283 Cold War

A/n: Okay, guys. There won't be extras for the time being. I am super busy and I want to stock on chapters until '31st of March'. I will have some [Job Interview] on '12th of April' and I have to start studying on '1st of April'... and I will start stocking from now so that you can read while I am away.

All [New Patron Extras] will be saved and published when I return.

Enjoy~❤

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Things turned out to be more complicated than what I thought, the War seems to have already started.

I was a fool not to think of it that way.

The moment Ulfric Stormcloak started calling out the Nords to oppose the Empire and the White Gold Concordat, a cold war broke out between the shadow organizations of both sides. The Empire had the [Penitus Oculatus] while the Stormcloaks had some sort of intelligence gathering teams that are well trained.

According to the intel I gathered, Whiterun is a massive headache to both sides.

The Day after we captured the Imperial Spy, someone attempted to make a move against Jon Battle-Born. We fought the group and captured one of them. They were Stormcloaks and their aim was to kidnap Jon Battle-Born to create any feud between the Grey-Manes and the Battle-Borns. Of course, the [Skeleton Key] was very handy in the interrogation.

I found out that the Stormcloak Intelligence Organization calls itself a childish name which is [Storm Fangs].

I was having a massive headache from how active the [Penitus Oculatus] and the [Storm Fangs] were. The two organization already had an army of operatives around and can as well go murder each other for all that I care about.

I only had nine 'Dare Agents' from [Team 0] as well as myself, Nefertiti and Jull. What gave us the edge was how easy we can hide using the [Haven Cube] and I also started to recruit the best Sleeper Agents in town, the cats.

I can use my bloodline ability [Titanborn: Beast Master] to tame a number of cats to help me around but Nefertiti was already handling it on her own much better than I ever could, she befriended most of the street cats and they all whisper to her. Cats are smart after all and know humans very well even though they don't care most of the time.

With all the street cats in Whiterun to support me, I knew where all the operatives hide and how many are on each team. I even detected a [Morag Tong] hideout in Whiterun. I was taken aback at first but I didn't think too much about them anyway.

[A/n: The Morag Tong are an 'Official' and a 'Legal' guild of Assassins that operate in Morrowind and are protected by the Law and Religion. You can put a hit on anyone there and I mean anyone including the Emperor of Tamriel. Cool, right?]

After gathering the intel I needed, I started analyzing them and came up with some good theories.

The Empire and the Stormcloaks are both expecting War and each are stalking on supplies and weapons. The Grey-Manes practice blacksmithing and beside Skyforge, they have other forges. The Battle-Borns, on the other hand, own a ridiculous amount of farmlands and can support and will make a difference depending on which side they pick. The Grey-Manes are showing sympathy towards the Stormcloak rebellion and the Battle-Borns are loyalists to the Empire.

Of course, both sides of the conflict don't see a benefit in both families coming together and here where my benefit comes in. I want to make business in Whiterun and those are the best trading partners I can pick in the entire hold.

My problem in trading with both the east and the west of Skyrim is that I have Maven Black-Briar defaming me in the east while Thane Erikur defaming me from the west. I control the north and the south and the sea with the help of the East Empire Company so the south is my only land trading route left.

Politics and Economy are entwined around the marriage of a Nord boy and a Nord girl. It is vexing but I am on the side of love.

Two days passed and I moved my base of operation to the Wind District and to be specific, between the Battle-Born and the Grey-Mane clans. I set up a few magic spells to hide and used the Haven Cube as the place to run everything through.

My nine agents were not familiar with the Cube so they always thought that I teleport them each time we hide.

During those two days, the [Penitus Oculatus] and the [Storm Fangs] never ceased to stop moving, they couldn't pinpoint our location and the only thing they could do is to patrol the Wind District every night and fight amongst each other. I am safe to say that Jull and the nine Dare Agents I brought with me became masters spying from all the work we had to do.

Today was the final day for this suffering, the Battle-Borns and the Grey-Manes were having a meeting between their heads and I had to smoothen everything to the max even though I was merely a guest of honor. I sent out Jullanar, and the nine Agents to keep an eye on everything out there, Nefertiti was keeping her cat gang monitor everyone around and Alina was with me. Also, Ysolda and Akara were in the Haven Cube serving lord Lukthur, the picky gryphon.

Alina's rule was important, if there was anyone that managed to bypass the people I left outside, Alina can take them down with a glare.

Jon Battle-Born and Olfina Grey-Mane didn't hesitate to express their will and the families agreed on the marriage.

