Rastislav
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Arc 7 Chapter LXVIII: Sharpening Blades
🕑 Added 2024-07-29 01:22:47 +0000 UTC(Reyvin's POV)
My hands almost buckle as I parry my opponent's strike, redirecting her sword to the side and immediately going in for an upper stab to punish the overextension, only for her to twist far quicker than I am able to even with the aid of magic and deflect the thrust upwards and try and slam my fingers with her pommel.
Not wishing to have my arm shattered I immediately pull back, eliciting a surprised look and buying just enough time to strike back before she could pull back but getting swiftly countered by a golden specter clad in Blades armor.
Minthara, seeing me distracted by her sword's construct tries to strike me with her off hand weapon but she seems to have forgotten she wasn't the only one with extra help as my shadows suddenly billow, taking her by surprise as they began attacking her from every direction possible and forcing her to counter with her constructs, effectively stalemating our helpers and bringing us back to an equal footing as we once more faced off with only our blades.
Frustrated by this, she decides to shift from her previously defensive stance and begins attacking with both swords, all of her attacks coming from differing angles so as to force me to dodge instead of counterattacking.
Naturally I would have none of that as I summoned the Ebony Blade in my offhand and used it as a parrying dagger, easily surprising her by my sudden shift in stance and carving out an opening one perfectly timed parry after another.
A couple of exchanges later we found our weapons clinched against the other's, clairvoyance screaming a sudden warning as I felt a danger in my nether regions and saw her leg beginning to twitch in such a way that would allow her to knee me where one should never be kneed.
I promptly slammed her mind with my own, eliciting a grunt of pain as she stumbled back, all of her projections getting unsummoned as she fell onto a knee, ending the effective battle between our summons and leaving her temporarily stunned and most assuredly disoriented.
"And that is a win for me." I clap my hands, offering a shiteating grin to the slowly recovering demigoddess.
She shakes her head and immediately glares at me "That was cheating!"
"Well maybe next time don't try to kick a man in the dick Minthara." I grouse "I am a very delicate creature I will have you know."
"Uh huh." She deadpans and gets slowly gets up with a wince as her head no doubt throbbed in pain "Damn, did you have to hit me that hard?"
"If your kick had landed you'd have broken something" I deadpan "That merits instant punishment."
"Fine." She breathes out "Anything you have to add that isn't whining?"
"But of course." I let the provocation flow through me like so much light breeze "You have gotten better at keeping yourself in control but you still allow yourself to be provoked far too easily, and your new choice of weapons obviously doesn't fit your preferences." I cup my chin "Also, while dual wielding two highly enchanted swords can be effective, they just don't carry enough weight with them to do anything but cut, and cutting something like a dragon requires immense precision and for them to let you in the first place, dragonslaying effect or not."
"Yeah, I guessed as much." Her shoulders slump "I just feel that replacing them with something else would be wasteful you know? They are supposed to be two legendary blades."
"Oh?" I raise an eyebrow "And should you allow yourself to be tied down by the legends of the past when you yourself are in the process of building your own? If the weapons don't fit then they don't fit, there is no point in forcing yourself to be weaker just because of sentimentality."
"And what about your own sword then?" She questions, crossing her arms with a light huff, more annoyed at the truth of my words than at me for saying them "Why are you using it still if we both agreed that swords are to be sidearms at best?"
"Because there is a difference between merely highly enchanted and immensely powerful" I retort easily "Blasphemy is a weapon which all the Daedra would desire as their own without hesitation." She considers my argument for a moment before slowly nodding, I quickly add then "Besides, I do most of my fighting with magic so the sword still very much is a sidearm."
"That is a technicality and you know it." She grouses before taking a slow breath and lightly slapping her own cheeks to get herself out of her current funk "What would you recommend then?"
"I could always make you something with what I ha-" I pause and frown, muttering to myself as I considered the idea which suddenly wormed its way into my brain "Actually." I begin earning an eager look "I could technically remake those blades into something which would fit you far more while also keeping their powers."
She almost gives her immediate agreement but stops herself "Wouldn't that be... disrespectful?"
I raise an eyebrow "You are honoring your predecessors by making their weapons into something of your own. Make no mistake, Minthara, you are Dragonborn. A true Blade would fall on their sword for the mere opportunity of being part of your legend and I don't doubt for a second your ancestor would mind protecting you even from where she currently is."
She stares at me briefly before suddenly relaxing and shaking her head "Only you, Reyvin."
I huff, pretending to not understand the implied irreverence "I always aim to impress."
She lets out a light snort "Fine, you can reforge the swords."
"How generous." I pretend to swoon before righting myself "I will get to it once we return though. Ready for another round?"
"No." Her answer is as definite as it is immediate "Fighting you is like trying to hit smoke and I've had enough frustration for a day."
"Want me to call Akulakhan then?" I smirk "I am sure he would enjoy helping you train."
Her whole body shivers as she glares at me "You are insufferable."
Akulakhan was utterly terrifying to fight, demigod or not.
"As I said, I do always aim to please" I offer a slight bow and clap my hands "That is enough of that for now though, we should grab some lunch."
