Rastislav
patreon
Arc 8 Chapter LXXXVI: Snow, Ash, And Alcohol
🕑 Added 2025-02-19 22:58:20 +0000 UTCNaturally, ignoring one's problems is sadly not the optimal way of dealing with life, so after grumbling, and I mean a lot of grumbling, it was decided by way of grumpy pout that I would be the sacrifice.
Which of course led me to here "Alright, Maro. What am I looking at here?" My voice was as dry as the desert as I spoke.
The Pennitus Occulatus Commander shifted a bit on his feet "They uh... they all suddenly stopped."
"Uh huh" I deadpan, staring at a bunch of hungover sailors all snoring in an alleyway "And why exactly was I needed here then?"
"Their leader was surprisingly powerful." He answers in a audibly rehearsed manner "And I thought it best to ensure we had some mage support."
"Mage support." I parrot dryly "So you thought calling me, a royal guest, is more reasonable than the Emperor's own Battlemage?"
He clears his throat "I also received reports you and Her Highness were seen here last night so you may know to explain what happened."
"Yes, yes, your agents were rather obvious" I wave him off and he scowls, his awkward act disappearing for a moment "How many were injured or killed?"
"None." Is the immediate answer.
My neck creaks ominously as I turn to look at him.
"Oddly enough it seems that everyone who participated came out more healthy than before." He goes on "But a lot of the guards were thrown about so it looked like a massacre at first."
A light groan leaves me as I palm my face and start walking forward, reaching the happily snoring form of a certain Nord drunkard.
Naturally I promptly kick him in the leg "Oi!"
"It ain't light yet ma'" He mumbles and hugs the drunk sleeping next to him.
I hear a few of the guards snicker.
Eye twitching with annoyance, I snap my fingers and in an instant all of the drunks are splashed with freezing cold water, every single one of the poor fuckers jumping up with a yelp of surprise.
The small alleyway is filled with exclamations and demands, before slowly but certainly dying down as their eyes inevitably landed on me "All awake now, I trust?" I ask with forced calm.
Wisely, none of the dumbasses speak up.
Nodding to myself I look to Ulf "Done with your little escapade?"
"Wut?"
Is he fucking with me? "Why did you attack the docks?"
He stares at me blankly and repeats "Wut?"
Eye once more twitching violently, I force out "You don't remember a thing do you?"
He blinks and shrugs "You got a drink elf man?"
More guards snicker.
'Fucking give him one' Scorch voices.
'And why the fuck would I do that?'
'Just do it bitch, trust me'
'Fine' My expression doesn't shift as I summon a bottle of mead "You know what? Sure."
Ulf smiles happily and immediately takes a few long gulps of the drink, and the air is suddenly charged. His form, while still that of a raggedy drunk, somehow becomes more imposing, and his eyes gain a new clarity as he meets my eyes and begins rubbing his hands conspiratorially "You return to me once more, my dark master." He croaks in an overdramatically evil voice "What is your bidding? What next step shall we take in our conquest?"
So that is what it was... 'Fucking Sanguine' I groan internally and accept my defeat "Just follow me for now."
Maro's hand was on the hilt of his blade by the time we approached him, but he could see my exasperation clearly so he remained patient "Consider this Daedra-induced revelry and just fine the poor fuckers for the damage since no one was hurt. I will deal with this... talent I found last night."
The Imperial seems skeptical at first but seeing as I refuse to elaborate he just shakes his head and begins directing his subordinates to round the fools up.
"Where to next, oh Dark One?" Ulf questions.
I look back to him, then give him a full up and down scan, and promptly scowl "First things first we need to get you some proper clothes."
"Oh indeed" He nods along "We must properly menace the mortals before earning their undying dedication. As expected of the Dark One."
Dear fucking Dagoth save me from this pain.
'Don't bring me into this, descenda-'
I turn the lantern off.
As we walk off towards the Market District, out of the corner of my eye I spot a handsome Imperial man wearing a familiar face, and a very familiar Dunmer seductress.
The man gives me a flourishing salute and raises a glass as I pass while the woman simply titters to herself as I pass.
Fucking Sanguine...
---
"So you are another ally of the Dark One, oh most terrifying of amphibians?"
"Indeed, my merry murderous magician! My splendorous student's power spreads to all corners!"
"As expected of the Dark One! Are you here to take me to your dread tower so that we may study tomes of the darkest lore?"
