HP: Sacred Gear Chat Group (2) - Chapter 28 (Patreon)

Chapter 28 - Savos Aren

“Are you going to trade that Magic too?” Faralda asked eagerly.

“It depends on the price. That one is quite expensive since it’s such a rare form of Magic,” I replied shrewdly.

“I see,” she said blankly, clearly picking up on the fact that I was trying to push the price up. “What else do you have?”

“Several enchanted objects, enchanted Brooms that allow one to fly, some so-called Dark Magic Detectors, which are various tools allowing one to detect threats, Curses, lies, and similar things. We also have some enchanted Clothes perfect for cold regions like Skyrim, an expanded Pouch that is bigger on the inside than on the outside, and some beverages and sweets with Enchantments for recreational purposes.”

I had Astoria to thank for having quite a sweet tooth.

We could literally see her eyebrows shoot upward.

“Yes… those sound quite unique and fascinating. I believe you came to the right place to sell those. You probably would have gotten a poor deal somewhere else in Skyrim. Maybe the Imperials or Stormcloaks would be interested in the… flying Brooms, lie detectors, or enchanted Clothes, depending on their functionalities.”

Filing away the information that we were indeed in the middle of the Civil War, I nodded. “Maybe, but I feel that would be too risky. They could also just confiscate them as a contribution to the War effort, give us a few coppers, and send us on our way.”

“Mayhaps…” Faralda nodded, her gaze wandering toward the rest of our Group. “I know we had a bet, but are the rest of you Magic Users too?”

“We are,” Mom confirmed without giving much away.

“Good, then all of you are welcome to join the College. Please follow me, and be careful on the Path. It’s quite a long way down.”

Faralda led us over the Stone Bridge, illuminating the Path for us along the way. As we left the Bridge and stepped into the larger Courtyard of the College, Ghislaine’s head suddenly whirled around toward the blind spot we had just passed.

Where moments ago nobody had been standing, there was now a Figure that surprised me quite a bit.

While I knew that there were forms of teleportation Magic in the Elder Scrolls Universe—the Psijic Order used it, for example—I hadn’t expected the Arch-Mage of the College to be able to use it.

Standing beside us now was Savos Aren, a Dark Elf who was over a century old and the current head of the College of Winterhold.

“Ah, great timing!” Faralda’s eyes lit up as she noticed the man too. “Traders and simultaneously new Members… whom I now realize I haven’t even asked the names of yet. This is the Arch-Mage of the College, Savos Aren. He’s most likely the person you were looking to speak with.”

“Greetings, Arch-Mage!” I greeted him respectfully.

While he wasn’t the most powerful of Arch-Mages or Magic Users in the Elder Scrolls, being rather on the weaker side in general, he was still the current Arch-Mage of the College.

“Welcome to the College,” the ash-skinned Dunmer greeted back as his eyes observed our Group with intrigue. His gaze lingered for a few seconds longer on Ghislaine’s Cat Ears and Tail before moving to our magically expanded bags and finally the Pouch I was carrying on my hip.

“Thank you, Arch-Mage! My name is Alistair Davis, and these are my Companions: my Mother, Leonie Davis; my younger Sister, Tracey Davis; my close friends Daphne Greengrass and her Sister, Astoria Greengrass; and, last but not least, Ghislaine Dedoldia.” I introduced each of us to the man. “I didn’t expect to be greeted by you personally at the entrance of the College.”

Fortunately, they somehow spoke English in Skyrim, making it easier for the others to understand what was being said. While it wouldn’t have been a Problem for Ghislaine and me as Devils, the others didn’t have the same boons.

I wondered if it had anything to do with this being based on a Game from our World.

“Oh, how could I not? I just had to! It’s not every day our College receives guests from beyond Nirn!” Savos Aren said with quiet fascination. “You already heard my name and Title from Faralda.”

“From outside Nirn!?” the Master of Destruction repeated in shock. “Are you Daedra?”

“They are not. That’s what makes them so fascinating! On the outside, they seem to be mostly like any other member of the Races of Men, but on a spiritual level, they are completely different! While their Magicka also seems to originate from their Souls, taking in the energy flowing out of Aetherius and passing through their Bodies, their Souls seem to act more like Generators, using the Magicka from their Surroundings to produce more of it. Especially those two produce a form of Magicka with a higher density!” Savos Aren said while nodding toward me and Ghislaine, the two Devils in the Group.

