Dragonborn Chapter 57: Catatoskr

"I said 'Nexus'."

"No, we already agreed to 'Creation Club'."

"You guys don't understand, this is a really bad omen!"

"We have already made a vote!"

"Nexus!"

"Creation Club!"

"NEXUS!"

"CREATION CLUB!"

"DAMMIT!"

"It's four against one, Jon. So zip it!"

This was a fight about the team's name!

They have agreed to call it the Creation Club!

I really hated that name.

Why you ask?

Back in my past life, there were two main platforms for Skyrim modding.

'The Nexus' which is preferred by most people, free of charge and had all sorts of quality content. It was the pride and joy of us Skyrim gamers even though the mods were not official and sometimes claimed to have a lot of bugs.

On the other hand, there was the 'Creation Club'. Think of it as the bad bully cla.s.smate you don't really like.

The 'Creation Club' was also a mod platform that was released by the official game company. It had its own mods different from the 'Nexus' and they were paid mods. Not just that, they were also claimed to work with the game just fine and have no bugs whatsoever! If you want to believe it, I guess.

All in all, the 'Nexus' is like the Senpais of the Soccer Clubs and the 'Creation Club' is like the Nerds from the Manga Research Clubs. One knows exactly which one the girls like!

And it feels like I joined the Manga Research Club now.

"So Leader wha..."

"Call me 'Boss'!"

"Eh! Alright! Boss, what are these things?"

What Morbagog was holding were some of my sketches.

"This is the Magical Water Pumping Machine, the same one the College uses but this one can be powered by Soul Gems instead of the 'Magicka Focus Points'. This one is also the Seawater Trans.m.u.tation Machine that also follow the same idea."

"But are there really any importance of any project like that?"

"Not really! We will just create them for a side job later! The main projects will be this one and this one."

I took two sketchs out!

"This one is the thing you worked on before! To tell you the truth, your first work lacked a lot of calculations! This machine can sense and calculate one's Magicka with this equation. We will call the term of the single Magicka Unit the 'Magicks Point', or 'MP' for short!"

This is not really a far from the game idea. I used the 'Petty Soul Gem' as the basis of the calculation!

In the game, the 'Petty Soul Gem' possessed 250 Magicka Point that can be noticed when someone uses the Enchanting Table.

Based on that, I brought some 'Petty Soul Gems' filled to the brim and used my 'Magicka Detection' until I comprehended the feels of 250 MP, then tried to apply the idea on a mechanical device but I had no times to enchant and make one, mainly because of my lousy metalworking skill.

"This other sketch is more important!" I said, "This is the 'Magicka Output Frequency Detector' or what I like to call the (Dareuometer). I shamelessly named it after myself."

"Your naming sense is nonexistent, Boss!"

"What? Say that again!"

"Now now stop making noises!" Yisra interrupted, "We know the use of the first device but what is the use for that 'Dareuometer'?"

"Well as you see, it is made into the shape of a glove with a counter on its back. It's a device that detects the shape of the output of Magicka from a mage's body and the needle of the counter moves with it. Imagine if Magicka comes from body for a spell like this.."

I took a paper and made a diagram for 'MP/Sec'.

"If the spell is a Channeling Spell, it should look on the diagram like this."

I drew a curve from the diagram's corner and reached a certain point then continued with the line horizontally.

"If it's a spell that you 'Charge' then 'Cast', it should look like this."

I drew another curve going up from the diagram's corner and reached a higher point then took the line vertically down.

"As you can see, the Magicka output grows higher as you charge then it reaches the point were the spell is completely charged, after that you cast and no Magicka output comes out again."

"This one can imagine it!" Mahran said.

"Now think of this as fully successful spells. How would the not fully successful and the unsuccessful spells look like?"

"The line will be disturbed, I mean won't look neatly curved." Eliel said.

"Exactly! For those who research small spells this device will prove useful to detect the shortcomings, but what about those who work on Master level destruction spells?"

"It will be essential!" Morbagog said.

He is right! Someone like Faralda will need this device more than anyone in the College now.

If someone failed with a Master level Destruction spell and it backfired on him/her. The consequences will be scary to just think of.

Many mages died of just that!

But this device won't simply save them by that.

