HP: Sacred Gear Chat Group (2) - Chapter 31 (Patreon)

Chapter 31 - Parting

A wild, primal flow of magical energy surged out of the core within my Soul, flooding my lungs and throat with raw power. It felt like an untamed storm raging within me. The world around me seemed to bend to my Will, shaped by my Voice as a single Word escaped my lips.

“FUS!”

A small gust of wind swept across the ground, kicking up the snow in front of me and sending it flying several meters away.

“By the Nine! You learned a Word of the Thu’um in a single afternoon? Most men would spend years clawing their way toward such an achievement. You’ve got the blood of a true Nord in you, I’ll grant you that!” Agnar laughed as he watched me perform the first Word of Unrelenting Force.

“Not a Nord...”

“Bah! What does it matter? You’ve got the spirit of a Nord, and that’s what counts! What else could you possibly be after pulling off a feat like that? Any fool can claim a bloodline, but it takes a true Nord’s heart to wield the Thu’um!”

“It’s only a single Word so far,” I replied with a laugh.

Agnar shook his head. “One Word, learned in a single afternoon! You may not be a Dragonborn yet, not like me, but by Shor’s beard, I’ve never seen a pupil learn so swiftly. You watch me, listen to my tales, and somehow the lessons take root in you as though you’d lived through them yourself. I had my doubts until this very moment... Yet now I can’t help but wonder whether you could truly learn the blood and power of the Dragonborn from me!”

So far, I could confirm that watching Agnar and listening to him explain how he wielded his powers significantly accelerated my ability to learn his magical abilities. Most importantly, the Thu’um was an ability that could take a non-Dragonborn years to master, even if they were only trying to learn a single Word.

Today, I had accomplished the first and most important step. From here on out, learning new Words and eventually mastering complete Shouts in Dovahzul, the language of the Dragons, would become considerably easier.

However, that was only the part of the Thu’um that anyone could learn with enough time and effort.

The real test of my ability was what came next.

“I should be able to learn the abilities of a Dragonborn, at least according to the way my own ability works. We won’t know for sure until we give it a try,” I admitted as I reached into my magically expanded pouch and pulled out a shrunken copy of the Word Wall I had obtained from Mount Anthor. I then enlarged it in the courtyard.

“You carry a Word Wall around with you? By the Eight, what kind of mad business is that?” Agnar asked in astonishment as he recognized it.

“Just a little bit of my homeland’s magic. It’s a copy of the one on Mount Anthor,” I explained. “To be honest, I’m not even sure whether it can be used to learn new Words in Dovahzul. You’ve already explained the process to me, so let’s see if you can learn a Word from this Wall and whether I can replicate the process.”

“Mount Anthor? Aye, I’ve yet to set foot there. Perhaps this will save me the trouble of making the climb. No sense trudging through snow and ice when the Wall can come to me!” Agnar shrugged before stepping in front of the replicated Word Wall.

I carefully observed the process as he studied the inscriptions. His attention was gradually drawn toward a specific Word in Dovahzul, and a moment later, I could practically see the realization dawn on him as he comprehended its meaning.

“Your copy works just like the real thing! By the gods, I’ve learned a new Word! Ice Form... A Shout I’ve never encountered before!” Agnar exclaimed after a few seconds.

“And I think I’ve just figured out how you learn Words from the Wall. Let me give it a try!”

I stepped in front of the Wall and immediately felt myself being drawn toward a specific Word by some mysterious force. A moment later, its meaning suddenly became clear to me, as though I had always known it.

I couldn't use it just yet, but I could clearly read the Word IIZ, which meant Ice in our language.

“I learned it too! Although I still lack the knowledge required to use it, I can now read the Word IIZ.”

“My knowledge of the Thu’um comes from the understanding I’ve gained from the Dragons I’ve slain. You’ve yet to walk that path yourself. And I fear we’ll have little luck learning much more here at the College. Dragons aren’t fools. They’re hardly likely to descend upon a place protected by so much magic,” Agnar explained thoughtfully.

“Sounds like we should head out and slay some Dragons, then. Maybe we can visit a few of the places I was planning to explore along the way, too.”

“And you still mean to tell me you’re no Nord?” Agnar chuckled.

———

A few days later, Daphne and Tracey were staring blankly at me, while Mom fortunately had a look of understanding on her face. Ghislaine was also watching me intently, her expression tense.

Meanwhile, Astoria didn't seem to care much. She was far too busy playing around with her newly acquired Lesser Ward Spell, which she could now cast wandlessly, as that was the standard method of casting magic in this world.

“So, basically, you want to leave us behind,” Daphne summarized dryly after listening to my explanation. “Because we're slowing you down.”