It seemed there was a lot more to Magic in this World than what was portrayed through the limiting confines of a Video Game. Which was very good for us!

I hesitated for a moment, wondering how to reply and how much to reveal. I activated my Magic Power Eye to observe our surroundings before finally speaking.

“We are indeed from beyond Mundus, the Mortal Realm. But neither are we from the Realms of Oblivion. In a way, we are even from beyond there.”

That Thalmor cunt, Ancano or whatever his name was, wasn’t around. Savos Aren seemed like a decent enough Person to speak to, and he could already tell that we were different. But I had zero interest in gaining the Thalmor’s attention.

“Truly? While I can’t explain where you originate from, having never heard of anyone like you, I assumed that you might have been a Creation of one of the Daedric Princes, like a mirror image of the Tamrielic Races,” the Arch-Mage said with fascination. “I never would have dared to believe that there was something beyond that!”

“I would say it’s more like a parallel. Like another version of existence itself. After all, we are from our own Mortal Realm too. We simply travelled to another Mortal Realm for trade and exchange. But how about we move this discussion somewhere more private?”

“Ah, you’re probably right!” the man replied.

With a snap of his fingers, we were somewhere else, with Faralda nowhere to be seen.

Interesting piece of Magic. Faster even than Devil Teleportation, which needed a circle to charge up. More comfortable and easier than Apparition, too. I wondered if it worked outside the College.

While it looked slightly different in reality, I recognized the Room as the Arch-Mage’s Quarters.

Savos Aren brought us directly in front of a table. “Please, have a seat! Anyone want something to drink?” he said with a smile.

“Something sweet, please!” Astoria immediately perked up, having picked out a seat for herself without hesitation. Daphne and Tracey were already sitting beside her, while Ghislaine and Mom sat on the other side of the Table.

I sat down beside the head of the Table.

“Ah, some fresh Apple Juice it is.” The Arch-Mage nodded as a Goblet appeared in front of Astoria. “Anybody else?”

“I’m fine.” I said while taking a look at the small Garden growing in the Center of the Room, noticing a few of the rarer Plants of Skyrim growing in it.

“Interested in my Garden? If you want, you can take a harvest of those and some sprouts with you, as long as you don’t damage the Plants.” Savos Aren offered the moment he noticed my gaze. “They regrow fast enough in here.”

“You’ve been watching us since we entered Winterhold,” Mom commented calmly.

“But of course, Lady Davis. It’s my job as Arch-Mage to protect the College and its surroundings,” the Arch-Mage easily admitted.

“Then I of course accept your offer.”

Once everyone was seated, the Arch-Mage took his own place at the table.

“Now then… how about we begin. I am quite interested in what you have to offer, even those magical sweets of yours.” He shot Astoria a small smile, as she pouted.

Before I even started Mom asked, “Shouldn’t we invite others too? Like your Enchanting Specialist?”

“Don’t worry, I am more than qualified to assess anything you have to offer. I dare say that I am as accomplished in any field of Magic, as the other Members of the College.” He stated with a hint of pride.

“Fine, then let’s start with this one.” I said pulling out a finely crafted Staff from my Bag, “This is ‘Flamma Infernalis’. Like you can see for yourself a Staff. But different from those you are familiar with. Instead of being imbued with a specific Spell and a limited amount of Charges, this Staff acts as a Foci, and is able to amplify the Power of all Magic by twice. Additionally Fire Magic cast with this Staff is four times as Strong.”

It’s one of the Staff’s I took with me from Mushoku Tensei, which I picked up on our Journey. One of the better ones you can get if you are not outright purchasing a custom crafted one.

“All Magic?” Savos Aren repeated, “Truly?”

“At least all magic I am familiar with. The only Spell from Tamriel I know is Clairvoyance, and it costed me less Magic to use with the Staff. I also tested it with Magic from two different Worlds, and it worked.”

“May I?”

“Of course.” I nod as I watch Savos Aren pick up the Staff, and try Spells from the different Schools practiced here. He seemed especially pleased with a big fireball that appeared at the tip of his Staff.

“How much?”

“5000 Septims”, I say without hestiation. While a Staff like this only costs around 700 Asuran Gold Coins which are equivalent in Value to Gold Septims, this is still an unique Item in this World.

“You ask for a lot.” Savos Aren hestiated, “That’s more than twice I would get for some of the best Staves in Skyrim.”

