Skyrim: A Sorcerer's Tale-Chapter 478 - XCV: Trek To Tel Mithryn

We stepped through what used to be the reikling siege camp, the once imposing mass of bloodthirsty blue monsters lying smothered in its own ashes by my will, the prompt retribution doing little to make up for the many ruined farmhouses and utterly pillaged fields of Morrowind-borne crops behind it.

"Well" Savos whispers "The poor fools will make for fine fertilizer at least."

"Stone cold, Archmage." Marwyn drawls.

Said Dunmer gives the young lich a withering glare "Keep your sarcasm to yourself, I do not approve of this." He then turns to me "Could you not have removed the influence from them like you usually do? What was the point of this slaughter?"

"The reiklings are little more than pests." I state after a good few moments of uncomfortable silence "If I were to release them, and the few weakminded pirates among them, they would simply return to being a bother to actual productive members of society."

"Pests, are they?" Savos scoffs "Consigning thousands to their deaths has become far too easy for you I say."

I cannot help but sigh at the very correct point he was making, but I do not fully relent "Reasonable as your concerns are." He exhales in frustration "You have to admit reiklings and similar creatures are not simple to civilize, especially since they are known to attack the defenseless without provocation."

"Not even going to mention the pirates?" He asks, his mood registering as conflicted to my senses.

I just direct him with a decidedly dry look at that "Admit it, gramps, your issue is not the act but its scale. People slay these little shits all the time, I just did it efficiently."

At this he lets out a bitter chuckle "One would think that at my age I'd be the one with less scruples..."

"The weight of the future tends to warp one's morality." Is all I say, even as I make sure to remember this conversation as a reminder for the future.

Simply burning everything in front of me feels oh so easy at my current level of power, an insidious trap and one very difficult to escape from once I was stuck in it.

Thankfully for my increasingly descending mood, the rush of magic to my right drew our attentions just in time to see Marwyn raising a few dozen of the more intact corpses, most of them formerly belonging to relatively well armed and armored Dunmer reavers.

Feeling our looks on his back, the lich turns to us "Finally done with your little spat?" He asks in his now naturally flat voice.

Savos doesn't visibly react but I feel his very soul bristle at the audacity.

I however, was not moved, and merely retorted in a bored tone "Finally done raising a meager dozen thralls? One can only find so many distractions to wait out such... inefficiency."

Being that his soul was thoroughly muted, as it was only half present, I could only feel the slightest echo of Marwyn's shame and irritation, something he easily hid with his skeletal expression "Terribly sorry about that but one can only do so much while listening to an elf nearing three hundred mope about beasts."

My hand lands on Savos' shoulder, dispelling the overcharged turn undead spell that flickered into his grasp before he could launch it. Thus saving our local guide, I turn back to the rather terrified lich and smirk "You've become a right cunt, you know that?"

Not wasting a fucking second he retorts "Am I finally being welcomed to your order then?"

I couldn't help but laugh 'Well, at least he is more fun than he used to be.'

And of course it was at that moment that all his carefully raised thralls fells apart, my laughter swiftly joined by Savos who had not stopped casting the dispell in his other hand.

Our laughter only got worse when the literal animated dead body actually yelped as he realized Akulakhan was right behind him and staring him down, one finch away from pulping his skull in.

-----

Our march east was not interrupted by any more enthralled attackers, even if we did need to put down some overly aggressive wildlife in the form of the local strain of spriggan and the ash spawn, the latter effectively ending themselves the moment I looked at them much like they did back in the temple.

I did make a point of gathering the hartstones they coalesced around, now that I was not nearly as tempted by the things they would probably make amazing enchanting materials.

The sight of what would once be the Kolbjorn Barrow excavation did remind me of the local Dragon Priests, a topic I did some actual research on on the way here, and of this particular cairn's occupant, the one named Ahzidal.

It simply would not do to miss such an opportunity to get some inspiration for my enchanting, even if I would have to leave it for later.

"You'd think simply abandoning a fort like that is the height of stupidity." I speak up as we pass a small crumbling legion garrison to the island's south "Using the place as a trade outpost or a fleet resupply depot at the least seems much less wasteful."

"Or even just letting some settlers use it as a new home." Savos adds "The tendency of the Empire to just abandon good territory is something that always astounded me."

