It seems Vile gets just as much entertainment out of your plot weaving as we do. I can't wait to find out who made Janus and the countless other things that you still haven't told us. you will tell us right? or I may have to go see mora myself and see if he knows anything.

Oohhhhhhh, so very exciting!!!! More, more, MORE!

As for being DFoxy, I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree with you there -- that really is something I think I would know, and I know nothing of the sort, therefore I am not he, nor he me.

Oooh, I don't know . . . Famous last words and all that! Careful, Janus!

Now it all begins to make sense. I knew if I was patient that it would all come together!

More!

Now we're cookin'!!!! Getting closer. How exciting!

Oh my. I just discerned a huge, giant clue. I am so proud of myself. I shall not announce it here though.

The wonder of mALX! We trust you. Lead on!

All these things are about to start coming to the light very soon - along with some under the surface stuff that hasn't come out yet but has been written about in the previous and upcoming chapters (stuff that didn't seem important at the time but really will turn out to be later). - Everything is waiting for Maxical to be brought back to life and on her feet, and then everything will start going down. The ceremony starts in four chapters!

***
@ Arcry - You and me both, I would want to find out what this one or the other was secretly thinking or doing, then I would start thinking ... hmm, if I could get the dirt on Ocato, I could be running Tamriel !!! Thanks Arcry!
***
@ Rachel the Breton - Thank you so much Rachel!! Oh, well...I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken. - Just kidding. I will quit teasing with you, lol. This is what comes from being hyper and hemmed in by snow, lol. You ROCK !!!
***
@ Hauteecole Rider - You have a valid point...er...premonition? I never say aloud things can't get worse, because they invariably do if you say it, lol. Thank you so much Hauty!
***
@ Acadian - PM me with it! I think I know what you are talking about, you have been catching everything lately! Thank you Acadian, you are Awesome!!


*

Janus's head was reeling. What was going on? He buried his face in the fur of Barbas, his shaking hands entwining themselves in the curly thickness of it.

I am totally with you Janus! :ahhh:


FOUR MORE CHAPTERS! ARRGGH!!

You are going to make me re-think the direction my own story is taking if you keep writing Daedric Princes so well!

That was an awesome chapter !!! You were at your capricious best mALX. Just like the daedric prince we had no idea what might happen next.

Down, down, down the rabbit hole we tumble, who is the real Maxical? who is her mother? what is her true destiny? what will the end result of Janus be? who is Foxy? who is Rachel?
We only have bits and pieces. And we are loving it!!!

I saw one quote that I want to respond to, ahhh, I'll send you a PM. Better to be safe.

That was very cruel mALX to tease us with the Janus conversation while the girls have gone into the cabin.

*a huge wolf leaps over the low wooden seat and bounds up to the door. His throat makes a low, keening sound as he furiously scratches at the entrance. Cocking his head to the side he strains to hear the sound of the voices within.*

*checks topic* 'No, this really is Maxical's journey..' AWESOME!

@ Destri Melarg - I am pretty sure he is the last Daedric Lord I will be doing. I studied every bit of dialogue, descriptions, etc. that I could - then dug till I found some vids of him to get his personality down before writing his part, I wanted it to be as close to his in-game persona as possible. He will be in the story for a while, and I don't plan to do any others at this time. Janus won't need Hermaeus Mora for info with Divayth Fyr and the gang around, lol. Thank you very much Destri !!!
***
@ Winter Wolf - Yeah, send it is fine! You must have found a clue! Oh, the timber wolf that has been wandering our property has disappeared, we are not sure what happened to it, just hoping one of the neighbors didn't shoot it. The conversation of the women may have to come out after Maxical is brought to life, I have everything lined up for the ceremony, and while Maxical is recuperating she will have no exciting story lines going - but I won't leave you hanging too long (sorry - Thank you so much Wolf, You ROCK !!
***
@ RemkoNL - Lol, because of the nature of what is going to be done, I had to crawl back into the Lore to do this - I hope I am representing the older games as well as Destri and you do !! Thank you so much RemkoNL !!

