Shatterpoint

After confirming the identity of the Dragonborn, Michael and Tiffania headed home. Once back however, Tiffania offered to give him another rune... Which he easily accepted.

One ritual later and Michael's body had been marked with yet another Void rune, this one spiralling around his left shoulder and bicep in a random mass of ancient script.

"How is it?" Tiffania tentatively asks while tracing a gentle hand over the still sore runes.

"Hmm..."

[Wynningbaldr] : Allows user to detect break-points and use mana to exploit them.

Huh, so... It's kind of like 'Shatterpoint' from Starwars, minus the seer mumbo-jumbo? Or a crappier version of the Eyes of Death Perception?

Michael rests a hand on the stone block he'd been laying on and focuses, his mind 'clicking' and allowing him to sense the infinitesimally small cracks and fractures that ran deeply within it. He exerts some mana and...

*CRAACK!*

The entire thing dents inwards, as if superman had just bitchslapped it... A good portion of the stone was reduced to dust, while the rest was so unstable that it was falling apart at the seams.

Michael looks to the surprised Tiffania and gives a wild grin as the glowing Wynningbaldr runes on his shoulders fade. "I think it'll do nicely... And you, deserve a reward."

She blushes as he picks her up in a princess carry, walking through the Spire and ignoring everyone else as he enters their shared bedroom.

A couple hours later, Michael leans on his side and looks at her, "Now, what would you like as a reward for your hard work?"

...

"That wasn't the reward?" she asks, face still flushed after their recent rather long session.

He gives a shit-eating grin, "No... I just wanted to do that..."

...

"Well... Illu was talking about flying to the Throat of the World where the Greybeards lived to learn more about their Thu'um... I was thinking it would be nice to see Skyrim from the very top of it..."

He smiles, "Alright, we'll head out in the morning. If you're alright with that?"

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The next day, Michael and Tiffania flew on Illococoo's back towards the Throat of the World. To be honest, the flight wasn't as 'fun' as Tiffania would have thought, mainly due to how cold it got as they ascended. This didn't really bother Michael, but Tiffania had to be bundled up in multiple blankets in order to stay warm as they flew.

Eventually, the group reached High Hrothgar, Illococoo landing in what was essentially the backyard of the temple. There was already a Greybeard present, a Nord with a long grey beard and weathered face approached them with his hands hidden in his sleeves.

Michael and Tiffania hop from the back of Illococoo as the dragon girl returns to her human form, the girl grinning excitedly as she approaches the monk. "Hi! Are you a Greybeard?! You must be, right, you've got a Greybeard!"

...

The monk stares at the girl for a couple seconds before bringing his hand up and pointing it at the ground in a 'wait here' manner.

Illococoo looks to Michael who shrugs, "Let's just wait and see what's up... If these guys turn out to be really boring we'll go visit the dragon at the top of the mountain." he says, causing the monk's eyes to widen, prompting him to increase his pace.

A minute later, The other Greybeards exit the temple, each standing in a line before the group as if they were a choreographed K-Pop band. "Greetings travellers, Borri here made some rather large claims, so we have come to see if our fellow's mind was leaving him... I'm glad to see our worries were misfounded." a Greybeard says as he steps in front of the others.

Michael was somewhat surprised by how similar they all looked... Like very, old, very wrinkled identical siblings... "Good to meet you, I'm Michael, this is Tiffania, and the one looking ready to tackle you is Illococoo."

"H-Hello!" Illococo loudly greets, causing a couple of the monks to crook a smile at her.

The lead Greybeard nods, "I am Arngeir, this is Wulfgar, Borri, and Einarth," he says as he points out the others, "Forgive my colleagues for being unable to greet you themselves, their voice is rather... Impactful."

Michael tilts his head to the side, "Impactful? Are they still learning to control themselves?" he questions, unsure since they all looked around the same age as each other.

Arngeir shakes his head with a slight look of mirth, "No... Unfortunately, our practices leave us unable to speak to untrained people without harming them. I am the youngest and most unlearned of the Greybeards, which is why I can still converse with you, as difficult as it is." he explains.

"Woooah... That's really cool!" Illococoo mouths.

"It is rather chilly, isn't it... I can see you are a fellow practitioner as well, young one. I can hear hints of your talents in your voice, already you are starting to exert your will upon the world." the Greybeard remarks.

"Wait, I've heard dragons speak before, nothing happened when it spoke Tamrielic..." Michael questions, finding some cracks in the monk's explanation.

Arngeir nods, "Ah yes, the return of the dragons... Well, from what I know, the dragons can innately control their Thu'um, allowing them to converse without disrupting the world... Mortals are different in that regard, as to learn the Thu'um you must dedicate yourself to it entirely until the dragon tongue becomes the language you are most comfortable with.

This leaves us struggling to separate our wills from our words, making every utterance a potential catastrophe. This is the main reason we stay here in High Hrothgar, to prevent any needless damage... Speaking on the subject of dragons, would you illuminate us as to how your young friend here managed to transform into one? I admit, in all my years I have never heard of such magic existing..."