Release the Rage

I grabbed the staff from the ashes that had once been Morokei, also grabbing the mask that had covered his face, placing that in my pack, before I hobbled towards Farkas and Vilkas. Their eyes met my own, filled with nothing but concern. "Is she okay?"

"She's breathing but…" Farkas shook his head, blood continuing to drip from the wound across his forehead. Vilkas said nothing but his face spoke volumes.

"We have to get her out of here, Ragnar. She needs medical help," Serana added.

"I'm barely a novice. I can't cure… that…" I stated quietly, shaking my head. 'Lead, Ragnar. You can still save her.' "You two," pointing at the twins, "I know you're injured, but carry her… As gently as possible. Serana, I'm going to need your help dealing with anything else that gets in our way."

"Of course, Ragnar."

I ignored the pain in my arm and hobbled along, ignoring the wound in my leg. We were all wounded but Aela… It was my fault. After fighting that Dragon Priest at Skuldafn, I'd underestimated their power. Or perhaps Morokei was just more powerful than the one I'd previously faced. Whatever the case, I'd learned a harsh lesson. Never again would I take on a Dragon Priest without a sensible idea regarding tactics. I just hoped someone wasn't going to pay the price with their life.

"Ragnar, you can barely walk. Let me help you," Serana suggested quietly.

"I'm fine," I answered through gritted teeth, "Been through worse." That may have been a bit of a lie. I can't remember being in more pain than I was right now. I know the twins were in absolute agony too, but they were far more concerned about their friend and colleague, as was I. All that mattered was getting Aela to a healer as soon as possible.

I managed to climb a set of stairs I figured would lead to the way out, opening the doors to see the figure of Savos waiting for us. And he was alone.

"I'm sorry, friends. I'm so sorry! I had no choice! It was the only way to make sure that monster never escaped! I promise you, I'll never let this happen again! I'll seal this whole place away..."

And, with that final confession, Savos disappeared as well. I knew I'd never see him again. But unlike Kodlak, it will sound harsh, but I wasn't particularly upset, mostly because I barely knew the man. I'd seen so much death that only losing those closest to me caused any real feelings of heartbreak and sorrow. That may sound cold but it's the reality of life in Skyrim. Death stalks us all every day.

I struggled up even more steps, using the staff as some sort of walking stick, waving away Serana's offer of help again. I knew I was being a stubborn bastard but I was angry at myself for letting Aela be hurt badly, for watching the twins hobble behind. Even Serana was carrying a couple of wounds though nowhere near as bad as the rest of us. I opened the door at the top of the stairs, moving the bar out of the way and throwing it to the ground, as we continued to climb, ending up in what I thought was a cave. For the first time in hours, I saw sunlight filter through a small gap and I guessed we'd taken all night to pass through the ruin. 'No wonder I feel exhausted. Or are those just all the injuries adding up?'

I paused a moment, not wanting to leave anyone behind, as I opened a gate allowing us to continue forward, confident that if we continued to climb just a little longer, we'd surely find an exit. Any idea about escaping were then put to one side as a door ahead opened, walking through a lone Thalmor. I sighed to myself as he approached.

"So, you made it out of there alive. Ancano was right... You are dangerous."

"Listen. Turn around now and go away. I don't have time for this."

He just laughed. "I'm afraid I'll have to take that Staff from you. Ancano wants it kept safe... Oh, and he wants you dead. Nothing personal."

Before he could move or say another thing, I whipped the crossbrow from my back and put a bolt dead centre in the middle of his forehead without even needing to aim he was standing so close. "Piss off," I stated, watching blood trail down over his nose, his eyes roll back in his head and before fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes. "Ancano definitely dies now," I muttered as I hobbled forward again.

"I thought we were killing him anyway," Serana stated, adding a little humour to her tone.

"Oh, we were. All he's done now is put me in a very bad mood. So I may have to make him bleed first, then I'll kill him."

