Chapter 104 - Before The Storm
[Alina's POV]
"You said in Windhelm?"
"Yes, my lady! He appeared there and the description matches." Svakin said.
This is interesting!
Darth Vader who disappeared for a while then showed himself four months ago and caused mayhem in Windhelm.
"What else in the report?"
"The last time he was seen was when he broke through the front gate of Windhelm alone on a Flame Atronach Horse!"
"I know he can use the spell that is created by Jon Dare! I still don't get the connection between these two."
The Flame Atronach variations are Jon Dare's speciality! The Storm Atronaches are normally researched by teacher Laaneth and the Frost Atronaches by Master Nurina.
"Crimson Moon! Can't it be that they are the same person?"
"Yes, it is possible but everyone says that Jon Dare is here in the Midden. Even master says so."
"In the Midden for half a year? I can't believe it."
"Experts in our clan lock themselves in caves for years to gain better understanding to the ways of the blade. The way of magic is more mysterious especially for a mystic like Jon Dare."
Yes! It is still suspicious how someone of his age can stay all that time in an inner door training but nothing is impossible for us mystics."
"Also, it is said that Jon Dare has a follower that goes by the name of Jullanar! It seems like Darth Vader and his follower to me."
"We will know the truth sooner or later, Skywalker! Darth Vader and his Thunder Fist are an opponent I can't lose to once again. The same goes for Jon Dare! I don't want to break master's heart over her favorite student but my heart can't bring me to lose in talent."
"Of course! Crimson Moon is the pride of our clan's patriarch as well as the rest of the clan. Your progress under Arch-Wizard Nurina the last half year is amazing and your new magic will trash a thousand Jon Dare and a thousand Darth Vader combined."
"Fufu! Skywalker, you started to become a flirt!"
"It is all true, my lady! The Lady of the Storm is not your newest title for nothing! The Wind Magic of yours made even the Destruction School students and scholars bow to you!"
Ah, yes! That happened.
The Wind Magic was a project that Master Nurina and senior Jon Dare worked on but they gave up half way. I don't know why but I got pulled into it and continued from where they stopped.
After a few months of research, I reached the point to be able to control a very rare Destruction Msgic Element. The Wind Magic!
I was into Frost Magic before but my defeat against Darth Vader in the clan's sacred ground was epic. I could finally come to a conclusion that I needed to be in a place like this where magic is a daily practice.
I found a lot of strong talented people in this town. Names like Jon Dare, Darth Vader, Jullanar, Wulfur. These people are geniuses in Magic, sword, and smithing.
The last person I met was the towns blacksmith who works for Jon Dare. His name is Wulfur. This guy can make miracles with steel that gave him the title of 'Thousand Hammer Blacksmith'.
His work speed is beyond understanding. When he works in the forge, he needs at least ten apprentices to keep up with him.
I tried to invite him to the clan but he didn't even consider it. Seems like Wulfur and Jon Dare are sworn brothers.
This town is so interesting! I can never get bored here.
I even had to disobey a direct order from the College and went to assist the town against pirates.
It seems the town has a big animosity with the 'Blood Horkers' and the 'Bloodsails Clan'.
Still, the college is trying not to take action? If I was not a member from the Silverblade Clan and the student of Arch-Wizard Nurina, I would have got scolded like a thousand times by now.
Savos Aren the Arch-Mage is too lax and doesn't want to interfere. These people don't get politics at all.
"Lady Alina!" Someone interrupted my thoughts.
"Who is it?" I asked.
"It is a student the creation club, my lady! The Redguard girl!"
"Ah! Yisra. Come in!"
To think it is her. I got closer to these people to get I information on Jon Dare but I ended up joining them.
They still treat me like a lady of a big family though.
"Lady Alina! I came to tell you..."
"I told you to call me Alina without lady, we are friends!"
The girl seemed a bit troubled so I gestured for Svakin to get out.
"No we are alone!"
"Really no need! I just came from the town and it seemed they are preparing for the defense battle! Wulfur and Trudvar seemed a bit troubled over some logistics so I came to report!"