The problem now is the wedding. Both Olfina and Jon were 17 which is actually good as a wedding age in Skyrim, people marry at 16 in early cases. And as the families sealed the vows in the presence of a Temple Priest and were formally registered, my job finally came to an end.

"It was a fucking nightmare!" I said as I stretched my body on the bed in the inn.

"It is because of you! You overstressed us the past five days." Jull complained.

"The important thing is that Olfina and Jon Battle-Born are getting married, this is a win situation for us." Alina said.

"I am just happy things went my way. The wedding will take a while but you saw the patriarchs of both clans today. I think we can rely on them for a while. I even had to hear them talking about their farms and forges for hours until they finished bragging."

"Good for you. Is there anything else you need us to do? I have a sweet little boy who misses me every day and I have to stay with him. Give him to me." Alina said.

"Yeah, take that unfilial bastard."

I pointed the Haven Ring at her and took out a creature from the space. It was the white-feathered dog-sized mind-numbing dumbass gryphon.

"Lokthur!" Alina came closer and took the idiot bird.

Lokthur shrieked and jumped towards Alina hugging her, he even cowered in her arms and let her carry him.

"What a hateful creature!" I cussed in a low tone.

"Hey, watch it! He understands you." Alina glared at me.

"Yeah yeah… tell him to be quiet and sleep like normal baby birds do."

"Humph!" Alina snorted and walked away with Lukthur.

If I knew gryphons are this annoying, I would have never unsealed the egg.

Anyway, my mood was ruined by that cheeky bird, I started to call it 'Emergency Rations' lately but Alina always looked at me as if I am some sort of a monster or something.

Anyway, the annoying bird grew up fast and all its hair came out. It was a truly marvelous white feather that only Alina and Nefertiti had the privilege to touch. It became what is known as a Fledgling Gryphon.

[A/n: Google 'fledgling gryphon'... the pics are so cool.]

"Sigh! I am heading out."

"Can we invite Svidi?" Jull asked.

"Yeah, have fun… I'll go talk with Wulfur."

"Wulf and Jorna are doing it tonight. She said to not let you go anywhere near him." She stopped me.

It seemed that we won't be drinking then. I have to have fun on my own.

I put on a cloak and walked out of the inn down the road with no aim in mind. Still, I was being followed.

'Sigh! Those idiots want another go again?'

I walked into an alleyway and stood there waiting for whoever following me to come up. The presence paused for a while then kept watching me. A second later, it started climbing on a house and it was actually fast.

An assassin in the end? How disappointing!

I waited for the assassin to arrive and finally, it showed up.

"You should have attacked me when you had the chance… oh!"

I realized that I was completely mistaken.

The figure who appeared in front of me was someone I totally forgot about due to the stress in the past few days.

"Remember me, Jon Dare?" Her tone was a bit angry.

"Aela… what's up?"

She seemed to be upset. I had to meet her five days ago but the [Penitus Oculatus] and the [Storm Fangs] appeared out of nowhere and made me busy.

"Sorry, for not seeing you the past few days, I was…"

"Busy, right? Fighting off those people in black?"

"Aha… so you noticed?"

"Don't underestimate me, I can smell you from a mile away."

"Oh!"

My pride was hurt right away! I smelled myself but I was clean.

"... I meant your distinctive scent."

"Ah, I see! Because you are a werewolf." I was really dumb.

Aela seemed to be annoyed by my misunderstanding and kept glaring at me.

"Follow me." She said.

"Where?"

"To finish what we started."

"... You want to fight me? Again?"

"Follow me!"

She seemed headstrong about her demand.

"Not interested in beating you again." I said and walked the other direction.

Aela turned around and glared at me.

"I advise you to do this the easy way. You will pay for the humiliation you inflicted on me… with your limbs! If you don't follow me right now…" Aela started threatening me.

"You'll do what?" I found myself teleporting behind her in a second with my eyes giving off bloodlust.

I hate threats.

Aela seemed to have gone pale for a while but she regained her composer.

"... If you don't come, I will report to the Harbinger that you know our secret and the Companions will hunt you down." She threatened.

"Ohoho! Really? Does that make me really a threat? I am a Firemane, girl. My Clan taught me about that thing you call 'Circle' and all. There is no way you can use such a silly bluff."

"So you're afraid then? I dare you to face me."

"..."

My head stopped from functioning. The crazy girl used the 'D' word!

"Sigh! Fine, lead the way. It is not going to end well for you though."