Chapter 547 - Dance Like Fire
Once again, I apologise for being late in the recent period. I don't want to bitch about 2020 but there was some death cases due to Coronavirus in my neighborhood and people I knew really well. It is depressing to write this after such a chapter I had fun writing but I want to take this chance to pray for the world together and for all those we lost. Amen.
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Jon walked into his house, entered the room where Alina was resting and an argument broke out. As a couple, they rarely argue but in this one Jon was the winning side for the first time while Alina kept looking down with a sad look on her face. Jon even called her an idiot multiple times and she didn't really say anything back.
Alina is protective when it comes to Jon but this last time, she may have misinterpreted her vision which ended with her determining that Jon's enemy, his True Enemy, will be the one that will drive him to his demise, his Closest Ones.
It is understandable that Jon has no bottom lines and his time in Markarth was proof of what happens when he truly hates someone. Jon can make a deal with any devil if any of his loved ones were taken from him and the man himself won't come to deny it but for them to consider themselves to be a danger to him, it almost made him want to shout all day… and imagine it, a Dragonborn shouting from anger all day.
He left Alina to rest and went out to give Jullanar and Wulfur another piece of his mind but he couldn't find Wulfur, in the end, Jullanar had to take double her share of Jon's nagging.
"I know we wronged you but all we did was to take extra measurements for safety. We just thought it would be ideal if we secure our people and…"
"Without me knowing? Like that won't pose any problem?"
"We tried to avoid problems!"
"Avoiding problems is not how we do things in this household." Jon stood up and cornered Jullanar to the wall holding her by the back of her neck, "In case you are forgetting your place, there are things you are allowed and not allowed to do. One of the things you do is to tell me everything even before it happens or do we need to go through the Basics all over again?"
"No… no need."
Jullanar was very well aware of what Jon meant by the Basics. She is indeed Jon's lover but there was a certain agreement between them from when he first recruited her and if she failed him, there would always be a punishment.
Jon let go of her slowly and took a long breath as he looked towards the room where Alina was resting. He wanted to go and comfort her but some lessons need to be absorbed.
"Will Alina be alright?" Jullanar asked as she tugged his arm but she stopped herself thinking it would annoy him.
Jon nodded after some thinking as he turned to her with the side of his face.
"We… Alina and I didn't really tell anyone but we were trying to… you know… having a child." He revealed something to her.
Jull's eyes widened as she felt a sudden cold chill running through her. Jon looked at her with a sly look but no smile, he could almost hear her heart skipping a beat or two.
"Heard that. Jealous?" He asked.
"What? No! No… I can't be." Jullanar shook her head and hands frantically, "She is… your wife. I can't be jealous of her."
Jon snorted as he turned away giving her the cold shoulder.
"For me and Alina, our lifespans are now longer than most elves. It is hard for us to reproduce with our current strength. The more we grow stronger, the less likely it may happen. When Alina used her Life-Force to take a peek into the Future, she exhausted herself, lessening the chances even more."
Jon sighed as he seemed a bit distressed.
"I… I am sure you can do it. She will recover soon." Jullanar said while feeling ashamed of herself for the moment of jealousy that she just experienced.
It is hard for Jon to have a child of his own blood in his level of power. Some prices had to be paid to walk the Path to Heavens.
"Where did Wulfur escape to?" Jon asked, finally changing the topic.
"He took the Portal to Whiterun the moment he returned. He also took his tools and some materials from our Vault. He said something about making you a weapon." Jull replied.
Jon raised his brows.
"Sigh! Wulfur… unlike my wife and my girlfriend, he realized where it went wrong and ran away to return with a peace offering. Truly bros before hoes." Jon said as he couldn't contain his grin.
"Oblivion!" Jullanar remembered her argument with Wulfur and wondered why it is only Wulfur is the one who can predict Jon to such extent.
"And where is Beth?"
"She's sleeping. She was staying with Alina after Aela went out to help with something."
"Good child." Jon nodded.
