"Who are you!? Why are you doing this?!"
A woman no bigger than a doll screams in my hand. Clad in dirty leather armor she struggles fruitlessly against my grip, the prison that is my hand slowly growing around her. I bring it up to my lips to whisper to the tiny doomed soul in my hand.
"You've got a bounty on your head love and I'm here to collect. Don't worry, it'll all be over soon." I say softly.
The woman cries ever smaller tears of anguish, desperately trying to escape my fingers that to her are mountains. In reality my body uncomfortably spans most of the tiny room I found her in, legs spread out and head starting to touch the ceiling again. Sadly this will be my limit for now. I drain the doomed criminal smaller and smaller until there's nothing detectable in my hand. I rub my hands together just in case there is a microscopic outlaw living in the creases of my handprints.
Diving deeper into the Ratway has been surprisingly fruitful in exercising my prowess with the growth spell. There's practically a small army of violent criminals down here to prey upon down here. The best part is they aren't exactly friendly or coordinated so I can pick them apart and steal their size with minimal danger. I'm still limited severely by my own magicka reserves and my limited mastery of the spell but I'm quite happy with the progress I've been able to achieve. I'm still unable to retain the size I take for long, even now without a victim to suck up I'm shrinking back to normal. It'll be another minute before I can squeeze out of the door of this small dark room. The thought of being too big undeniably turns me on. It's one thing to download a mod and live out your fantasies through a virtual avatar, it's quite another to be living it. To be too large for normal sized everyday things. It's not all sunshine and crushing people though, this excursion has been incredibly magicka potion intensive and I can't do something like this again until I restock. It's just as well, between Guild Master Mercer's little Thalmor party and restoring the Blades I'll probably have limited time to pursue this anyway. I have a very loose schedule in my head and my main goal in that free time is to finally visit the College of Winterhold. It'll be a start to filling in my lackluster knowledge about the world.
Fairly normal sized now I walk out of the small room just a little sad to be small again but it's time to do what I actually came down here to do. Esbern is what amounts to a lore master among the Blades but he's also a fairly powerful wizard. Using Clairvoyance on him would be an exercise in futility which is why I'm changing the target to his door instead. Normally this wouldn't work but Esbern had a very special custom made iron door that's wildly out of place down here in the Ratway. The door isn't magical as far as I know and since it's singularly unique down here I can track it with Clairvoyance without any danger of picking up the wrong door or fizzling out because 'door' is far too generic. As I move deeper in the Ratway Warrens I can't help but feel like with some modifications it would be pretty decent down here. Like people were supposed to live here or at least did at one point. There are levels, rooms, and gates that all don't look like they were meant for a medieval sewer. Then I nearly slip on a brown patch that I'm not entirely convinced is just poop and abandon the idea as not useful. The odd brown goo patches are thankfully sparse and I find Esbern's metal door, just as my prophecy foretold. It's just as ridiculous looking as I remember it being, like a bank vault door was stolen. I knock three times and like an idiot hurt my hand, somehow forgetting that the door is solid metal and not a prop. There's no immediate answer as I nurse my hand but then an eye slit cracks open.
"Go away!" an old man's voice rasps.
"Esbern it's time to stop hiding. The dragons are back and the Blades need their historian." I say, shaking my knuckles.
"What?! No, that's not me. I'm not Esbern. I don't know what you're talking about." he continues, voice cracking from disuse.
"I've already met Delphine. I just need you and I can revive the Blades." I continue, deciding just to Heal my hand. I always forget I can just do that.
"Delphine? How do you... so you've finally found her, and she led you to me. And here I am, caught like a rat in a trap."
"I'm the Dragonborn Esbern and I need the Blades to save Tamriel."
"What's that you said? Dragonborn? Then... there really is hope after all? You'd better come inside. Quickly now, the Thalmor could be watching. This'll just take a moment..." Esbern says and I begin to hear clicking and scraping from the other side of the door. "This one always sticks." BANG. BANG. BANG. "There we go. Only a couple more." Now the clinking of chains join the clicking and scraping as Esbern continues unlocking the vault door. After a few more moments it finally opens, if only a little thanks to rust and warping just from the sheer weight of the door.
"There we are! Come in, come in! Make yourself at home." Esbern says as if the door were wide open. I look at the small gap doubtfully.
