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• Page 2 of 4 • 1, 2, 3, 4
Of Fate, Luck, and Ambition (thread 2)
» Sat Feb 19, 2011 2:38 am
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Eve(G) - Posts: 3546
- Joined: Tue Oct 23, 2007 11:45 am
» Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:04 pm
I hope we have another chapter soon
BTW which was the book?
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lauraa - Posts: 3362
- Joined: Tue Aug 22, 2006 2:20 pm
» Sat Feb 19, 2011 6:21 am
:hugs: to you all.
The next one's going to take a while (it's rather long, with lots of things happening), but I'll try not to make you guys wait for more than a week (again). Just a heads up.
I welcome any and all feedback, chaestro. So, much thanks for pointing out the errors. I usually don't go back and edit my posts here, but I do edit the chapters before I paste them up in the blog, so your comments are quite useful. I do love presenting a quality product, after all.
It's probably a good thing that you didn't understand Methredhel's plan before it was executed. It was written that way... and frankly, I don't think I could have explained it without showing it. It's honestly not that well constructed but, again, I had fun writing it, and it's the best I could come up with. Meh.
And FC4: man alive, you're good at picking apart my characters.
If you like, next time Sam doubts himself, I'll have him fail... except, knowing what--and where--his next chapter is, that's probably a REALLY bad idea. Ah well. We'll see.
And Moonwarden: The book was Dzur, by Steven Brust. I love that series; can't put it down.
The next one's going to take a while (it's rather long, with lots of things happening), but I'll try not to make you guys wait for more than a week (again). Just a heads up.
I welcome any and all feedback, chaestro. So, much thanks for pointing out the errors. I usually don't go back and edit my posts here, but I do edit the chapters before I paste them up in the blog, so your comments are quite useful. I do love presenting a quality product, after all.
It's probably a good thing that you didn't understand Methredhel's plan before it was executed. It was written that way... and frankly, I don't think I could have explained it without showing it. It's honestly not that well constructed but, again, I had fun writing it, and it's the best I could come up with. Meh.
And FC4: man alive, you're good at picking apart my characters.
If you like, next time Sam doubts himself, I'll have him fail... except, knowing what--and where--his next chapter is, that's probably a REALLY bad idea. Ah well. We'll see. And Moonwarden: The book was Dzur, by Steven Brust. I love that series; can't put it down.
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neen - Posts: 3517
- Joined: Sun Nov 26, 2006 1:19 pm
» Sat Feb 19, 2011 8:14 am
:hugs: to you all.
And FC4: man alive, you're good at picking apart my characters. If you like, next time Sam doubts himself, I'll have him fail... except, knowing what--and where--his next chapter is, that's probably a REALLY bad idea. Ah well. We'll see.
And FC4: man alive, you're good at picking apart my characters.
If you like, next time Sam doubts himself, I'll have him fail... except, knowing what--and where--his next chapter is, that's probably a REALLY bad idea. Ah well. We'll see. :hugs: back to you ^_^
And please don't. His character is just so great because of that quality, and plus it makes him really fit as the Luck member of the three-way-title. His unexpected luck is a major part of how the entire story actually ends up working. You would have likely ended up wrecking the entire quest and having someone come clean up the resulting mess if not because of his hidden luck. To ruin the pattern would ruin the character, if you ask me.
Of course, that doesn't mean he can't ALWAYS fail. Just keep writing him, ignoring my little anolysis and letting it all flow from the Samlir in your mind.
I rarely get this deep into anolysis of characters, even my own. Just shows how good you are to have caught THAT much of my interest. ^_^
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Breanna Van Dijk - Posts: 3384
- Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2007 2:18 pm
» Sat Feb 19, 2011 9:25 am
Well just finish reading all of the stories, and I gotta admit, dam that took a long time. But It a very good fan fic, well, its more like a book :read: . Guess i'll be adding a name to my favorite fan fic writers :celebration:. Vira is my fav characters, don'y know why, maybe it because she a vampire or maybe because she's a vampire trying to do some good.
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Soku Nyorah - Posts: 3413
- Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2006 1:25 pm
» Sat Feb 19, 2011 7:20 am
Whew. I admit it; it took longer than I thought it would. You guys might want to take a break or three in the middle of this one. It's long, and it's pretty heavy in some parts. 
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After extricating herself from Achille, Vira spent the rest of the day doing something that she hadn't been able to do for nearly a week: she relaxed.
It was the first time since sighting the smoke over Kvatch that she'd had nothing to do. So, she made the best of it. She explored the temple's interior. She fingered through books in the library. She took a bath (making sure to scrub the vestiges of Kvatch off herself, and oh, that felt good). Then, she found a bedroll and allowed herself to rest? really lay back and rest.
By the time night fell over the Jeralls, Vira found that her spirits were remarkably lifted. She found it difficult not to break into a dance as she strolled through the narrow wooden hallways, dressed in warm wools borrowed from one of the female Blades. The roaring hearth in the Great Hall kept the entire building warm and smelling of wood smoke. There was also the scent of roasting boar, pine, and a pinch of natural human smells that weren't altogether unpleasant.
The only thing preventing her from losing her inhibitions completely was the insistent keening in the back of her head, reminding her that she hadn't fed in nearly two days. She did her best to quash it, but its echoes lingered, a constant reminder not to let her control slip.
Unfortunately, her relatively good spirits faded as she entered the Great Hall and spotted Martin. He sat somberly before the hearth and stared into the flames as if they were a puzzle he couldn't quite figure out. It was several hours after dinner, so the Great Hall was deserted except for the emperor-to-be and a trickle of soldiers passing through.
Martin looked somewhat rested?if the decreased bags under his eyes were any indication?but a shadow that had not been there that morning had descended upon his features.
The solemnity of his mood struck her as uncomfortable. A pang of guilt went through her at having been able to spend the entire day relaxing; he could afford to do no such thing, when the fate of Tamriel rested on his shoulders. And so, she sought to lighten his mood. "Whenever my father used to pull that face, it meant that something had gone wrong at the Council, and he was pondering who to take it out on."
She had never been very good at lightening moods.
As pitiful as her attempt was, he offered her a sidelong glance and a tight smile. "I pray you were never the target of it??"
She shook her head. After a brief hesitation, she retrieved a chair from against the wall and pulled it up beside the priest's, facing the fire alongside his. An armored Blade crossed the chamber behind them, his eyes lingering on Martin as he passed. Vira sat down, craning her neck curiously to watch the Blade go. When he had exited the hall, she turned back to Martin. The priest's smile was wry, his eyes on where the Blade had been a moment before.
"One passes through every five minutes," he said softly. "I think they're trying to keep an eye on me."
She felt indignant on his behalf. "Why would they do that? You're not a child who must be constantly supervised."
The Imperial sat back, returning his gray eyes to the fire. "I don't think it's about that; I think they're afraid of losing me again. After what happened to the Amulet of Kings, and what happened at Kvatch, I wouldn't put it past these Dagon worshipers to try to kidnap me? or kill me? even here." He frowned, the weight of Nirn once again settling onto his shoulders.
She deflated and forewent attempting small-talk. She had never been good at it; she preferred the direct approach. "Are you going to be all right?"
He pondered the answer. "I'm honestly not sure. Everything that's happened? it's a lot to take. Last week, I was a simple priest of Akatosh? and now?" He trailed off, shaking his head to himself. "But you don't want to hear me complain about that." The smile he offered her was tight. "How has your day been?"
The worry in those gray orbs was unacceptable. "I do not approve of your change of subject. If you feel the need to speak your mind, I will gladly listen."
His startlement showed. "You really mean that, don't you?"
"I never lie."
His eyebrows rose. "I see. Then, can I count on you to speak honestly with me?"
She nodded as if it were the most obvious question in the world. It was what she had just said, although Martin seemed to make a distinction.
"Good." He took a moment to organize his thoughts. "We haven't actually had a chance to sit down and chat? but now I suspect we will not be able to any time soon. Jauffre spent most of the day dragging me into planning meetings; I half expect him to appear any minute now and pull me to another."
As if on cue, one of the side doors creaked open behind them. Both Martin and Vira turned to look; but it was just one of the female Blades? one who returned their gaze with surprise, startled to be caught watching them. She made a swift exit out the front door.
Vira let her gaze linger after the Blade. "They really are watching you."
He shrugged. "I can't say that I blame them."
"It makes you uncomfortable."
His eyes flickered briefly to hers. "Well? yes, it does. I'm not used to the attention."
"Why do you not ask them to stop? They would certainly do so, if you requested it."
"I suppose I must be less comfortable giving them orders than I am being given their attention."
Vira pondered that, watching the Imperial rub his hands together. He wasn't exactly fidgeting, but he was doing something very similar. "You feel inadequate, is that it?" He glanced over at her, but didn't respond. "You are humble and soft-spoken, of that there is no doubt. Yet, you can only go so far before humility turns into insecurity and soft-spokenness indicates weakness of will." She watched the fireplace. Her words echoed lessons about courage and conviction from her childhood. "If you let yourself become overpowered by others, you lose something of yourself. If you take a stand, even if only for yourself, your followers will see your courage and be heartened by it."
He made a strange noise. She glanced at him, startled: it seemed he had barely managed to suppress a laugh. "When I asked for honesty, I wasn't quite expecting that."
"I apologize if I was too blunt?"
He cut her off with a shake of the head and a smile. "No, don't apologize. You're straightforward and honest. I admire that about you."
"I do try my best not to dissemble? with some specific exceptions." She touched one of her protruding fangs meaningfully.
His smile fell. "Yes, there is that, isn't there?" The silence between them was somber, and a little awkward. They hadn't really spoken openly about her health condition. Then, he sighed. "I heard you talking to Jauffre the other night."
She couldn't stop her spine from stiffening. "Oh?"
"I just? I just wanted to tell you that, no matter what Jauffre says, I trust you." He caught her eyes and held them. "You're a good person, Vira. You did a wonderful thing for Kvatch, and for me. You're still doing so. I'd like to think that the two of us could become friends, and I don't want a couple cryptic warnings to jeopardize that."
Emotion began bundling into a lump at the base of her throat. "Many would call you foolish for saying that."
"Let them. I'm standing up for myself, remember?" There was a twinkle in his eye, and she had to clear her throat to get that lump back down.
She gave it one last shot. "I must be truthful with you? I'm not entirely sure that Jauffre is wrong. There have been times when?" She stopped as his hand settled on her arm, his body heat seeping into her cool skin.
His smile returned, and it warmed something inside her that had long been cold. "I have faith in you. In return, you must have faith in me. I'm not entirely helpless, you know."
She wanted to ask what he meant by that, but that damned lump was back in her throat, making it impossible to speak. Instead, she nodded, and the two of them settled by the fire in companionable silence. A Blade came and went behind them, and neither bothered to look up.
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Vira spent the next couple days at Cloud Ruler Temple as productively as she could. She sat in on several of Jauffre's meetings in the Great Hall. The old man attempted to figure out a strategy for foiling the Mehrunes Dagon cult, but was obviously frustrated due to the loss of the Amulet of Kings and the lack of his own resources. The Grandmaster had apparently recalled all Blades to Cloud Ruler Temple, simply for the purpose of keeping the heir safe; they had no men to spare for other duties. This became a particular sticking point on the second day, when a letter arrived via courier requesting back-up in the Imperial City, but Jauffre could only shake his had ruefully and deny the request.
