Chapter 117

The Archmage took us right into his personal quarters, the room looking the same since I had been away. I had to keep reminding myself that for them it had only been a month, yet years have passed for me.

"You're different." He commented, sorting some stuff around. I could only assume we arrived here while he was in the middle of something. "Very different." He turned around, staring at me while rubbing his beard.

"It's my –"

A book fell onto my head.

"Oww." I gently rubbed the spot I was just smacked on. "You didn't even hear what I was going to say."

"I could take a guess." He said dryly, though a small smile quirked on his face.

I let out a small chuckle, sharing his sentiment. "I had a productive time away."

"I'd say." He didn't elaborate and I was curious what he was referring to here. This man was very perceptive and had a keen eye, though he was still hard to read at time. "Especially with you bringing another woman back when a Daedric Lord is waiting for you."

My smile dropped. "To be fair, Meridia suggest such a thing in the first place."

Again, he just looked at me dryly again. "Well, I'm not the one you need to appease." He shook his head.

"Wait, how did you know she was waiting for me and didn't just visit me while I was away?"

"She came and visit a handful of times." The Archmage explained. "Near gave me a heart attack when she appeared in my school, merely sitting to the side and watching as a teacher of mine taught a class."

"That is...extremely cute." I muttered.

"Not the word I would use to describe it." He snorted. "Though she did aid us when we were attacked."

I paused, contemplating that. "I was going to ask about the damage to the area."

"Dragons." He said simply.

My eyes widened at the implication. "How bad was it?"

"A few Winterhold guards died and we lost an older member of the college who retired from active teaching duty, and many injuries everywhere, but most are recovered in full at this point." He said solemnly.

"That…..is surprisingly less than I would have assumed." I didn't want to be cynical, but dragons were very dangerous creatures, I don't think the one I fought was indicative of their overall strength.

"It's thanks to you, actually." He began to move things around the room again with a mental thought. "As soon as you left, I activated the War-time defenses. They were created for the purposes of withstanding long sieges and cataclysmic events."

"They were able to withstand the attack of a dragon?" I was very curious now, I knew this place was well defended, but to actually hear it.

"Two dragons." He corrected, much to my surprise. "They attacked in tandem, I was able to focus the offensive magics to down the dragon who thought to attack the town, but the second one then focused on the college."

"And the second one was brought down as well?"

"It was a hard fought battle, Tolfdir was wounded heavily, but we were able to finally beat it in the end, but the College has yet to fully recover." He explained. "Admittedly, most of our effort was focused on keeping everyone safe, while the dragon could bombard the place from the safety of the sky."

I winced as he mentioned Tolfdir. "This is probably my fault." I mumbled. If I hadn't been so stupid last time…..maybe they wouldn't have been here.

"Wilhelm." He stopped forward, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I am aware of what transpired at Whiterun, and none of this is your fault." He said gently.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Atleast the College made it through almost unscathed."

"Indeed. Damage can be repaired; I am infinitely grateful that the students were not harmed in any significant manner."

"Any chance the dragon's body landed on Ancano?"

The Archmage snorted. "I'm afraid that it was quite impossible for him to suffer nay degree of injury with how far away he retreated in the conflict."

"I am disappointed, but otherwise not surprised." I frowned, before blinkinging in realization. "Wait, you said Meridia helped?"

"Oh, yes." He nodded. "It was when we were attacked the second time."

"Wait, what?"

"I will admit, the situation did not look favorable. Many of us were preparing to evacuate the students in full this time while us teacher would make a stand. To be honest, one of the dragons gave me a very dangerous feeling, much more than those previous ones."

I couldn't help but sigh again, thinking how bad the situation was. "You guys couldn't leave, otherwise Winterhold would most likely be lost."

The Archmage didn't speak, merely a nod in affirmation.

This man would have fought all those dragons by himself if needed. "You're a good person, Savos." I replied, earning a small smile from him. "But how did Meridia come into play?"

"She appeared at the top of the College, merely glaring at the imposing Dragons and they quickly scurried away." He let out an honest laugh. "I don't believe anyone else witnessed the scene."

The things I'm going to do to that woman. "I'll be sure to thank her properly, later." I gave a cheeky smile.

"Yes, I'm sure." He deadpanned, but seemed genuinely cheerier than he was a moment ago.

"How's the situation everywhere else?" He should be decently informed.

"Not too good, Wilhelm. Not too good." He sighed himself. "Some places got hit hard by stray Dragons, or some other nonsense with people taking advantage of the situation. Thankfully, nothing like Riften has happened a second time yet."

