Chapter 539 - Sincerely
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If Delphine was able to shake off the company's hidden forces for a month only to get caught by Jon's otherworldly knowledge then she is no ordinary person. She is capable and dangerous so it is better to control her. Alina foresaw a good outcome from using Delphine's talents.
She was still shackled and restrained under the watchful eyes of a dozen agents as well as Miranda and Jullanar.
"So… I speak to the Queen of Winterhold."
"Yes, you do. I go by many names but as a humble person, you can call me Dame Alina or Lady Dare."
"And why was I brought here? Why did I get tortured?"
"As my husband would say it… to loosen you up a bit. We have to introduce ourselves properly before we come down to business, right? Now you know what we can do just in case you have any funny ideas in mind… Stealing the [Horn of Jurgen Windcaller] for example." Alina elaborated.
Delphine looked at Alina suspiciously and then looked at Jullanar who was smiling at her then twisted that smile into a vicious grin, Miranda who was daydreaming in a corner alone and each and every Agent who were aiming small lethal crossbows at her.
"I can already see. But when I tried to steal the Horn, I didn't mean to get under your skin. I was only trying…"
"To establish a connection with the Dragonborn? We are well aware of that. To be frank, the likes of you are a bad influence on the Dragonborn and he knows it…"
"That's not for you to judge."
"My my!"
"Why are you trying to prevent the Dragonborn from achieving his destiny if it is true? You think the Dragons are not a real threat or do you people from Winterhold only care about Power and Leverage?"
"You think so?"
"I know so. Why else would Jon Dare take the Dragonborn under his wing and keep his identity a secret?" Delphine became more aggressive as she tried to walk to Alina.
An agent was about to hit her with a baton but Alina raised a hand.
"You are right, Delphine. All we care about is Power, Leverage and Money. A Dragonborn is a force beyond reckoning, you don't want such power to be manipulated by an Empire or an Aldmeri Dominion, don't you?"
"Then why are you manipulating him? He has a destiny to make and you just want to use him for your gains."
"Use him for our gains? Let me tell you this, the Dragonborn is Winterhold's core asset and he is the most respected and loved person in this hold. I will never share him… I mean we will never let anyone even fancy the idea of thinking that they can have the ability to influence him. He is my… he is our beacon of hope."
"Sister, I think you are having conflicted emotions." (Jullanar)
"Shut it!" Alina cleared her voice and returned her focus on Delphine, "There are too many lines in Winterhold and we want you to respect them. Prove that you can and you will be able to meet the Dragonborn, he is looking forward to seeing you too, believe me."
Alina extended her offer by tossing a scroll towards Delphine.
"What is that?" Delphine asked.
"Details of your mission. We want you to infiltrate a band of killers. We suspect them to be a Cult of some sort and we need to know where they come from." Alina said.
Delphine looked around her then back to Alina again.
"I think you have excellent manpower already. Why me?"
Alina smiled gleefully and didn't reply at first but then she spoke her intentions.
"Because you are expendable."
Simply saying it would make anyone rage around. Delphine frowned in anger but Alina was right, she doesn't hold any value other than her skills which are not that rare in Winterhold making her easily replaceable.
"Each agent we train requires time and resources. We consider them as family and don't send them on suicide missions. A death cult infiltration is a suicide mission only a desperate person with your particular set of skills may comply to do but let me tell you this, try to double-cross us and what you experienced in the Holding Cell just a while ago will haunt you for the end of your days."
Alina summoned the [Skull of Corruption] once again and cast a powerful curse on Delphine. There was no need to explain what this curse can do.
"My sisters will fill you in the details. Do not disappoint me, Delphine."
***
Playing the Villain was a role that became very usual in this household. Jon, Alina and Jullanar; the three of them almost perfected and embraced their two-faced natures for the good of the Hold.
Little in her past did she think to live as a tyrant and rule with an iron fist from the shadows. Alina always abided by righteousness but somethings can't be done without getting one's hands dirty such as ruling and protecting.