We finally climbed out of the ruin a few minutes later, having to haul the unconscious body of Aela out before I laid her on the ground. I checked her breathing and that was still strong but it was hard to miss the wounds and burns. I guessed the beast-blood that still flowed through her veins was helping, and I knew she was strong but everyone has their limits in physical endurance. Once the twins climbed out, we moved as quickly as possible to our horses. Once there, we had to organise ourselves. Once the twins had managed to secure Aela to one of their horses, they looked at me expectantly, almost knowing what I would say.

"Head to Whiterun and take her to the temple immediately. See what they can do."

"Of course, Harbinger." They only ever called me that when giving a direct order, I had noticed. "You're heading to the College?"

"I'll end the crisis there then head straight back to Whiterun."

"We'll wait for your return then. Good luck."

"And you. Just… Keep her alive."

"Of course."

I watched them trot away, Farkas leading Aela's horse, Vilkas riding alongside, Aela positioned awkwardly on his horse, but it was probably the only way of ensuring they got her to Whiterun as quickly as possible. I watched until they disappeared over a hill.

"You care for her, don't you?" I nodded. "You were close?"

"We're friends. Good friends. But… We were more than that once"

"No longer?"

"No longer."

She paused a moment, I assumed pondering whether to ask the next question. "Why is that?"

"She loved another. Not while we were together. He… died. But I was the one who ended it between us."

"Why is that?"

"It was the right time." 'And I met you.' Of course, I didn't vocalise that thought.

"Should we go?"

I nodded and, without a backwards glance at the complex of Labyrinthian, kicked my horse onwards. It was time to save the world again.

*****

"By all the plains of Oblivion, what is that?" I asked, dismounting my horse near the inn.

"It must be something to do with the Eye."

"What's is that bloody idiot Thalmor doing? Does he not realise he's going to destroy us all?"

"Maybe that's what he wants."

She made a good point though I didn't think Ancano actually wanted to die. We quickly tied up our horses and jogged towards the College. Prior to the archway leading to the bridge, everyone was gathered, looking a little lost, in all honesty. I looked for any sign of Mirabelle, but couldn't see her. I did notice Tolfdir, who moved through the crowd towards me in return.

"You've returned. And you have the staff. Let's hope it's as powerful as the Psijic Order believe it to be."

"Where's Mirabelle?"

His face fell, shaking his head at the same time. "She's still inside. I'm not sure…" he trailed off.

"We'll get to her," I asked, though part of me knew the chances of finding her alive were slim.

He then looked me up and down. "Are you okay, Dragonborn? You're covered in a lot of blood."

"Not all of it is mine. And I'll worry about myself once Ancano is dead." I then looked at the staff in my hand. "Look, do you have any idea how one of these works?"

"You don't know?"

I held up my sword. "I know how to use one of these."

Tolfdir looked thoughtful for a moment then nodded. "Very well. Give me the staff. I'll help however I can." He then looked back at the rest of the group. "What about all them?"

"When Ancano first started this… whatever it is… barrier… ward… it took three of us to get it down. Considering its size, we're going to need everyone's help." He nodded his agreement and I gathered the students around me. "I need your help."

"What do you need, Dragonborn?" Faralda asked.

"I need everyone to help me take down this barrier. I know it takes destruction magic, and considering the size, it's going to need all of us to take it down. I don't know what's going to happen once it's down but I will deal with Ancano once it is. Are you in?"

"Lead the way," Nirya stated, the students shouting their agreement. I couldn't help the grin. 'They're eager for a fight after taking care of those anomalies earlier.'

I noticed the barrier continued to expand, slowly, but soon enough it would engulf the entire college and the bridge leading towards it. I led the way, Tolfdir behind, as the students formed up along part of the bridge. Once in position, they waited for my signal. I unsheathed my sword and held it high.

"Ready?" I heard plenty of enthusiastic replies before I lowered my sword. "Now!"