Vira also kept herself busy in other ways. She stumbled across an outdoor dueling area and spent several hours each day watching the fights. The Blades were apparently well named? their swordsmanship was impressive. On the second day, they even hesitantly called her up and gave her pointers.
The Blades warmed to her slowly. Vira had no doubt that someone had made her condition public knowledge. It was obvious by the way they all watched her, and in the way no one called her to meals. Who had told?Martin, Jauffre, or Achille?was beside the point. What mattered was that they knew.
However, they reluctantly accepted her presence, just as she'd predicted they would. She was Martin's pet vampire. One simply does not come between a ruler and his exotic pet? until the pet bit the ruler's face off, that was.
Fortunately, they adjusted, and the wary eyes slowly decreased over time as it became apparent that she was in no immediate danger of going feral. It certainly helped when the news finally arrived from Bruma about the liberation of Kvatch, the Cyrodiil rumor network for once traveling slower than Vira. An outside source on the events surrounding the city seemed to bolster their confidence in its alleged "hero."
And so, it became easier to get along with them as time went on. At one point, Ferrum helped her do some alterations on her cuirass so that it fit her better. He also showed her how to repair magical items so that infused spells weren't accidentally knocked out of place or set off by the touch of a hammer.
It was during lunch on her third day that she and the rest of the Blades learned something new? from, of all people, Martin.
She followed several Blades inside after a morning of sword practice, stopping by the living quarters only long enough to grab her bag. She entered the Great Hall to find it bustling with bodies and voices. It was a healthy sort of activity, like what one usually found in mess halls and popular inns. Vira settled at the end of a table, intending to bask in the lively atmosphere while taking stock of her alchemy supplies.
However, as she dug through her bag, someone knocked into her back, sending the contents tumbling out onto the floor. She stooped to begin picking up the spilled objects, and the Blade who had knocked into her?Arcturus?knelt down to help, much to his credit. As they shuffled through the Clannfear claws and bits of parchment, a curious round object the size of an orange broke free and rolled across the wood-and-stone floor toward the front of the room. Vira stared after it; she could not, for the life of her, remember what that object was, nor why it was in her bag.
It rolled under the table where Martin and Jauffre sat, and all questions fled the vampire's mind as the priest gave a yelp. The Hall went instantly silent, the Blades phenomenally in tune with the heir's distress.
As they watched, Martin reached under the table and picked up the object. His wide eyes sought and caught Vira's. He spoke softly, but, because the Blades were so quiet, she could hear the tremble in his voice from across the room. "You still carry this around?"
She heard Jauffre ask "What is it?" but she didn't need to hear the answer. Recollection hit her like a swooping Cliff Racer: it was the strange glowing stone she had taken from the top of the tower inside the Oblivion Gate. She must have stuffed it in her bag when Savlian was preparing to storm city, and it had since completely slipped her mind.
"A Sigil Stone," Martin explained, looking uncomfortable to be holding it. "They're? they're signed by powerful Daedra lords and used to open portals between here and Oblivion. There's a lot of Daedric magic in this thing." She wondered how he would know that, but suspected he would not be willing to tell if she asked.
Vira stood and approached the table uneasily. "Could it be used to open another Gate?" Martin's discomfort was a more effective chastisemant than Jauffre's disapproving frown.
The heir's lips twisted thoughtfully. "I don't think so. There are certain location-specific rituals involved in their creation, if I recall correctly."
Jauffre, seated across the table from him, asked, "Can it be destroyed?" The old Blade did not look particularly surprised to hear the heir of the Septim dynasty describe Daedric rituals. Vira suspected that there was a secret here that she was not privy to.
"I'm not sure. It could probably be diffused."
"How?"
He shook his head. "It's just a theory? but it feels a lot like? hmm." He glanced up at Vira. "Is it all right if I keep this? I'd like to study it."
"I've no use for it," she replied.
He gave her a smile and pocketed the Stone, breaking the spell that had descended over the Great Hall. Slowly, the Blades resumed their meals.
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The next morning, an exhausted courier and a half-dead horse arrived at the giant gates of Cloud Ruler Temple, carrying a sealed and encoded letter for Jauffre. The message contained within had the Grandmaster in fits: one of the Blades?the one who had earlier requested backup--refused to return to the temple until he had completed his mission in the Imperial City, and he was adamant on doing so whether he received aid or not.
Vira could empathize with why Jauffre was tearing his hair out over? and empathizing with the old Blade was not something she sought to do often.
He called another meeting in the Great Hall--if a priest, a vampire, and four off-duty Blades could be called a "meeting." Amongst much pacing and grumbling, the Grandmaster flipped between two solutions: retrieving the errant Blade by force, or sending him the aid he sought before he did something foolish. The former would result in the loss of a possible lead, and therefore an advantage in the oncoming war, while the latter would result in a sorely understaffed Cloud Ruler Temple when it needed the swords more than it ever had before.
Vira shouldn't have been surprised by which course he eventually picked. This was, after all, the man who had twiddled his thumbs at Weynon Priory for a month and a half while the rest of Tamriel had been falling apart. Nonetheless, she couldn't help but be disappointed by the Grandmaster's cowardice when he finally decided to keep his eggs close to the queen, and send someone to retrieve the Blade.
It was decided that Vira be the one to do so. The suggestion came from, surprisingly, Captain Steffan. Vira could not help but be suspicious, especially when a meaningful look from the captain melted Jauffre's initial shock into an expression of reluctant acceptance. However, she simply nodded and accepted the task as if it were the token of honor and trust that it seemed on the exterior.
She was to be ready to leave the temple within the hour, hoping to get a full day of travel in. The Blades supplied her with provisions for the journey. She received more repair hammers that she knew what to do with, and Caroline and Jena both lent her a set of clothes that fared better in battle than her typical middle-to-upper class dresses. Fortis, one of her dueling companions, gave her a burgundy cloak of the same hue as the tapestries overhanging the Great Hall. It had the Blades symbol carved onto the inside of the clasp, so she suspected the coloring was no accident.
Achille produced a book on swordsmanship for her to study, although she found his tentative smile of apology more satisfying. It answered the question of who had let her secret out, and, from the looks of it, he regretted it. She took the apology for what it was, but still found it difficult not to harbor resentment toward him.
Martin's send-off was the most interesting. He cornered her in the living quarters while she was swapping out her dresses for Caroline's and Jena's simpler, more mobile clothing. She had intended to seek him out in the Great Hall on her way out, but she could guess why he preferred to speak here. The living quarters were relatively private at this time of day, whereas lunch was likely just starting up in the Great Hall.
She did not stand up as she probably should have, but she did offer the emperor-to-be a heartfelt salute from where she knelt by her open bag. She was quite proud of Martin when he only flinched a little.
The Imperial man paused at Vira's shoulder and reached into his pocket to pull out the Sigil Stone. "I wanted to give this back to you before you left."
She considered the orb in Martin's extended palm. "I spoke truth earlier. I have no need of it."
"Are you so certain?" There was a curious glint in his eye.
Vira sat back, her interest piqued. "Should I not be?"
His smile warmed her. "Do you know how enchanting works?"
"Not particularly, no. I'm more interested in how well enchanted items function after their creation." She tugged at the Kvatch cuirass meaningfully. "I've little interest in the process itself."
"Then I won't bore you with the details. Suffice to say that someone like you would rarely get a chance to create your own, what with your lack of magical training and the practice being so highly monitored by the Mages' Guild in Cyrodiil."
"You are implying that you have found a way around this? I am intrigued."
He nodded. "This Sigil Stone serves as a magical nexus, much like a Soul Gem, but there is a specific charge lingering around it." He paused and gave an embarrassed laugh at her blank look. "I think it might be able to enchant objects with preset spells without any magical input from the creator. I'd like to see if that's true."
She accepted the orb when he handed it to her. As she held it in front of her face, she asked, "And you've no compunctions about exploiting Daedric magic so?"
Vira caught the faint sound of his heartbeat suddenly stumbling. Glancing up, she was alarmed to see that he had gone very pale. "I'd? prefer not to think of it in quite that way. We are diffusing it, nothing more."
She had her doubts about that, but she didn't press the issue. Not when the Imperial looked a light breeze away from toppling over in a faint. "Very well. What sort of enchantment might this generate?"
The man seemed happy at the change in topic. He knelt down on the floor, tentatively taking the orb back. "I can't speak for all Sigil Stones, but this one seems to exhibit elemental Shock."
"And we could infuse this into an object? Like armor?" She was still uncertain about the process.
"Or clothing, jewelry, or weapons."
"Weapons?" She sat back on her heels, the suggestion recalling a conversation from another lifetime.
'It was certainly inspired by you. Beautiful, delicate, and pale? yet more deadly than any standard claymore. I felt compelled to make such a blade, after hearing of your deeds in Benirus manor. Go ahead. Try it out.'
'Is it enchanted?'
'I know you like to repair your own weapons, and I know that you have not yet been trained to handle anything enchanted. Besides, I suspect you can enchant it on your own time, as I have no idea what sort of magic you might want on a blade.'
Thoughtfully, she drew the beautiful silver sword Varel Morvayn had made for her. She had never really put much thought into having the item enchanted; it served its purpose well enough without it. And yet, her trainers back in Morrowind had always taught her that, in matters of war, "well enough" was rarely well enough. In war, it was by pressing the advantage and using every tool at one's disposal that one bested an opponent.
They were certainly in a war now. Vira had grown up in Morrowind; she knew perfectly well what kind of spell would have the greatest advantage over the Daedra that threatened Nirn.
She took a moment to study her own thoughts, wondering when she had stopped seeing the sword as a tool of self defense and instead as a weapon against the invasion. In fact, when had she begun seeing herself as such a weapon?
Sitting on the floor in a Kvatch guard cuirass, holding her sword before her, Vira finally admitted to herself what she had thus far refused to think about: she was no longer an alchemist and a merchant, but a warrior for the Septim dynasty. Her kin would not have approved, but Vira had long ago stopped worrying about what they thought.
Whether propelled forward by fate or necessity, it was the same. She knew that she would protect Martin Septim until she crumbled to dust, because it was the right thing to do, and because she genuinely cared for the man. They were in a war, and Vira would be honored to fight alongside the Cyrodiils that she had once despised.
She met Martin's eye over the glint of her blade. "A Daedric object to help stop the Daedra. There is poetic justice in that."
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Just before noon on that same day, her burgundy-cloaked form left Cloud Ruler Temple and made its way swiftly toward the Imperial city. She decided not to use a horse, knowing she could travel faster and with more endurance than any such beast. At her hip swayed a sword Martin had fancifully dubbed Septim's Rose. She had never been one to give into flights of fancy, but every time she recalled that name, she couldn't help but smile.
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Her first sign of trouble came from the familiar scent of smoke and brimstone on the wind. It was just after one in the morning; she traveled the Red Ring Road on the west side of Lake Rumare, anticipating reaching the city by sun-up. As the disturbing scents grew stronger, she began to suspect that she wouldn't make it that far after all; there was trouble ahead.