As the de facto authority of Winterhold, many lives are at stake and the two years she spent taking care of Winterhold alone changed her quite a bit. She learned when to be ruthless, when to be merciful and when to dodge a bullet. She may have had her clan and the Firemanes to her back but with Jon around, it is amazing how much power can the presence of a single person affect things.
The things she can do and the freedoms increased but so did the threats. Jon was born under the stars of the Serpent, such stars would bring about difficulties to those who lead others thus the ancient tradition among the Clans was to never give authority to those whose stars are the Serpent. Leading Winterhold showed that such superstitions can be actually true.
Either way, there is work that needs to be done. Jullanar and Miranda will focus on Delphine's mission while Alina would normally oversee the Company and do her important job in the College.
Earlier this week, Elishka from the Bathhouse delivered a piece of news that somehow upset Alina. It seemed that Jon and Elishka were working on a secret minor side project that no one knew about and it touches the Investment Banking system.
The Bathhouse hostesses' career was not a stable one as most girls who desperately need money only work there for short periods of time unlike how things used to go 5 years ago. Still, the Queen Bees system is active. The Queen Bees is a term that refers to the most successful girls in the bathhouse who usually have beauty and talent in entertaining the guests, their prices were always higher compared to the average girls but just like the most, they don't work for a long time.
It seemed that Jon had found a more devious way to employ those Queen Bees and that was the Bank for some reason. He offered current and former Queen Bees the opportunity to work in the Bank as "Partnership Agents". The job description is simple, those agents would assist a number of associated Clients which the bank has invested in their businesses regarding management and financial advising. In other words, those Agents manage the Bank's interests with the bank's customers.
Now, why did Jon think of using those Queen Bees as Agents? Well, it is simple. An agent's job is quite free from the company's rules, as long as there is money flow, there is a huge cut for the agent which means this is a very social skill-related Job. The Queen Bees are beautiful and young giving them the advantage of being able to sway the people's decisions quite easily.
The assignment of the Queen Bees would target large scale businesses rather than small ones. During the first month, the Bank gave out business loans and invested in small businesses like Farms and Wood Mills as well as large businesses like Wineries, Mines, Trading Companies and such. The Queen Bees were given the green light to do just about anything as long as it is in the Bank's favor which is their backing and this meant a wide array of things. They can pretty much "form bonds" with those business partners or anything they fancy. The most important thing is that the bank gets High Approval Rate and Profit.
Just how could the noble-born Alina agree on such a despicable method? Yes, she can get her hands dirty regarding anti-espionage and even killing but this is dealing with enemies. But now… she is sending girls to seduce the business partners into getting more involved with the company.
She banged her head on the desk in frustration after Elishka left with her reluctant approval. It is true what was said about business, dirty as politics and bloody as war.
The DDC's control has completely overtaken the Deadly Triad of Trade; Pleasure, Contraband and Arms Dealing. The trade that can control the fate of nations. This now means that the Company has absolute supremacy in the underworld of organized crime.
"Lady Boss."
"Yes."
Sev the secretary entered the office as Alina raised her tired head of the office.
"A student from the College came by. He said that the excavation team is on its way to Saarthal."
Alina's eyes widened as she looked at the calendar and found that it is today.
"Thanks, Sev."
Like the wind, Alina took her staff and gathered her notes then teleported out of the office to the family's house in Saarthal. From there, she rode on her snuggling Gryphon and flew across the city to the south where the old ruins stand.
The Ruins of Saarthal, a site that is very sacred to all Nords and was in the center of the College's attention recently. The Clans showed displeasure regarding the Mages going through a Sacred Ancestral ground but it was Jon who called them off saying that the Nords of today are dwarfs to the Nords of olden days and studying their traces is honoring them rather than letting the age turn it to dust.