Chapter 82: And Deceptions Create Destruction


Clavicus Vile watched Janus carefully for a reaction. "I suggest you talk to Hermaeus Mora. You may find out some things that will make you feel a lot better about that day?or they may make you feel a lot worse, I guess it depends on how you look at things. Oh, another riddle! Don't you just love riddles?"

"Respectfully no, your Lordship. I don't enjoy them at all."

"Well, I believe I am beginning to feel boredom coming on. Are those women going to chat forever? It will look like the witch talked the Khajiit to death when they emerge, will it not?"

Despite himself, Janus found himself laughing at that. "I believe she could, your Lordship."

"Oh, you haven't figured it out yet, have you? You are not the brightest one, are you? Have you not realized that most of what you have seen has been Shivani? Makes you wonder what Melisande is really like, doesn't it now? Another riddle! The one guiding her actions to bring this child back has been Shivani. She was in the mouse when it helped you find the soul, she was even in you for a little while... speaking of which, you will find Barbas is a great medium for spirits. I will allow Shivani to visit with Maxical through Barbas on occasion, how would you feel about that?" Clavicus grinned, training his slanted eyes on Janus.

"Of course I would want her to be able to see Maxical. I don't know how to face her, she must hate me for what I did." Janus was scanning his memory for conversations with Melisande and trying to picture Shivani there.

"The child has her personality." Clavicus looked sideways at Janus.

"Well I haven't seen that in Melisande?but I can think of a few times I am sure it was her I was dealing with, now that I know."

"There is something else you need to know. You have opened a portal to Oblivion in your courtyard. A portal door opens both ways. While you entered here, you have left open a doorway to your world that any up here may take advantage of, including Mehrunes Dagon. That child's soul is in danger here, but will also be when you bring it back there if you tarry. Should you choose to visit Hermaeus Mora, I suggest you don't take long, and that you close the portal as soon as you return."

"How?"

"That is another riddle, but one of you will figure it out. I cannot give away all our secrets, now can I? The door to Hermaeus Mora's plane is the other side of this cottage, the one to Cyrodiil is back the way you came."


**********************


"Melisande, let us go straight back to Cyrodiil. It is too dangerous for Maxical's soul here. Clavicus Vile said Mehrunes Dagon will try and take it from us." Janus urged.

"Mehrunes Dagon? Why would he be interested in the soul of one Khajiit locked away in a soul gem?" Melisande sounded disbelieving.

"Remember I told you that Maxical had sworn her service to Uriel Septim? His dreaming of her? Clavicus Vile confirmed it was true; but not to do road work like Maxical thought. He said that within a year Mehrunes Dagon will attack Cyrodiil, and the service Maxical is supposed to perform is that of defeating his armies. Mehrunes Dagon knows she is here, and may take her soul from us if we tarry here. Clavicus also said that a portal to Oblivion goes both ways, and that Dagon can follow us out, we must go back and close that portal now, and get Maxical out of here. Neither one of us is capable of fighting him."

"You expect me to believe a tiny thing like Maxical was chosen to defeat the armies of Daedra Dagon would produce if he attacked Cyrodiil? She is just a child! You have misheard him, or he pulls your leg. How could Uriel expect such a thing of her? We would bring her back just to watch her die if that were true."

"I will have to keep her locked up, he can't call her to service if he does not know where she is."

"You can't do that if she has given her vow to him!"

"Well I can't just let her go out and get killed again, either. She will need my Dark Gift to be truly safe. That is our only hope."

"She'll have your blood in her veins from this ceremony. She won't need your gift."

"I don't want to take a chance on that, we don't know if that will work."

"What are you doing, stealing Clavicus Vile's dog?"

"No, he gave him to me for Maxical. He said Barbas will protect her soul in case we are followed out of here, and see she comes to no harm. Later her mother will be able to visit Maxical using Barbas as a medium."