A spark of fear went through her as she began to sense that odd tingling in the air, as if someone had poked a hole in reality. Worried, she headed in the direction of the sense. Soon, she could hear a roaring hum and see a shining red through the trees. The sky turned a hue to match. She drew Septim's Rose as she raced toward it, hoping the Daedra hadn't overrun some poor township.
When she stumbled out of the trees and came upon the scene, she was startled to find that the situation was actually under control. The Imperial City Watch were coordinating an effort around the Gate in a show of discipline and order that Vira had not seen at Kvatch. A nearby camp housed all soldiers not circled around the Gate. The vampire received a handful of wary looks until she remembered to sheathe her sword.
There is blood on the air? where might the injured-- She gave herself a mental slap to stop that thought before it could take off. She hadn't fed since leaving Cloud Ruler Temple, but she had controlled her bloodlust in such conditions before, and expected herself to do so again.
Coordinating the defense on one side of the battle were a young Imperial in the armor of a watch captain and a Redguard in what Vira knew to be Blades armor. She couldn't make out his features at this distance, but she somehow knew that this was the Redguard who had been with her when the emperor had died.
The two of them noticed her at about the same time as she noticed them. They converged a moment later, and Vira confirmed that the Redguard was indeed Baurus, the one who had survived the Imperial Prison sewers with her. He did not appear to recognize her, but she wasn't surprised. She had changed much since then.
The Imperial cleared his throat and put on an authoritative tone?although it sounded weak and uncertain compared to Jauffre's. "Were you sent from Captain Matius to help us with the Gate?"
She was briefly perplexed by the question. Then, she glanced down at herself and recalled that her cuirass was that of a Kvatch guard. "No, I fear not. I've come from Bruma."
The Imperial slumped. "I see. Well? what is your business here?" The Redguard was studying her with a slight squint.
"I might ask you the same question."
She expected the captain to take insult to that, but he only stared at her, looking thrown off by the response. Vira got the impression that he wasn't particularly bright.
The Blade was the one who understood the unspoken question. "We don't want another Kvatch. The Legion Commander is holding his men here until word arrives from Matius on how to close a Gate without unnecessary casualties."
Vira blinked. "Oh. I can tell you how to do that."
The Imperial peered at her. "You're the Hero of Kvatch, aren't you?"
"I prefer to be called Vira."
He gave no response. Instead, he turned around and rushed toward the camp. Vira watched his retreating back, bemused.
"You've changed a lot," the Redguard said behind her. She turned, and found that recognition had given a different quality to his scrutinizing expression.
"Yes, I have. And you recognize my name."
"At this point, most of Cyrodiil knows the name Vira Redoran." The Blade shrugged; a gesture that looked wholly incompatible with his heavy armor. "Fortunately for you, fewer know the name Vira Llethri, since that name has only appeared in Cyrodiil on prison records." Something of her dismay must have shown on her face. He twitched a smile. "Don't worry. The records disappeared a long time ago. I made sure of it."
A flash of suspicion went through her. "Why?"
"Because His Majesty asked it of me."
Vira forced herself to relax. This Redguard was throwing her off guard, and she wasn't sure she liked that. "So it is that simple? The Emperor gives me a task, and I am suddenly no longer the escaped prisoner who you mistrusted? One word from him, and you, who chastised me for following you out, wipe my record clean?"
He watched her carefully. It seemed he was as uncomfortable with the shifting roles as she was. "Has anyone ever told you that you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth?"
"No. We do not use horses in Morrowind; we use guar."
Vira jumped back a step when the Redguard burst out laughing. She wondered if it was at her expense? it almost certainly was, since she didn't seem to be in on the joke. Prickled pride made her spine stiffen. "What?"
The laughter was short, but it lingered in the form of a light smile. "It doesn't matter. In answer to your question, yes. It is that simple. At the time, I had to trust that is Majesty knew what he was doing. Now, however, with what I've heard about you? I begin to think that he was right about you. You're going to be a major factor in stopping Mehrunes Dagon."
She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a clamor coming from the camp. As she turned to face the new sound, she belatedly wondered what she'd been about to say. Had she been about the protest or agree?
The source of the interruption appeared a moment later in the form of a large, bare-chested man coming out of one of the larger tents. The man was build like a Daedroth and had the fierce mien of a wolf, yet age had sapped the certainty from his movement and ground the hard edge from his features.
He charged out of the tent at a brisk walk toward Vira and Baurus, wearing shining greaves over coarse tan pants. A soldier followed at his heels, holding a cuirrass in front of him and apparently attempting to throw it over the older man's head as he walked. The Imperial captain paced a couple steps behind the pair.
The large man stopped in front of Vira and looked her up and down, giving the soldier behind him a chance to toss the cuirass over his head and begin working on the straps. "You're the Hero of Kvatch?"
She was startled to hear such a calm tone come out of someone who looked like an elderly bear. "Some people call me that, yes."
"I am Commander Adamus Phillida, and I request that you accompany myself and my men in closing this Gate as soon as you are able."
"I am able now."
Phillida nodded, putting on the last of his own armor?his gauntlets?himself. He turned to the guard and barked, "Orien!" The guard snapped to attention. "Gather together the second unit. I want them in front of me yesterday." The guard scuttled off toward the men circling the Gate.
Vira watched in fascination, amazed that the commander's demeanor could change so swiftly. Now, he was much more intimidating than he had been before.
"Hayn!" The captain snapped to attention. "While I'm gone, you're in charge of the defense."
Hayn's eyes flickered toward the Gate, showing his discomfort. "Yes sir."
Phillida then turned to Baurus, his manner switching back. "You're welcome to join, but I can understand if you don't. You've already helped us enough tonight."
The Blade shook his head. "You were short-staffed. It was the least I could do. And now, I'd be happy to get in there and give those Daedra what's coming to them."
"That's the spirit." Phillida turned back to Vira. "We follow your directions, Miss Redoran."
She couldn't help but catch her breath. Adamus Phillida, Commander of the Imperial Legion in the Imperial City? deferring to her?
Suddenly, she was beginning to understand Martin's discomfort.
-------------------------------------------
Vira led Baurus, Phillida, and half a dozen guards into the Gate. After that, Phillida took over, directing the guards to take protective positions in a semi-circle in the front. The commander himself kept on the right flank of the semi-circle, leaving Baurus and Vira to follow behind.
They encountered as many Daedra as Vira had expected to, and had their share of close calls. Each time they came across one or two Daedra, the guards plowed into it like a charging Minotaur.
The only time Vira had to draw her sword at all were the rare occasions when they were attacked from behind.
The first time this happened, they were making their way through the plane, passing around a lava pit. The guards had spotted a Daedroth up a gentle slope and were preparing to engage it when Vira spotted movement out of the corner of her eye and gave a shout.
A Dremora leapt out from behind a broken wall, its hammer drawn and its black armor glinting in the alien lighting. Baurus met him with his own sword, using the katana to deflect the hammer's blow.
This gave Vira time to draw her own weapon. She moved to the Dremora's side, jumping back out of range as it sent a side-swipe at her. Baurus took the chance to swing at its back, but the Dremora took two steps the the side and turned to face both of them at once.
Baurus met Vira's eyes, and the two exchanged a moment of silent communication. She took a breath of stinging air, and then they moved at the same time, circling around to come in at a forty-five degree angle. The Dremora kept backing up in response, its eyes flickering from one to the other.
Then Baurus put on a burst of speed, and Vira judged that she should do the same, maneuvering around behind the Dremora. Small bolts of electricity traveled along her blade as she maneuvered it around the Dremora's hammer, attempting to score a hit. When she finally did?a nick in its left arm?there was a flash of light as a bolt leapt from the blade into the Dremora. The Dremora gave a gargled cry and turned its attention on Vira just long enough for Baurus to plunge his katana into its armpit, ending the fight.
The two of them shared companionable smiles as they sheathed their blades and headed back to where the legionnaires were waiting.
Each time they were attacked from behind, Vira and Baurus cut the assailant down with relative ease. It only took three such battles before they began to move in sync with one another, learning to one another's steps and adjusting their own accordingly.
Vira was greatly pleased by the fact that she was able to be of use in battle this time around. She was not on par with the Blade, nor with the watchmen? but she did not hold them back like she had with Matius. Her sword bit into Daedra hide nearly as often as Baurus', and each time, it sent a shock into the evil creature that made her hits all the more effective.
The entire operation was much faster than it had been last time. Before Vira knew it, she was leading the men through the Sigillum Sanguis, up the metallic steps toward the Sigil Stone. There was a Spider Daedra waiting at the top, but the legionnaires surged forward and flanked it, cutting it down as they had all the others.
In the meantime, Vira headed for the Stone. Making sure she had Phillida's attention (he'd wanted to know how to close the Gate, after all) she reached into the fiery mass and pulled the orb right out of it.
The guards all raised their swords as the plane collapsed around them, but Vira found it much easier to remain calm, when she knew escape was only moments away. She caught a glimpse of Baurus running toward her just before the chamber pulsed with light, and she had to close her eyes.
Then, she exploded from the outside, and it was all she could do not to scream.
Coherent thought escaped her for less than a minute. It wasn't really so long. Yet, it was a minute too long, because the beast inside her surged forward to take the spot that her consciousness had vacated.
The vampire hissed and thrashed, attempting to escape the burning light around it, but something held her off the ground, carrying it. Blinded and reeling at the burn enveloping its body, the vampire bit desperately at the aggressor, but its fangs met only unyielding metal.
Then, it was thrown to the ground and pinned, its chin shoved into packed dirt by strong, gauntleted hands and its arms shoved uncomfortably high against its shoulderblades. It kicked, but couldn't bend its legs far enough to do its assailant any harm.
Slowly, the sun-induced pain faded, the vampiric frenzy going with it. Vira came back to herself with her face pressed into the dirt, a military-grade canvas blocking the sun's rays above her. She fell limp against the ground and let out a single sob.
Slowly, the pressure on her back lifted. She heard someone rustling around behind her, but couldn't find the courage to look up. Something was set down beside her ear; turning her head revealed it to be two of her own healing potions. A set of metal boots came to rest next to the bottles, then bent forward as the person wearing them crouched down beside her.
"Do you need help drinking them?" Baurus asked.
Her skin stung and throbbed where the sun had hit it; she had little doubt that she needed it. She reached a hand toward one of the bottles?flinching at the sight of her blackened and swelling hand?then hissed as her raw fingertips brushed the glass. It took a great exertion of willpower for her to ignore the sting and close her hand around it, and much more to sit up. She felt as if her entire body were wrapped in brambles; any skin that hadn't been charred to cinders was a raw, weeping red. Her own shaking made her drop one of the bottles and spill it on the ground, stirring the Blade to help her drink the other.
As the liquid slid down her throat, the familiar tingling over her skin indicated that her burns were healing. When Baurus produced another potion, she was able to hold it and gulp it down herself. The potions were not strong enough to heal her completely, but they would speed the process and take the sting off, and that was what she needed.
As she set the bottle down, she finally looked up and glanced around.
She was inside one of the larger Legion tents, complete with four walls and a door flap. There were three bedrolls and a wooden stool set around the room, along with spare weapons, rations, and a pitcher of water. The sun shone brightly through tan canvas of the tent, keeping her skin uncomfortably warm, but no longer burning it.
