Chapter 9: Vivec

Day 118

Before going to bed, Zerina and I discussed the mission to Vivec the following day. Going alone and leaving Zerina for days in a row didn't appeal to me at all. In fact; the thought alone almost made me feel queasy to my stomach. We decided to walk to Vivec rather than taking a Stiltstrider or a guild guide. That way, I could teach her some basic combat skills, maybe even some spells, and meanwhile show her the lush, green Ascadian Isles region. And then, of course, there was the bonus of being able to spend lots of time together ? something we both really appreciated.

Zerina only knew Vvardenfell as a desolate ashen wasteland. She was delighted to see the green hills roll on one after the other and huge pastures with Guar grazing and Scribs doing - well, whatever they do.
Since we had hugely overslept the first morning, we made camp not long after we passed Seyda Neen. We dropped in briefly for some supplies with Arrille and an additional sleeping bag. Arrille insisted that we stayed for coffee. Fargoth couldn't keep his eyes away from Zerina.

After having pitched the tent, we got to sorting out some dinner. Zerina insisted to go hunting. Briefly I instructed her on the use of a bow but to my surprise, she was almost as capable with a bow as I was. She couldn't pull full tension on my long-bow but a light Chitin short-bow I had brought along as well was perfectly suitable for her frail frame. She was far more able fending for herself than I would have given her credit for.
Smiling, I let her go hunting while I made a cooking hole in the earth.
With not having much else to do, I let my mind wander back over the last few weeks and wondered if Zerina had maybe feigned her hysteria when we went swimming several days ago.
I realised there was still so much I didn't know about her.

Imagine my surprise when she returned to camp empty-handed, yet with her clothing showing traces of fresh blood.
'I couldn't carry it, I need your help,' she excused herself. 'It's just over that ridge,' and pointed south. A small walk later, a fully grown advlt Alit with a single arrow through its throat was awaiting our attention. No wonder she wasn't able to move it, it was huge.
I grabbed its hindlegs, tied a rope around it and dragged the creature back to camp where we skinned it, cut it up in pieces and cooked it. Throughout the gruesome job, Zerina didn't flinch once. In my admiration and adoration of her I ignored a crucial point: she had been taking care of such things together with her mother long before I even knew her. I was getting more and more certain her hysteria had indeed been an act.

Over dinner I decided to ask her about it. Smiling innocently, she replied:'I was naked. Besides, how else was I going to get your attention away from that book?'
I blinked, not knowing what to say and burst out in laughter. 'Women,' I sighed, bringing a mischievous smile to Zerina's face.
That night, the second sleeping bag proved unnecessary, we ended up sharing one. I have to be honest, it was rather cramped. Cosy but cramped.
But then again, we didn't sleep anyway. Much.

EDIT: Argghh! I posted this review of post 150 while you were posting the next chapter (post 151). I will savor post 151 and comment seperately.

Post #150: Once again, wonderful! I love traveling with Rales. Very nice atmosphere and feel you provided to the funeral ceremony.


had


simultaneously


Perhaps it is the title of a Morrowind book? Forgive me if I am wrong, but if the word is 'elevated', then it is mispelled.


What the bold part grammatically says is that Zerina's feet had decided they wanted to go and get her boots from somewhere, like perhaps out of a closet. - very clearly not your intent.
Perhaps: 'Zerina's feet hurt and she wanted to get out of her boots.'


Lovely! Rales certainly adores her and I can see why too. You have brought them both, and their relationship, alive beautifully. :goodjob:

Thanks Acadian. With eleviated I had meant something higher than the plains of Mundus but wanted to give it some feeling of mystery. However, I just realised eleviated has a very different meaning. I wanted to mean Enlightened with Eleviated but dodged the issue by changing it into the Eternal Planes of Aetherius. I certainly didn't want to write elevated. Too mundane.

Day 118-

I'm so glad Rales decided to bring Zerina on the road with him! I would too!

The hunting was great and you used it well.

Uncovering Zerina's feigned hysteria was rich.