"Well, they did give it to Morrowind." I shrug before quickly adding "Even if that is not really an argument, to be fair."

Marwyn, who had been rather silent for the past hour or so, having realized just how much he overstepped by shittalking Savos even if he did not admit it, spoke up "I believe I can help explain things somewhat."

His lichdom probably fucked with him to a far greater extent than he ever expected, something that would explain his constantly shifting 'moods' or at least his emulation of them.

Savos gives him a long look before slowly nodding "Explain away."

I feel the slightest flash of relief from the lich as he begins spinning his tale "I came here some months ago, mostly to explore while investigating rumors of increased reikling activity." He shakes his head "At first it was only thought that they were uniting under a warlord, not a true threat but one that needed watching non the less."

"Anyway" He points at the fort "After I failed to find any true motive behind their movement, the Second Councilor hired me on to see to the ash spawn attacks" He pointedly does not mention how they simply crumbled before me "Supposedly an Imperial Legate from the fort had seen fit to declare war upon Raven Rock and kept ambushing travelers, rather improbable seeing as he died when the Red Mountain erupted."

"An undead then." Savos hums.

"Quite." Marwyn nods "One akin to the ash spawn if surprisingly more human-like and coherent. I took to the task and with a bit of back and forth I cleared the place out, even if I had to retreat from the madman thrice to recharge my reserves."

"Must have earned quite the sum from that." I voice.

"A fat purse indeed." Marwyn confirms "This was before your subjects caught on to why I don't show my face around them and were still amiable to my presence." He scoffs "They became decidedly less welcoming when they found out the truth, thankfully this was just as the siege began so they could not justify trying to banish me."

"You made your choice." I shrug.

"That I did." He agrees with a sharp nod "Some of the locals are still more than willing to do business with me thankfully, so I managed to sell the Legate's enchanted hammer to that thief pretending to be a smith Mallory."

"Why not keep it?" I ask.

The undead would have no doubt rolled his eyes if he still had them, instead he shoved his arms forward "And wield it with these twigs? Master Phineas may be able to function near-perfectly but he has decades of experience at being a lich, I still walk with a damned stutter."

"Focus on alteration magic." Savos says after a brief silence "That should let you hold your ground if needs must."

"Sound advice" Marwyn nods "But not all of us are made of Magicka, and I feel much safer at a distance."

"Never hurts to be prepared for every situation." I tell him "Besides, just consider it as another avenue of pushing yourself." I pause once more for dramatic reasons "Also, overpowering a man who had spent decades honing his strength with a single spell is just too hilarious not to do it."

The lich nearly missed a step before the vague approximation of a thoughtful look formed on his skeletal face. By the time we reached our destination, the gleam in his eyes had yet to disappear.

-----

I will admit, I fully expected Tel Mithryn to simply be yet another massive mushroom fashioned into a wizard's tower with maybe one or two adjourning buildings for the staff and storage.

That was after all an image distinctly tied to the Telvanni, even if experience had taught me that the standoffish fucks were a slight bit more sensible than that.

All of this went to say that when I exited a small recently bloomed forest (you are very welcome, Solstheim) and came upon the sight of a fortified village surrounding an emperor shroom, I found myself feeling quite surprised.

The tower itself was obviously still distanced from the other buildings as they were built in a circle of at least a dozen or so meters away from its wide foundations and heavily warded off to boot, but this did not diminish the fact that it was surrounded by at least some fifty-ish squat, likely half-subterranean houses, some of which were only recently constructed, and all of whom were protected behind thick earthen ramparts of admittedly less than impressive height.

Enough to keep wildlife or a party of reiklings out but not resist a true assault.

"Heard anything about Neloth taking in refugees, Marwyn?" I ask absently.

He shakes his head "Nothing solid, Neloth has enough of a reputation that I avoided him like the plague, but it would make sense that some of the more distant homesteads would seek security here."

"I fear to ponder on the price they had to pay for it." Savos mutters.

"Well, only one way to find out." I shrug "Onwards then gentlemen, we might as well introduce ourselves to our hosts."

Our quartet's approach to the town goes mostly unchallenged, with the guard (more of a lookout really) running to the tower to no doubt inform the master of the tower of our presence while the inhabitants gave us looks of both curiosity and more concerningly, fear before shutting themselves within their homes.

