ruffled all the snow and Jon hurriedly covered his mouth.
"… ThiS WOn't be easY!"
Jon tried hard to lessen the tension of his voice but this would take some time to get used to. He just had to move on right now.
But before that, he summoned the [Haven Cube] by casting "Recall" and went in to put all the scrap in a pile and pick up some new armor to fit into. He picked a new set of clothing and browsed his armor collection to end up with the [Ebony Mail]. He had to combine in with normal Ebony Boots, Gauntlets and a Helm. His looks were as frightening as that "Ebony Warrior" from the game so he got rid of the helm.
Speaking of which, Jon has now reached the equivalent strength of Level 80 from the game which means a certain event should get triggered and that is the "Ebony Warrior". This warrior is an NPC that used to appear after level 80 in one of the Major Cities and would challenge the player to a duel. His reasoning is that there are no enemies left to conquer and no quests left to do. Basically, it is the game creators assuming that by the miracle of reaching level 80 during a gameplay, the player should have finished everything.
But that isn't the case at all. Jon is currently at that level and he didn't catch wind of Alduin yet. So… will the warrior still appear and issue a challenge.
The answer is a blunt and simple "No". The Ebony Warrior is not some canon character from the World but rather an Easter Egg added by the game. Another example of that is an NPC called M'aiq the Liar who is also an NPC which was added to mock the game concepts and logic. He also appeared in many different installments of the game.
The truth is that Jon has spent an endless fortune trying to locate both M'aiq the Liar and the Ebony Warrior long ago but no one even heard about them. There are indeed many Knights that are clad in Ebony and many Khajiit are known as M'aiq but no one ever heard about a Heroic Warrior in Ebony or a Khajiit whose forefathers were all called M'aiq.
Either way, Jon went out of the Cube all clad in armor and grabbed his sword [Bloodskal] and the Daedric Halberd [Cliffhanger] on the way.
He scanned around by magic but he found no one in the entire valley. It wasn't that big of a deal anyway as he knows this place well. He would simply get out and catch up.
{Augur!}
< Your growth is blooming. >
{I know. How is the data flow?}
< The knowledge you gained is immense. It would take me time to fathom the mysteries of the higher realms. >
{… Okay…}
< On another note, I had an interesting visitor this morning. An Elf that called himself Ancano. >
{Hmmm… so he found you.}
< He had questions. Many of them. He also knew that I can't lie yet even though, he threatened that he would cut my lifeline. >
{How problematic? What did he want to know?}
< You. >
{Me?}
< Driven to madness and lusting for power, he asked of what it takes to retaliate at you and wanted a method to kill you. >
{Oh! This is alarming. What did you tell him?}
< The Truth, it is all I can tell. >
{You told him how to beat me?}
< Indeed. >
{Awesome!}
< Your reaction is within my calculations. I assume that you are excited to battle him. >
{You're kidding? Of course I am. I will return now and go slap his ass.}
< It would be better if you wait. The Elf needs to undergo a lot of preparations before he can tap into the power that the Eye holds. >
{Wha… You can't just give me a bone then dip me in cold water! Dammit! How long?}
< With the turn of the year. >
{That's like… a month or two. Tsk! I may as well go on some interdenominational tour or while I am at it.}
Even though he just murdered two dragons, Jon wasn't satisfied because his new gained power was overflowing and he needed something strong to fight for him to stabilize his foundations. Any further growth in the near future may actually do more harm than good as Control must always be in balance with Power.
{Alright, Augur. My new Status, is it analyzed yet?}
< Almost finished! >
{Come on. Why am I, the male lead, must go with a makeshift system while other male leads get theirs instant results from the get-go?}
< If you are done complaining, you can access it now. >
{Thanks, Augie!}
————<Status>————
• Name: Jon Dare
• Title: Boss, Thane of Winterhold, Krilon
• Race: Human (Nord)
• Age: 20
• Level: Early Thunder Heart Formation
(Game Level: 80)
• Class: Arch Arcane-Warrior
• Craft: Master Binary Enchanter
• Bloodline: Firemane (Fireborn/Titanborn)
• Birth Sign: The Serpent (eating: The Shadow)
———<Abilities>———
[Nord]
- Battle Cry <Power>
- Northborn <Effect>
[Firemane]
- Fireborn <Effect>
- Titanborn <Power>
[Battle Spirit] <Power>
- Basic Aura: Madness
- Advanced Aura: Red Tyrant
- Manifested Aura: ?Dragon? ★
[Astral Access] <Effect>
[Eternal Flesh] <Effect>
[Serpent Birth Sign] <Effect>
[Way of the Voice] (1/3) <Effect>
- Sky Above (Hear the Sky) ★
- ???