"Clavicus Vile does not give gifts from the goodness of his heart. They usually turn out to be two-edged swords. I would not trust him, and send Barbas back to him."

"But?what about Maxical getting to see her mother?"

"Look what followed me home, can I keep it? Why don't you just admit you want the dog, you have fondled it since we got here. What a child you are for being a hundred years old, have you always gotten everything you wanted?"

"Pretty much, and I am not 100 yet. It would be really good if Maxical could meet her mother. By the way, what did you find out from her?" Janus effectively changed the subject.

"We can talk about that later, we need to get Maxical's soul to safety. Did he tell you how to close that gate?" Melisande began hurrying toward the portal.

"No, he said we had to figure it out ourselves. Did the instructions to open it not say how to close it back?" Janus covered Barbas with his cloak and held him as he stepped into the fiery gate.

"No. We better figure something out fast. I'm not even sure how to get back to Cyrodiil." Melisande said, almost causing Janus to faint again.


***


When they arrived back in Cyrodiil they still had no idea how to close the gate. After Clavicus Vile's warning, Janus was in terror of any second seeing the hulking form of Mehrunes Dagon come out of it. Seeing the golden liquid in the vat eddying rapidly and seemingly in a matching pulse with the flames surrounding the doorway, Janus tried kicking over the vat. Instead of closing the portal, it grew to enormous proportions and the flames shot out of control. The fiery circle towered over the castle as if it were a miniature replica you may find in a store.

"What the hell are you doing, Janus? Trying to get us killed?" Melisande screamed.

Janus grabbed Barbas and hurried him away from the flaming inferno, pushing him out the front gates where he could run to safety if he had to. "Stay here where it is safe Barbas." He said, patting the franticly barking dog on the head. Then he ran back in to help Melisande. "Can't you reverse the steps you took to create it?" he shouted over the roar of and buzzing of the portal.

As if a thought struck her, Melisande ran into the center of the flames, screaming as they burned her. She screamed something to Janus but he couldn't hear it over the racket of the gate or the barking of Barbas. Next thing he knew the fiery orb she had placed in the center of the symbol came flying out at him, hitting him and searing his flesh.

Melisande was yelling for him not to drop it on the ground, and because of his weakness to fire that the vampirism caused and the intense heat of the orb itself, Janus was screaming like a banshee. Barbas was yelping and jumping against the gate, Janus could hear his deep baying yelps even over his own yowling. The gate vibrated each time the massive dog threw himself against it. He wrapped the fiery ball up in his velvet suit, the cloth began to burn, the smell of it singed Janus's nostrils.

Melisande grabbed the leather satchel and held it underneath the ball. "Drop it in, Janus! And stop bawling like a calf, you are making me deaf!"

Janus readily dropped the orb into the bag and began healing his burns. "I thought Clavicus Vile said you were going to be nicer to me now that Shivani was no longer residing inside you." He muttered under his breath.

"Clavicus Vile does not have to deal with you and your wailing." Melisande snapped till she saw the depth of the burns on him. "Oh Janus, I forgot about your weakness where fire is concerned. But that sigil could not touch the ground; and see? I have closed the portal!"

Janus hurriedly healed, mumbling under his breath. He ran to the gate to let Barbas back in. The huge dog knocked him down, licking his face.

"I thought I heard you were a germophobe. So far I have seen you kiss a rodent and let a dog lick your face. A filthy dog, I might add."

"He is not filthy. And who said that about me!" Janus demanded.

"Everyone." Melisande replied, looking at him curiously. "And yes he is filthy. Maxical may not like these changes in you."

"She made these changes in me." Janus said, remembering his revulsion when he first saw her kissing Alix. "And he won't be filthy long. I have a bathtub made of gold he can take scented baths in."

"He may eat Alix, did you ever think of that?" Melisande looked at the huge size of the dog. "He looks like he has eaten people before."

