68 Armed and Dangerous

Sweat dripped from his brow as he observed his opponents. No one made a move as they took a moment to catch their breath. Eventually, Ma'randru-jo got impatient and charged at him while Honey, the undead bear controlled by Rev, let out a roar and followed suit. Rictus did not stay put as he moved to meet their charge.

Ma'randru-jo used a modified jump spell to launch himself even quicker while his claws elongated into dragon talons. The charge was stopped in its track as Rictus telekinetically moved an iron shield in front of him. One claw stabbed clean through the shield as the Khajiit tried flipping over the obstacle to continue his assault. Instead, a reinforced scaled fist slammed into his face and knocked him to the ground. Before Rictus could take advantage of his downed opponent, Honey came swiping at him with its claws.

Dodging backwards, he backed up to get a little space from the undead creature. Long talons began forming from his hands as he charged back in. Honey stood up on its hind legs and tried swiping at him again, but he deflected the blow with a metal arm while getting up close and personal. He stabbed his claws into the stomach of the beast as he ripped it open with all his strength while using his telekinesis to aid him in tearing it open. The bear tried wrapping its arms around him to smother Rictus, but it was too late by this point.

Rev screamed as he was ripped out from inside his undead minion by the talon sticking into his leg. Rictus channeled a point blank paralyze into him to stop his screaming as he tossed him aside. It was just in time to see Ma'randru-jo start running at him. The two dragonscaled mages met with a clash of claws as they traded blows. The Khajiit was a bit faster, but Rictus was stronger and had better defense.

A flurry of blows happened in quick succession as each tried taking out their opponent. Rictus was caught by surprise as Ma'randru-jo cast a spell which caused lightning to arc around his claws. He caught one of the claws with the Skyforge steel of his left arm while dispelling the lightning on the other hand. It still caused a slight opening in his guard which the Khajiit used to land a devastating stab into his left shoulder. Seeing his claws sink all the way through, the Minion's eyes widened in surprise and fear. He looked over to see a vicious smile on his Master's face instead of the pain he expected. The last thing he saw was a fist hitting coming right at his face.

Clapping and cheers could be heard from the observers of the fight. Rictus looked down at his knocked-out opponent as his flesh knit back together. He looked up with a smile as he held his hands up in victory. A middle-aged woman in priest robes quickly made her way over to him and addressed him in an admonishing tone.

"Must you be so careless during these spars? Someone could have been seriously injured."

Golden restoration magic surrounded Rictus and his Minions as they were healed after the intense sparring.

"I appreciate your concern Danica, but we were confident in your healing abilities so we knew we could get a little rough and still be fine."

Danica Pure-Spring rolled her eyes as she mumbled under her breath.

"Lately, it seems, I am more nurse than priestess…"

After double checking to make sure everyone was all right, she left the three of them standing there. Rev made a dramatic sigh as he looked over the mangled body of his undead companion.

"Did you really have to be so destructive? There is no telling how long it will take for me to restore all that damage."

Rictus patted him on the back in comfort.

"Well, I had to get you out of there somehow, didn't I? This will give you a chance to further fix any weaknesses you discovered during out sparring. Frankly, I am still impressed you figured out a viable way to use Honey as an undead mech."

The necromancer smiled in embarrassment at the compliment even if he was unsure what the word 'mech' really meant. The undead had no need for superfluous things like internal organs, so Rev had hollowed the creature out thinking reducing its weight could make it faster. He saw how much room was left inside the creature and couldn't help thinking how it could be used to store things. One thing led to another, and he found a way he could safely hide himself inside the creature while controlling it. It limited his spells, but he could still control other undead while tucked away in his enhanced undead. Finding a strangely comfortable familiarity in the tightly enclosed space may have also played a role in it.

Rictus also complimented his first Minion.

"You have improved a lot in your skills as well Ma'randru-jo. You almost had me with that last attack. Enhancing your already formidable claws with a lightning-based attack was a great idea. I am impressed. Keep up the good work."

"This one thanks you for the kind words and will continue working to improve."

