If you want to read 20 Chapters ahead, be sure to check out my P-Tang12!!!
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(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
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Aerion smoothly dismounted, pulling his dark robes tight against the chill. He looked up at the Dark Elf assassin, his eyes glowing with terrifying, absolute confidence. "Prepare your bow, Jenassa," Aerion commanded softly. "We are going to evict the current landlords."
While saying so, he put his staff inside his inventory, increasing it's weight by 2.5 KG. (n the other hand, hearing the sheer, audacious scale of the High Elf's plan, Jenassa slowly nodded her head. She swung her right leg over her saddle, dropping lightly into the thick snow of the Pale.
She reached over her shoulder, smoothly drawing her heavy hunting bow and knocking an iron arrow to the string, her crimson eyes locked on the towering, lumbering figures of the giants in the distance.
"How exactly do you intend to do this, Patron?" Jenassa asked, her gravelly voice barely rising above the whistle of the freezing wind. "Giants are notoriously territorial. The moment we step within a hundred yards of their fire, they will charge."
Aerion pulled the collar of his dark robes tighter against the chill, his golden eyes fixed not on the giants, but on the three massive, shaggy beasts grazing near the perimeter.
"I will cross the distance silently and approach the mammoths first," Aerion explained, his tone calm and analytical. "I possess a rather unique, innate magical spell for the creatures of this world. I will use it to influence their temperament and effectively turn them to our side. Once they are under my control, we will use the mammoths as living, heavily armored cover. The giants will be utterly confused as to why their own prized herd is actively blocking their attacks. While they hesitate, we will rain absolute hell down upon them from the high ground."
Jenassa paused, her bow slightly lowered. She stared at Aerion, her sharp mind rapidly connecting the dots she had been observing for weeks. Her eyes widened a fraction in profound realization.
"So that is why the horses are so unnaturally calm around you," Jenassa murmured, looking from Aerion to the massive black steed, Revan, who was currently dozing peacefully despite the proximity of apex predators. "And the fox... and the animals we passed on the road. You have some sort of command magic over beasts. I have heard old tales of Bosmer spinners possessing such talents, but never an Altmer. I have never seen magic quite like it."
Aerion simply smiled, a charming, enigmatic expression that neither confirmed nor denied her assumptions. "Let us just say that nature and I have an excellent understanding. When I manage to bend the mammoths' allegiance, I will give you the signal. You will immediately break cover and join me. Once we are secure, you will target the giants' eyes and joints with your arrows, and I will utilize my Destruction and Conjuration reserves to put them in the ground."
Jenassa gave a single, crisp nod of her head, her professional demeanor locking back into place. "Understood. Lead the way."
Aerion crouched low to the ground. With a soft command, Lupin fell into step directly behind his boots.
Activating his Sneak skill, Aerion moved out from behind the rocky outcropping that concealed their horses. He ghosted across the frozen, open tundra. Despite his towering height and the heavy, crunching nature of the snowpack, he made absolutely no sound. He expertly utilized the natural depressions in the terrain and the massive, sun-bleached ribcages scattered around the camp to break his silhouette.
As he moved, seamlessly blending into the environment and evading the peripheral vision of the two towering giants warming their hands by the bonfire, the system recognized his flawless execution of stealth mechanics.
[Sneak Leveled Up 7 Times! Current Level: 33]
Aerion finally reached the edge of the grazing perimeter. The three mammoths, towering prehistoric behemoths covered in thick, matted brown hair and wielding tusks the size of tree trunks, immediately sensed his approach.
The closest mammoth, a massive bull, stopped scraping the snow. It lifted its long, muscular trunk, sniffing the air, its dark, intelligent eyes locking onto the High Elf.
Normally, a mammoth would trumpet a deafening warning, instantly alerting the giant camp to an intruder. But as the beast's gaze met Aerion's, the absolute, overwhelming weight of his maximized Animal Affinity washed over the herd.
The hostility instantly evaporated. The mammoth's posture relaxed completely. It let out a soft, low rumble that vibrated through the frozen earth, recognizing Aerion not as a threat, but as an ancient, trusted friend and an undisputed alpha.
Before Aerion could even reach out to stroke the beast's trunk, Lupin darted out from behind his legs. The cinnamon fox marched boldly up to the massive bull, entirely unafraid of being trampled. Lupin let out a series of sharp, rapid yips and low barks, standing tall on his hind legs.