"I didn't think about that. Maybe I should keep Alix up off the ground till I see how he acts around him. I will have to keep him full so he doesn't want any between meal snacks."

"That will be pretty hard to do, judging from the size of him." Melisande snorted.


***************** Melisande

The bodyguard handed Melisande a message as soon as they got into the castle. She glanced at it, surprised, then thanked him kindly.

"Janus, I need to take care of a few things, you will need to stay here and guard that stone with your life. I think it best if you and Barbas aren't with me for some of this."

When Melisande returned it was daylight. She shut and locked the door to her room at the castle and reached into her pack, pulling out a very unusual staff. The head of it appeared to be that of a rotted skull held up by three bony skeleton hands. The shaft of the staff seemed to be made of bone as well, with dried blood veins and muscle tissue winding around it. The end of the staff was sharp enough to stab someone if needed.

Rajhin and Baan Dar had done better than she had hoped. She had relied on the fact that they were both Gods predisposed to Khajiit, and would be helping one of their protected. They were both Gods of thievery as well, and it had been an act of strategy to pit them against each other as to which could steal the staff first.

She never expected them to return with it so quickly though. Somehow she had thought it would barely squeak in under the wire, be used; then be disposed of so trouble would not be drawn down on this castle, or on herself. Instead there was still much to do before the staff would be needed, and no where to hide it.

It would be too risky to leave it behind in the castle, but would it be safe to carry it with her? Maybe if Janus accompanied her. Half the time he was a help, the other half a liability. She would keep the staff with her, it would be the safest bet. Or maybe she could hide it in the crypt and leave the dog as guard? A spell on the outside of the cell?



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*

Whew! They made it back and closed that gate. How exciting! My head is still spinning.

Borba looks like a manatee with fur! :lmao:

Oh no! Now a staff to figure out. Can't wait to see what happens next!

Skull of Corruption?

Staff of Worms?

Argh?

That pic of Barbas makes it hard for me to believe he can do anything more than wheeze!

And Janus chickened out on going to Mora? Bawk! Bawk! Bawk!

It gets better and better! Can I get some more please?

@ Acadian - ARGH! You should put that in spoilers, lol. I kind of thought he looked like a manatee myself, good call! - the staff...yes. Thanks so much Acadian, you are Awesome!
***
@ Hauteecole Rider - Hmmm...can't tell. - ROFL !! I do think Janus has a yellow streak, but in this one I'm on his side, I just want them to do what is needed to get her back, lol. She missed out on the Tourney over in Bravil! Lol. Thank you so much Hauty!
***
@ RemkoNL - Thank you, Thank you !! And what a great review you did on the FeyFolken, they should have gotten you and Shades to judge it! (except I'm pretty sure I saw shades inimitable style of writing in one of those stories). Thank you so much Remko!

*

Aww..Personaly I would have liked to see Mora...Oh well....Now...How to hide such a obvious hazard to all things living....

Oh my! Barbas is one plump doggie! Am I to assume you find overly plump animals adorable? If so, than I'm not alone!

Its such a great story! Though I'm really, really curious about the conversation between Melisande and Shivani

I have to admit that I was curious to see how Janus would behave in Apocrypha, but I can understand why they didn't go. Using Rajhin and Baan Dar to secure the staff was brilliant. Who else would so willingly come to a Khajiit in need?

The tension continues to grow. And now Dagon looms on the horizon. Maxical has a whole lot of housekeeping to do when she gets back!

@ Arcry - I know, I see trouble on the horizon there, Lol. I had planned to do Mora, but just couldn't see how it would further the storyline at this time, and I wanted Maxical back before she missed any other fairs !! Lol. Thanks Arcry !!!
***
@ Jacki Dice - I can't help it, ever since Alix the mouse became gynormous I have been excited over how many other overyly stuffed animals I can give her as a pet, ROFL !!! I saw this pic of Barbas and just had to have it in the story - in fact the pic is why she ended up going to Clavicus Vile's. I started asking my friends to name it and nothing fit till I thought of Barbas, lol.

