"Not a bad idea, but keeping it quiet is unnecessary," Nathaniel suggested.
"Is it?" King Marco wondered.
"Yes, let others know your intentions and your reasons for why you visit these kingdoms."
"Very well." King Marco nodded; he wasn't as worried as he would be while going through these political battles, thanks to having Nathaniel and the others backing him.
"I will have Lucien shadow you, so get rid of any worries you have."
Hearing that, King Marco brightened. Having a damn near immortal being to follow and protect you is a blessing no one can experience. He wondered what he did in his previous life to have these immortals take all the stress off his shoulders.
"It seems I won't be able to repay my debts to you and the others in this life," King Marco chuckled.
"Ahhh." Nathaniel waved his gratitude off; it's not like they had anything better to do at this moment. "More tea?" Nathaniel offered.
"Oh, yes, please." King Marco wouldn't deny anything from them anymore, not when it benefits him so much. His shame and guilt were slowly disappearing, and he had enjoyed his time with them.
They sat atop the Northern stone wall, looking towards the Sky Mountain that took half the view while drinking tea, and just behind them, below the wall, were the citizens taking a break from all the work.
It is peaceful.
King Marco decided to share his plans with Nathaniel about creating a different alliance with four other kingdoms solely focused on avoiding conflicts among other powers.
He wasn't quite sure how effective this plan would be, but he trusted Nathaniel and his judgment. They also gave word that they would assist him in every way they could. He felt pressure from how helpful these beings were, and at times felt it was dangerous, but the more he was with them, the more he understood them, especially Nathaniel.
But then…
He saw Nathaniel's face change, a frown donning his face, and King Marco felt worried.
"Nathaniel? What's wrong?"
Nathaniel wasn't the only one who felt it. Up in the mountains, Gormlaith paused and turned her head to the East.
Hakon, who was holding up a large piece of wood for the other citizens to hammer up, froze as well, his eyes wide.
Felldir stood up slowly and looked up towards the Eastern skies, and a smile appeared on his lips.
The others also showed expressions of excitement, a feeling they had long forgotten that came back to them, one only known specifically to Dragonborns.
"A dragon," Nathaniel muttered.
"A—A DRAGON?!" King Marco stood up so quickly that his wooden chair was thrown back and fell off the wall.
"Yes, it seems to be heading this way."
King Marco's nerves seemed to be jumping, his fears bubbling as he forgot about the presence of the several immortals that resided in his kingdom.
"Relax, my friend." Nathaniel chuckled at the stiff king. "Have you forgotten who we are?"
Realization came to the king, and he took a deep breath, but still, the potential destruction of the fight worried him.
"Yes, you are all slayers of such creatures."
"Yes, Marco, we are Dragonborn—"
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr
The kingdom shook, including the mountains, but instead of the dragon that King Marco thought it would be, a streak of gale flashed from the Sky Mountains straight towards the city wall they stood on.
"Wuld! Nah! Kest!"
"Shit," Nathaniel suddenly blurted.
Because the streak—Gormlaith—who used the [Whirlwind Sprint] atop the mountain to arrive quickly near Nathaniel misjudged the strength of her shout.
Bathoooooooommmm
The recently fixed part of the city wall crumbled and broke apart once again as Gormlaith smashed through it and landed on the ground just outside the walls, creating a large crater.
Felldir waved his hands and created a few wards to protect the citizens from the rubble and shockwaves from Gormlaith's clumsy use of her shout while Nathaniel protected the king.
A thunderous, hysterical laugh rang out into the surroundings as Hakon appeared atop the wall, pointing and laughing at the messy Gormlaith, who walked out of the crater trying to look elegant.
Nathaniel stood there, staring at them as his attempt to sound cool to King Marco disappeared.
"It seems I have misjudged my landing; I ask that you forgive me, King Marco," Gormlaith shouted towards the wall.
"It's—it's… think nothing of it, Lady Gormlaith," King Marco chuckled.
But the citizens, who had done all the work and understood the situation, didn't feel the same.
"Gormlaith, Hakon, and Felldir," Nathaniel called out to the three, and they responded immediately.
"My lord," they said as they appeared behind him, ready for battle.