Fire, frost and sparks flew towards the barrier. I'll admit, I wasn't helping. I didn't think anything I could do would be of much assistance. And I wanted to save my energy for when I dealt with Ancano. My leg still ached and my left arm was practically useless, my shield still attached though I could barely lift it. I met Serana's eyes every now and then and saw the concern in them. I returned a weak smile which she returned but… She was worried.

Slowly but surely the barrier started to give way. I was expecting it to disappear like last time. This time, it simply started to shrink. As it did that, I simply followed the path leading to the College, Tolfdir and Serana following behind. Slowly but surely, step by glorious step, I approached the gate leading into college. Suddenly, with an almighty what sounded like thunderclap, there was a bright light as the barrier completely disappeared.

Then the anomalies returned. "Take care of these. We'll deal with Ancano!" I yelled at the rest, gesturing Tolfdir and Serana to follow me.

The doors leading into the Hall of the Elements were wide open and I could see Ancano was still doing whatever it was to the orb. The light was near blinding as I opened the gate, looking left and right, seeing Mirabelle was, somehow, still alive though only barely, holding up a ward against the magic in the room though she was visibly weakening.

"Serana, help her."

"Of course, Ragnar."

Once Serana had a new ward up behind which both were protected, I cautiously approached Ancano. He glanced in our direction before turning his attention back to the orb.

"It's over, Ancano! Stop this, right now!"

"You think I don't know what you're up to? You think I can't destroy you?"

"You're welcome to try."

He laughed. "I've got the power to unmake the world at my fingertips. What are you going to do about it?"

I strode forward and thrust my sword into him. It did nothing. I looked at Tolfdir, who tried a flame spell. That did nothing either.

He laughed again. "I am beyond your pathetic attempts at magic. You cannot touch me."

I looked at Tolfdir again. "The staff. Like we did in Saarthal!"

"Right, Dragonborn!"

I don't know how he did it, but Tolfdir pointed the staff at the Eye and some sort of energy, or perhaps it was simply magic, was emitted from the tip of the staff into the Eye. It took barely a few seconds for the connection from the Eye to Ancano to be severed, though only for a moment. I tried hitting him again but it was still to no avail.

"You cannot win. Persist, and you will simply die faster."

"Keep going, Tolfdir."

I had to be patient though I didn't mind waiting. Tolfdir continued to use the staff as the Eye slowly started to break apart. Or, at least that's what it looked like. Parts of the orb started to move around and there was suddenly a blinding flash of light, causing me to hold up my hand to shield my eyes.

"Now, Dragonborn!" Tolfdir cried.

I lowered my hand to see the connection between Ancano and the orb had finally been completely severed. Now I stepped forward as he turned towards me. Sparks flew from his hands and I very quickly found myself on my knees, the agony almost overwhelming and I couldn't help the scream that escaped my lips.

"Call yourself a mage? You're pathetic!"

He stepped forward as I looked up, barely able to move, feeling my muscles spasm from the shock. He simply sneered at me, continuing to call me all manner of names. I tried to get to my feet but that only made him redouble his efforts, forcing me back down. I started to feel warm, as if my muscles and the very bones that made me were on fire.

Then I heard Ancano cry out in surprise, lifting my head to see sparks envelop his body, turning to see both Serana and Mirabelle with sparks flowing from their own hands. For a moment, he forgot all about me as he turned to attack the other two. I stepped back and grabbed Mirabelle, moving her behind a column as she collapsed back to the ground.

"I tried…"

I shushed her. "You've done enough. Just stay alive."

She nodded, taking a deep breath as she rested her head against the cold stone. I waited a few seconds to make sure she wasn't dead. I didn't see any blood, but I didn't know if she had internal injuries. Once I was sure she was still alive, I rounded the column to see Ancano and Serana trading attacks. Tolfdir was still focused on the orb. I didn't know how the staff and orb worked together, but I figured as long as he maintained contact with the staff, then Ancano would remain severed. That's what I hoped anyway as Ancano turned towards me.