The three of them walked away in companionable silence before splitting up to rest after the fight. Rev went to start working on restoring Honey. Ma'randru-jo went to find some food, and Rictus took a seat as he observed his surroundings.

He had returned a couple days ago from his trip with Serana. As soon as he returned, he sent out requests for all his Minions to return to the base so he could catch up with what each of them had been up to recently. He also hadn't interacted or seen them in a while and felt a little bad about it. They would all be meeting later this evening to exchange information.

While they were all here, he had convinced them of the need for some sparring to keep their combat skills sharp. So many dangerous foes were out there in the world, and it would not do for any of them to get too complacent. Word of them all sparing had gotten around which caused it to become more of a spectacle than initially planned.

A large training area had been partially built into the mountain right outside at White River Watch. Drills and training for the newly Restored happened right here since it was at their main base. It had several different areas where various combat practice could happen. There were wooden dummies for weapons training, a shooting range for archers and mages, open fields for group exercises, and a few areas marked off for duels of varying sizes. The largest dueling space was closest to the mountain and looked more like an amphitheater with the seats carved into the mountain.

Those stands had been filled with a variety of different Restored as they watched the fights between the mages. All his Minions had been paired up for their duels, except Danica. She was assigned as the designated healer and referee.

The first matchup had been between Maes and Stalleo. It was not really the most interesting or equal fight. Maes was more of an academic, and he had mostly spent his time focused more on transmuting and shaping metals. He had some good defenses and great utility but lacked offense and experience. Stalleo was a war veteran and had been in many conflicts. With the power boost from becoming a Minion, he was by far the better fighter. He did hold back some though so that Maes would get some good practice in.

The second match had been between Reysera and Dravynea the Stoneweaver. Both dark elves were more evenly matched in terms of ability and experience despite combat not being their specialty. Reysera had spent a lot of time working to improve herself after the battle of Japhet's Folly though. She was much more offensive in the fighting while Dravynea used her stoneweaving abilities defensively. It had been a little back and forth, but Reysera eventually won with her superior attacks and mana pool.

Match number three had been the most visually impressive of all the fights. Illia had faced off against Faralda in a clash of destructive powerhouses. Ice, fire, and lightning had flown across the arena in a stunning performance of power. Rictus even had to dispel a couple stray spells which could have injured the crowd. Illia mostly used her ice and water magic while Faralda would switch between fire and lightning. Despite Illia being powerful and a master of destruction herself, she still fell short.

Finally, Rictus had taken on both Rev and Ma'randru-jo. They had an unspoken agreement about limiting their ranged attacks, and Rictus not using his earth manipulation spells. Making this more like a brawl had caused the crowd to go wild as they watch the fight. Obviously, Rictus had won the fight to the cheer of his adorning followers.

Sitting and watching everyone go about their business filled Rictus with contentment. Groups were training in all sorts of different ways and with different attitudes. A veteran member was running some new recruits through basic exercises and weapon training. Solitary warriors were off by themselves working on their technique. There were even some small adventuring groups doing mock battles with each other. In another world, none of these people would have come together under one banner. The Restored had come so far in such a short amount of time. 'I am not usually a prideful person, but none of this would have been possible without me. Seeing the purpose with which everyone here acts, I am even more thankful I went into the slums that day.'

While watching everyone, he stroked his beard as he contemplated his next steps. Things had been progressing faster and faster. New problems kept cropping up which he felt compelled to deal with. The whole Dawnguard questline being the more immediate worry.

Before he had started on this path, he had been considering fully joining Mirajane in facing Alduin. There were things he felt he could do which would greatly increase their speed and chances. Being a powerful mage with lots of followers also never hurt. Alduin was THE World Eater after all. Ignoring such a threat was the height of stupidity, a feeling Rictus knew quite well.

Now, he was not so sure about that plan. Alduin and the dragons were the most obvious threat to the world, but they were not the only one. Harkon and Miraak were also both still major threats to everyone. Nothing had been heard from Miraak or the dragon cult in Solstheim. When everything with the vampires started happening, Rictus had sent word for some agents to go observe the island. 'Admittedly, that is something I should have done quite a long time ago. Better late than never I suppose.'

