Chapter 548 - House Dare Rises
It was another episode of panic in Winterhold once again. The Hold which was peaceful during the Civil War is now peaceful no more. The Dragons appeared and the Cultists that attacked the city were all now public knowledge. Everyone was told the Bloodsail clan had returned and they joined hands with the Daedra worshippers in order to exact revenge on Winterhold.
It was a worrying piece of news and it would cost Winterhold a lot of investment now that is no longer the safe fortress it used to be but a certain event happened one day that altered the course of events in a strange manner.
Jon Dare's house was attacked.
No one knows the exact details but an explosion happened above Jon Dare's house and the man himself was in the center of that explosion. One second, there was nothing above Jon's house and the next, he appeared a few meters in the air and the explosion happened. The blast didn't reach the town or the house but everything was on fire.
Jon's house was burned and the man himself was nowhere to be seen.
Hilda ran out of the house carrying her two children and Alina was holding the coughing Beth in her hands screaming and crying for Jon.
Alina was in a hysterical state, just a moment ago, her husband was angry at her for considering herself a danger to him and not a few minutes passed for this thing to happen. The people watched in utter fear and silence as the house of the most formidable man in the hold was completely consumed by the fire and him most likely in it. Hilda was holding her young kids as if the world was crumbling on her head and the air around her felt running out of control.
Everyone in Winterhold came running towards the house, Nurina and the people from the College, Bjorna and the Firemanes that live around, Jullanar who was on duty in the Company building. Seeing Jon's house burn and Alina's state made them all shudder from the thought.
Alina was already very tired, she could see no future nor gather enough power. She called for anyone helplessly but the situation was far from over. Jon showed as the house crumbled to rubble.
He walked off the front door with a staggering stance and heavy feet as well as some injuries around his body. Still, he was in no serious condition.
His appearance was like the Spring when it breaks the Winter but only for a second, by the next, Jon was glaring with senseless anger at everyone around him. The Winter did not go away but it rather became blizzard and the man, whose hobbies included punching people to pieces, was now beyond angry.
Just as the slight air moved by, Jon shouted in the entirety of Winterhold.
"NOBODY MOVES!"
He cast Magic senselessly to all directions, his [Mass Paralysis] spell didn't spare anyone save for Alina and his family.
"Jon, wait!" Nurina came to stop him before doing anything reckless but he was faster than her and was now in the middle of the street in front of his burning house…
And the whole city was paralyzed.
What insane spell that can cause such an effect? Nurina knew [Mass Paralysis] but not to such extent. This is far beyond the Master-level spells. A spell only an Arch Wizard can cast.
The man in question didn't care for such trivial matters at the moment but he was focused on his anger and his anger directed him to the middle of the street, just what is he going to do?
He looked around the paralyzed city as if he was looking for something or rather someone. Paralyzed people can only look around with their eyes and the look in their eyes showed a lot. Jon focused on everything around him, the sound and the light, he can hear the hearts of the people racing the moment he passed past them that wasn't what he was looking for.
The heart can never lie, fear is natural and it causes the heart to race but the kind of fear Jon is looking for was different. He needed to find the hate, the worry, the uncanny desire to escape and to break free right at this moment. This fear can be transmitted even through the pores of one's skin and that's what Jon was after.
"Found you!"
And he caught the perpetrator, the delivery man.
Seeing the giant Jon Dare facing him, the man struggled but his body was unmovable. Even the Daedra inside his head was screaming to unleash all its power but that was not an option. Jon wasn't going to let the scoundrel go, surely the Dragon Cult considers its followers expendables but now that Jon got a fully functional Dragon Cultist in his hands, the situation will switch to a different tone altogether, the darkest tone Jon can sing.
He carried the man by the neck as if he caught his prey and all of a sudden, let go of his Chaos in the middle of town. The [Chaos Infection] passed through the patterns of Jon's [Mystical Tattoos] and slowly reached his fingertips venturing to the Eight Energy Points and Channels fully accessing the soul of that man. Once the chaotic aether found the vestige of the Daedra possessing that man, it completely annihilated it without a trace.
The man wailed and was forced out of paralysis as the Chaos does not only erode Magicka but inflicts unimaginable harm on the living. It can't be blocked or resisted but the same pain the man experiences is also returned to Jon so it is not really the power to be abused yet for just this occasion.
He took the man by the neck and snapped his finger for the whole city to break free from paralysis, the people ran away from him in fear as this was not a Jon they want to stand in his way. As the house became no more, he walked towards a Workshop of the Company which wasn't far away, kicking the door open he saw the workers in there looking at him in total fear.