Minthara's expression immediately brightens at that, and had she not been literally trained against it I don't doubt for a second she would have started drooling right about now "What are we having today?" She asks with what one might generously call restrained enthusiasm.
I give the nearby servant a look and she bows "Chorollian steak, my lord."
"Ah, excellent!" I clap my hands and begin rubbing them eagerly before giving miss demigod a sideways glance "Go get cleaned up, they should be done by then."
She hesitates for a moment before doing the mental calculation and promptly zooming away with downright unnatural speed.
I just wave my hand and refresh myself, a wry smile on my face as I make my way to the table the servants had set near my private training grounds.
As I approach I notice Marco looking at where Minthara went with a stony deadpan "We only had to eat rations for like three days tops."
"Nothing wrong with liking good food." I shrug and take a seat "You lot all rested?" I ask the group, they had arrived some two days ago but seeing as their adventure was rather draining we decided to postpone any non-urgent discussions a bit.
The fact I had to spend a while in Solitude scheming with Torygg also didn't help matters. The dragon attacks had died down recently and this shift just so happened to coincide with a bunch of desperate mortals streaming towards Kynesgrove from all over the province made me almost certain that there was some new plan getting brewed by whoever Alduin tasked with leading his forces.
Tullius was getting his legionary garrison in Windhelm ready to respond so we had a while yet before we had to descend on the horde of idiots, just enough to let Minthara finish her personal quest.
Marco's response draws me from my musings "-f us should be fine, though I am not sure where Esbern and Delphine went." His lips twist slightly at the mention of the female half of the Blades, his mood shared by Lydia and Junia as they both developed differing levels of scowls.
"Oh I wouldn't worry about them." I smile lightly "You could say they are on a bit of a... pilgrimage as of right now."
Marco gives me a cautious look at that "Do I want to know?"
I grin "I don't know, do you?"
His expression is quite obvious as he curses himself for falling for it. Then, he asks the question.
(General POV)
And old man and a middle aged woman crest a small rise to the north of the great tower of Dagoth, both of them silent as they stewed in their thoughts and the unnamed threat of their current task.
Though one was far less distraught than the other as Esbern simply used the time to consider Her Majesty's decisions and her reasoning. He too felt the dragons were a threat but understood that a true leader can see beyond most mortals, and while she still hadn't come into her role he was utterly assured that Minthara Septim would prove a great leader indeed.
Besides, they had to survive to see her change the world in the first place, and potential draconic allies would go far in ensuring that survival.
His partner though, was a whole another story as she stewed in her anger and frustration, her own delusions leaving her feeling betrayed even as that very same feeling warred with her shame for failing in her duties.
Vyrren's son assured her that she would find answers on this hill and while a small part of her realized what that implied a much larger part of her hoped all her trek would lead to was cryptic advice from a mage and nothing which would shatter her already fragile pride.
The sight which greeted the two of them promptly ended all hopes of that as a massive dragon colored in onyx and accented with gold and crowned with familiarly arranged horns uncoiled from its position of rest, its bright golden eyes staring at the two of them before it spoke "I see Thuri has sent the entertainment." The dragon's maw twisted into a facsimile of a grin "Come then, allow me to show you the futility of your arrogance."
Delphine did not even notice her hands moving as she drew her blade and charged, her tunnel vision obscuring her partner's hesitation and decision to hold back and observe.
(Reyvin's POV)
Marco's pale face is marred with a mix of amusement and horror "Are they going to be fine?"
I shrug "I told him not to hurt them." He begins to relax but I add "Much."
"Of course." He deadpans.
"Finally done Minthara?" I ask without turning around.
She pulls out a chair and sits down, completely unsurprised and nods "Yeah, the food ready yet?"
I look to the side and just in time as well, as a row of servants begin bringing in a veritable feast.
--------------
The cloudy air whips around us as Kreinaarvokun cuts through it at immense speeds, the landscapes below us blurring into a mess of lines as we crossed half the province in less than an hour.
And while I was busy enjoying the feeling Minthara decided to spend her time pouting "Dare I ask what is wrong?" I tilt my head in her direction.
She blinks, drawn from her thoughts, and her pout deepens "I want wings too."
I snort "Study up on mysticism then, should take you only a few years."
She gives me an unamused look at that "Right."
"Hey it ain't my fault you are using me as a standard." I grin "That is your mistake not mine."
"We have arrived." Krein cuts into our conversation, landing atop the path before High Hrothgar with impressive agility.
"Thanks for the ride Krein." I pat him on his back and jump off, making no sound as I made contact with the stony path, and patiently waiting for Minthara to levitate down on her own "You can go now, I will call you when we ascend the peak."
"As you wish Thuri." He inclines his head and takes off, blasting us with a wave of wind strong enough to send us flying off the mountain though not before I made sure that wouldn't happen.
As I turn from my friend and toward the ancient temple I am greeted with the visage of a certain grey bearded monk, his right eye twitching violently as he glared at me, his brow leaking sweat all the while.
"Arngeir, my friend!" I spread my arms happily "How have you been?"
The way he looks down in defeat feeds my very soul.
Comments
Ryan Helmbold
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Nazarickk
Thanks for the chapter
Speide Hardy
Thanks for the chapter
