Chapter 393 - Demigod
A/n: A lot of thanks to @Derek Palm. He gets a ticket to Sovngarde.
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Winterhold's defenders overtook the northern field and their axes and spears with shields formations were too fierce and viscous. Adapted to the snow and rocky battlefields, the Dare Troopers used the Boar Formation to precisely curve through their enemies.
In the south where the attackers were rendered to defened themselves by the War Mammoth Unit, the Dare Troopers used the Testudo Formation of the Imperial Legion (aka Tortoise Formation) with large wooden tower shields and javelins to strike the trapped attackers from various sides using the advantage of the high ground.
The battle, of course, took a little pause with the strange beam of light from the south of Winterhold reaching between Aetherius and Nirn but when the masters of both sides moved to battle each other, the situation turned into a slaughterhouse once again.
The chasing team returned to lock the west of the battlefield this time with 2,000 fresh cavalrymen from Solitude under the lead of High King Torygg himself.
"Your Grace, I don't think this situation can be resolved with peace anymore. This is a killing zone." Falk Firebeard stated.
"I was told to handle the powerful mages but ten Elven Arch Wizards is a bit too much for even me." Sybille Stentor said supporting Falk's opinion.
"Mammoths, a large army, battle formations, magic weapons and that beam going in the sky… was Winterhold preparing this all along? Their numbers my reach 10'000 by the looks of it and they are not even pressured. Did they really need our help?" Bolgeir Bearclaw, Torygg's Housecarl, spoke.
"Look, even Ulfric Stormcloak and his goons are here." Falk added.
"... By Ysmir!" Torygg swore in a low voice and kept thinking.
"Bolgeir, Falk, you two ride ahead with 500 each. Carry the banners of Solitude and the High King and stop all this madness. Nords killing each other for what… this is a pointless slaughter! I'll deal with Ulfric and Elenwen."
The cavalrymen of Solitude broke on three teams each to stop a fight. The chances were slim but the High King's Banner had its value among Nords, its weight was something unimaginable and could move all the Clans, the Jorvassker and every lawful force under the sky of Skyrim. This is what means to be the High King.
On Ulfric's front, he was feeling kind of worried and kind of excited. His aim was clearer and clearer when this beam of light appeared.
He always had that thing with Elenwen like the cat and mouse they always acted. He would chase after her head but she would always turn the tables on him, he would vex her by killing her justiciars and pillaging their camps out of eastern Skyrim discreetly and she would always find a way to gain something from the losses, vexing him even more.
It started from the day he abandoned the life of becoming a Greybeard and descended the Snow-Throat to participate in the Great War. He was young and brutish yet his voice was ever so powerful. Imprisoned during the last siege on the Imperial City and the interrogation he went through was crucial for the fall of the city (or so he believed).
This time, however, things are totally different. It started with a Nordic Charge breaking down the Thalmor forces and a showdown between him and Elenwen which almost was about to end ugly for him when the nine Arch Wizards if not for the sudden Beam of Light coming from the east. Now and for the first time, Ulfric could see Elenwen's face turning desperate.
"Move!" She struck her blade at him while glaring.
"HA! Nice try." Ulfric laughed it off as he deflected the attack with his shield.
He was enjoying every little detail of her expressions. She always looked down on him with a cold look in her eyes but now the situation was turned around. Elenwen and her unit were trying to reach the Beam of Light but Ulfric and his war band were hell-bent on not letting them leave.
The sense of crisis in Elenwen's mind was very clear to Ulfric as he drove out every ounce of his focus in this fight. The [Bear of Markarth] showed off his power to a frightening degree locking down an Arch Wizard like Elenwen down without taking a single step back. His Aura which was akin to the power of Frost similar to Alina's was having a hint of bestial feeling to it as if an image of a large snow bear was forming around Ulfric.
His Aura was manifesting itself slowly and the bear was pouring every bit of his battle hunger on the Elf in front of him driving her back.
"I SAID MOVE!" She couldn't take it anymore either and went full force on Ulfric.