"Uh, Esbern? I don't wanna be rude but if we have to run this door is gonna be a problem." I say, only partially wedging my body in for emphasis. I'm a little shocked to find my boobs are starting to become an obstacle. Not enough to stop me but enough to make me think twice.
"Hang on… let me see if I can find some oil for these hinges. The damp has taken its toll." He says as I unwedge myself on the other side. A thought comes to me.
"Hang on, this is a good opportunity to prove I'm Dragonborn. Is there a place you can stand out of the way of the door?" I ask excitedly.
"Yes but what are you planning to do?" Esbern says cautiously.
"I'll use the Thu'um to blow the door open." I say stepping back.
"Ah, well… is that safe? Actually nevermind, I want to see this. Just give me a moment-" he says, shuffling away to somewhere in the room I can't see. "I should be fine here. You can begin anytime."
I'm super excited to finally use all three words of Unrelenting Force but I gotta be careful not to cause a cave in. I walk along the catwalk away from Esbern's door, giving me as much space as possible. Taking a deep breath I focus on the door and visualize pushing it open with a shout. Then I exhale.
"Fus Ro Dah!"
A wall of force hurtles towards the door, disturbing the air and everything else around it. It smacks the metal door open and lands against the back wall in Esbern's room. Junk flies everywhere as the Force dissipates like a gust of wind. When everything dies down Esbern pops up from around the corner and I can see him clearly now. An old Nord man who wouldn't be out of place among the Greybeards if it weren't for the fact that he looks tired and lacks their peculiar brand of vigor. His beard and what's left of his hair are disheveled from the blast but he looks quite happy about it.
"You're... can it really be true? Dragonborn? Then... then there is hope! The gods have not abandoned us! We must... we must... We must go. Go quickly now. Take me to Delphine. Is she well? We have much to discuss." he says, mind obviously reeling.
"She's fine. Paranoid but fine." I reply.
"Yes that sounds like her but give me... just a moment... I must gather a few things..." Esbern replies, already sorting through the trashed room for his stuff. Despite my shout no doubt contributing to the mess I'm fairly convinced it wasn't that clean to begin with. "I'll need this... No, no, useless trash... where'd I put my annotated Anuad? One moment, I know time is of the essence, but mustn't leave secrets for the Thalmor... there's one more thing I must bring… Well, I guess that's good enough... let's be off..." He says, pulling over a satchel and rough cloak.
We wind back up the maze like Ratway, now devoid of almost any life. I couldn't resist such a golden opportunity with so many opportunities for growth. The Warrens are home to scoundrels and thieves so bad even the Thieves Guild doesn't want them so I don't really care about killing them all. I only left behind a few crazies who didn't bother me and the corpses of a few dead skeevers since I had to kill them quickly to avoid a nasty infection. The rest are living in the quantum realm now, if they are alive at all. Esbern notices it too.
"It's too quiet. Be on guard for a Thalmor ambush. I wouldn't be surprised if they followed you in."
I do as I'm told even though I'm pretty sure nothing is coming for us. I feel a little guilty about the unusual quiet so I make a small show of being cautious around every corner. Being a member of the Thieves Guild also makes getting topside that much easier but it makes little difference. My early maneuver here has paid off and now I'm well ahead of the Thalmor investigation. No hit squad or spies topside as it would have been in game. It's an unfair advantage but to be fair I'm technically saving their lives by doing this now. Hopefully I'll be able to do the same when I have to visit their embassy later. Maybe one on one I could handle a single Thalmor soldier but definitely not a hive of them. My favorite in-game solution was just to transform into a werewolf and enjoy the easy carnage that came with it but there's no telling if I'll get anywhere close to that chance in time. Despite everything they are, I really don't want to kill all of them (at least not yet). Perhaps, perhaps, if I can move through the embassy like a ghost I can achieve a better outcome for everyone involved. Scare them straight, or at least straighter. I just don't know how I'm gonna source that many invisibility potions.
