Specifically, Michael was interested in the part that mentioned the Princes being unable to 'Track it'. This meant that outside of the Hunt, they could feel and track their artifacts, confirming what he'd already thought.
This meant that taking them out of his inventory here in the Deadlands revealed their locations to their masters...
*RUUuuuuuumblllleeeee!*
"Huh, they act faster than I thought..." he mutters to himself... Though, he shouldn't be surprised, if what he knew was true, the presence of the artifacts basically served as a backdoor into the Deadlands. And with Mehrunes Dagon being distracted by something, he was sure it'd buy him enough time to escape this shit hole.
But first, he needed to reach a certain area... He vanishes from his position, spamming Blink to move as quickly as possible... He'd memorized a good portion of the Deadlands with his constant random spawning, so he knew generally where he is.
It doesn't take long to reach his destination... A large flat ground with a towering Oblivion Gate in the centre of it. This was one of the only remaining intact Oblivion Gates he'd seen, and from his basic knowledge of Tiffania's magic, this could serve to massively shorten the time it takes to cast Dimension Gate due to the preexisting link that was present. Sure, the Dragon god's barrier stopped it from working, but Dimension Gate bypassed it completely, which should allow him to use this as intended.
Not wasting any more time, he begins casting the spell after donning his Morokei Dragon mask that'd expedite his casting speed.
All the while, the Daedric Princes were dealing with the problems he'd caused...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Four separate tears in reality open up along the skies above the Deadlands, each allowing a Daedric Prince to step forth in all their majesty.
Mephala.
Hircine.
Nocturnal.
Azura.
Each appearing and staring comprehendingly at each other, they'd each detected an artifact of theirs in this realm, yet it'd already disappeared, meaning that someone was hiding them. Obviously, there could only be one culprit considering just where they were.
Mehrunes Dagon.
Only two of the gods present actually realised that this may not be the case... Hircine and Nocturnal who were more familiar with the one who 'possessed' their respective artifact suspected a scheme afoot, one created by Michael Tahlin, the World Hopper.
Before anyone's able to say anything however, the red-skinned horned giant appears before them with rage clear on his face. "WHY HAVE YOU INVADED MY REALM!? DO YOU SEEK YOUR DESTRUCTION!?"
Mephala folds her arms contemptuously, the six spider legs sprouting from her back twitching as if they had their own consciousness. "You will return my Blade, Dagon. It is not yours to keep."
"As will you give up my Star." Azura growls, in a terribly foul mood due to recent events.
Mehrunes Dagon chuckles, "YOU TWO WEAKLINGS DARE FACE ME!? I WILL TEAR YOUR REALM APART AND DEVOUR YOUR ESSENCE FOR THIS SLIGHT!"
"Don't forget about us, Dagon. We all felt our artifacts here, if you want to wage war with all four of us then so be it." Hircine remarks, curious as to who would win in such a conflict. Dagon was more powerful than each of them individually, but that didn't mean much when so outnumbered.
Dagon gives a vicious sneer, "SO BE IT? LET IT BE SO!" he shouts, blasting all of them away with his full power, launching them back to their respective realms while taking command of his realm.
He'd been momentarily distracted by the events in Mundus, the return of the World Eater, but he wouldn't let that stop him from putting his arrogant and unruly kin in their place. A few seconds later many more tears in space open up, allowing Hircine, Mephala, Nocturnal, and Azura's servants to charge through, intent on reclaiming their artifacts.
While each Daedric Prince had weaker forces than Dagon, Michael's recent massacre in the Deadlands had eliminated quite a lot of the God of Destruction's forces.
While the Daedra and lesser Daedra begin fighting amongst each other, the Daedric Princes also began to clash. Not in any physical way someone of Earth would recognise, but one of Spirituality, Divinity, Concepts, Domains, and pure power.
Even Michael who had his full concentration on casting Dimension Gate could feel the rumblings of said power echoing in the skies above. This of course, only prompted him to go even faster, not wanting to get caught by the angry Daedric Princes who were searching for their artifacts... He'd experienced the gentle hand of Dagon, so he was unwilling to see what the others thought on the subject.
*CRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAASSSSHHHHHHHH!!!!*
A huge volcanic erupts in the distance, spewing ungodly amounts of magma and ash into the sky. It all continues upwards, however, not descending as you'd expect. Indeed, the whole of the Deadlands was reacting to the invasion, the environment itself turning into a weapon to force away the intruders.
It was cataclysmic in its proportions, causing even the ocean of magma to rise up and cover the shorter islands. Undoubtedly, if this occurred in Tamriel every race would be annihilated... It was simply just completely on another level.
Finally, the Oblivion Gate opens up, the chaotic swirling entrance clearly displaying just how rushed the spell was, but Michael was sure it'd work anyway... Not that he had time to test it out, since as soon as it opened he could feel a baleful glare upon him.
He throws himself through the portal without hesitation, glancing behind him at the suddenly manifested Mehrunes Dagon that was reaching for him.
"MOOOOORRTAAAAALL!" the god roars, absolutely furious at his escape.
"HOW'S THAT YOU BIG DUMB ANIMAL! GO FUCK YOURSELF!" Michael cackles as he's swallowed by the portal, which self-destructs as soon as he's through, preventing Dagon from attempting to follow.
"MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTTTTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Dagon lets out a realm shuddering roar, mindlessly slamming his fists on the crumbling Oblivion Gate like a mad beast.
"Hmph! Seems that even a mortal can overcome you, Dagon." Mephala sneers, causing the red-skinned god to furiously turn in her direction. Making her realise that antagonizing a furious God of Destruction probably wasn't the best idea, even if she was invading his realm at the same time...
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
Hope you bois liked the chap, if I missed anything please let me know. Thanks!
Also, thanks to my patrons for their support :
ShinAmazake
Kingsprovince
Faruk Ereng
Michael is spat out of the Oblivion Gate in a large crater that he didn't recognise... The sun was beating down on him, so it definitely wasn't Skyrim. Even still, the harsh rays of sunlight were like a cool breeze in comparison with the Deadlands.
"Haaah..." he almost moans in ecstasy as he flops down onto the floor and stretches his limbs out, simply taking in the momentary peace he'd found now that he wasn't being affected by Dagon's aura and the overall despair caused by the Deadlands itself.
He wasn't too sure how long he'd been in the Deadlands however, so he'd need to get back as soon as possible... He vaguely remembered his plans from before the Hunt, but it'd come back to him once he was back in familiar territory.
As for where he was now?... Well, probably Cyrodil judging by the architecture of the nearby buildings and people that inhabited them. The crater he was in was located on the outskirts of a small village, so he didn't think he'd be interrupted by anyone while casting another Dimension Gate back to Winterhold.
First though, he'd check his Status to see what his many deaths had resulted in... He didn't feel all that different, but he couldn't be sure until he checked.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name : Michael Tahlin
Rank : Legend
Stats :
Strength : 125 > 140
Agility : 300.69 > 307.3
Intelligence : 196.69 > 200.1
Birthsign : The Mage
Bloodline : Human/Winter Wyvern Hybrid
Familiar : Darth, Dark Monolith Parasite
Abilities :
[Dead God...?] (142) : Allows user to Respawn when killed, suppresses emotions based on number of deaths, makes dead things more receptive to user. Grants more powers and abilities the more deaths the user experiences.
[Spirit Summoner] (Rank 1) : User is able to summon his Spirits, the number and duration of summons is determined by Intelligence, Death Affinity, and strength of the summoned Spirit. Can only Summon Spirits a Rank lower than the user.
[The Mage] : Enables user to learn all magic-based skills 20% faster.
[Gandalfr] : Enables user to utilise any weapon at two ranks above their current proficiency while granting them the knowledge necessary to use them. While wielding a weapon, temporarily gain +100% in all stats.
[Vanntalfdir] : Enables user to walk on liquids as if they were solid surfaces, can be activated at will but continuously drains mana to function.