This time I lifted my shield and blocked his attack. I then tapped my sword against my shield. "The Shield of Ysgramor, you Thalmor bastard. Worn by a man long ago who massacred thousands of your kind. It won't see the blood flow like that again. But it will see one more elven death."

He said nothing but no-one would have missed the concern appear in his eyes. He sent another attack my way, simply blocking it with my shield again. My arm ached and I wasn't moving particularly fast, hobbled as I was by my wounds, but I simply kept walking forward, Ancano realising I wasn't going to stop.

"Serana, flank the bastard. He's not getting away."

I heard her agreement over all the noise, not taking my eyes off Ancano though I saw his eyes follow her progress around the orb. The sparks from his palm disappeared for a moment and he tried a frost attack. I simply laughed that one off.

"We're built for the cold, you idiot."

He tried flames and, I'll admit, that gave me pause for thought. The flames then stopped as Serana shocked him again. This time Ancano fell to the ground, allowing me to close the gap as quickly as I could. I had a thousand thoughts cross my mind of what I was going to do. The first thing I did was drop my shield, finally looking at my blackened and bruised forearm. The agony near brought tears to my eyes.

"You can't kill me. You're too weak."

I simply lifted my sword to underneath his chin, lifting his face to meet mine. The sneer disappeared as he took in my likely blood covered exterior, hair plastered to my face by blood and sweat, dripping from my beard to the floor below. I probably looked like a madman.

"Tolfdir, you can stop," I called. All the noise of the staff and the orb finally stopped, and while there wasn't silence, it was certainly far quieter than seconds earlier. "Go make sure everyone else is alright, Tolfdir. And take Mirabelle with you if she's okay to move."

"What about you?"

"I'll be with you in a minute."

Our eyes met and he simply nodded. He knew what was going to happen. I didn't want the old man to be around to see. I waited until I heard the two gates close before I looked at Serana. "Shock him."

I thought she may have disagreed, or tried to talk me out of it. Instead, she simply nodded and shocked him. His hands moved in the way I'd thought they would and those were the first things to go, cutting down and leaving nothing but bloodied stumps at the end of his arms. I'll admit I thoroughly enjoyed hearing his screams.

"You'll pay for this. You'll all pay for this."

I simply stepped forward and grabbed him by the hair, jerking his head back. The temptation to spit in his face nearly overcame me. "You're the first of many Thalmor I'm going to kill before I'm done," I growled.

Despite staring death in face and the fact I'd just cut off his hands, he laughed. "You haven't got a clue, have you? We're just waiting for the right moment to invade this pathetic country and finally put an end to the Empire for good."

"They'll meet their deaths on the border."

"Who's going to lead them? You?"

"You'll be surprised by what I can do." I let go of his head and dragged him to his feet, watching him stagger as he was starting to lose a lot of blood. I noticed Serana was watching what I was doing intently. "I'll be done in a minute."

"This bastard deserves to suffer for what he's tried to do here."

I'll admit, I almost smiled as her words reflected my own thoughts. But although I really wanted to make him suffer, prolong his agony and spend a lot longer simply torturing him, his end would arrive in moments. Quicker than even he realised, I thrust my sword into his gut and disembowelled him, his groans of pain music to my ears. He fell to the ground on his knees again, trying to hold his guts in place, looking up at me and my bloodied sword. The last thing he would have seen would have been the sword swinging down for his neck.

I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm down, feeling my heart beat in my ears. I felt a hand on my shoulder, opening my eyes to see Serana look at me, concern in her eyes again. "Are you okay?"

"Fine. We need to care of him though."

"What do you mean?"

