The Throat of the World

[AN]: Finally, we are here at the Alduin fight. Strap in, because this is a monster of a chapter for me at a little over 5 thousand words (10 pages or so for those that don't appreciate the word counts). Not going to lie, my back got a little sweaty writing this one. Could have just been the AC going out while wearing a jacket though... Anyways, onto the battle.

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(Mirajane/DB POV)

'Maybe, just maybe, I was a little too hasty and arrogant.' Mirajane slightly ducked as a dragon tail whooshed over her head with inches to spare. This was not at all what she had been expecting. 'Where is my dramatic and honorable fight? I should have known things were never that simple.' She then Shouted a quick WULD and utilized the Whirlwind Sprint to bypass the blood dragon's defense and move towards it head. A Bound Bow appeared in her hands with two arrows already knocked. Not even a second later, the two arrows were shot straight into the beast's eyes. It leaned its head up in a roar of pain. That was the last mistake it made as a bound battle ax ripped a hole in its less armored neck.

Mirajane dispelled the summoned weapon as she took stock of her situation. This dragon was the second one she had already killed in the short time the battle had been going on. That would normally be something worthy of a song, but not now. She sent a hateful look up at the smug looking Alduin just flying and watching her.

After she had been brought back from learning the Dragonrend Shout from the ancient heroes, Alduin had been waiting on her. Not only him though, but there were also a number of other dragons of various types with him. He then spouted some nonsense about her not being worthy of dying by his claws and commanded the other dragons to attack her. Paarthurnax had intervened and taken some of the pressure off her, but there were still more enemies he couldn't stop. What made it all worse was how every time she used the Dragonrend Shout, a different dragon would move in front of Alduin and take the hit for him.

She dodged another fire breath attack and barely moved out of the way of a frost breath as she reconsidered running off alone without her companions. She shook off the thought though. There was no time to worry about past decisions at this time. Besides, they would have been in even more danger than originally thought, so she believed it was the best course of action still.

"I am The Dragonborn. I will defeat all who get in my way!"

A soft thundering rumble took some of the wind out of her sails as she realized Alduin was laughing.

"Dovahkiin, you call yourself? Arrogant Mortal. I have feasted on many greater than you will ever be. My intervention isn't even necessary to kill you. Maar Saraan ko Sovngarde."

Another two blood dragons let out shrieks as they dove towards her. Mirajane let out a growl of her own as she prepared to kill more of the beasts.

Suddenly, something came streaking down from the skies at insane speeds as the wind howled at its passing. The two blood dragons couldn't even respond as the object slammed into their necks before slamming them down into the ground with tremendous force. Everything stilled as the dust was quickly swept away by the powerful winds on top of the mountain.

Mirajane looked in shock at the two nearly decapitated corpses before her. Muffled curses drew her attention though as a smile tugged at her lips.

"Are you fucking kidding me??? You almost killed us with that stunt. Now we lost the element of surprise and didn't even hurt Alduin."

"Well excuse me for setting the world record for killing two dragons, which were about to attack your girlfriend. You know, the person we came to help and the only one here who can permanently defeat a dragon by absorbing its soul."

"She's not…"

"Both of you shut up. We have bigger problems."

Mirajane couldn't help chuckling at the scene as some of the tension drained from her body. Seeing Solomon and Rictus arguing while Falla played peacekeeper while they were surrounded by dragons and the World Eater himself bolstered her spirit more than she would have ever imagined.

"Bahloki nahkip sillesejoor. My belly is full of the souls of your fellow mortals, Dovahkiin. Maybe I can make an exception for these though."

Righteous anger filled Mirajane at Alduin's words. That would never happen. Not as long as she drew breath.

"You three hold off the others. I will deal with Alduin."

The three Skilled smiled and nodded while replying.

"I swear none shall interfere while I am here Mira."

"Elfie's right. We've had your back every step of the way. Not going to change now."

"I call dibs on the corpses."

They all glanced at Rictus who simply shrugged his shoulders while muttering about how a man must make a living somehow. Mirajane gave him a look as she conjured a pair of dragon wings on herself. Before she could even ask, the rock beneath her feet shot upwards and a magical force sped her up even more. A vicious smile adorned her face as she flew through the air right at Alduin. Dragonrend bubbling up in her throat.

The real battle had begun.

(Back to the actual MC, savior of the universe, breaker of hearts, protector of Italian virginity, patron saint of goats, and lover of sweet rolls.)