"Oh! Thank you. I guess I should head out!"
Winterhold is a good town now. Many people live here and it started to get on the 'Blood Horkers' bad side.
Now as they started to attack the town, many students and scholars sneak out to assist the defense.
I can go openly but seniors like Svadall, Holman, Rusning and these people need to sneak.
That's why I gathered them under the 'Creation Club' with the permission of the team's secretary, Scholar Eliel. We go out in missions to, ehem, 'Gather Ingredients'.
"Alright, Yisra! Let's go."
"Thank you... Alina!"
"Fufu! You are welcome."
Whoa! She called me by my name.
Let's keep the fact that I am happy aside.
I took the way out from the dorms and headed directly to the entrance. Yisra went to call for the rest.
Svakin was sent to get something from the club for me and he will return immediately.
Hmmm! Let's head to town then.
The wind is strong today. The Pirates will come from the north so the wind will be on their backs.
Bad for both me as a Wind Mage and also for the archers who will have to shoot them from the cliff.
I see all the preparation are being done while I was crossing the broken bridge to the town.
After I crossed it, I could see the command tent and Wulfur and Trudvar in it, they are the ones who are responsible for the town defense, there is also a woman called Elishka, the bathhouse manager.
"Wel-met!"
"Lady Alina! Thank you for coming!"
"Thank you for calling me over, Wulfur." I greeted the town's chief blacksmith. He is a serious looking young man with a large build, black hair, and a heavy armor.
He likes heavy armors and big weapons so much that I never saw him with the same weapon twice, but this time he is carrying a hammer that is giving off some serious aura.
Well, everyone of us is in their battle dress already.
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[Wulfur's POV]
"Thank you for calling me over, Wulfur." The young lady returned the greeting to me. She is Nurina's new apprentice and a very strong mage. A monster, just like Jon.
She is a very beautiful lady with jet black hair and unlike the rest of her family who are rumored to be strong swordsmen with light grey eyes like the white moon 'Secunda', she has crimson red eyes like the red moon 'Masser'.
[A/N: A fast reminder, planet nirn has two moons. The white smaller one is called Secunda or Jone. The red bigger one is caller Masser or Jode.]
She is dressed in a crimson dress that matches her eyes and exposes some skin, she also held a black staff that was forged by me and enchanted by Nurina herself as a congratulation present for her success in recreating the Wind Magic.
"So, what is the situation?" She asked.
"The Pirates will be coming from the north, they will face some trouble with the ice that got formed in the sea but that also goes for us. We can't sail the 'Alexandria'."
A problem! We are forced to watch the enemy come to us.
"I don't think we can sail to begin with. Ongeim took some men and rode to Windhelm, he is the best captain we can rely on!" I said.
"True! But we need you guys to defend the town from above the slope! The Bathhouse needs to be defended at all costs!" Elishka said.
"I don't understand why we should defend that place." It seems like Alina is not seeing the full picture.
"Apart from the economical value of the place! We can't spare a lot of money to fix every inch in town after the fight, and the place is currently the healing center for the battle. The bathhouse girls are well trained at both simple healing magic and first aid." Trudvar had to explain.
"That's why I suggested that you shouldn't go down the slope. We need to force them not to go forward from here." I said.
"This may seem like the best course of action but once they land and try to climb the slope, their shield bearers will be hard to deal with." Trudvar said.
The opinions are split!
We both look at Alina.
"I think you both are right! We can't allow them to land and if they landed, it will be troublesome. That is why we need to stop them from the slope. I will station myself in the middle of the slope so I can retreat much faster and protect the bathho... the healing center. The mages will be with me and we will be able to rain them with magic from our high ground."
Good plan!
"I agree!"
"I also agree!" Trudvar liked it too.
"The healing unit agrees!" Elishka also agreed.
"How many men we have!" Alina looked at the map on the table and asked.
"Three hundred as the main force! Our men are around two hundred well equipped men, the jarl lent us one hundred guard! I am leading the main force." Trudvar said.
"I have a unit of twenty strongmen who work with me!" I said.
