Chương 537: High Profile Pain in the Ass
Skyrim has taken its fair share of trouble as of late, year 4E 201 has been not kind to many families since the Stormcloak Movement turned into a Civil War and the Dragons became insanely active doing minor attacks in the wild.
A few caravans and patrols encountered the Dragons as of late and reported high casualties but the attacks were all over the place, it was as if the Dragons were avoiding directly going against cities and towns for some reason.
While Jon was on his journey across Skyrim side-questing and visiting the Greybeards, the ones who were left to oversee the Dragon investigation were none other than his family and friends. Jullanar was responsible for internal security and anti-espionage, Wulfur was keeping the places outside the city in check while Alina traveled south to where the Dragons attacked seeking further information while being accompanied by Isha, Mirren and Miranda.
This lineup of Winterhold's finest was all it took to uncover parts of the situation of Dragons.
It became very clear after Alina was attacked two times by Assassins after she visited the Dragon Attack sites and barely managed to capture one alive. Under her torturous gaze, the assassin spoke words that made no sense such as "Masters", "Blood Vengeance" and a certain "Helmer".
Three pieces of information that meant absolutely nothing but why would anyone associate themselves with the Dragon Attacks and try to ambush whoever comes there.
Alina divined many ideas from the surroundings and from the souls of the dead but things proved to be rather complicated with her coming across more questions than answers.
"For all we know, someone has been employed by the Dragons to cover their tracks." Alina said in the family meeting during one night in the Tower.
Not many were present there other than the Family senior members and Jon's trustworthy aides. Tormund Firemane seemed concerned more than usual with such news, he tried to remember anyone that may harbor such a foul intention to work with Dragons but in all his years, he never came across such a thing.
"Maybe like those Dragon Worshippers from olden times?" Hilda asked.
"Let's not jump to conclusions, sister. Assuming there are still remnants from the old Dragon Cult is a bit far fetched." Skadi denied the possibility.
"Jon also didn't assume such a thing may happen but this doesn't mean it may not be true." Alina sided with Hilda's assumption, "If a clan or two survived since the first age of Dragons and they had the Dragon Veneration in the heritage, this may make it possible."
"But that would make them older than any other clan. Older and more powerful than the oldest ones."
"It is just a possibility but there can be any number of explanations. Maybe a clan that allied themselves with Dragons or something along the lines."
"In the end, we can't really be sure about it."
After this discussion and a couple more, the meeting couldn't reach a single decision about what to do other than waiting on the defense. Not a nice stance looking at how Winterhold does things but the safest for the time being. Still, it was wise of them to point fingers towards the Dragons since they are the most recent enemy to encounter.
During this time, the news was heard about the Dragonborn gathering a Warband and fighting pirates then a week after, the assault on Northwatch Keep. The ones who had to clean up the mess were the Dare Dragon Company but judging by their dire relationship with the Thalmor, they only had to deny knowledge of the Dragonborn's actions and publically implore him to follow the "legal means" in the times of war. The bullshit was wide and clear in the DDC's statement.
It was nice to see Winterhold and the Company back to their lawless behavior with the other powers and despite the love/hate relationships they are involved in with all the political and business forces, they were the ones that were sought out to interfere with many problems and solve all the big troublesome situations in Skyrim. It was safe to say that in Politics and Business, the Company was doing all the Side-Quests which involved opening trade routes for neutral businesses and negotiating peace between the East and the West of Skyrim.
Then the Investment Bank of Winterhold and the Dare Insurance were publically open for business not long after Jon departure to High Hrothgar. Traders who travel between Winterhold and the other holds found a delicious chance in making insurance contracts with the Company while aspiring Businessmen took loans to start partnerships even outside Winterhold. Slowly but smoothly, the Company started expanding in the Pale and Eastmarch even entering the cities of Dawnstar and Windhelm.
During all that, Alina was busy between her the minimal management she had to oversee instead of Jon and her job in the College of Winterhold.
On one fateful day, the Apprentice Class of the Newcomers was called for a lecture by the slow and tranquil Master Tolfdir and Alina was assigned as his assistant in that class. A notable number of students were present as Tolfdir was one of the most famous Alteration Masters in the Magic Community of Tamriel.
In the notebook she carries, Alina kept a small parchment where Jon noted to her a series of events that he predicted to happen and in a strange development, they were all unfolding today.
Master Tolfdir came up and started to mindlessly give a lecture on the primary practices of Magic and the safety methods in Magic usage causing the class to get stirred up a little. Even though most of them are novices and apprentices, they were all hoping to start shooting magic around like fools. A certain Dark Elf girl from a Telvanni lineage, a boastful Khajiit with dangerous tendencies and a large nervous Nord young man. The three were taking most of the attention and complained when Master Tolfdir started talking about "Safety First".
"… Eagerness must be tempered with caution, or else disaster is inevitable." Tolfdir stated in front of the inpatient apprentices.
"But we've only just arrived here. You've no idea what any of us are capable of. Why not give us a chance to show you what we can do?" A student argued back.
Tolfdir sighed, took in a breath and looked across the students who showed the unhealthy behavior of haste. He wanted to take another opinion on the matter so he looked around him and saw Alina present, knowing her, she would probably give them the scolding they deserve.