Harkon was a more immediate problem though. The exact details of the questline eluded him since it had been so long, but there were some major points he remembered. Serana would most likely leave after finding out her father's true plan. The soul cairn was still there waiting, and he was pretty sure there was something about getting 3 elder scrolls, but he couldn't remember if that was a fact or not. 'I also can't forget about Auriel's bow. I know that it was located near Markarth, and it was in some hidden location, but the exact spot eludes me. Manually searching the many caves and mountains in that area would take months with no guarantee of success.'

Harkon succeeding would spell ruin for the world. This was a problem he could handle though. While leaving it to Mirjana or someone else crossed his mind, he dismissed that line of thinking. She already had enough to worry about with Alduin. There was no need to put more on her plate. The vampire lord did not require the dragonborn's intervention. Him and his allies should be more than a match for the ancient vampire clan. 'Even if they do have a Skilled on their side, we have more.'

While Mirajane would focus on the dragon crisis, he would make sure the vampires were pacified. If she called on him for help though, he would not hesitate to assist anyway he could. The others could cover for him if it came to it.

Sorting out his thoughts brought him some relief. He rested his face in his hands as stopped thinking of those things and just took in the sight of his people. An itching feeling on his leg broke the serene moment as he looked down at it. A pesky mosquito was trying to get a free meal from him. Seems even in a different world people still had to deal with the wretched creatures. Before it could get away and enjoy its meal, he smushed it.

Feeling the smooshed bug in his left hand brought a smile to his face. Even though it had not been all that long, he had missed having both his arms. He had only touched the surface of that area of research, but it still brought him joy as he remembered what happened.

-----------------------------------------

Rictus let out a loud yawn as he rose from his bed. He had stayed up late last night finishing all the paperwork that had piled up while he was traveling with Serana. With the rest of his Minions not getting here till tomorrow and no pressing concerns, he had the entire day to himself to spend how he wanted. Deciding to take some time for himself, he did a little light reading. He really wanted to see how the series with that Argonian maid finished.

After having some quality personal time, he decided he should probably be more productive with his time. Before he could come up with something more serious, he decided some housecleaning was in order.

It had been a while since he had seriously gone through the many items in his storage space. There didn't seem to be a hard limit to what could be stored in there. Only creating the portal to place and remove items cost any magic. The larger the portal, the more magic it required. Needless to say, he had gone a little overboard with loot hoarding. Huge amounts of stone, metal, and rocks had been placed inside along with a plethora of various objects he could find useful. They ranged from food and drinks, to clothes, to books, to toys, to septims, to notes, to weapons and everything in between. As he started cataloguing everything, he noticed something which he had ignored for a long time.

A stone table was created in front of him so he could place the object on it. Ancano's arm had been in his inventory for months now ever since the incident at the College. He had been meaning to study it for a long time. 'This was just the first chance I really had to investigate it. I absolutely didn't forget about having it.'

Smiling at the liberated arm of a dead Thalmor, Rictus began studying his trophy. This arm had channeled the magical energies of the Eye of Magnus. He could tell there was something different about it just from a cursory look. Glowing bluish green lines marked where veins and arteries normally should be at on the arm. The arm gave off the feeling of some kind of magical material or artifact instead of flesh.

[AN: Warning. Questionable lore ahead. I am not very well versed in that sort of thing so this may all be completely wrong. If you are someone big into the lore, just try and ignore my ignorance.]

From his studies and discussions with Tolfdir, no one truly knew what the Eye of Magnus was or if that was even an appropriate name for the artifact they found. Theories abounded, but one thing everyone agreed upon was how powerful it was. Rictus himself was not quite sure if this was the actual eye of Magnus, or if it was even used by Magnus. The thought had merits, but the theories were a little too hypothetical for him. There was one thing he believed though.

The Eye of Magnus was capable of opening a path to Aetherius.