He sat down again and kept trying to fight the demons in his head. Winterhold was attacked during his absence and it seemed that the enemy was aiming for his family to hurt him. The Bloodsails reappeared again after he showed mercy to their women and children, it seemed that this was a mistake after all. They also disgusted themselves skillfully and tried to cause as much damage as they could. It is only thanks to Alina that the damage was minimized. Also, a Dragon was rumored to have appeared over Saarthal but mysteriously retreated.
Saarthal had its own defense system which was even way more advanced than Winterhold's but it seemed that there wasn't any activation to the alarm system.
"System, connect me to the Tower control room and see if there are any sightings of a Dragon."
< Confirmed! >
< Downloading Security Feedback! >
< Please, use any nearby Light Screen of Orb to view the Content! >
"Alrighty."
Jon looked around and found a spare Light Screen nearby and channeled the Feedback to it. What he saw was… eye-opening… or maybe more of an eye-widening and a little bit jaw-dropping as well.
A Dragon nose-diving towards Saarthal with malicious intent and when the Dwarven Ballistas and Tesla Towers were about to operate, the Dragon directs his attention towards the tower and CRASH!
"Eww!" Jon's face crumbled as he imagined the pain, "That… must've hurt… bad."
Jon awkwardly praised himself for leaving the Elder Scroll inside the Tower. With the power the Tower borrows from an Elder Scroll, it can practically be indestructible.
Either way, luck played a major role in the defense this time and it would have been very troublesome if the dragon wasn't so egoistic and tried to aim for the tower from the start. Jon could tell from the image of the departing dragon that its pride was hurt… bigly.
"Alright. I have heard a report that you captured that Delphine, woman. Where is she?" Jon asked.
Jullanar turned her eyes away.
"Alina set her free." She said.
"Oh!" Jon raised his brows in interest.
"We… Alina thought she could make use of her."
"Good call."
"Yes, I was also in favor of her de…"
"Just kidding! Why the hell would you let that woman walk?"
"It's Alina!"
Jon smiled and joined his arms together waiting to see how Jull will get herself out of this one.
"This… That…"
"Aha."
"Weeeee… I think I was…"
"Why did Alina let her go?" Jon asked.
"She thought she could be an asset to flush out the Dragon Cult. That Woman wanted so desperately to meet you, the Dragonborn you, and Alina told her to investigate the enemies that kept attacking us. Alina put a curse on her to secretly follow her moves while Miranda and Mirren are secretly keeping tabs on her."
"I see… so you sent Delphine, a former blade, to infiltrate the Dragon Cult. I think it's a good move." Jon nodded.
"You do?" Jullanar smiled.
"Don't expect me to praise you." Jon said coldly.
"Oh… okay!"
He dismissed her coldly to reflect on how she hid things from him and spread his body on the couch trying to rest his busy head and close his eyes.
A lot happened in High Hrothgar and he even managed to increase his own power by doing something reckless. He tried to walk through the Storm which blocks the path up the peak of the mountain without using the Clear Sky shout. His body experienced a colossal amount of pain but the pain from that Frost Storm almost made him experience a breakthrough if not for Knut interfering.
Truthfully it was madness but thanks to it, his level is now [Late Frozen Heart Formation]. More to that, he received training from the Greybeards and learned their way to Listen to the Sky, the first phase of the [Way of the Voice].