You always handle the physical/romantic side of things beautifully and in classic Rales style. Just like you did in this story. :goodjob:

'the thought alone almost made me feel queezy to my stomach.' {queasy or queasy}
'Briefly I instructed her the use of a bow but to my surprise' {I would recommend 'her on the use'}
'I let my mind wander back over the last few weeks and wondered Zerina had maybe feigned her hysteria when we went swimming several days ago.' {Perhaps 'wondered if Zerina'}
'I sighed, bringing a mischievous smile on Zerina's face.' {I recommend 'smile to Zerina's'}

You can open up both sleeping bags and lay on one, covering with the other. If they had zippers back then you can actually zip them together with no problems, and roll them back up this way too. Your story was already interesting and well written, but it has really taken on a whole new life with this new storyline! You were made for writing about romance, you do an awesome job with it!! ROCK ON !!!! (More, More!!)

Ahh, the plot thickens. There does seem to be more to Zerina than meets the eye. Your description of a Dunmer funeral was excellent, just the right amount of detail to put us right there. I can't wait for the next installment! :read:

@mALX1:Y'know, I actually thought about that (experienced camper myself) but I doubt they have zips in Tamriel. In my experience, opening one, and lying underneath the second will always have you end up with cold feet. That's why I decided on having them share one.
@Destri:Thanks. It's how I'd vision a Dunmer cremation. Not much to be found about it on the UESP.
@Acadian:Acadian, my friend; you are spot on, as always.

Day 119

Making up for the lost time from the day before, we got up early and had a simple breakfast. In hindsight, we might as well have slept in because we didn't get very far that day anyway. Being mid-summer a blistering sun, high in the sky, accompanied us so we stopped several times a day for a brief swim in the clear blue rivers as well as in small to medium sized lakes we came across and cuddled often in the soft, tall grass.
Our love was a roaring fire I was more than willing to burn myself on ? it still is.

Several days later, by the end of the day, we reached the shores of the huge lake Vivec was built in.
Cantons stretched as far as the eye could see. I had thought Balmora was big but Vivec truly dwarfed it. Guards were patrolling the various levels of all the cantons.
Just the sheer amount of guards alone gave me an impression on how mindboggling many people would be living there. I couldn't wait to enter Vivec.
Zerina's eyes were shining mirrors of my own anticipation.

Grinning like an idiot, I took Zerina's hand. Together we walked across the bridge leading to what was known as the Foreign Quarter.
Zerina looked at me with , what I had got to know as her mischievous smile and joked I should remain here with the other outlanders while she would explore the city.
I reprimanded her by giving her a playful slap on her behind and chased her when she ran off laughing.

We realised soon that we would need to prepare for a several-day mission so we needed a place to spend the night. We were informed there were three taverns throughout the city that provided rooms to weary travellers. In the Foreign Quarter was the "Black Shalk Cornerclub", actually just around the corner, an Ordinator ? a holy guard - enlightened us.
Then; there was the "Lizard's Head" in the Telvanni canton and last; "The Flowers of Gold" inn, located in the Redoran canton.
I had business with a certain Argonian in the "Black Shalk" but since it was already quite late, we decided to get ourselves installed into an inn first. A gondola took us to the Redoran canton with a small touristical de-tour and after some inquiring, we soon arrived at "The Flowers of Gold" inn. I was glad we had chosen this inn rather than the ropey club in the Foreign Quarter.

The room we rented wasn't cheap but it was worth every gold Drake. The bed was hardly smaller than the one we had at home, the matrass soft and the sheets were spotless.
We booked the room for four nights, I was sure we would find ways to amuse ourselves in case I was going to be done sooner with my mission than anticipated. Zerina had already noticed there were lots of shops selling jewelry and clothing that were only available in the holy city of the living God ? Vivec.
At least; she wouldn't get bored while I looked up my contacts. Something I wasn't really looking forward to.

Day 119

GREAT! The decisions you make on what to put in and what to leave out, as well as how fast to tell your story are perfect. Wow! A very 'satisfying' fix of Rales, like always.

You are probably getting tired of hearing how much fun reading your stories is?.

Your are the author, and a very capable one at that, but if your are taking input, I surely vote that you keep Zerina around. I quite enjoy that you have added her to the story.


Some might question your use of the word 'installed' here. I do not. I find it quite simply screams 'Rales'. :rock:

And just look at how much I am getting to learn about Morrowind! Vivec, built on water, holy city, living god.....

*


Forgive my lack of Morrowind knowledge. Might the word 'built' perhaps be better?

Am I getting tired of hearing how much fun my stories are? Nuh-uh. Do you?
From three words in the first paragraph you should be able to deduct Rales' and Zerina's future together.
About the use of the word "installed"; to be honest with you, it's a direct translation from a Dutch word that is commonly used in the context.

