Chapter 647 - Lost In Time
A/n: 13 Early Access Chapters on P4treon and MORE! ➡️ https://linktr.ee/donovel ⬅️
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With the epic failure that is the Siege of Solitude, the situation on the Dragon Cult's end was definitely chaotic.
The Wise Dragons Horde was defeated not too long ago and the Secret Dragon Horde is now on the run. They were extremely sure that they could have destroyed Solitude and gave the Stormcloak a great advantage to reignite the Civil War but they lost Four Dragons in one day.
Lotsovengein, the leader of the Secret Dragon Horde and one of those who were resurrected by Alduin, was contemplating on that failure and how to recover from it.
Recently, Alduin has been gathering enough energy to resurrect new Dragons and grow stronger but the rate of how many Dragons were falling to the Dragonborn was almost the same.
The attack on Solitude was made with the intention of devastating Solitude the same way Lotsovengein knew in the past.
Back in the day during the Dragon War in the First Era, the Dragons would send their agents to assassinate the Chieftain of a certain tribe which is by default, its main pillar of strength. 4000 years later, the situation seemed the same to some of the old Dragons and so they went after Jarl Elisif.
But many variables happened.
First, Jarl Elisif died too soon when the plan to attack Solitude was still premature. There was a chance that the curse would work too soon but this was even sooner than expected. The Cult had to take the initiative and attack while the city was dazed thanks to the situation of the Bloody Wedding.
Second, there was a different power controlling Solitude and that was the Empire. The Dragon Cult has gained enough information to understand the whole situation with the Empire and its foundation which was founded long after the death of many Dragons and the banishment of Alduin. Still, the complicated political climate rendered the death of Jarl Elisif useless.
Third, the existence of the Nord Warlord Jon Dare who sponsors the Dragonborn. Knowing that the Dragonborn is located in Winterhold and moves around Skyrim by a network of portals according to the most recent Dragon sightings, the Dragon Cult made an alliance with a Wizard that was able to disturb any Teleportation attempt between Winterhold and Solitude. While this plan worked, the Dragonborn still appeared somehow, and hand in hand with Jon Dare, they dropped four Dragons in one battle.
Epic as this failure may be, the aftermath was nothing but a pain in the ass for all who are involved.
"My Lord… your servant, Nahlot, kneels before you."
Some of the few who survived were Lotsovengein who didn't participate in the fight, Nahlot who could easily escape, and a small score of cultists around 200.
This marks the loss of 3000 Cult Members and 1000 allies from the Reachmen known as the Forsworn.
"Most of the brothers who died in our ranks were killed in battle. This guarantees their departure to Sovngarde, my Lord. As for the enemies, we killed almost twice what we lost so that makes a total of 9000 souls sent to Lord Alduin." Nahlot reported to the silent Dragon standing on top of a lofty ancient Word Wall.
"Yet despite my best efforts, Jon Dare didn't die!"
It wasn't just Lotsovengein and Nahlot in this place though, there were two others who were dressed in heavy cloaks and the one that spoke just now was Maven Black-Briar.
"It is a surprise how he survived. I can't help but feel dejected too." Mecinar added.
Nahlot, who was just kneeling to Lotsovengein, raised his head and stared coldly at the two.
"What exactly are you trying to say with those words of yours?" He asked.
"You boasted to me about the Dragons' ability to do reconnaissance. We expected information that could help us eliminate Jon Dare and what we got was a disappointment on all fronts." Maven complained, "I risked a lot by hiding your sabotaging force in the city. You promised me that Jon Dare wouldn't be able to escape."
"Show respect, human." The Dragon Priest lashed back, "I want that man dead just as much as you do. He killed everyone I know three years ago and he is the force behind the Dragonborn. And wasn't killing him your Wizard's duty? Isn't that incompetence on your part?"
"Don't you shift the blame on us." Maven replied, "You said that Jon Dare wouldn't receive any assistance, that he was away from all his allies, and that the attack we used would be sufficient to kill him."
"And I am sick of you complaining…"
"Alright, Sera… this is enough!" Mecinar interfered to stop Maven and Nahlot from squabbling more than this before he turned to the Dragon, "As the actual Leader of the Dragon Horde, we would like to hear your opinion, honorable Lot…soven…gein."
The Dragon was surely silent with three mortals on the throat of each other. He looked between the three and lamented.
For the first time, Lotsovengein spoke in a draconic deep voice.
"A Human, an Elf, an Undead. Three of you failed to kill one joor… one Mortal. The Warlord lives not because we did not isolate him or attack him with enough power. The Warlord lives because he is Sil-krenok."
Lotsovengein's words didn't mean anything to Maven or Mecinar, but Nahlot thought deeply.
"Soul… broken?" Nahlot asked but didn't understand.
"Soul Divided!"
Yet a reply came, not from any of the four, but from a portal that silently opened in the vicinity of this place. Jon Dare walked out with Envy who seemed to be the one who cast the portal.
"You!"
