#RAGNAR POV#
I launch a firebolt at the sky
I watch as it flies off into the distance and dissipates after a few seconds
"It's not that fast, all things considered," I say out loud as I feel rather happy about finally using a spell at the Apprentice Level
Weak as it might be, I am making huge progress considering that I have only been on Myrwatch for a single month...at least according to Albedo and Marika...
Not bad reaching the level of Apprentice in a single month in Destruction, Restoration, and Alteration
Then again...according to Marika, who has been my primary teacher in magic, the novice and apprentice levels are mostly a foundation for the later levels
Which is pretty much the reason as to why I have been reading a lot of books...a lot
Albedo has been teaching hand-to-hand combat with...some measure of success...
I am still working out as much as I can since this new body of mine wasn't in the most...optimal state...
I was fat...no...I was obese
I am still fat...but thanks to magic using a lot of energy, I am able to more or less cheat my way to a better physique...
Already, I think I lost around 40 pounds or so in this past month
Restoration magic used by Marika and Albedo has really helped me avoid any kind of health issues that may have arisen from such weight loss
Still, with my rapidly improving physique and magic's own energy requirements, I have been able to eat whatever I want now
Albedo, due to my orders, is out hunting frequently
Her natural speed and magic make hunting a breeze
She is also working hard on making food that lasts for a long while in case we need to bunker down on Myrwatch for some reason or another
When she is not out hunting, she is working on making Healing, Stamina, and Magicka potions
Growing the ingredients and using magic to speed up the growth of the ingredients, not only for those potions, but also for the other enhancing potions
The fortification potions are an interesting bunch...especially when I asked about the one-handed and two-handed fortification potions...turns out that they do a lot more than that
The one-handed potion increases your strength while also raising your own durability a bit to deal with the backlash of the added strength, while also increasing the drinker's dexterity a bit
The 2-handed potion is kind of the same, except that it just increases your strength and durability greatly while lowering your dexterity
Albedo then went on to explain that while she does use potions in a fight, they are more of a last resort or in a rush kind of thing
Albedo has been using potions for some time in this world and is able to drink multiple ones at a time, but that is still something she would like to avoid, since once the effects wear off, she will be incapacitated for a few hours to a few days, depending on the type of potions
I frown as I remember when I asked her about poisons and if we could work out a way to increase my natural resistance to them
Both Albedo and Marika shut that down quickly and told me to wait until I had the time to delve into Alchemy myself to start increasing my resistance
I could have ordered them both to do it anyway, but they made good points against it
I am learning both physical and magical combat while also learning magic. My body is not yet ready to deal with such a thing, especially since I am still getting into shape. Also, I just don't have the time to deal with such a thing with my schedule full already.
I eventually let the matter go...for now
I take a deep breath as I go inside
Closing my eyes, I use my connection to Myrwatch to sense around the tower and find Marika in the Forge working on some basic equipment for us
When we arrived, we practically had no weapons or armor on us
Marika has taken her time making stuff for us. Thanks to the safety provided by Myrwatch's wards, she has made a battle axe made of Orichalcum for Albedo, which is also enchanted, which in itself took her around 2 weeks to make, alongside her own weapon
She made a greatsword for herself, which she can wield with one hand if she wants to, made out of a magically treated gold and Eboy
The blade is black with golden vein-like patterns on it
It may seem rash, but considering that I know where some reliable sources of Ebony lie in Skyrim, as well as Albedo and Marika being rather powerful, I ordered Marika to produce powerful equipment to aid them for now and wait for me to catch up a bit
Right now, she is making armor for both herself and Albedo
If we were to get into a fight, I would be more of a liability than anything else
It's better if they can both fight and defend themselves while I support them from the sidelines as much as possible
Then again...I don't really think I am going anywhere for a while
I mean...where should I go?
The only place I can think of for the moment is the College of Winterhold
Even then, I think I am going there in a couple of years anyway
I have Marika and Albedo teaching me, both of whom are proficient enough with magic to teach me
Once I learn most of what they know, we will probably go to Winterhold
I can't really do a lot of what I want without risking everything
What can I do?...
#TIMESKIP 1 MONTH LATER#
"Master...I have mastered the Trasmute spell," Albedo says as she puts the plates on the table
"That is good news, Albedo, I am glad to hear that," I say with a smile as Albedo took a while to learn since she is either busy hunting, making potions, or cultivating the ingredients for them
Especially since she is now working on figuring out the Cure Disease Potion
Having some metaknowledge, I told Albedo about the ingredients for it, and she managed to get them without too much trouble
Hawk Feathers and Mudcrab Chitin
Having access to such a potion is a boon already
Considering that Marika has made a rather big cauldron made out of silver for Albedo to use in Alchemy to make bigger batches of the liquid easier
"Marika..." I call out to the tall sexy woman
"Yes, master..."
"You have finished with the weapons and armor for you and Albedo, correct?" I ask as she nods
"I finished a few days ago with the enchanting. They are ready to be used."