"This device actually adds a safety mechanism! When a spell goes haywire and the needle start shacking left and right, it would activate a safty mechanism. There are three abilities that I am still not sure which one would be the most useful. Dispelling, Ward, or Silence."

'Dispelling' is a safty mechanism that can make the glove dispel the spell that is about to go haywire, its only problem is that the spell might be too strong and the effect we make is not strong enough!

'Ward' is to create a magic s.h.i.+eld around the caster but the backfired spell might be too powerful for it.

'Silence' is a safety mechanism that stops the user from casting magic forcefully for a second, this also may prove dangerous as the spell might explode and leave the mage defenseless.

After a heated conversation with the team, we reached the conclusion to use 'Dispel' as it was the safest idea.

"Okay, I guess that's what we will work on now. By the time of the coming exam, the four of us will be done with the projects in hand and will take new ideas!"

"Yes, Boss!" Morbagog was fired up.

"Mahran, I'll be needing your engineering skill to build a villa and some project out in Winterhold, so be sure to free some time when the time comes?"

The giant Khajiit opened his eyes wide, "You are having a Villa in Winterhold?"

"Yes, what of it?"

"The Jarl is not going to leave a mage in his town. He may not be able to hara.s.s us around the college, but some suspect him for attempts on some mages away from the town and the College."

"You sure about that?"

"I heard about that too." Yisra said, "Some mages before attempted to make good relations.h.i.+ps between the College and the town but some of them received strong opposition from the Jarl, some of those who really caused him headache died in places near the coast line."

Hmmm! This is more than what I thought it would be!

"Thanks for the heads up! But I can't back down yet! I think I should be going now!"

"Wait!" Eliel called, "What is in that fifth sketch?"

"Fifth?" I didn't bring any fifth.

"This design." Eliel showed it.

"Oh! It must have got stuck with the other papers."

The rest took a look and like what they saw.

"It looks strange but I like it."

"Does it spew fire?"

"Mahran thinks the design looks a bit Elven."

These idiots!

"This is an otherworldly weapon. I was just drawing some stuff!"

"Oh! What's it called?" Mahran was taking a liking on anything with the genre of weapons.

"AK-47"

"Strange name! Is it really elven?"

"I guess it was made by the Soviet Elves."

"Who are those?"

"The Aldmeri Dominion from my past life!"

"Past life?"

"Oh, I had one of those you know." I said, "Let me tell you about the Dragons too."

After a while I left the club, I met with Jullanar in the way and told her to bring my Skyforge Saber to Nurina's room.

My next target was the stalls in the corridor, I was looking for a decent armor and a weapon. It maybe the College but I doesn't mean we don't use armors or weapons.

Some of the battle styles in the College requires the mage to be familiar with close ranged combat, just like the guys from the tournament. And speaking of the devil, I just ran into Svadall and Svefna. They showed me a good stall for armors and weapons.

I bought something for Trudvar, my housecarl to be.

My next on schedule was a meeting I wanted to make some time ago.

I headed directly to the 'Hall of Countenance' and looked in the places where the Scholars go to eat and relax, I should find him anywhere here.

Ah! Here he is.

"h.e.l.lo, may I bother you for some time sir." I spoke friendly to a Bosmer Scholar seniors.

"You are one of those 'first year and acting dumb' boys, please go do that somewhere else." The Scholar was annoyed with me, he is an Elf so his reaction is a bit expected.

"I am known as Jon Dare and....."

"Jon Dare! The rumored son of Arch-Wizard Nurina Aren, the one with the legendary score in the Rank Up exam and the Champion of the Tournament. Also the one who destroyed Orthorn b.a.l.l.s?"

"Oh! Well, I am that famous?"

"Of course! I don't know what good fate led you to me but I am sure we will get along, my name is Enthir, I and my team handle most of the 'stalls' around here and I was looking for a chance to invite you abroad, I am sur..."

"Cut the c.r.a.p!" I said, this Elf won't end it today.

"Wha!" He was taken aback and trying to process the situation.

"Old Delvin says hey!" I said with a smile.

"What?" Enthir jumped from his seat but he looked around to check that no one saw his miserable appearance.

"Old Delvin! Like... Boss Malory?"

"That's him."

"You!" Enthir looked and checked me, "You are one of his people?"

"Yes, you can rest a.s.sured!"

