The next morning, my party members and I sat across from each other at the dining table, eating breakfast.
"Ugh... it feels like my head is going to split open..."
"I truly overdid it with the drinking..."
Eloise and Lydia looked absolutely miserable thanks to their hangovers. Meanwhile, Choi Ha-neul was vacuuming up her potato soup as if nothing was wrong.
"Munch, munch—this is so good!"
She was so perfectly fine that you'd never guess she had been drinking like a fish the night before.
"How are you so fine?" I asked.
"Hmm? I don't really know!"
My guess was that her body was just naturally sturdy because she was the Dragonborn. Regardless, with two out of the four party members out of commission, adventuring today seemed out of the question.
Since we'd be fighting dragons soon enough, I decided to treat today as a light rest day.
"Since the healer and the vanguard are in bad shape, let's rest today and resume the adventure tomorrow."
"Okay..."
"Yes... I'm so sorry."
"I agree... I'll be more careful next time."
Everyone agreed. Lydia and Eloise looked guilt-ridden, feeling like they had disrupted the schedule.
After the meal, the two hurting members went back to their rooms, leaving only me and Choi Ha-neul.
"I'm full of energy! Let's the two of us do something!"
She wanted to hang out since there was no one else to play with. Luckily, I had something to do, so this worked out well.
"Shall we? I actually had a task anyway. You'll have to tag along."
Choi Ha-neul asked with a hint of anticipation.
"Hehe, what is it?"
"You'll see when we get there."
I led her out of the inn, while she chatted about how she hoped it was somewhere fun.
"Hah... I was a fool to expect anything."
"Why? Look at the view, it's amazing. Besides, you getting stronger is for the good of the party."
"I thought I was going to a theater or something with you, Mister."
"There are no theaters in Whiterun."
I soothed Choi Ha-neul as she grumbled, climbing the mountain. We were currently ascending the frozen slopes to deliver the Horn to High Hrothgar.
Only Ha-neul really needed to go to learn the Shout anyway, and since there was no need for the whole group to trek up, I figured now—while the other two were sick—was the perfect time for us to come alone.
"Do we really have to climb these seven thousand steps again?"
"No, we don't necessarily have to."
"Then how are we going to get there? Are we going to teleport?"
"Exactly."
"Huh?"
It was an idea I had conceptualized before going to bed last night.
The principle of Conjuration magic is a summoner calling forth an entity from another dimension. When the summon's life energy or duration runs out, they are unsummoned.
In other words, Conjuration magic itself involves breaking the dimensional barrier to create a portal that links a distant place to the summoner's vicinity.
Therefore, if I could simply use the dimensional rift without needing to summon anyone, I could teleport to another location.
That was the theory, and I had tested it before breakfast.
"Whoa, awesome! You can do that?! Then let's teleport right now!"
"That's not how it works."
Conjuration magic summons entities from the planes of Oblivion, like Atronachs and Daedra, rather than life forms from our continent of Tamriel.
Meaning, if you open a dimensional rift without any preparation, you'll fall into a horrific place like Oblivion or Apocrypha.
"So you can't use teleportation?"
Ha-neul, who had been full of anticipation, sounded disappointed.
"I said if you don't have preparation. There's a way."
By using my Magicka.
If I leave a trace of my Magicka at a specific location, I can track it through a dimensional gate and create a portal that links that Magicka to me.
However, the catch is that I need something capable of holding my Magicka, and that can be solved with a Soul Gem.
A Soul Gem is fundamentally a stone for trapping souls, but soul power functions similarly to Magicka.
Essentially, it can store a small amount of Magicka.
But there was one more problem. If I just poured my mana in, it would leak out over time.
To prevent that, I didn't just put my Magicka into the Soul Gem; I put the soul of another creature in with it. The creature's soul acted as a sort of bottle cap.
I had left a Soul Gem prepared like that back in the Whiterun inn.
"Then the steps..."
"What can we do? We have to climb."
And so, Choi Ha-neul and I began the seemingly endless hike. At first, we chatted as we climbed, but before long, exhaustion took over and the conversation died.
"Huff... huff... I feel like I'm having déjà vu..."
"Hang in there..."
We kept a steady pace and eventually reached the midpoint of the mountain. I saw the number 3,000 etched into the stone that I'd read before.
We thought we were going to make it without incident, but suddenly, a Frost Troll lunged from a gap in the rocks.
"Aw, damn. What a pain."
Last time we encountered one, we had a healer and a tank, but this was going to be a bit trickier.
"Groar!"
"This one's a big fellow."
While the previous one had been somewhat aged, this one happened to be exceptionally strong.
And there were only two of us. In the past, this would have been a crisis, but not today.
"Ha-neul, I'll show you something cool. Watch closely."
"Are you going to summon a gun?"
Creative, but wrong. I summoned a Flame Atronach.
The Atronach, radiating intense heat, emerged beside us from a purple aura.
"Ooh—you can do that now?"
"That's not all. I can't do a gun, but I can summon a sword."
Fshhhhh.
Making the distinct sound of Conjuration magic, an Orcish-style blade appeared.
With more practice, I'd be able to manifest Elven, Ebony, or even Daedric swords.
"Whoa! That is seriously cool! Let me have one too!"
Unfortunately, Bound Weapons lose their form and collapse within thirty seconds if they leave my hand.
Similarly, projectiles like arrows or throwing daggers vanish after a certain amount of time once fired.
"Aw, man. You got my hopes up."
"Just be satisfied watching me use it."
