Realm of Games #1: Skyrim

Chapter 26

I was in the bath when Arina came in. She answered my pointed glance with a curt nod. Relief covered both our faces. The kits would be safe now.

"I'm sorry you had to do that. I know deceiving Rosla is easy as hell, but even that..."

She smiled wryly. "She's as easy to read as a book. Anyway. Any news?"

I nodded. "As soon as we are done here, we're headed back to Skyrim and from there we are making our way to Cyrodil. It appears that the Synod has been overstepping their bounds and the Mages' Association has asked me to look into things. Since it's not generally well known outside of Winterhold and Dawnstar that I am the Arch Mage of the College, we should be able to infiltrate fairly easily."

"Have you ever been that far south? Do you know anything about Cyrodil?" Arina asked me.

"Well, I know that's where the Oblivion Crisis happened over a thousand years ago, and where the Empire is, as well as where the Synod resides. The Synod is the College's opposition in regards to, well, everything. Mostly experiments involving death magic and experiments of the zombie variety. But no, I've never been there myself."

She looked thoughtful. "Maybe that's the reason we're here." I tried not to, I really did, but I still burst out laughing. "What?" She asked indignantly.

"There is no way we were pulled away from Heaven for something so mundane. Actually, given how well we're doing here, I'd guess we are just where we were meant to be. This is where our souls actually came from in the first place."

A light came into her eyes. "So that's why I feel so at home here. I didn't at first but now I do."

"That would be it," I agreed. Getting up, I reached for a towel. "Time for bed."

***********

The next morning, we all met and planned how to get the last two Black Books that we needed to level up enough to get to Miraak and slaughter him.

"The kits should go with Arina and Rosla this time. They'll get different fighting experience with them and more magic combat experience as well." Tsapi and Ri'nara nodded. They had grown quite a bit from the scared kittens they'd been 6 months ago. I surmised that just like a certain demihuman species in an anime, they grew faster when they were loved - and these girls were loved dearly by all.

"Right. Suit up, everyone. We move out in an hour."