-
We leave Riften right after collecting Lydia. She was working on arranging the wedding while I was tormenting poor innocent thugs with my sadistic experiments. Not really a side I'll ever show her to be honest. I wasn't that bad in the Warren but I'm certain she and Camila would be disgusted if they knew about what I had just done to all those people. Still everyone has a hidden side so I can only hope mine is the worst out of the three of us. Having Esbern with us means almost nonstop travel day and night, for fear of Thalmor trackers. I am not a fan but I'm also not an internationally wanted criminal either. Still as amazing as this body is, it needs sleep and when we get to Helgen I put my foot down to insist we camp for the night. Esbern protests, especially since we're so (relatively) close to Riverwood, but I manage to convince him by mentioning the underground route that will throw the Thalmor off our trail.
You'd think I'd have some kind of trauma from Helgen but those events feel like a dream more than anything else. If anything I feel more safe here than anywhere else since I know it so well. We make camp in the old barracks, where I hid under the bed from Imperial soldiers, and lock both doors leading to the room. Naturally we set up a watch, although at this point I'm fairly confident the Thalmor aren't anywhere near us right now. After a much needed rest we pick up again and down into the bowels of Helgen. Most everything is gone, picked clean by scavengers but the way out via the smugglers tunnel is still open. Only the spiders remain, tucked in their nest. Still not big enough to try and avenge their parents, the small crab sized arachnids stare at us from holes in the wall. I summon my Flame Atronach and instruct it to have fun burning the baby bugs until its time is up. Outside the exit tunnel is supremely green, with only the distant mountain peaks retaining their snow. It gets warmer and warmer as we descend into the valley until it's downright hot and muggy. I consider throwing myself in the river off the cliff side more than once. Riverwood is a welcome sight, not because it's any cooler, but because of who's waiting for me here.
Sadly I can't meet them right now, not until I've reunited Esbern with Delphine, so I send Lydia to find them for me. Pulling my hood down a little farther to avoid any friendly faces I lead the old man to Sleeping Giant inn. As we climb the steps to the porch the thought crosses my mind that Delphine could have booked it outta town after the way I treated her last time. To my relief Delphine is still here, broom in hand, keeping up her harmless innkeeper act. Her eyes widen when she sees me and she drops the broom when she sees Esbern.
"Esbern?! You're alive?!" she exclaims..
"Delphine! I... it's good to see you. It's been... a long time." Esbern says, choking a little in his raspy voice.
"It's good to see you, too, Esbern. It's been too long, old friend. Too long. Come on, I have a place we can talk." she says, regaining her composer. "Orgnar, hold down the bar for a minute, will you?"
"Yeah, sure." the gruff Nord nods.
Delphine leads us down the same hidden room as before, the one where she and I had our little disagreement. I feel a little bad about it now but avoiding the Thalmor will undoubtedly be worth it. Since I'm down here I'm pretty hopeful she'll be more cooperative now.
"Now then. I assume you know about..." Delphine starts, looking warily at me
"Oh yes! Dragonborn! Indeed, yes." Esbern nods. "This changes everything, of course. There's no time to lose. We must locate... let me show you. I know I had it here, somewhere…"
"Esbern what…"
"You were right when you said dragon's were coming back." I admit. "What you didn't know is why. Alduin the World Eater has returned to this moment in time and begun reviving his minions. I'm countering that by reviving the Blades."
"Ah! Here it is." Esbern says pulling out an unimpressive book. "Come, let me show you. You see, right here. Sky Haven Temple, constructed around one of the main Akaviri military camps in the Reach, during their conquest of Skyrim."
"I don't understand. Why are you telling me this?" Delphine asks.
"This is where they built Alduin's Wall, to set down in stone all their accumulated dragonlore. A hedge against the forgetfulness of centuries." Esbern says. "A wise and foresighted policy, in the event. Despite the far-reaching fame of Alduin's Wall at the time - one of the wonders of the ancient world - its location was lost."
"It's also a wonderfully hidden base of operations. I'll be able to set you two up there without having to worry." I say to Delphine.
"Right. Makes sense. But some things are not adding up. How do you-" Delphine starts before I cut her off.
"Know a bunch of stuff I shouldn't? I can't discuss that here, not now. Moreover I want to examine Alduin's Wall before I give any definitive answers. For now just know that I want to revive the Blades as a fail safe in case something happens to me. I've got a family too." I admit.
There's a pause. I'd already told Esbern the mostly the same thing on the road. There's a small exchange between Delphine and Esbern, wordless and small, before she relaxes her shoulders and softens her features.
"Alright. Sky Haven Temple it is then."
