Sun's Out

Surtr sends an intense stare at Michael, conflicting feelings bubbling up until one becomes prominent, jealousy, envy, righteous indignation... He was to be the only, and last Dragonborn, yet Michael shows up and claims the same status!? "Impossible! You cannot be Dragonborn!"

Michael shrugs his shoulders, "I'm not, I can just steal souls, mortal and immortal."

"That should be impossible, none but father could take our souls, only him and his kin, we Dovah." Paathurnax says.

"Well, believe it or not, I don't care. We should focus on beating Alduin, your petty squabbles can resume afterwards."

"Your idea is to organise dragons as we do men. As I said before, Michael, it can't be done." Surtr argues, knowing that even the fear they feel right now wouldn't remain for long.

"The Dragonborn is right! We won't follow like sheep, we are the rulers and rightful owners of the sky! You look up to us!"

Michael lets out a sigh and shakes his head "Mortal won the last war because you guys were too fucking retarded to understand proper military tactics. It feels good to incinerate a town solo until a bolt strikes you in the eye or throat. Surtr, have you ever seen more than one dragon attack a town at a time?"

"No. Never."

Michael nods, "Yeah, because they don't do it for protection, supplies, or some goal, they do it to torture the 'pathetic mortals' and 'show them their place', like children would ants." he glares at the dragons, "But even children grow out of it eventually, you lot act more like room-temperature IQ, down-syndrome kids with scales and wings!"

"I do not understand the insult, but you are acting too arrogantly, mortal! The destruction of your little villages is for only that, destruction!"

"Paathurnax! How much damage would a line of dragons flying over a city do, compared to just one?" he asks, recalling the World War 2 bombings of London.

"It would burn it and everyone inside almost instantly..." the elder dragon states.

"If it were for only destruction you'd do that, or you had any brains! Plus the attack would be too quick for anyone to respond to. No, you dumb-fucks just kill people to get a kick out of it, you sadistic scaly cunts!... NOW! You're all going to listen to Surtr as he teaches you MORTAL TACTICS! And you're going to fucking like it! Do you understand!"

...

Michael listens as the dragons still grumble reluctantly to themselves, like overgrown children. He activates [Silent Terror], [Presence of the Dark Lord], and finally [Global Silence].

"SILENCE!" he bellows as the spell takes effect, causing all the dragons present, Paarthurnax and Durnehviir included, to step back in shock. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?" he shouts, his voice defeating in contrast to the absolute silence of everything else.

He nods to himself as none of them goes to answer, "Good! Surtr, sort them out please?" he asks, walking towards where Paathurnax, Durnehviir, and Illococoo were waiting, the dragons around him clearing a path forward.

Surtr watches his back as he walks, internally making arguments, insults, threats, and other things he felt it better not to say aloud. Michael had just done him a favour, yet it felt more like pity than anything.

He shakes his head and turns toward the dragons, "IF WE FIGHT, WE'LL FIGHT TOGETHER! WE'LL BE OUTNUMBERED SO IT THAT OR DEFEAT AND DEATH!"

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

"So, why'd you call me? Pretty we never laid down rules on what you can and can't do." Michael asks Durnehviir.

The dragon nods his head over at the now dominant-acting Surtr, "I felt the Dragonborn required a push. Your presence would ensure that."

"What, you knew I would do that?"

"Indeed, if not that then advising the Dragonborn, which would have the same results... I do not wish to return to the Soul Cairne so soon, we must win against Alduin."

"Is this all of them or...?" he asks Paathurnax. Right now only twenty or so dragons were present, their number heavily crowding the peak.

"Five left before you arrived, they left to join Alduin."

"Huh, I probably shouldn't have killed one then... Think anymore are gonna leave?"

"Doubtful. Your show of power will convince them, the Dragonborn's presence will keep them."

"Think we'll win this? Twenty dragons and an army of 'mortals' against Alduin and his forces." Michael asks.

"... I think answering my true thoughts would lower our chances of succeeding. Alduin's defeat will have shocked him, he will not fight as he did."

"So, we're fucked basically? Good to know."

"That is why I did not wish to speak it."

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

After sorting out the dragons, Michael makes his way back to Winterhold where he'd arranged to meet with Serana and Valerica, the duo arriving at his Spire's doorstep with a small entourage of elite vampires.

"This all you're bringing?" Michael questions as he'd been told otherwise before.

Valerica sniffs, "These are only our guards, the rest are making their way to Riften to await further orders... I do hope you have planned for the battle to take place during the night, our subordinates might rebel otherwise."

"Yeah... That's actually what I wanted to talk to you guys about. I need some blood from either you or Serana." he asks, causing some of the guards to step forward with a clearly hostile gait.

"D-do you mean to use THAT!?" Serana blurts out, horrified at the idea.

"What do you mean? What are you planning?" Valerica asks looking between her daughter and Michael.

"Well, I can't control when we'll reach Skuldafn, especially since the mountains aren't mapped out at all. So dealing with the sun directly was the next best thing."

Valerica's eyes widen, "You can't! All our work defeating my husband would have gone to waste!"

Michael shakes his head, "I've already looked into it, the arrows seal off the sun for a limited time depending on how much blood is used." he didn't mention the fact that he'd need to drastically empower the veil before he did this to prevent Molag Bal from doing anything.