I am having fun with these latest installments of Rales' adventures. I love these little observations of his, as they bring out his personality:

Thank you SubRosa! I am truly honoured to see you are reading my drivel and actually like it. :icecream:

One :celebration:
Two :twirl:
Three :goodjob:

I told you I loved that line!!! Awesome job you are doing with this storyline!!

@mALX1:Yes you did. I am glad I held on to it. It just looks right.
@Acadian:Exactly, those three.


Day 123

For a change, Zerina was already up and gone when I woke up. A note, carrying her scent, on the pillow said that she had gone shopping and that she hoped I could make it for dinner.
The first one I was was going to look up was the Argonian. Relying on the intel I had gotten from Caius, I headed straight for the "Black Shalk".
The moment I walked into the club I could see Huleeya was in what you might call a tight spot. Three angry Dunmer were looking at him with the unmistakeble fire of pure hatred burning in their eyes. Throughout my travels I had encountered several cases of unfounded hatred towards the beast-races but none as severe as with these guys. If looks could kill, Huleeya would have been a smouldering pile of ash at their feet.

'Blending in is part of being a succesful spy,' Caius had told me. 'Act as though you belong where you are, better yet; believe that you do.'
What better way to blend in at a bar, than by ordering a drink? Who said you can't mix pleasure with business?
After having ordered a drink and something to eat, I discretely asked him about it and whether or not he needed help, he shook his head and said they were hardly more than pests but annoying pests none-the-less. He was confident that they couldn't hurt him. Rather; it was the exact opposite. The Argonian was afraid they would attack if he would turn his back and leave the inn, forcing him into hurting them. If I'd join him to his friend's bookstore, the chance of the three of them attacking the two of us would be negligible.
'Surely, they wouldn't be that stupid, especially with you wearing that?' he said while winking and briefly redirected his gaze on Wretched. His perception and reason were undeniably sound. The way he moved told me his self-confidence wasn't misplaced at all; he moved with the grace of an experienced martial-artist. Not a muscle or limb flexed more or less than absolutely necessary.

The walk to Jobasha's books store was short and un-eventful. The store was just across the hallway on the other side of the Foreign Quarter Lower Waistworks. Huleeya was grateful for my assistence and taught me all he knew about Ashlanders and the Nerevarine Cult. When he was finished, he gave me his notes, summarizing what we had just discussed, to hand over to Caius.
As a side-note, he advised me talk to Jobasha, he might have some books about the same subject for sale I might find interesting.
A good shop-keeper knows exactly what he has for sale. Jobasha was an outstanding shop-keeper.
Jobasha first said he had no idea what I was talking about. Mentioning Huleeya had told me he might have useful books about the Nerevarine Cult in his shop's inventory helped a lot.
After a lot of persuasion and assurance I wasn't a Temple Agent (It was sort of the truth, I was only a Layman), finally he sold me an illegal book called "The progress of truth".
When I briefly flipped some pages and read some short passages, I could see why the Temple wasn't happy with its existance.
Two worrying words were ominously prominent:"Dissident Priests" I wondered what it meant.
'It's officially been banned by the Temple so don't go waving it around or tell anyone who sold it to you, alright?'
Huleeya warned me that if anything happened to Jobasha, he'd take it out on me. I believed him.

Next on my list was the priestess Mehra Milo in the Halls of Wisdom. The Khajiit was going to be last. I knew from experience ? from playing hide and seek when I was still a kid ? that if a Khajiit doesn't want to be found, you would have a hard, if not impossible, task finding him or her.
Since I was a member of the Temple I didn't need to make up some false pretence for being there and entered the Halls of Wisdom inconspiciously by late afternoon.
So far, the mission itself was easy; it was getting to the right location that was the time-consuming part. I had wandered for hours through the various cantons and lost my way several times, so entering the Halls of Wisdom was a big relief; finally I had reached my destination. Now all that was left was finding the right priestess among all the others.

A/N: I edited the part of Rales' interaction with Huleeya. Although being a minor change, I think it's a big improvement.

:read: Ahah! Some good old fashioned snooping and sniffing about is afoot.


This is beautiful, and delicately conveys images, thoughts and feelings well beyond the small number of words. :nod:

Another wonderful update!



A handful of little edit things for your consideration:

-'The moment I walked into the club I could see Huleeya was what you might call {in?} a tight spot.'

-'...blieve {believe}that you are.'

-'What better way then blending in a bar than by ordering a drink.'
This reads quite awkwardly to me. Would you consider something like: 'What better way then, to blend in at a bar than by ordering a drink?' ?