- ???
[Ahzidal's Genius] <Effect>
[Gautfang Martial Style] <Power>
[Enchanted Tattoos (25%)] <Power>
[Chaos Infection] <Power>
[Bardic Knowledge] <Power>
[Secret of Arcana] <Power> ★
- Knowledge of the lost secrets of Magic. Utilize the Magicka of the World through mental energy for a period of time.
[Scholar's Insight] <Effect> ★
- Gain more insights through studying.
[Seeker of Sorcery] <Effect> ★
- Magic costs 10% less and Enchanting is 10% more effective.
———<Blessings>———
[Akatosh]
- Dragonborn <Effect>
- Dragonsfire <Power>
- Inner Dragon: Kril?? ★
[Shor] <Effect> ★
- Heartbreaker: Weaker opponents submit faster while Stronger opponents become weaker with time. On the other hand, losing resolve weakens you.
[All-Maker] - Root of Power <Power>
[Talos] <Effect>
- Fortify Thu'um 50% (amulet)
- Old Man's Coin (amulet)
[Kyne] - Storm Child <Effect>
[Sheogorath] - Mad Champion <Power>
[Azura] - Dawn's Beauty <Power>
[Boethiah] - Berserk <Power>
[Mephala] - Golden Tongue <Power>
[The Shadow Stone]
- Hide in Shadows <Effect>
- Blur
———————————
The status may not provide anything beyond Jon's knowledge but sometimes the Augur has a deeper understanding of the inner workings of Jon's power. For example, Jon realized that his Aura is starting to reach its final form but, he surely guessed it would be something Draconic but the System was sure of it.
Other than that, he was still digesting large amounts of knowledge from the things he learned in High Hrothgar Temple to the forbidden tomes of Apocrypha.
But here comes the interesting part.
The Inner Dragon blessing of Akatosh, which mutated from the Dragon Affinity blessing of the Totem Dragon, is now showing its form. While still incomplete, it showed some information. "Kril", Jon is sure that it is a Dragon Language word and it partially means Dare. The full word is "Krilon" but there seem to be more words coming up.
The second and the very interesting part is the newest blessing, The Blessing of Shor himself.
Now if you are a Nord and ask who in Oblivion "Shor" is, you will receive a beating enough for this lifetime and a couple more. If you are truly ballsy and say the word "Lorkhan" in front of a Nord, that's more beating you shall get.
For a partial person like Jon, Shor is Sheor is Shezarre is Sep is Kota is Lorkhaj is Lorkhan is Doom Drum is the Totem Fox. The most arguable Deity that pops up in all the known Pantheons. He is the world Creator, the Dead Divine, the Ninth of the Eight, the Owner of the Heart and the Two Moons. The Nords' most favorite idol and the whole reason the worship of Talos is a thing.
In the beginning, the Nordic Pantheon had a unique Deity called Ysmir, a reincarnation of the dead Shor. Ysmir was many people before and always described as a Mad Warrior until that Mad Warrior reincarnated as Hjalte Early-Beard, the man who would later become Tiber Septim. With Wulfharth returning from Sovngarde as he always does, Ysmir's title was passed to Tiber Septim and thus, a Dragonborn of the Blood of Akatosh came in union with the Essence of Lorkhan. That when Talos was truly born.
It was expected for both Akatosh and Talos to bless Jon but for Shor to go out of his way and bless him as well. This is a massive sign.
The blessing is called "Heartbreaker", an ironic name from the et'Ada who lost his heart. The function, however, is scary. "Weaker opponents submit faster while Stronger opponents become weaker with time. On the other hand, losing resolve weakens you."
