Chapter 13

Athias held an iron dagger.

There was nothing of note about it. The blade wasn't dull nor was it extraordinarily sharp. It wasn't fresh but he wouldn't call it old either, the blade having seen a modest amount of use. The leather bound handle was in a similar state, old smudges of oil visible under a little scrutiny.

It was an ordinary dagger.

For now.

His magicka crashed into the blade and surrounded it, imposing his will upon it.

Rust crawled over the blade. The leather became faded, fraying bit by bit.

He tightened his hold around it, forcing more of his magicka into the blade.

This dagger wasn't a dagger. It was dust.

The blade completely rusted, losing its shape as its edges crumbled away. The leather became so thin he could see the rusting metal of the handle.

Then it stopped, the dagger corroded but not destroyed like he intended. Never the less, he was satisfied with the result.

With a thought several windows opened up at once.

[Name: Athias Viria]

[Title: N/A]

[Age: 23]

[Race: Imperial]

[Sub-Race: Nord]

[Birth-sign: The Apprentice]

「Health: 200/200 Stamina: 250/250 Magicka: 300/300」

Perk List

[Perk: Blessed by the Divines]

[Description: For reasons unknown, your restoration spells have become more effective against their targets.]

[Effects: Your restoration spells are 50% more effective]

[Perk: Fleet of Foot]

[Description: You aren't one to be cornered. When outnumbered, you make every breath, every dodge, and every block count. To do less is to invite death.]

[Effects: When outnumbered, your actions consume 10% less stamina and your stamina regeneration is increased by 10%]

[Perk: The Ebb and Flow]

[Description: You're still a novice but you're becoming accustomed to the rhythm of combat. You waste little momentum between attacks and know when to prioritize defense.]

[Effects: Continuous attacks consume 5% less stamina. Vice versa, back to back blocks consume 5% less stamina. This bonus does not stack on itself.]

[Perk: Flame-licked Soul]

[Description: You've started to embrace the path of pyromancy and, it in turn, has embraced you. Your souls now burns hotter than others.]

[Effects: Your flame orientated spells do 10% more damage. 5% percent of all fire damage you suffer is converted to magicka. You now take 10% more damage from cryomancy.]

[Perk: Mystical Conversion]

[Description: Wards are good for protection but you've, as so few do, glimpsed the true potential they hold. Your Wards are now able to siphon magicka from spells that hit it.]

[Effects: Wards convert 5% of magical damage they block into magicka.]

[Perk: Sixth Sense]

[Description: The countless dangerous situations you've found yourself in has given birth to an instinct a chosen few can truly claim to possess. You know when things aren't as they should be.]

[Effects: You know when you're being watched and can pick up on all but the most expertly hidden of malicious intents.]

[Perk: Deft Hands]

[Description: You're no expert but you've become well acquainted with the bow and arrow. You waste little time between shots.]

[Effects: You ready your arrows 10% faster.]

Spell List

[Heal]

[Healing Hands]

[Cure Poison]

[Oakflesh]

[Corrode]

[Muffle]

[Blur]

[Flash]

[Flames]

[Flame-wall]

[Sparks]

[Frostbite]

Athias grinned as he reviewed various windows. Two weeks of study, questionable self-experimentation, and plenty of talent later and he was looking quite versatile.

His Alteration skills left much to be desired.

He had accepted that the world was malleable and his interpretation of things, while not wrong, represented one way to view the world. A startling truth for some to confront, but not him. He had memories of a world with things as mundane as showers to weapons of mass destruction like nukes, both of which this one lacked. As a trade off the people here had definitive after lives and could use magic to do the impossible.

With that in mind, Athias wasn't all that concerned with applying a rigid sense of order to the world. Anything and everything was possible.

It was the next step that stumped him.

The tome urged beginners taking their first steps into Alteration to use their magicka to coax the world to change. They were to treat every spell with care and objects of said spells as spoiled children; stuck in their ways but easy to manipulate with the right understanding.

It was utterly stupid.

Requests and bait wasn't the way to affect the world. If you wanted something to change then you needed to take things by the reins and force them to go your way.

After several frustrating days of fruitlessly following the tomes instructions, Athias started doing things his way. He used his magicka as a conduit to impose his will and forced the targets of his spells to do as he wished.

A horribly dangerous choice on his part. Spells under the umbrella of Alteration were some of the most dangerous by nature, eclipsing destruction despite what non-mages might think. A few burns and a bit of frostbite didn't compare to accidentally petrifying yourself while learning to change the properties of your own skin.

Dangers aside, his method got results. Corrode and Oakflesh demanded the largest chunks of his magicka out of everything on his spell list, but he could cast them quickly and their effects were powerful.

His stomach grumbled, the pangs of hunger reminding him that for all the magic he was learning, he was still just mortal.