I clenched my fists. Maybe it was irrational, but I still felt like this was my fault in some way. "What of Thorum?" I finally got up the confidence to ask. Once I heard him start speaking of dragons, I had a small pit in my stomach.

He perked up slightly. "I did as I said, I sent him many introductory materials for various branches of magic. To my surprise, he sent me a letter nearly a week after you left giving his thanks and recommendations because he had already become proficient with all those."

"Thorum, Really?" I couldn't help but smile.

"Indeed, your friend appears to be quite the magical genius. Perhaps his nature as the 'Dragonborn' is not the only facet coming into play here." He explained. "But, otherwise, Whiterun has been hit hard, perhaps the worst since Riften." He looked at my expression and began to explain properly. "They hadn't suffered quite as severely, the city is still standing tall, but they've been attacked at least half a dozen times now. Maybe that's to be expected since it's known throughout Skyrim that the Dragonborn lives there."

"That…" I stopped for a moment, rubbing my chin. "The dragons would no doubt find out about him, their pride wouldn't allow them to leave him alone. I couldn't claim to know their thoughts, but I don't think they would care about the city, only focusing on Thorum for their own weird sense of honor and pride."

"It's exactly as you say." He responded. "While there has been damage here and there, it's mainly been outside the walls. Farms burned, livestock killed and devoured, but otherwise the city is unmolested, they seemed content to call out the Dragonborn."

"And he's been okay?" I wouldn't put it past them to enjoy the 'audience' for their fight. If Ddraig was anything to go by, that would just make it more exciting.

"From what I've heard, he's been thriving. I hear he's slain 4 dragons since you've left."

"That's no small feat." I whispered, a small bit of pride swelling in my chest at the thought of my friend becoming so strong. "I can't wait to go see him again." I beamed.

"That isn't all." The Archmage interrupted my thoughts. "From what I understand, these dragons have been calling out some other of their kind, one who goes by the name of 'Y Ddraig Goch'."

I slightly winced again.

[YES!!!]

Dammit Ddraig.

{Do they know about Ddraig?}

[The Red Dragon Emperor is known everywhere!]

{Does that mean it would be okay for me to come out?} She sounded hesitant.

"Wilhelm?" I was broken from my thoughts again, The Archmage looking at me strangely.

"Well, I guess it isn't much a secret then." I scratched my head. "Was talking to said Dragon, he was shouting happily in my ear." I sighed.

"Fascinating." His eyes twinkled in amusement again.

"A quick question, does Urag Gro-Shub need an extra hand around the Library?"

He paused, blinking at me in confusion. "Well, he had asked for an assistant many years ago, but all those who we attempted to help him were eventually chased out. I hesitate to ask why."

"Ddraig, if you would." I spoke, holding me hand out, letting the Gauntlet appear on my hand. The Archmage's eyes widened, a clear interest appeared on his face, but he didn't make any actions to inspect it. I touched the Jewel on the back, taking out the Lamp. "Jinn." I said gently.

My blue genie appeared in a wisp of smoke, floating behind me happily, The Archmage becoming more and more curious.

"Well, this is quite interesting." He gave Jinn an up and down glance, though it was more academic than any kind of lustful thoughts. She was wearing her dress as well. Maybe she knew my sentiments that I didn't want anyone else to see what's mine. "Hello, I am Savos Aren, The Archmage for the College of Winterhold."

Just as always, Jinn happily reciprocated the greeting. "I am Jinn, I am the spirit for the Relic of Knowledge." She gestured to the small lamp still in my hand.

"I am assume you wish to install her as the assistant Librarian?" He chuckled.

I gave a look at Jinn, she looked absolutely ecstatic at the idea. "She would treat the place with as much respect as Urag would."

"A spirit housed in an artifact referred to the 'Relic of Knowledge'." He rubbed his beard. "I can make some guesses on what that entails." He seemed amused by the whole prospect. "If I may ask, what are your capabilities?"

"I have perfect recall of any information I learn." She stated, as if she were in an interview and providing her resume. I didn't interrupt, I wanted her to socialize more when she had the opportunity. And it would be lying if I said that seeing her happy like this didn't bring a warmness in my chest. "I am also knowledgeable on magic, and quite proficient if I do say so myself."

I blinked at that, it seemed obvious in hindsight, but the fact that she is capable of magic beyond her 'abilities' tied to her uses had caught me off guard.