Baurus crouched beside her, watching her expectantly. He had three fresh trails of red skin across his face where Vira's nails had raked it in her frenzy. Looking at the streaks was enough to make her drop her eyes in shame. "Sorry."
"Better?"
She nodded, staring down at the bottle in her hands. "I? I lost control."
"Yes. You did." His voice was grim, but she glanced up and saw that his face was relatively neutral. "Can you travel in the light if you keep your hood up?"
"Not when I'm this poorly fed.
"Damn. This is not the best place to?"
The Redguard fell silent as Phillida's head poked into the tent, followed by the rest of him. His eyes took in the scene with a soldier's anolytical glance. "So this is where you two went. You missed the end of the battle."
Baurus stood and faced the commander. "The Flame Atronach hit her with a powerful spell. I wanted to get her somewhere safe."
Phillida nodded down at her, seeming to find no reason to doubt the Blade's explanation. "I see. And how are you faring?"
"Much better, thank you."
"Well, take it easy. You look pretty raw yet." She felt raw. "I thank you for your assistance; I now have enough knowledge about these Gates to spread to the other cities. I'll be taken by the Dark Brotherhood before I allow another one of those Gates to stay open on my watch."
The fierce determination in the commander's voice pulled a smile out of her. "Good luck. We're counting on you."
Phillida beamed and nodded again, then excused himself and left. Baurus let out a sigh and sat down beside Vira. He gave her a meaningful glance as he pulled off his gauntlets. "Who did you mean by 'we'?"
"I? Honestly, I am not entirely certain. I wasn't only thinking of you and I, was I?"
A smile tugged at his lips. "Somehow, I don't think so."
Vira sat back, rubbing at a burnt patch of skin on her arm. As she worked it, it flaked off, revealing the puffy pink tissue beneath. "I suspect I was including everyone who is trying to defend the Empire? you and I, the Blades, Martin?"
His sudden movement made her look up. He leaned over her, eyes searching. "You know about Martin? How?"
Warily, she leaned away from him. "I have been acting as his escort and companion since Kvatch. I do not simply know about him; I know him."
Baurus sat back, apparently relieved with her answer. "I see."
"That was a strange response."
"You had me worried for a minute there. According to Jauffre's message to me, the public isn't supposed to know that Martin's still alive? because that would mean that the Mythic Dawn would know. I was relying on that for an upcoming? task."
She took a breath. Now seemed as good a time as any. "Yes, well? it shouldn't matter. You are under orders not to continue."
He looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"I've come from Cloud Ruler Temple." That really piqued his curiosity. "Jauffre orders you to return to the Temple at once and concentrate on defending the emperor. If you do not come quietly? I am to bring you in by force."
He looked amused. "And just how do you intend to do that?"
She took a breath to answer, but no words came. Baurus had proven only minutes ago that he was perfectly capable of overpowering her. Her mouth snapped shut again, and she conceded the point.
"Look, I know Jauffre. Deep down, he hopes that I'll defy his orders and finish my investigation. If he has no intention of sending me help, that's fine. We'll just have to be careful. But one way or the other, I'm following this lead. We've never been so close, and I can't let this go."
"What lead is it?"
He smiled. "I know where the Mythic Dawn base is."
Vira felt her own eyes widening, stretching the puffy skin around her face. "And he wanted to call you away from that?"
"He probably tells himself that knowing the location is enough. But I want to see how far we can get. There's a lot we don't know right now, and I suspect getting into their base will be the key."
Vira sat up straight, a realization dawning on her. "They've stolen the Amulet of Kings. If it's anywhere, it will likely be there."
"That's right." He sounded surprised; he hadn't considered it. "And I have resources that might be able to retrieve it. If we do?"
"?then we'll have both Martin and the Amulet, and we'll be able to stop the invasion!" She tried to burst to her feet, but the Redguard stiff-armed her and held her down.
"Easy. You're still injured; you should rest a while."
"I wish to join you."
There was a hesitation, so brief that Vira wasn't even certain it happened. "And you will. I'm not going anywhere." He crouched down beside her again, meeting her eyes. "Meet me tonight at Luther Broad's Boarding House. If all goes well, the three of us will be on the road tonight."
"Three?"
His smile was enigmatic as he ducked out into the midday light. Vira lay back, wishing that she could follow.
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After extricating herself from Achille, Vira spent the rest of the day doing something that she hadn't been able to do for nearly a week: she relaxed.
It was the first time since sighting the smoke over Kvatch that she'd had nothing to do. So, she made the best of it. She explored the temple's interior. She fingered through books in the library. She took a bath (making sure to scrub the vestiges of Kvatch off herself, and oh, that felt good). Then, she found a bedroll and allowed herself to rest? really lay back and rest.
By the time night fell over the Jeralls, Vira found that her spirits were remarkably lifted. She found it difficult not to break into a dance as she strolled through the narrow wooden hallways, dressed in warm wools borrowed from one of the female Blades. The roaring hearth in the Great Hall kept the entire building warm and smelling of wood smoke. There was also the scent of roasting boar, pine, and a pinch of natural human smells that weren't altogether unpleasant.
The only thing preventing her from losing her inhibitions completely was the insistent keening in the back of her head, reminding her that she hadn't fed in nearly two days. She did her best to quash it, but its echoes lingered, a constant reminder not to let her control slip.
Unfortunately, her relatively good spirits faded as she entered the Great Hall and spotted Martin. He sat somberly before the hearth and stared into the flames as if they were a puzzle he couldn't quite figure out. It was several hours after dinner, so the Great Hall was deserted except for the emperor-to-be and a trickle of soldiers passing through.
Martin looked somewhat rested?if the decreased bags under his eyes were any indication?but a shadow that had not been there that morning had descended upon his features.
The solemnity of his mood struck her as uncomfortable. A pang of guilt went through her at having been able to spend the entire day relaxing; he could afford to do no such thing, when the fate of Tamriel rested on his shoulders. And so, she sought to lighten his mood. "Whenever my father used to pull that face, it meant that something had gone wrong at the Council, and he was pondering who to take it out on."
She had never been very good at lightening moods.
As pitiful as her attempt was, he offered her a sidelong glance and a tight smile. "I pray you were never the target of it??"
She shook her head. After a brief hesitation, she retrieved a chair from against the wall and pulled it up beside the priest's, facing the fire alongside his. An armored Blade crossed the chamber behind them, his eyes lingering on Martin as he passed. Vira sat down, craning her neck curiously to watch the Blade go. When he had exited the hall, she turned back to Martin. The priest's smile was wry, his eyes on where the Blade had been a moment before.
"One passes through every five minutes," he said softly. "I think they're trying to keep an eye on me."
She felt indignant on his behalf. "Why would they do that? You're not a child who must be constantly supervised."
The Imperial sat back, returning his gray eyes to the fire. "I don't think it's about that; I think they're afraid of losing me again. After what happened to the Amulet of Kings, and what happened at Kvatch, I wouldn't put it past these Dagon worshipers to try to kidnap me? or kill me? even here." He frowned, the weight of Nirn once again settling onto his shoulders.
She deflated and forewent attempting small-talk. She had never been good at it; she preferred the direct approach. "Are you going to be all right?"
He pondered the answer. "I'm honestly not sure. Everything that's happened? it's a lot to take. Last week, I was a simple priest of Akatosh? and now?" He trailed off, shaking his head to himself. "But you don't want to hear me complain about that." The smile he offered her was tight. "How has your day been?"
The worry in those gray orbs was unacceptable. "I do not approve of your change of subject. If you feel the need to speak your mind, I will gladly listen."
His startlement showed. "You really mean that, don't you?"
"I never lie."
His eyebrows rose. "I see. Then, can I count on you to speak honestly with me?"
She nodded as if it were the most obvious question in the world. It was what she had just said, although Martin seemed to make a distinction.
"Good." He took a moment to organize his thoughts. "We haven't actually had a chance to sit down and chat? but now I suspect we will not be able to any time soon. Jauffre spent most of the day dragging me into planning meetings; I half expect him to appear any minute now and pull me to another."
As if on cue, one of the side doors creaked open behind them. Both Martin and Vira turned to look; but it was just one of the female Blades? one who returned their gaze with surprise, startled to be caught watching them. She made a swift exit out the front door.
Vira let her gaze linger after the Blade. "They really are watching you."
He shrugged. "I can't say that I blame them."
"It makes you uncomfortable."
His eyes flickered briefly to hers. "Well? yes, it does. I'm not used to the attention."
"Why do you not ask them to stop? They would certainly do so, if you requested it."
"I suppose I must be less comfortable giving them orders than I am being given their attention."
Vira pondered that, watching the Imperial rub his hands together. He wasn't exactly fidgeting, but he was doing something very similar. "You feel inadequate, is that it?" He glanced over at her, but didn't respond. "You are humble and soft-spoken, of that there is no doubt. Yet, you can only go so far before humility turns into insecurity and soft-spokenness indicates weakness of will." She watched the fireplace. Her words echoed lessons about courage and conviction from her childhood. "If you let yourself become overpowered by others, you lose something of yourself. If you take a stand, even if only for yourself, your followers will see your courage and be heartened by it."
He made a strange noise. She glanced at him, startled: it seemed he had barely managed to suppress a laugh. "When I asked for honesty, I wasn't quite expecting that."
"I apologize if I was too blunt?"
He cut her off with a shake of the head and a smile. "No, don't apologize. You're straightforward and honest. I admire that about you."
"I do try my best not to dissemble? with some specific exceptions." She touched one of her protruding fangs meaningfully.
His smile fell. "Yes, there is that, isn't there?" The silence between them was somber, and a little awkward. They hadn't really spoken openly about her health condition. Then, he sighed. "I heard you talking to Jauffre the other night."
She couldn't stop her spine from stiffening. "Oh?"
"I just? I just wanted to tell you that, no matter what Jauffre says, I trust you." He caught her eyes and held them. "You're a good person, Vira. You did a wonderful thing for Kvatch, and for me. You're still doing so. I'd like to think that the two of us could become friends, and I don't want a couple cryptic warnings to jeopardize that."
Emotion began bundling into a lump at the base of her throat. "Many would call you foolish for saying that."
"Let them. I'm standing up for myself, remember?" There was a twinkle in his eye, and she had to clear her throat to get that lump back down.
She gave it one last shot. "I must be truthful with you? I'm not entirely sure that Jauffre is wrong. There have been times when?" She stopped as his hand settled on her arm, his body heat seeping into her cool skin.
His smile returned, and it warmed something inside her that had long been cold. "I have faith in you. In return, you must have faith in me. I'm not entirely helpless, you know."
She wanted to ask what he meant by that, but that damned lump was back in her throat, making it impossible to speak. Instead, she nodded, and the two of them settled by the fire in companionable silence. A Blade came and went behind them, and neither bothered to look up.
