HP: Sacred Gear Chat Group (2) - Chapter 30 (Patreon)

Chapter 30 - New encounters

Every page was filled with carefully drawn figures, detailed schematics, and complex blueprints, all rendered in an elegant yet unfamiliar hand. The drawings depicted intricate mechanical constructions, some resembling humanoid figures, while others took the shape of spiders, spheres, and towering, multi-limbed machines.

The moment I opened the heavy leather-bound book, I was immediately absorbed in its contents. Someone had clearly put a tremendous amount of effort into this research.

“Stop reading and keep working!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m on it. But this is quite fascinating!” I replied with slight annoyance at being interrupted. This was the closest thing I had to a manual on these machines!

“It’s magic from another world. Everything about it is interesting, but that doesn’t mean you should be lazing around right now.” Mom wasn’t about to let me get distracted. “Do you see me studying a Spell Tome, even though I would love to do nothing else at this very moment?”

“Well, I wasn’t studying a Spell Tome...” I remarked awkwardly, shifting my gaze away from hers. “Look, it’s an in-depth research paper on Dwemer technology! It’s the closest thing I can get my hands on to actual knowledge from the Dwemer themselves. Shalidor, a former Archmage of the College from the First Era, dedicated some of his time to studying their Automatons and figuring out how they worked after the Dwemer vanished!”

“Dwemer? Shalidor?” Mom tilted her head in confusion.

Right, she had no idea what I was talking about.

“The Dwemer are the Dwarves of this world. Well a kind of Elves that act like what we would call Dwarves and live underground. They were a highly advanced race when it came to both magic and technology, famous for their Automatons and other remarkable feats of engineering. They disappeared during the First Era, and no one really knows what happened to them. Shalidor was an Archmage of the College during that same era. He had a bit of a conflict with the Dwemer, and one of his fields of study was their craftsmanship. A lot of his writings were lost over the centuries, but the College is still trying to get its hands on whatever remains. This is one of the writings they managed to recover!” I explained, holding up the heavy, leather-bound tome.

Mom simply stared at me. “And why exactly can’t that wait until we get home?”

I had no answer to that.

“You do realize we only have a month here, right? The Arcanaeum still has tens of thousands of books we haven’t copied yet. And didn’t you have a few more objectives you wanted to visit?” she pointed out.

“I really don’t like those perfectly valid arguments you keep throwing in my face, Mom,” I replied flatly. “Alright, maybe I got a bit carried away the moment I saw that book... But creating duplicates of every single book is just so mind-numbing! And that everlasting charm you showed me, which preserves the copies and makes them last almost as long as the originals, only doubles the amount of work! I already spent weeks doing this in the Library Labyrinth on the Demon Continent! At this rate, I’m going to end up as nothing more than a glorified copy machine!”

“Less complaining, more copying,” was all I got in response.

Well, she wasn’t wrong. I had been lazing around while she continued creating duplicates on her side of the Arcanaeum. At least this time, I had a second person with me who could use the necessary Charms.

No matter how mind-numbing this repetitive task was, there was no way I could read all these books in the same amount of time it would take to copy them. Besides, it would be a complete waste not to bring as much knowledge about another world’s magic back with us as possible.

“And don’t forget that I’m watching you! Don’t you dare treat those books carelessly!” Urag gro-Shub warned me from behind his counter, all while happily enjoying the notes I had written for him on the Geminio Charm and the everlasting Charm.

“That too!” Mom nodded in agreement with the elderly Orc.

“I know!” I replied irritably before returning to the task of creating duplicates of the books.

I really envied Astoria, Daphne, and Tracey right now. They actually had the time to attend lectures at the College and were currently learning from the various Master Mages. I wanted to do that, too!

Maybe I should have pretended not to know how the Geminio Charm worked in the first place?

———

I was experiencing a strange sense of déjà vu right now. Which was odd, considering we had only been at the College for a few days. Yet the sounds and dialogue coming from downstairs in the Hall of the Elements felt awfully familiar.

“What do you think you’re doing, you barbaric brute!?” Ancano’s annoying voice, belonging to a man who constantly seemed to have a stick shoved up his pale yellow Elvish ass, reached my ears.

“Stand aside, Pointy Ears, or I’ll send you flying! You’re blocking the path to my next lecture!” A gruff voice threatened him, accompanied by what I clearly recognized as a Northern accent. After spending a few days here, I had become quite good at distinguishing the different accents.

“I would like to see you try. Do you have any idea whom you’re threatening?” Ancano, the Thalmor cunt, sneered.

“A fool? An knife-eared milk drinker? A Dominion rat?”

“You!? You imbecile! You stand in the presence of an ambassador of the Thalmor and an advisor to the Arch-Mage! I will see you expelled for this!” Ancano shrieked indignantly, his voice rising to an almost unbearable pitch.