This was the first blessing that had a downside but for it to weaken stronger opponents, it sounded exactly like how tricky Shor can be. Still, this downside about losing resolve was also ironic. In the Nord Mythos, it is said that in the war between the Clan of Shor and the Clan of Ald (Auri-El), Shor lost resolve when he gave up his heart to prove his innocence to Ald. When Dibella remarked that Shor lost resolve, she was beaten by Tsun. It is said that after that, the war continued with Shor dead with no heart and still continues in the Dawn Era beyond the veil of time. [Unofficial Source: Shor Son of Shor]
To sum it all up, in order to use this blessing effectively. Jon must dominate his opponents even more and if his opponent is strong, he must drag the fight till he wins. But if he loses resolve, he will face the same consequence as Shor and get his heart broken.
He either becomes a Heartbreaker or a Heartbroken.
{The fucking irony!}
(Hehe…)
As he was walking, Jon heard a faint laugh around him. He recognized the unpleasant voice and looked down at his Shadow.
{Quit being a creep!}
(Don't be harsh on me, partner. I only want what's best for us.)
{That's what a creep would say.}
(Hehehe…)
The voice faded and Jon unamusingly sighed in his mind. Shadow would always love to creep out whenever Jon passes a milestone as if he was waiting for something. Even though he is creepy, Jon can't deny the wisdom of Shadow and his uniqueness.
But that's something Jon would want to dwell on now, he finally saw the end of the valley and signs of human activity.
Two men among many stood out the most. Wulfur and Jonrad with all the Agents he brought with them.
They all saw Jon coming down the path towards them and their eyes widened and their breath was held. It is as if they saw a predator of a kind. Still, there was something different going on. Jon looked around but he couldn't really put his hand on it… that of course, until the Nords around him started muttering.
"Hail to Ysmir."
Jon furrowed his brows hearing these words. He was about to question what's going on but even Jonrad and Wulfur spoke the words.
"Hail to Ysmir!"
"Hail to Ysmir!"
Jon tilted his head for a moment before just realizing what happened.
It wasn't only him who heard the Voice of the Sky, it wasn't his newfound ability to hear the Wind whispers the same ways the Greybeards do. It seemed that… the Sky had actually spoken.
It was akin to a miracle.
The Nord Agents in the team were even about to kneel to him but with just [Telekinesis], Jon stopped them from going down while shaking his head. No mortal should kneel to another.
{Free her.} Jon pointed at Delphine.
The Agents followed his command as if it is heaven-given and brought her to him. Jon gazed towards his father who was once a Blade and saw his look towards Delphine is a bit sympathetic. Jon didn't really want to let her go but he can at least decide after hearing her out.
{I heard you were looking for me, Delphine.} Jon spoke via Telepathy.
Delphine seemed to have been in a state of uncertainty now that she witnessed what she witnessed. She infiltrated the Dragon Cult in order to expose them to Winterhold and as a reward, they would let her meet the Dragonborn whom Jon Dare was harboring but jokes on her and the whole world, Jon Dare is the Dragonborn.
He has the ability, the authority, the knowledge, the background, the power, the money, the people and literally everything he may so much desire. Are the heavens favoring this guy so much so they hand him the fate of the World as well?
"Normally… I would have asked for proof that you are Dragonborn…" She began speaking.
{I know but I don't have to prove anything to the likes of you.} Jon replied, seemingly losing patience.
"I believe that you really are a Dragonborn, believe me I am on your side…"
To her remark, Jon rolled his eyes back and let out a long but faint breath.
"… I am a former Blade, the Blades are a sworn order of warriors that is dedicated to serving people like yourselves. You must know that. Knight Brother Jonrad Firemane is like that too." Delphine said as she looked to Jonrad.
"I am no longer a Blade. Nobody is a Blade anymore." Jonrad spoke with indifference.
"But… the Oath! You guided him and protected him during the fight…" Delphine wanted to retort.
"Is it not expected from me to protect my son? This has nothing to do with me being a Blade." Jonrad replied.
It seemed that there were two kinds of Blade Remnants, those who no longer care about what it once was like Jonrad and Fultheim, and those who still carry their oath like Delphine. Jon had nothing against the Blades, actually, he admired the order itself and considered it to be full of wonder and mystery but sadly and as all things, it came to an end.
The Empire is no longer what it used to be, the world itself is no longer what it was, the age is turning. Even he, the Dragonborn, is the Last. The whole ordeal was very sigh-worthy.
{Cut to the chase.}
Jon finally had enough of Delphine. He knows what she has in mind but to corner her tight, he needs her to speak it.