Rictus quickly summoned another giant metal eagle from his inventory. He had learned his lesson last time and made sure he had a backup this time. Ramming the two blood dragons probably wasn't the best option for a surprise attack, but the nagging of both Falla and Solomon had gotten him a little tunnel visioned. It still worked and made a statement, so he wasn't too upset about it.

"Both of you get on. We are taking the fight to them."

The two Skilled eagerly hopped back on while Rictus made some of the metal cover their legs so they couldn't fall off. Taking to the skies, Rictus took in their remaining opponents. There was currently a total of 5 dragons left. Paarthurnax was currently holding them back, but it wouldn't last long. From Rictus's estimations, the friendly dragon could handle two of them. With a destination in mind, they blasted onwards. As they approached, Falla was the first to speak out.

"Drop me off on Papa Paarth. I will assist him in quickly defeating a couple of them while you two hold the rest back."

Holding back his questions about her calling the ancient betrayer of dragons Papa Paarth, Rictus nodded as he brought them closer to the battle of beasts. Paarthurnax rapidly turned and prepared a Shout, but he noticed Falla and turned the powerful flame breath back on his opponents in a wide arc which created some space. Before the dragon could speak to them, Rictus already had Falla floating through the sky and landing on his back. As soon as she did, she also released a massive Fire Shout which gave them even more space. Paarthurnax instantly understood what was going on and accepted her on his back, even if he did look displeased.

Lightning blades began rapidly shooting from the space around Rictus like a machine gun as he quickly flew past the enemy dragons. The attacks focused on three of them which were more than happy to give chase to the new interloper. He could tell the three of them were much more powerful than the blood dragons he had killed earlier. They had a black purplish color with distinctive thick curved horns. None were quite as powerful as Durnehviir, but the three put together would easily eclipse him in power.

Rictus had considered Summoning the undead dragon, but he remembered his words from earlier about not being able to help in the coming battle. It had been a warning which Rictus just now understood as he dodged blasts of fire, ice, and some purplish Shout. Dragons were all about domination and power. If Rictus had summoned Durnehviir, and the dragon lost a fight, he would most likely never answer Rictus's summons again as he had found someone new and more powerful. There was no need to risk that scenario just yet though.

Feeling magic being worked behind him, Rictus turned and looked at what Solomon was doing. Solomon held his grimoire in one hand as two storm atronachs appeared beside him and began hurtling their own bolts of lightning at the dragons. Next, a dremora lord appeared at the tail of the flying platform while glowing a reddish color.

"A Challenger is near!"

With those words, it leapt off the back and straight towards one of the dragons. One of the dragons quickly shot out its neck, biting into the armor. Before it could disappear, the dremora once again shouted.

"Now you Suffer!"

It ignited in a fiery explosion causing the dragon to cry out in pain as its mouth was scorched by the attack. Rictus looked on with appreciation as another summoned dremora lord was throwing himself off and towards the dragons again while shouting.

"I honor my lord, by destroying you!"

Deciding to help the summon on its quest, Rictus telekinetically shot it at the already injured dragon. The dremora laughed hysterically as it brought its great sword forward and stabbed the dragon directly in the chest before exploding into another fiery ball of destruction. Seeing the damage done, Solomon turned back to Rictus with a smile.

"Let's see if you can keep up then."

The two storm atronachs disappeared as now three flaming dremora lords appeared. Rictus let out a laugh as he lifted them all and telekinetically threw them as hard as he could. A steady stream of maniacal laughter and promises of slaughter were punctuated by loud explosions as the dremora lords met their fiery end. Who would have guessed making the most powerful summon from the game able to explode on death would be so satisfying to watch. Rictus determined he would need to learn such a spell, if only for the sheer joy he felt at watching it.

Now though, the three dragons were no longer the hunters and were trying their best to survive the sudden onslaught of flying, exploding dremora lords. Rictus of course made things even more difficult by constantly throwing lightning at them. Every little bit helped in a fight such as this.

He couldn't help but appreciate the Aetherial Crown even more right now. Before wearing it, he didn't think he could have pulled all this off as smoothly, or at all really. Telekinetically throwing three humanoid summons and shooting lightning blades, while flying a giant metal bird chasing after dragons all the while making sure they weren't hit by a dragon's Shout. It wasn't something any normal mage could manage with all the various spells and moving parts, and while Rictus did feel some strain, it wasn't unmanageable.