"Teacher Alina, how do you think we should proceed?" Tolfdir asked.
Alina glanced at the old man not trying to realize how this situation unfolded to where he would request her opinion. According to the parchment Jon wrote, she should stand in a visible distance from Tolfdir right beside the students and when that is done, Tolfdir may actually ask for her opinion.
Putting the thoughts aside, Alina cleared her voice and replied.
"Eagerness in the Arcane Arts is a quality to be praised but those mages who ended up killing themselves were all eager as well. Not some fools who wished to meet the wrong sides of their Fireballs. Take Master Tolfdir's advice and hone your lousy basics. With a Magus of his caliber offering you priceless guidance, you would reach heights of which you have never dreamt." Alina said in cold indifference with an annoyed hint in her tone.
Alina's moodiness is that of the unpredictable winds. One moment she is as sweet as a breeze and the next, she is calling the thunderstorm. She never tolerated disrespect to the Masters of the College and despite her excellent knowledge, she was the complete opposite of Jon when it came to teaching. Jon would make the one in front of him feel like a child who is watching Fireworks for the first time while secretly giving them the right amount of information they need to know thus his lectures, while rare, are singular in popularity. Alina on the other hand is academic to the bone, she would hammer her students with the harshest vocabulary she can muster making her a scourge among the teachers who is only sought out by the elite students.
Seeing Alina scolding the toddlers who recently joined the College, Master Tolfdir became concerned. Even Jon would become concerned, his note strictly instructed to stick to short answers acting as either passive or negative but Alina wouldn't be Alina if she didn't add some Alinaism.
The newcomers were well aware of who that woman that covers her face is. Yet despite that, they were all in agreement that they needed to jump into the practical first. From that point, Master Tolfdir thought about humbling them a notch.
"All right, let's settle down. I suppose we can try something practical… In continuing with our theme of safety, we'll start with Wards. Wards are protective spells that block magic. I'll teach you all a ward, and we'll see if you can successfully use it to block spells, all right?" Tolfdir said and turned to Alina, "Teacher Alina, would you mind helping me with the demonstration?"
"Of course, Master Tolfdir. Wards are the most important off-hand spells. They are practically the Shields of mages. Once one masters the ways of the Wards, one will be able to cast various types of Wards. The most common is the Magic Resisting Ward, there is also the Magic Reflecting Ward, the Magic Absorbing Ward, the Physical Ward, and the legendary Barrier Magic. Some of the College's Elites can call upon the Special Reflection Ward and send back an Arrow shot at them." Alina said as she stepped in front of Master Tolfdir, "Should we start from the scratches and exchange a few spells?"
"Yes, that would be for the best." Tolfdir replied nonchalantly, "Stand there and cast a Ward, Teacher Alina."
Alina walked to the center of the forefront of the Hall of Elements and gracefully cast a Ward that was double her size and covered her from the front to the back. Her performance was way over the top and caused the onlookers to stand in awe. Surely they know how to cast Ward spells but not to that degree of perfection where the ripples on the surface of the spell moved very slowly. This performance was almost as if she was displaying a Warding Barrier, a kind of spell that is considered an overkill even in the rank of Expert Mages.
Tolfdir admired Alina's spell too but anticlimactically, he cast a simple Fire Bolt towards it. His Fire Bolt dissolved on the surface of Alina's Ward without a sound.
"Well, I think this is an excellent start. I'd like you all to continue practicing with wards, please. I think perhaps…" Tolfdir said as he was wrapping up the subject but he was interrupted right away.
"Master, can we see that one more time. We'd like to see… take more notes." A very young student raised her voice and spoke in anticipation.
Looking at her, this seemed to be Beth. She was attending the newcomer classes to socialize and learn anything new. Her age group was certainly rare around the College but her excellence was not to be denied.
Tolfdir was about to turn her request down but what followed hers were more requests from the other students hoping to see more magic. Novices may come from different origins but they all share eagerness and admiration towards Magic.
"Well… we can manage something. Teacher Alina, I will cast a Ward spell and you shall strike it with a moderate spell."
"Alright."
Alina and Tolfdir exchanged roles which spiced up the mood a bit. He cast a normal Ward and she browsed her mind for normal magic that shouldn't be too harmful. Using Sun Magic won't even harm anyone, the only harm it does is causing some tan skin.
She stressed forward a hand and raised it up.
"Smite!"
Making the runes of the spell become visible in their magic circle, Alina used the Adept Level [Smite], a spell that is devastating towards the undead. It was akin to the sun ray breaking through the sealing and shining a spotlight upon its target.
Tolfdir raised his Ward up and received the magic effortlessly.
"Good choice, Teacher Alina. Let's stick to the Restoration school, shall we? It would be an excellent idea to make the students learn the Sun Spells first rather than anything dangerous."
"Indeed, Master Tolfdir. Let's go."
An absurd exchange continued between Alina and Tolfdir. When he started with a Fire Bolt and she replied with Smite escalated to rather… dangerous spells.