While we were talking, the Flame Atronach lost its fight against the troll. The beast looked absolutely livid because of the summon.
Since the Atronach had drained a fair bit of my Magicka, I summoned a low-cost skeleton, while Choi Ha-neul raised her axe.
Then, she used her Shout to throw the troll off balance.
"Fus Ro!"
"Graaargh!"
Seizing the opening, all three of us lunged at once.
The troll immediately swung its fist at Ha-neul, who looked like the weakest target, but she blocked it with her axe.
However, the high-level troll was formidable. The destructive power of its fist was so great that even though she blocked it, the impact sent her sliding backward.
As it tried to bite me with its massive jaw, I dodged and slashed its back.
But thanks to the troll's thick hide, it was only a shallow wound.
He's remarkably tough.
The skeleton rushed in as well, only to be smashed into splinters by a single punch.
Ignoring the bone fragments flying everywhere, Ha-neul and I rushed the troll again.
The high-level troll was a serious nuisance. Only by slowly whittling away its health with Ha-neul's Destruction magic and my Conjuration did we finally manage to gain the upper hand.
"Whew—the bastard just won't die."
By the end of the fight, the troll was covered in wounds and breathing heavily, its Stamina seemingly exhausted.
Thwip!
"Gurgle...!"
For the finisher, I slammed an arrow into its forehead. The troll closed its eyes in the snow.
"Quite a strong monster."
"Ugh... seriously, I can't walk another step!"
Having spent her strength in the battle, Choi Ha-neul flopped onto the ground and groaned.
Feeling a bit mischievous, I made a joke.
"Want me to carry you?"
"Really? Then give me a piggyback!"
Ha-neul smiled brightly and held out both arms.
Uh oh. I didn't think she'd take me seriously. It's not that she's heavy, but I'm pretty exhausted myself.
"Are you going to be a man of your word or what?"
"Fine, I'll give you a ride. Just not on me, on this guy."
I channeled my mana, and dark energy flowed from my hands.
The darkness enveloped the troll. Its body twitched before it rose again, eyes glowing with a purple light.
"Urrrgh..."
"Are you for real...?"
Ha-neul's face turned pale.
"It's better than walking, isn't it?"
Eventually, through several twists and turns, we arrived at High Hrothgar.
We opened the creaking, rusted iron doors and stepped inside.
Arngeir, who had been meditating in the center of the temple, greeted us. Choi Ha-neul pulled the Horn from her bag to show him.
"You have retrieved the Horn. Well done. With this, you have passed all your final trials."
He then stated he would teach her the third word of 'Unrelenting Force' and called for the other Greybeards.
Following their guidance, Ha-neul stood in the center of the temple. The Greybeards surrounded her, preparing to impart the knowledge of the Thu'um.
I leaned against a wall and watched the show. Once the preparations were complete, Arngeir spoke.
"I shall now teach you the final word of 'Unrelenting Force.' The last word is Dah, meaning 'Push.'"
As he finished speaking, Master Wulfgar, one of the Greybeards, etched the Dragon Shout meaning Dah into the floor.
Like last time, the letters on the floor glowed with a red light, and a mystical energy enveloped her.
"Combining all three words, the Shout will possess immense power. Use that power wisely."
Having received the knowledge of the word, Choi Ha-neul touched her throat.
"The teaching is now finished. However, the Greybeards have something more to say to you."
"Something to say?"
"Only you can withstand the waterfall of voices that the masters will unleash."
The Greybeards raised their arms and concentrated energy into their throats, 'pouring' their own language onto Choi Ha-neul.
"Lingrah krosis saraan Strundu'ul, voth nid balaan klov praan nau. (The Stormcrown has long withered without a proper seat to rest upon.)"
"Meyz nu Ysmir, Dovahsebrom. Dahmaan daar rok. (You have now become Ysmir, the Dragon of the North. Heed our words.)"
Like a literal waterfall, the Greybeards' Shout became an intense shockwave that crashed into Choi Ha-neul. She staggered within the wall of sound.
"Gah!"
But she only staggered; she did not fall. She withstood the voices of the Greybeards.
Having finished the process, Arngeir spoke to Ha-neul in an encouraging tone.
"Dovahkiin, you have now experienced the voice of the masters and passed all trials without injury. If you ever require help or advice, come to this place at any time."
He added that the doors of High Hrothgar would always be open to the Dragonborn.
Now our business at High Hrothgar was finished. Neither I nor Ha-neul were likely to return for a while.
However, since the main quest required visiting a few more times later on, I entrusted the Soul Gem containing my Magicka to Arngeir.
"What is this?"
"Just a little trick of mine."
Arngeir looked at the Soul Gem I handed him with interest before slipping it into his pocket.
"In any case, the winds outside are growing fierce. You are welcome to stay the night if you wish."
I appreciated Arngeir's offer but politely declined.
"Then how do you intend to return?"
"I have my ways."
Choi Ha-neul clung to me as I cast a Conjuration spell. To be precise, I summoned the Soul Gem containing my Magicka that I'd left at the inn.
I modified the magic to expand the tiny dimensional rift that usually only lasts for a moment,
and through the portal, I could see the Whiterun inn where we were staying.
"To think you had such talent!"
Arngeir watched the rift in space with astonishment.
"Farewell then."
"It's cold, so make sure you pull your blankets all the way up when you sleep!"
With that, we stepped through the portal and traveled back to Whiterun.
Watching us disappear through the rift, Arngeir stroked his thick beard and chuckled.
"Ho... to think I'd live to see this day. Dovahkiin, you truly have a dependable companion."
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