~~~~~~~<Status>~~~~~~~
• Name: Jon Dare (Jonhild Firemane)
• Title: The Boss, Thane of Winterhold, Krilon
• Race: Human (Nord)
• Age: 20
• Level: Late Frozen Heart Formation
(Game Level: 73)
• Class: Master Mystic-Warrior
• Craft: Master Binary-Enchanter
• Bloodline: Firemane
• Birth Sign: Serpent (Shadow)
• Soul Bonds:
Familiar (Nefertiti) - ??? (Inner Dragon) - Domain (Hidden Dragon Isle)
Greed (Dark Matter) - Wrath (Odokuro) - Pride (Elder Staff) - Lust (Moon Crystal)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
——<Warrior Skills>——
- Blade: 95 (Master)
- Blunt: 40 (Adept)
- Polearm: 50 (Adept)
- Shield: 43 (Adept)
- Heavy Armor: 85 (Master)
- Martial Arts: 81 (Master)
- Smithing: 41 (Adept)
——<Thief Skills>——
- Marksman: 62 (Expert)
- Unarmed: 79 (Expert)
- Acrobatics: 78 (Expert)
- Stealth: 78 (Expert)
- Light Armor: 59 (Adept)
- Speechcraft: 91 (Master)
- Alchemy: 42 (Adept)
——<Mage Skills>——
- Mysticism: 98 (Master)
- Destruction: 95 (Master)
- Conjuration: 96 (Master)
- Restoration: 90 (Master)
- Alteration: 91 (Master)
- Illusion: 85 (Master)
- Enchanting: 99 (Master)
———<Powers>———
[Nord]
- Battle Cry (Active)
- 50% Frost Resistance
[Firemane]
- Fireborn: 50% Fire Resistance
- Titanborn: Beast Master
[Battle Spirit]
- Basic Aura: Madness
- Advanced Aura: Red Tyrant
- Manifested Aura: ???
[Astral Access]
- Vitality and Magicka Equilibrium
[Eternal Flesh]
- Disease Immunity
[Serpent Birth Sign]
- Serpent Tyranny: Compatible with all Birth Signs
[Way of the Voice] (1/3)
- Hear the Wind
[Bardic Knowledge]
- Summon knowable Music Instruments to cause a Tonal Effect (Active)
[Ahzidal's Genius]
- Ahzidal's Enchanting Knowledge
[Gautfang Martial Style]
- Force Channeling Martial Arts
[Enchanted Tattoos (21%)]
- Channel all energy into the tattoo to increase Efficiency and bind them from leaking out or losing control
[Chaos Infection]
- The purest form of defiance to all worldly laws. Chaos is Invincibile, Indestructible, and very Unstable.
———<Blessings>———
[Akatosh]
- Dragonborn: The Gift of the Dragon's Blood and Soul, Highest Affinity to the Thu'um, Highest Affinity to the element of Time
- Dragonsfire: Eternal Flame (Active)
- Inner Dragon: Not Complete
[All-Maker] - Root of Power: 2500% Magicka Regeneration (Active)
[Talos]
- Greater Amulet of Talos: Fortify Thu'um 50%
- Old Man's Coin: Fortify Luck
[Kyne] - Thunder Child: 25% Empower Thu'um
[Sheogorath] - Mad Champion: 2500% Vitality Regen (Active)
[Azura] - Dawn's Beauty: 50% Absorb Magic Attacks. (Active)
[Boethiah] - Berserk: Take half damage and do double damage in a Feral State of mind (Active)
[Mephala] - Golden Tongue: Persuasive to all beings (Active)
[The Shadow Stone]
- Hide in Shadows: Fortify Stealth in through the shadows
- Blur: Fortify Speed during Combat
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He has indeed grown to a scary degree yet he is still struggling with those damn Dragons. To think they were flying over his turf all that time and spying from up there. Their senses must be really sharp or they must be using some shout to buff their senses.
But they indeed found out his weakness.
If not for Nurina overhearing Alina when she spoke to Jullanar, he wouldn't have known and Alina would have taken her own measures. It is thoughtful of her to do so but to think that she would take it to the extreme and declare herself and the others a danger to him.
What was she thinking?
Yes, if something happened to anyone close to him, he would go insane. Not his normal insane but he may lose it. A deal with the devil is nothing compared to the Darkness of Chaos the dwells inside him. True Darkness is nothing Alina can see through a mere vision, he saw the Darkness beyond this world and letting it consume him would be the undoing of the Hero, he would only follow the example of the self-serving Miraak.
But Alina isn't wrong either. Jon's mentality cannot handle losing his loved ones. He will be consumed by all the negative emotions and the Daedra will be able to manipulate him without him even resisting. But Alina's vision confirms one thing, Killing the Dragons is something he will definitely do. He will fulfill his destiny and eat the dragons by his way or by a darker one.
