A Double Chapter! one daily and one of the many extras I owe you, guys.
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(Part 1: Gecko)
As Alina was done with the song, the crowd took a second to breathe and realize what just happened. As expected from Crimson Moon, Daughter of Kyne, her voice was on another level. Putting that aside, the song and the music were just too good.
Applauding may have come a bit late but it was a big wave that took the casino by a storm. From the poor gamblers to the High King who appeared out of nowhere, every one of them mortals shared the same heart beating rate as the song went on till it was over.
Alina walked down the stage finally after letting go of the hard feelings she had only to find High King Torygg walking towards her. There seems to be no running away from that man.
"Thane Alina Firemane, a word please."
"Yes, Your Grace. You could have just sent for me."
"It's okay. While we're at it, I want to ask about a certain someone who was last seen in Winterhold."
"I'll be glad to help, Your Grace. Who are you looking for?" Alina asked.
"A Thane of mine, Thane Erikur."
Alina was quite in the mood after singing to her heart's content for ten minutes but mentioning that name made her almost glare at the High King who personally took the initiative to speak with her. The King himself felt the amount of pressure that Alina was about to throw at him.
She hurriedly came to her mind and let out a deep breath.
"I am sure, Your Grace, that you are well aware of Erikur's crimes in Winterhold and a crime such as his is the spark that started this war. He targeted my Husband, my Brother-in-law, our business, our lives, and many innocents had to die in a fight that could be avoided. Simply bailing him out like that is an insult to Winterhold, the Firemanes, the Moonblades and all our Friends. I'm sure the Gold-Hair Clan also has the same opinion."
Alina's reply was full of sharpness as she was annoyed. She even mentioned the Gold-Hair Clan who are Torygg's backers and his wife's clan.
In truth, Jon has shown the utmost generosity to High King Torygg by not only planning the exile play but also by sparing a lot of lives from the Nords of the Dragon Hunt Alliance. The words of "You Are Free" that Jon used and his speech reached far and wide making every clan complement his wisdom and ability. All the clans of Skyrim are the core power of Skyrim's military and what keeps the realm together.
Torygg surely understood what kind of ridiculous thing he asked.
"He may have sinned but Thane Erikur holds a lot of weight. I wouldn't bother if he is dead but his life will make transferring his assets faster. His sister will serve as a better replacement while he will be stripped from all titles and get exiled from the Realm." Torygg said sincerely.
"Fine, he is still alive but I doubt he will be of any use." Alina said.
"What is the meaning of this?" Sybille Stentor who was standing behind Torygg asked.
"I should send someone to fetch him, I think seeing is better than hearing." Alina signaled to an assistant and was about to send an order.
"No need, we want to see things ourselves." Torygg took another approach.
"Very well, this way."
Alina walked out of the casino and took the way North to a building near the Dare Barracks, this was Winterhold's prison, the Black Room.
It was a cube-like black building with barely any opening other than a heavy metal door, Torygg and his attendants followed Alina in and the scene took them by surprise.
The Black Room was a small building from outside but from inside, it was going underground and seemed very deep. It was just a very wide and deep pit in the ground with prison cells dug in its walls. Any prisoner in here have the liberty to pick whichever lock they want but good luck climbing up. The place has many magical restrictions that don't allow the use of any drop of Magicka without certain items.
The guards if the Black Room greeted the nobles who arrived and activated a certain mechanism that moved a wooden platform up and down, Alina casually stood on it and invited the guests to join her.
They were surely worried about the lift that moved on gears and chains but seeing the sturdy design made them move on hesitantly. The lift traveled underground until it reached the seventh level which is the lowest one.
"How did you people dig a hole like that?" Torygg asked.
"Utility Frost Atronaches and latter Stone Foundation Atronaches."
"Incredible!"
Alina led the group to the cell deepest in the deepest floor and opened it up. The ominous and dark that flowed from the room can make whoever unfortunate enough to stay there lose their minds.
Alina walked in followed by the rest, the group looked around and found nothing.
"What is the meaning of this?" Falk asked Alina with a stern tone.
"Hold on." Sybille said as she seems to have discovered someone in a dark corner.
Alina cast a Candlelight and the cell lit up.
There was indeed someone that Sybille could see before the others because of her being a vampire. Still, the scene was horrible.
A man was stuck to the corner trying too hard not to make a single sound. He had no hair on his head or face and his skin was white like a sheet. Terror filled his eyes as he tried to look away from Alina. If Jon saw that man, he may mistake him for a Soul Shriven from Coldharbour.
Torygg saw the man in rags and could tell his identity by just the outline of his face.
"Erikur?"
"..."
Erikur, or the one who used to be Erikur, was shaking from fear. His whole being was trying to just open a black hole and disappear into it.
"This is... how in the world did this happen?" Falk asked Alina.
