52 Different Perspectives
(After news of Rictus's victory spread)
(Solitude- castle dour)
General Tullius couldn't help but let out a sigh. This posting was constantly giving him headaches. The rebellion should have been resolved by now, but the Stormcloaks had proven more difficult than projected. 'The Empire surely has fallen upon dire times with how long we allowed things to fester here. If not for the blockage at the pass, I could already have a real Legion here to end this little rebellion. It only weakens us in the eyes of our true enemies. I do not doubt the Thalmor have some part to play in all this.'
The older imperial looked back over the report he had just been handed by Legate Rikke. It detailed some kind of big fight at some pirate base. It was good the East Empire Company had retrieved a lot of lost supplies and that piracy would be greatly reduced in the area. It had been getting out of control, but he hadn't the resources to spare for rectifying such a problem. After reading the report, he admitted, only in his mind of course, that he may have erred in not taking care of the problem sooner.
"What should we do about this new faction, General?"
General Tullius stopped looking at the report as he glanced up at his chief legate. Damn Nords were too tall. Almost as bas as those Altmer.
"For now, we will keep an eye on them Legate Rikke. They have not shown any real involvement with the Stormcloaks so we are not enemies. If anything, I think they may support the Empire more based off their work with the East Empire Company. I have heard a rumor that their leader helped Vittoria Vici and is the reason the wedding will still take place, albeit a bit later than planned."
Legate Rikke nodded her head at the order. As long as they didn't oppose the Empire, she had no qualms with them.
The general glanced back at the description of the fight. 'Maybe an invitation to meet would be a good opportunity to feel out their leader. If the tale of his battle is even partially true, he could be an asset.'
----
(Windhelm)
Ulfric frowned after reading the paper his second-in-command, Galmar Stone-Fist, had given him. The Blood Horkers had apparently been wiped out in an assault against their base of operations. 'It's a shame. Our little agreement had been quite successful in harming the Empire's naval operations and trade. I had been hoping to utilize them more since they had done so well during the Moot. Still, if the report holds any truth, it was probably better they were all killed. Even better the main keep seems to be destroyed. Less chance of our cooperation leaking.'
Ulfric looked at his two closest confidants.
"What are your thoughts on this?"
Galmar was the first to speak up, unsurprisingly.
"They do not share our goals or views. They are led by an Outlander, despite some Nord heritage, and seem supportive of the empire based off them working with the East Empire Company. They were probably even hired by the company or the empire to rid themselves of the pirates since they were too weak to do it themselves."
Ulfric turned to his court mage.
"What say you Wuunferth? What is your take on these 'Restored' and their use?"
The elderly mage seemed lost in thought for a moment.
"Hmm. Their leader seems to follow the advice I have always been telling you. Strength and steel are well and good, but magic is the true power in this world."
Galmar scoffed at the mage's words. It was quite common to hear the mage talk about this, and it had only gotten worse after the assassination attempt. Wuunferth continued without even acknowledging the warrior's interruption.
"I do not think it wise to antagonize this group. Despite assisting the East Empire Company, they do not have any true allegiance towards the empire. They are probably trying to stay neutral in the war, like the companions. I suggest a wait and see approach."
Galmar growled in displeasure at that comment. Anyone not supporting the Stormcloaks were supporting the Empire in his mind. He held his tongue though. After hearing both his counselors input, the impromptu meeting was over. Wuunferth stayed behind though after Galmar had left. Ulfric looked at him intensely.
"Do you think you could defeat such a mage if the stories hold true?"
The mage shrugged his shoulders in reply.
"My magics are not the strongest in direct force, as you should well know from your lessons. I also must say, I do not know why, but I have the feeling their leader is someone similar to the one who almost took your life."
Ulfric barely flinched as the memories of that night resurfaced. He had truly thought he would perish that night. It did not come to pass thankfully, and their cause had become all the stronger for it. He owed his life to Wuunferth and was thankful the assassin couldn't seem to stop bragging about his Skill while tormenting Ulfric. Regardless, it had made Ulfric more inclined to learning about magic after that point. He was not sure if it was natural inclination or Wuunferth's teaching, but he was a protégé of Illusion magic. Still nowhere on the level of Wuunferth, but it was better than Ulfric had thought possible.