It actually worried him. Alina was right, it was better for him not to know and Alina would have taken care of protecting his people. But this way is better, he doesn't like to be in the dark anyone.
"Jon."
What interrupted his train of thoughts was the voice of Alina who seemed to have come out of bed. Jon didn't reply and pretended to be sleeping.
"Husband."
She spoke politely and walked until she reached him then sat on the ground on her knees. He took a long breath but still ignored her.
"Love."
"What?"
"Hungry?"
"… Go and rest, woman."
"I took medicine to hasten my recovery."
Jon still didn't look at her until she went up on her feet and sat on the tip of the couch. He reluctantly gave her space and sat up beside her. Jon is not the kind to give the cold shoulder too often as he just prefers to play pranks all day but seeing this side of him made Alina realize how much he gets worried.
"You still angry?" She asked.
"Not at you." Jon replied as he seemed not in the mood to talk about what's bothering him.
"Don't worry."
"I am not worrying."
"Just don't think too much. Anything can be solved." She said as she stuck closer to him.
Seeing how she looked at him with a strong eye and confident face, Jon had no choice but to drop the cold act.
"My my! The cat eyes work." She spoke faintly covering her mouth. [A/n: Yes, Alina can do the "Ara Ara"]
Jon gave a short laugh as he shook his head.
"I am sorry I couldn't welcome you when you came from Hrothgar. I trust your journey was fruitful." She said.
"Yes." He nodded, "I heard you captured the woman Delphine and baited her to do a thing for you in exchange for meeting me." Jon said.
"Yes. She'll locate the Dragon Cult for us or die trying." Alina said.
"Alright! I would have used her the same way as well."
Jon caressed the cheek of his woman gently and brought her closer kissing her forehead. He was not going to let anything happen to this amazing wife of his.
"I think I came at the wrong time."
And of course, they were interrupted.
Looking at who came in, it was a large woman carrying two kids.
"Mother!"
"Welcome back, son."
Jon stood up to meet Hilda, who was smiling warmly at him and Alina. He took Idun from her and Thor went down on his own while looking around for anything to mess with.
"How are the kids?" Jon asked.
"They wanted to see you." Hilda replied.
"Of course my cute little sister wants to see her big brother. Not that idiot though." Jon ticked Idun and gave a cold look to Thor who went to Alina.
"Brotha! Brotha! Look… I drew you."
Idun adorably showed Jon a paper that looked rather… horrible… even for a 3 years old kid.
"That looks like dad."
"Nooo! Dat's daddy."
She pointed at the other unidentified figure near the first drawing.
"Oh! Fair enough then." Jon laughed and looked at Hilda, "Seriously, teach the kids how to draw. It will help them draw complicated Forbidden Class Spells by the age of eight at best."
"What? NO! They don't need anything like magic by the age of eight." Hilda said as she took Idun away.
"Tsk! Typical Nords. Nurina made me draw such a formula by the age of eight."
"… Then I'll have some serious chat with Nurina."
"God!"
Jon and Hilda started ranting at each other while Alina watched over the kids. That until a servant girl came into the room and spoke.
"Lady Alina, there's a package for you." The servant girl said.
"Alright. Drop it there."
The servant girl put a small ornate box on the table and a note was attached on top of it. Alina managed to slip away from the two playful children and walked with a smile picking up the note and opening it.
"River frozen blood and pain, stood she singing with her lyre.
Calling winter spring and rain, still she lived in a dirty mire.
Having a moon not a mortal shall, so dance sweet dance like flame and fire." Alina read the words and laughed.
Jon heard the poem and tilted his head thinking.
"Looks like Jull is getting deeper than usual." Alina laughed as she held up the ornate box and was about to lift the lid.
Jon's eyes narrowed and his sense of hearing became heightened as he felt something…
*tick* *click*
… a very faint sound from the Box.
"ALINA! NO!"
Without thinking he took the box from her and teleported out of the house.
*KABOOM*
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