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“To his stupid lawyer face!” Jonrad shouted again… in absolute happiness. |
“Will you be quiet? I just put the kids to bed.” Hilda focused her fiery glares at Jonrad once again. |
“It is just, honey, when that boy made fun of me last time at Solitude while I was drunk, I’ve been meaning to return the favor and… Glymet here helped me out so…” Jonrad tried to explain his latest grudge with Jon. |
“I didn’t do anything to him!” But Glymet defended himself right away, “We were all trying to acquire the ring and your son was tossing everyone left and right. I swear no one had the chance to do anything with him being that aggressive.” |
“Don’t worry about it, Glym.” Hilda assured Glymet that he is not in any trouble and returned to her husband, “You and I need to talk.” |
“Oh!” Jonrad realized that he is in for an earful. |
But just as they were meeting at the entrance of the second section in the Tower, Alina walked in with a tired face. |
“I want to sleep so bad.” She said as she dragged herself across the hallway before running into the three elders, “Oh, I didn’t realize we had a guest. You are the Adventurer who helped last night.” |
“Alina, this is Glymet, a friend from the War days.” Hilda introduced Glymet to Alina. |
“Oh, hello!” Alina’s face turned bright right away, “Jonrad told us a lot about you.” |
“You are young Jon’s wife?” Glymet asked while trying to be careful around his words. |
“Yes, did he do anything bad?” Alina asked while being fully prepared for what comes. |
“He was forcibly taken to Clockwork City.” Hilda said. |
“Oh no!” Alina’s reaction was that of pure shock, “Without me?” |
“Forcibly taken!” Glymet highlighted the important words. |
“Come on!” Alina held her head, “Being forcibly taken to another world again! Damn it!” She then turned to Hilda, “Mom, dad, if I find out that your son has cheated on me over there…” |
“He’s all yours, daughter.” Hilda didn’t even bother arguing for her son. |
“Totally.” And Jonrad was somehow hyped for what would happen. |
“Should I feel sorry for him?” Glymet asked himself in a quiet mumbling. |
“Traveling to other realms is kinda his thing, Glym. Jon can handle himself.” Hilda said while getting up, “Now if you excuse me, Thor and Idun have been quiet for some time, I am afraid they’re up to no good again.” |
As she left, Glymet couldn’t still drop the concerned face. |
“Alright, if he’s in there, I should at least be less worried about Swims-at-Night with him.” Glymet said while massaging his temples. |
“Wait. Your Argonian friend is over there as well?” Jonrad asked with wide eyes. |
“Yeah, he was the one who got taken with him.” Glymet nodded. |
“This is bad.” Alina held her chin. |
“What is?” Glymet turned to her with his heart almost jumping out of his chest. |
“Jon is in Clockwork city and you have a friend missing over there as well.” Jonrad showed concern too. |
“The problem with Jon is that he loses his marbles the moment he is surrounded by Dwarven toys… meaning…” Alina explained. |
“He won’t bother with anything… let alone Swims-at-Night.” Jonrad confirmed. |
“Alright…” Glymet took a deep breath in and waited for a few seconds before continuing, “I need to get to Clockwork City.” |
Alina and Jonrad looked at each other and thought for a while. |
“To be completely honest, I have no idea how to get there.” Alina said. |
“Then get me in touch with Laaneth.” Glymet said, “I can’t find her since after the attack.” |
“She’s camping with Master Nurina.” Alina said, “Archmage Savos is badly wounded so the two of them are looking after him. You need to go to the College and see Mirabelle Ervine to get in contact with Laaneth.” |
“I understand… thank you.” Glymet thanked Alina and took a step backward, “I’ll be off then.” |
“Wait!” Alina called, “Make sure to not bring up any word about Jon getting missing in Clockwork City in front of Master Nurina. She’s a bit sensitive right now and it may upset her hearing about Jon’s situation.” |
“Ah! I remember.” Glymet replied with an understanding face, “The adoptive mother, right?” |
“That she is.” Jonrad nodded. |
“I’ll be careful then.” |
*** |
(Part 2) |
It was unknown what situation the Archmage was in but so long he is alive, things would be stable in the College for some time. |