"Thirteen healers! The rest forty are trained in first aid." Elishka said.
"And I could invite thirty mages! Svakin will join you, Wulfur! He is bringing the items you asked me to enchant as we speak." Alina said.
This is good!
This will provide a good surprise attack.
"When will Ongeim arrive?" Alina asked.
"If we are lucky then he should be here with the new 'Gunship' anytime soon." Trudvar answered.
"You sure this gun thing will work?" Alina asked.
"It will." A voice came from outside the tent.
This was Mahran and the core members of the 'Creation Club'.
"We finished the magic cannons Jon designed, they will be ready to be installed on the ship once it arrives." Mahran said.
Mahran is a giant khajiit as tall as me. He is one of the few people who see the charm of Jon's designs.
Alina doesn't seem to hold much hope in a staff cannon that can fire 'Fireball' spells on an extremely low cost in a high speed. It sure consumes a lot of Soul Gems but Jon said he is after a new idea to power up the magic machines without soul gems. He called it the 'Technomancy'. It was a very old idea from the orphanage but I saw that he gave it to the Creation Club to research it in secret.
Alina revised the plan and made a plan B, C, D... she indeed is a talented a talented girl.
Speaking of girls, Bjorna sent me a letter with a Firemane ship last week. It seems that the Jon's master is coming to pick us up.
I don't understand why they are so interested in Jon as he already has another teacher in the Rift, that cranky old man, but it is all good to me, I get to see Bjorna once again.
"You can smile, huh?" For some reason, everyone in the command tent noticed me.
"Ehem! I don't think we can waste time now!" I diverted the topic.
"Alright, everyone! You know the plan." Alina said and everyone left the command tent except me and Alina.
"When will your friend come?" She asked.
"Soon!"
"He created a big mess for us to deal with here!"
"He revived a town!" I refuted.
"That he did! Annoyingly creating amazing things and leaves other to deal with the mess!"
"Same old Jon to me! You'll get used to it."
"Still, you should consider coming to the clan with me! Your talents are wasted here!"
"No, thanks!"
"Should I seduce you?"
"I doubt that you even know how to do it!"
"....."
My win, again!
"My lady! I came." A voice came from the outside.
"Svakin! You brought it?"
"Here!"
Svakin is Alina's guard. He is from the same clan as her. Even though they are Nords they all have the same strange narrow grey colored eyes eyes.
That clan, for some reason, has a very strange dress code for their guards. The pants are baggy until a bit under the knee then with a high tight boots, for the top they use tight sleeveless shirts and hide their faces all the time. Apart from the weird way they dress, they tend to use the Akaviri weapons.
I guess it is part of their heritage.
Back to the topic, Svakin brought some chest with him. After he presented it to me, I opened it immediately.
Inside, there are twenty pairs of boots and twenty silver rings.
They are all here!
"Twenty 'Waterwalking Boots' and twenty 'Waterbreathing Rings'. I guess your men know how to use with these items." Alina said.
"Yes, thank you very much!"
"Look! The rings are not a problem if you lose them, but the boots were, the boots were too hard to make." She said with a pale face.
I guess it was hard.
"Still, the only one who will cough blood if he knows how many soul gems you used will be Jon."
Alina face turned into a smiling one and laughed. "I am sure my senior is kind person who will forgive me!"
She said that and went out!
Sigh!
She doesn't know!
She doesn't know how scary Catatoskr can be when he loses too much money!
Can't we just end this fight fast?
I want to go to bed and have a good sleep.
*Boooooooooooooo!*
*ring* *ring* *ring* *ring* *ring* *ring*
The alarms and the horn?
They are here!
Ysmir! Kyne! Guide us!
I head out of the tent carrying the my Skyforge Hammer that Nirina enchanted with the Lightning Blast effect that Jon loves so much.
My armor is not as heavy as always but I still can't go without my shield.
The sea ahead of me and a ship is heading our way! It is a big one.
I was just going to go ahead but I looked to the south.
Jon should be coming from that direction.
One last prayer!
Shor! Bring him soon!