'His people' meant the people who are in good relations.h.i.+p with Delvin but not Mercer Frey.

There is a big fraction in the guild since Mercer became the Boss many years ago. No one liked the way he did things but more importantly, Delvin had his suspicions about Mercer and had his small circle away from Mercer's.

Actually, Delvin is right as the game proved later but currently my rank is a bit low for me to act against Mercer personally.

Enthir also wasn't fond of Mercer so he wasn't sure how to deal with me. Even after me trying to calm him.

"Okay, can this make you at ease?"

I moved my left sleeve up and showed my arm to Enthir, there was a tattoo on it.

"This, this can't be! You are 'Catatoskr'?"

"Yes, it's me!"

If anyone from modern Earth saw the small tattoo on my arm they would think badly of me. Why would someone have a 'h.e.l.lo Kitty' tattoo like this. I actually hate it too.

But to others, this tattoo meant 'Catatoskr', and it has a big story in the guild.

[A/N: Catatoskr, is a twist for 'Ratatoskr', a squirrel who runs up and down the world tree Yggdrasil to carry messages between the eagle Veðrfölnir, perched atop Yggdrasil, and the serpent Níðhöggr, who dwells beneath one of the three roots of the tree.]

"My oh my! I heard the stories about you. A kid who was brought up by Delvin and became one of the Seven horrors of Riften."

He was right! 'Catatoskr' is my business nickname in the guild, I used to climb walls and run rooftops so I was called 'Catatoskr'.

Also the Seven horrors of Riften are; (Knjakr the Cannibal) a serial killer cook, the (Red Cat) known to the thieves as Catatoskr, the (Ratway) as a place, the (Thieves Guild) itself, the tavern known as the (Ragged Flagon), the Face Butcher correctly the (Face Sculptor), and finally (Maven Black-Briar) herself.

Funny enough, six of the seven are from the Ratway itself.

And the name (Catatoskr) was made for me to avoid being known as the boy who shouted a 'War Cry' in Riften.

"Anyway, I'll be needing some favors from now on, can you be relied on?"

"What kind of question is that?" Enthir said angrily, "And here I was going to offer you some discounts!"

"Well appreciated, but I pay back my way, I don't s**t where I eat."

"Oh! The reference is new but hard on my emotions you know! Fine, what can I help you with?"

"I want to know the deal with that Jarl Korir."

"Oh! Korir. Well, that's not easy to say. Unless it is the College, this guy has a firm grasp on Winterhold, or that what it seemed to be. I am not really into this kind of secrets and I advice you to stay out of it. Winterhold is a realm that belongs to one of the Hidden Clans, and Korir is just a mascot."

"Hidden Clans? Something like Fire-Mane Clan?"

"So you heard of them! The Fire-Manes are not entirely hidden as they are known to live in Eastmarch and have a large business as sailors and horse traders."

"What exactly are the Hidden Clans?"

"You are asking what is the color of air! No one knows. What is known are clans like those Fire-Manes. I also heard of other names in the sea like the Blood-Sails, a clan that has a pirate group called the Blood Horkers."

"Seriously?"

"And if you thought it ends here then you are mistaken. Some of the hidden clans has Akaviri roots, some are ancient clans of Vampires, some are powerful Daedra wors.h.i.+pers"

"You gotta be kidding me!"

"What is more important is that these clans has no interest in the normal world most of the time, they possess small armies with very high capabilities! They even don't think of the Kings and Jarls as equal!"

"d.a.m.n! This is not even one tiny bit from the game."

"The game?"

"Eh! Forget about it! Just how did you acquire such information?"

"What do you think I was doing here in Winterhold all this time? I am only able to do business here just because the College is too powerful as an ent.i.ty and even a Hidden Clan would have to think twice before crossing our path!"

"What about outside the town?"

"If you are targeted you will be hunted like a dog. I once watched some mages got killed just because they stuck their noses in the town business." Enthir said, "There is also some fool who appeared in the town yesterday and made some trouble with the Jarl."

Hahaha! $h¡t!

"Such a fool exist? Haha!"

"Can you believe it?"

I am so going to kill myself now! The embarra.s.sment!

"So who are the ones that normally deal with Korir?"

Enthir thought for a while and said, "The Blood Horkers."