"OUT! ALL OF YOU!" He shouted as he walked in dragging the bomber.
The workers ran out and he threw the man across the place towards the smelter which was turning red.
"AAAAH! AAAAH! NO! SOMEONE! GODS!"
It goes without saying that the man angered Jon the most and his fate was sealed at the moment. The workshop had some of the finest tools that can bend metal into any shape or form let alone a man. A place of fire and steel was the right location for torture yet Jon wasn't looking for that.
He walked to the storeroom and picked up some materials and tools. The man who was crawling towards the door was held from his leg and slammed on a metal table almost causing all his bones to dust. He spat out blood and had a painful sensation in his lungs and back. Jon took a hammer and an oversized nail then grabbed the man's hand.
"My Home!"
*Clank*
"My Family!"
*Clank*
"My Wife!"
*Clank*
Jon hammered a nail deep into the hand then switched to the other one then to the feet doing the same and repeating the words. The man was at the edge of death but no, that wasn't his time just yet. Jon may not be specialized in healing but he is still better than some of the Elite Healers. The man was almost brought back to life.
"NO! NO! LET ME… HELP! GODS!"
"Gods? HA!" Jon laughed, "The Divines hear you well alright. The Daedra and the Heavens hear you as well. But what makes you think they would do anything to a piece of shit. My Home! My Family! My Wife! You wanted to take that from my you Bloodsail Dragon Cult scum, you took my house but you know what, let me return the favor a hundred fucking folds!"
Jon spread the tools he had which consisted of metal threads, scrap metal, leather sewing needles and Calipers. He took a blade and gutted the man open then brought the calipers and held the flesh aside. [Pride] joined the fray and hovered above the man healing him and keeping him from dying. Jon then sent the man to sleep to stop him from moving and kept his vitals in check.
He started taking out parts of his intestines cutting and throwing them away before he brought a small smooth pot and filled it with oily liquid, he then added Fire Salts and a scroll inside the pot then carefully sealed the pot and used a [Frost Rune] to lower its temperature before putting it in place of the man's intestines. The man would die at this rate so Jon took out a red glowing [Heart Stone], carved into the man's chest and stuffed it instead of his heart. It is a method Jon studied and it is similar to how a Briarheart Warrior is created. With the right magic, he preserved the functionality of the man's vital parts and gave him an insane boost.
With the thick needle and the metal thread, he closed the man's belly and moved his mouth sealing it with a thread as well. He removed the fingers and used his knife to carve a message on the man's back.
"Still alive? Tough motherfucker!"
There was one last thing. Jon used [Lust] on the man and conveyed orders to him in a way that would make the Daedra shudder if they hear it. The man's body moved on its own and started quivering as if it was experiencing a seizure episode. He then groaned while Jon watched from a distance then his body was launched from its place and ran into a wall. Jon simply walked to him and punched him out of the workshop.
The gate was shattered as the man went flying out but he landed like a possessed monkey and started screaming insanely. Jon came out after him covered in blood and gave the madman a chilling glare.
"GO!"
With a command; the man, or whatever he became, shrieked like a harpy and started running like an animal out of town. The Troopers who rushed towards the area were about to stop him before Jon signals for them not too.
This move would take a few days but what he did will surely work. The Dragon Cult will know how much they were mistaken when they dared to challenge Jon in a game of dirty fights.
***
The situation which went out of hand and yesterday pulled the attention of all the Clans in Winterhold. A coward attack on Jon's house during battle is to be expected but a direct attack after the battle using an exploding substance directly aiming for Alina's life is something to not be tolerated.
Also, the People of Winterhold were afraid and angry as Jon's actions of paralyzing the whole town were reckless and harmed his reputation badly. Contradicting accounts started flying around but in the end, it was proven that Jon did it to catch the criminal before he got away.
But he still let the Criminal go.
No one understood how Jon's head worked and a few knew the truth of what Jon has in store for the Dragon Cult but the DDC gave out an official statement in the name of Boss Jon Dare that he used his legal authority as a Thane to hold down and interrogate the people around the scene and didn't mean for any harm to fall on to anyone. Also, as a gesture of good faith, the Company will cut down next month's rent by 50% to all the people in Winterhold City.
It wasn't Jon who came up with that but rather the Company's Board of Managers. This was the only way to contain the situation and appease the public before a riot began. Jon stayed indifferent about the whole situation but the Temple of Kyne in Winterhold came out and stated that Jon Dare, husband of sybille Alina, is a man of faith and a hero to the people, his actions were made in a moment of weakness and anger.