“Well, I wouldn't have put it quite so bluntly, but we're planning to venture into some very dangerous places. Having to protect you while fighting would only make things more difficult and considerably riskier than they already are.” I replied bluntly, deciding not to mince my words this time. “We're going to fight more Dragons, probably even stronger ones, along with other beings on a similar level. On top of that, we're planning to explore places filled with all sorts of threats and deadly traps. You're simply not experienced enough to handle those situations yet!”

Tracey immediately perked up at that. “And how exactly are we supposed to gain that experience if we don't come with you and experience those situations firsthand?”

Nice try, but that wasn't going to work on me.

“By taking things more slowly and avoiding places that are far too dangerous for you right now. Simply travelling through this world is already risky enough, with wild animals, Bandits, and all sorts of deadly creatures lurking around. You'll be accompanying Mom as she travels around Skyrim, visiting the different Holds for trading. Although it'll be a slower journey, it'll give you the experience you need.” I explained patiently. “Not only that, but you'll also have plenty of opportunities to develop your magic through practical experience in real-world situations instead of limiting yourselves to a classroom setting.”

That finally shut the two of them up.

Unfortunately, Ghislaine was still glaring fiercely at me. I knew exactly what she was trying to communicate with that look.

“I know you're not happy with this arrangement, Ghislaine, but I really need your help with this. If you accompany Mom and the girls, I'll be able to focus on my own tasks without constantly worrying about their safety.”

“What about you?” the Amazonian catwoman pointed out.

“I'll have Agnar with me.”

That earned me an immediate scoff from Daphne.

“He's just some local you met yesterday! How can we possibly trust him? You barely know the guy!” she retorted, her Slytherin side shining through.

“He's the protagonist of the games,” I clarified.

Mom didn't look particularly surprised, probably because she had already guessed as much.

“He's practically a walking Demigod who grows stronger every day. He's the person I know best in this world besides all of you, even if he doesn't know that himself.”

“Since he's the protagonist, shouldn't you be unable to know him? He's not your Player Character, after all!” Tracey immediately countered.

“Fair point, but he's still a guy who's on a quest to save the world. Besides, I've gotten a pretty good read on his character, and he's a true Nord, one of the honorable ones. And if things really go wrong, I've got the Emergency Portkey Mom made with me. We all have one, so in the worst-case scenario, we can simply teleport back to the College and wait there until the agreed-upon time.”

Having an experienced Witch with us who could create Portkeys without attracting the Ministry's interference was a real blessing. If anything truly went wrong, any of us could simply use one to teleport back to the College.

Since Portkeys were an entirely unknown form of magic in this world, there were no Wards specifically designed to prevent their use. Of course, I wasn't taking that for granted, considering the magic in this world could accomplish far more than what was shown in the games. Still, in roughly 99% of the places in Tamriel, they should work just fine.

“I have no objections. Honestly, I expected as much from the moment the girls mentioned that they wanted to come with us.” Mom chuckled, a glint of excitement appearing in her eyes. “Although we'll be heading out in a few days, Sergius Turrianus is an expert on the runic Enchantments used by the ancient Nords. Their system of runic Enchantments is entirely different from ours, and I'd like to pick his brain a little more before we leave.”

Poor Sergius. He had no idea what he was getting himself into.

“Just promise me you'll be careful and come back to us safely!”

Once we had finished copying the books in the Arcanaeum, Mom had decided to take a closer look at the various Mages at the College and gain a better understanding of their magical system.

Books were one thing, but having the opportunity to question actual Masters of the Arcane Arts was a rare privilege. After all, there were certain things that simply couldn't be conveyed through written words, no matter how detailed a book might be.

She had thoroughly enjoyed her discussions with them.

Astoria, Daphne, and Tracey had also taken quite a liking to their magic lectures. Learning an entirely new system of wandless magic had been a refreshing experience for all three of them. Especially since the lectures here were much less restrictive, resembling university classes far more than the tightly structured lessons at Hogwarts.

The only one who seemed a little bored with the lectures was Ghislaine, as her interest in magic was rather limited. Nevertheless, she had still picked up a few useful Spells, such as the Alteration Spell Oakflesh, which hardened her skin to increase her physical defense.

And it wasn't all that bad for her, either, considering she had plenty of sparring partners to choose from. This was Skyrim, the homeland of the Nords, after all. While the College primarily focused on magic, there were more than enough students who were reasonably skilled with weapons and willing to serve as sparring partners, in addition to myself.

The Guards of Winterhold stationed outside the College were particularly enthusiastic about sparring with her, as was Agnar. Of course, Agnar was the only one who could match her in combat, while the Guards were a level below them.