Fwooosh
The garments they wore lit up brightly before forming into their respective armors and their weapons in hand.
"This will be the first time we face a dragon in this world; we don't know how different it is from the ones we have slain in our past, so stay ready."
"Yes, My Lord," they responded.
King Marco gave orders to his soldiers to prepare for battle and set up defenses. He hadn't seen any dragons, but it would be foolish to doubt Nathaniel and the other Dragonborns.
"Is there anything we can do?" King Marco directed the question towards Nathaniel.
"Nothing as of now; just do as you would when a dragon appears."
Nathaniel's statement made King Marco's eye twitch. 'Do as we would when a dragon appears?!' as if we could ever truly prepare for it; they've never seen one, let alone "fought" one.
Nathaniel turned his head towards the palace; he stared at it intensely, and not long after, a figure rushed out and floated towards them using [Telekinesis].
"Good to have you join us, Arniel," Nathaniel smirked.
"Well, I don't seem to have a choice," Arniel Gane said deflatedly. He was in the middle of his discoveries when he felt the eyes of his new master boring a hole through the palace walls and summoning him.
"Observe and see what you can learn from this situation."
"Yes, yes, of course." But his excitement came back— a dragon. How different is it from the ones of Nirn?
"Lucien," Nathaniel muttered.
fwoooooosh
A small puddle of darkness appeared near him as Lucien Lachance arose from it in a kneeling position. "Your shadow awaits your command."
"It's—it's coming!"
They looked towards the horizon; from the East, a small dot slowly enlarged until they saw the black wings flapping, the heavy pressure coming from that side of the skies.
The citizens were already cleared away from the walls, but the entirety of the kingdom was still bustling with people rushing to safety and such.
"Hohoho!" Hakon bellowed. "Those dark wings remind me of our World-Eater, Alduin."
'World-Eater?!' King Marco heard, making a mental note to ask later as he was still sweating profusely from the growing shadow in the skies.
"Lucien, stay in the shadows and wait for my signal in case it gets messy," Nathaniel instructed.
"Yes." Lucien dipped back into his shadows.
"Arniel, get started on a ward around the city. Felldir focuses on [Destruction] magic, supporting Arniel with the wards if necessary, while Gormlaith will deliver ranged attacks."
They nodded before finding good spots for the battle to come.
Hakon turned towards Nathaniel with a giant knowing grin.
"You will have the first clash, Hakon. Be ready; if he comes for a fight immediately, then you will see what that lizard has compared to ours back home."
"HAHAHAHA, gladly!"
Hakon jumped and landed a few hundred yards away from the city walls, facing the coming dragon.
And just as he jumped off the wall, a transparent shield started to spread just above the city, reaching out to its edges.
King Marco turned towards the center, where the ward started, and he saw Arniel floating in the air with a… gem? Crystal? Floating in front of him, as blue arcane magic circles surrounded it.
Felldir stood above a tower just at the edge of the walls, and Gormlaith did the same farther out with a bow and arrows.
He turned back to Nathaniel and was shocked to see him sitting back down, sipping tea, squinting at the coming dragon.
It might seem like Nathaniel is a little overcautious about a dragon, at least for those who have played Skyrim or know ES lore, but he remembered that King Marco once said that dragons in Terra were the most troublesome creatures.
Saying that even the youngest dragons were as powerful as a 7th rank Warrior and Mage, and the strongest of these creatures were said to even be able to tear apart those 9th ranked Immortal Warriors and Majestic Mages and play around with 10th ranked Paragon Warriors and Sorcerer Supremes.
He couldn't afford to be careless about this.
This is also a chance for them to see how effective their Thu'ums are against this world's dragons.
BBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
The ground shook as the dragon loomed closer, the city walls crumbling and the citizens' efforts going to waste once more.
"GRRAAAGGGHHHHH!!"
The dragon thundered with a heavy roar that shook the city and spooked the civilians.
"Come on! Face me, you lizard!!" Hakon taunted.
The citizens panicked, screaming and crying as they saw and heard what had really come to their home—a creature of darkness, destruction, and despair.
But before it could dive down towards Hakon, it instead kept flying towards the city, a clear target in its mind.