[Gift-Blood of Auroth] : The Life-Blood of Auroth the Winter Wyvern inhabits the user granting them the abilities she possessed. Massively increased Ice Affinity, increased Strength and Durability, improved Eye-sight, Ice Breath Attack, and the Will of Auroth.
[Language Comprehension] : Enables user to understand all spoken tongues, and increase the rate of which they learn reading and writing.
[Adept Mana Manipulation] : Allows user more control over his magic, spells, and some abilities. Mana efficiency and control of power is increased.
[Pain Tolerence] : Allows user to endure great amounts of pain with little to no negative effects as a result. > [Pain Immunity] : Allows user to shut off or mute his sense of pain at will.
[Expert basic Swordsmanship(Two handed swords/One handed swords)] : Determines how skilful the user is when handling swords.
[Adept basic Dagger techniques(Single edge, curved, straight, double edge.)] : Determines how skilful the user is when handling daggers.
[Desensitized] : Things of a violent or shocking nature fail to draw a reaction like they used to. Emotions are dulled somewhat and user is more easily able to think and rationalize in high stress situations.
Affinities :
[Lesser Death Affinity] > [Death Affinity], [Water Affinity], [Fire Affinity], [Lesser Space Affinity], [Lesser Darkness Affinity], [Supreme Ice Affinity]
Spirits :
Commoner Tier :
Shadow Shaman : Lvl MAX
Slark : Lvl MAX
Riki : Lvl MAX
Hero Tier :
Anti-Mage : Lvl MAX
Lina : Lvl MAX
Winter Wyvern : Lvl MAX
Legend Tier :
Rubick : Lvl MAX
Silencer : Lvl MAX
Kunkka : Lvl 17 > MAX
Magic :
Tamrielic
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
...
Wow, that's broken isn't it?
Though, he was a little perturbed by the update to [Dead God...?] which suppresses his emotions. If that wasn't a sign of how the skill would progress he didn't know what was... If he died enough would he just become an emotionless, robotic husk?... He'd rather not think about it.
Next was his new skill, [Spirit Summoner] which was maybe the most broken fucking ability he'd ever seen...
Being able to summon the Spirits from the Book of Legends? Considering the fact that Slark used to beat his ass pretty consistently, their ranks didn't really accurately display their strengths. He still wasn't exactly sure what decided which Spirit went where, but regardless, being able to summon even a single Spirit was a game-changer.
He could summon Aur-... No, probably not, the way her status looked made it seem like she was permanently dead... He shakes his head and forces the mournful feelings away.
Still, being able to summon say, Lina, or Rubick considering he'd somehow maxed out his Kunkka while hunted by Dagon... Sure, he'd occasionally gotten himself a couple seconds to kill Daedra, but he hadn't thought it was enough to level up.
He'd have to test it all out when he'd gotten back to Winterhold and found time... For now, he wanted to check what new Spirits awaited him... And no, he wasn't just using this opportunity to rest in the crater for a while... Mostly.
The first thing about the list that was presented to him was the ranks name... Demigod Tier. Yeah, he was in the big-leagued now... Kinda. Anyway, the first champion in the list was :
Abaddon, a hero in Dota 2 that specialized in tanking and support. His abilities were both offensive and defensive from what Michael could remember. Dealing damage or healing, protecting or damaging. Most notable among his abilities was his ultimate, which was a passive that, upon receiving lethal damage, activated and caused all subsequent damage to heal Abaddon, essentially making him immortal for the duration. A very good choice that could round off Michael's deficiencies.
Bloodseeker, better known to Michael as the red racecar of doom. In the game, this hero was essentially just Sonic the Hedgehog on crack with knives, who got faster and stronger whenever an enemy was low on health, along with always being aware of where they were. Michael wasn't really sure how that would translate in real life, as if it was directly ported that'd make him aware of every low health, bleeding, and sick person everywhere at once.