"We never tortured him physically if that's what you're asking." Alina replied nonchalantly.
"True... but you used your eyes on him... the same way you used it on the Arch Wizard Altmer that you put down." Sybille figured it out.
"Guilty." Alina didn't even bother denying it.
The Fate of Thane Erikur was the most gruesome between those who made enemies with Winterhold. He was by far the most hated person to the Dare Dragon Company and their Allies, he stupidly walked in Winterhold thinking about conquering it driven by his hate towards Jon, he ignored the king's constant orders of dropping the animosity with Winterhold and made fatal mistakes. Jon managed to drive Erikur to a corner many times and showed his incompetence when he severed him from his Altmer caretaker and that was the downfall of Erikur.
There is no pitying the fool. He lost in the end and got his mind broken, death should put an end to his misery but he is Alina's prisoner and Torygg can't say much about that unless he wants to upset the Dare Dragon Company which is bad for business as Erikur used to say.
"I think we can't do anything about that." Torygg said, "His sins are grave and we can never request for his atonement. The official story will be that Thane Erikur perished in a storm after he was kicked off the gates of Winterhold alone with the spear tips to his back."
Torygg turned around to leave but he halted next to Alina.
"I hope that Kyne will grant him a merciful end."
"By your wish, Your Grace."
Alina nodded and saw the group out but she still remained.
Alina looked at Erikur who was uttering no sound in the corner.
"You have done well, Gecko."
"Heek!"
Erikur... or rather Gecko, cowered in his corner as if a monster was about to attack him. Alina's eyes glared and shifted into snake eyes, she gave Gecko a strong pressure that made his limbs twist and his body quiver in pain.
"You know, Gecko, I am very sad at you. I give you a name and a place to stay yet you didn't send me any congratulations for my wedding. That's right, the past few days I didn't show up because I was busy, forgive me, Gecko. Jon came and we won the battle, I was so happy that I forgot about you. But now, Gecko, Jon has left me once again because of what you did, Gecko. If you only didn't start all that, Jon's true identity would have been kept secret and none of this was to happen. Don't you think you are a bad person, Gecko?"
Alina's eyes showed a glare of anger and a look of madness. She tormented Gecko with her eyes till his screams filled the prison.
"One last thing, Gecko. You know, my husband left me with a certain Daedric Artifact that eats away people's thoughts and turn them into nightmares, this will be our new game. I will leave this artifact in this prison around you and it will torment you while I am away, I'm sure you will love this Gecko."
Alina hand the [Skull of Corruption] hidden in her robe. She took it out and fixed it outside Gecko's cell. Jon has actually used the Skull like that before and used the Black Room as a way to charge the Skull that is why it was built seven layers underground. Each layer deeper has a more intense effect from the Skull mimicking the Seven Layers of Hell from the Islamic mythology that start with the Abyss at the top and Gehenna as the bottom.
The Skull glowed in green as its foul Magicka started to spread around. The Black Room was designed to keep that energy in and not leak it out making this place the worst nightmare to criminals in Winterhold.
Alina looked Gecko who was biting on his fingertips from agony.
"Kyne would have shown mercy but Vaermina wouldn't. I shouldn't do this but I can't help it, Gecko. I can't help but fall to temptation and be driven to sin. We are all sinners after all, why hide from it?"
Alina sealed the cell door and with it the Fate of Erikur.
**********
(Part 2: Polyjuice)
Away from Winterhold on the top of a certain mountain, Elenwen was looking down on the bloody mess Jon left behind. She was infuriated beyond words but little she can do now.
She knew those people have no chance against Jon but at least the could make him an easy target to capture. Unfortunately, that was not true. Jon was too vicious using everything around him to his advantage, as far as she is aware, the normal Telekinesis spell can't carry a few tons like some toy. Jon's Electrohand was very superior and a shocking spell.
Still, an Arch Wizard like her could handle a fight against Jon. The only reason why she didn't step in... or rather, the only reason why she couldn't step in was that sword on her throat.
"He is gone, can I go now?" Elenwen asked.
"Come on, Kid. Don't you have some free time to spend with an old woman?" The person holding the sword replied nonchalantly.
It was a Dunmer Lady with a white hair and she was none other than Alfe Fyr.
"Aren't you ashamed? You student took a human as her student while you... you are the line of Divayth Fyr, the most supreme Sorcerer line in the world, you have a human in your line!" Elenwen cussed.
"Why is that? He is not the only human in Lord Fyr's line of apprentices... Also, Lord Fyr is quite fond of that boy."
"You've got to be kidding me."
"I can take you there myself if you want to ask Lord Fyr."
"..."
"That's what I thought."
"This is not over. The Ancestors from Alinor will here of this."
"You mean that woman?" Alfe said, "She ought to be a thousand years old by now, I doubt your head will serve as a good birthday gift... Oh! The boy has already sent ten heads, he had a style in doing so too. Let that serve as a warning then."