In terms of the Physical Ability, an Altmer Woman who specialized in Magic was much more vulnerable than a Nord Man specializes in Battle-Spirit but her magic output broke sense itself. A warrior is vulnerable to Frost but Ulfric's Aura negated that effect and all she could do was to either counter him with Flame or Lightning.
Ulfric and Elenwen engrossed themselves in the fight until someone interfered.
A flashy [Shock Beam] Spell was cast between Ulfric and Elenwen and went between the Stormcloaks and the Thalmor dividing the two parties apart. Everyone looked towards the source of the beam.
From a higher ground to the north, there was a hooded rider with heavy clothing and long ebony staff. From the looks of it, it was a mage as capable as Elenwen and the Arch Wizards.
"By Talos! A monster after the next… Who are you? Why would you stop this fight?" Ulfric sighed then shouted.
The riders coolly put the staff away and turned around with his/her horse showing no interest in reply. A second after, a band of a thousand riders flowed from the Mage's sides towards Ulfric and Elenwen carrying the banner of Solitude.
"Tsk!" Ulfric's face twisted as he looked away.
High King Torygg and his men arrived between the two parties and the Cavalry of Solitude forced the Stormclaoks and the Thalmor away with force and intimidation. Gazes of contempt and hate were exchanged between the three parties.
"Jarl Ulfric, I think the bloodshed should end up here, don't you think?" The High King crossed in front of Ulfric with his horse before turning around to him.
"..." Ulfric didn't want to reply.
"May I have your assistance at that? The clans will listen to you as one of this age's Heroes. Please, a lot of death will be avoided."
"Those are some Marauders, your Grace." Galmar Stone-Fist, Ulfric's commander, stepped forward.
"Are they?" Falk Firebeard was right in Torygg's heel.
"That's what they pose as." Galmar pointed at Elenwen and her Thalmor force hiding their identities in regular brigands armors different from their usual Elven Armor and Thalmor Robes. Even Elenwen and the Arch Wizards were dressed in plain black robes and big hoods to hide their identities.
"First Ambassador, shall we stop this?" High King Torygg turned to Elenwen.
"Humph!" She only snorted and kept her face hidden under her hood.
Her identity as the First Ambassador cannot be confirmed or a real political drama will happen between the Empire and the Dominion.
Her eyes, however, were focused on the fight she badly wanted to interfere with. The fight over there between the Masters of the Thalmor was tilting to the side of the Thalmor but the Masters of Winterhold were really some relentless bunch. The thing they are trying to prevent may happen if they waited any longer.
Now with not only Ulfric but now Torygg and his men, this was kinda impossible to do. She just wanted a chance to drive those men away and charge with her men towards the other masters.
{Go.} A voice called to her.
'... What?'
{Go! I'll hold them. You've got to stop the Cursed Child. I know what he is doing, I've seen it before. Go!}
'Master, wait! You can't use magic right now, your wounds are not healed yet.'
{Too late!}
The tenth Arch Wizard of the bunch, who was injured by Alina's eyes, seems to have gone against the odds and used magic somehow. She was now going to do something to aid her apprentice, Elenwen.
'But, Master…'
{Not buts! Through the North… Now!}
Elenwen moved by instincts and headed to the North. On the south near the foothills of Mount Anthor, an avalanche started to occur.
"What? Stop her!" Ulfric called.
"Wait!" Torygg wanted to stop the reckless action as soon as possible.
From the north, the enemies were on the run and from the south, big masses of snow were falling from the mountain.
"Dammit! FUS RO DAH!" Ulfric could only shout at the avalanche to slow its unnatural charge down.
Elenwen and her men used every ounce of their Magicka to speed up their run and ran as fast as horses toward the top tier battle at the foot of the mountain to the east yet something unexpected occurred.
A large shadow descended from the mountain and joined the battle. The large creature was something only spoken of in the legends of the Alliance War and by the ones who were lucky enough to survive a very scary trip through the Daedric Plane of Coldharbour.