“By Shor’s beard, must every Elf carry such a swollen head? I’ve got no patience for your flowery foolishness. Begone!” the Nord bellowed before the entire atmosphere shifted and a thunderous sound echoed through the halls.

“FUS RO DAH!”

This was immediately followed by a rather satisfying, high-pitched scream.

“AARRGGHHH!”

“Again?” a second voice chimed in amid the commotion.

I barely had enough time to turn around the Corner before Arch-Mage Savos Aren appeared out of thin air at the foot of the stairs. His gaze settled on Ancano’s body as it went flying through the air before crashing into a wall, and he let out a long, deeply exasperated sigh.

Man, I wished I had been a few seconds faster getting down the stairs. Watching Ancano fly through the air was such a splendid sight!

“By the Divines, I was occupied with a rather intriguing piece of magical research for no more than a few minutes. Is it truly beyond this fool’s capabilities to stay out of trouble for even that long?”

The moment I stepped into view, Savos Aren’s attention shifted toward me. His expression softened into one of unmistakable desperation as he regarded me with the weary look of a man who had long since exhausted his patience.

“Would you be so kind as to work your magic once more? I would be most grateful.”

He glanced back at the unconscious Thalmor before giving me a helpless shrug.

I just stared at the man. “Are you serious? You really want me to lobotomize that idiot every time he pisses off the wrong person? At this rate, that guy’s going to end up as a vegetable... Alright, maybe things can’t get any worse for him, but still!”

“What am I to do with them? The Thalmor are a tiresome lot, to be sure, but I have little desire to give them further cause for grievance by refusing to cooperate altogether. I would much rather avoid the inconvenience of making an already unpleasant situation considerably worse. Having Ancano strutting around like a fool is the lesser evil.”

Being an Arch-Mage at a time like this was truly a pain.

“My apologies, Arch-Mage. I have no patience for foolish Mer myself. No offense intended toward you, of course,” the culprit behind the commotion apologized, although he didn’t look particularly remorseful.

The newcomer was a Nord, tall and broad-shouldered, with a powerful build that spoke of years spent fighting and surviving. He was quite a bit older and rougher-looking than the typical College student, but considering I hadn’t seen him around during the past few days, he must have been a newcomer as well.

His rugged, weathered face featured a strong jaw, a prominent nose, and a thick beard that framed his stern features. Despite his rough appearance, he didn’t seem particularly old. He had dirty-blond hair, cold blue eyes, and the unmistakable presence of someone who had seen his fair share of battles.

Truly a stereotypical Nord, but considering the Shout I had just witnessed, I wouldn’t exactly call him an ordinary one.

I was still pretty new to this whole Devil thing myself, but even with my limited experience, I could feel the raw potential radiating from him. There was something strange about his presence, something distinctly different from that of an ordinary human.

For now, it was difficult to tell whether it was his Dragon Presence or something related to him being an Aspect of Akatosh. However, it felt remarkably similar to the Dragon we had slain earlier, who had also been an Aspect of Akatosh.

“It is no trouble. It is unfortunate that the members of our College have to put up with the likes of the Thalmor, but the current political situation leaves us with little choice. You are far from the first to...” The Arch-Mage paused, glancing down at the Thalmor sprawled across the floor. “Well, you are the first to send him flying with the Thu’um, but certainly not the first to attack him.”

“Seems like some reasonable people are attending this College after all!” The obvious Dragonborn shrugged, his muscular frame relaxing as he realized he wouldn't be getting into trouble for his little outburst.

“I would certainly prefer a less violent approach, but there are other ways to handle this situation,” Savos Aren replied with a patient nod.

That was when I decided to speak up. “Didn't I already give you a book on that Spell? Have you still not managed to figure it out yourself?”

“Unfortunately, I haven't had the time. As Arch-Mage, I've become rather occupied with all sorts of matters beyond the simple pursuit of magic.” The Dark Elf sighed.

“Fine... But that's the last time I'm...” I paused, reconsidering my words midway through the sentence. “You know what? Just call me whenever you need someone to wipe his memory. I could use the practice. It's better to experiment on a dumbass like him than risk accidentally harming someone decent.” With that, I pulled out my wand and pointed it at Ancano. “Obliviate!”

“Thank you very much. I'll be returning him to his quarters!” Savos Aren nodded gratefully as Ancano's unconscious body floated into the air beside him. A moment later, the two of them disappeared before our eyes.

The Dragonborn stared at the spot where the Arch-Mage had been standing just moments earlier before turning toward me.

“That seemed awfully well-practiced. Is this a regular occurrence?”

“Honestly, it's starting to feel that way. This is already the second time today I've had to wipe that idiot's memory.”