-'...and entered the Halls of Wisdom inconspicious by late afternoon.'
Here you are amplifying or modifying the verb 'entered'. As such you want the adverb inconspicuously rather than the adjective inconspicuous.

-'Sofar {So far}, the mission itself was easy;'

@Acadian:Thanks. You are right, that was awkward. When I wrote and proofread it, it seemed fine, but now you adressed it; I agree entirely.
"inconspicuously" means "in plain sight", right? I wasn't certain but relied on you catching it if it were out of context.

I'd take it to mean 'not noticed'. Not necessarily hiding, just not drawing attention to yourself.

Yeah, that's exactly what I wanted to portray. Casually, like nothing is out of the ordinary.

Hey, I'm caught up reading now! Good stuff going on, I like it. At the end though when Jobasha sells him an illegal book he's trying to keep hidden from the temple, why did Jobasha sell it to a member of the temple? Even if Rales wasn't wearing anything to indicate his affiliation, shouldn't there be a safety precaution for Jobasha?

Nice. I like the way you handled Huleeya's situation.

Just a few small nits:


Given Rales' wonderful ability to turn a phrase, you might ignore the first one, but on the second 'negligible' is the proper spelling.

That's a good question. As you say: Jobasha has no way of knowing Rales is part of the temple. But then again; he has no way of knowing for sure Rales isn't a member of the Temple either...
I'll deffo look into fixing that flaw. Thank you for pointing that out!
I think I'll add a bit of dialogue where it becomes apparant Rales isn't going to turn in Jobasha. Because that's the heart of the matter isn't it?
@Destri: Thanks! I wanted to change it a bit. Asking the three Dunmer: [whining voice]'Please leave the poor Argonian alone,'[/whining voice] was rather errr... childish.

Your descriptions are one thing that makes your writing outstanding! (EX: The way he moved told me his self-confidence wasn't misplaced at all; he moved with the grace of an experienced martial-artist. Not a muscle or limb flexed more or less than absolutely necessary.) - There is a visual image that comes to mind by that - really Awesome way to show the reader what you mean! I can learn a lot reading your story about "Show don't tell" you do an excellent job of it! That was only one example, I saw several I could have quoted! Great write (as usual!)

@mALX1: You really think so? And to think I was worried I was telling too much rather than showing.. :twirl: I don't like to brag but that was one my better moments when I wrote that.


Secrecy wasn't really asked for. As I mentioned earlier, I had every reason for being where I was. Several people hadn't a clue where I could find Mehra.
It took six or seven inquiries with various people before I finally learned that she would most likely be in the library, which was down the hall on the righthand-side.
I was just about to give up asking and just barge into all the rooms out of frustration.
Following the precise directions I had received, it was a matter of mere minutes until I had found the library where only one priestess among many priests was present.

This time, I took my role as an Imperial Spy more seriously. Directly asking her about legends and obscurities that were highly frowned upon and regarded with disdain by the Tribunal Temple seemed rather unwise. Instead, I engaged a discussion with her by asking about the pilgrimage I still hadn't fulfilled ? that was the thing I had forgotten; the pilgrimage to the shrines in and around Gnisis, I suddenly realised. Gladly she told me all about them. Where to find the shrines and what to donate. All this information could also be found in the book called:"The Pilgrim's path". I faked a cough to hide the fact I almost burst out in laughter because of the irony in that.

While she told me about the shrines, I slipped her a clue Caius had sent me. Her voice changed from slightly pedantic to a whisper and told me to follow her to a more secluded area where we could talk freely. Nodding, I followed her lead to the back of the library, between several bookcases.
Frantically - I don't think she had much sense of discretion ? she looked around to check if no-one had followed us and told me all she knew about the Sixth House cult. From what I understood, this cult worships the unmourned, lost House Dagoth and its evil leader; Dagoth Ur in the Red Mountain at the heart of Vvardenfell.

Like Huleeya, she handed me a summary of everything we had just discussed and advised me to read the book called:"Progress of Truth." Good thing I had already bought it from Jobasha.
'Thank you, I'll go see about that shrine,' I said, slightly louder than normal speaking volume. Much to her credit, she picked up on it and wished me good luck with my pilgrimage.