I grabbed the head and one of the bloodied stumps of his body and dragged it out of the Hall of the Elements, through the courtyard, ignoring the crowd that had gathered to see the outcome of the battle, leaving a bloodied trail the entire way, before I came to a stop along a part of the exposed bridge linking Winterhold to the college. I dumped his body over the side of the bridge before I held up his head, the eyes still wide, mouth still open as if he had been trying to say something.

"Get out of my college, you son of a bitch," I whispered.

I dropped his head, watching it fall all the way to the water below, unable to hold back the light chuckle, figuring I sounded slightly derange. But I'd been waiting to do that for a long time, since the very first I'd laid eyes upon him. And I also told the truth. He would not be the last.

Sighing to myself, I turned to look at Serana. And then I finally dropped to the ground.

*****

"Ragnar," I heard a voice call. I think it was a dream. I know the voice made me smile as it sounded rather familiar. "Ragnar, wake up."

'Leave me to sleep. Leave me alone. I just want to rest. Haven't I done enough?'

"Ragnar, the Psijic's are here. They want to speak to you."

I opened my eyes, blinking rapidly before I focused, noticing Serana sitting on the bed next to me. Her face was a mixture of concern and relief. "Are we still at the College?" She nodded. "Is everyone okay?"

"Everyone's fine, Ragnar. Tolfdir has been running things as best he can while the students have been cleaning up the place. Mirabelle is still recovering and they're hopeful she'll be back up and running the show soon enough. But how are you feeling?"

"How long have I been out?"

"A couple of days. They've sutured your wounds and Colette has spent a long time healing you. At mine and Tolfdir's insistence."

"Must be why I don't feel too many aches and pains."

"You still feel some, though?"

I couldn't help the laugh. "I can't remember the last time I didn't feel any."

"Come on, everyone is in the Hall of the Elements waiting for you."

My armour was lying bloodied on a nearby chair. Thankfully Serana had gathered some regular clothing for me, watching with a slight smirk as I struggled to dress myself as my legs and arms still hurt and my body as a whole felt completely seized up. Once dressed, I hobbled out of the room, feeling an arm around my waist. I was ready to tell her I was fine, but a stern look suggested that, for once, I should just keep my mouth shut. So I just put an arm around her shoulders and accepted the help.

The courtyard was full of people. I noticed people from Winterhold had even come to see what was going on. I noticed the path into the Hall had been cleaned of blood, the doors and gate into the Hall itself lying open, the orb still sitting in the middle, now silent and non-threatening.

Waiting near the orb was Quaranir. He greeted me with a polite nod as I approached. "Knew you could do it, Dragonborn."

"It came at a heavy price, though. How this college wasn't destroyed, I'll never know."

"But you prevailed. And your victory here justified our belief in you."

"Thank you."

"Which is why we believe you have proven more than worthy in guiding the College of Winterhold from now on."

"What? Arch-Mage? I'm no mage. Surely there are better candidates here?"

"You underestimate your talents as a potential mage, Dragonborn. We foresee a bright future for you at this College. As for leadership, we believe that your development as a mage will also help guide the College. Having the Dragonborn as Arch-Mage will also be a boon for the College itself."

I wasn't convinced but I didn't think they would take no for an answer. Instead I turned to the orb. "So what about this thing?"

"The Eye has grown unstable due to the tampering of Ancano. It cannot remain here, or else it may destroy your College and this world. It must be secured. Ancano's actions proved that the world is not ready for such a thing. Therefore, we shall safeguard… for now."

"Very well. You will get no argument from me. Frankly, I want the thing gone."

"You have our gratitude, Arch-Mage."

"One question before you go." He nodded for me to continue. "Can you maintain contact with us? I believe your Order may have much to offer the College. Would such a thing be possible?"

He was silent for a few moments. "In the future, that may be possible. But as noted previously, we tend not to interfere with current events unless the danger could affect the entire world. But… Give it time and perhaps it may eventuate."

"We may need assistance in our possible conflict with the Thalmor."

