bookpower Chapter 94: Chapter XXXV: Legions Rivals and Preparations
Chapter 94: Chapter XXXV: Legions Rivals and Preparations
Chapter 94: Chapter XXXV: Legions Rivals and Preparations
After I managed to calm down a very pissed off Sybille and informed Davos and Marco that they are free for the day, at which point the young bard fell asleep then and there, forcing Davos to carry him off, we headed out toward Castle Dour.
As we were about to leave the palace we crossed paths with the King himself followed by Falk Firebeard and Bolgeir Bearclaw.
Torygg immediately perked up when he saw us "Ah good, I was hoping the two of you would join us." His eyes shifted to my own for a moment holding a hint of confusion within, but he quickly hid it.
How perceptive is this man?
Sybille sighed "As much as I don't like dealing with the common soldiery it is unquestionably wise to reach an understanding with the command structure if we are going to be trusting them to stand between us and the enemy."
I chuckle "I wouldn't put it in so many words but yes that is pretty much the case."
Torygg shakes his head "If only everyone could be so dismissive."
"If only you chose to become a mage instead of a monarch." I say faux-sadly "Woe is you."
Falk coughs forcefully and sends me a slight glare.
The King on the other hand merely joins me in my amusement "True, I should stop complaining." and claps his hands "Now, off to the castle!"
He starts walking off enthusiastically and we are all forced to run after him.
Castle Dour is very much built to fit its name, every corner is a kill zone, every ceiling a murder hole. Instead of the dozen or so soldiers I saw doing exercises when I first arrived, the courtyard was filled to the brim with proper Imperial legionaries wearing high quality steel armor and equipped with swords and shields. Most were Nords, but there were a couple of Mer and Bretons dispersed among them.
In front of every group of ten was a Decanus, wearing more ornate and lightly enchanted armor, but otherwise equipped in the same manner.
For every ten of them stood one Centurion, a plumed helmet decorating their heads and a respectable aura coming from their more individualistic gear.
And finally, above the five centurii, there stood the Legate herself, Rikke if my memory serves. Even ignoring her enchanted ebony Imperial segmented plate I could practically feel the danger coming off the middle-aged woman, she would definitely snap me like a twig in a fight.
The moment the King stepped into the yard the legionaries moved as one and presented a pristine formation with everyone saluting.
Rikke stepped in front of her cohort and gave Torygg a shallow but respectful bow "King Torygg, the troops are ready for your inspection."
The young King's smile was just a bit strained as he said "Rikke, how many times must I tell you that there is no need for such formality."
The Legate smirks "And how many times must I tell you that the legion must always follow proper discipline or we will no longer be the mightiest force on Nirn."
"And how numerous is this mightiest force at the moment?" I ask hoping to speed the meet and greet along.
"If it isn't the new court mage himself." Rikke looks me over "Say... you look familiar."
I raise an eyebrow "I don't believe we have met ma'am."
She stares at me "No, I am quite certain I have seen you somewhere."
Guessing that she had known my father while he was still alive I roll my eyes "Why are you beating around the bush Legate?"
She huffs "It's called being polite, you could try it sometime brat."
I stare at her, dead in the eyes, and say with slow certainty "No."
She actually snorts at this "You really are Vyren's brat."
"In the flesh" I bow with an exaggerated flourish.
"That would be just another prison, just one of my own making."
"Fair enough, I also left it because it was starting to feel suffocating." I agree truthfully and
decide to try and cheer her up "I can't really help you with the Legate but I could cook us up
something if you are interested?" I ask with a smile.
"Fiiiine" she rolls her eyes playfully "Anything to get my mind off the bitch."
(timeskip)
The following two days were spent in a rush of preparations, I no longer had the time to waste training up Marco and Davos so they were left to their own devices.
Marco grumbled about not being allowed to join the fight this time, but this was an actual
battle and he would just be in the way unfortunately. He did promise to write a song for our victory which is something I will hold him to.
Davos spent his time getting his gear in order and stocking up on enchanted bolts and scrolls, he would be my shadow in the fight as always.
Sybille didn't leave her room at all, and if the aura coming out was an indicator she was going through multiple rituals in preparation. I just hope she didn't make a mistake in the rush.
As for myself I was focusing on mastering the next level of solar magic and helping Sorch master his own new abilities.
I did visit Winterhold again to grab some materials for a ritual of my own, and I also brought a spider worker with me... just in case I needed something expendable for a cunning plan. The ritual I prepared was one of general Magicka infusion and was of a more mild nature than my previous one, it included sacrificing a varla stone, a rather rare and not to mention considerably pricy item containing crystalized Magicka, meant to enhance one's reserves. The reason I didn't do it earlier is that I wanted to grow my reserves more naturally as forcing them to expand repeatedly would just make my spellcasting a complete mess for far too long. This time it was a far more pleasant experience, thank all the gods, and felt like a long soothing bath instead of the monstrous itch that was the saber cat infusion.
About the same time I was finished with that I also managed to rapidly cast a solar cloak and a solar burst, making my restoration touch upon the realm of an expert.
The morning of our march came soon after, before I left to pick Sybille up I decided to check
my progress.
[Str: 15 => 16]
[Dex: 16.5 => 17]
[Mind: 23 => 25]
[Mag: 300 => 350]
[Restoration adept => expert: +suncloak, sunburst]
[Enchantment expert: +scroll inscription, seamless runic inscription]
Watching numbers go up was as satisfying as always, now if only I could gut Potema and her
goons without getting possessed by Meridia...
Bippity boppity bone, you must now give me your stone.
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