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Vira spent the next couple days at Cloud Ruler Temple as productively as she could. She sat in on several of Jauffre's meetings in the Great Hall. The old man attempted to figure out a strategy for foiling the Mehrunes Dagon cult, but was obviously frustrated due to the loss of the Amulet of Kings and the lack of his own resources. The Grandmaster had apparently recalled all Blades to Cloud Ruler Temple, simply for the purpose of keeping the heir safe; they had no men to spare for other duties. This became a particular sticking point on the second day, when a letter arrived via courier requesting back-up in the Imperial City, but Jauffre could only shake his had ruefully and deny the request.
Vira also kept herself busy in other ways. She stumbled across an outdoor dueling area and spent several hours each day watching the fights. The Blades were apparently well named? their swordsmanship was impressive. On the second day, they even hesitantly called her up and gave her pointers.
The Blades warmed to her slowly. Vira had no doubt that someone had made her condition public knowledge. It was obvious by the way they all watched her, and in the way no one called her to meals. Who had told?Martin, Jauffre, or Achille?was beside the point. What mattered was that they knew.
However, they reluctantly accepted her presence, just as she'd predicted they would. She was Martin's pet vampire. One simply does not come between a ruler and his exotic pet? until the pet bit the ruler's face off, that was.
Fortunately, they adjusted, and the wary eyes slowly decreased over time as it became apparent that she was in no immediate danger of going feral. It certainly helped when the news finally arrived from Bruma about the liberation of Kvatch, the Cyrodiil rumor network for once traveling slower than Vira. An outside source on the events surrounding the city seemed to bolster their confidence in its alleged "hero."
And so, it became easier to get along with them as time went on. At one point, Ferrum helped her do some alterations on her cuirass so that it fit her better. He also showed her how to repair magical items so that infused spells weren't accidentally knocked out of place or set off by the touch of a hammer.
It was during lunch on her third day that she and the rest of the Blades learned something new? from, of all people, Martin.
She followed several Blades inside after a morning of sword practice, stopping by the living quarters only long enough to grab her bag. She entered the Great Hall to find it bustling with bodies and voices. It was a healthy sort of activity, like what one usually found in mess halls and popular inns. Vira settled at the end of a table, intending to bask in the lively atmosphere while taking stock of her alchemy supplies.
However, as she dug through her bag, someone knocked into her back, sending the contents tumbling out onto the floor. She stooped to begin picking up the spilled objects, and the Blade who had knocked into her?Arcturus?knelt down to help, much to his credit. As they shuffled through the Clannfear claws and bits of parchment, a curious round object the size of an orange broke free and rolled across the wood-and-stone floor toward the front of the room. Vira stared after it; she could not, for the life of her, remember what that object was, nor why it was in her bag.
It rolled under the table where Martin and Jauffre sat, and all questions fled the vampire's mind as the priest gave a yelp. The Hall went instantly silent, the Blades phenomenally in tune with the heir's distress.
As they watched, Martin reached under the table and picked up the object. His wide eyes sought and caught Vira's. He spoke softly, but, because the Blades were so quiet, she could hear the tremble in his voice from across the room. "You still carry this around?"
She heard Jauffre ask "What is it?" but she didn't need to hear the answer. Recollection hit her like a swooping Cliff Racer: it was the strange glowing stone she had taken from the top of the tower inside the Oblivion Gate. She must have stuffed it in her bag when Savlian was preparing to storm city, and it had since completely slipped her mind.
"A Sigil Stone," Martin explained, looking uncomfortable to be holding it. "They're? they're signed by powerful Daedra lords and used to open portals between here and Oblivion. There's a lot of Daedric magic in this thing." She wondered how he would know that, but suspected he would not be willing to tell if she asked.
Vira stood and approached the table uneasily. "Could it be used to open another Gate?" Martin's discomfort was a more effective chastisemant than Jauffre's disapproving frown.
The heir's lips twisted thoughtfully. "I don't think so. There are certain location-specific rituals involved in their creation, if I recall correctly."
Jauffre, seated across the table from him, asked, "Can it be destroyed?" The old Blade did not look particularly surprised to hear the heir of the Septim dynasty describe Daedric rituals. Vira suspected that there was a secret here that she was not privy to.
"I'm not sure. It could probably be diffused."
"How?"
He shook his head. "It's just a theory? but it feels a lot like? hmm." He glanced up at Vira. "Is it all right if I keep this? I'd like to study it."
"I've no use for it," she replied.
He gave her a smile and pocketed the Stone, breaking the spell that had descended over the Great Hall. Slowly, the Blades resumed their meals.
------------------------------------------------
The next morning, an exhausted courier and a half-dead horse arrived at the giant gates of Cloud Ruler Temple, carrying a sealed and encoded letter for Jauffre. The message contained within had the Grandmaster in fits: one of the Blades?the one who had earlier requested backup--refused to return to the temple until he had completed his mission in the Imperial City, and he was adamant on doing so whether he received aid or not.
Vira could empathize with why Jauffre was tearing his hair out over? and empathizing with the old Blade was not something she sought to do often.
He called another meeting in the Great Hall--if a priest, a vampire, and four off-duty Blades could be called a "meeting." Amongst much pacing and grumbling, the Grandmaster flipped between two solutions: retrieving the errant Blade by force, or sending him the aid he sought before he did something foolish. The former would result in the loss of a possible lead, and therefore an advantage in the oncoming war, while the latter would result in a sorely understaffed Cloud Ruler Temple when it needed the swords more than it ever had before.
Vira shouldn't have been surprised by which course he eventually picked. This was, after all, the man who had twiddled his thumbs at Weynon Priory for a month and a half while the rest of Tamriel had been falling apart. Nonetheless, she couldn't help but be disappointed by the Grandmaster's cowardice when he finally decided to keep his eggs close to the queen, and send someone to retrieve the Blade.
It was decided that Vira be the one to do so. The suggestion came from, surprisingly, Captain Steffan. Vira could not help but be suspicious, especially when a meaningful look from the captain melted Jauffre's initial shock into an expression of reluctant acceptance. However, she simply nodded and accepted the task as if it were the token of honor and trust that it seemed on the exterior.
She was to be ready to leave the temple within the hour, hoping to get a full day of travel in. The Blades supplied her with provisions for the journey. She received more repair hammers that she knew what to do with, and Caroline and Jena both lent her a set of clothes that fared better in battle than her typical middle-to-upper class dresses. Fortis, one of her dueling companions, gave her a burgundy cloak of the same hue as the tapestries overhanging the Great Hall. It had the Blades symbol carved onto the inside of the clasp, so she suspected the coloring was no accident.
Achille produced a book on swordsmanship for her to study, although she found his tentative smile of apology more satisfying. It answered the question of who had let her secret out, and, from the looks of it, he regretted it. She took the apology for what it was, but still found it difficult not to harbor resentment toward him.
Martin's send-off was the most interesting. He cornered her in the living quarters while she was swapping out her dresses for Caroline's and Jena's simpler, more mobile clothing. She had intended to seek him out in the Great Hall on her way out, but she could guess why he preferred to speak here. The living quarters were relatively private at this time of day, whereas lunch was likely just starting up in the Great Hall.
She did not stand up as she probably should have, but she did offer the emperor-to-be a heartfelt salute from where she knelt by her open bag. She was quite proud of Martin when he only flinched a little.
The Imperial man paused at Vira's shoulder and reached into his pocket to pull out the Sigil Stone. "I wanted to give this back to you before you left."
She considered the orb in Martin's extended palm. "I spoke truth earlier. I have no need of it."
"Are you so certain?" There was a curious glint in his eye.
Vira sat back, her interest piqued. "Should I not be?"
His smile warmed her. "Do you know how enchanting works?"
"Not particularly, no. I'm more interested in how well enchanted items function after their creation." She tugged at the Kvatch cuirass meaningfully. "I've little interest in the process itself."
"Then I won't bore you with the details. Suffice to say that someone like you would rarely get a chance to create your own, what with your lack of magical training and the practice being so highly monitored by the Mages' Guild in Cyrodiil."
"You are implying that you have found a way around this? I am intrigued."
He nodded. "This Sigil Stone serves as a magical nexus, much like a Soul Gem, but there is a specific charge lingering around it." He paused and gave an embarrassed laugh at her blank look. "I think it might be able to enchant objects with preset spells without any magical input from the creator. I'd like to see if that's true."
She accepted the orb when he handed it to her. As she held it in front of her face, she asked, "And you've no compunctions about exploiting Daedric magic so?"
Vira caught the faint sound of his heartbeat suddenly stumbling. Glancing up, she was alarmed to see that he had gone very pale. "I'd? prefer not to think of it in quite that way. We are diffusing it, nothing more."
She had her doubts about that, but she didn't press the issue. Not when the Imperial looked a light breeze away from toppling over in a faint. "Very well. What sort of enchantment might this generate?"
The man seemed happy at the change in topic. He knelt down on the floor, tentatively taking the orb back. "I can't speak for all Sigil Stones, but this one seems to exhibit elemental Shock."
"And we could infuse this into an object? Like armor?" She was still uncertain about the process.
"Or clothing, jewelry, or weapons."
"Weapons?" She sat back on her heels, the suggestion recalling a conversation from another lifetime.
'It was certainly inspired by you. Beautiful, delicate, and pale? yet more deadly than any standard claymore. I felt compelled to make such a blade, after hearing of your deeds in Benirus manor. Go ahead. Try it out.'
'Is it enchanted?'
'I know you like to repair your own weapons, and I know that you have not yet been trained to handle anything enchanted. Besides, I suspect you can enchant it on your own time, as I have no idea what sort of magic you might want on a blade.'
Thoughtfully, she drew the beautiful silver sword Varel Morvayn had made for her. She had never really put much thought into having the item enchanted; it served its purpose well enough without it. And yet, her trainers back in Morrowind had always taught her that, in matters of war, "well enough" was rarely well enough. In war, it was by pressing the advantage and using every tool at one's disposal that one bested an opponent.
They were certainly in a war now. Vira had grown up in Morrowind; she knew perfectly well what kind of spell would have the greatest advantage over the Daedra that threatened Nirn.
She took a moment to study her own thoughts, wondering when she had stopped seeing the sword as a tool of self defense and instead as a weapon against the invasion. In fact, when had she begun seeing herself as such a weapon?
Sitting on the floor in a Kvatch guard cuirass, holding her sword before her, Vira finally admitted to herself what she had thus far refused to think about: she was no longer an alchemist and a merchant, but a warrior for the Septim dynasty. Her kin would not have approved, but Vira had long ago stopped worrying about what they thought.
Whether propelled forward by fate or necessity, it was the same. She knew that she would protect Martin Septim until she crumbled to dust, because it was the right thing to do, and because she genuinely cared for the man. They were in a war, and Vira would be honored to fight alongside the Cyrodiils that she had once despised.
She met Martin's eye over the glint of her blade. "A Daedric object to help stop the Daedra. There is poetic justice in that."
---------------------------------------------
Just before noon on that same day, her burgundy-cloaked form left Cloud Ruler Temple and made its way swiftly toward the Imperial city. She decided not to use a horse, knowing she could travel faster and with more endurance than any such beast. At her hip swayed a sword Martin had fancifully dubbed Septim's Rose. She had never been one to give into flights of fancy, but every time she recalled that name, she couldn't help but smile.