The High Elven Arch Wizards all retreated away from the foul creature while it seemed to be protecting the Masters of Winterhold or Alina to be specific.
Elenwen and her men could only halt their steps in awe of the mighty aura that being gave off. Something like that was really a hurdle to fight.
It suddenly opened its mouth, spat someone out and spoke some words then attacked the nine Arch Wizards with a blue Fire Breath.
"This is a Dragon?" One of the men asked.
"No. It is just a Daedric Imitation of one. Not even an Arch Wizard can conjure something that size." Elenwen was impressed.
"You are not getting anywhere." Suddenly and from the side, a shadow leaped towards Elenwen.
"Damn you!" Frustrated, Elenwen engaged in another fight with a single mage.
It was Sybille Stentor, the mage who stopped the fight of the Thalmor and the Stormcloaks.
"You go!" Elenwen shouted at her lieutenants and they charged ahead as a force of 2'000 Thalmor Warriors and Battlemages.
The fight was heating and chaos spread all at once. Even the Tower of Music started playing a new tone. It was a strange and untimely calm music.
*GOT OST - Light of the Seven*
"Haha! This thing is good." Ulfric took a strange liking to the music.
He felt his energy and blood stabilize at a rapid pace while the enemies started to fall into worry. This was the Magical Tonal Effect of the piece.
He gathered his strength into another shout and his voice echoed.
"IIZ SLEN NOS!" (Ice, Flesh, Statue)
The [Ice Form] shout was directed at the avalanche and the Arch Wizard creating it.
It was as if an opposite rising avalanche faced a falling one and the rising took over the other one. The Arch Wizard on the foothills of Mount Anthor wasn't even ready or able to cast any sort of protection.
"DIE!"
Ulfric focused his Aura on his legs and leaped in the air almost fifty meters then waved his axe at the Arch Wizard's neck…
… beheading her.
The first to fall in from the ranks of the masters was none other than the 500 years old master of Elenwen.
"NOOOO!"
Elenwen's voice echoed as high as Ulfric's shout seeing the head of her master roll down.
Ulfric held the head up from its hair and raised up for his men to see. He then pointed with the axe towards the charging Elves.
"Sons and Daughters of Skyrim, defend the land of Ysgramor, defend Saarthal, defend your brother Jon Dare. For Skyrim! FOR SOVNGARDE!"
"AAAAAAHH!"
"OOOOH!"
Everyone roared after Ulfric, he used his willpower and shouted a hearty and Nordic [Battle Cry]. Every one of his men and even Torygg's people were hyped by its effect.
On top of that, the Tower of Music's tones were rising and lowering with Ulfric's actions leading the atmosphere to all gather around him.
On the other side, the Arch Wizards of the Thalmor were fighting as one creating a massive Magic Array to annihilate their opponents in one go. Their only hope was for the reinforcement of the 2,000 to arrive soon enough. Sadly, Ulfric and his men were on their heels.
Just one second, one second was enough to finish this all.
The music reached its climax with the battle and no one could ever tell how will this end.
Everyone's blood was boiling, everyone was ready to draw blood.
Chaos was ready to take grasp of the situation as the music.
Suddenly…
It happened.
The Beam of Light intensified and turned as red as Jon's Tyrant Aura.
A suffocating feeling as if time stopped but everyone was conscious of it and all looked around to see how the Beam of Red Light enveloped everything in one go.
And the light exploded.
And there was no beam.
Only a sky turning from dark to red and a man descending from heaven.
The Arch Wizards looked at him and recognized him.
"At him… shoot."
With a whisper of one of them, the large array spell that was directed at the large Daedric Titan and the Masters of Winterhold was directed at the flying man.
A large destructive spell of pure energy hurled to where he is but it passed him or rather… he wasn't there anymore.
They all sensed the crisis.
"Where…"
They looked all around them but nowhere he was seen.
An instant later, a large handsome young man, with blue eyes and long red hair reaching to his knees, was standing between them. He had a wide smile on his face as his fist was striking down the ground.
"CLIFFHANGER!"