“What exactly is this mind-wiping you speak of, friend? All I saw was a white flash coming from your stick.” The big fella asked with a friendly smile.

“Ah, you wouldn't know about it. It's a form of magic that originated from my people, allowing us to remove memories from a target's mind. Depending on the power and precision of the Spell, it can erase everything a person knows or, as I just demonstrated, only specific memories. In this case, I removed the memories of the events that led to him being sent flying through the Hall of the Elements.” I paused for a moment before glancing at him curiously. “That was a Shout, wasn't it? Did you study the Thu'um with the Greybeards?”

“You could say that. I recently studied under them,” he admitted without hesitation before giving me a more serious look. “That sounds like incredibly dangerous and powerful magic. A lot of evil could come from something like that.”

So, he wasn't your typical muscleheaded Nord after all. This one actually had some brains and knew how to think things through. Admittedly, if he had been your average, everyday Nord, he probably wouldn't have joined the College in the first place.

“It is, but at the same time, it's a rather risky Spell to use. Any form of magical defense can cause the Spell to rebound uncontrollably. Even a defensive Artifact or the weakest of Wards is enough to reflect it. There was a case back in my homeland where someone abused this magic to erase the memories of people who had achieved remarkable things, allowing him to claim their accomplishments as his own. Eventually, he tried to do the same thing again, only to have the Spell rebound and erase his own mind entirely.” I shook my head at the sheer stupidity of it all.

Gilderoy Lockhart was probably the most infamous case of a complete mind wipe in the entire Wizarding World.

Not that there was much to wipe in the first place.

“Still, that’s some unsettling magic,” the Dragonborn muttered before his eyes lit up with interest. “What’s your name, friend? Are you a new student too? Or perhaps one of the lecturers?”

“The name is Alistair Davis. I’m a student, in a way. I’m here with a few others as a visitor from a faraway land. We’re not really here to attend the College, but rather to exchange knowledge. The Arch-Mage decided that having us pose as students would make our presence easier to explain to... well, you’ve already met the idiot.”

“Yes, those wretched Thalmor. The true source of chaos in Skyrim and the Empire as a whole,” the potential Dragonborn grunted. “Well met, Alistair! I’m Agnar, a wanderer of sorts myself. I was also invited to the College. My life has become rather dangerous recently, especially with those Dragons appearing all over the land. I figured I could deepen my understanding of magic and gain a little more strength in the process.”

Quite the reasonable fellow. If I were the Dragonborn, I would pursue every possible avenue to become stronger as well. Playing as the Dragonborn in a game was one thing, but actually living that life was an entirely different matter.

“A warrior of sorts, then? Can I hire you?”

His eyes immediately lit up with excitement. “Oh, do you have any interesting jobs for me? Of course, I can be hired!”

“Well, there are a few Nordic ruins I’d like to explore to retrieve some Artifacts. I can pay you a rather handsome amount of Gold.” I paused for a moment, an interesting thought suddenly crossing my mind.

Was it actually possible?

Well, I wouldn’t know unless I tried. And considering there was a 99% chance that he was the Dragonborn, he was probably my best bet. If anyone could help me with this, it would be him or the Greybeards. Well, perhaps a Dragon could help too, but I wasn’t stupid enough to ask one of them.

“Also, would it be possible for me to learn the Thu’um?” I asked outright.

“Uh, my situation is a bit unique. While I know it’s possible for others to learn the Thu’um, Jarl Ulfric being a good example, I have no idea how to teach it myself since I never followed the same path,” Agnar admitted, looking rather uncertain about how to answer my question.

“So, you really are the Dragonborn!”

He hesitated for a moment before giving me a firm nod. “I guess I am. Which means you should understand why I can’t exactly teach you how to use the Thu’um!”

“That might not necessarily be true in the traditional sense. Just as you’re the Dragonborn, I have a unique gift of my own. I possess the inherent ability to learn any form of magic. By all logic, I should be able to learn how to use the Thu’um and potentially even acquire the same abilities as a Dragonborn. I’ll admit I haven’t tried it before, especially since this is such a rare form of magic. However, I’d be more than willing to give it a shot, provided you have no objections.”

That certainly caught his interest. “You mean you could become another Dragonborn?”

“Maybe? At the very least, I should be able to wield the same powers. However, I have no idea how difficult it would be for me to learn them. It would certainly be much easier and faster if I could learn directly from someone who already knows how to use the Thu’um.”

“By Sovngarde, let’s do it!” Agnar exclaimed enthusiastically. “I was starting to have my doubts about having the fate of the entire world resting on my shoulders. Having another Dragonborn around would certainly make that burden easier to bear. Besides, this sounds a lot more interesting than some boring lesson on magical safety and Wards! I’ve probably already missed the beginning of Tolfdir’s lesson thanks to that idiot.”

[-- End of Chapter --]