World Eater

Untitled Part 10

Alduin found himself once more standing before the black stone mural in the great hall, waiting for Irridessa to finish packing their provisions and supplies for the road to Windhelm- She was irate after having been disbarred from the Blades, and wasn't about to leave any of her valuables there. Lydia followed her, helping yet keeping a safe distance.

He starred at the detailed masonry, trying to decipher the events depicted after the time break- and his defeat. The last event, he thought, prophecied his return; he was depicted doing battle with a great warrior, whom he believed to be the Dragonborn- She was depicted as a man though. Between those events, there appeared to be a struggle- at its start stood a man holding some sort of staff.

For some reason, it stood out to him- jumping out from the rest of the illustration.

"...old man," Alduin suddenly addressed Esbern, who was sitting at the high table in the center of the room, eating breakfast. " Do you know what this portion of the picture depicts? " Esbern's brows furrowed as he slowly got up from his seat and made his way to the mural, standing next to Alduin on his right. He looked at the portion in question, then back at the younger man with incredulous surprise.

"That depicts the rule of Jagar Tharn- emperor Uriel Septim Vll's imperial battle mage- and the battle that followed to restore Uriel Septim Vll to the throne and retrieve the Staff Of chaos and unity." The old man explained.

Once again, Alduins mind prickled.

The staff of chaos and unity- otherwise known as the Balac thurm- was an artifact he was familiar with. Even though it was created by mortal hands, it was one of the most powerful weapons on the face of nirn- and it was nigh indestructible- He himself had witnessed its power, long ago...such a weapon could potentially restore him to his former glory- if not make him into something of a God upon this plane of oblivion.

Alduin looked sideways at Esbern, a plan starting to unravel in his mind.

"The staff of chaos and unity?" He asked, feigning ignorance. Even though he knew about the Staff itself, it's where abouts and involvement in the story on the wall, he did not- He had been promptly banished to the sea's of time during that point in history.

"Aye, it was created in the early first era, I beleive, by loreth- perhaps the most exceptional mage in history. It was too powerful though, so it was locked away beneath the catacombs of old mournhold- until Jagar Tharn managed to acquire it that is." He gestured to the depiction of the man, wearing long robes with his hands held high- In his right hand he held the staff.

" What happened? " Alduin asked curiously. "How did he manage to get something that- I presume- was so heavily guarded?" Esbern's wise, grey eyes lit up and a small smile tugged at his thin lips- He was pleased by the young man's interest in history, and his questions themselves. He was sharp minded.

"Most believed he seduced the Dunmer queen, posing as a made up persona called the nightingale- A most praised and mysterious bard...He managed to get the staff, and used it to banish Uriel Septim Vll and his guard to another plane of oblivion." Alduin's brows rose in impressed surprise- it was quite a clever feat.

" But Jagar Tharn was defeated yes? What happened to the staff? " Esbern shrugged, looking up at the wall.

"Some think that it was destroyed when the Eternal champion managed to collect all the peices- after Tharn had used it to disguise himself as the emporer, and had broken it into eight peices and hid it across Tamriel- bringing Uriel Septim Vll back to nirn with his guard." Alduin doubted that- the staff was nigh indestructible after all.

" ...what about you? What do you think happened to it? " he asked finally- this was what he really wanted to know...He admitted the old man was probably among the smarter members of his juvenile minded species- he most likely didn't believe the staff had been destroyed either.

"...if I had to guess, I'd bet it was in the gold-white tower, in cyrodil- That's where they're currently keeping the collected elder scrolls." The old man said thoughtfully. " Its sure to be under similar security. "

"Hm." Alduin grunted. Cyrodil was quite a ways away- and he wasn't going to be free of the Dragon born for Akatosh only knew how long...

Even as he thought about her, Irridessa emerged from the Blades quarters and into the great hall with her satchel and pack bag bulging. Esbern looked as if he were about to address her- then quickly put his head down when the blonde Blade bitch- Delphine- entered the room from the courtyard. He scuttled to meet her at the end of the hall and began speaking to her in low tones.

Irridessa came to a stop beside Alduin, glaring daggers at the pair across the room. A slow, lopsided grin twisted his lips, not reaching his eyes as he followed her black gaze across the room, and he bent down to her ear and whispered in a voice like velvet.

"You know, you could just kill them- they could not best you." He suggested- playing with her obvious inner struggle. He wondered if he could manipulate her gently enough to tip her temper over the edge, and get her to forget her riotous sense of honor long enough to wipe what was left of the blades from existence.

An odd feeling of excitement bubbled in his chest as her hand twitched to her blade, and her jaw tightened... he could see the delicate tendons in her neck twitch as she gritted her teeth, and for a moment he thought she might actually do it- then her hand dropped suddenly and she turned away, exhaling deeply and squeezing her eyes shut.

"No...That's not who I am." She whispered- more to herself than to him. His eyes narrowed, and he shifted closer to her, trying again.

" What do you mean? They are abandoning you, and taking what is rightfully yours- you, who have saved them! Are you not Dragon born? " he prodded silkilly, like a devil in her ear. "The Dov don't let joor take what is theirs- no- we defend our mountains and take for ourselves what we desire..."

She gave no response- staying statue still, like a warriors monument- but, he could see her resolve wavering.

"And what of Paarthurnax? Is he not your friend- Do you not owe him your protection?" He asked. " Will you let this Blade bitch live, to climb to the throat of the world and slay him herself?" He purred huskily in her ear, listening as her breathing deepened.

Irridessa rolled her head back, cracking her neck as she struggled to push the urges down- to ignore his velvety suggestions that made so much sense...and shook her head slowly.

" No. " she stated. Alduin snorted derisively- he knew she was too weak.

"And you presume to take for yourself, the name of Dovah...how arrogant- for one who can't even keep what is hers." He scoffed, turning away from her as he finished, starting for the exit and leaving his words echoing in her mind like seeds planted in her soul- She had refuted such declarations before, but this time she couldnt.

Irridessa swallowed hard, nostrils flaring as her eyes followed him, limping to the archway before the stairway that wound down to the tunnels below to join Lydia.

He was right- and she hated it.

...

They left the temple at nightfall, hoping the forsworn in the karthspire would mostly be out for the night, and they would be harder to detect in the shadows- Alduin hadn't talked to Irridessa since their conversation by the mural, and she was fine with that- He had gotten under her skin earlier, and she would have to remind herself of that going forward. He wasn't just a dragon trapped within a man- he was Alduin, the eldest. He had lived far longer than even Paarthurnax- though it didn't show all of the time. He was doubtlessly very wise himself, and highly capable of twisting and manipulating the minds of weaker mortals.

They snuck through karthspire without incident, and slowly made their way back to the statue of Dibella, and Irridessa was relieved to find Starlight, Lydia's mare, and the mule still where they'd left them- they would need the extra muscle for their journey for sure now that Alduin was injured and her load had trippled.

She decided they would press on at first light.