An enraged roar was released by the dragon who had tried eating the first exploding summons. A particularly good throw had sent all three dremora lords at it in a way it could not dodge. One sliced clean through part of its already damaged wing. Another left a giant scar along the dragons back before exploding and causing even more damage. The final one had somehow stabbed its sword into the beast's neck and didn't fall off. Rictus pulled and shot out a daedric sword from his inventory towards the dremora lord who caught it and stabbed it into the neck as well. The dragon let out a whimper before falling from the sky with the summon berating it the entire way down to its death before both crashed to the ground followed by another explosion. The dragon didn't so much as twitch after that.

With their brethren down, the remaining two dragons stopped reacting and charged straight at Rictus and Solomon in anger. Solomon gave Rictus a challenging look.

"Take off my restraints. I will take the left one. I'll help you once I am done."

Solomon then ran and jumped off while two ethereal feathered wings appeared on his back and guided him straight towards the dragon. Rictus felt his blood pumping furiously at the challenge as scales had unconsciously covered his entire body. His metal mount seemed to disappear as Rictus remained floating in the air. He just watched as the dragon got closer and closer. Seeing its prey frozen, the dragon didn't even bother Shouting and went straight for him with its mouth wide open, ready to swallow him whole.

Instead of the tender flesh and explosion of blood it expected, the dragon was confused as it felt it teeth crunching on metal. A feeling of foreboding filled it as it tried discovering where its prey had gone. Pressure on its back immediately drew its attention as it stared at a smiling Rictus. Before it could act, metal poured from Rictus's storage and began wrapping around it like tentacles constricting prey. The dragon tried opening its mouth, but more metal wrapped around its mouth like a muzzle while the metal inside its mouth wrapped around its teeth and penetrated the gums. It shook in unbridled rage as it tried breaking free to no avail. Spikes them speared down in between its scales and the softer part of its armor. Its blood began pouring out of it, but it didn't fall towards the ground.

The dragon's eyes widened in surprise as it watched its blood flow through the air and into a ball floating above Rictus's taloned hand. The rapidly weakening dragon tried anything to get free, but it was too late. It had already suffered a lot of damage from the exploding dremora lords and lightning attacks from earlier. This was just too much for it to overcome.

Seeing the defeat in its eyes gave Rictus a primal feeling of elation at completely dominating such a powerful and prideful creature. He lowered himself and the dragon to the ground where he cleared a space on the side of the mountain for them. Suddenly, a compulsion came over him as he got its attention by moving directly in front of the trapped dragon's face. He stored the blood in his inventory for later and locked eyes with the trapped creature.

"RII VAAZ ZOL!"

Sickly purplish energy surged outwards and consumed the dragon's head. Rictus could feel a pulling sensation and tearing sensation as the Soul Tear Shout tore at the dragon's very being. It was entrancing and exhilarating. The power of the Shout clashed with the Soul as a battle raged in the dragon's body. Normally, a dragon was completely immune to the effects of a soul trap. Only the dragonborn or other dragons could ever hope to consume and assimilate the soul of another dragon, everyone knew that. Feeling what was going on here though, Rictus started doubting such knowledge.

Eventually, the battle of souls seemed to end as Rictus watched the last vestiges of life leave the dragon. It was a bit anticlimactic, but Rictus didn't care as he was excited about how powerful his fully worded Shout was. Yes, the dragon was already weakened by everything going on before, but it still was able to bypass all defenses and kill it without much trouble. The scratchiness and slight pain in his throat meant he could maybe use it one more time today if he didn't care about losing his voice for a while, but that would be a last resort. Loud roars and Shouts pulled him from his self-diagnosis as he quickly flew back into the air. There was a world eater needing killing after all. As he was rising in the air, he saw some movement from the corner of his eyes where the dragon corpse was laying. When he looked though, he didn't see anything except some disturbed stone around the dragon's claws. Not giving it another thought, he quickly flew back towards the fight.

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Things weren't looking great from what Rictus could see. He didn't think he had been gone that long, but apparently a lot had happened during his little soul-searching trip. Solomon, Falla, and Paarthurnax had already cleared the other dragons out and started helping Mirajane battle Alduin. It didn't seem to have gone well for them though. The giant fireballs falling from the sky didn't help matters either.