Thus the Nords never complained and the college got access to the Ruins of Saarthal. Alina was assigned on the team as a favor to Jon who made this happen and as an assurance to all Nords that this excavation will be in safe hands.
On the other hand, Alina was rummaging through the notes Jon gave here. Instruction of what to do and where to go. Things to read now and things only to read it she encountered certain situations. In truth, Jon left many things blurry in order to not spoil anything and made a few good cliffhangers of his own to motivate her.
Once she arrived where the excavation site is, Alina found the students from the last season and a few teachers and researchers from the College led by Master Tolfdir. She silently joined the ranks of the teacher and when the time came, the seal on the ancient Barrow was undone. Of course the place was previously explored a few days ago to ensure its safety and relocate any important objects of study.
As the students walked slowly in the old dusty tomb, many were complaining about the lighting and the narrow passages forcing the teachers to disqualify any troublemakers from the get-go. Those who do not take the excavation seriously are not welcome anywhere inside the tomb.
The situation became better when the team delved deeper into the innermost area where many ancient murals and stone steles were found. Those who had the talent of studying and excavating ignored the rough conditions of the place and listened to the instructions carefully while Alina strayed alone further in the tomb.
She has had the opportunity to explore ancient barrows before alongside Jon who was an absolute pervert when it comes to Ancient Artifacts and Treasures. He simply would stop at nothing to profile, study and analyze all the markings and words written anywhere on these walls. He always said "Full Exploration, Max Experience!" especially when he explores all the possible routes first before following the right one which he already knows about.
Either way, Alina followed Jon's instructions and to her surprise, she found one of the fellow teachers deep inside the tomb as Jon's notes said.
"Wait! Who goes there? Students aren't allowed here!"
"Teacher Arniel? It is me." Alina spoke.
"Oh! Lady Alina, I didn't realize it was you? What are you doing here?"
The one who met her was a balding Breton who goes by Arniel Gane. A teacher who has a bad relationship with Jon and always suspects everyone to be trying to steal his work. He saw Alina and hid his journal right away.
The note Jon wrote said "Deep under Saarthal, you find a man whose hair was long gone from worry and suspicion. Ask to assist him and he will give you directions. Sincerely, Jon Dare."
Alina did as the note said, she found Arniel Gane trying to avoid her so she offered help and he told her to gather and record anything she may found in the dead-end area beyond his workplace.
Alina agreed and went away as she read the rest of the note.
"His direction leads you to a fruitless search. Do what you will but find the Amulet on the wall. Pick it up. Sincerely, Jon Dare."
Jon wrote the prophecy in a provoking way just to mess with Alina. She indeed followed what he wrote and found some golden artifacts hidden in burial urns and as she delved deeper, she found a strange wall at the end of a tunnel.
Indeed as Jon said, there was a totemic amulet hanged on that wall like a Talisman of sorts. She carefully picked it up but as soon as she did…
*SCREEEECH*
A noisy metallic screeching was heard from behind her. She hastily put on a protective spell and made sure to break into running only to find that the path she came from was blocked by crude iron spikes.
The sound caused the whole expedition to be alert and the whole team came to see what happened. Alina was indeed trapped behind the spikes that ride from the ground but that didn't mean she can just Teleport out. Still, she felt strange energy coming from the Amulet she held as if it was stopping her from escaping.
"What in the world was that racket? Everything all right?" Master Tolfdir asked as he checked the strange spikes.
"It seems that I have activated an ancient mechanism. How clumsy of me!" Alina replied.
"What is important is that you are alright, my daughter. Hmmm… fascinating! How did that happen?"
"I pulled this strange amulet of the wall." Alina said as she raised the Amulet up, "From what I can tell, it carries a very profound and mystical Seal. The subject of our interest in these ruins. Marvelous, I would say."
She said as she examined the Amulet and then looked at what Jon's note had to say.
"Master Tolfdir can enlighten you. Sincerely, Jon Dare."
