Dragonborn Rising Ch. 39

"Not unless you have plans to leave."

She kissed me again. "You own me, Ragnar, like the others. Not like a slave. But you own the physical things. Definitely my pussy and arse, that's for sure. But my heart as well. As I said, I waited for so long for you to arrive in my life. I thought it was never going to happen." Running her hand around my back, she left it on one my cheeks and motioned for me to move. "We've already fucked so much, if I was younger, I'd already be pregnant."

I raised my eyebrows. "You've thought about it?"

That made her choke up again. "Never did until we were intimate the first time. Now I feel regret for the first time. I can only think about what if you'd come into my life long ago. I just don't want this to stop."

I held her tightly towards me, feeling her arms and legs wrap around me as we made love. "This won't stop until you say so, Delphine. We can fuck hard like we have. Or we can do something like this. We can have fun or we can be serious. Whatever you want until you say so."

"Would you really want to be intimate when I'm withered and grey?"

"I'll be older by then too."

She kissed me again. "Cum in me, Ragnar," she breathed.

As I gently fucked her, I used one of my hands to fondle her. With everything expressed, it was little wonder she cried softly as I made her cum, and I did stop for a moment to simply hold her. She looked up and smiled as I cradled her head. "You are beautiful," I whispered. In the low light of the fire, I thought she was gorgeous. That just made the smile broaden.

"And I have to pinch myself each time we're like this. So long, Ragnar. And now the Dragonborn is with and inside me."

The Dragonborn came inside her a couple of minutes later too. She was now physically and emotionally drained, so I suggested she hold onto me tightly, her arms and legs around my body, as I carried her upstairs. Good thing she was light. Back in my bedroom, I managed to pry her off my body and lay her down next to Lydia. I kissed her cheek as she whispered her love for me again.

"About time," Aela whispered, little surprise she was awake.

"Known it since the day we met," Lydia added. I guess they both heard us downstairs.

"Can't deny it anymore," Delphine said softly before she spooned against Lydia, little surprise both were asleep quickly.

I lay against Aela, spooning again her, wrapping my arms around her body. "Big night, Ragnar?"

"Aye. A great night too."

Any plans to leave for Mzulft ended, considering how long it had been. All three women were in great moods the next morning, in particular Lydia, who whispered into my ear that she was feeling rather tender. As for Delphine, she just glowed. It was lovely to see.

Figuring it was best to avoid anything sexual for the day, as I did want to leave the next day, I headed up to Jorrvaskr, figuring I'd at least deal with something spoken of the previous night. I found the twins in their rooms and escorted them to Kodlak's old ante-room. Once we had privacy. I wasted no time broaching the subject.

"You two know Lydia, right?"

"Your housecarl? Aye, she's a fine woman, Harbinger," Farkas replied.

"She'd certainly make any man quite happy," Vilkas added. I assumed neither knew our true relationship then.

"Would either of you like to be intimate with her?" The looks of surprise made me chuckle. Before they could question, I added, "Truth be told, Lydia and I are intimate on occasion, and she has expressed a desire to be with three men at once. I will obviously be one of them. I can't think of two better men to join us."

"You're serious?" Vilkas asked.

"Of course. This is not joking matter."

"And she is okay with the two of us?" Farkas wondered.

"She knows I will pick men I trust."

"If we do, I would rather be clean first, if you know what I mean," Vilkas stated.

"Cured?"

"Aye, Ragnar. Farkas nor I has been intimate with a woman for quite a while due to our blood. It is a matter of honour, and we should not enjoy pleasures of the flesh while..."

"That sounds familiar," I muttered.

"Aye, I know," Vilkas added, "But there are slight differences. If you are available to help us, the sooner we are clean, the sooner we can join Lydia and yourself."

Nodding, I suggested that was a good idea, though explained my current situation. They were understandable, so thought that, once the situation at the College was resolved, we could journey north to cure them. It was another good idea, so we shook hands to seal the deal.