"NO!" King Marco jumped as he saw it heading straight for him and the city behind him.
"Hakon!" Nathaniel shouted.
"JOOR! ZAH! FRUL!" Hakon shouted with all he had.
A wave of blue flew out of his mouth and headed straight for the flying beast.
Fwwaasstthhooossshhh!
The dragon, as if losing control of its wings, suddenly dipped down, but with its momentum, it was still headed towards the city walls.
Nathaniel sighed; it seemed it worked after all.
"Felldir," he spoke with a hint of the thu'um dripping from his tone, shaking the space.
Felldir spoke out. "Fus."
A powerful shockwave came out from above the high tower and slapped the dragon back, slamming it onto the ground hard.
THADOOSSHH
The dragon stood, raised its dizzy giant head, and saw the warrior in front of it.
Nathaniel and the others finally got a clear view of what it really looked like now.
This dragon seemed more beefy, the scales clearer to see and larger than the dragons of Nirn. Yet it still looked like the typical western dragon Nathaniel knew of.
It roared; King Marco couldn't remain sitting as he stumbled back, covering his ears. His body vibrated in pain, and the power leaking from the dragon made him feel even more excruciating.
Nathaniel opened his palm as a black soul gem appeared.
He waved his hand as a blue magic circle appeared as if he was enchanting the gem before he threw it up high, and it disappeared into the ward Arniel created, enhancing it stronger than before.
King Marco and the suffering citizens felt the pain disappear as they breathed out in relief.
"Hahaha!" Hakon looked up towards the towering creature and smiled crazily. "What an honor it is to face such a beast as you!"
An expression of anger and hate appeared on the dragon's face as bluish energy pressed against it, preventing it from flying and causing chaos in its own energy.
It tilted its head back before a wave of flames flew out of its mouth aimed directly at Hakon.
Hakon stood there and took it all in with a crazed laugh, which made King Marco's heart jump out of his chest.
"Hahahaha! It seems you are only big, for your flames have no real fire!" Hakon stated while being engulfed in flames.
"Have a taste of MY AXE!!" A powerful energy suddenly exploded as Hakon stopped holding his power in and swung his axe upwards against the dragon's head.
Kraaaddooosshhhh
The dragon was thrown back, starting from the head, and crashed on its back.
"H—he—HE KNOCKED IT WITH JUST A SWING OF HIS AXE?!" King Marco shouted in shock.
This was his first time seeing a dragon, a creature so rarely seen it is almost mythical, and spoken of as a terrifying destructive creature one cannot hope to face head-on, yet Hakon was facing it head-on crazily.
"Let me show you what true flames look like; feel my Thu'um!"
The ground cracked, but not from the dragon; rather, it was from Hakon releasing a seal put to hold his power in, or else the mountain would have been restless.
The wards protected the Ladonians from feeling the raw, unrestrained power of Hakon, but the quake that came from the environment, unable to face his power, was felt even through the ward.
The ground shook violently.
"YOL!" Hakon started.
"Hakon, no!!" Nathaniel shouted out.
But it was too late.
"TOOR! SHUL!"
A flame so hot and bright it shone like the sun just outside of the city walls flashed even brighter than the sun, causing everything in everyone's eyes to go white.
Nathaniel immediately got to work.
"TIID! KLO!"
Everyone and everything slowed to almost a stop, their movements so slow it seemed as if time had stopped.
Nathaniel gathered his arms together and cast a [Greater Ward] on this side of the city walls before jumping in the middle of Hakon and the dragon, which started to sizzle and melt.
Standing in the middle of Hakon's [Fire Breath], he felt the heat, showing just how powerful Hakon was.
The ground was also burning away; he could see it clearly now that time had slowed.
He released his energy, magicka, and spread it around the area, completely engulfing the [Fire Breath] and any shockwaves and negative effects in the area before it all returned back into his body, including the thu'um and chaos caused by Hakon and the dragon.
SHWWOOOoooooopp
When time returned to normal, the flash of light created by Hakon's [Fire Breath] and the suffocating pressure completely disappeared.
"Huh?" Hakon stood there frozen as he saw Nathaniel appear before him and his thu'um disappear.