Chương 378: Chapter CI: Spreading The News
(General POV)
"We've got another!" The sudden shout brought Torygg from the depths of this thoughts and worries as a quartet of hale warriors ran past him, carrying the wounded form of whom he swiftly recognized as Balgruuf's own niece to the nearby space the healers sectioned off to tend to the wounded.
His eyes met those of his currently most powerful Jarl as the man also realized what had just happened and barely held himself back from rushing after them "Damnation" The Jarl of Whiterun hissed and stopped himself from following.
"Any news of your brother?" Torygg chose to try and distract him. His own nerves were threatening to make him go mad and he could do with some empty talk as well.
"Nay, my King." Balgruuf shook his head and leaned on the wall behind him "Hrongar is still chasing after whatever pockets of resistance are left. He and a good number of the fools too nervous to wait." His face twisted into a light scowl.
"As if the two of us are any less guilty of shaking in our boots." Torygg lets out a quiet chuckle, his eyes automatically moving towards the closed portal to Sovengarde itself.
Balgruuf joins him in his short bout of self-deprecating laughter and shakes his head "If only the bloody dragons said anything before flying off, at least we might have had some piece of mind." His eyes trail to an almost completely concealed corner of the platform "The Breton woman looked just about ready to try and chase after them."
"All we can do is hope that the gods have chosen their champion well." Torygg too leans upon the wall behind him, standing just opposite his vassal "Well" He adds with a wry look "Their champion and whatever Reyvin is."
Balgruuf just snorts at that.
Before they can speak further however, the few housecarls who had remained with their charges, Bolgeir Bearclaw and Irileth among them, all tensed up as magic began twisting the air between them but relaxed almost immediately as the familiar form of the Argonian archmage appeared.
Balgruuf immediately stood straight "Have you revealed anything, master mage?"
Torygg almost blurted the same but was thankfully spared the embarrassment.
The tiny Argonian just smiled at them and kept looking at the dormant portal, his colleagues swiftly joining him as they too realized something was happening, and as the nearby crowd realized that something was going on they too began gathering hesitantly.
And then, as if by some divine choreography, the moment the last person stood the space around the portal twisted and two very familiar, if somewhat battered in the woman's case, figures appeared with a loud crack of air being displaced.
A complete and utter silence descended upon the summit of Skuldafn, many ceasing to even breathe as they stared on with anticipation. Torygg was equally expectant, even if his eyes were drawn to a particularly familiar looking amulet hanging off the Dragonborn's neck.
(Reyvin's POV)
I was almost tempted to fuck with the lot of them but even my need to fuck with people had its limits and I gave the gathered crowd a shallow nod as Minthara rose her hammer and shouted "Victory is ours!"
There was a pause then before the entire crowd erupted into a storm of confused questions, cheers, and sighs of relief, many of them falling on their asses and among those some were now shedding tears.
"Awww" I coo silently "Isn't that nice."
Only to earn an elbow into my hip in the same instant from an equally amused Minthara "Let them have this Reyvin, they did their part."
"You don't see me stopping them." I shrug and give the approaching nobles and archmagi a wave.
Savos looked particularly relieved to see me as the elf looked like a ton had just been removed from his back, even if Tolfdir himself out of all people looked to be in a similar predicament.
"Student!" Shalazar appears in front of me with a merry squeak "Your survival was in no doubt for even a moment but I must know, have you taught that lizard of lesser inclinations of its most deserved place?" He grins up at me expectantly.
"But of course, Master." I grin back "There can after all be only one."
We both nod sagely at that and he gives me a look as if to say that we should talk later.
That is all the words I get in before Savos too approaches me and gives me a quick hug and a tap on the back "I am happy you did not die in there." He whispers.
"As if gramps" I huff with faux-disdain and hug him back "As if."
More and more greetings and pats on the back, both literal and metaphorical, are shared as everyone tries to get a word in before Torygg finally speaks, his eyes focused completely on Minthara's amulet even as he tried to look up "Your deeds this day will be remembered for many eras to come of course, but I must ask... is that...?"
"The Amulet of Kings, yes." Minthara grins "Apparently my... father?" She tilts her head "Yes, father." She nods and goes on "Decided that our deed was worthy of the pact being re-forged once again. No Daedric invasion shall happen while I still live."
Her choice of words earned her some odd looks but no one was quite deficient enough to point out that she was not supposed to live for a noticeably long time as far as interplanar invasions are concerned.
'Bloody idiots, she was even more ageless than I at this point' I thought but pointedly and rather pettily did not correct the implied misunderstanding.
"Now now" I cut in with a sly smirk "I think that is enough questioning for the day. Or have we died and gone to an alternate dimension where the Nords of all people don't know what happens after a great battle?"
Torygg immediately caught on and let out an awkward chuckle "How utterly foolish of me Reyvin." He turned around "My friend is right my brave brothers and sisters! Bring out the mead!"
Naturally a mad cheer follows.
Chuckling at his sudden eagerness I tapped his shoulder and 'whispered' "I do believe I have a better place for drinking than the ruins of a Dragon Cult temple."
He scratches the back of his head and nods "Right." And once more turns to the rowdy crowd "To the portal!"