To say Lydia was excited by the idea was an understatement when I told her later. "I thought you would... you know..."

"It's something you want to do, Lydia. And they are two men that I trust. The only problem is it won't happen soon. I have the College situation to sort out, then there is something personal for them to attend to. Once all that is resolved, we can enjoy the night you have planned."

Doing all this earned a hug, kiss, and further fun with my three girls later that afternoon and evening.

*****

"Well, at least we're not in a snowbound frozen wasteland this time," Aela muttered.

Finding Mzulft hadn't been all that difficult once we'd consulted a map. Aela and I had mounted up and chatted away for most of the ride. As for Lydia and Delphine, well... they were both rather quiet after events of the previous two nights. During night two, I'm not sure who had taken it harder, but both had winced noticeably when mounting their horses, and they spent plenty of time with their butts not resting in their saddles.

After finding a place to tie up our horses, shielding them from the worst of the weather, we searched the exterior, hoping for any sign of the Synod researchers, but finding nothing, we walked towards the entrance and headed inside. The four of us were armed and armoured, ready for the usual enemies that generally lay in wait inside any dwarven ruin. But it always paid to be cautious as well.

I guess we shouldn't have too surprised that we found a body near the entrance. The robes of the mage were bloodied, and I didn't bother checking for wounds. The surprise was when he took a breath, looking up at us, blinking rapidly. "Crystal... gone..." he whispered, and the shudder of breath suggested he was barely hanging on.

Getting down on one knee, I asked, "What crystal? Who are you?"

"Find... Paratus..."

"Is he a Synod researcher?"

I don't think he even heard our questions. "The Oculory.... In the Oculory..."

His head dropped to the side. Checking for signs of life, it was obvious we'd found him at deaths door. Resting his body on the ground, we found his pack nearby. A cursory check delivered some sort of journal or research log. I handed it around after I'd read it. "Any idea what a focusing crystal is?"

All three shook their heads. "Guess we needed a mage after all?" Aela wondered, and I heard the tone.

"Aye. Oh well..."

"What about this Mirabelle I've heard mentioned?" Delphine asked, and she couldn't hold back the smirk.

"She's not one for adventuring through ancient ruins."

"But she's quite happy to fuck one of her students?" Lydia joked.

"Aye, she is. No complaints from me either."

"Despite the fact you're clearly not a mage as well," Aela stated.

"Can you blame her though?" Delphine wondered. All three women looked at me.

"No. Definitely don't blame her," Lydia replied softly, "My arse has been sore all day!"

"Doesn't help when you have it fucked before breakfast as hard as last night," Delphine exclaimed.

"Not like you haven't looked uncomfortable!" Lydia retorted, "You're an anal addict as much as I am! I remember him giving you two loads in succession last night. I'm surprised you can even walk today!"

Clearing my throat, I gestured to the door. "Shall we?"

"This is why I prefer my pussy," Aela whispered into my ear, causing me to chuckle.

It was your typical labyrinth, full of traps to catch out the unsuspecting, the usual pressure pads on the ground or doors that had tripwires which would cause sharp things to spring and stab you. If it wasn't the traps, it was the dwarven machines that woke up and attacked without mercy. Luckily we had a good system with Lydia and I armed with sword and shield, Delphine and Aela armed with dual weapons. If we needed to take things down at distance, they could use their bows.

We found more bodies as we adventured, and I eventually stopped counting how many we'd found. None of them appeared armed, so I assumed they all attempted to use magic, but the blood suggested they'd been cut down rather easily. One or two bodies had also been defiled, and upon entering some natural caverns, which I normally found in these sort of ruins, we found evidence that suggested one or two had been taken and tortured, whether for information or simply for fun, we could only guess. When we found body parts, Lydia and Aela both looked queasy. Delphine didn't know much about the Falmer but guessed they may eat those taken.