"A most splendid idea! Student mine, can I keep him?"
"Just get him out of here Shalazar" I groan.
"Very well then!" The Lizard Wizard squeaks "Let us away then my ominous student's student!"
"Whut?"
And they are gone.
"Interesting fellow." I hear Savos chuckle to himself "Very... unique."
"You'd fucking say that, wouldn't you?" I grumble.
Savos merely raises an eyebrow.
"Alright." Minthara voices "What exactly just happened?"
"I don't want to know." Davos immediately answers and walks out.
We all follow him with our eyes as he does not even bother looking back.
"You know what?" I ask aloud "I don't even blame him at this point."
"That man is going to retire early if you keep this up." Minthara chuckles before poking me in the shoulder, almost managing to get through my damage threshold with just that "Now tell me what you found."
Instead of answering her directly I look to Savos "Your friend has been visiting."
"Oh?" The old elf blinks "Well then, this Ulf fellow is getting more interesting by the second."
It takes her a moment to connect the dots "Fucking Sanguine..."
---
Days passed as we focused on relaxing as best as we could, and save for a few council meetings and some friction between my subordinates, things were looking and even starting to feel rather peaceful.
Well they were becoming peaceful at the very least.
"So you think we should all grovel before you just because you've been sitting here on your ass while the rest of us were fighting?" Dagoth Ulthis seethes at an annoyed Alor, the Ashlander spits on the ground "I did not think our Hortator rose cowar-"
"It is I who have been assigned as the steward of this manor." Alor cuts him off firmly "And have been doing work here in our master's absence by his own command. I will not have you creating disorder as you will simply because you want to throw your weight around."
"Throwing my weight around?" Ulthis repeats mockingly "How is me making use of an empty room without simpering to you for it throwing my ashing weight?"
"That room is meant for automaton supplies, not your persona-"
"Oh fuck right off you glorified goblin, it was empty at the time!"
Alor turns utterly still at this, closes his eyes and counts to five before snapping them back open "Drag yourself to the training ground, I will have no more of your foolishness bothering our master."
"Finally you say something worth a breath." Ulthis scoffs and fastens his shield.
"Well, those two are certainly getting along." I mutter with some amusement, perched safely out of view as I was on my balcony "How many duels have they had so far?"
Nerevar, face covered in a helmet, chuckles "This would be their seventh."
"I will see to it that they do not murder each other." Anondor says, his voice a mix of annoyance and fond exasperation, and walks off after my nod.
The old Paladin was half-retired at the moment, spending most of his time either reading in the library/meditating, or serving as a trainer for my warriors.
Every single one of them respected him, and he was quite skilled in the act of fighting itself, even if his mind for warfare itself was middling at best, so he had already had some success in improving their chances in a fight.
Akulakhan's purple eyes sparkle with just the faintest trace of amusement, most of it drowned out by disdain "At least the meatbags know when to stop wasting their squishy fluids swiftly enough."
"Yes, they do tend to yap far too much" Nerevar agrees easily before looking at me "I hear you tried out my little concoction yesterday?"
"Worked like a charm" I grin and tip my imaginary hat at him "Though it could use a bit more duration in my humble opinion."
His entire expression flattens in an instant "You do realize one drop of that swill is enough to outright kill most trolls, right?"
"Your point?" I fire back just as quickly.
The first Hortator gives me a long stare before silently focusing back on the bout in the walled yard of my manor.
Ulthis was a pretty damn good warrior with a decent grasp on the good old sword and board and a respectable control of his alteration magic, but Alor had been trained by myself and was on his own merit, a very talented mage.
Which is to say the Unmourned tribesman was nearly at all times forced on the defensive with each strike of Alor's shaking spear throwing him slightly back with constant explosions of force.
Add to that the fact the Falmer simply had more staying power due to his skill in restoration and their duels ended up with the pale elf winning more often than not.
Still, Ulthis was not completely helpless, and cheered on by the other veterans of the war watching him, he managed to get very precise and powerful counterstrikes in, punishing each mistake Alor made with a near-murderous viciousness.
"Back in the day, most minor house nobles would kill to have leaders of that level of power" Nerevar chuckles to himself before turning to me once more "It is a good thing you aren't falling into the trap of expecting to shoulder everything."
"And what, spend millennia trying to protect and save everyone and babysit them?" I scoff "Please, you know I am not that stupid."