Paarthurnax was covered in wounds with his wings shredded. He was down on the ground partially curled up but still sending out the occasional Shout when he could get a clear shot, at least he was before Alduin chunked a massive boulder at his head and knocked him out. Solomon was also away from the battle in rough shape as he was bleeding from multiple sources and his left leg and arm were twisted in unnatural ways. Rictus could see him chugging all kinds of restoring potions like there were no tomorrow, which wasn't out of the realm of possibilities sadly. Right now though, Mirajane and Falla were battling Alduin, who had a bluish glow around him and was fighting on the ground.

As Rictus was approaching, Alduin let out a powerful FUS and sent the unrelenting force towards Falla who had been annoying him with her puny Shouts. She tried canceling it out with a FUS of her own, but it was consumed by the dragon's more powerful Thu'um. Thankfully, this did dissipate some of the force, so instead of being thrown off the mountain, Falla was only thrown back a few dozen feet. This temporarily distracted Mirajane though allowing Alduin to lash out with his tail and hit her. She put up a late block and tried dodging, but it still sent her flying.

Alduin stalked towards his down opponents, but Rictus wouldn't allow that. Dozens of metal spears covered in lightning shot down towards the dragon. Sensing it, Alduin used a Shout to move most of them off target or buffet them, so only a couple landed, and even then, they did nothing against the dragon's scales. Rictus landed in front of the hulking monstrosity, blocking the path towards Falla and Mirajane.

"You Shall Not Pass!"

As Rictus shouted the super original words and banged a metal staff on the ground, he called upon his magic and the mountain itself to make his vision a reality, and they answered. He rose a protective cover over his allies as giant fists of stones broke from the ground and started attacking Alduin without respite. Pulverizing hits landed upon the dragon's body, causing Alduin to flinch lightly. He was a whirlwind of claws, tail, and Shouts as he held back Rictus's attack. It was then the blue glow around him faded. Rictus felt a surge of power as Alduin released a truly massive fire breath hotter than anything Rictus had ever seen.

Huge walls of stones shot up trying to block the attack, but they were being melted as fast as Rictus could raise them. Metal poured once again from his storage as it created another layer of defense against the sustained fire attack. It glowed a bright red making the sweat on Rictus evaporate, but then the attack stopped. A rumbling voice shook Rictus's chest.

"You shall pay for your defiance, futile as it may be."

The ground shook as Alduin quickly moved across the ground. Focusing his might and Will, Rictus was determined to stop him. Stone hands as large as Alduin's head once again rose from the ground, this time though, they didn't stop raising up. A giant stone and metal golem covered in ice from the mountain top let out a silent roar as it counter charged the great dragon. The two titans came together in a thunderous clash of physical might. Alduin easily carved into the golem with his claws but was thrown off when another fist impacted his side. Alduin turned his head as another massive stone golem had joined in on the fight. Fire, ice and lighting were Shouted out in rapid succession against the two titanic golems. They reformed almost as fast as they were damaged, but it was a losing battle.

Rictus huffed deep breaths of the frigid air as he poured his full concentration into the golems, reforming them as fast as he could while holding off Alduin as best he could. He felt as if he was trying to hold back the tide of the ocean. Still, Rictus knew if he just held out a little longer, then he would have back up.

Rictus channeled another massive spell as he made the two golems grapple with Alduin. They only immobilized him for a few short moments, but that was long enough. An unexpected sound shook the heavens as another force entered the battle.

"MMEEEEHHHH!!!"

An almost unrecognizable Billy had joined the party. The shock and unorthodox opponent had frozen Alduin long enough for Billy to land a devastating charge into Alduin's shoulder and wing. The dragon was sent skidding backwards from the sheer force of the hit as the golems holding him down started crumbling from the force as well. Alduin quickly recovered though and turned to face his newest opponent. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before though.

Billy only vaguely looked like a goat. He was as big as a blood dragon, which was still smaller than Alduin, with two massive curling horns along his head and giant wings along his back. Bolts of lightning coursed across his body, which looked to be made of a mixture of stones and scales. A long prehensible tail swished dangerously behind him as he pawed the ground. Billy bleated again while sending a thunderbolt crashing against Alduin's chest. Taking the challenge in stride, Alduin released his own breath of fire which washed over Billy reinforced exterior. Charging through the flames with his head down, Billy did his best to close in on his foe.

In close range, horn met claw as the two clashed. Each slash of Alduin's claw rend stone from Billy's hide, but more would flow from the ground as Rictus reinforced his familiar's armor. Billy wasn't idle and would stomp, headbutt, and use his tail as a whip, with each attack reinforced by the power of electricity. Additional stone pillars would periodically shoot from the ground at Alduin's wings any time he tried taking off. Rictus knew a battle in the air against Alduin would not end in his favor. They fought back and forth as Alduin leveraged his overwhelming power against Billy and Rictus's stubborn defense and rapid regeneration.