-
"Another job well done. Your payment is secure, and you have my thanks." Skjor says, reaching out a thick limb to give me gold. I remember the small woman I toyed with in the Ratway. This was her bounty. "I know you don't have a habit of staying long so maybe you could do a favor for me while you're here."
"That depends on what it is."
"Don't worry, it's not difficult. One of our wealthier families 'misplaced' an heirloom. One of the servants ran off with the trinket to a place known as Broken Fang. Rumored to be a vampire den, if you believe the swaggle. Time's not really an issue so long as it's brought back before the frosts. I just need to tell the client I've got someone on it for now and you happened to walk in at the right time." Skjor says.
"I must be getting famous if you know what kind of jobs I like."
"You could say that." he says, crossing his massive arms. "But don't let it get to your head. You still need to prove yourself, whelp."
"Got it. Well I'll be back."
"Be careful out there."
I pass in and out of Jorrvaskr as ghost-like as possible. As much as I'd like to catch up there's simply no time for anything but the bare minimum. After convincing the Blades that a short break was good for everyone I managed to get one day off with my family but only the one. I leave before dawn tomorrow and every minute has to be filled with play, food and sex per the other members of my new family. The other two I understand but I'm nearly stuffed to the gills. It is true I have lost weight but they might have to roll me to the Temple if they keep feeding me like this. As I open the door to Breezehome I can tell I'm not getting a break from it either by just the smell alone.
"You're back. How was it?" Camilla asks, making yet more food.
"It was alright. They seemed to understand me pretty well, Skjor already had a job lined up that's perfect for me." I say, sitting in one of the chairs by the fire pit.
"That's good. Hopefully it's not too dangerous. Although I can't imagine it's more dangerous than what you're already doing. Supper will be ready soon so try and eat as much as you can before you leave tomorrow." Camilla says, walking behind me.
"Maybe we can try to ease up on tonight's meal? I still feel full from lunch." I say, holding my stomach.
"Absolutely not. I almost fainted when I saw how skinny you were and now you're leaving for an even longer journey? If you don't eat now you'll probably pass out on the road."
"I'll try but I've got to get to bed early tonight without being nauseous."
"I'll take what I can get I guess. Could you go check up on Lucia dear? Supper is ready." Camilla says pulling a soup pot off the fire.
Breezehome is the smallest house the Dragonborn can buy in the game but it's still a high value property in this world or the old world. A two story three bedroom home is quite luxurious by Skyrim standards. In the game Lucias room would have been the housecarls private quarter, ya know if you didn't marry her, but we've opted to make it Lucia's so we can have an alchemy lab downstairs. Better to have it down there and her up here to avoid any nasty spills and she's closer to us in case she has a nightmare or something. It's a cozy room that should be perfect for her as she grows as it fits a single adult bed, dresser and end table. She's filled it with all kinds of kid treasures from odd rocks to bugs. Lucia sleeps on her bed, exhausted from playing with me all day today. We pranced about Whiterun under the now budding branches of the Gildergleam. I place my hand on her head to see if she's receptive to waking up. She inhales, adjusts a bit and goes back to gently breathing. Satisfied I head back down after a moment.
"It looks like she's down for the count." I tell Camilla.
"I'm not surprised. You two were gone for most of the day. I'm a little jealous to be honest." Camilla says pouting.
"It gets worse. She wants me to teach her to be an adventurer. I think she's taking after you."
"Very funny. Watch that pot, it just came off the fire."
"If she's serious," I continue tearing off a piece of bread, "then maybe I'll think of a lesson plan. Lydia can handle swordplay obviously but she'll need basic tutoring in magic and scouting to be well rounded."
"It's good to see you taking this so seriously love but she's still very young. I doubt she'll still be interested in adventuring when she's older." Camilla says dipping her own bread in the stew.
"Gods I hope so. Adventuring is wildly dangerous. Even I don't want to do it." I admit.
"When do you think you'll be able to quit? When the dragons are dead?" she asks.
"I don't know that I'll ever be able to quit entirely. Stay at home more maybe but they don't call the Dragonborn doom driven for nothing." I reply grimly.
"I see…"
"I'm done. Thanks for dinner." I say getting up.
"But you haven't eaten half of the dinner I set out for you." Camilla whines.