The Shivani revelation will come, just not before I get Maxical breathing again, lol. Thank you so much Jacki!
***
@ Destri Melarg - I had picked out Rajhin and Baan Dar to steal the staff before I had anything else, then figured she would need a soul, etc. and it grew from there, lol.

The next three chapters are AWESOME !! I have been editing them today - it is going down! Yeah !!! The...( *mALX was gagged before giving away upcoming storyline *)

Thank you very much Destri !!!!

There is a cameo mention of Mrs. Treydog (the Artist) in this chapter. There is also a guest appearance of D. Foxy's character Damien "Foxy" Reynard as well as a cameo mention of his character Sneakers.



Chapter 83: Barbas And Alix The Mouse


Melisande went up and raised her hand to knock on the open door of Janus's suite, but put her head in first to see if he was there. Janus was sitting at the table, on either side of him was a chair. On one side the huge figure of Barbas rested, an enormous steak on a plate in front of him. On the other side was a chair with books piled up in it, and Alix sat atop the books, a plate of fruits and vegetables in front of him.

"If Clavicus Vile knew how you would spoil that dog, he would never have loaned him to you." Melisande said disgustedly.

"Loaned? What do you mean loaned? He said I could have him as a pet for Maxical." Janus face and voice reflected the anxiety her words had suddenly brought up in him.

"Janus, consider this a warning. Clavicus Vile is not a generous benefactor. There is a trick to everything he gives. I would be careful how attached you get to Barbas, although it appears I am already too late with that warning. Barbas is no ordinary dog. He will want him back one day."

"He looks ordinary to me." Janus muttered, indicating she should pull up a chair and get something to eat.

"He must weigh at least 350 pounds, that is not ordinary. And how many dogs live hundreds of years, or take up with a stranger and leave their master of all that time so readily. Be cautious with your heart over this dog, that is all I am saying."

Janus looked over at Barbas and could have sworn he saw the dog stick its tongue out at Melisande. "I'm with you there buddy." He whispered, scratching his ear.

"I thought I would bring him out after dark and throw a stick for him." Janus said, envisioning seeing others doing that with their dogs.

"You may be better off throwing a guard for him, except he may eat it. I take it Maxical won't feel funny about eating at the table with rodents and dogs?"

"She loves animals?well, actually, she never let Alix up on the table like this, he usually had his plate in the chair, but the chair was pulled up to the table. And she has never had a dog before, neither have I."

"I can see that. You really are lonely up here, aren't you."

"You have no idea. Before Maxical came, it was like a life sentence. Even a death sentence would have been preferable. Since she stayed with me those months, it has been unbearable to be alone."

Melisande looked around and her eye caught the painting of Alix propped up in an alcove on the wall. "Is that a Mrs. Treydog? You paid her to make a portrait of a rat?"

Alix sat up on his hind legs and started squeaking loudly.

"Alix is a mouse, not a rat. And she made the portrait because she liked him. I paid her to purchase it, of course."

Then she caught sight of the two golden bathtubs side by side. "Did you actually bathe that dog in a tub of gold? And use your scents on him?"

"I let him choose the scent he liked. He just happened to like the one I wear."

"Good gods, Janus. I feel like I have stepped into Sheogorath's realm. Even he may think you had gone around the bend."

"Alix always chooses his own scents for his bath, why should Barbas not get the same opportunity?"

"The ra-mouse chooses his own scents? How does he tell you what he likes?"

"I'll show you." Janus carried Alix over to the bath vanity and uncorked each bath scent, laying the corks down next to the bottle it came from. "Which bath scent would you like in your bath tonight, Alix?" He asked.

Alix went from cork to cork sniffing each. Finally he selected one and held it up toward Janus in his paws. Janus corked the rest and began drawing him a bath in the tub the dog had recently bathed in. Alix began squealing loudly.