As always, the ruin was infested with creatures, Falmer or chaurus, while the occasional dwarven machine proved more than a nuisance than any real danger. Lydia and I had long ago established a good routine, with the other two providing cover and watching our flanks. Fighting Falmer always took more concentration, the bastards usually coating their weapons in poison, and I'd read more than one story of an adventurer who'd been wounded. It never ended well.

Walking through what appeared to be a Falmer settlement, as there were a number of their huts, I remembered the journal and the focusing crystal, and considering it wasn't in the pack, I suggested it was taken by the Falmer. For what reason, I didn't know, as we rarely found coin or jewels on them, and as they couldn't see, I didn't think they would have taken it to show off.

I'll happily admit that we slaughtered the bastards as we passed through, taking time to check each body, each hut and any chest we found. And the bastards had taken it, finding it in the chest of a now dead shaman. I'm not sure what religion the Falmer believed in but I'd seen quite a few shaman during my time adventuring through these ruins.

Arriving at a locked door, I could only groan as that meant searching for the key. Knowing it would probably be in the hands of the Falmer, we searched and cut down any we could find. But when we didn't find the key anywhere, it was slightly concerning as the place was a maze, and I was more worried about getting lost.

What I didn't want to find was a Centurion. And unlike when I normally found them, and it was possible to sneak by, this one woke up as soon as we walked through the door. It waking up attracted the attention of numerous other machines, so while I focused on the Centurion, the three girls watched my back.

I have no problem admitting that I 'cheated' and used my Thu'um. Once I had it on the ground, I used it again before beginning to hack away. Centurion were made of strong stuff, though, and it took more than just a few whacks of a sword to kill it. Whenever it tried to get up, I used my Thu'um again. I'm sure the gods would understand my constant use of my gift. And I'd agreed with the Greybeards that I would not use it against man. Mer? Hmmm... maybe. Depended on the situation.

Once the floor was littered with dwarven parts, I found the key in a chest along with a few other goodies, the dwarves having collected numerous jewels, and also soul gems, which I found surprising, before we headed back to the locked door. Part of me thought something even bigger would be waiting, but no, there was only an empty corridor.

There was another locked door at the end. I could only groan as I figured there'd be no key for this one. So I did the only thing I could think of. I pounded the door with my fist. We had to wait for a reaction but we eventually heard a voice. "Gavros? Is that you?"

"Open the damned door, Paratus!"

There were a couple of clanks as the door was unlocked, a man in hooded robes soon appearing in front of us. The eyes took us in immediately, four armed, armoured people, no doubt covered in sweat and blood. He took an involuntary step backwards. I didn't blame the man. "What are you doing here?" he asked, not appreciating the accusing tone in his voice, "And where is Gavros?"

"He's dead."

His face fell and he was smart not to blame us. "It was the Falmer, wasn't it?"

"Aye. We found him by the entrance."

He sighed, running a hand down his face. I probably wasn't the only to notice he was a tired, old man. "If Gavros is gone, there's no hope. He was supposed to return with the crystal. Without that, all our efforts are wasted. And you. If you're here for treasure, or wisdom, or anything, I'm afraid you've wasted your time."

"We're not here for treasure."

"Oh, then what are you here for?" he asked, once again suspicious regarding our sudden appearance.

"Looking for you actually."

"And just why would you be doing that? Oh, it doesn't matter now. Gavros is never coming back, and he was supposed to have the crystal. Without that, we're lost. It's all been for nothing. So congratulations, whoever you are, you've found the Synod. Just me, alone, surrounded by angry machines and angrier Falmer."

As he was ranting, I reached into my backpack to retrieve the crystal. It was only when I offered it to him that he seemed to finally realise. "You found... How in the world... That's it. That's it! I don't know who you are, but you may have just saved this little project... In fact, who are you, anyway?"

"I go by many names but let's just say I'm from the College of Winterhold."