"Alright." She replied in confidence, "I have tracked most of the Dragons using the Dragonstone as I am sure you already did. What I found out is that the Dragons aren't coming out from hiding. These Dragons were dead for thousands of years and they are… coming back to life."
Jon would give Delphine 5 performance points but would deduct them again for being too…
"Outdated!" Wulfur replied.
"What?" Delphine seemed confused in a second, "So… you too have figured that out?"
"If you at least stuck around Winterhold for a few hours, you'd have known this is public knowledge. The Temple of Kyne updates the people on the news of the Dragonborn and the Dragons." Mirren said in a ridiculing tone.
"Yes, sister-in-law has taken full rights for any Dragonborn related news to her Temple." Wulfur added.
"Then… if we agree on that, we can investigate the reason why the Dragons are being revived." Delphine tried fast to regain the lead in the conversation.
"…" No one even replied.
Jon turned around towards the valley he came from and the rest had a funny look on their faces.
"You people… you know that too?" Delphine seemed taken aback.
"Before you say anything, it is not the Thalmor." Wulfur said.
"Then…" Delphine wanted to ask about what they know but there was something else diverting everyone's attention.
Jon hummed softly but without much effort, the winds started to move with his breath. Something has caught his attention as he finally opened his mouth for his words to shake the world as he speaks.
« Show yourself! »
These words were directed to the mountain and the valley beyond. As soon as the echo was no more, two gigantic shadows were cast on Jon and his group of agents. Those who looked at the Sky were in full alertness and tried to get ready for a battle they felt inevitable.
Two Dragons appeared. One landed not too far from Jon, the other kept distance in the back.
These were Onikkeindrog and Trahdruniik, two of the four Dragons Jon fought yesterday.
"Drem Yol Lok, Dovahkiin (Peace Fire Sky [Greetings], Dragonborn). I came to speak."
The Great Dragon, Onikkeindrog, showed himself directly to Jon. Hostility was there for sure between the two and the fight can go off once again at the slightest wrong movement but Jon kept his imposing domineer.
"Drem!" (Peace)
With this word, Jon agreed to converse with the mighty Wise War Lord, the golden Onikkeindrog.
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Happy Birthday everyone. Not me, not anyone in Particular. But to "Dragonborn Saga". On the 1st of August, 2018; I published the first Chapter of this Monstrosity and I am quite proud of everything it has achieved so far. I am most thankful for everyone of you guys and I hope we all have another Wonderful and Successful year in our Careers and Hobbies. ❤️❤️❤️
One more thing, I took a break the last five days for Eid and I was completely away from internet and civilization. I may also take another break this month because of my PhD Exam so writing may get a bit slower. Sorry Big Time.
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"Will you talk to me, Dovahkiin?"
"I said I will."
A Man and a Dragon stood face to face in a gathering of mortals and another Dragon. The sheer pressure of the two entities was so suffocating for the wildlife in the range of a mile to flee in terror.
Jon stood tall in the [Ebony Mail] and held the Daedric Halberd which can harm any Dragon. Opposite to him was the golden Onikkeindrog, Strategist of the Horde of Alduin and one of the mysterious pillars of the Dragon Cult.
Jon and Onikkeindrog exchanged deep looks into one another. Normally, a Dragon would see through any mortal just with a glance. Onikkeindrog turned his eyes and saw worry in Jonrad, readiness in Wulfur and Mirren, firmness in Delphine and fear in the rest. But Jon… Jon was impossible to see through.
On the other hand, Jon exactly knew what Onikkeindrog was trying to do. The way the Dragons can tell what the mortals feel is a sense of intuition that is harnessed by reading the sounds of hearts. If you know what people's heartbeats sound like when they lie, when they are afraid, when they are at their bravest; you can simply not only predict but manipulate your opponent.
Onikkeindrog was plotting to overpower Jon by threatening him and playing mind games but Jon's heart was as if immovable. And for a second there, a sound was heard audibly.
*BabDUM*
It was as if a heart was bursting with power, Jon's heart went through the trials of Flame and Frost and now that he reached the Thunder Heart stage, he made those around him tremble with only a heartbeat.
Onikkeindrog was just taken aback by what he heard and felt strangely uncomfortable being seen through by a mortal whose age wasn't even 1% of his own.
