Chapter 153 - Mystery
"Impossible! Another one?"
The clansmen were in shock, this is not a subjugation anymore.
"Jon, see where that came from!" Someone called and I was already doing what he said.
I rose higher with the Flame Atronach Hawk and didn't even need to use a detection magic to tell where it was coming from.
"Another Elder Mammoth coming from the south, a bit smaller and as mad as this one." I shouted my voice out.
"Wha... Another one is mad?"
"Take cover and climb the high rocks, make every spear count!"
"Jon, lend me one of your birds!" Jonrad called at me.
I still haven't banished the remaining Flame Atronach Hawks so I sent one to him.
"Boy, we need to distract that one together until the others finish of the big mammoth."
"Easier said than done! I will try."
We directed the Flame Atronach Hawks to face the coming Mammoth, it was a bit slow but very unstoppable.
"Jonhild, don't be stubborn and use Flame Magic this time. Neither Lightning nor Frost will do anything to that thick fur ball."
"Tsk, I was going to do that move I did on the Bloodsails ship back at Winterhold."
"What move?"
"I was planning to jump on its head with a 'Thunder Cookie'. Back then, it made the ship almost flip upside down."
"Huh! Just that? Don't you remember that time when you were being chased and I set the whole ship that was chasing you on fire in one go?"
"Old man, that was just setting a ship on fire."
"Just try that spell I taught you."
"Fine, we will go around it in circles and give it hell."
We were flying above the newcomer mammoth and started evoking the same spell.
This is one of Jonrad's masterpieces. A spell that follows the immediate will of the caster. It works like any Flame Magic spell and it is very much similar to the most basic spell, the 'Flames' spell. Its brilliance comes with the control over it. It is cumbersome but as long as the caster wills, it can be shaped into anything. It can be sent as Fireball projectile or a channeled spell. As long as there is Magicka within the caster, it can be cast.
After the evocation was complete, we directed the Flame Atronach Hawks to fly around the mammoth in circles.
Its attention was full attracted to us and it raised its snot to catch Jonrad's Hawk but it was evaded skillfully.
"Now, give it all you have!" Jonrad shouted and we cast the spell together.
As if our thoughts have overlapped, we father and son made two strong streams of flames akin to a dragon breath and shot it at the mammoth. The mammoth was too big and too slow to evade this.
Once the flames landed, the whole mammoth was caught on fire as if being cooked alive. It was a cruel way to kill an animal but it was the only way for two mages to deal with such a threat.
Strong cries sounded from the mammoth. At first, there was a strong anger as it was helplessly trying to retaliate, then it became cries of desperate madness.
I was shocked!
Why do I seem to understand it that much?
It is not like my conversations with Nefertiti but I was very able to understand the emotions of the mammoth.
"Wh… What is going on?"
For a second, my magic was about to be cut short.
"Jonhild, watch out!"
Jonrad's voice woke me up and for a second I saw something flying at me.
I subconsciously commanded the Flame Atronach Hawk to evade and made a 360 with a dive. Before I know it, I was already too close to the mammoth.
Dangerous! The hair of my body was all erected when I felt the immense danger from getting too close to that angry mammoth.
I continued the maneuver in the air and tried to go up before the mammoth can catch me but the fucker responded even faster.
It stood up on its rear legs the same way the other mammoth did and obstructed my escape path.
I was to fly up and go over its back but I will crush into it now with my speed.
"Jonhild!"
I could hear Jonrad shouting at me to watch out but I was already calculating my next move.
Back when I was a kid in my past life, I loved riding bicycles. There was that lesson I learned after crashing into a car once that trying to slow down or stop will surely get me hurt so the best way was to go faster than the accident itself, and that's how I will do this.
I didn't try to fly up anymore and flew down… a sharp down.
Once I reached the ground, I took another sharp turn to fly with Flame Atronach Hawk as low as possible. My aim with to pass from beneath the mammoth.
Still, the sight of the mammoth above me made me feel so scared if that thing went down on top of me. I wished I could use 'Teleport' right away but the spell takes time to cast, I don't have put less than a second to act now.
Once my resolve firmed, I shouted a Thu'um.
"WULD!"
With the voice of mine, the world around me felt like it was being wrapped and the space ahead of me looked funny for a second then it all came back as it was and I was about ten meters away from the Flame Atronach Hawk I was one and the Mammoth that was crashing down on it.
*Boom* *Boom*
With a booming sound, the mammoth stomped with its forelegs and with another booming sound, the Flame Atronach Hawk exploded.
The mammoth cried from the fire once again and it gave me enough time to run away as fast as I could.
That furball tried to hunt me with a tree trunk then stomp on me with all its weight!
Pretty scary!
I heard on some documentary that elephants are so smart and of course mammoths should at least be like them but this one is murderously smart.
"Jonhild! Are you alright?"
Jonrad looked worried sick as he flew to pick me up on the Flame Atronach Hawk he was using.
"Dammit! I almost lost one of the nine lives I had over this!"
"... As long as you are alright… Hey, don't do that scary maneuver once again! Your mothers will skin us if they heard of it." Jonrad was a bit pale as it seemed he was on an emotional rollercoaster.
{Will skin who again?}
But for some reason, I heard Nurina's voice in my head.
"Huh? Who is that?" Jonrad started looking around.
Aha! A telepathy link was established.
"Calm down! That's Nurina speaking directly to our heads."
"... That's not funny!"
{I don't care what are you guys doing but we are finished here. What is your situation?}
{We are having it hard here. Can we have some support?}
{... We will come right away.}
Nurina's call was heard by both of us and we nodded to each other. I once again conjured a Flame Atronach Hawk and took attacked the mammoth with the same plan as before.
It started crying once again and I was still able to understand it. The fear it developed to fire was starting to take over its emotions by now. I was having no pity for it this time though.
It suddenly cried loudly and fell on its side.
"Is it over?"
"We need to get closer to know so."
We indeed went closer. Once we arrived just about four meters away from it, the mammoth appeared to be still breathing heavily.
"Damn! This is not natural!" Jonrad said.
"Do you feel it too? The mammoth?"
"Eh? Ah! It is your first time. Maybe because you are used to your cat and the more domesticated animals and the clan's companion beasts so you may not notice it right away but the Titanborn bloodline gives some empathetic power to commune with the wild. It is something that was supposed to be part of all the Nordic clans but it is the strongest in ours."
"Hmm! I see… Is it because of the creation of human theory?"
"Indeed! Us Nords are the first men, we were created by the breath of Kyne. The same way beasts were created, and with the Titanborn bloodline, we can understand the hearts of the beast."
"I see. So what was the unnatural thing you found out just now?"
"See for yourself… the mammoth, it is not ragging anymore!"
I opened my eyes wide and looked at the mammoth we just fought. By a bit of concentrating, I could feel the emotions of the mammoth. Surprisingly, it was not as angry or as berserk as before. It only felt tired and wanted to rest.
With all the wounds over its body! It wasn't feeling negative at all. It even wasn't that damaged or wounded. Indeed some parts were charred and they may leave a few scars but it was having any problems now.
"What in Oblivion is going on? Is it feeling peaceful all of a sudden after it went mad?" I wasn't able to keep up with anything anymore.
Jonrad held his chin and shook his head not understanding the situation too.
A few seconds later, we could hear the sounds of someone coming. It was Hilda and the rest.
For some reason, they carried the same expressions as us. Grandpa came forward and heard what happened from Jonrad. He then said something that added more to the mystery.
"It is indeed strange but there is only one thing I can understand… These mammoths weren't mad to begin with."