"Sun Fire!" (Tolfdir)
"Starfall!" (Alina)
"Vampire's Bane!" (Tolfdir)
"Light Slash." (Alina)
"Repel the Dead!" (Tolfdir)
"Lady of Mercy!" (Alina)
"Guardian of the Living!" (Tolfdir)
"Light of the Nine!" (Alina)
Blinding rays of Light flew all over the place. Master Tolfdir and Alina felt the need of exchanging some pointers on such a cold day as it made the blood run hot. As soon as they were satisfied, they exchanged words of complement.
"This was surely refreshing, Dame Alina. I haven't done that much effort for years, fufufu!"
"Indeed, Master Tolfdir. Exerting effort is surely beneficial. I am sure the juniors have managed to grasp the essence of what is necessary to be an excellent mage from this exquisite exchange." Alina said as she turned around.
Mouths agape and skin going pale, most of the students were at the limits of their wits as the blinding exchange a moment ago took them by surprise.
"Well… I am sure they learned something… anything?" Alina spoke quietly to Master Tolfdir.
"Hmmm… well, I hope this becomes more of an encouragement for you young ones. The path to enlightenment is not easy… Also, the Anti-Undead magic spells are quite popular and easy to master, you should use them to spar since they will not cause you harm." Tolfdir said.
"You are quite right, Master Tolfdir. It will also make Master Colette very happy now that people would be interested in using Restoration Magic. We should suggest adding Restoration Training Duels to the course. Aside from some tan and skin burns, nothing can't be healed."
"Indeed. Well then… I guess that's it for today. Leave your questions for Teacher Alina. For the next lesson, I think perhaps we're ready to begin exploring some of the various applications of magic throughout history. The College has undertaken a fascinating excavation in the ruins of Saarthal nearby. It's an excellent learning opportunity. I suggest we meet there in a few days and see what awaits us inside. That's all for now, thank you."
The class was dismissed with Master Tolfdir walking away and Alina taking over. She haughtily stood over the class looking down on everyone and everything.
"Understandably, the Ruins of Saarthal are sacred Nordic grounds which would stir a lot of trouble from the locals if treated with disrespect thus the attendance won't be mandatory. If any of you want to register for the historical excavation site, please write your names together in a Parchment and pass them over to me. I would be staying inside the Mysticism Department office till the afternoon but beyond that, I don't want any of you following me in the city. Questions? … Good."
Tolfdir may have perfectly dodged all the troublesome questions by passing them to Alina whose personality is too nasty when it comes to dealing with apprentices. She wrapped it all in a minute and walked out of the class.
Not many students dared to follow her for questions save for one curious Khajiit.
"Teacher Alina, Teacher Alina, this one has some questions." The Khajiit spoke.
"Speak." Alina replied without sparing him a look.
"This one's name is J'zargo. It has been very long since J'zargo started studying magic and J'zargo aims to be the best." J'zargo said.
"You're aiming high, huh? Best of Luck." Alina looked at him in a funny way.
"Thank you. There is much for J'zargo to aim for. There is skill in magic, there is charm, and there is a strong will. J'zargo will be successful, of this, there is no doubt."
"Alright… then…"
"T- Teacher Alina, wait. J'zargo has a few more questions."
"Be quick."
"J'zargo is a natural investigator and he found out that the best Mage in his age group is called Jon Dare. Can teacher Alina help J'zargo be better than Jon Dare?" J'zargo asked.
Alina took a few moments of realization to wrap her head around what J'zargo said. The Khajiit is surely competitive way beyond his own good.
"Alright, J'zargo." Alina nodded and continued, "But teacher Alina has a question for you."
"By… by all means." J'zargo complied.
"Good. What happens when a Khajiit is struck by 100 MP of Shock Magicka?" She asked.
J'zargo was about to give it a thought but he quivered badly and shook his head as he saw Alina aiming a hand towards his feet.
"Well… same as anything else."
*Bzzzt*
According to Alina, Jon's only competition is her so anyone else better get in line. With the crazy Khajiit out of her way, she was about to step over him when another figure popped up out of nowhere and started poking the unconscious Khajiit with a twig.
"Poor kitty. Jon would be angry with you if he knew you hit a cat."
"Rude Khajiits do not count." Alina replied, "Why are you here, Jull?"
"Can't we wives check on each other from time to time?"
Alina covered her hand with Shock Magicka once again.
"Alright alright, sheesh woman." Jull retreated away as she took out a small scroll from her pocket.
"A report came in from Hjaalmarch." She said, "It is regarding the agents we planted around the ruins of Ustengrav. We managed to ambush her."
"Her?" Alina asked.
"That woman. The one that tried to steal the Dragonstone from us in Whiterun. Del… something."
"Wait! You captured Delphine?" Alina was surprised.
"Yes. She is being shipped to Winterhold on the Iron Maiden at the moment."
Prior to his leave, Jon assigned Team 0 to guard the ruins of Ustengrav where the founder of the Greybeards, Jurgen Windcaller was buried. Delphine would appear there to steal another item from the Dragonborn and Jon was on to her. With an ambush, she fell to the excellent talents in Team 0.
Right now, Winterhold has managed to bring down another High Profile Pain in the Ass.
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