Despite his truly monstrous amounts of mana and prodigious use of mana stones, Rictus could feel himself tiring rapidly. It wouldn't be long before he couldn't hold Alduin back any longer. A surprise Frost breath covered Billy in ice, and before Rictus could respond, another massive fire breath impacted his familiar. The sudden temperature changes had greatly weakened Billy's defense, and Alduin took advantage of it as he rammed himself into the giant family with a slashing of claws and wailing of jaws. With a pained cry, Billy exploded into dust as a sudden discharge of electricity shot out, locking up Alduin's joints for a moment.

Rictus let out a deep breath as he barely stayed standing upright. He had spent more mana in this short exchange than he had ever done at one time. From the dust, a lightning quick tail shot out faster than he could react. The black scaled tail hit him in the side with more force than he had ever experienced. Rictus flew backwards and was embedded into part of the mountain. A wet cough caused blood to pour out of his mouth as Rictus took in the sight of the cracked scales and armor along his body while blood seeped from his wounds.

He could see Alduin rearing his head up for another breath attack and wondered how he was going to get out of this one.

"JOOR ZAH FRUL!"

A blinding blue energy impacted Alduin before he could attack Rictus, staggering the dragon and drawing his ire. It seemed Mirajane had finally reentered the battle. Rictus tried getting up but let out a manly grunt of pain as he found out he had several broken bones. It really wasn't fair in his opinion how Alduin could take so much punishment, but a single powerful hit from the dragon almost killed him. Not all species were created equal after all it seemed.

Mirajane didn't say anything as she deliberately walked towards Alduin who looked at her in contempt.

"Paarthurnax is weak. Your mortal followers cannot stop me. You are no match for me, joor! Die now and await your fate in Sovngarde!"

The two legendary figures spoke no more as they fought with all their might. Mirajane dodged away from hits and Shouts while utilizing lightning-fast attacks and counters against Alduin's weak points. Alduin meanwhile preferred power to subtlety. While Mirajane was getting more hits in, she needed hundreds of them compared to Alduin who only needed a couple hits to end the battle.

After a particularly close call which left a long laseration along her arm, Mirajane created some distance between the two of them. Trying to take advantage of it, Alduin released a fully powered Shout at her.

"FUS RO DAH!"

Not one to be out done, Mirajane met his challenge with one of her own.

"FUS RO DAH!"

The two Shouts were more powerful than any individual spell Rictus had ever encountered. They met at the halfway point between the two in a clap of thunder which annihilated the ground and shot rocks all over the place. Dragonborn and Dragon stared down each other as they prepared their next moves.

Suddenly, a ball of magelight shot out and struck Alduin on the face followed by an arrow bouncing off his scales. Both combatants turned and stared incredulously at a dazed looking Falla. Rictus could see the cloudy look in her eyes from where he was healing his injuries and knew she was suffering from a concussion and not in her right frame of mind. Mirajane noticed the same thing and tried motioning her away, but the concussed woman didn't take any notice as she drew back an arrow on a hunting bow and shot another ineffective arrow at the World Eater that didn't land anywhere near the massive dragon. Not even looking at his attacker, Alduin picked up a boulder with his tail and launched it at her.

Falla saw it coming at her, and some part of her brain recognized the threat as she tried Shouting.

"FEIM.."

It was cut off though as the stone slammed into her body with the force of a runaway train. Mirajane let out an anguished cry and moved towards the body of her downed friend. She should have known better though. Alduin was not one to let an opportunity go to waste.

A sickeningly wet thud ripped Mirajane's head around as her face contorted in horror.

"No…"

Blood waterfalled down from where the tip of Alduin's tail as Mirajane's eyes were clouded in confusion while tracing the tail for the source of blood. Her eyes widened even more as tears started falling down her face. A shaky hand reached out and wiped them away though.

"My life for yours."

Solomon had a serene smile on his face despite the grievous wound. He had recovered from his previous injuries and had turned invisible while sneaking towards the battle. While everyone was distracted, he moved near Mirajane so he could hopefully provide a distraction which would allow her to land the final blow. The attack on Falla hadn't distracted him quite as much as the others, so he saw the attack coming and tried conjuring shields as fast as possible to block it. It hadn't been enough to save himself, but it was enough to save Mirajane.