"You said you're speaking, will you keep this folly for too long or should we just skip to fighting." Jon spoke.
"Patience, you seem eager for fighting, Dovahkiin. Is it your Paar? Your Desire?" Onikkeindrog finally started talking.
"Eager? That doesn't even half describe it." Jon walked even closer to Onikkeindrog and showed hostility, "I will tear through everything and everyone who stands between me and Alduin and if you want to know my desires, you should have done a better job knowing me first before coming after me."
"Vahzah! True! We were also eager to deal with you Dovahkiin. Do you know what kind of creature you are?" Onikkeindrog asked.
"Sure, a member of the Homo Sapiens race known commonly as Humans." Jon replied with a cheeky answer.
"Oh! But you are so much more, Dovahkiin. Do you understand the Origins of Dragons and the Dragonborns? The reason why scourges like you were made."
"HA! Calling me names now? Fine, I know the reason and the duties of the Dragonborn. I know the Origins of your kind and the Dragons' Sin of Hunger."
"Sin? You call bahlok… our hunger, you call it a Sin when you had no faintest idea what it all meant?" Onikkeindrog seemed rather offended by what Jon just said.
Jon raised his arms and shoulder gesturing that he doesn't know and doesn't care but the look on his face displayed mockery. How can a Dragon say to a human that they don't know hunger even though from the days they were born, humans were Hungry… were Mortals.
Hunger is Mortality in the Dragons' logic and too many other myths that surround the creation. In the past, the Dragons experienced Mortality thus they ate Akatosh and many other Spirits in order to gain their current immortal selves. Alduin himself is fated to eat the whole World if he desires to do so instead of ruling it.
"As a member of the mortal races, I don't find anything wrong with the death you so much fear. Death gives life meaning."
"Mey! (Fool!) What meaning do demise and defeat accomplish? As I thought, you are dangerous. Let me tell you what a Dragonborn really is. Scourges like you are no heroes, no saviors, no champions. I admit that Dragons are not perfect just as you mortals but a Dragonborn, he is the worst of both worlds."
"Ho!" Jon raised his eyes up and seemed interested in this remark, "Please, elaborate further."
"Desires are what drives both Joor and Vojoor, mortals and immortals, but only those who are wise enough are able to resist the temptations. For Dragonborns, they have the worst traits of Mortalkind and the worst of the Dov. Dovahkiin are selfish, power-hungry, fearful of death, desire dominance and have terrible powers. Bormahu (Akatosh) was unwise to hand his power to mortals without holding back. Truly unwise." Onikkeindrog said.
Jon rubbed his chin and nodded.
"But you are making it as if I am Miraak." He replied.
"We fought the Dragon Slaver for many bitter years. He killed those he couldn't enslave and took the weak of us under his rule. He was a terrible example of what a Dovahkiin can be. Tell me, Dovahkiin, what makes you different from Miraak?"
"Me? Different? Not at all." Jon shook his head, "I have no love for the Dragonborn who refused to end Alduin once and for all and chose to abandon the people and be his own King or something. Still, I get to have all the power he had, I would do it without thinking."
"So… power-hungry, that's a thing you admit, Dovahkiin." Onikkeindrog seemed annoyed by Jon's honesty towards himself even in public and in front of his enemies.
"I just don't imagine anything good this conversation is achieving, Dragon. On one hand, you are trying to blame me for being what I am and on the other, you are acting as if you are in the right." Jon locked his arms together demanding an explanation.
"What wrong am I in when the only thing I do is defend my kind?" Onikkeindrog argued.
"Is that so? So you are saying that the best way to Defense is Offense… then why are we having this conversation?"
"Don't you already understand? I failed to know who you are, to predict you, it is only natural for me to come directly to the source."
"And what stops me from sticking this Halberd in your nose all the way to your brain?" Jon murderously asked, "You are injured and not completely healed. I am in a better position. There will be no better moment to take you on except right now."
"There is nothing to stop you if you wish to fight. But do not Warriors prefer to exchange words with their foes before a bitter battle?"
"I'm not that kind of Warrior."
"Then yet again I was mistaken and my curiosity got the best of me." Onikkeindrog spoke as if he is admitting his own bad habit.
"Now if you're done with your nonsense, I have something to confirm." Jon took the lead on the conversation from that point.