Aerion watched in profound amusement. Through the empathic link of his affinity, he could roughly understand the interaction.
Lupin was essentially giving the towering behemoths tactical orders, demanding that they form a defensive wall around his master before they were allowed to ask for scratches. It was a perfect mirror of the bizarre, adorable dynamic Lupin had established with the herd back at Bleakwind Basin.
The three mammoths actually seemed to listen to the tiny fox. They rumbled in agreement, shifting their massive bulk. They lumbered forward, forming a tight, semi circular perimeter of dense muscle and thick bone around Aerion, effectively shielding him from the giants' line of sight.
With the living barricade established, Aerion turned back toward the rocky outcropping and raised his hand, giving Jenassa the signal.
The Dark Elf immediately broke cover. She stayed low, sprinting across the snow with the lethal grace of a hunting cat. As she approached the towering wall of fur and tusks, the mammoths shifted uneasily.
They did not share an affinity with the assassin, and the smell of fresh leather and cold iron made them deeply restless. The bull mammoth tossed its head, letting out a short, warning huff.
Aerion immediately stepped forward, placing his hands firmly against the beast's thick trunk. He projected a wave of absolute calm.
"Easy now," Aerion murmured, his melodic voice soothing the agitated herd. "She is a friend. She runs with our pack."
The mammoths immediately settled down, trusting his judgment implicitly.
Jenassa slipped through the gap in the massive legs, arriving at Aerion's side. She looked up at the towering mountains of fur surrounding them, her crimson eyes wide with genuine, unadulterated wonder. She was a hardened killer, but standing peacefully amidst a herd of wild mammoths defied everything she knew about the natural world.
"Fascinating," Jenassa whispered, her breath misting in the cold air.
"Keep your focus, Jenassa. The element of surprise will not last much longer," Aerion snapped her out of her awe.
He raised both of his hands, his fingers curling into complex geometric weaves. He tapped into the dark, swirling void of his Magicka reserves, accessing the newly acquired knowledge from the Arcanaeum.
A heavy, purple tear in the fabric of reality ripped open in the snow just a few feet away. The air instantly superheated, the snow instantly flash boiling into a cloud of hissing steam.
From the tear, two towering, levitating entities constructed entirely of blackened, molten rock and roaring orange flames emerged into the mortal plane. The Flame Atronachs twirled gracefully in the air, their demonic, featureless faces turning toward the giant camp.
[Conjuration (Summoning) Leveled Up 8 Times! Current Level: 46]
The sudden, blinding light and the intense heat of the Daedric summons finally caught the attention of the two giants by the fire. The massive creatures turned, their expressions shifting from bovine dullness to absolute, roaring fury. They hefted their massive, stone bound wooden clubs and began to charge.
"Up!" Aerion commanded Jenassa, pointing to the nearest mammoth. "Get on top of the beast. It will be rough, but it is the safest vantage point!"
Jenassa didn't question the order. She slung her bow over her shoulder and leaped, grabbing onto the thick, matted fur of the mammoth's foreleg. The beast huffed but, pacified by Aerion's aura, remained perfectly still. Utilizing her incredible upper body strength, Jenassa hauled herself up the creature's flank, scrambling over its massive shoulder and securing a stable firing position atop its broad, flat back.
Aerion followed suit. It was a significantly less graceful endeavor for a towering High Elf wearing fine robes. He had to use the mammoth's curved, ten foot tusk as a makeshift stepping stool, hauling his weight up with a heavy grunt of exertion until he straddled the beast's thick neck, some fifteen feet in the air.
He looked down at the charging giants. The earth literally shook beneath the thundering footfalls of the towering, grey-skinned brutes.
"Now," Aerion said simply.
He thrust both of his hands forward, channeling his raw, destructive power. He bypassed the lower level spells entirely, weaving the highly compressed, highly volatile matrices of the Adept tier.
BOOM!
Two blindingly bright, roaring spheres of concentrated Firebolt erupted from his palms.
[Destruction (Fire) (+1) Leveled Up 7 Times! Current Level: 30]
The twin spheres of fire shrieked across the frozen clearing, slamming directly into the broad, painted chests of the charging giants. The explosive impact staggered the massive brutes, scorching their grey skin and setting their heavy fur loincloths ablaze.
The giants let out deafening, agonizing roars that echoed off the surrounding mountain peaks. Enraged beyond reason, they raised their massive clubs, fully intending to smash the tiny mages into the permafrost.