"One good thing may finally come from this though. The reports indicated that Jarl Korir and Winterhold had taken part in the assault. Maybe now he will be more willing to lend support to us like he had before the attack on Solitude. Regardless, it was beneficial for public order to offload all those troublesome Outlanders on him."
As Ulfric sat back down, he wondered if these Restored would turn out to be true sons and daughters of Skyrim.
----
(Thalmor Embassy)
Elenwen sat in her office in the embassy while reviewing the information her spies had gathered. She had gotten multiple reports about the battle of Japhet's Folly and compared them all to try and gather the real story. All things pointed to this Rictus character being quite the interesting character. Not to mention his growing mercenary faction.
'Hmm maybe he should receive an invitation to one of the upcoming parties…'
----
(Whiterun, Jorrvaskr)
"Can you believe it! How could he go off on such a Hunt without bringing us along?! He has some explaining to do once he gets back."
Kodlak watched the huntress stalk away with Mordred following silently behind her. He could only chuckle at the fate awaiting Rictus whenever they got ahold of him. It had been a while since he had seen Aela so worked up over someone else. Maybe there would be a chance for the mage to join them after all…
The leader of the Companions couldn't help thinking of his talk with the young mage not too long ago. He had been a bit skeptical of Rictus's abilities in solving his problem, but if the reports were true, he may have been too hasty in dismissing the help.
'There is still time to release me from this bond. I am sure the lad is too busy for a quest from an old man right now, but soon…hopefully soon my hunt will end.'
----
(Riften, The Ratway)
She read another report on the defeat of the pirates and couldn't help but roll her eyes.
'I don't really get why defeating some pirates are such a big deal. It wasn't that tough a quest. Although, there was talk about how the pirates had been capturing a lot of ships recently. Maybe there was some good loot there. Plus, the leader is a powerful mage. Those types always have some good stuff.'
She smiled mischievously at the prospect of getting the better of a powerful opponent. It had been a while since she had tried going against another of the Skilled, as this Rictus had to be one. She spared a glance at the uncovered Sapphire sprawled out on the bed behind her. She licked her lips while her tail swished back and forth.
'Last time had been extremely profitable. I have a few things to do around here first, but then the heist is on. What's the worst that can happen.'
A soft laugh escaped her as she twirled the Key around her claw.
----
(A road just outside Morthal) Dragonborn
Mirajane barely controlled her emotions as she looked at the note she had gotten from Ustengrav. She was supposed to be learning how more about the Voice and how to stop Alduin! Not going on some random chase! A strong comforting hand was placed on her shoulder.
"Calm yourself. No need to get upset Mira. This is just how the world works sometimes. We will get to the bottom of this."
She looked up to see Solomon's dazzling smile as he tried to comfort her. A sigh escaped her as a determined look graced her face despite her inner thoughts.
'I hate it when people tell me to calm down or not get upset. It doesn't really help things. Still, I should be in better control of my emotions. I don't need to get distracted. Just like a hunt, I must stay in control.
[AN: I had a typo in the original spelling of his name/decided I wanted it to be Solomon instead of Solimon. Just so you all know.]
Solomon saw the look in her eyes and removed his hand as they shared a look. The voice of their third companion broke the seriousness of the moment.
"You are wrong pretty boy. The note told Mirajane to come alone or else she will not get the horn. Everyone knows you follow her around like a lost puppy. So, the note was saying you aren't welcome. 'WE' will not get to the bottom of this. She will. Maybe me too since no one really knows who I am, but not you."
A cheeky grin appeared on the cute Imperial's face while Solomon scowled at her ruining the moment. He was not a fan of the diminutive woman. The way she spoke and acted grated on his nerves. She was too useful a companion to get rid of though. On some level, he knew she was like him although they have never discussed it before. He wondered how her dreams differed from those he had. He was pulled from his thoughts by a random question from Mirajane.
"What do you two think about the story of these Restored we just heard? If the tales are true, their leader is a very powerful mage. You both have mentioned getting allies for this fight. They seem to be mercenaries. Maybe they will help for the right price?"