Aetherius was known as the Immortal Plan and where the Aedra (Nine Divines) resided. Some speculated it was the source of magic and all creation. It was basically the inverse of Oblivion, and a plane of pure magic as it was where magic originated. There were a couple reasons he thought the Eye was intrinsically related to Aetherius.

The first one was because of Ancano. Rumors said the Thalmor wanted to basically unmake the world and revert things back to how they used to be. Rictus remembered there being lots of debate back on Earth about if this was truly their goal or not since it was not specifically stated. He was kinda inclined to believe it though. Ancano had mentioned finally having the power to unmake the world at his fingertips, and Rictus thought he was being literal instead of figurative.

The most obvious reason he thought the Eye could open a path was because of the magical anomalies and rifts which appeared around Skyrim after the Eye was activated. The magical anomalies were not something natural to Mundas. It would make sense if holes were created between the two planes, things would find their way over.

A crazy thought entered his mind as he looked at the arm. His body acted before his mind could fully think through what was going on. The arm was placed where his left arm was missing. He then channeled his own magic into the arm while trying to connect it to himself with his alter body spell. Unlike the many times he had tried this with other arms, the magic seemed to stick. Laughter started bursting from his lips as he realized that he now had a new arm.

The laughter soon stopped as something felt off. Looking down, Rictus watched as the glowing light from the arm started moving upwards towards his shoulder. Burning pain lanced through him as the light reached his flesh. He could feel the foreign mana traveling through him until it reached his heart. Once there, the feeling of pain greatly intensified as he could tell it was rapidly moving throughout his body. Blinding agony wracked his body as soon as it reached his brain. Mercifully, he passed out after a few agonizingly long moments.

"uugghh"

A groan escaped his lips as he slowly came back to his senses. His head was pounding worse than any headache or hangover he had ever experienced, which was saying something since he had hung out with Sanguine. Slowly propping himself up, Rictus tried to make sense of what happened. Thankfully, nothing disastrous seemed to have happened from his impulsiveness.

"I really can be an idiot sometimes. No more experimenting on my own body with unknown magical forces, at least for a little while."

He stood and opened up his window letting in a cool breeze. Dark skies, twinkling stars, and bright moons greeted him instead of the afternoon sun. Seems he had been out of it longer than expected. He simply stood there letting the dim light of the moon and stars fall upon him. The longer he stood there, the more the pain went away. After a while, he felt good as new and bursting with mana.

He admired his new arm in the moonlight. The pale yellowish color was slightly off from his normal skin tone, and the veins and arteries still faintly glowed a soft blue color. Besides that, it appeared perfectly normal. Flexing his fingers and touching it with his other hand revealed full control of motion and the ability to feel sensations. He then channeled his mana and cast a simple magelight.

"Hmm. It is a bit brighter than before and cost barely anything at all. I suppose the expose to the pure magical energies from Aetherius has further altered my spellcasting ability. From what tiny amount I know of Aetherial magic, there was also some correlation with nighttime and the stars. Could be that my magic has become more powerful and efficient at night."

A smile appeared on his face at his good fortune. His carelessness had turned out for the better this time. 'I guess this is something like the plot armor of a MC. Neat.' Having enhanced magical abilities is always a good thing for a spell caster. It felt a little cheap that the solution to his missing arm was with him the entire time, but that is what he deserved for not paying attention to what he had in his storage. Hopefully he would learn his lesson from this, but he figured there would probably be more things he messed up on. He was only human after all.

---

He soon pulled himself from his memories as he thought about the fight. An added bonus from the integration of the arm was his increased magical resistance. He was already quite resistant to magic but now he was even more so, especially on his left arm. Leaving the arm encased in the Skyforged metal gave it even more defense and basically provided him a shield against magical and physical attacks. Keeping it covered like that would also make people think he still had some kind of prosthetic instead of a restored arm.

He soon started making his way away from the training ground. Almost as soon as he started moving, Ken was right there by his side. The old man had been waiting for him and joined him in his walk.