But as they closed the final distance, they suddenly froze.
Their heavy, primitive brains stuttered in profound confusion. The targets they wanted to smash were sitting directly on top of their own prized, beloved mammoth herd.
One of the giants swung its club downward, but the bull mammoth Aerion was riding actively shifted its weight. It stepped aggressively into the giant's path, tossing its massive tusks and letting out a booming trumpet of defiance.
The giant desperately pulled its swing at the last possible second, throwing its own momentum off balance to avoid crushing its pet's skull. The massive wooden club slammed into the snow, throwing up a geyser of ice and dirt.
"Take the eyes!" Aerion shouted over the din of battle.
Jenassa, kneeling atop the neighboring mammoth, drew her bowstring back to her ear. THWIP. THWIP.
Two iron arrows crossed the distance in a fraction of a second, sinking deep into the unprotected throat and shoulder of the unbalanced giant.
The giant roared in pain, swatting at the arrows like annoying insects.
The second giant tried to flank them, roaring furiously at the Flame Atronachs that were currently hovering around its legs, hurling continuous streams of fire that scorched its calves and ankles.
Aerion did not give them a moment to adapt to the bizarre tactical situation. He stood up slightly on the mammoth's broad neck, utilizing his flawless balance.
He shifted his elemental focus. His right hand erupted in a sustained, roaring torrent of liquid fire—a Flames spell supercharged by his massive Magicka pool. His left hand crackled violently as he unleashed a jagged, blinding arc of Sparks.
The dual torrent of fire and lightning washed over the struggling giants. The smell of burning hair, scorching flesh, and heavy ozone flooded the camp.
[Destruction (Fire) (+1) Leveled Up 13 Times! Current Level: 43]
[Destruction (Lightning) Leveled Up 8 Times! Current Level: 92]
The sustained, overwhelming magical bombardment was too much even for the prehistoric resilience of the giants. Blinded by Jenassa's arrows, horribly burned by the Atronachs, and caught in the unforgiving crossfire of Aerion's elemental fury, the first giant finally collapsed. It crashed to the ground like a felled redwood, shaking the earth violently.
The second giant, its skin blackened and smoking from the lightning strikes, let out a final, desperate roar before succumbing to its massive wounds, collapsing heavily onto the frozen mud near the bonfire.
Silence slowly fell over Blizzard Rest, broken only by the crackle of the bonfire and the soft hum of the hovering Atronachs.
Aerion lowered his hands, letting the destructive magic fade. With a thought, he dismissed the Daedric summons, sending the fiery entities back to the void of Oblivion.
"Well executed," Aerion praised, sliding smoothly down the side of the mammoth and dropping lightly into the snow.
Jenassa followed, her boots crunching against the ice. "A highly unorthodox strategy, Patron, but undeniably effective. Having the enemy's own beasts act as our shield wall is a tactical advantage I had never considered."
"It pays to make friends in unexpected places," Aerion smiled, patting the flank of the mammoth, who rumbled contentedly.
With the camp secured, Aerion moved toward the perimeter to investigate the loot. The primary reason he had stopped was the highly lucrative prospect of mammoth cheese. He approached a massive, wooden drying rack where several enormous, pungent sacks made from stitched mammoth fur were hanging.
He cut one open with an iron dagger. Nothing. He checked the others. All empty.
Aerion let out a disappointed sigh. The giants hadn't processed a new batch of cheese yet. They only had the empty, foul smelling fur bags they used for fermentation.
"A shame," Aerion muttered, turning his attention to the small, shallow cave overhang at the back of the camp.
He walked into the shadows of the overhang. Resting against the stone wall, looking completely out of place amidst the crude bone and fur tools, was a large, heavily reinforced steel chest. It was a piece of high quality Imperial craftsmanship, likely looted from a devastated merchant caravan.
Aerion knelt and threw open the heavy lid.
The bottom of the chest was lined with a thick layer of loose, scattered golden coins. Without a second thought, Aerion ran his hand over the gold, the system instantly vacuuming the currency into his dimensional void.
[Gold Acquired: 378 Septims]
As the gold vanished, it revealed the true prize hidden beneath the coins.
Aerion reached into the chest and pulled out a weapon that took his breath away. It was a Glass Sword.
