An Offer I could Refuse

Rubbing his temples, the headache slowly faded as Rictus internalized all he had just learned. Durnehviir had taught him the first part of the Soul Tear Shout. The first word being Rii. Roughly translated, it meant Essence. While learning it, Durnehviir had informed him that it would take all 3 words of power before the Shout became worthwhile. Rictus had tried getting into the reasoning behind that, but the dragon had simply shrugged and told him that is just how the world works sometimes. There hadn't been a lot of time though before Durnehviir had returned back to the Soul Cairn though, so further details had been lost. Rictus could kind of comprehend the Shout, but it felt slippery when he tried focusing on it. Almost like when a word is on the tip of your tongue, yet you cannot remember it for the life of you.

Unlike the game where the Dragonborn could summon Durnehviir fairly quickly, Rictus was not so lucky. Somehow, he just knew that trying to summon the dragon too soon would not be good for his health. From what he could tell, it would take a few days before he could summon Durnehviir again. A worthy price for such a powerful ally. With more practice, he was certain he could reduce the time though. Whether Durnehviir would actually answer the summons was an entirely different matter though. The dragon was a sentient being after all, so he didn't have to listen.

For now, Rictus had made his way back to his favorite overlook at White River Watch for a bit of a break. He had been rushing around the past couple days ever since his return, and he needed a moment to relax. There wasn't anything major, but a lot of little things needed his personal touch. Mostly, he visited their various bases so his people could see him. Morale is a powerful tool.

His eyes did keep drifting towards the top of The Throat of the World. It wouldn't be too much longer before the legendary clash between Alduin and the Last Dragonborn. The outcome of that fight would determine the course of history and be told for years afterwards.

Would he become part of that legend, a simple footnote, or completely forgotten? He was more than willing to assist in the fight, but he wasn't sure he really wanted that. Fear was the main reason. He had already fought and killed dragons before, but Alduin was an entirely different matter. What would a fight against the strongest dragon even look like? How many would perish? Would he even make a difference? Could he live with himself if he didn't at least try helping?

A determined look appeared on Rictus's face at that last thought. He would not let doubt and fear control his thoughts. If he could help, he would try and do his part. Not dying would still be a high priority though. There was still a lot he would like to accomplish here.

"Sorry to bother you, but we have a visitor."

Rictus raised his eyebrow at Ken as his thoughts were disrupted.

"Who is it?"

"Delphine."

It was a surprise, but not entirely unexpected. Seems she may have gotten word of him being able to summon a dragon. He thought he knew what she wanted though, so he motioned for Ken to bring her to him. He waved off his other guards though so they could speak alone. Soon, one of the most famous characters in from the game was standing in front of him.

The middle-aged Breton woman stood proudly before him and stared at him with piercing green eyes. She was in amazing shape despite her age, and he knew she was a fierce fighter. He was a bit surprised at her attire though. Instead of wearing the iconic leather armor, she was wearing full blades armor with the iconic dragon helmet under one arm. The armor looked kind of like a mix between some samurai and Roman legion armor. He personally thought it was pretty cool looking.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Delphine, Grandmaster of the Blades. To what do I owe the honor?"

She didn't even flinch at his mention of the Blades as she continued staring. It seemed she was trying to divine some information just by looking at him. Rictus wasn't really bothered though as he took a bite out of a delicious sweet roll while maintaining eye contact. Eventually, she spoke.

"Is it true?"

Hearing such a broad question, he couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Is what true? I need a little more to go off than that."

Her eyes narrowed at his flippant attitude.

"I believe you know what I am talking about. It's obviously about the rumors of you fighting alongside a dragon. The eradication of those monsters is the sole purpose of the Blades."

"At one point, the Blades were responsible for protecting the emperor. Not that they really did a good job of that based off all the assassinations. Hopefully you are better dragon hunters than protectors."

Her eyebrow barely twitched at the slight, but he still noticed. He couldn't help but try and get in one more jab. The way she was staring at him was not pleasant.

"I also thought the Blades were supposed to serve the dragonborn. Yet, you are here, and the Dragonborn is risking her life down in Blackreach with my people assisting her. Most curious indeed. Maybe an explanation of that in return for my explanation is in order."

That got a reaction as she tightly gripped her sword and stared daggers at him before speaking frostily.