His life was saved by Jon’s artifact and if not for it, he wouldn’t be around. Nurina understood that and wanted to thank him for saving her only surviving blood relative in the world. |
While Nurina and Savos aren’t really getting along, she considers herself to be his elder sister of some sort and he was family. Saving his life, no matter the cost, is a big deal to her. However, she didn’t understand why Jon kept the info that Savos’ life was threatened by her. |
“His mind is still active. I can conjure some Daedric Energy from Vaermina’s realm of Quagmire to induce nightmares in his head and allow it to find its way during this coma.” Laaneth said. |
“The method is a bit radical, don’t you think?” Nurina asked. |
“The Archmage is no simple man. If we give him a chance, he will easily push through it and fight his way back to us.” Laaneth said, “In my opinion, a Coma is like a mental block except that it actually blocks one’s brain from his body. The senses still work so we can give him just a little push.” |
“I see. Let’s hold on that idea for the night and see if there are any orthodox options on the table. Colette Marence still hasn’t shared her opinion with us.” |
“Restoration is a valid school of magic.” Laaneth tried to ease up the mood with an inside joke to the college. |
“It is indeed.” Nurina appreciated the comment. |
“Well, it is all up to you in the end, Lady Nurina.” |
“Thank you, Laaneth.” |
While it was all true, it wasn’t ethical to do this to Savos. Inducing nightmares from Vaermina’s realm into his head will add variety to whatever is locking him in there and will probably pull him through this. |
But Nurina wasn’t so heartless to let it happen. After all, Savos Aren has too many regrets to not be allowed to face. Some of these regrets were still fresh news to Nurina once Alina told her what happened in the Labyrinthian. |
The Labyrinthian was the place where the Staff of Magnus was being kept and it is also a place where Archmage Shalidor, the founder of Winterhold and its College, has set up a test for his successors as the Archmages of Winterhold. |
Usually, it is not a place that one can conquer on their own or even as fast as Alina did but she had all the toys Jon kept lying around in the Dare Tower and had some help as well. Still, once in the past, Archmage Savos Aren attempted to challenge the Labyrinthian as well and the result of his expedition wasn’t all g... |
In Savos Aren’s expedition, he had five Masters of Winterhold with him, Atmah the Redguard, Girduin the Bosmer, Takes-in-Light the Argonian, Hafnar Ice-Fist the Nord, and Elvali Veren the Dunmer. All of which were possible candidates for the seat of the Archmage, all but Savos got their souls trapped in the Labyrinthia... |
The death of his friends weighed too much on Savos’ soul to the point where he was committed to the College his whole life and never once thought about giving up the seat that he got by the sacrifice of his friends. He didn’t truly conquer the Labyrinthian since he failed at the final test but things would have turned ... |
And so, Nurina didn’t even know how to approach his coma knowing that in his long sleep, Savos is somewhere he wants to be. |
But while she was contemplating, the door to the Archmage’s chamber was opened and Mirabelle Ervine walked in asking for Laaneth. From how it seemed, Laaneth had a guest, but while she was reluctant to meet him, Nurina urged her to do so. |
Still, from what Nurina could tell, it seemed like this man named Glymet was the one Laaneth told her about. |
Her ex. |
As for Laaneth, the Dunmer conjuration sorceress, she was thankful for Glymet’s help during the fight against Ancano while being a little bit on edge with him since the time they broke up. |
It wasn’t that pretty how they ended up. |
Before they were an item, they were friends from the War and adventure companions for some time but the situation with them being distant caused them to go their separate ways. Long-distance relationships hardly succeed to begin with and Glymet has met someone else a few years ago. While Laaneth doesn’t know all the de... |
[Reminder: Alisanne Durpe, the former Listener of the Dark Brotherhood from the story of Jonrad and Glymet, the one Jonrad killed in order to steer Glymet away from the path of Sithis.] |
But for Glymet to come after this long time and ask to see her, she wasn’t that excited, to begin with, until she met him. |