This was not glass in the mundane sense. It was forged from refined Malachite, a rare, volcanic mineral that was incredibly difficult to work with. The blade was a translucent, beautifully vibrant green, catching the dim light of the cave and refracting it like a prism.
The hilt and crossguard were forged from lightweight, gilded moonstone, featuring elegant, sweeping Elven designs.
Aerion stood up and gave the blade a few experimental swings.
It was utterly magnificent. It was vastly lighter than the heavy steel sword he currently had sheathed at his belt, yet the Malachite edge was sharper than a master crafted razor. It moved through the air with a faint, deadly whistle, perfectly balanced for an agile, rapid strike fighting style.
Aerion smiled, a highly satisfied expression crossing his face. He turned and walked back out to the center of the camp, where Jenassa was pulling her iron arrows from the giant's corpse.
"Jenassa," Aerion called out.
The assassin turned. Her crimson eyes immediately locked onto the brilliant green weapon in his hand. As a connoisseur of death, she recognized the absolute quality of the Malachite blade instantly.
Aerion reached down to his belt. He unbuckled the scabbard containing the fine Steel Sword he had been carrying, the one imbued with the powerful Frost enchantment.
He tossed the entire scabbard to Jenassa. She caught it effortlessly out of the air.
"A reward for your flawless marksmanship today," Aerion stated smoothly. "That steel blade carries a potent enchantment of frost. It will slow your targets and drain their stamina. Consider it a permanent upgrade."
Jenassa drew the steel blade an inch, feeling the biting cold radiate from the metal. A rare, genuinely pleased smile touched her scarred lips. Without a word of hesitation, she unbuckled her standard, heavily worn iron sword and dropped it unceremoniously into the snow. She strapped the enchanted steel weapon to her hip.
"My thanks, Patron. It is a vast improvement," Jenassa said, offering a deep, respectful nod.
Aerion then slid the beautiful Glass Sword into the newly empty loop on his belt, the green blade resting perfectly against the dark fabric of his robes. He ignored the rest of the junk, mostly ruined linen and cheap iron boots, scattered in the chest.
He turned his attention back to his newly acquired, highly valuable assets.
The three mammoths were standing patiently near the bonfire, listening to Lupin, who was currently sitting on a rock and yipping at them like a drill sergeant addressing his troops.
Aerion walked up to the massive bull mammoth. "It is time to leave this freezing wasteland. Follow me."
The mammoth let out a low, agreeable rumble, nodding its massive, tusked head.
Aerion and Jenassa walked back to the rocky outcropping and mounted their rested horses. Lupin, refusing to walk the long distance, trotted up to the bull mammoth. The massive beast gently wrapped its highly prehensile trunk around the tiny fox, lifting Lupin high into the air and depositing him safely atop the thick fur of its broad back.
With their bizarre, heavily armed caravan assembled, Aerion pulled Revan's reins, steering the black steed away from the main road.
"We travel cross country," Aerion instructed Jenassa. "Marching three fully grown mammoths down the main trade arteries of the Pale will cause a massive, entirely unnecessary panic among the merchants and patrols. We stick to the wilderness."
They rode south, the three massive beasts thundering dutifully behind them, their heavy footfalls shaking the snow from the pine trees.
Using his internal system map, Aerion navigated the treacherous, uneven terrain with flawless precision. They descended the steep, jagged mountain passes, slowly leaving the blinding white blizzards of the Pale behind. The climate shifted noticeably, the biting wind softening into a crisp, cool breeze.
They emerged onto the rolling, golden plains of Whiterun Hold. They gave the sprawling farmlands of Loreius Farm a massively wide berth, passing miles behind the property line to ensure the farmers didn't mistake their herd for a wild giant attack.
They continued marching west, the sun climbing high into the sky. They crested a series of tall, rocky hills, arriving at the familiar, wooden palisades of Halted Stream Camp.
The bandit fortress was still completely empty, the bodies of the poachers Aerion had slaughtered weeks ago long since scavenged by wolves. The lack of a new bandit crew was a minor relief, meaning their passage remained entirely unobserved.
From the empty camp, they turned southwest. They rode for another hour across the beautiful, sweeping tundra, the tall golden grass swaying in the wind.
Finally, the terrain began to dip, revealing a massive, shallow valley filled with steaming hot springs, ancient geysers, and scattered pools of mineral-rich water.
Bleakwind Basin.