"What is it Alix?" Janus asked, confused.

Alix pointed his nose to the clean tub.

"But?that is my tub. The other one is for you and Barbas."

Alix turned his back on Janus and laid his ears flat against his head, making a grumbling noise under his breath.

"Okay, you can use my bath. I will have to order another tub so you have your own."

Alix turned back around and made a string of sounds that could easily be construed as curses. He scurried over and dropped down onto the lip of Janus's tub and waited for him to draw the bath.

Melisande gave a disgusted snort. "I'm leaving before I see anymore, those animals are running you." Her cackling could be heard echoing up the stairwell as she made her way across to her own quarters.

"Don't listen to her." Janus said, drawing the warm bath for Alix.


****************** Janus

When he and Melisande had arrived home from the Sage's he had immediately sent a note to Alix through a messenger that could not be connected to the castle or himself. His Steward Shum had found a girl who was perfect for the job, a young Nord girl named Eyja. Janus had passed the message to Shum, who in turn gave it to the girl with instructions that she was to slip in unseen and lay it in plain view where it would be seen easily; then slip out unnoticed. The message read:

Alix

If someone you really loved was gone,
Your desire to save them really strong;
When you feel all hope is lost
You should petition Akatosh.

He'll raise the dead, and heal the sick
He'll grant you every thought and wish
Ask that he do this thing for you
And your fondest wishes will come true

Petition Akatosh, don't delay
Pray to him both night and day
Do it on this very day
The one you seek is on her way

A Friend



***************** Eyja


Eyja scurried up the steps of the Tiber Septim Hotel. She gave a cadenced knock at a door; then listened for the click and then entered.

"Damien, can you copy this quickly? It is from Count Skingrad, he is sending it to Maxical's father. I was hired to deliver it by Shum because the Count did not want this connected to the castle." Eyja said, winking and handing the message to Damien Reynard. "Shum comes through again."

He took the sealed missive from her without a word and went quickly into his laboratory. Damien poured a small amount of liquid in his calcinator and lit the fire below it. Within a minute steam began to rise from the liquid. He held the missive over the steam for a few seconds and then with practiced ease slid seal from the paper using the edge of a flat razor.

He spread the note out and began copying it, carefully imitating the handwriting by habit. Removing the calcinator he held the razor with the seal over the flames to heat it. With skill honed through the years Damien slid the seal off the razor and positioned it exactly where it had been originally on the missive. As it cooled, it sealed the note back together, as if it had never been tampered with.

"Thank you, Eyja. Go quickly, and then get back to the castle. I don't want anything to happen there that you don't see. I will send Sneakers, he can deliver coded reports if anything happens. Be careful, the tail on Vicente says he is hiding out right around that Inn. I would say he has a bone to pick with you." He laughed.

"You think?" Eyja laughed, heading to the door.

"When this is over, are we to have a debriefing on Lucien Lachance?" Damien asked in mock innocence.

Eyja froze, her cheeks flushing. "Er?"

"Go." Foxy waved her off without looking up. His lips had pulled into a tight line as he stared down at the poem on the copy he had just made; the muscles in his jaw working tensely.


********************** Vicente

A familiar scent he hoped never to smell again wafted under Vicente's nose. Eyja! What was she doing still alive? Why had she not been taken in the purge, and why was she here? Was it possible she was the one hired to do the purification? Was she sent by Lucien to do the purge on himself? It was daylight hours, he could not leave the cave he was hiding in, so he readied his sword and waited. She seemed to go just as far as the vicinity of the Inns and within a short period headed back north. What was that all about? Had it been nighttime, Vicente would have slain her, and enjoyed doing it.



******************** Alix

Alix came downstairs following the scent of fresh potato bread. It wasn't like him to sleep late, if sleep is what one would call what he had been doing lately. In the two years Maxical had been gone, this past week had been the first time he had felt?that she was not alive. Looking at the distant expression on S'Jirra's face it wasn't hard to determine she had the same thoughts, but he couldn't bring himself to say them aloud. Fear of the spoken becoming a reality had kept him from expressing his feelings with S'Jirra.