"I'll explain what I want when I want, got it? You'd already be dead if not for you helping the dragonborn and hurting the Thalmor. Now, are you working with those monsters? Think about your answer carefully, especially before disrespecting me or my order again."

A heavy and tense silence followed her words. The slight playfulness in Rictus's eyes had completely disappeared as he stared back at her. Slowly, the corners of his mouth started twitching.

"HAHAHAHAHA!!"

Rictus kept laughing for a moment as his eyes started watering. It took a couple of minutes before he got ahold of himself and wiped away the tears. He stood up and grabbed some water sitting on a nearby table. After taking a long sip, he turned back to her.

"Heh. I needed a good laugh, so I thank you for that. I really must applaud your determination and confidence though. It is no wonder you could avoid the Thalmor so long despite them wanting you dead. But to answer your question, I am not working with the Dragons. I traveled to a plane of Oblivion where I defeated a dragon. He taught me how to summon him here where he would fight my enemies. So, no. I am not working with the dragons. I killed an immortal monster, and it submitted to me. Is that a good enough explanation?"

She looked a little skeptical but could tell he was telling the truth, or at least what he thought was the truth.

"You need to kill that dragon again then. We do not need another one running amok."

"Umm did you not hear me about already killing him once? He will just reanimate like how Alduin has done at the dragon mounds."

She didn't seem to care about his explanation though as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Then either seal him so he cannot come back or forget the spell for summoning him to this world. You should know the problems the dragons have caused us. Countless people killed. Untold destruction. They will end this world if we do not stop them."

She looked him over before speaking again, looking a bit less rigid.

"I know I can be a bit harsh at times, but it is required if we are to end this threat. The Blades need strong people willing to fight for our survival. You and the Restored haven't been doing bad so far. But if you were to join the Blades, things could be so much better. Our knowledge and prowess combined with your numbers would go a long way of making this world a better place for all."

Shocked, Rictus stared at her incredulously.

"Are you serious?"

Delphine nodded her head.

"Of course I am. Being a Blade is a lifelong commitment though. Your loyalty must be with us once you are in."

Slowly and carefully, Rictus started talking while pacing back and forth.

"So, let me get this straight. First, you come into my home and demand I give you answers. Then, you threaten me and say how you, a fit middle-aged woman past her prime with minimal magical abilities, would have already killed me, a perfectly healthy mage in the prime of his life who leads one of the strongest private factions and has killed a dragon in single combat, if not for me helping Mirajane and killing some Thalmor. Next, you demand I permanently kill, or at least never summon, a powerful being sworn to assist me in battle. Finally, you try and recruit me and my followers to become your underlings? Oh, and you never actually answered my question about why the Restored are with the Dragonborn right now instead of the Blades. Does that about cover it all?"

Her scowl had only grown the more he talked as she grit her teeth.

"That is one way to look at it."

"How about a counter proposal then? We forget any unpleasantness of our past little conversation and start over. I am willing to have an open and friendly information exchange with you about dragon hunting techniques. Then, we can see where that leads."

Rictus held his hand out to her to seal the deal. Personally, he thought it was a pretty good one. Start with some information and then they could explore future cooperation. Yeah, he didn't like her attitude, but he understood it on some level. Delphine had been in hiding and on the run for decades. She had always been the alpha and didn't really work well with others. Her time in hiding had only refined her zealousness. It would take a bit of time for any change, but if she did, Rictus thought she would be a great ally against the dragon and Thalmor.

Delphine looked at his hand with contemplation before a determined look appeared on her face. She took a step closer and clasped his hand.

"The others didn't recognize the armor. I can't let you go, knowing what you know. I am sorry it turned out this way."

Staring into his eyes, Delphine plunged a dagger straight into his chest where his heart was. She watched as his eyes widened in surprise at her sudden attack. Admittedly, she did regret having to do this. Rictus would have provided immense benefits to the Blades and could have made the world a better place. She had been sorely tempted by his offer. It had seemed genuine and had a lot of potential for becoming something more in the future. She just couldn't take that risk though. Thalmor spies were everywhere, and they would surely find her if she took the deal. The Restored were too prominent not to have spies in their ranks, and the Blades were not ready for that fight just yet. Everything would have been easier if Rictus would have just joined her.