"I'm hungry for something else tonight." I say grabbing her hand and pulling her up the stairs.
"Oh! Okay~"
-
"Wake up my love."
Normally a hulking mass of muscle looming over my bed would scare the shit out of me but I've grown used to Lydia waking me up like this. Groggily realizing that I set up no alarm clock I spring out of bed leaving a still passed out Camilla behind under the furs. Quickly donning my armor I'm handed what amounts to a goat cheese sandwich as I make it down the stairs. I scarf it down and then make a beeline to pee. With the necessities finished we rush to the gate. Although this world is much larger than the game world I knew Breezehome is still quite close to the gate and it's time to say farewell to Lydia.
"Thanks for waking me up and goodbye. I guess I won't see you around for a while." I say sadly, not quite meeting her eyes.
"I guess not. Take care of yourself and come home safe, okay?" she replies.
"Okay." I nod and leave.
-
It's still dark enough to see Torchbugs and Luna Moths glowing about their business. Normally I'd be ecstatic at the opportunity to catch them but I can't deviate if I want to make it to the meeting place on time. The sky is just barely starting to lighten as I reach the Western Watchtower. A small company of guards still man it, even in its ruined state so I keep my head down. The less people who see me travel the better. Moving beyond the watchtower I can see Fort Greymoor in the distance. Even from this distance I can tell it's just as ruined as the watchtower, just as much mound as fortification. About halfway to the fort I find a ruined house just off the road and make a beeline for it. I find my Blade friends inside waiting for me.
"Good, you're here." Delphine greets me. She pauses a moment before standing. "This is it. I've given the inn to Orgnar and probably won't ever see Riverwood again but Skyhaven Temple should be worth it. How'd it go on your end?"
"I miss them already and would rather not think about it. Let's get moving." I reply.
"That's probably best." Esbern agrees.
We leave and continue in the same direction I was headed earlier, straight for Greymoor. As we get closer it's clear the old fort doesn't have long left to live. Large sections have crumbled away as the walls devolve into piles of rubble. From what I understand Whiterun Hold is too weak to even consider manning it and its continued neutrality means that neither Stormcloak nor Imperial will garrison there despite its central location. Hell most of Skyrim's forts are abandoned as the snow province hasn't seen a war like this in a long time, with the Great War being a mostly Cyrodilic affair to the south. Right now it should be occupied by bandits if I go by my game knowledge but it could be anything now. I half expected a toll but the bandits, if there are any, leave us be as we walk the road past it.
The path dips south and hugs the mountain line. Whiterun Hold is, at least to my mind, shaped like a deep dish plate. The middle is relatively flat grassland, flat for Skyrim at least, with only a few defining features; the capital, Fort Greymoor and a small mountain just behind all positioned relatively in the middle of the plate. Riverwood and Rorikstead mark the respective edges of the hold with the former leading to the evergreen Falkreath and the latter the treacherous Reach. The rest of the Whiterun plate is rimmed by mountain ranges. The breaks in those ranges more or less determine where the roads go. Our path hugs the largest mountain range in the south. It's uneventful until a herd of horses stream out from a gap in the rocks across the road and onto the wider plains.
"Be careful, they're probably running from something." Delphine warns.
As we get closer to the gap they came from we can start to hear yelling in the distance. Visibility is limited but at the gap we can hear more shouting as well as the sounds of battle. "Sounds like skirmishers" Delphine says, "Come on, civil war's not our problem." Memories flash in my mind to the time where I did get caught up in that mess. It all seems like a far off memory, like a particularly memorable dream. Not the worst experience, once you come out of it alive but I'd rather not do it again. That said, today seems intent on making me relive it anyway. After a few more hours we approach a new landmark on the road. Esbern is the first to notice it, a ring of Stonehenge-like monuments in varying states of decay with a large empty pit in the center.
"Is that-"
"I think it is. It's on the map as one of the burial sites. Looks like it's empty too." Delphine replies.
"I wonder if we might just take a moment for closer inspection. I'm sure there are still secrets hidden here even with its occupant gone." Esbern says, eyes twinkling.
"I'm not so sure. We're sitting ducks out here if it decides to come back." Delphine argues.
"It'll be fine so long as we only take a few minutes." I say. "The dragon is going to see us regardless and we could use a break anyway."