Longing to get back to Zerina and our rented suite, I took a gondola to the Redoran canton and tipped the gondolier to make haste. Halfway I got annoyed with the slow pace and shoved the gondolier aside, stating I'd row myself. The poor guy almost fell into the canol. All in all, the day had been a good day; I had visited two out of three of my informants in a single day. If I'd be able to locate Addhirannir ? the Khajiit informant - just as quickly the next day, I'd manage to finish my mission in two days rather than three, leaving one day for Zerina and me to have some fun. The thought alone brought an ear-to-ear smile to my face. I even managed to get back in time to have dinner together.

Ok, this was another good story that moves things along. Wonderfully 'Rales', and even mentions the lovely Zerina. :goodjob:

Now that said, I'm afraid I must report a number of grammatical type errors that actually led to some distraction on my part and required me to reread a couple sentences to make sense of them. I certainly appreciate the 'unique' voice and style of Rales, and have considered that. I hope you forgive my pickiness, and understand that it stems from my love for your story:


The closest use for a semicolon here would be to connect two independent clauses, which this does not. I recommend reviewing here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semicolon

This is simply awkward. I am not expert enough to disect it, merely to report that I had to read it several times to sort out your meaning. Certainly a smaller number of simpler sentences would be a good start.


Serious modifies or describes the verb took. Therefore it is an adverb and should be seriously


Similarly, quick modifies the verb locate and should be quickly.


Instead


Awkward. Again the precise rules elude me. I would try something like: '...to hide the fact that I almost...'


Even considering Rales unique manner of describing things, this did not work for me. I would recommend: '...bought it from Jobasha.'

@Acadian: Forgive your pickiness? M8, I encourage it! How would I have known I made a mess of that part if you hadn't "rubbed it in"?
I am ashamed to see I keep making the same mistake over and over and over and over (ah, you get the picture). Instead is one word....get it to your thick skull... (I re-did the awkward sentence four times and I just couldn't get it right, although it looked fine to me the last try.... Bugger.. Thanks for the help on that one. :icecream:


Passing by a vendor on my way back to "The Flowers of Gold", I couldn't resist buying Zerina a present. A truly gorgeous silver necklace with a highly detailed pendant and a flawless ruby in the center, matching the colour of her hair, caught my eye. The seller tried to convince me it was an antiquity, almost as old as the Tribunal. I had my own thoughts about that but didn't insult him by arguing. It probably would've only raised the price - it was expensive enough as it was. A delicate, black mahogany box with gold trimming around the edges came with the necklace. Cautiously, he placed the necklace on the red silk cushion in the small box. I could swear the box alone was worth half the value of the necklace. I couldn't wait to see Zerina's face when she would open the giftwrap and the box inside after dinner.

With the gift hidden in my sleeve, I entered the suite only to find Zerina wasn't there. Some personal belongings, she'd never leave behind for long, were evidence she had been back to the room, if only briefly. I hid the present among my other belongings, hoping she wouldn't find it and spoil the surprise for herself.

'Have you seen Zerina?' I asked Sorosi Radobar, the proprietor of the tavern.
'Who? Oooh, you mean the kind lady that was with you yesterday? She's downstairs, taking a bath.'
'A what? Ah, never mind, thanks.'
'Would you like a towel?' Gladly I took the incredibly soft towel she handed me, bought a bottle of wine and headed downstairs. Apparantly, they had a room especially for bathing. Something I had never seen before.

Of course, the door was locked.
'Is that you, Rales?' Zerina asked after I knocked.
'Yeah, open the door will you?'
Several moments later, Zerina opened the door with a towel wrapped around her upper body. Her wet hair, heavy with the weight of the water, reached all the way to her waist. I gasped at the sight.
To keep the heat inside the room, I hastily took off my boots, stepped carefully inside the room so I wouldn't slip on the wet tiles and locked the door behind me.

Zerina had already got back inside the gigantic bathtub - it could easily be used by five people at the same time.
'Be a dear and channel some heat through those pipes,' she asked me and pointed at pipes that ran underneath the bath.
The cleverness of the heating installation looked familiar. 'Its designer must have taken a good look at some of the constructs inside Dwemer ruins,' I mused.
I focused my will and channeled a firespell through the pipes. I made sure not to overdo it so the water wouldn't get blistering hot all of a sudden.
A satisfied 'Aah?' confirmed I had got it just right.
After I had undressed, I filled two glasses and joined Zerina in the bathtub.
'What took you so long?' Zerina jested.
I scoffed and stuck out my tongue. She laughed, peddled over and nested herself in my arms.