Brewmaster, a drunk panda dude who could split himself into three spirits... Yeah, his kit was pretty random and Michael wasn't exactly sure why he was listed as a 'Demigod'...
Death Prophet, a ghost girl who could drain the life outta people, summons an army of angry spirits, silence, and damage. The only thing she really lacked was supportive abilities. All in all, a good option.
Enchantress, a deer centaur-thing which could enthral monsters, heal, and from Michael could remember, was so enchanting that enemy heroes literally couldn't bring themselves to harm her...
Invoker, why this guy was higher ranked than Rubick was a mystery, but all Michael could remember about this hero was the blind Sunstrikes that'd make him throw his monitor across the room in frustration. This hero didn't have the usual four abilities, instead, Invoker was able to summon three different orbs that could be combined to achieve a number of spells depending on the combination itself... Complicated? Yeah, Michael literally needed a cheat sheet of combinations to actually play the damn hero...
The guy was literally called the 'Arsenal Mage' due to just how many spells he knew, among the list being summoning Tornados, Meteor Strikes, or even just turning Invisible. And this was only in Dota 2, Michael had no idea the depth of Invoker's actual knowledge... Yeah, he was a very good pick.
Anyway, next was Lion, a 'Demon Witch, whatever that meant. All Michael remembered was the dude being able to suck the mana from enemies and cast 'Finger of Death' which was basically just a more powerful version of Lina's Laguna Blade, primarily due to its ability to stack damage depending on many people it'd killed... This damage stack was permanent by the way... Yeah.
Lone Druid, two heroes in one when you consider the fact that his summoned bear could use items as well, meaning in the game he could use double the number of items a regular hero could. Not that this meant much in reality... He was basically a better version of Lycan, being able to transform into a bear and pummel people into bite-sized pieces.
Magnus, a rhino thing that wielded a spear and controlled the forces of magnetism. A shame he wasn't anywhere near as powerful as the Elder Scrolls 'Magnus'. His most useful abilities in Michael's opinion was the buff he could cast and his ultimate, Reverse Polarity, which would pull in and stun any nearby enemies for a pretty ridiculous amount of time. The combo potential was amazing, though, you needed to be pretty close to land the ability.
Medusa, a half-snake woman with snake hair and snake abilities... Did he mention the snakes? Yeah, anyway. She could be classified as an archer-mage, though, Michael was more interested in her spells than her archery, primarily the Mana Shield that blocked damage in exchange for mana, which was pretty broken. Not to mention her ultimate, which would turn enemies facing her to stone. Gooood pick, especially for him who would eventually have infinite mana.
Monkey King, a Monke with a staff that had abilities suspiciously similar to Sun Wukong. Whether this was intentional Micahel didn't know, indeed, he didn't know much outside of the Hero's basic kit. He was primarily a melee brawler who did massive damage while regenerating health. He was also agile, with an ultimate that summoned many stationary copies of himself that'd attack nearby enemies.
Nature's Prophet, or the poster boy for 'Rat-Dota'. His ability to teleport literally anywhere whenever he wanted and summon an army of trees made him infuriating to deal with, whenever you or someone on your team went to chase him, he'd already be gone, along with most of your buildings due to the summoned trees. He also had a global ultimate ability that gained damage the more people it hit, though, it only had a limited number of hits so it was kinda hard to use with max efficiency.
Night Stalker, a big blue bat vampire-thing that got super overpowered during the nighttime, who also had the ability to make it nighttime whenever he wanted. His abilities were all centred on scaring the shit outta people from what Michael could tell. A good pick if he ever decided to become a vampire, which wasn't actually a bad idea when he thought about it... The only issue was dealing with Molag Bal owning his soul... Something to think about in future.
There's more heroes to detail but I think this chap is already a bit too long.
Hope you bois liked the chap, if I missed anything please let me know. Thanks!
If you like my content or want to read ahead please go to : https://www.p.atreon.com/Nagross, I'd appreciate it.
Also, thanks to my patrons for their support :
ShinAmazake
Kingsprovince
Faruk Ereng