"Excellent, now...I want the honest opinion of the 2 of you," I start to say as they both look seriously at me
"Do the 2 of you honestly believe I am ready to go out?" I ask as they both look at each other for a moment before turning back to me
"Master...you are learning both physical and magical combat, such things take years to achieve any significant progress, it might be due to your nature as you have said to be a Dragonborn. That you have managed to learn magics at the apprentice level, reaching the Adept level will take you at least a year if you were to focus on just that..." Marika says with a concerned look on her face, before Albedo picks up from where she left off
"But considering that you are also learning how to fight for the first time while still getting yourself into shape. It would be better for you to continue to learn more about magic before going out to get experience in the field. I do not feel comfortable letting you go out so unprepared," Albedo puts in her thoughts
I raise my hand
"I understand...perhaps...two years might be enough?" I say, thinking about it
"Two years... no... would not work. Perhaps three years?" Marika says with concern in her voice
I frown at that
I...am not exactly opposed to staying here for three years, soaking up all of their knowledge. Plus, staying here with what might honestly be the 2 most beautiful women I have ever seen for three years, who are also devoted to me and ready to bend over with a smile if I were to order it
"Obviously, we should at least explore a bit around the area, maybe even go into Morthal to meet the locals every now and again," Marika says suddenly as Albedo nods, and I am reminded of the fact that I need allies if I want to actually move stuff around
But...I am still unsure of what I want to do in the future
These past 2 months, I have been studying magic and practicing my combat skills alongside my survival skills every single day ever since we arrived at Myrwatch
Maybe going to Morthal will do us some good...
#2 MONTHS LATER#
#RAGNAR POV#
"What the fuck happened here?" I say as Marika, Albedo, and I walk through the ruins of what was once an actual city
Buildings are destroyed or burnt
Even then, most of the livestock was also killed
I stop in front of an imprint on the ground
A sinking feeling pools up in my stomach as I look at the imprint on the ground, appearing larger than me
"Let's see if we can find anything useful that might tell us what happened here," I tell Marika and Albedo as we move together around the ruins of the city
We look around the place, and what is most disturbing is that we are finally running into bodies...
They are frozen over...literally
Some of them are covered in ice...magical ice
"Master, look," Marika draws my attention to someone limping around a fair distance away
My eyes narrow as I look at the 'person', its silhouette being far too familiar to me
"A draugr...here..." I whisper as I motion for us to hide and watch where it is going
We watch as the Draugr limps down to a body and grabs it
It drags the body somewhere as we follow discreetly for a few minutes, and then...we find out what it is doing
My eyes widen as I look at what has to be hundreds of Draugr around dozens of bodies inside a ritual circle
I almost gasp as I see a fucking dragon priest that appears to be leading them
I have seen enough...
"We need to go back to Myrwatch..." I whisper to Albedo and Marika as we leave, thankfully, without being noticed
I ignore the sounds of over a dozen shrilled screams and the massive purple light behind us as we leave the ruined city of Morthal in favor of the massive dragon that arrives in the city
"Master...do you think...he is back?" Albedo asks as we watch the dragon interact with the dragon priest, in what appears to be giving it orders
"There is a living dragon...the world eater might be back..." I tell her as I motion for us to leave and return to Myrwatch
We arrive an hour or so later, still troubled by the fact that Alduin might be back
"Master, what are we going to do? We cannot afford to stay here while still being so close to the city," Albedo voices out her concern
"Agreed, we need to leave as soon as possible..." Marika starts to say
"But...where?" Albedo asks
"We stay at Myrwatch for now...we have resources there that will allow to stay in for a few weeks now. Despite that...we might need to head on over to Whiterun," I say as we get near the doors to Myrwatch
Going inside and resting from the whole ordeal sounds good to me
Even if I wanted to do something about what was happening in Morthal, I am all but powerless to do anything that may help
Sending Albedo and Marika to fight an army of Undead, a dragon priest, and a fucking dragon right now would have been stupid, and I would have been a distraction
I take a deep breath to calm myself down and think about it deeply
If Alduin is back, then he is most likely bringing back dead dragons...
A question pops up in my mind...
Could I absorb the souls of dead dragons
I know there is a burial mound near Kynesgrove...
But...did Alduin already revive that dragon?
I pass my hand through my hair as I think more about it before deciding...
"Oh...oh..." I say as I remember that there is a burial mound near Morthal...
Fuck...
#TIMESKIP 2 WEEKS LATER#
"There it is...look..." Marika says as Albedo carries both of us in the air
I look to where Marika is pointing, and I am relieved to see that the burial mound is undisturbed
(Maybe Alduin hasn't come back yet?) I think to myself, hopefully
"Albedo take us to the burial mound..." I order her as we go down right after
Landing on the mound, I blink several times to myself
"This thing is massive," I say out loud as I walk closer
"Master...?" I hear Marika call out as I approach the mound
I look at the mound as I start to feel...weird...
Looking at the mound feels like I am walking toward the grave of a very distant relative
Which is honestly rather specific and ironic, considering what I am now...
I walk forward, ignoring Marika's and Albedo's calls for me
I step onto the mound, and a feeling of being watched comes over me as I look at the ground
"Something is calling out...to me..." I say, looking at the ground
It...feels like it is calling to me
I press my hand down on the dirt, only to feel something thumping against my palm...almost like a heartbeat
I gasp as I look at several streams of energy flow from the ground slowly and gather around me for a moment before entering me...