This was all it took to prompt me to take a proper look around the place... an act I regretted immediately "Of course... how very fucking typical." I didn't bother holding back a groan of frustration.

"What is it?" Savos asks as we approach the shroom.

"He used them as ritual research subjects." I inform him with a fair bit of distaste before sighing "Well, at least the megalomaniacal lunacy is not solely exclusive to my own house."

"I doubt he is the only Telvanni who dabbles." Marwyn points out dryly.

"Probably correct." I nod and turn to the entrance of the tower "It would seem our host has taken notice."

But instead of an old Dunmer archmage, out steps a relatively youthful elf wearing the less elaborate trappings of an apprentice, his form immediately tensing at the sight of us "Who are you and what brings you to Tel Mithryn?" He asks, almost demands.

And frankly my patience had already been thinned sufficiently "Are you blind, or merely lacking in education?" I deadpan "Open your eyes and lead us inside, I have no time to waste on this posturing."

I feel his negative response before he utters it and merely wave my hand, silencing him magically and physically as we simply step by the now shaking in fear apprentice.

The wards of the tower do not attempt to attack us as we enter, and we levitate up the trunk of the tower unchallenged, Savos only slightly helping Marwyn out while I lifted Akulakhan without any real issue.

We landed atop the tower of Tel Mithryn with only the slightest bit of noise but the mage wearing traditional elaborate Telvanni robes currently slouching over a table did not even bother turning around to face us "Talvas you incompetent, I told you to run them off and not interrupt me again."

"I am afraid you will find your apprentice is quite incapable of running me off." I drawl.

He still doesn't bother turning around, focused on enchanting a staff as he was, but instead lets out a disdainful suffering sigh "Of course it is you who had to bother me." His hand flashes as he imbues the staff with a heart stone and then he finally turns "What do you want?"

'Not even the slightest bit of deference in either his tone or posture' How... unusual 'Too bad he already earned my dislike' I say none of this of course, but instead bluntly inform him "Your assistance with the current situation on Solstheim for one."

"And I should aid you why exactly?" Neloth raises an eyebrow, metaphorically looking down on me.

'Is this fucker trying to extort me without even bothering to greet me properly?' I was honestly amazed by the sheer fucking audacity at this point "You already failed to answer the call to arms once." I point at him "An understandable decision considering the distance involved" And oh how he bristled at his implied lack of ability to teleport "But not one I will tolerate again."

The bald bearded fuck scoffs at me "If you think you can tell me what to do like you do that fool Demnevanni, I will have to info-"

A loud screeching noise interrupts him as I make a clawing motion with my left hand, the spell of my design a mixture of masterful mysticism and destruction cutting through both his tower wards, defenses, and what few personal wards he had the time to erect in the split second it took me to cast it.

The honed ward breaker I created during the campaign was a delightful tool indeed.

Before Neloth could so much as blink, his defenses were broken and he was encased in my telekinetic, silencing grasp, one that nearly seeped into his soul under the direction of my divinity as I held him aloft.

"Say Savos" I ponder aloud "Wouldn't it be poetic to punish this act of treason with a bit of experimentation of our own?"

"I don't know" My grandfather scratches his beard "I feel the prickliness would spoil any ritual you attempted."

"You... wouldn't... dare." Neloth glares at me.

"Oh come now you centuries old toddler." I drawl "Betraying your lord and sovereign needs to have some kind of price. Maybe a few curses to show you just how foolish you were?"

Ever so slowly the truth of the situation begins setting in the asshole's mind and just as I am about to begin pressing him further to assure his most enthusiastic support, a distant roar echoes throughout the tower.

A rather familiar roar, and a hostile one at that.

"Well now." I grin and snap my fingers, releasing the shaking Telvanni "It would seem chance has granted you an opportunity to prove yourself less useless than you currently appear."

I do not bother waiting for his response as I walk up to the hole in the tower's trunk "Come on then, we have a dragon to greet."

-------

Due to dissenting voices demanding ridiculous things like fair pay and other unacceptable ideas, the stone toll has been raised to compensate for the loss in workforce.

On the flip side, the soup shall keep flowing.

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