“Thank you… for meeting me.” Glymet spoke with his not meeting her save for a single second. |
“Glym.” Laaneth looked at him and noticed many things, “So, like all humans, you became an old man so quickly.” |
“Older indeed but not any wiser, I am afraid.” He replied with an awkward smile. |
He has grown from the young man she met during the Great War to a late-middle-aged man with white hairs lining the sides of his hair and his beard. Aside from that, some wrinkles and blemishes marked his face as someone who is almost 60. |
If he was like any of those clans who had giant-blood or ancestral magic, he may have lived to an 80 or something before looking this old but Glymet was just the epitome of regular humans. On the other hand, Laaneth is well beyond 100 with the looks of a young woman in her 20s or 30s. |
“Laaneth, listen…” He pushed all awkwardness aside and focused on the thing that matters, “It’s about Swims.” |
“Swims?” Laaneth was surprised, “What happened to the old lizard? Last time I checked on him, he was going around Winterhold.” |
Laaneth smiled vividly as she remembered their mutual trouble-maker friend, Swims-at-Night. |
“He came to Winterhold?” Glymet asked. |
“Yes. He was here looking for a crew of adventurers but Tyr showed up and ruined his whole thing. Classic Tyr, right?” Laaneth laughed as she remembered the situation from a month ago but seeing how she immediately started laughing around Glymet, she was the one to feel awkward this time around. |
It has always been like this. She was always comfortable around him for some reason and he was always distant and seeking something greater than himself. |
If he can just settle down and be… |
“He has been taken.” Glymet said. |
“Who?” Laaneth became alert immediately, “Swims?” |
“Yes. It happened when he came to find me in Dawnstar…” |
Glymet then told Laaneth a full account of what happened until now. Her reaction was to take in a few deep breaths and hold her head. |
“A fight in the Rift with an unknown Arch Wizard, the Ruins of Forelhost which are forbidden even to approach, drinking Magicka draining poison, fighting with Jon Dare over the Barilzar’s Mazed Band…” She repeated what she understood, “And what on Nirn were you planning to find in Clockwork City? Oblivion! That’s not e... |
“Just tell me that you know how to get there.” Glymet asked patiently. |
“Easy! You don’t.” Laaneth replied, “Barilzar’s Mazed Band is one thing but that’s a legendary thing… something unique… a backdoor of… sorts.” Laaneth started to mumble at the end as her head was getting some ideas at the moment. |
“Alright?” Glymet waited for her to finish her thoughts. |
“Look, I’ll be honest.” Laaneth said, “Barlizar was not just some ordinary wizard. He was a Clockwork Apostle who learned under Sotha Sil then left him and went to serve Vivec to gain access to real Dwemer Technology.” |
“And what does that have to do with this?” Glymet asked. |
“I am trying to say that if you want to do something Barlizar did with his Mazed Band, you need someone on equal footing if not greater than a genius like Barlizar. The only one I know of is Lord Divayth Fyr.” |
“That’s impossible.” Glymet laughed, “Is he still alive?” |
“Who knows?! Lady Nurina and Jon Dare said that he is but if it is Divayth Fyr, maybe it is some clone of his or whatever. That doesn’t matter either way since he has multiple clone wives.” Laaneth said. |
“Clone wives? Oblivion!” Glymet couldn’t imagine cloning one’s self, to begin with, let alone cloning a wife of yourself. |
“It is called Selfcest, but who are we to judge at this point?” Laaneth shrugged her shoulders, “Either way, one of the clones happens to live just outside Winterhold.” |
“So if not Divayth Fyr, we can just ask that female Divayth Fyr.” He said. |
“Yes.” Laaneth said, “Lady Alfe Fyr is her name, just make sure you don’t upset her, she can kill us with her mind and we won’t even know it.” |
And so, Laaneth and Glymet sat out to meet with Alfe Fyr for access to Clockwork City to save Swims-at-Night and possibly Jon Dare if he wanted any saving. |
—————————— |
A/n: 13 Early Access Chapters on P4treon and MORE! ➡️ https://linktr.ee/donovel ⬅️ |
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible. |
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