Athias laid the now useless dagger on the table and rose from his chair, leaving his room. Chatter, cheers, and arguments. All the usual sounds of a nordic inn hit him the moment he stepped beyond the metal doors. The thick smell of alcohol and burning wood weren't far behind.

Either Auri was in her room or out and about as he didn't catch sight of her once he entered the lively main room. She could be out visiting Thistlefoot; he might stick close to Auri but like any free animal, he spent his life roaming the wilds.

As independent as the people in Markarth were, this was the one place where they gathered together, stories exchanged over drinks. It was an easy task to get himself a corner table and fresh bowl of steaming horker stew accompanied by a tankard of milk when most gravitated towards the bar for talk.

He didn't care what anyone said; drinking alcohol with every meal was nauseating.

He wasn't the only one who thought so.

The doors to the inn opened and a familiar breton stepped in, a foul frown in place as she looked for a spot to sit. They caught each other's eye and he nodded.

"Calcelmo still not budging?" Athias asked as she took the seat across from him.

They talked a bit over the past two weeks. And by talk he meant she complained about the Court Mage while he downed a quick meal before returning to his spell tomes.

"That old bastard acts like Nchuand-Zel is his property. What's the point in overseeing a dwemer ruin if you aren't going to go in yourself?" She complained like usual. "Today he came up with another excuse to keep me from going in. Something about a giant spider. As if that's a good enough reason to not go into those ruins."

Athias swallowed another spoonful of his food before speaking. "You're bad at magic and can barely use that dagger, you said as much yourself. A frostbite spider is going to be a problem for you."

"Hey, I'm not that bad with a dagger. I'm sure you'll agree when you wake up with one in your ass." She said getting a chuckle from him. Her snarky indignation crumbled away as she turned thoughtful. "I guess there's a good chance I might end up dead. I won't be seeing any ruins if that happens…..Oh, I know! I'll just hire some mercenaries. He'll have to let me in."

A good idea in this place. There was no shortage of people in Markarth willing to risk life and limb for some coin going off the amount of them that strolled about with armor and weapons. Then again, who in Skyrim didn't at least walk around with a dagger at their hip?

"Actually, you seem like the type to disregard their own life in favor of gold and I'm pretty sure you won't cut and run on me. What do you say? Interested in exploring a dwemer ruin? You never know what you might find." She said with a smile.

He hadn't planned on venturing into one of those places just yet but if spiders were the only opposition it could be worth it to try and get an extra perk point from his achievement list. If automatons showed up, he now had Oakflesh and Corrode at his disposal, the latter of which he learned specifically to deal with them.

This was a chance to earn a ton of gold too.

"20,000 gold and you've got a deal."

She gaped. "Whoa, I know you're good with magic but are you really that good?" It was meant as a joke but she actually reached into the pack at her feet and began rifting through it until she pulled out a pouch. This breton really might be a noble. "I can dooooo, 200 gold?"

No, no she wasn't.

Athias gave her a deadpan stare.

"Oh don't look at me like that." He kept up his stare and the woman waved her hands in a placating manner. "Okay, okay. 200 now and, as long as it isn't anything I haven't seen before, you can have your pick of whatever we find in the ruins. Of course, I'll also be picking up what I can to sell and pay you with more gold after we get out."

Better than nothing he supposed. It was an added bonus anyways; taking a peak into Dwemer ruins that haven't been remodeled for the city's needs would be interesting, perk point or no.

"Soooo?"

"You've got a deal." Athias said.

"Yes!" She cheered childishly catching the attention from some of the people around them. She didn't care at all. "Alright, let's head up to Understone Keep and find that bastard Calcelmo."

"Tomorrow."

"But-"

"I've been practicing spells all day, I won't be at my best if we go now." Athias explained. His alteration spells had a way of exhausting him faster than any other. A few more casts of them and that mentally burdened status effect would show up. They should wait on Auri too. However the breton felt about his friend he didn't plan on leaving her out of an adventure.

"Fine, one more day won't hurt." She leaned forward, pulling out a black leather bound journal she often wrote in. "Now, tell me more about those books you burnt."

Athias sighed. This woman was never going to let that go.

====================

Far from my favorite chapter. Too much system and not enough story but it does set up a long dungeon delve and sheds light on the smart and not so smart perks the MC invested in during his little training with Auri before Markarth. Also a little focus on alteration. That school of magic is going to be something else. Also yes, I'm going off my own opinion of spells and how I feel they should work to decide their rankings. The games simply don't do all the crazy stuff in Skyrim lore justice. Can't say I will, but I'm sure as hell going to try.

Gonna mention this again: will be doing a mass editing for grammar and spelling this weekend so ignore any notifications you get on those two days from me if you do get them.

Don't forget to toss your boy some stones and maybe a review before you go.

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See ya you all next time, or in the comments. Which ever one comes first for you. Appreciate you all for tuning into this little journey with me. Can you believe we're already at 30k words? Crazy.