492 Barbas...

Paarthurnax nods at her answer, and Michael could swear the dragon was smiling... "Pruzah. Good. I was worried that you would fall into the same folly, folaas, as my siblings... As I once had. Fin dur do rel ni ahraan pah Dovah."

"W-what about you? What do you want?" Illococoo can't help but ask.

"Peace." Paarthurnax simply answers. "Kiir, I would have you learn from me. I would save one Dovah from Alduin's bah, his wrathful purpose."

"P-Paarthurnax, are you sure?" Arngeir can't help but ask, feeling as if their old master was taking this all too quickly... While Illococoo seemed like a pleasant enough person, they couldn't be sure if she would remain that way, or if she was hiding something or not.

"Fret not, she is innocent, and will learn well. In time, she may well succeed me, should my end near." the dragon states, leaving no more room for discussion.

With that, the Greybeards return to their temple while Michael and Tiffania start making their way to the very peak of the mountain as Illococoo and Paarthurnax begin talking.

"Hm? A pickaxe?" Michael mutters as he and Tiffania walk by a notched pick axe that was buried in an ore vein...

"Who would look for ore here..." Tiffania questions as she grips his hand tighter for warmth.

Michael shrugs, "Who knows, must be good at crafting and mining though, a Craftminer if you would..."

"You're being silly..."

"Probably... Ah, before I forget. Yoink!" he says as he shoves the tool into his inventory.

The duo then begin climbing the last stretch, both taking a seat on the blunt stone peak of the Throat of the World, "Well, the name doesn't do it justice." Michael says as he looks over the world. Illococoo and the Greybeard's earlier Clear Skies shouts had given them good visibility over everything, without anything obscuring it.

"It's beautiful..." the elf says in awe, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Better than the edge of Albion?"

Tiffania smiles, "Well, I don't think much can beat the view of a giant floating island..."

...

"Ah, I know." Michael says after a long moment, retrieving a camera and using telekinesis to take some photos of them, making sure to get some photos of the view as well.

"I'll never get over how useful technology is..." Tiffania says as she looks at the photo with a wide smile.

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

Sometime after their visit to the Throat of the World, Michael found himself in Falkreath, searching around for a mutt that didn't seem to want to be found...

He'd been laying it off since he thought that the Eye of the World might've changed how Barbas would react, but the thought of Charlotte and her plight forced him into action. So, that's what he was doing now... Searching up and down all of the roads, woods, and hideyholes of Falkreath in search of Clavicus Vile's mutt.

Thankfully, he wasn't alone in this.

A woman wearing black and faded red leather armour appears from a nearby shadow, "You haven't found anything yet, I assume?"

"None yet... Thanks for the help though, Astrid."

She shrugs, "You know how it is, I scratch your back you scratch mine. Besides, if my guild couldn't find some dog in our backyard we'd be useless at our job... Why do you need this 'talking dog' again by the way?"

Michael shakes his head, "It's probably best you don't know. I doubt even your Night Mother would want to know if you could."

*Poof*

"Master! We've found something!"

A hooded Dark Brotherhood member says, prompting the duo to follow after them. They enter a clearing and find a ragged-looking dog arguing with Babette, who seemed ready to bite it's head off.

"Now, I don't know what you want, but be prepared because I bite! I'll gnaw your ankles if you don't back off! I swear!"

"Damn mutt! Just get in the bag or I'll have to be more forceful!" the child vampire growls, revealing her fangs.

"No! I have only one master! He won't be happy with you when he finds out about this! You wouldn't like him when he's angry!" the dog exclaims while backing away from the enraged vampire.

"Alright! That's enough!" Astrid calls out, "Michael, I'll leave this to you. I need to put a muzzle on my bat." she says, dragging all of the Dark Brotherhood members away and leaving Michael alone with the dog.

"Hello, Barbas." Michael asks with a smirk as he approaches.

"W-who are you? Whaddya want with me?"

"Hm, looks like your master doesn't keep you in the know. I'm Michael Tahlin, and you are exactly who I was looking for."

The dog backs away, stopping as his rear hits a tree, "W-well if it's my master you want, go find him! I've not heard a single word from him for months! I can't even feel him!"

Michael nods, "The case of that would be, me. Your master has something dear to me, so I'm going to use you to take it back. Got it?"

Barbas' ears flatten, "How're you going to do that!? My master already threw me out, and I can't even talk to him now!"

Michael pulls an ebony dagger out, "I'm going to ask him once, if he rejects, I'll skin you alive and send him your pelt. If he rejects a second time you're legs will be next. And a third? I'll eat your soul." he growls.

The dog looked utterly terrified but still managed to find its voice, "I-I'll ask again... How? If I can't get a hold of my master, then no one can!"

Michael's about to answer when he realises that the dog was actually right... His methods of speaking to Clavicus wouldn't actually work now that the veil was strengthened. Going to Clavicus' shrine wouldn't work, making a ritual wouldn't work, and there was no well in hell he was going to venture into Oblivion to speak with him...

"Huh... I guess you're right... You're still coming with me though. Call it 'insurance', in case that cunt thinks he can mess around with me."