As they rode down into the basin, a loud, incredibly aggressive trumpet echoed across the water.
Standing near the largest central geyser were the three mammoths of the original Bleakwind herd. Seeing three strange, massive beasts marching into their highly territorial grazing grounds, the original herd immediately went on the defensive.
The reigning alpha bull stepped forward, tossing its massive tusks and stomping its front feet, preparing to charge the intruders to defend its territory.
The three mammoths from Blizzard Rest immediately responded in kind, rumbling deeply and spreading out into a combat formation.
Before a prehistoric clash of titans could erupt, Aerion rode Revan directly into the open space between the two highly agitated herds.
He flared his Animal Affinity to its absolute maximum limit. The magical, empathic aura washed over the entire basin like a tidal wave of profound, undeniable calm.
The original Bleakwind mammoths froze. The aggressive posturing vanished instantly as their dark eyes locked onto the towering High Elf sitting atop the black horse. They recognized the aura. They recognized the an who had brought them peace weeks ago.
The tension in the basin evaporated, replaced by a symphony of happy, welcoming rumbles from the original herd.
Aerion smiled, looking back and forth between the two groups of massive beasts.
"Listen to me," Aerion projected his intent clearly through the empathic link. "From this moment forward, you are no longer two separate herds. You are one massive, unified family. There will be no fighting amongst yourselves. You will protect each other."
The six mammoths rumbled softly, understanding the absolute command of their magical shepherd.
"However," Aerion continued, his golden eyes narrowing slightly, "a unified herd requires a single, undisputed leader. To decide who will guide the pack, the alpha from each herd will compete. A test of strength. The winner will claim the title of the true Alpha. Do you understand?"
The message was received perfectly.
From the left, the massive, scarred bull from Bleakwind Basin stepped forward, its tusks lowered. From the right, the slightly larger, highly aggressive bull from Blizzard Rest mirrored the movement.
The four remaining mammoths slowly backed away, forming a wide, respectful circle around the combatants.
"Back up," Aerion instructed Jenassa, pulling Revan's reins and guiding his horse to the safe edge of the basin.
As they retreated, Lupin scrambled down the thick fur of the Blizzard Rest mammoth's leg. The fox sprinted across the mud, scrambled up Revan's tail, and practically dove into the leather saddlebag. Lupin poked his little cinnamon head out, his dark eyes wide, securing front row seats to the impending, earth shattering sumo match between the two titans.
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[Main Panel]
Name: Aerion Race: High Elf (Altmer)
Health: 350/350 Stamina: 350/350 Magicka: 500/500
Level: 80
Skills: Animal Affinity (MAX LEVEL), Fast Skill Levelling (MAX LEVEL), Fast Magic Mastery (MAX LEVEL), Instant Shout (MAX LEVEL), Destruction (Fire(+1)/Lightning/Frost) (Level 43/92/27), Restoration (Healing/Purify) (Level 63/37), Alteration (Level 22), Alteration (Level 20), Illusion (Level 42), Conjuration (Necromancy/Summoning) (Level 37/46), Persuasion (Level 88), Smithing (Level 22), Sneak (Level 33), One Handed (Level 67), Two Handed (Level 65), Lockpicking (Level 23), Archery (Level 72), Enchanting (Level 34), Light Armor (Level 53), Block (Level 60), & Pickpocket (Level 8)
Shouts: Fus (Force)
[Inventory Panel]
1x Steel Dagger, Small Sack, Poacher's Axe, Mammoth Tusk, Iron Shield, Steel Mace, Steel Warhammer, the Golden Claw, Calm Spellbook, Arvel's Journal, Inkwell & Quill, Thief Book, Scroll Of Summoning (Wolf), Scroll Of Healing, Steel Dagger of Minor Souls, Weak Potion of Paralysis, Ancient Nord Bow, Dragonstone, Ancient Nord Battleaxe Of Blaze, Potion of Minor Pickpocketing, & Golden Staff of Flames
2x Iron Mace, Steel Axe, Steel Greatsword, & Lockpicks
3x Iron Greatsword, Steel Sword, Scroll Of Fireball, Glowing Mushrooms, & Potions of Minor Stamina
4x Potions of Minor Magicka & Spider Eggs
5x Lesser Soul Gem
8x Iron Arrows & Ancient Nord Arrows
9x Potions Of Minor Healing
Weight: 109.07 KG / 475 KG
Septims = 52,930