---------------------------------------------
Her first sign of trouble came from the familiar scent of smoke and brimstone on the wind. It was just after one in the morning; she traveled the Red Ring Road on the west side of Lake Rumare, anticipating reaching the city by sun-up. As the disturbing scents grew stronger, she began to suspect that she wouldn't make it that far after all; there was trouble ahead.
A spark of fear went through her as she began to sense that odd tingling in the air, as if someone had poked a hole in reality. Worried, she headed in the direction of the sense. Soon, she could hear a roaring hum and see a shining red through the trees. The sky turned a hue to match. She drew Septim's Rose as she raced toward it, hoping the Daedra hadn't overrun some poor township.
When she stumbled out of the trees and came upon the scene, she was startled to find that the situation was actually under control. The Imperial City Watch were coordinating an effort around the Gate in a show of discipline and order that Vira had not seen at Kvatch. A nearby camp housed all soldiers not circled around the Gate. The vampire received a handful of wary looks until she remembered to sheathe her sword.
There is blood on the air? where might the injured-- She gave herself a mental slap to stop that thought before it could take off. She hadn't fed since leaving Cloud Ruler Temple, but she had controlled her bloodlust in such conditions before, and expected herself to do so again.
Coordinating the defense on one side of the battle were a young Imperial in the armor of a watch captain and a Redguard in what Vira knew to be Blades armor. She couldn't make out his features at this distance, but she somehow knew that this was the Redguard who had been with her when the emperor had died.
The two of them noticed her at about the same time as she noticed them. They converged a moment later, and Vira confirmed that the Redguard was indeed Baurus, the one who had survived the Imperial Prison sewers with her. He did not appear to recognize her, but she wasn't surprised. She had changed much since then.
The Imperial cleared his throat and put on an authoritative tone?although it sounded weak and uncertain compared to Jauffre's. "Were you sent from Captain Matius to help us with the Gate?"
She was briefly perplexed by the question. Then, she glanced down at herself and recalled that her cuirass was that of a Kvatch guard. "No, I fear not. I've come from Bruma."
The Imperial slumped. "I see. Well? what is your business here?" The Redguard was studying her with a slight squint.
"I might ask you the same question."
She expected the captain to take insult to that, but he only stared at her, looking thrown off by the response. Vira got the impression that he wasn't particularly bright.
The Blade was the one who understood the unspoken question. "We don't want another Kvatch. The Legion Commander is holding his men here until word arrives from Matius on how to close a Gate without unnecessary casualties."
Vira blinked. "Oh. I can tell you how to do that."
The Imperial peered at her. "You're the Hero of Kvatch, aren't you?"
"I prefer to be called Vira."
He gave no response. Instead, he turned around and rushed toward the camp. Vira watched his retreating back, bemused.
"You've changed a lot," the Redguard said behind her. She turned, and found that recognition had given a different quality to his scrutinizing expression.
"Yes, I have. And you recognize my name."
"At this point, most of Cyrodiil knows the name Vira Redoran." The Blade shrugged; a gesture that looked wholly incompatible with his heavy armor. "Fortunately for you, fewer know the name Vira Llethri, since that name has only appeared in Cyrodiil on prison records." Something of her dismay must have shown on her face. He twitched a smile. "Don't worry. The records disappeared a long time ago. I made sure of it."
A flash of suspicion went through her. "Why?"
"Because His Majesty asked it of me."
Vira forced herself to relax. This Redguard was throwing her off guard, and she wasn't sure she liked that. "So it is that simple? The Emperor gives me a task, and I am suddenly no longer the escaped prisoner who you mistrusted? One word from him, and you, who chastised me for following you out, wipe my record clean?"
He watched her carefully. It seemed he was as uncomfortable with the shifting roles as she was. "Has anyone ever told you that you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth?"
"No. We do not use horses in Morrowind; we use guar."
Vira jumped back a step when the Redguard burst out laughing. She wondered if it was at her expense? it almost certainly was, since she didn't seem to be in on the joke. Prickled pride made her spine stiffen. "What?"
The laughter was short, but it lingered in the form of a light smile. "It doesn't matter. In answer to your question, yes. It is that simple. At the time, I had to trust that is Majesty knew what he was doing. Now, however, with what I've heard about you? I begin to think that he was right about you. You're going to be a major factor in stopping Mehrunes Dagon."
She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a clamor coming from the camp. As she turned to face the new sound, she belatedly wondered what she'd been about to say. Had she been about the protest or agree?
The source of the interruption appeared a moment later in the form of a large, bare-chested man coming out of one of the larger tents. The man was build like a Daedroth and had the fierce mien of a wolf, yet age had sapped the certainty from his movement and ground the hard edge from his features.
He charged out of the tent at a brisk walk toward Vira and Baurus, wearing shining greaves over coarse tan pants. A soldier followed at his heels, holding a cuirrass in front of him and apparently attempting to throw it over the older man's head as he walked. The Imperial captain paced a couple steps behind the pair.
The large man stopped in front of Vira and looked her up and down, giving the soldier behind him a chance to toss the cuirass over his head and begin working on the straps. "You're the Hero of Kvatch?"
She was startled to hear such a calm tone come out of someone who looked like an elderly bear. "Some people call me that, yes."
"I am Commander Adamus Phillida, and I request that you accompany myself and my men in closing this Gate as soon as you are able."
"I am able now."
Phillida nodded, putting on the last of his own armor?his gauntlets?himself. He turned to the guard and barked, "Orien!" The guard snapped to attention. "Gather together the second unit. I want them in front of me yesterday." The guard scuttled off toward the men circling the Gate.
Vira watched in fascination, amazed that the commander's demeanor could change so swiftly. Now, he was much more intimidating than he had been before.
"Hayn!" The captain snapped to attention. "While I'm gone, you're in charge of the defense."
Hayn's eyes flickered toward the Gate, showing his discomfort. "Yes sir."
Phillida then turned to Baurus, his manner switching back. "You're welcome to join, but I can understand if you don't. You've already helped us enough tonight."
The Blade shook his head. "You were short-staffed. It was the least I could do. And now, I'd be happy to get in there and give those Daedra what's coming to them."
"That's the spirit." Phillida turned back to Vira. "We follow your directions, Miss Redoran."
She couldn't help but catch her breath. Adamus Phillida, Commander of the Imperial Legion in the Imperial City? deferring to her?
Suddenly, she was beginning to understand Martin's discomfort.
-------------------------------------------
Vira led Baurus, Phillida, and half a dozen guards into the Gate. After that, Phillida took over, directing the guards to take protective positions in a semi-circle in the front. The commander himself kept on the right flank of the semi-circle, leaving Baurus and Vira to follow behind.
They encountered as many Daedra as Vira had expected to, and had their share of close calls. Each time they came across one or two Daedra, the guards plowed into it like a charging Minotaur.
The only time Vira had to draw her sword at all were the rare occasions when they were attacked from behind.
The first time this happened, they were making their way through the plane, passing around a lava pit. The guards had spotted a Daedroth up a gentle slope and were preparing to engage it when Vira spotted movement out of the corner of her eye and gave a shout.
A Dremora leapt out from behind a broken wall, its hammer drawn and its black armor glinting in the alien lighting. Baurus met him with his own sword, using the katana to deflect the hammer's blow.
This gave Vira time to draw her own weapon. She moved to the Dremora's side, jumping back out of range as it sent a side-swipe at her. Baurus took the chance to swing at its back, but the Dremora took two steps the the side and turned to face both of them at once.
Baurus met Vira's eyes, and the two exchanged a moment of silent communication. She took a breath of stinging air, and then they moved at the same time, circling around to come in at a forty-five degree angle. The Dremora kept backing up in response, its eyes flickering from one to the other.
Then Baurus put on a burst of speed, and Vira judged that she should do the same, maneuvering around behind the Dremora. Small bolts of electricity traveled along her blade as she maneuvered it around the Dremora's hammer, attempting to score a hit. When she finally did?a nick in its left arm?there was a flash of light as a bolt leapt from the blade into the Dremora. The Dremora gave a gargled cry and turned its attention on Vira just long enough for Baurus to plunge his katana into its armpit, ending the fight.
The two of them shared companionable smiles as they sheathed their blades and headed back to where the legionnaires were waiting.
Each time they were attacked from behind, Vira and Baurus cut the assailant down with relative ease. It only took three such battles before they began to move in sync with one another, learning to one another's steps and adjusting their own accordingly.
Vira was greatly pleased by the fact that she was able to be of use in battle this time around. She was not on par with the Blade, nor with the watchmen? but she did not hold them back like she had with Matius. Her sword bit into Daedra hide nearly as often as Baurus', and each time, it sent a shock into the evil creature that made her hits all the more effective.
The entire operation was much faster than it had been last time. Before Vira knew it, she was leading the men through the Sigillum Sanguis, up the metallic steps toward the Sigil Stone. There was a Spider Daedra waiting at the top, but the legionnaires surged forward and flanked it, cutting it down as they had all the others.
In the meantime, Vira headed for the Stone. Making sure she had Phillida's attention (he'd wanted to know how to close the Gate, after all) she reached into the fiery mass and pulled the orb right out of it.
The guards all raised their swords as the plane collapsed around them, but Vira found it much easier to remain calm, when she knew escape was only moments away. She caught a glimpse of Baurus running toward her just before the chamber pulsed with light, and she had to close her eyes.
Then, she exploded from the outside, and it was all she could do not to scream.
Coherent thought escaped her for less than a minute. It wasn't really so long. Yet, it was a minute too long, because the beast inside her surged forward to take the spot that her consciousness had vacated.
The vampire hissed and thrashed, attempting to escape the burning light around it, but something held her off the ground, carrying it. Blinded and reeling at the burn enveloping its body, the vampire bit desperately at the aggressor, but its fangs met only unyielding metal.
Then, it was thrown to the ground and pinned, its chin shoved into packed dirt by strong, gauntleted hands and its arms shoved uncomfortably high against its shoulderblades. It kicked, but couldn't bend its legs far enough to do its assailant any harm.
Slowly, the sun-induced pain faded, the vampiric frenzy going with it. Vira came back to herself with her face pressed into the dirt, a military-grade canvas blocking the sun's rays above her. She fell limp against the ground and let out a single sob.
Slowly, the pressure on her back lifted. She heard someone rustling around behind her, but couldn't find the courage to look up. Something was set down beside her ear; turning her head revealed it to be two of her own healing potions. A set of metal boots came to rest next to the bottles, then bent forward as the person wearing them crouched down beside her.
"Do you need help drinking them?" Baurus asked.
Her skin stung and throbbed where the sun had hit it; she had little doubt that she needed it. She reached a hand toward one of the bottles?flinching at the sight of her blackened and swelling hand?then hissed as her raw fingertips brushed the glass. It took a great exertion of willpower for her to ignore the sting and close her hand around it, and much more to sit up. She felt as if her entire body were wrapped in brambles; any skin that hadn't been charred to cinders was a raw, weeping red. Her own shaking made her drop one of the bottles and spill it on the ground, stirring the Blade to help her drink the other.
As the liquid slid down her throat, the familiar tingling over her skin indicated that her burns were healing. When Baurus produced another potion, she was able to hold it and gulp it down herself. The potions were not strong enough to heal her completely, but they would speed the process and take the sting off, and that was what she needed.
As she set the bottle down, she finally looked up and glanced around.