Early in the week he saw a girl with white skin and red hair, even wearing the old leather armor; she was picking her way down the hill to the Faregyl. He had been out in the yard giving a lesson; and just for that second he thought it was Maxical coming home. In his joy that he had been wrong about her being dead he had made a show of swordplay in front of her; only to find it was not Maxical, but a Wood Elf named Teresa.

Teresa seemed like a startled fawn ready to bolt, but they had wanted to trust her. Then there was that assault on the woman outside his Inn, the theft of Maxical's dagger. Somehow that was connected to what he was feeling, but Alix could not figure out how. His senses told him it was though. The woman Melisande had been nice?there was something familiar about her. He couldn't put his finger on it.

That night Alix had gone out looking for the thief, somehow knowing he would stay in the vicinity. He had sensed two presences out there; yet Alix did not feel they worked together, rather it seemed one was protecting him. One of them deliberately led him away from the other.

What was going on? All these strange occurrences happening this week. How he wished Damien was still alive. He was the one person Alix knew would be able to get to the bottom of it all.

With a sigh, Alix sat down to wait for his breakfast. A plain missive lay on the table that looked as if it had not been opened yet. It was rare to find unopened mail; S'Jirra and Abhuki usually had it thoroughly read and discussed before he got a glimpse. Alix broke the seal after inspecting it to see if it was familiar to him. It was plain, almost too plain. It looked like someone had removed their seal and used the stamp with the blank slot in it.

When Alix read the poem within he gave a shout. S'Jiirra came running.

"What is it? What is going on?" Her face looked like she dreaded the answer.

"Who has been here? Where did this note come from?" Alix demanded.

"No one has come in yet this morning. We had no visitors last night either. What is it Alix?"

"Then where did this note come from? It was laying here on the table." Alix sounded like he was close to the breaking point.

"I set that table just a little while ago, there was no note on it, and no one has been here!" Abhuki said gruffly.

"Come to the room with me S'Jirra." Alix said, his voice breaking.

Alix shut the door behind S'Jirra when she followed him in. "I haven't said anything before, but something is wrong with Maxical, I just know it." Tears were rolling down his face.

S'Jirra was already crying. "I have felt that too. What is in that note Alix?"

He handed her the note and watched as she gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "What does this mean?"

"It means we petition Akatosh. And we start right now." Alix said.

*


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*

Great fun, high suspense and deep mystery! :twirl:

So many of your characters (and others) pass through this chapter! I still vote for Alix the Mouse.

Janus' indulgence of mouse and dog is very 'Maxicalish'. . . perhaps the fact that he carries her soul in his pants is responsible?

Poor Alix and S'Jirra.

So Janus is a poet as well?

Seems to me that Alix the Mouse has picked up a few of Janus's eccentricities, especially concerning his bath!

Another well-done chapter!

And so the date draws closer! The Vampires may continue their attempts to convert our Khajiit, Damian may have his student back, and last but not least, Maxical will be reuntited, at some point, with her family.

Can't wait!

:rofl: Is that a soul in your pants or are you just... *snerk* Sorry, inner 12 year old is out and about.

I have some backtracking to do, I think I missed a couple chapters, but the bit with Alix's pov was really well done. Lines like this convey a lot.

It has been so long that I let my guard down.


So there I was, cup of the Ol' Mountain in my hand, and I read your post... and when I got the the bathtubs, well, the bathtubs may have been empty of liquid, but my screen and the keyboard were drenched.

And my nose full of hot coffee.

Check your male ( er er mail ) Malx, one ginormouse cleaning and medical expenses bill is arriving.

I cannot wait to see that day happen!! :nod: If Janus thinks that he has no control now, just wait for what the future might hold.

My mind is ticking over regarding Sneakers. What have you got planned?? I wonder?