That made the old man snort in derision, enough to earn a titter or two from my girls. "You are, are you?" He looked me up and down. I didn't look like a mage so I wasn't surprised he probably wouldn't believe me. "Savos wouldn't even grant us an audience when we came to you, but now you come here expecting something from me? I don't much like this, I'll tell you. But you saved my skin, so maybe I can overlook the past for now. Come on, I'll explain on the way."

Falling in alongside him, my girls in our footsteps, I asked, "So what are the Synod doing here anyway? Didn't have you as a bunch of adventurers."

"I am on official business of the Grand Council of the Synod. That's all you need to know."

"If I tell you what I want, you can tell me what you're here for."

He looked at me as we walked before nodding. "Seems fair. So why are you here?"

"We're looking for the Staff of Magnus."

That made him stop. "Seriously?"

"Aye."

"Well, I think you've come all this way for nothing as it certainly wouldn't be here."

"True, but it's possible there will be clues to where it could be."

We began walking and finally entered another chamber, filled with another dwarven marvel of engineering. "Here it is. Magnificent, isn't it? Took an incredible amount of work to get it running again. Now I'm hoping it'll all be worth it. Place the crystal in the central apparatus, and we can start the process for focusing it."

I found the slot for the crystal quite easily, and once in place, the machine started up. Having no idea what to do, I left it to Paratus to focus the beams of light into the right places, the three girls standing alongside me as we watched. When the three beams were in the right place, there was a large beam of light that projected something onto the wall nearby. As we gathered around, Paratus barged through and it didn't take long for him to be unhappy.

"What's this? These results... They're not at all what they should be. This projection should be lit up like the night sky. Something is creating an incredible amount of interference. Something in Winterhold, it looks like. What are you playing at? Is this some attempt to stall my work?! So, what is it? What have you done? Did you know what we were attempting? Are you here to make sure your plan worked, that our efforts have been for nothing? Well, explain yourself!"

I gently grabbed him by the shoulder to face me. "Calm down, mage. I don't have to explain a damned thing."

"You and your College have ruined years of my work, I've lost friends and colleagues to the Falmer, and you want me to calm down?"

"I'd listen to Ragnar, mage, lest you want a slap," Aela warned.

He looked at her before looking back at me. "You said you're from the College, correct?" I nodded, and he looked back at the protection. I noticed the slight smile as he looked back at me. "You have something at your College, don't you? Something immensely powerful. Beyond anything I'd anticipated. What is it?"

"We do. It's called the Eye of Magnus."

He blinked in surprise for a few seconds. I doubt he expected that honest answer. "The Eye of Magnus? Well, I suppose if that means what I think it does... Well, that's interesting..."

"So the staff, can you help us or not?"

He gestured briefly at the projection. "Instead of projecting the sky, we project all of Tamriel, and then harness the latent energies to overlay the positions of..." The four of us must have returned a blank look, so thankfully he moved on. "What's important is that all of this work was designed to reveal to us sources of great magical power. Purely to help safeguard the Empire, of course. And yet, in the end, only two locations have been revealed to us. One is your College. The other... Well, that can only be Labyrinthian."

"The staff is there?"

He shrugged. "More than likely. So, mage from Winterhold, despite your intentions I've beaten your little game. Even if all you've said here is lies, I know you have something in Winterhold the Synod Council will be very interested in. So fine, trudge off to Labyrinthian in search of your Staff. I shall return to Cyrodiil and deliver my full report to the Council. This is not over, I assure you."

Now I gave him a slap. Not too hard, but enough to shock him, before putting a finger into his chest, making him step back against the wall. "I don't appreciate threats from lunatics. I don't know if it's the isolation or if you're just crazy, but I think it's best you do head back to Cyrodiil for your own safety. Think of doing anything regarding the College, though, and you will have the Dragonborn to deal with."

"Hmph," he snorted and I suggested to my girls that we should leave.

We found an exit as usual, a shortcut back to the entrance. It was dark by the time we exited, and as we were miles from the nearest town, we put up some tents, laid out the bedrolls, built a fire, and settled down for the night. We agreed that we'd head straight back to the College in the morning.