She was inside one of the larger Legion tents, complete with four walls and a door flap. There were three bedrolls and a wooden stool set around the room, along with spare weapons, rations, and a pitcher of water. The sun shone brightly through tan canvas of the tent, keeping her skin uncomfortably warm, but no longer burning it.
Baurus crouched beside her, watching her expectantly. He had three fresh trails of red skin across his face where Vira's nails had raked it in her frenzy. Looking at the streaks was enough to make her drop her eyes in shame. "Sorry."
"Better?"
She nodded, staring down at the bottle in her hands. "I? I lost control."
"Yes. You did." His voice was grim, but she glanced up and saw that his face was relatively neutral. "Can you travel in the light if you keep your hood up?"
"Not when I'm this poorly fed.
"Damn. This is not the best place to?"
The Redguard fell silent as Phillida's head poked into the tent, followed by the rest of him. His eyes took in the scene with a soldier's anolytical glance. "So this is where you two went. You missed the end of the battle."
Baurus stood and faced the commander. "The Flame Atronach hit her with a powerful spell. I wanted to get her somewhere safe."
Phillida nodded down at her, seeming to find no reason to doubt the Blade's explanation. "I see. And how are you faring?"
"Much better, thank you."
"Well, take it easy. You look pretty raw yet." She felt raw. "I thank you for your assistance; I now have enough knowledge about these Gates to spread to the other cities. I'll be taken by the Dark Brotherhood before I allow another one of those Gates to stay open on my watch."
The fierce determination in the commander's voice pulled a smile out of her. "Good luck. We're counting on you."
Phillida beamed and nodded again, then excused himself and left. Baurus let out a sigh and sat down beside Vira. He gave her a meaningful glance as he pulled off his gauntlets. "Who did you mean by 'we'?"
"I? Honestly, I am not entirely certain. I wasn't only thinking of you and I, was I?"
A smile tugged at his lips. "Somehow, I don't think so."
Vira sat back, rubbing at a burnt patch of skin on her arm. As she worked it, it flaked off, revealing the puffy pink tissue beneath. "I suspect I was including everyone who is trying to defend the Empire? you and I, the Blades, Martin?"
His sudden movement made her look up. He leaned over her, eyes searching. "You know about Martin? How?"
Warily, she leaned away from him. "I have been acting as his escort and companion since Kvatch. I do not simply know about him; I know him."
Baurus sat back, apparently relieved with her answer. "I see."
"That was a strange response."
"You had me worried for a minute there. According to Jauffre's message to me, the public isn't supposed to know that Martin's still alive? because that would mean that the Mythic Dawn would know. I was relying on that for an upcoming? task."
She took a breath. Now seemed as good a time as any. "Yes, well? it shouldn't matter. You are under orders not to continue."
He looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"I've come from Cloud Ruler Temple." That really piqued his curiosity. "Jauffre orders you to return to the Temple at once and concentrate on defending the emperor. If you do not come quietly? I am to bring you in by force."
He looked amused. "And just how do you intend to do that?"
She took a breath to answer, but no words came. Baurus had proven only minutes ago that he was perfectly capable of overpowering her. Her mouth snapped shut again, and she conceded the point.
"Look, I know Jauffre. Deep down, he hopes that I'll defy his orders and finish my investigation. If he has no intention of sending me help, that's fine. We'll just have to be careful. But one way or the other, I'm following this lead. We've never been so close, and I can't let this go."
"What lead is it?"
He smiled. "I know where the Mythic Dawn base is."
Vira felt her own eyes widening, stretching the puffy skin around her face. "And he wanted to call you away from that?"
"He probably tells himself that knowing the location is enough. But I want to see how far we can get. There's a lot we don't know right now, and I suspect getting into their base will be the key."
Vira sat up straight, a realization dawning on her. "They've stolen the Amulet of Kings. If it's anywhere, it will likely be there."
"That's right." He sounded surprised; he hadn't considered it. "And I have resources that might be able to retrieve it. If we do?"
"?then we'll have both Martin and the Amulet, and we'll be able to stop the invasion!" She tried to burst to her feet, but the Redguard stiff-armed her and held her down.
"Easy. You're still injured; you should rest a while."
"I wish to join you."
There was a hesitation, so brief that Vira wasn't even certain it happened. "And you will. I'm not going anywhere." He crouched down beside her again, meeting her eyes. "Meet me tonight at Luther Broad's Boarding House. If all goes well, the three of us will be on the road tonight."
"Three?"
His smile was enigmatic as he ducked out into the midday light. Vira lay back, wishing that she could follow.
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mike - Posts: 3432
- Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2007 6:51 pm
» Sat Feb 19, 2011 7:41 am
Yay, a long chapter! 
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RAww DInsaww - Posts: 3439
- Joined: Sun Feb 25, 2007 5:47 pm
» Sat Feb 19, 2011 7:52 am
Great chapter. Looking forward to the trio of Baurus, Vira, and our little Bosmer friend 
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Guy Pearce - Posts: 3499
- Joined: Sun May 20, 2007 3:08 pm
» Fri Feb 18, 2011 8:57 pm
Nice. I wish Baurus would have worked that well with my characters but then, they weren't as cool as Vira. I swear I could hear Martins voice during a couple of those passages.
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Jason King - Posts: 3382
- Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 2:05 pm
» Sat Feb 19, 2011 5:40 am
Great chapter, but i'm wondring how the hell I missed seeing this last night
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CArlos BArrera - Posts: 3470
- Joined: Wed Nov 21, 2007 3:26 am
» Sat Feb 19, 2011 6:24 am
This is probably the shortest chapter yet... hopefully my speed at turning it out makes up for that. :hugs:
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He knew two things. One: Mankar Camoran had the Amulet of Kings, and would hoard it like a possessive dragon. Two: someone had uprooted the Mythic Dawn base under the Imperial City, and that had the Master on edge? not out of concern for his own son's death, mind, but out of concern that someone had found it and put up a resistance.
These two things were important, he knew. If only he could figure out how.
Damendrel's fingers idly dug through the dirt as he lay on his back, staring pensively up at the stars like some flower-picking mystic. The land here was about as comfortable as a Land Dreugh's hug, and whatever plants could manage to grow on the hard, rocky ground had been killed by the chill of the oncoming winter. The waterfall nearby was a constant roar in his ears, and he could hear wolves prowling about two hundred paces up the hillside. He would have liked to take out his frustration on them with an old-fashioned wolf-roast? but they never came any closer. It was as if they didn't want to be killed on the whim of a frustrated mage; fancy that.
But however unhappy he told himself that he was out here, it was much better than being inside the den of ritualistic mediocrity known as Lake Arrius Caverns. He'd already been at his wit's end when the others had started pressing him into rituals and meetings, etcetera etcetera. But then, Eugal Belette of all people had arrived from Chorrol, carrying a certain Amulet of power and import? and Damendrel had had to get out of there. If he had to hear one more person singing the praises of that sniveling mouse, he was going to go ballistic, he really was.
And so, here he was, playing the romantic by spending a night stargazing next to a waterfall on a remote mountainside. If he hadn't needed it so much, he might have laughed.
On impulse, he sat up, picked up a nearby rock, and tossed it into the pond. The plop it made broke the tranquil silence of the night, and that eased some of his tension. He did so again, finding his ability to destroy the peace soothing. Some people might have written his pleasure off as a symptom of cruelty and general malevolence (for some reason, that Dunmer spitfire's face came to mind) but Damendrel knew himself better than that.
It was about control. Each time he broke the silence with a quietly echoing plop, he was exerting his will over his environment, using it to cope with a life he'd felt had spun out of his control. He'd always had to be the one in control; not doing so meant he was at the mercy of others, and he knew better than to trust the mercy of others.
With a self-depreciating snort, the Altmer fell back onto the brown grass. Who would have known that self-reflection could be so bitter? Well, perhaps that was just him; it was no doubt why he didn't do it often. That, and self-reflection was just too pretentious, even for him. As soon as he started anolyzing his paralyzing fear of dying, he was going to make it a moot point by sticking a dagger in his own gut.
Well, okay, maybe not. The nice thing about having a paralyzing fear of dying was that it was physically inconceivable to commit suicide, what with being paralyzed and all.
He smirked to himself briefly before forcing his thoughts back in line.
He had to get the Xarxes. The power in that tome was palpable; who knew what it might be able to accomplish? what information it held?
Unfortunately, Mankar Camoran had been attached to that book for days, apparently trying to find the answers to all the world's riddles in it. Damendrel needed to get him away from it if he intended to steal the book, but he had no idea how to do that.
Again, his thoughts circled around the deaths in the Imperial City and the Amulet of Kings, and he wasn't certain why. His mind was making some connection between them, but it apparently had no intention of sharing that information with him.
He sighed. How was this blasted 'being pensive' thing supposed to work, anyway? Wasn't enlightenment supposed to come at some point, or was her really staring up at the sky like an idiot for nothing?
He was supposed to clear his mind, but that was nothing short of impossible for the Altmer. Too many images swam around in there? Engorm seated beside him on the grass, telling him about a mage named Martin? Alval Uvani's shrouded form huddled over a campfire, eating a charred piece of boar? a skinny Dunmer girl holding a bloody sword to his throat, her intense, fiery eyes only inches from his own. His mind was in constant motion--granted, it was moving in circles, but it was moving nonetheless, and he honestly had no idea how to still it, even if he'd wanted to.
And yet, the pressure was beginning to get to him. The Xarxes was his key out of this mess. He wasn't entirely sure of the details, but he was sure of that. Without that, he would be stuck at the mercy of the Mythic Dawn and its cruel Prince of Destruction.
Stuck. Out of options.
Nowhere to go.
Trapped.
Iron manacles on wrists so chafed that they no longer felt anything at all? the rhythmic creaks of the wood below him, rocking back and forth? sitting in darkness, but it was better that way, because it meant he was alone?
Damendrel burst to his feet and threw a mass of fire at the wolves up the hill. Two of the canines were turned to ashes on the spot, and the dry grass they lurked in burst into flames. The other two wolves yipped and fled into the night.
"Be glad you can escape, you stupid mutts!" He sent a flurry of fireballs after them, just in case they didn't get the message.
He sat down again, simmering. Then, his mind stopped.
It reversed, stopped, and went forward again.
"Be glad you can escape."
Camoran had the Amulet. Camoran feared that someone was hunting down their bases.
Camoran had an escape route.
The Altmer felt a grin steal over his features. He moved slowly toward the edge of the pond and peered down at his gently rippling reflection. His face grinned back slyly against a backdrop of stars. "Why, hello Master Camoran. As a junior lieutenant, I think it would be safest for you if you took the Amulet and spent the rest of the invasion in Paradise. The rest of us can handle it from here."
The cocky grin on his own reflection told him all he needed to know.
------------------------------------
He knew two things. One: Mankar Camoran had the Amulet of Kings, and would hoard it like a possessive dragon. Two: someone had uprooted the Mythic Dawn base under the Imperial City, and that had the Master on edge? not out of concern for his own son's death, mind, but out of concern that someone had found it and put up a resistance.
These two things were important, he knew. If only he could figure out how.