"Truly?" Nerevar stares at me through his helmet "And what of the numerous thousands that will inevitably perish if you do not intervene directly? Would your conscience remain clear even if you are to carry their lost dreams for eternity?"
I pause my observation of the duel and ever so slowly turn to face him "You are right cunt, you know that?"
"Some questions need to be asked." I can feel his smug expression through the metal covering it "Consider it a philosophical pondering and not a yes or no if you will."
"It is my duty to offer all an opportunity." My answer is a simple as it is swift "I am neither omniscient, nor omnipresent. Life is not meant to be either simple or easy, and I refuse to waste my own in trying to get every fool and unfortunate to live their own best lives. In the end, that is entirely up to them and fortune."
"A believer of luck then?" He prods.
"The dice will fall with or without some mystical force not even magi may touch." I shrug "My point is that I will do my duty as ruler, and that is all."
"As surprisingly wise as I've gotten used to." He inclines his head "Come on then, the duel is about to end and I've no doubt they've earned a word or two."
"Certainly."
(General POV)
Alor narrowly dodges a thrust that would have taken a chunk out of his shoulder, and promptly twists around, slamming his silver spear into Ulthis' leg and breaking it with a loud crunch.
The Ashlander is thrown away, growling in pain as he twisted around on instinct to protect himself from a finishing blow.
"Had enough yet?" The Falmer asks, investing great effort into hiding his sneer.
"Not before you eat ash!" The Unmourned scoffs and begins trying to roll onto his feet.
Only to get pushed back down by a frowning Anondor "Settle down. The duel is over."
Ulthis' temper near-explodes as he goes to retort but a slow clap stops him dead in his tracks.
"What a marvelous showing." The Hortator keeps slowly clapping, quickly revealing the mockery of the act as it goes on for too long "How very marvelous indeed, that I see my own subjects maiming each other over something as petty as pride."
Alor immediately realizes he had fucked up and goes to explain himself but is stopped by a raised hand "Save it, I've seen enough." He snaps his fingers and Ulthis' leg is repaired "Or do you two think I do not know what is happening in my own home?"
All the snow elf can do is bow in shame, an act quickly followed by Ulthis as he scrambles onto his feet.
"My lord, are you not being too harsh?" Surprisingly it is Anondor who speaks "Wounds are to be expected after a bout."
"Wounds are not the issue, Anondor." Lord Dagoth sighs "It is the reason they are inflicted in the first place." He faces the two fighters "It is one thing to hone yourself against an ally or rival. It is another thing entirely to vent your frustration over petty shit because you can't control your own ego!"
They both flinch.
"Ulthis" Reyvin speaks "Alor has been at my side for years now, he has gone through labyrinthine caverns filled to the brim with vampires with me and never fled from the challenge." He pauses and tilts his head "Say, have you heard of the Dark Brotherhood?"
It takes the Ashlander a moment to gather himself before he stammers "There are few who haven't."
"Quite." Lord Dagoth nods "And it was Alor who led the effort in capturing the last of the filth."
Murmurs begin to spread across the field, and shame begins growing in Ulthis' chest.
But his master was not yet finished "Alor." He faces the snow elf "Ulthis followed me across Vvardenfell and fought to the death while I was cleansing the mountain, buying just enough time for the traitor Vivec himself to be slain."
The murmurs are replaced with gasps.
"Indeed, my valiant subjects." He nods "Dagoth Ulthis fought Vivec himself and did not flinch."
Both of the previously chastised elves receive their own share of admiring looks at this proclamation.
"My point is." The Hortator's voice cuts through the others "You are both worthy servants of my cause, each of you proven and loyal beyond doubt! So stop this fucking squabbling and give each other the respect you both deserve, or so help I will have you both scrubbing the toilets!"
"My master" The towering form of the Hortator's personal bodyguard shifts "Are our toilets not self-cleaning?"
"I will hire them out to the neighbors if need be!" He fires back before rounding on the two elves once more "Now, have I been understood yet, or do I need to get creative?"
Their response is as instant as it is synchronous ""No sir, we have utmost respect for each other sir.""
"Marvelous" Their lord's smile was so wide, the seasoned warriors who could see it were momentarily stricken with terror "Now get inside, dinner time is approaching and I would join you all."
They did not need to be told twice.
Comments
Ryan Helmbold
Ah man davos is great
Hakkira
Thank you kindly for the chapter 😁