Suddenly, Solomon was yanked backwards as Alduin studied the mortal impaled on his tail who had intercepted his attack. Seeing the devastation on Mirajanes face, a cruel look appeared in his eyes as he slowly brought the dying body towards his open mouth. Seeing the end coming, Solomon looked one more time at Mirajane. As they locked eyes, Solomon gave her a small weak smile and a wink before adopting a look of pure determination.

Ethereal chains covered in spikes burst from Solomon's body like some kind of eldritch abomination. The chains flailed in a whirlwind of destruction as they tore into Alduin's body and unprotected mouth. More and more of the chains appeared and struck Alduin as Solomon tapped into his life force to power the spells. The chains took on a reddish hue as they stabbed into Alduin's body, ripping apart scales and then exploding once the scales were peeled away. Alduin let out a roar of anger as suffered under the attack, the Dragonrend shout still affecting him and weakening him. He tried throwing away the body, but it was stuck fast and would not move.

All too soon, the chains disappeared. Solomon's body dropped lifelessly onto the ground. Alduin thrashed in pain for a moment longer as he felt pain unlike any before he had in his lifetime. Mirajane stood frozen as she stared at Solomon's body laying limply on the ground. Alduin stopped thrashing and took notice of the unmoving Mirajane. Before he could attack, someone else interfered.

"RII!"

The first word of Soul Tear flew over Mirajane and slammed into Alduin, making him slightly flinch. That broke Mirajane from her trance though as her face became devoid of all emotions. Steady and unflinching steps brought her closer towards her enemy, each step shaking the ground.

"strun bah."

Her whispered words were not loud like a normal Shout, but the pure emotion behind them was more powerful than any other Shout the dragonborn had ever used before. Lightning lit up the sky as thunder boomed, shaking the mountain itself with the power of the heavens. Rain fell down in droves slightly obscuring everything around them. Alduin let out a pained roar as lightning bolts fell from the sky like an orbital bombardment upon him.

All the while, Mirajane slowly made her way forwards not even flinching at the lightning bolts landing beside her in time with each of her steps. Feeling the pain of the constant impacts as the storm showed no signs of stopping or weakening, Alduin roared in anguish as he Shouted at the sky.

"LOK VAH KOOR!"

A final trio of lightning bolts impacted him, as the tempest around them partially let up. Taking advantage of the momentary calm, a strange energy pulsed from Alduin, removing the Dragonrend's effect as he took to the sky.

"Meyz mul, Dovahkiin. You have become strong. But I am Al-du-in, Firstborn of Akatosh! Mulaagi zok lot! I cannot be slain here, by you or anyone else! You cannot prevail against me. I will outlast you... mortal!"

With those parting words, Alduin quickly flew away from there without looking back.

Mirajane didn't say a word, as she kept steadily walking forward. Finally, she stopped once she reached Solomon's body. Collapsing, she held her head in her hands as she shook sobbing. She had survived and came out victorious, but it tasted like ash in her mouth as she looked at Solomon's corpse.

Weak arms wrapped around and embraced her from behind. Mirajane turned around to find Falla, covered in recently healed wounds, holding on to her with tears in her eyes as well. The two of them clung to one another as they mourned their loss.

Rictus stood apart from the two as they had their moment. Standing vigil over them so nothing may disturb them in their grief. Their problems weren't going anywhere, so a few more moments like this wouldn't harm anything. It is always harder to be left behind than to be the one to go. Rictus pulled a flagon of mead from his inventory as he poured a little out before taking a deep pull from it. His whispered voice hoarse from the Shouting.

"Though he fell, he never stumbled."

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[AN]: Whew. That was a good long chapter. I almost broke it into two but decided against it. Not only would that be cruel, but it is the week of my sister's wedding, and I was feeling generous.

Hope you all enjoyed it, and the fight wasn't too boring. Writing a fight against something as powerful as Alduin should be is not easy, so I didn't go into a huge amount of detail with it all since I thought that could take away from what each person could imagine for themselves with it. Most readers a more imaginative and can fill in the blanks better than I ever could.

Surprised about Solomon? Fighting something that could destroy the world is not for the faint of heart. I thought there should be some consequences from it and felt he would be the one to sacrifice himself.

I didn't include most of the real descriptions of the shouts since people could look them up or use context clues. If you look up what Falla said before she was hit, you can easily see why she didn't die from a boulder to the face.