Damendrel's fingers idly dug through the dirt as he lay on his back, staring pensively up at the stars like some flower-picking mystic. The land here was about as comfortable as a Land Dreugh's hug, and whatever plants could manage to grow on the hard, rocky ground had been killed by the chill of the oncoming winter. The waterfall nearby was a constant roar in his ears, and he could hear wolves prowling about two hundred paces up the hillside. He would have liked to take out his frustration on them with an old-fashioned wolf-roast? but they never came any closer. It was as if they didn't want to be killed on the whim of a frustrated mage; fancy that.
But however unhappy he told himself that he was out here, it was much better than being inside the den of ritualistic mediocrity known as Lake Arrius Caverns. He'd already been at his wit's end when the others had started pressing him into rituals and meetings, etcetera etcetera. But then, Eugal Belette of all people had arrived from Chorrol, carrying a certain Amulet of power and import? and Damendrel had had to get out of there. If he had to hear one more person singing the praises of that sniveling mouse, he was going to go ballistic, he really was.
And so, here he was, playing the romantic by spending a night stargazing next to a waterfall on a remote mountainside. If he hadn't needed it so much, he might have laughed.
On impulse, he sat up, picked up a nearby rock, and tossed it into the pond. The plop it made broke the tranquil silence of the night, and that eased some of his tension. He did so again, finding his ability to destroy the peace soothing. Some people might have written his pleasure off as a symptom of cruelty and general malevolence (for some reason, that Dunmer spitfire's face came to mind) but Damendrel knew himself better than that.
It was about control. Each time he broke the silence with a quietly echoing plop, he was exerting his will over his environment, using it to cope with a life he'd felt had spun out of his control. He'd always had to be the one in control; not doing so meant he was at the mercy of others, and he knew better than to trust the mercy of others.
With a self-depreciating snort, the Altmer fell back onto the brown grass. Who would have known that self-reflection could be so bitter? Well, perhaps that was just him; it was no doubt why he didn't do it often. That, and self-reflection was just too pretentious, even for him. As soon as he started anolyzing his paralyzing fear of dying, he was going to make it a moot point by sticking a dagger in his own gut.
Well, okay, maybe not. The nice thing about having a paralyzing fear of dying was that it was physically inconceivable to commit suicide, what with being paralyzed and all.
He smirked to himself briefly before forcing his thoughts back in line.
He had to get the Xarxes. The power in that tome was palpable; who knew what it might be able to accomplish? what information it held?
Unfortunately, Mankar Camoran had been attached to that book for days, apparently trying to find the answers to all the world's riddles in it. Damendrel needed to get him away from it if he intended to steal the book, but he had no idea how to do that.
Again, his thoughts circled around the deaths in the Imperial City and the Amulet of Kings, and he wasn't certain why. His mind was making some connection between them, but it apparently had no intention of sharing that information with him.
He sighed. How was this blasted 'being pensive' thing supposed to work, anyway? Wasn't enlightenment supposed to come at some point, or was her really staring up at the sky like an idiot for nothing?
He was supposed to clear his mind, but that was nothing short of impossible for the Altmer. Too many images swam around in there? Engorm seated beside him on the grass, telling him about a mage named Martin? Alval Uvani's shrouded form huddled over a campfire, eating a charred piece of boar? a skinny Dunmer girl holding a bloody sword to his throat, her intense, fiery eyes only inches from his own. His mind was in constant motion--granted, it was moving in circles, but it was moving nonetheless, and he honestly had no idea how to still it, even if he'd wanted to.
And yet, the pressure was beginning to get to him. The Xarxes was his key out of this mess. He wasn't entirely sure of the details, but he was sure of that. Without that, he would be stuck at the mercy of the Mythic Dawn and its cruel Prince of Destruction.
Stuck. Out of options.
Nowhere to go.
Trapped.
Iron manacles on wrists so chafed that they no longer felt anything at all? the rhythmic creaks of the wood below him, rocking back and forth? sitting in darkness, but it was better that way, because it meant he was alone?
Damendrel burst to his feet and threw a mass of fire at the wolves up the hill. Two of the canines were turned to ashes on the spot, and the dry grass they lurked in burst into flames. The other two wolves yipped and fled into the night.
"Be glad you can escape, you stupid mutts!" He sent a flurry of fireballs after them, just in case they didn't get the message.
He sat down again, simmering. Then, his mind stopped.
It reversed, stopped, and went forward again.
"Be glad you can escape."
Camoran had the Amulet. Camoran feared that someone was hunting down their bases.
Camoran had an escape route.
The Altmer felt a grin steal over his features. He moved slowly toward the edge of the pond and peered down at his gently rippling reflection. His face grinned back slyly against a backdrop of stars. "Why, hello Master Camoran. As a junior lieutenant, I think it would be safest for you if you took the Amulet and spent the rest of the invasion in Paradise. The rest of us can handle it from here."
The cocky grin on his own reflection told him all he needed to know.
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Tom Flanagan - Posts: 3522
- Joined: Sat Jul 21, 2007 1:51 am
» Fri Feb 18, 2011 8:33 pm
Man this day just keep on getting better and better doesn't it, this calls for a cookie :cookie:
Anyway, good chapter, a Little short, but I know you had less that a day to work on it, and the other being so long.
Soo... do two people end up fighting together at the end? Or is that a secret for now.
Anyway, good chapter, a Little short, but I know you had less that a day to work on it, and the other being so long.
Soo... do two people end up fighting together at the end? Or is that a secret for now.
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Anna Beattie - Posts: 3512
- Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2006 4:59 am
» Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:32 pm
I realy enjoy this fanfic. It has many amazing qualitys that make it altogether worthy to be put into a book. :read:
My overall favorite character is Damendrel. The way you write him and his sense of humor is beliveable and easy to read.
My overall favorite character is Damendrel. The way you write him and his sense of humor is beliveable and easy to read.
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Chloe Yarnall - Posts: 3461
- Joined: Sun Oct 08, 2006 3:26 am
» Sat Feb 19, 2011 9:43 am
Damendrel seems to be the character you have the hardest time connecting with, as his chapters are typically the shorter ones, the ones you seem to have more difficulty writing, and the ones you often warn us may not be the greatest. His personality doesn't show as much in his chapters as Vira's and Sam's do in theirs. But still, I like him. The chapters involving him are massively important ones usually.
These two chapters have been great things to return from the Sierra mountains to. I loved them both. One error in each chapter, in which you switched out the proper letter for a different one and made a different word. 'That' instead of 'than' and 'her' instead of 'he' or 'here'.
These two chapters have been great things to return from the Sierra mountains to. I loved them both. One error in each chapter, in which you switched out the proper letter for a different one and made a different word. 'That' instead of 'than' and 'her' instead of 'he' or 'here'.
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Felix Walde - Posts: 3333
- Joined: Sat Jun 02, 2007 4:50 pm
» Sat Feb 19, 2011 2:31 am
still I don't know what to think about demendrel, he is a sadistic bastard... and an arrogant prat...
great chapter, I hope there is another soon
great chapter, I hope there is another soon
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Kayleigh Mcneil - Posts: 3352
- Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2006 7:32 am
» Sat Feb 19, 2011 7:39 am
I hope there is another soon
:nope: I hate to say this, but I'm kind of in a creative slump on this story right now. I might be taking a couple weeks off, just to recharge my batteries. Trust me, if there are ever chapters you don't want me to force out, it's these next ones.
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kyle pinchen - Posts: 3475
- Joined: Thu May 17, 2007 9:01 pm
» Fri Feb 18, 2011 9:31 pm
:nope: I hate to say this, but I'm kind of in a creative slump on this story right now. I might be taking a couple weeks off, just to recharge my batteries. Trust me, if there are ever chapters you don't want me to force out, it's these next ones.
take your time, have some rest, and please come back in a while with your wonderful writing.
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SWagg KId - Posts: 3488
- Joined: Sat Nov 17, 2007 8:26 am
» Sat Feb 19, 2011 2:51 am
:nope: I hate to say this, but I'm kind of in a creative slump on this story right now. I might be taking a couple weeks off, just to recharge my batteries. Trust me, if there are ever chapters you don't want me to force out, it's these next ones.
Any forced chapters are not good ideas. Never force out a chapter. Ever.
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SiLa - Posts: 3447
- Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2006 7:52 am
» Fri Feb 18, 2011 8:02 pm
I hope I am not being too pushy but...
how goes the writer's block?
how goes the writer's block?
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RAww DInsaww - Posts: 3439
- Joined: Sun Feb 25, 2007 5:47 pm
» Sat Feb 19, 2011 7:48 am
:hugs:
I'm still working on it, but my school load is really heavy this semester, which doesn't give me much time to sit down and write. So, yeah... barring giving out excuse after excuse, just know that it will come eventually... but not for a while yet.
I'm still working on it, but my school load is really heavy this semester, which doesn't give me much time to sit down and write. So, yeah... barring giving out excuse after excuse, just know that it will come eventually... but not for a while yet.
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Kaylee Campbell - Posts: 3463
- Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2007 11:17 am
» Sat Feb 19, 2011 1:42 am
I just got done reading the whole thing, and I'm sad to see it hasn't been updated in quite a while. This is my first comment on the story but I have to say it's wonderful. I hope sometime soon you can get back to this story.
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Jeff Tingler - Posts: 3609
- Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2007 7:55 pm
» Sat Feb 19, 2011 3:37 am
I wanted to say this a very creative story! Your ideas are fun and exciting, the way you describe your characters leaves little to be desired, but your fundamentals could use a bit of work (I mean most writers could). I just think sometimes the wording (and word usage) can take away from the read. Your love for your characters shows through in your writing, and it is inspiring, I believe this is one of your best qualities. I will write a much better review if I see you return to the story (otherwise it feels like a bit of a waste). I really had fun reading the story I just felt myself stumbling through it at times. Overall it is an excellent piece of fiction, and I hope you come back to finish it.
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kasia - Posts: 3427
- Joined: Sun Jun 18, 2006 10:46 pm
» Fri Feb 18, 2011 9:01 pm
Oh my, I must have died and went to fanfic heaven. Just finished reading the whole thing a couple of minutes ago and well.. one word sums it all up. Epic.
Excellent storyline but it's a shame to see there hasn't been a new chapter in almost a year now. :mellow:
New chapter please? Oh go on, please
Excellent storyline but it's a shame to see there hasn't been a new chapter in almost a year now. :mellow:
New chapter please? Oh go on, please
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Ash - Posts: 3392
- Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2006 8:59 am
» Sat Feb 19, 2011 4:20 am
Eheheh... yeah.
See, the thing is, I'm currently working on an original work I hope to get published within the year. Starting this up again would be project suicide for that, and that takes priority. So this probably won't get started up again.
I think I still do have my plot summary, though, if you guys really want to find out what happens. It'd just be more of a synopsis than a proper story, more's the pity.
See, the thing is, I'm currently working on an original work I hope to get published within the year. Starting this up again would be project suicide for that, and that takes priority. So this probably won't get started up again.
I think I still do have my plot summary, though, if you guys really want to find out what happens. It'd just be more of a synopsis than a proper story, more's the pity.
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GabiiE Liiziiouz - Posts: 3360
- Joined: Mon Jan 22, 2007 3:20 am
88 posts
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