Solomon frowned at the idea of another powerful mage joining them. He had no knowledge about such a person being here in Skyrim and worried about their real motivations. He could not allow any harm to come to Mirajane. Too much was riding on this.
"I think we should be cautious. We should complete our current quest before pursuing such a line of thought. There are plenty of other powerful warriors we could recruit with more known allegiances."
Mirajane nodded at the wisdom of her first companion. She agreed but could not help being fascinated with the story they had heard of how the mage had battled a giant creature straight from Oblivion. Her newest companion also made sure her opinion was known.
"I personally think it wouldn't hurt anything to see about some help. I don't remember anyone by the name of Rictus, but I am sure he would be a valuable ally to have if what I suspect of his strength is true. He may even be able to teach you something. Just like Solimon and I have. Regardless, that can wait until we get back the horn and return it to Gramps."
The 3 companions continued their journey as they were lost in their own thoughts.
----
(Now back to the MC)
Rictus rolled out of bed as he reached for the water sitting on the table. He had always woken up thirsty, no matter what world. A sigh of pleasure escaped his lips at the refreshing drink. He ran his hand through his hair as he thought of how things had changed since he had defeated the bone goliath a little over a month ago.
It had taken him almost a week to fully heal from the battle. Apparently, getting in close and personal with corrupted magical energies from Oblivion was not good for one's health. Especially, if someone foolishly detonated a soul stone containing highly concentrated energy with their hand. Regardless, he had succeeded and lived where his opponent had not. He couldn't help but flip open his personal grimoire for the hundredth time.
-Enhanced Spell
--Elemental Blades. You have the ability to manifest blades of pure elemental energy from your mana. The size, shape, and strength are dependent on the caster's will and mana expenditure. This enhanced spell was granted after defeating the Skilled of One Handed.
The best he could guess, this was the original level 100 boon of the One Handed Skilled. His opponent had used a similar ability while battling him. It seemed instead of gaining an additional Skill if he defeated another Skilled, he would be able to take their advanced ability. This skill in particular really shored up some of his lack of elemental spells. 'The fact I have significantly more magical power and control than the Skilled of One Handed also means this spell is much more powerful with me.'
He had also been given the opportunity to trade out his Alteration Skill for the One Handed but had quickly declined that prospect. There was no way he wanted any other Skill besides the Alteration one. The only mildly tempting one would be the enchanting, but he was very biased towards his original pick.
There were a couple other things which appeared in his grimoire because of defeating one of the Skilled which were a big surprise.
-Minions
--Skilled Minions
--One Handed: Someone who follows your command possesses a Skill. This grants you the opportunity to utilize their 10 slots for Minions. You can select and additional 10 Minions for either your Skill or their Skill. You can only have a max of 10 with their Skill.
This one was a bit surprising. It meant he could potentially have up to 20 Minions of Alteration. He could also evenly split it with 10 Minions of One Handed and 10 of Alteration, or anywhere in between as long as he had no more than 10 in One Handed. He found it interesting that Morrigan had declined to share such information with him. Dante was a follower of her, which meant she had already known this sort of information.
'So much for exchanging information on what was known about the Skilled. It makes even more sense why she wants to gather all the other magical Skilled under her banner at the College. She has been very agreeable lately. Probably because she knows I have proof she held information from me. I don't really mind too much, but I will gladly take the discounted enchanted items.'
The exact transferal of Skills was still a bit unclear. His working theory was that the Skill would go to the closest person who meets some requirement at the death of the original Skilled. This was due to the fact that Ken had managed to gain the Skill. It made sense it would go to him though. Ken was a master with the sword and dagger. Of those on the island, he probably had the greatest amount of skill and experience. Ken had already been a great weapons instructor, but it was on a whole new level now. The abilities of those who regularly were trained by him had skyrocketed in a short period of time.
Sadly, not every new addition to his grimoire was a good thing. A self-deprecating chuckle escaped his lips as he looked over the final ability that he gained from defeating another Skilled.
-Curses.
--The Double-Edged Sword: You have become an expert at wielding any weapon with only one hand.
The description was not too terribly bad and didn't really look like a curse at all. Although, when the description mentioned only one hand, it meant that far more literally than he would have liked. His lack of a left arm revealed exactly what the curse meant.