"That was some show you put on for the men. Seeing their leader fight seems to have put a fire under them based off the number of people training right now. That is good seeing how rapidly the reports of conflict are coming in."

A simple raised eyebrow got Ken to elaborate.

"Bandit attacks have nearly tripled over the past few days. Reports indicate the areas worst affected are the wilds in the Northwest and Southeast, so Haafingar and the Rift. It is still too early to tell for sure, but it seems the caravans we are guarding in those two areas are getting hit much more frequently than others."

Rictus's eyes narrowed at the implications of that.

"What kind of losses are we taking from these attacks?"

"The ones in the Rift are mostly smash and grabs with few injuries and casualties. Mostly just inventory being stolen with light injuries if any. Things in the north are a bit worse I am afraid. Large ambushes are becoming more common, and we are suffering losses there, both in materials and personnel. If things keep going like this, we will lose the contracts you helped us get from Jarl Elisif."

That was not good. He didn't mind the material losses all that much. Those things could easily be replaced. His people though were not so expendable, and the contracts gave them great connections.

"Do we have any leads behind who is responsible?"

Ken rubbed a hand through his beard as he sighed.

"Nothing definitive yet, only suspects."

"Go on."

The old solider looked contemplative as he spoke his theories.

"Well, the thieves guild is the obvious culprit around the Rift. The attacks line up with their normal patterns. It almost seems like they are trying to antagonize us for some reason. Why they would do that, I don't know."

They paused for a moment as they watch some children chasing after a herder and his goats. Their antics brought a bit of levity to the otherwise heavy subject. After watching them a moment, Ken continued with his report.

"The culprits in the north are not so obvious. From some of the survivors of the attacks, the bandits have a preference for ambushes with multiple volleys of arrows before they run away. Based off what you had mentioned before, they may be working with the Skilled of archery. How they know which caravans are ours and why they don't attack the others is a bit perplexing though."

Rictus took a moment to think before speaking his suspicion.

"It is a little strange how accurately they predict our travel routes. That knowledge is not well known, nor do I think they have the information network to figure it out on their own. I fear some other party is informing them about which ones to attack. Our people and the merchants traveling with them are not likely culprits since that would just be stupid. The only other ones who know the specifics are some select court officials. We will need to investigate more, but I can easily think of one group with great influence in the court who would most likely not appreciate a new faction they have no control over."

Ken's eyes narrowed as he spit on the ground in disgust.

"Thalmor. I wouldn't put it past them. One of their favorite tactics during the War was disrupting supply lines or bribing the bandits into doing it."

He nodded his head in agreement to his second in commands thoughts.

"Indeed. We don't know for sure yet, but it is a starting point. Lean on some of our new contacts in the embassy to see if they can find anything. We could be mistaken or just underestimating the vampires, so it is best to be sure on this sort of thing. I kind of hope it isn't the Thalmor though. The less enemies we must worry about the better. If it is them though, I know the perfect target for retaliation."

As they finally made it inside the base, Ken stopped at one of the hallways.

"I think I will investigate this personally. I still have a few personal contacts in the city who owe me a favor. Maybe one of them will know something. While I am there, I can get more details on the emperor's death as well."

Rictus nodded in agreement with that course of action. The death of the emperor was a poorly kept secret at this point in time. No one knew the exact details of his demise, but that was not quite as important as the fact he had perished. Getting some insider knowledge on what General Tullius and the legion would do now could prove useful. Some feared the legion would simply leave and return to Cyrodiil instead of continuing the civil war here, but no one knew any specifics yet.

"Be safe out there."

He received a crisp salute as he watched Ken march away to make preparations. Investigating the Thalmor would require the utmost of discretion, and he didn't trust anyone more than Ken on this. Instead of worrying about him, Rictus made his way further into the stronghold since it was almost time for his Minion meeting.

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[AN]: Turns out I had enough time before leaving on Vacation to finish up the chapter and post it. It even turned out to be a little over 4K words. I think I may be spoiling you with these longer chapters.