Everyone around was stunned by his appearance save for the Dragon. Mecinar was the most shocked since he didn't expect Jon to be this sneaky.
"Drem yol lok (Greetings), you must be Lotsovengein." Jon spoke.
"Dovahkiin." The Dragon replied.
"""WHAT?!"""
And the three were for another round of shock.
"You were followed by a strange scent, Nahlot." Lotsovengein explained.
"But… Lord… I have fought Dovahkiin… that human isn't…" Nahlot couldn't believe what he heard but things started to make more and less sense at the same time.
"As long as the true face of the Dragonborn is veiled in mystery and rumors, anyone can be a Dragonborn. Of course I must be there to make sure Dragons die properly and absorb their souls." Jon said with a grin.
Now with his identity revealed to them four, it means that he isn't planning to let them live with that secret.
"What does it mean?" At that time, Mecinar asked, "A Soul-Divided, you said."
"Soul Energy tends to replenish itself but always stays under control and never really vanishes unless returned to Aetherius via death. Binding a part of your living soul to an object that fits it will always anchor your original soul to its actual body. With enough anchors, your soul shall always be in your Astral Form to the end of its natural lifespan without being killed."
"Since the anchors always bind and keep the soul working." Mecinar said, "Meaning… that… my attack… it worked against you and really killed you."
"Correct." Jon nodded, "You came the closest to killing my Physical Body but as my Astral Body never really dies and my Physical Body always heals. It is some sort of… pseudo Immortality."
Jon was even kind enough to explain it all to them. The four of them aren't really surviving this.
"Incredible!" Mecinar applauded Jon's genius, "But that works only in Theory."
"I have some well-kept secrets of course." Jon smiled and made a hush gesture.
"Many in the old days knew your ways." Lotsovengein spoke, "On old Dovahnor (Akavir) and old Atmora. Yuvon Vith (The Golden Serpents) sealed their Heroes in their Blades so they rise again with new wielders. Od Hokzii (Snow Demons) did the same but soon they forgot how when they forgot their meyr (Ancestors)."
"I surely love to hear more about Akavir and Atmora from a person who witnessed them. However, I copied my methods based on the rituals of the Three God-Kings of Morrowind. Your kind was eradicated from Skyrim before those three even appeared." Jon said.
The word Three God-Kings of Morrowind seemed to have irritated Mecinar a bit which Jon managed to catch.
"Hmmm… a Dunmer with Dwarven prosthetics." Jon wondered, "You are a citizen of Clockwork City by any chance?"
"That's none of your business!" Mecinar became more irritated once Jon brought up that name.
"Fine… you'll all die anyway. Envy!" Jon said and rushed towards the Dragon Priest Nahlot first while Envy charged towards Maven and Mecinar.
"Get away!" Mecinar fended off Envy with a ward spell but she wasn't aiming for him from the start.
As Envy got to Maven, she held her from the neck and used her ability "Dread of Solitude" on Maven.
"NO!"
Mecinar was a second too late as Envy started to absorb something from Maven as if she was sucking out her soul. Mecinar blasted Envy away but she levitated and hovered over them ready to strike.
As Mecinar held up the collapsed Maven, he found that she looks as if she has aged 30 years with her face becoming grey and wrinkled and her hair ashen white.
He fended off Envy again and looked at the others to see that Jon had caught Dragon Priest Nahlot and impaled him on a greatsword. Meanwhile, the Dragon Lotsovengein flew off and retreated from the fight.
"How?" Nahlot couldn't believe that he was dying to Jon Dare this easily.
"I figured out you were a Forsworn." Jon said, "That's why I kept talking until my Agents eradicate all the remaining Force that you might transfer yourself to. It seemed I wasn't the only one playing with Soul Magic around."
Jon made sure to Soul Trap the body of Nahlot and recover the Dragon Priest Mask intact.
« That is a shame. I quite wanted to experiment on that. »
The Augur spoke through the System.
"This one is a bust." Jon replied.
To the usually silent Augur, the Dragon Priest Nahlot was a very special case. It can be that Nahlot is the nearest existence there is to the Augur as it was a soul attached to many Artifacts and preserved a very excellent grade of intelligence after death.
This sort of Ego is quite common though.
"They escaped." Envy approached Jon as she was fixing her arm that seemed to have been damaged in her fight against Mecinar.
"At least Maven is down. I will personally visit Riften to get rid of them but I need to get that Dragon first."
Jon cracked the Nahlot mask and eradicated the soul within before taking to the sky and flying towards where he senses Lotsovengein to be.
The Dragon was not in the sky and Jon had to clear all the weather in order to look clearly. Still, the Dragon didn't seem to have used magic to teleport.
Jon looked around and looked really well but he couldn't find a trace so he had to do this the brute way of leaving no stone unturned.
The Dragon is naturally a creature with a strong aptitude to magic thus sensing their magic is always easy. Sadly, sensing normal and dormant Magicka in a large radius is never easy to achieve since…
"Found him! I'm awesome."