“I will,” I promised.

“And don't do anything stupid!” Astoria chimed in, having finally run out of stamina from playing around with her magic.

“I won't! I'll be very careful!” I assured them sincerely.

———

“Uuuggghhh... My head!” I groaned as I carefully opened my eyes, doing my best not to get blinded by the bright light shining directly into them.

Did someone hit me with a car door?

Just kidding...

But seriously, why was my brain pounding so hard, as if it were trying to escape its prison, also known as my head? And why was the light so damn bright?

Shielding my eyes with my hands, I could make out the blue sky above me, along with the bright Sun shining down on me. That's a light I can't turn off... yet. No wonder it was so bright, but... Why was there a sky in my room? Where the hell was my roof?

More importantly, where the hell was I? What had happened?

Was I hungover?

Nursing my aching head, I groaned as I carefully sat up. I immediately noticed that my back was hurting as well.

“Why am I sleeping on the floor?”

Then I took a closer look around me, feeling the cold dirt beneath my hands.

“Scratch that... Why the fuck am I sleeping in the middle of nowhere, on the dirt?”

My eyes then fell upon my glorious body, which was exposed to the chilly breeze as the sunlight reflected off my skin.

“And why am I naked? Just what the hell is going on?”

No, seriously! What the hell was going on?

The last thing I remembered was... Well, actually, quite a lot.

Agnar and I had left Winterhold and headed south, using two of my Brooms to travel swiftly across Skyrim.

Before leaving, I had asked Rias to create a map based on the Wiki, marking all the important collectibles and locations, including Word Walls, fixed Items, Dragon Priests, Dragons, and anything else she deemed worth visiting.

We had followed that map, and our first target had been... the White Phial.

Getting our hands on it hadn't been particularly difficult, especially with the two of us working together. Agnar was an expert when it came to delving into Dungeons, after all.

There had been a few Frost Trolls and Draugr inside the Forsaken Cave, along with the Dragon Priest Curalmil himself, the very creator of the White Phial! On top of that, we had also found a Word Wall containing a part of the Marked for Death Shout.

Between the two of us, even a Dragon Priest hadn't stood much of a chance.

Giving me quite a bit of loot, and materials to study. Items in a Video Game were different from the real ones. Who knows what i can do with the full Corpses?

The biggest challenge had actually been the fact that I had completely forgotten about the special Potion required to open the door to the chamber where the White Phial was hidden. Fortunately, Transfiguration had taken care of that little problem.

In my World the Walls would have been warded against Transfiguration.

I had stored the cracked White Phial, which I hadn't attempted to repair yet, inside my Bag. Unfortunately, both the Bag and my clothes were now missing.

Since we still had plenty of time left, we had decided to visit a few additional locations nearby that contained Word Walls.

We had acquired a Word of the Become Ethereal Shout in Ironbind Barrow and another Word of the Disarm Shout in Silverdrift Lair.

After that, we had headed to Korvanjund, sneaking past an Imperial Camp before once again using Transfiguration to get inside the Temple. There, we had obtained a Word of the Slow Time Shout, along with the Jagged Crown.

A Crown made from Dragon Bones that could also serve as armor. Its defensive capabilities were comparable to those of a Daedric Helmet.

However, its true value lay in its symbolism. Once the Crown of King Harald during the First Era, it had since become a symbol of sovereignty, leadership, and power among the monarchs of Skyrim.

And now, it was another collectible Item for me!

The Word of the Slow Time Shout had honestly been far more interesting to me, though. Any form of Time Magic was incredibly valuable, after all.

Throughout our entire journey between these locations, we hadn't encountered a single Dragon. Eventually, we decided to take matters into our own hands by heading to Shearpoint.

There, we had not only encountered a Dragon, but I had also gotten to witness Agnar absorbing a Dragon Soul firsthand. Unfortunately, I hadn't managed to absorb its power myself on my first attempt.

However, we had also faced the named Dragon Priest Krosis, obtained his Mask. A mask that can enhance Alchemy. Oh, and learned a Word of the Throw Voice Shout.

All in all, we had accomplished an incredible amount on our very first day of adventuring! Cutting down the Travel trough flying did wonders!

So, how the hell had I ended up here, naked in the middle of nowhere?

I distinctly remembered that we had decided to head to Whiterun for the night, where Agnar had planned to introduce me to his friends, the Companions. They were old friends of his, people he had grown up with.

Right... One thing had led to another, we were retelling our first day of adventuring and before I knew it, we had ended up celebrating.

Wait a minute...

[-- End of Chapter --]