"Do not worry. I will do everything in my power to make sure the dragon threat is no more. You can rest easy and go in peace to whatever afterlife you believe in."

She slowly lowered him to the ground before taking a step back as she pulled the dagger from his chest. The poison on the blade guaranteed to finish him off quickly and painlessly. Maybe there was still a way she could use this to her advantage though. If she could somehow put the blame on the Thalmor, it would mean an all-out war between the Restored and those bastards which would take the heat off her. Then she could move more openly, for a while at least.

Something was off though. Her instincts were screaming at her that something was very wrong. It took her a moment, before she realized what it was. There was basically no blood on her blade.

She stared at her blade before quickly looking at the gaping wound on Rictus's chest. There was only a small trace of blood on her sword, but nothing coming from the wound. How could that be? She tried taking a step forward but couldn't move at all. It felt like her body was paralyzed and the weight of a mountain was on her shoulders. Her eyes looked around in a slight panic at what could be going on. A bored voice soon addressed her.

"Delphine, Delphine, Delphine. What ever am I going to do with you?"

Her eyes darted around trying to find the source of the voice, but she couldn't find it. Maybe it was coming from behind her. She tried turning, but she was still completely stuck, only her eyes being able to move. Rustling soon followed, and her eyes widened as she finally discovered where the noise was coming from.

"Well, that was not very nice of you. That shirt was a gift you know?"

Patting himself off, Rictus turned and faced Delphine.

"I'm not usually one for monologuing, but I am just in that kind of mood today. See, I happen to be very Skilled in Alteration magic. One of the things I am most famous for is my Alter body spell. It is the reason we are called the Restored actually. It allows me to change a person's body in a number of different ways, including restoring lost limbs. So, making a small hollow area in my chest where a knife could easily penetrate while causing no damage wasn't too taxing. I hadn't had a real chance to test it out before now though, so thank you for the help. I don't think it is ready for actual combat, but it has some potential."

Before her eyes, the opening on his chest rapidly flowed back together like it had never happened.

"I really was hopeful we could have worked something out peacefully. I am sure it would have been mutually beneficial. Unfortunately, that will not happen. I'm not sure what will become of the Blades from here though. Not really your concern though. Just take it easy while I figure out what to do with you now."

Stone reinforced with metal rapidly covered Delphine's body. Her eyes filled with panic as she was completely covered, leaving only an opening for her nose. Staring at his newest statue, Rictus let out a tired sigh.

"This was definitely not how I saw this day going. I really just don't understand people sometimes."

Hearing footsteps, he looked up to see Ken and Moira approaching with a few of his guards behind them. Curiously, Ken had a black eye.

"Umm what's with the black eye Ken?"

He looked back impassively as Moira started fidgeting.

"I was responsible for holding back Moira after you were stabbed. I told her you were fine and to check with her magical sight, but it took some convincing. I suppose we are just lucky she took her frustration out on me instead of burning the place to the ground."

Rictus couldn't help chuckling at his friend's bad luck. As bad as it sounded, it felt good to laugh at his misfortune. Isn't that what real friendship looked like after all?

"I am very lucky to have a friend like you Ken. Your trust in me and my abilities is quite flattering as well."

He simply shrugged his shoulders as Rictus rapidly healed his eye.

"I knew you were okay. Besides, you would have deserved death if a little dagger to the chest from an old lady killed you."

Rictus rolled his eyes at the dry remark as Ken smirked at him.

"Uh huh. Well, after this little fiasco, I am going to sit in my chair and stare off into the distance while pondering the greater mysteries of magic. Please do not let anyone else disturb me for the rest of the night."

Without waiting for a reply, he plopped himself down in his chair. Staring off into the distance, he couldn't help but ponder his magic as he pulled some things from storage. 'Hmm…I wonder how my Storage spell keeps these Sweet Rolls so fresh and this milk so cold?'

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[AN]: Well we finally got to meet Delphine. I hadn't really thought about this happening before the idea popped into my mind while showering. It made a little sense though that Delphine would react in some way. I know that some people may like her, but I personally was never a big fan of how they did her character. Lots of potential, but just not the best done. So, I let Rictus deal with her in ways I never could in the game.

Also, with Christmas happening this weekend, I don't know if there will be a chapter next week due to my busy schedule. Just as a warning.