“It is an absolute unique piece of equipment, with Materials from another World. You won’t find another Staff like this in the entire World.” I point out, not letting myself be bothered by his clear negotiation tactics.

“At this rate I won’t be able to pay for all your Goods.” The Archmage countered, “While the College has some funds, we usually keep most of our Valuables in practical Materials.”

“We take those too. While we would like some money, I am also interested in Books on Magic, especially Spell Tomes, Soul Gems, Alchemy Ingredients, one or two Enchanters, the same goes for Alchemy Tables and Staff Enchanters.” I tought about it for a moment, “Oh, I also take Malachite, Moonstone, Ebony, Dwemer Metal, Orichalcum. Maybe some enchanted equipment too, but that only as last resort.”

“I believe we can accomodate you.” The Archmage nodded, “We have all of those on stock. Let’s flesh out the details once we covered the total amount of the exchange. What else do you have for me.”

Next I pull up two of our Brooms, those are just common Cleansweep Elevens nothing too special, “These are Brooms.”

“I can see that.” He chuckled, “I believe you flew on them, before landing outside of our Walls?”

“That is right. They are enchanted to fly with some additional comfort and safety Enchantments on it. Probably most interesting to you besides the flying Enchantmetns would be the fact that they are limited by charges, and don’t require Soul Gems to be recharged. Instead they use your own Magicka Reserves.”

“Indeed some enticing research Materials.” The Arch-mage nodded toughtfully.

“Indeed, if you manage to reverse engineer them your College would be able to Pioneer a completely new branch of enchanting in this World.”

“What price do you have in mind?”

“500 Septims a piece.”

“I will take them.”

From there, I began showing him, one by one, the things we had with us that we didn’t necessarily need. A Collection of different Dark Detectors for 400 Septims, a vast collection of Magical Sweets like Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, Chocolate Frogs, Fizzing Whizzbees, and similar treats for a total of 50 Septims.

Instead of the Sweets themselves, he was more interested in the different Magics used in their Creation.

Some self-inking Quills, other Magical Equipment I had brought with me from Mushoku Tensei, some of Madam Malkin’s enchanted Clothing perfect for Winters, and, of course, a Pouch with an Expansion Charm on it.

That brought the total value of our exchange to over 25,000 Septims.

A steep sum.

But he only paid us 5,000 Septims in Gold so that we had some spending Money. For another 5,000 Septims worth of the total, we were allowed to create a copy of their entire Library.

For 500 Septims each, we got two Enchanters, two Staff Enchanters, and two Alchemy Tables. One of each was for our own use, while the other was reserved for study and experimentation.

We also received 5,000 Septims worth of Alchemy Ingredients, including the Plant-based ones with their seeds or sprouts for replanting.

Another 3,500 Septims worth of Soul Gems, ranging from all Sizes and including a single Black Soul Gem, and lastly, the remaining 3,500 in Ores that didn’t exist in our World.

That gave us a wide Collection of Materials to study and use.

“That was exhausting. You are one hard negotiator…” Savos Aren sighed once we were done. “Are you sure that you aren’t a Merchant? You are far too greedy to be just a Mage.”

“I’m not, although I more often than not have to act as a Merchant recently,” I admitted thoughtfully.

I had done a lot of trading in Mushoku Tensei too, always looking for rare Plants or some Goods I could sell in the Chat Group or somewhere else in the Future.

But that wasn’t my main pursuit. Magic was what fascinated me most, along with the Power that came with it.

“I can see that.” The Arch-Mage commented dryly. “Do you still wish to join the College?”

“We won’t be staying for long. Our time in Tamriel is limited to a Month. But it would be nice to have some Rooms we could stay in for a while. Also, copying those Books we agreed on isn’t something that can be done in a single Afternoon, even with Magic,” I explained.

Having a base we could use would make things easier. While we had our Tents with us, Skyrim this far North was an icy Landscape.

There were still a few locations this far North I wanted to check out, though. Several Word Walls that I wanted to pick up, of course, along with some other Dungeons I wanted to explore.

Not to mention that free entry to the College would make keeping an eye out for the Eye of Magnus a lot easier.

“That can be arranged.” The Arch-Mage nodded. “The College would be happy to host distinguished guests from so far away.”

“Thank you, Arch-Mage Aren, for your Hospitality. We are honored to accept it.” Mom immediately thanked the man in typical Pure-blood Fashion, followed by Daphne.

The others were a lot more relaxed in that regard.

[-- End of Chapter --]