"Alright but only a few minutes." Delphine says relenting. "We're badly exposed out here. Practically asking to be ambushed."
-
We leave after a few minutes of rest and study, unambushed and fresh. The road curves around the burial site at a ninety degree angle and leaves the mountain ranges for the center of the plains. In the far far distance on the right I think I can see a giant camp but no giants, only their signature stack of trees for tonight's campfire. The plains are more deceptive here as there are hidden fissures and ridges everywhere here, a sign we are getting closer to the Reach. Well into the late afternoon the road sharply bends again pointing us back to the west. It's here that strange divots appear next the road. Before I can wrap my head around what they could be a small tremor reaches my feet.
"Look, over there." Esbern points down the road at a woman off in the distance dressed in the bare minimum of furs. As my brain tries to understand why she's dressed so strangely my eyes tell me something is wrong. Shifting my metal focus I realize that the terrain is small around her, oddly so. And she has a cow in her hand.
"By the Eight, I'd heard rumors that Rorikstead was feeding the giants but I didn't think they'd be this big. Usually the Jarls tamp down on this kind of thing." Delphine says.
"Are they violent?" I ask.
"Not usually, as long as you keep your distance but it depends on the giant. They're a lot like people, or so I've heard. Local Nord's don't like them getting too big though, makes 'em nervous. Can't say I don't understand looking at her."
'Her' is moving closer at an alarming speed despite appearing to be leisurely walking. The tremors are more pronounced and it's pretty clear what these divots along the road are now. It's a giants footpath. We try to give her a wide berth but she is enormous, maybe as tall as the Western Watchtower before we sent a dragon through it. She's carrying a full size shaggy cow in her left hand and a crude club in her right. The club is a large boulder bound to a thick tree but in her hands it looks like a one handed club. Her skin is a reddish clay color is adorned with furs that only just preserve her modesty, a feat that looks to have taken several dozen animal sacrifices, many of whom also decorate her skull necklace. She regards us with small curiosity and I can tell that her eyes are green despite the stories between us. She doesn't slow down as we meet. As her legs swing past I can actually hear them displacing air. Even her feet are bigger than us. Whatever deal the people of Rorikstead have must be worth it considering they'd need a ladder just to touch her knees.
Nothing else happens for a good while until we reach another bend in the road, this time pointing us west where I can barely make out what I think is Rorikstead. Then we hear it. The telltale roar of a dragon. Instantly we scan the skies like frightened chickens looks for a hawk. It's not hard to find. Flying along the mountains in the direction of the burial mound is a blue grey dragon. It's circling the sky above its former grave, roaring a challenge for all of Skyrim to hear. We keep moving while watching it. Its circle is getting wider, searching for something. We don't dare run even as far away as we are lest we attract its attention.
It continues circling for what seems like hours, slowly getting closer all the while with each passing swing. Even though we're trying to move away the dragon is making an amazing show of the thing that makes dragons terrifying. Not its breath or claws or maw. No it's those stupid wings that let it casually close in on miles of distance without even trying. Even though half the time the beast is further away than it's ever been it circles back in less than a minute, closer than ever.
"We need to find cover!" Delphine cries, on a particularly close pass.
"There's nowhere to go that isn't a worse option Delphine." Esbern says, and he's sadly right. The path has been rising for a while now and the best we could do is a mud hole or a half crumbling rock fence.
"He's coming!" Delphine shouts.
"Ward up!' I cry.
"Get behind me Delphine!" exclaims Esbern.
The winged terror makes an abrupt ninety degree turn and flies straight for us. It descends and flies just above the road behind us. It happens so fast we barely have time to face it before it's on us. The dragon opens its mouth and a pillar of frost erupts from its maw as it coats everything in a blizzard of ice. Our Wards hold as expected but they only work on the one side and the cold is terrible, with even the ground at our feet covered in ice. Turning I realize that the dragon is flying away from us, following the road. Heading for Rorikstead.
We have to be careful as we collect ourselves, the ice is wet and slick everywhere. Before we could extract ourselves from the ice patch the ground shakes and it's a fight to stay up right. Looking towards the source of the tremors I can see the giantess from earlier is running in our direction, her massive weight shaking the ground more and more as she closes in with her considerable speed. All of us are pinned by what are basically consecutive earthquakes, only able to hold onto the ground for dear life. She's here and gone in a flash thanks to her incredible stride length even though she looks like she's running in a kind of slow motion. After only a minute or so the tremors become manageable again and I stand up properly
"Is she going after the dragon?" Delphine asks, clambering to her feet.