Quaranir nodded. "Yes. I understand events may eventually spiral out of control regarding the peace that currently exists between the Thalmor and Empire. The sensible advice would be to ensure peace in Skyrim before moving against the Thalmor." I had a feeling that advice was for me. And me only. "Good luck to you, Arch-Mage. Rest assured, we will be watching."

Two more Psijic monks then appeared out of thin air and, after casting some sort of spell, the three and the orb simply disappeared with a flash of blinding light.

I turned to see everyone was crowded around me, looking across the sea of people to see even Mirabelle was there. I motioned for her to approach. Tolfdir too. "We need to talk," I suggested once they approached. They both nodded.

"What do we do now, Dragonborn?" asked one voice.

"Is the College still open?" called another.

"Is Winterhold safe?" wondered another, assuming they were from the city. 'Though to call it a city is a misnomer.'

I held up my hands as I continued to be barraged by questions. "People! People! Let me answer!" I waited for silence. "This is the situation. The College is open and will remain so. The threat from the Thalmor has ended. The Eye, as noticed, has been taken by the Psijic for safekeeping. Therefore, there is no reason why College business cannot continue as before. So, all I can suggest is that you continue your learning. As far as I'm concerned, the situation regarding your pursuit of knowledge remains unchanged."

"And what about you Arch-Mage?" someone else asked.

"I will be sitting down with advisors right now and will issue instructions. All students and staff will be notified of any changes."

I heard one or two murmurs but the crowd appeared content and they started to filter out of the Hall. Mirabelle and Tolfdir looked at me with curiosity once the crowd has dispersed.

"We should speak in the Arch-Mages quarters."

Once settled upstairs, I could see Mirabelle, whose face probably echoed mine in that we were both bashed up and sore, and Tolfdir both ready to raise plenty of questions. I cut to the chase immediately.

"I'll be honest with both of you. I'm no mage and certainly shouldn't be elevated to Arch-Mage above many of the others who practice magic here."

"You sell yourself short, Dragonborn," Tolfdir stated.

I smiled but shook my head. "I appreciate that, Tolfdir, but I can recognise my limitations. I'm far more comfortable with sword and shield in hand rather than a spell or staff."

"The Psijic seemed convinced," Mirabelle stated.

I shrugged. "They appear knowledgeable but, even if I wanted to be Arch-Mage, I simply won't be able to give this position the attention it deserves and requires. Therefore, I was going to make a suggestion." I waited until they both nodded. "Mirabelle, you were pretty much running the College prior to the death of Savos. While I think me being some sort of figurehead Arch-Mage, agreeing that having the Dragonborn being in said position a boon, you've done more than enough to prove yourself worthy of the position. So, I want you to have these quarters and work as Arch-Mage on my behalf. What do you think?"

Her jaw dropped and she appeared speechless. I could help the chuckle. "Are you sure?" she finally asked.

"Absolutely." Then I turned to Tolfdir. "Your knowledge of magic appears near limitless, Tolfdir. So I see no reason why you wouldn't be the perfect assistant to Mirabelle. I'm sure both of you, working as a team, can ensure the College will continue to function normally for years to come."

"Of course, Dragonborn. I'd be honoured."

"I take it you're leaving?" Mirabelle asked.

I nodded. "I have to return to Whiterun immediately. But you can contact me quite easily by sending correspondence to Dragonsreach. Anything you send there can be sent to my residence, though I certainly won't be a stranger to these parts. But I have plenty of other jobs to do so simply can't give this place all my attention."

It took a while to assemble myself back in my armour, not bothering to clean it as I'd do it once I was back home. Mirabelle and Tolfdir were on hand to bade me farewell and good luck, shaking hands with both, before I turned with Serana and hobbled back to Whiterun. Being in no state to ride a horse all the way south, we organised a carriage to take us. We tied our horses to the rear of the carriage and settled in for the long journey back to Whiterun.

I was a nervous wreck the entire way, unsure as to what news would await me once I'd walked through the city gates.