"…" As if knowing what Jon is about to talk about, Onikkeindrog showed a hint of carefulness.
"Aside from the fact that you somehow found out about my real identity and you even looked around for all the enemies I made all around Skyrim making them your cult, am I mistaken to assume that the plan to attack Winterhold… to be more specific, the targeting of my family especially my wife was your idea all along?"
Jon's question was different from the argument Onikkeindrog was dwelling around all that time but from the look of it, the Dragon didn't deny what Jon said.
"Vahzah (Correct), it was me who wanted the demise of your loved ones, Dovahkiin." Onikkeindrog said it bluntly.
The situation seemed to have reached its dead end. Everyone following Jon knew exactly what it meant to target his family, Jon would raise Oblivion itself to face such a crime.
"Alright."
But the words that Jon replied with were devoid of any anger or hate. Jon was simply unshaken to the point where it was difficult to understand him. Even Onikkeindrog didn't predict that at all.
"Normally, I would kill you where you stand. Those who tried to harm my family before were only pitiful losers who saw no hope of getting after me. However, I don't understand you. In the case of my wife, was it because of her powers?" Jon asked.
The dragon seemed very careful with his following words so he chose to give a half-assed answer.
"Yes, but not entirely that." He said.
Jon nodded and asked one more question.
"So my family, you weren't aiming to hurt me but you still had a sinister plan in mind. Mind if you spill the beans?"
"That would not be advantageous to me."
"I see." Jon nodded, "If my family's demise was your goal and it had nothing to do with revenge then you must have simply wanted me to lose rationality. Losing it in my case can prove dangerous since I… I would act based on hatred… this means you wanted my quest to be about revenge rather than being about saving those who I care about. I see… a man who lost everything won't care for anything. I would simply ignore the other people who are suffering because of the Dragons and look for the fastest way to kill the one who I would blame for losing my family… Alduin."
Jon smiled as if not believing his own analysis then looked at the Dragon in front of him.
"Hah! So all you were aiming for is to break me as a person and drive me to a quest for revenge against Alduin. If he kills me, he would achieve his fate; but if I kill him… Hahaha! You sly old lizard." Jon laughed, "You wanted me to ignore most of the Dragons and directly kill Alduin?"
There was no longer hiding it. Jon is too much of a monster when he starts profiling something in his head and from the looks of it, Onikkeindrog wasn't denying it at all.
*ROAR*
On the other hand, Trahdruniik spread his wings and flew closer to Jon and Onikkeindrog.
"That's not true. Onikkeindrog, this is not what you were planning." He said.
Jon and Onikkeindrog seemed to be completely focusing on one another ignoring the tantrum Trahdruniik was throwing.
"Thuri, you can't possibly be betraying Alduin." Trahdruniik pressed further causing Onikkeindrog to reply.
"That's enough, Trahdruniik." He spoke.
"Impossible… Why would you turn your back on Alduin?" The Dragon Trahdruniik was having a hard time believing what he was witnessing from his direct superior.
"Yes, Onikkeindrog. Why don't you tell us the reason." Even Jon seemed demanding yet not forgetting to add his smug touch.
Even Onikkeindrog would be pressured by such firmness. On one hand, there is an age-long ally whom he risked the lives of two other dragons for and on the other, there is the bitter enemy of all the Dov.
"My true intention was to cause the demise of you Dovahkiin alongside my brother, Alduin. If you want to know why then simply understand it is the only way." Onikkeindrog spoke.
"The only way for what?" Trahdruniik asked.
"To save your scaley ass." Jon seemed to have caught up on Onikkeindrog's reasoning, "He wanted to save all the Dragons from the rock and the hard place. In other words, Alduin and Me."
It all made sense to this point.
Onikkeindrog wanted to destroy Jon's family in order to darken his heart and send him over to Alduin. With the two monsters on each other's throats, they would put each other down for good and the Dragons would be free from both their ultimate slayer and their dominator.
In a sense, it was a very realist and simple plan. If Jon were so much to lose a single loved one to Dragons, he would have rushed his campaign and went to face Alduin right at the moment.
"How do you feel about Alduin?" Finally, Jon asked a strange question.
Onikkeindrog was in a way shocked by this question. In a sense, it was as if someone asked him something he can't even fathom the answer to.
Who is Alduin to Onikkeindrog?