Jon managed to feel the Magicka of the Dragon as it seems to have fluctuated a little bit more than it should. The Dragon was attempting to do something but now that Jon is on him, there's no way he escapes cleanly…
"Nope. That won't do well at all."
But Jon couldn't find any Dragon where he landed, rather, he found the ever Peaceful town of Dragonbridge.
But this raised too many questions in Jon's head all at the same time. For starters, why is nobody panicking or at least some woman running around and screaming "Dragon!" in a Nord accent.
It felt wrong on many levels.
Jon had to disguise himself and walk into the town. The people were still on edge from every coming and going stranger since the attack of the Dragon Cult is still fresh news around here.
Seeing a man walking in, an Imperial Patrol felt like exercising their power to question him, but as they approached him, he pointed to the insignia on the armor he was wearing and it showed the Imperial Dragon.
His appearance didn't give off the character of a Legionary but seeing him wearing a Nord Horned Helm, the Legionaries immediately remembered the rumors of the Dragonborn.
"Sir, by any chance… are you?" The Legionary asked but Jon glared at him to shut up since he was focusing.
The glare carried an intimidating sensation of Magicka to it and the Legionaries felt fear right away. As Jon passed them, however, they could speak and breathe again.
"Phew! By Azura, my heart was about to blow up again." Said the First Imperial Legionary.
"Yeah, just like that Officer from a while ago." Said the Second Imperial Legionary.
Jon heard what they said and frowned immediately.
An Officer? A Legion Officer?
Can it be?
Currently, Jon could notice seven individuals who fit the description. One in the Tavern, three in front of the security office, two doing patrols, and one standing over the Dragon Bridge and watching the river flow.
The last one was especially large and may be taller than Jon. A true freak of nature.
As the man stood watching the river, he could feel a wind gust nearby as another man rushed at a speed unimaginable for a human and stood there facing him with a sword in hand.
"You're a hard man to shake off, Joor." The Imperial Legionary said.
"It's Dovahkiin for you, Dovah." Jon replied, "Mister Dovahkiin would make me more pleased though."
"A few months ago when I heard Alduin's voice in my bones and life flowed back in me, it felt almost impossible when I found out that he was intending to fulfill his destiny and eat the world. He seemed to me like he was done playing games and ruling over mortals.
It is ancient history to you but to him, this whole war started less than a year ago. We all slumbered due to our brief death then… four thousand years… just like that.
You know… it feels like yesterday when I witnessed this bridge being built in my honor. I looked down on you, Joor, but you're just as immortal as we are… just in a different way."
Lotsovengein touched the stones of the bridge with his bare human hands and smirked. His nails and teeth weren't human despite his fantastic human form.
"You're a piece of work yourself. I never knew you would take the appearance of a mortal just to try and escape me." Jon said.
"Back in the day, destroying you was rather easy. Kill their leaders, the rest fall in line. 4000 years can make your perspective of dealing with things very inefficient. For example, I thought killing the Queen would bring the city to chaos as it just started a War by killing the King.
But it didn't work that way… you killed the Queen to make things get in order. You united the mortals, put us in the position of guilt, and bested our plan.
Once that Queen died, I knew I was doing it all wrong. This is not the Era of Dragons anymore and we are playing a game we don't know its rules. Alduin led us into yet another folly."
"Hmmm… you're used to this?"
"Heh!" Lotsovengein smirked, "You have no idea… Dovahnor (Akavir) was the best time of our lives until he decided to Eat the Great Four. Yuvon Vith (The Golden Serpents) didn't like what we did to their Mother so we were hunted, our kin slaughtered and eaten and on their corpses, the Syffim was built and the Eternal War erupted. Never to this day did it ever end."
"Syffim? Eternal War?" Jon lost Lotsovengein there for a moment, "That's on Dovahnor? The War where if it ends, they would rally towards Tamriel next?"
"Indeed. The Tragedy of the Four Kingdoms. But in Tamriel, you never expect that after 4000 years the world will remain… puzzling.
I always wondered what's on the other side of this lousy Dream."
Jon looked closely at Lotsovengein and frowned but in a split of a second, Lotsovengein turned to him with his mouth wide and his eyes turning Draconic. The Thu'um was just on the tip of his tongue.
But the dragon's head went flying with one strike of the blade. Jon immediately held the body and threw it off the bridge before the transformation is canceled
The headless body of a Dragon shocked the people of Dragonbridge village and they all could see the man standing on the edge of the bridge holding a Dragon's head from its horn that dangled off the cliff.
The Dragon's body dissolved into strands of divine energy and flew to encase the Dragonborn with their power as the Dragon's body turned into bones.
"The age has turned long ago, old-timer." Jon said, "What will remain is always legacy."
Jon said these words then left the Dragon's skull on Dragon Bridge, the Entrance of Haafingar, as a sign of killing the last aggressor on this Hold.
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A/n: 13 Early Access Chapters on P4treon and MORE! ➡️ https://linktr.ee/donovel ⬅️