"Oho, yes, I think this may work out quite nicely." He turned back to me. "You keep continuing to bring me so many interesting things, Wilhelm. I would be happy to accept her. Even if Urag didn't wish her assistance, she is more than welcomed in my college."

Jinn let out a squeal of delight, engulfing me in a hug and I felt her lips make contact with my cheek.

The Archmage just chuckled. "Your other companions are quite interesting as well."

I took Jinn into my arms, happily having her nesting her head under my chin. "Rin is my grandfather's student, she's here to broaden her horizons, so to speak." He wasn't something I had to hide much form, even if I didn't like to particularly reveal secrets if I didn't' have to. Though, I trust him, revealing Jinn spoke just of how much. "She has some…..insecurities." I wanted to choose my words carefully without speaking ill of her or revealing her own secrets. "So she may try and bite off more than she can chew."

"I will keep an eye on her, don't you worry." He nodded. "And Miss Pendragon, her….bodyguard?"

"She's a knight, she's sworn her sword to Rin's service. While she is capable of magic, and probably extremely talented in that regard….she doesn't seem to possess any significant desire to learn the arts."

"A shame." He sighed. "But, if someone doesn't want to learn, there's no point in forcing the issue."

"Also…."I once again tried to choose my words carefully. "Artoria is….strong. I want to make it clear that her priorities are Rin's safety, but in the worse case scenario… a dragon may not be an issue for her."

The Archmage paused, giving me a contemplative look. "Thank you for the information. I will not take advantage of her presence." He seemed to read between the lines there.

If the College was in danger, she would probably take action even if she had to leave Rin's immediate presence. If in a situation the Archmage guaranteed Rin's safety, Artoria would probably be more than willing to lend a hand without coercion.

It was me trusting him even more here. That piece of information would allow him to manipulate someone capable of killing dragons.

"Otherwise, I expect them to run into trouble get into some sticky situations. Unless there Is genuine danger to their lives, I hope you let them settle it themselves." The worry wort in me couldn't help itself. "Although, I hope certain political entities keep their distance."

His expression turned just a tad darker. "Don't worry, I've already turned away certain 'political entities' from further encroaching on my school. And the ones currently present are on very thin ice."

Interesting, the Thalmor tried to gain a bigger foothold here? And it looks like Ancano is very close to being kicked out.

Good.

"Honestly, I feel like there's more I should ask, but…."

"You have a very powerful Lady to appease, and I'm sure you are worried about your Dragonborn friend." He smiled mirthfully.

"Yeah." I just nodded, not hiding anything.

"Go, go." He playfully shooed my away. "I will look after your companions and paramours."

I guess he realized what relationship I also have with Jinn.

Well, not like I was ashamed.

"Take care of yourself." I gave Jinn a kiss on the cheek. She was happily watching our exchange in my arms.

"Thank you." She said quietly, but I felt like she meant it more than just for this specific instance.

"I told you, didn't I? You're mine, I'll take care of you." For the first time, I placed my lips against hers, and she welcomed a deeper kiss.

The Archmage cleared his throat, earning a slightly blush from both me and jinn.

Forgot where I was for a moment there. Though he seemed more amused than anything.

And the contrasting red on her blue cheeks just made her look even cuter.

I gave her one last look, then nodded towards the Archmage. To his sheer surprise, I opened a portal right infront of him. His eyes widened at how easily I got around the impressive magical protections on his College.

He didn't get upset, he didn't demand questions, no. Instead, he just started loudly laughing.

I couldn't help but admire this man even more.

With another thought, I walked through the portal.

****

A familiar colorful sky greeted me as I looked up. The land masses that didn't make sense as they floated in several directions all around me. I didn't dwell on them for but a moment because my attention immediately turned to a woman sitting on a throne not far away.

She raised her head as soon as I stepped through.

Our eyes met and she stood up, stepping off her throne, taking slow steps down towards me.

I took equal steps to meet her, no words were yet exchanged as she glided into my arms. Her head buried into the crook of my neck, my arms wrapped around her waist.

"I'm back." I whispered.

"Welcome back." The quiet words barely reaching my ears.

***

Early chapter! I didn't procrastinate nearly as long today. So, Mc got a quick rundown on what happened at the college. Archmage throwing down with two powerful dragons like its nothing. Keep in mind there is a sliding powerscale for dragons, not all of them are 'equal'. The one from the first skyrim run was perhaps one of the weakest. MC and Meridia finally reunite, but you'll have to wait for the next time on Dragon Ball Z!

Anyways if you want to read 5 chapters ahead -- wink wink -- or just support me, visit my pat.reon.com/astoryforone

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