At first, he had laughed it off since he could simply alter his body and get a new arm. Unfortunately, that had not worked. No matter what he had done, nothing worked. He was completely unable to regrow his arm back despite his many experiments. It was ironic actually. The man who had restored arms and other body parts to countless people, could do nothing about his own injury.
'I guess it is not all bad. At least my magic helps with anything I would ever need a hand for. So, it is no big deal.'
The sigh which escaped him indicated the annoyance he felt about it regardless of it not really inconveniencing him too much. He moved over to the window as a metal tendril pulled open the curtains letting in the sunshine. The metal moved back to where his arm used to be.
Rictus was a little proud of the replacement for his arm. Instead of a left arm, he had a Skyforge Steel prosthetic which he could manipulate with barely a thought. The metal had been personally forged by Eorlund Gray-mane just for Rictus. It was done as a favor and in honor of those fallen warriors during the battle of Japhet's Folly. The arm was a constant reminder of those who were lost. More specifically, it was made to honor his fallen friend. The forging fires of the Skyforge had been awakened by the funeral pyre of one of the best the Restored had to offer.
Roluth had perished during the battle. His death had hit Rictus the hardest since he had been one of the original Restored and was always around. Roluth had confided in Rictus one evening about his appreciation for the ancient Companions' funerals. He had found it meaningful to have his funeral pyre on the Skyforge and let his death be the catalyst for creating a weapon for the ones he had left behind. Staying true to his friend's wishes, Rictus had made sure it happened.
Eorlund had claimed the forge recognized the dedication which filled Roluth's soul. He had worked for hours on the metal. The best smith in Skyrim had been in a trance while listening to what the metal demanded and was slightly confused by the result until he presented it to Rictus. The object had turned out to be a large, rounded cylinder of refined Skyforge steel the approximate length of Rictus's lost arm. It was as if Roluth was looking out for him even after passing.
Rictus smiled at the memory as he made his way towards his desk to review the progress reports of the Restored.
----
(Japhet's Folly – Roluth POV)
He turned his head around after pulling his sword from the dead pirate's chest making sure his opponent was dead. Roluth was satisfied seeing no more enemies standing. Reysera's voice interrupted the silence.
"Alright. We have taken care of these and all that remains is the pirate leader. Rictus had commanded us not to interfere with the battle and to regroup with our forces outside. Let's go."
Everyone started following her towards the main exit with Roluth taking the rear-guard position. He was disgruntled with the orders. They should have been going to support their leader, not leaving him to fight alone. He would follow the orders though because he respected Rictus too much to go against him in this. He also had full confidence in his leader's abilities. 'He will not perish on this island. He is destined for more.'
As they were nearing the exit, he noticed the broken corpse of a little skeever in a dark corner. Seeing that brought back memories of the young boy who they had left behind. His condition had not been too different than the one Roluth had been in not so long ago. He still remembered the vulnerability and constant fear he felt because of what had been done to him. He vividly recalled the moment his life had been restored. Rictus had personally carried him out from the trash he had been left in, not caring about the smell, or being covered in filth. Rictus had talked about the weather while carrying him. For some reason, the mundane conversation had as much an impact on him as the restoration of his limbs. It had been the first time anyone had taken the time to simply talk to him like a human being in years. Roluth had sworn to follow this man who had saved him and treated him like a real person to the gates of Oblivion itself. Now though, there was another one suffering such as he did.
Roluth broke off from the rest of the group and rapidly made his way back towards where they had left the necromancer. He was impressed with how far the boy had wiggled away. Without sparing a word, he sheathed his sword and placed the boy on his shoulder before taking back off towards the entrance. The boy silently stared at his rescuer in fear. Trying to make the boy feel more at ease, Roluth tried to do what Rictus had done for him.
"So, some crazy weather we are having. Hopefully, it won't rain too much on my garden back in Whiterun. Don't want the plants to be flooded."
He spared a glance back at the boy to see his reaction. The boy stared wide eyed at the casual talk about the weather and gardening. Roluth started feeling a bit self-conscious at the whole thing. He was never one for small talk. The soft sounds of barely contained laughter drew his attention though. The boy was shaking on his shoulder trying to hold in the laughter bubbling up inside him. Roluth chuckled as well. It was probably quite a shock for the boy that a fully armored man covered in blood and sweat was talking about gardening during a battle while running through a keep belonging to a pirate necromancer.