"A warning?"
"Exactly." Alfe said and retreated her sword, "If a boy from Lord Fyr's line can do what he did under the age of 20, do you think the others can do any less? Or do you perhaps think that Skyrim or the Empire are without Ancestors, little girl?"
"..."
"You still know too little, girl. Give yourself a break and get out of here."
Alfe turned around and disappeared leaving Elenwen too her mess.
***
Jon was standing in the middle of the road while being stopped again, this time by Ulfric Stormcloak.
"Thane Jon."
"Not anymore, Jarl Ulfric."
Ulfric seemed to have never returned to Windhelm yet. He was waiting for Jon on the crossroads before the Nightgate Village with his men.
Ulfric jumped off his horse and walked forward to Jon.
"If you are not welcome in their Holds, you are welcome in mine. Eastmarch is open to you."
"Is that rebelling against the High Kings decree, Jarl Ulfric?"
"Haha! I don't care about the boy king. I am here for a true Nord hero." Ulfric said with a bright face.
"Hehe!" Jon couldn't help but laugh. "Just give up on me, I don't like wars."
"I still don't get it." Ulfric frowned, "We are making an end to the oppressive tyranny of the Empire and the Dominion. You gave those elves a beating that they didn't suffer since the says of the Great War."
"..." Jon looked around and sighed. "You already heard my words back then."
"And I respect them, but if I can change your opinion. There is a lot of Glory in the coming days that..."
"Please, I said that before. Let me tell you a story Jarl Ulfric... a story about a world similar to this which had many great wars over race, resources, religion, and territory. Nothing different, you see. But the ages advanced and the war changed making wars more hideous time by time. You see, I've seen that world first hand and back then people would hear the word 'War' and they would sing and cheer and celebrate for days much like how we Nords do now. Wars were worthy of being celebrated until a war called the First World War. People cheered before it like they always did and suffered more than what they could imagine to the point that when the Second World War came, those people who cheered before cried blood for tears. If this war you are going had a point, then I would welcome it, but that war is going to serve the enemy of man as brothers kill one another. See why I always opposed your war? You are doing exactly what you always wished to never do which is playing on the palms of those Elves."
"You think we won't win?"
"And you won't lose. Either way, it will be a Season Unending."
"... A Season Unending... Aye, it may be like that." Ulfric nodded, "Very well."
As he retreated to his men, Ulfric grabbed the reins of a certain black horse and walked back to Jon with it.
"This is a horse is from the finest of my stables, I know you can conjure fancy magic horses but these are your signature. Take this, its breed hails from the Yakudan Chargers. Finest steeds on Tamriel."
"Jarl Ulfric... I can't thank you enough for this."
"No need."
Ulfric turned around and jumped on his horse then rallied his men.
Jon also jumped on his new horse.
"By the way." Ulfric called.
"Yes."
"The horse's name is Joergen. Take care of him and godspeed." Ulfric said then rode away.
Jon was shocked for some reason. He was frozen for at least a minute.
"You are Joergen?" Jon asked his black horse for no reply to come.
"Looks like I am not the only one who got reincarnated here after all."
Not sure if it is a coincidence, Jon dismissed the matter here.
"Hooman, this is a new friend?" Nefertiti appeared on Jon's shoulder.
"Yeah, we got a ride."
"Good, but will people keep stopping you every now and then along the road?"
"Oh! Right... I have that."
Jon took out the [White Phial]. The potion Master Nurelion created can do that.
The words that crazy Alchemist said was 'This potion is forbidden throughout the Kingdom after the evil mage Jagger Tharn used it alongside Illusion Magic to replace the Emperor of Cyrodiil.' [A/n: events of the Elder Scrolls I: Arena]
With this potion, Jon can...
He drank it right away.
With a certain Illusion spell cast after it, the magic started to happen.
Nefertiti saw the effect happen and her ears dropped down from shock. The illusion Jon cast was taking a creating a physical effect that can be seen through by magic.
Jon's body was moving from the inside and his bones were readjusting themselves. His hair grew at some parts and shortened at others.
He was transforming.
As he was done, his final appearance came to be.
"... Hooman..."
Jon looked at his hands and laughed.
"Impressive! Nefertiti, how do I look?"
She was having a hard time to speak, it seemed that her shock won't wear off anytime soon.
Jon took out a mirror and looked at his face.
Tabby fur, long ears, big face, feline eyes.
"Yep, now let's work on the accent. Ehem! Khaj... No! Ehem... Khajiit has wares if you have coin. How is that?"
In Nefertiti's eyes, Jon was a large Tabby Khajiit with tail, claws and all.
"It seems this Polyjuice Potion works well, no? Khajiit is pleased. Let's head to Whiterun before my fur freezes."