"Possibly. The giants don't want to lose a valuable food source while they are strong." Esbern says, his voice gravelly.
"I don't know if she'll be enough, come on." I say.
We run after the giant and the dragon, trying to hasten a trip that I'm guessing should take at least another hour on foot. All these efforts will probably only earn us a better view of the slaughter to come. The dragon made it to Rorikstead even before we felt the first footfalls of the giantess. Frost breath isn't as inherently destructive as fire but that's small comfort to the guards that must be frozen solid right now and the people unprepared for an unexpected winter. The giant warrior is fast, almost as fast as the dragon but by the time she reaches the village most of the village is white with a fog rolling off the village into the valley from the cold.
The dragon had plenty of time to see her coming and took to the skies well above her considerable reach. She's tall enough to reach into Fort Greymoor and pluck any defenders our by hand. The dragon can't use its normal frost breath but instead opts for a long range frost bomb similar to the one used by my first dragon but he breathed fire bombs instead. The sound on impact is terrible, like shattering glass, but the giantess merely looks annoyed as her hair turns white. The dragon circles her, firing frost bombs from all angles and taunting the tower tall humanoid with roars and cheeky air maneuvers. This goes on for several minutes until the giantess throws her club in anger. Nothing that big should be able to move that fast and the dragon clearly thought the same. The boulder, tree and dragon hurtle through the air, crash down the slope and violently skid several hundred feet away from the village. It looks like a massive umbrella got pinned by a rock but it's not enough for the giantess. She storms over, great ice chunks falling from her as she does, lifts the crumbling boulder one handed, and proceeds to stomp the carcass. It looks like she's kicking a defenseless puppy but my pity well is dry for the scaly terrorist. One the giant is a little happier and the dragon is a little flatter she bends over, giving everyone a nice view, and pops the dragons head off. She adds it to her necklace as she walks away, back in the direction she was headed earlier.
"Well I'll be damned. She did it. Maybe instead of a Dragonborn we just need a couple of giants to beat Alduin." Delphine remarks.
"I doubt it. Alduin is much much stronger than any of his servants. Doubtless he will revive his fateful servant before long if we fail to deal with him." Esbern replies.
"I might still have a chance to absorb the soul while the corpse is fresh if we hurry. I think it should be fine without the head but we'll see." I say hurrying off to the crash site.
"Yes of course! Lead the way. It would be good to deprive the World Eater of one of his servants if we can." Esbern says excitedly.
The giantess is long gone by the time we reach the crash site. The tree shattered leaving large splinters everywhere as did the boulder. Before I even get close to the mangled umbrella of a dragon it's soul flows into me. I'm more aware of the sensations this time but its not unpleasant. Like eating, almost.
"So you really are Dragonborn." Delphine remarks.
"Alduin cannot ignore this for long." Esbern says. "There can be no doubt that you are the Dragonborn of prophecy."
I feel oh so very awkward with all this unearned praise. I really didn't do anything. I don't even really know how I got here, which is still driving me nuts. I doubt I could even fight a dragon one on one yet. Still these thoughts aren't helpful and I am very grateful to the giantess who did my job for me. Hopefully this world is full of people that can handle a dragon.
After a very brief conversation we decided to bunk in the village for the night. Esbern and Delphine had wanted to push on originally since it should be technically possible to reach Karthspire in a day and night but the dragon attack more than gave me an excuse not to torture myself. We have been jogging all day thanks to the incredible bodies people here have but we are still tired. Most of Roriksteads homes are built near the road which itself loosely follows a cliff side. Only a few structures are on the left (south I think) with the majority on the right, taking advantage of the rolling sloping hills for farmland. Ice and frost blanket much of the village, though most of it is melting and the fog has dissipated. The guards are gathered over on a distant field overlooking the crash site, more than a few shivering. When we reach the inn to find a gangly young man scraping ice off the porch. He smiles at our approach.
"Oh hey. Welcome to the Frostfruit Inn. Just uh… gimme a minute. The doors frozen shut."