As they neared the exit, Roluth noticed a group of pirates making their way around the corner and headed towards the tower where Rictus was confronting the enemy leader. He acted without hesitation. He caught up with the group of pirates at the bottom of the tower's stairs where the elite pirates had been defeated. While the pirates were busy looking over their dead companions, Roluth charged past them, putting himself between them and the stairs.
He sat the boy down behind him as he drew his sword.
"You shall not pass."
Roluth couldn't help but smirk at repeating the words Rictus would often say while sparring. In this moment, he couldn't help but feel like a character from a story who was willing to die to save the one he was sworn to protect. His words reawakened the previously distracted pirates. They all drew their weapons as the charged the lone Restored.
'7 against 1. Not the best of odds.'
Without another thought Roluth confronted the pirates. The battle was swift and deadly. The pirates were quickly falling to the superior skill and armor of the Restored. Even though he was outnumbered, he had only accumulated minor surface injuries while killing 4 of the pirates. He was tired, but it shouldn't be too much trouble to finish them off.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his leg. Looking down revealed a bony tail stabbing though the soft spot in the armor where the boots and pants met. Following the tail revealed the sneering face of the nearly dead Argonian. The elite pirate had been seriously injured, but he was only feigning death. One of the other Restored had not done their job.
Seeing the injured and distracted opponent, the pirates renewed their attack. This time, Roluth was not faring well. The Argonian could not move, but kept his tail embedded inside Roluth which gave the other pirates a massive advantage. Despite their advantage, Roluth still killed one and seriously injured another pirate. The last pirate got the better of him though. A quick stab of the pirate's sword had pierced through the should joint of his armor and back out the other side. A dagger then found its way through a gap in the armor around his waist to stab into his stomach.
Roluth wrapped his one good arm around the pirate to keep him from stabbing him again. He noticed the body of another pirate getting closer with the blade raised but could not do anything about it. His eyes closed in acceptance as the blade made its way down.
The limp body in his grasp surprised him. Looking back up, he found the other pirate had stabbed the sword into the pirate he had been holding in place. A closer look revealed the empty eyes of a raised undead. The undead took a shaky step as is brought a dagger down into the eye socket of the nearly dead Argonian. The corpse then collapsed to the ground as a loud gasp came from the boy behind him.
Before he could say his thanks, a sudden magical explosion rocked the entire tower. The stones around them began falling as the tower started shaking. The shaking intensified as lightning cracked above them and another explosion was heard. Roluth forced his body over to the boy who was looking on in fear at the rapidly collapsing tower.
With a final step, he fell over the trembling body of the boy. The fear in the boy's eyes strengthened his resolve as he braced his body over that of the poor mutilated boy. A soft encouraging smile, like one a father shows to his scared child, appeared on his face.
"No need to fear. Rictus will be sure to find you after all this is over."
Roluth could not see the tears filling the boy's eyes as blackness overtook his own vision. It seemed his time had finally come. He smiled at the thoughts of going out like a warrior. Sovngarde would await him. The boy barely heard the final whispered words of his savior.
"Though I fall, I never stumbled."
-----
[AN]: And so we have some of the after effects of the battle. I had a comment about how other factions would view the battle and thought it would be fun to write about it.
I really appreciate everyone's comments and help with deciding what should be done with the Skills. I struggled with it awhile but ended up only allowing Rictus to have 1 Skill instead of gaining more. He still got some bonuses from it though. I liked the idea of there being some kind of consequence to his actions though and found the curse to be funny and ironic.
Killing off Roluth was a bit sad for me as well. At first, no one notable died during the battle, but I thought that made it lack some impact.
Next chapter will go into more details about what has changed for the Restored and around Skyrim during this little timeskip. Funny enough, I had actually considered ending the fic after the battle since I was drawing a bit of a blank on what I wanted to do next with it. The fact I had written over 150,000 words for this story also made me think that was a good length. In the end though, I decided against it. I may not have any more reserve chapters, but I will still continue the story for awhile longer.