The cheers are slightly less enthusiastic but people are quick enough to follow and soon we find ourselves marching to the portal, naturally after I got to work and ensured no one else would die.
I did notice, from the corner of my eye, as Minthara picked up the Dragon Priest's mask, no doubt remembering my ramblings about that one spot in Labyrinthian.
------
A mere hour later, we found ourselves within the massive hall of Tel Dagoth, surrounded by a wall of noise and the smell of alcohol and food, predominantly the drink though, all of those who participated in the final assault were celebrating harder than I thought possible and I held no doubts a few hundred kids would be born some nine months from now.
They did just survive the end of the world so it wasn't as if I had any right to judge them 'Not that I would' "Ask your question Durrak." I grin up at the Orsimer with a slight smirk.
Minthara and I had been practically forced to the head of the table and no one let us do anything on our own, treating us like greater royalty than Torygg who was more than content to join the wild celebrations himself.
Back to my orcish friend he shuffled somewhat awkwardly as the twins and huntress of the Companions followed behind him "Gods damn it all Reyvin" He lets out a chuckle after a moment "Tell me of the Harbinger."
All three of his fellows lean in and for a moment I am tempted to fabricate a tale of his soul getting devoured but last I saw of Kodlak, the man was one of the few who survived the ordeal almost unscathed and I was not pissy enough to turn a joyous occasion into a lesson so I just smiled "We found him alongside Ulfric and his right hand, well them and the ancient archmage Gauldur but I doubt you want to hear about an old enchanter."
The ancient archmage got his head pasted by Alduin's tail when he was rolling away from my final spell. He would regenerate and get what he wanted but I have no doubts many of the heroes from Sovengarde considered his whacking to be deserved.
"Why no-" Farkas goes to speak but his brother elbows him in the gut "Of course not, Flame-Tongue. Tell us of Kodlak."
Chuckling at the byplay I shake my head and spin the tale of the old man's deeds, finishing it all by saying "-and now he feasts in the Hall of Valor, with the likes of Ysgramor and Jurgen Windcaller." Surprised by the lack of vitriol in my voice Durrak naturally followed up with a question about the Atmoran leader and we spent some time discussing what he told me.
The Companions left me with satisfied expressions, the weight completely removed from their conscience as they fell upon my stock of mead with a rabid enthusiasm only a true beast was capable of.
"How very subtle." Scorch drawls as he lands on my shoulder.
I look up at the supreme bird boi and raise an eyebrow "You are back rather quickly."
Instead of answering he points his wings at a nearby entrance just in time for the both of us to see Elisif storming in and promptly dragging Torygg off by the ear as the rather drunk royal came far, far too close to doing something inadvisable with one of the female legionaries.
Said legionary's fate was sealed just as quickly as Tullius' gaze was drawn to the commotion, his thunderous expression promising all manner of torment upon the poor soul.
"You know I was about to offer my condolences but we just came back from the afterlife and she is a Nord." I chuckle "May her trip be swift and without issue." I declare instead, earning a snort from Minthara who had begun listening in after she had managed to shake off Hrongar's fourth proposed toast.
Her healing of Lydia had probably earned more respect from the man than the act of slaying Alduin.
'Perfectly understandable.' I hum 'Children are indeed everything to most peopl-' I pause and mutter "To most reasonable people anyway."
"You say something?" The demigoddess extraordinaire leans in, her twenty-sixth mug of mead laying empty in front of her as she had just now begun to understand the curse that is the existence bereft of alcohol.
"Just contemplating everything that happened." I half-lie. It had been a measly four years since I materialized my way into this reality and so much shit had happened... A satisfied smile wormed its way onto my face as I realized I did not regret a single thing.
"Yeah..." She nods and leans back into her seat "It has been quite the wild ride."
I snort "Oh please. We are just getting started."
"That we are" She grins.
The crowd hushes as the familiar form of Marco makes its way into the center of the great chamber. He seems to hesitate for a moment but clears his throat and straightens his back "If I may ask for a moment of everyone's time?" He looks mostly to me and I raise a hand, quieting down everyone who had not done so on their own.
"Thank you." He offers me a light bow and a smile, he straightens back up and begins to speak "For many years I have merely followed the road set before me by those who came before, bereft of inspiration or motivation to do anything constructive with my life." He chuckles ruefully "That was before a duo of the most amazing people I know shoved their way into my life and dragged me kicking and screaming into the light." He chuckles and some of the crowd follows suit as they were aware of his story.
"Allow me then, to thank you both" He gives us a serious look "Both for your friendship and your guidance, and for the greatest inspiration a bard could ever find in this harsh yet magnificent world."
He pulls out his lute and his magic begins emitting in waves across the whole chamber as a familiar melody enters my ears. And then he begins to sign "Alduin's wings, they did darken the sky..."
The wave of nostalgia that hit me as the familiar song reached my ears was of such grandeur that I barely noticed a hand snaking its way around my neck, only being broken out of it as I realized I was already half-dragged outside the chamber by a grinning demigod.
"You didn't really think you could get away?" Minthara grins and it is not one that promises safety "Did you?"
As I was dragged into my own room and promptly shoved inside, I gave myself a solemn nod 'Today was a good day to die.'
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A stone for ya boi's soul, may he rest in pieces.
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