She looked away from the note to Tolfdir who was thinking.
"Hmm… Perhaps the amulet is important somehow. Is there some way you can use it?" Tolfdir asked.
Alina simply checked the Amulet for any curse or infection and once it was clear, she decided to put it on. At that moment, she felt a Tonal effect coming from the wall and linked to the Amulet.
"Do you see that? Some kind of resonance... you and the wall. It must be connected to the amulet! I wonder…" Tolfdir observed from outside as Alina was acting.
Tonal seals are rare. Jon would love to immerse himself in studying such a subject as the expert in the matter but Alina can take all the necessary notes. She walked towards the wall and felt its energy resonating with her own as if inviting her to use her magic.
"Alright, Mr. Wall. Your funeral." Alina simply coated her hand with Frost Magicka and punched the hard wall for it to crumble as if it was made of biscuits.
*SCREECH*
With the wall crumbling, the spikes blocking the wall fell into their sockets. Alina observed the action of Magicka around her and noted a Magic Circuit hidden behind the ground that would channel Tonal Magicka into the spikes forcing them to go up and with the Amulet stuck on the wall, it created an equalizer to hinder the trap. Once Alina removed it, the trap was active so Alina had to break the wall in order to open the Magicka Circuit and lower the trap.
Tonal Magicka is very effective in Traps as it can detect sounds and activate the traps accordingly. That's why sneaking soundlessly may help at venturing through the Old Ruins easily.
Either way, Tolfdir walked over to Alina and observed the passage that was opened behind the wall she broke.
"Well, would you look at that! This appears to lead somewhere. Let's see where it goes. I'm not sure what to expect here. Please be on your guard." He said as he led the way inside.
As two teachers, Tolfdir and Alina were qualified to explore the path ahead. The other teachers watched over the path as they forbade the students from following.
There, Alina and Tolfdir walked through a narrow passage. It was dark, dusty and depressing but the two passed over while hovering by magic to not touch any dangerous trap. That until they found a room, an ancient narrow room.
There were an altar and three sarcophaguses in that room. It fit the description of a secret Treasure room but there were not Treasures or any of the sort, just old dusty broken wares.
The two mages looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. It was rare to see such a thing on Nordic ruins but it all changed when Alina got closer to the Altar.
The world stopped.
The time froze.
Even the dust kept hanging in the air in an eerie manner.
"What is that"? Alina turned to Tolfdir but he was frozen as everything else with a lazy look in his face as if he was sculpted.
"Gleam!" Alina called for the Spirit of the Elder Gleam which reacted to her but couldn't respond.
It felt better now. It seems that this is an even more Mysterious trap than before. She looked at the notes and found…
"Dear wife. I know you have a bad sense of your surroundings but there is a ghost standing near the Altar. Hear him out, please. Sincerely, Jon Dare."
Alina turned away to the Altar to see a silhouette forming of mystical energy. It seemed to be waiting for her to interact with it.
"A Record!"
She was aware of the principal but not the magic. Recorded magic is something akin to a rune trap but much more sophisticated. Once she got closer to it, it reacted.
"Hold, Mage, and listen well.
Know that you have set things in motion that cannot be undone.
Judgment has not been passed, as you had no way of knowing. Judgment will be passed on your actions to come, and how you deal with the dangers ahead of you.
This warning is passed to you because the Psijic Order believes in you. You, mage, and you alone have the potential to prevent disaster.
Take great care, and know that the Order is watching."
The vision stopped, the time felt free again as if it got its lucidity back slowly and carefully. Alina remained still until she remembered that she also needed to breathe.
Her eyes twitched and finally reacted to the words of the man from the Recorded Vision.
Judgment! Dangers! Psijic Order! Disaster! And… some creepy old dudes are watching!
"Jon… what have you got me into this time?" She furiously looked into the last page in the note.
"I believe in you too, wife. Sincerely, Jon Dare."