A brother? A commander? A tyrant?
He was… everything.
There was no way Onikkeindrog would forget what Alduin who was once a hero to all Dragons did. The first brother Alduin, the second brother Paarthurnax, the third brother Onikkeindrog, the fourth brother Kungosvern, the fifth brother whose name is a secret… Those five were legends among the Dragons ever since they were but Wandering Spirits.
When the hunger came and when mortality and death threatened everything by the emergence of Akatosh, who put the second after the second and the minutes into hours, there was only the Black Prince to stand up for Akatosh. It was Alduin who first dug his teeth into the hide of Akatosh and tore his spirit apart then the Wandering Spirits followed. The hunger turned to madness as the Wandering Spirits ate and ate until they devoured many parts of Akatosh and even other spirits. It was then when the Wandering Spirits transcended mortality and stood above all else as the eternal Dragons and the supreme life form.
To Onikkeindrog and many others, those were the days.
But now those days are gone. Now, Alduin is nothing but an old bitter tyrant. And much more, there is one thing that Onikkeindrog the Wise hates in both Jon and Alduin and it was the basis of his answer.
"Alduin… you, Dovahkiin… I feel about you just about the same." Onikkeindrog said, "You two are the worst kinds of Dragons above all else, you two are Mad."
"Heh!" Jon disdainfully laughed.
There was no more to say. Onikkeindrog came to know Jon and he knew him, Jon listened to Onikkeindrog and he realized what kind of a Dragon he is up against.
"Interesting! Interesting indeed!" Jon was smiling widely, "So Alduin is crazed, power-hungry and a bitter Dragon. That's a recipe for disaster indeed. And you… you don't want me to kill the Dragons who are uninvolved, right?"
Onikkeindrog didn't reply as there are no more words to be said.
"Alright. I won't kill Dragons discriminately." Jon raised his shoulders without much care.
"What?"
"Wait… what are you saying?"
"Son, what are you…"
"How could… no way."
"Not kill Dragons…"
"That's… how!"
The reactions around Jon were the same whether it is from the side of humans or Dragons.
"Thane Jon, how could you say such a thing? You are a Dragonborn, this is unacceptable." And the one with reacting the most was Delphine.
"Unacceptable?" Jon turned to her with a murderous look on his face before slapping her with the back of his hand before she even replied, "You don't get to tell me what I should and shouldn't do, bitch."
The Agents quickly held her up and dragged her back then gagged her after a signal from Jon. After that, Jon turned to Onikkeindrog.
"As I said, I won't hunt the Dragons without a reason. If they committed crimes, I will arrest them and put them to trial then pass judgment on them. If they resisted arrest, I would deal with them as I see fit. By my authority, the rules and rights of men would be applied on Dragons from now on."
Jon declared his intentions. His words were as if lightning kept striking at an instant rate.
"What… what is the meaning of this?" Trahdruniik asked.
"It is as you heard. From the beginning, I had no intention of driving the Dragons to extinction and quite frankly, I would prefer to have the Dragons as allies instead of enemies. Dragons are one of the sentient races and I know they feel lonely, they get mad and bitter, they hate isolation and can suffer mental traumas. I had to confirm that of course and you proved to be excellent specimens."
Jon was satisfied with what he confirmed and what he found out about Dragons. Other than their psych, he can also figure out many weaknesses in their nature.
"And what judgment will you pass, Dovahkiin? We killed many of the mortalkind, will you sentence us to death?" Onikkeindrog asked.
"I should do so." Jon replied, "Sadly, this will raise conflict and cause the other dragons to feel distrust towards me thus I will pass a judgment fit enough for your crimes. The same goes for you Trahdruniik."
The two dragons didn't reply carefully considering their options but eventually, there seemed to be either this or conflict. If conflict became the option, Jon would forever be seen as an enemy to the Dragons and would be forced to annihilate them at some point.
The only option for peace is to comply.
"Pass your judgment, Dovahkiin." Onikkeindrog spoke.
Jon nodded.
"For the crimes of Murdering the Innocent, enslaving members of the mortal races, terrorizing the peaceful folk and the hardworking travelers, seeking to cause discord in the realm of Winterhold. I, Dragonborn Jon Dare, sentence you to exile. You may not dwell on or fly over Tamriel for a Thousand Years."
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