The man himself didn't even try to appease anyone as he was having a very bad day himself. Aside from Alina crying all day for the house that was completely lost and Nurina nagging him for recklessly using his magic, he had to look after the people close to him more. The Bloodsails are back and they act like rabid dogs, he was sure he finished off all their men but they ended up joining the Dragon Cult and causing him such a headache. He also spent the day sending Agents from [Team 0] to try to track down the remnants of the accursed clan.
According to the Firemanes network of connections, these were not just the Bloodsails but more than just one clan. It is like they are all a gathering of the enemies which Jon and the Firemanes annihilated during the past five years.
Someone really did a fine job tracking down all his enemies and making a dream team of Anti-Dare.
Other than that, Jon started to work on something which powers the Dragonstone and tracks down all the Dragons around Skyrim. If that isn't possible then he would at least keep the Dragons away from Winterhold's Skies.
He had all the ingredients he needed. Mysterious Device in the shape of a Tower, an Elder Scroll, an immortal Dragon Horn, a Dragonstone and all the Magicka he needs.
What needed to be done was some sort of Sensory System that detects Dragons and sends minor annoying shockwaves to jam their senses and make them fly away. It all depended on manipulating the runes and all the complicated laws and…
"FUCKING TRASH!"
Jon threw the books in his hand and roared his frustration out.
A thousand thoughts were cramped up in his mind. Confusion, hatred, uneasiness, stress; Alina was weakened badly and he almost lost her yesterday. His sister, brother and mother as well.
The thing that Alina did really upset him but he somehow managed to let it pass but now he can no longer overlook it. If his enemies can no longer harm him, they will indeed harm his family and friends in order to make him suffer. But the enemy… that enemy is too focused and keeps targeting him where it hurts systematically.
It is as if they know more about him than what they gave out… wait!
Jon's mind froze for a second as a certain possibility came to mind. He had that idea that caused him greater distress and made his stomach growl. He was really angry.
"That's a face I don't see that often."
Yet a voice cut his line of thoughts.
Jon turned with a glare about to shout on whoever that is. His orders were clear that he can't be disturbed. Still, he found that who came to disturb him is no one other than Jonrad, one of the few who doesn't care what Jon thinks.
"What?" Jon asked.
"You look like you were bitten in the arse by a horker." Jonrad said.
"Glad you can tell." Jon replied and looked away.
"Jonhild… you are doing…"
"For heavens' sake, I don't want to talk about it. I said I am sorry about Paralyzing the town already." Jon said rather impulsively.
"What? No." Jonrad scoffed that, "That was the best move anyone could have pulled. I was drinking with your father-in-law as he pulled up a tankard just as he got paralyzed, the whole mead was all spilled on him! Ahahahaha!"
Jonrad laughed heartily and seemed very pleased for a moment.
"Well, I was saying you are doing a good job looking after everyone else and not yourself." Jonrad said, "You just need to put your mind to rest, son."
Jonrad seemed concerned and made Jon see sense.
"It is just. Somehow I have that feeling of unease."
"I said relax. Today, you saved your mother, your siblings and your wife from certain doom. You did more than well." Jonrad patted Jon's back, "I am as proud as anyone can be of their son being such a fine young man."
"Thanks."
Jon nodded, taking the complement of Jonrad. Despite what happened, Jonrad was the only one who wasn't as stressed as the rest of the people around him.
"See. When everyone is on edge, you boy take it all in mind as well. It gets to you, doesn't it?" Jonrad commented.
"What should I do? My job, my responsibility." Jon replied.
"Alright. I was just coming over to say that you and your wives can sleepover in our place." Jonrad added.
"Nah, we're good."
"Sure?"
"We have places in the Tower. I'll remodel some rooms to fit a wing for us to live there. Maybe expand on some of the empty rooms and make a residence under the library here."
"You'll move to the Tower? Great." Jonrad was taken aback as he looked around.
Currently, Jon was in the upper section of the Dare Tower. This place is a grand library and Jon's personal gallery but there were a few unused rooms in the tower. If Jon moved some walls and remodeled the place, he can have a new place to live and the secure tower but he will be moving everything from Winterhold City to Saarthal. It kinda felt distasteful but after all those years, it felt sad for him to lose his house.
Either way, things had to change eventually. Jon looked forward to the day he strikes the Dragon Cult right in the heart and takes down their mastermind.
"Jonhild, when are we going to strike the Cult?" Jonrad asked as he completely changed his tone.
"Soon. I have people after them and I did a certain something." Jon said.
"Alright." Jonrad nodded, "Let's do this only the two of us."
A Father/Son Weekend Massacre plan, it sounded less intimidating that way but what the two had in mind for those who endangered their family was nothing but sure doom.
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