Beth was indeed thankful for the new armor as the ash swirled around the hot and humid air during their walk along the coast.
She was settling down on a piece of driftwood, opening the cap of her water canteen when she heard a rustle behind her.
"Watch yourself!" Teldryn warned, unsheathing his sword. Grabbing her own, she turned around and stood up, readying for an attack.
The sand was swirling angrily as a body started materializing. Beth gasped as she tripped over the wood while taking a step back landing on her rear. Stunned, she was unable to move.
The earthen form stood fully, it's mouth and eyes opening in furious glowing menace, magica crackling in its clawed sandy hands.
Teldryn swiftly lunged, piercing the eerie glow in its chest making the figure erupt into an explosion of gritty sand.
He stood surveying the area for a moment before turning towards her. Leaning down, he grabbing Beths' hand pulling her up to her feet.
"Teldryn one, Ash spawn zero" he grinned.
"THAT was an ash spawn?" She gasped.
"They can be quite deadly, especially when there's more than one" he replied. "For a brainless creature, they're surprisingly cunning and fast."
Beth shook her head. "I guess you WILL come in handy!"
"Come in handy indeed!" Cackled the Dunmer. "My dear, you would have been spawn food if I hadn't been here to save your ass". He laughed. "Come in handy" he repeated shaking his head with a chuckle "Meanwhile you sat there staring like a fish out of water".
"I did NOT!" Beth argued. "I was strategically planning my next move."
"Sure!" Teldryn laughed, causing Beth to giggle herself.
"Okay fine." She admitted. "It was something I hadn't seen before, and was quite taken aback".
They both sat on the log quietly looking out over the ocean while sipping their water. Waves gently rolled in, tumbling seaweed and sand towards their feet.
The sun was slowly dipping into the horizon as stars twinkled into existence one by one, cooling the air.
"I say we camp here for the night" Teldryn said, breaking the peaceful silence.
"What if more of those Ash things show up?" Beth looked around cautiously.
"They only spawn in the wild during the daylight, unless summoned" he replied. "The only thing that would come near are the Netches."
Beth followed his hand as he pointed out a pod of the large bodied creatures floating above the water a few miles out. Their bellies pulsing blue as the bottom of their tentacles dragged in the water.
"I heard they were ferocious" Beth replied swallowing the lump in her throat, remembering her chat with the apothecary earlier the day before.
"That's only if you threaten them" he sniffed. "If you approach them while they are nursing their young, they will attack. Likewise if you harm any of their family members. But if they come to you, they're actually quite peaceful."
"Sadly, their population have been dwindling since the discovery of the usefulness of their jelly." He sighed. "They really are fascinating creatures, one of my favorites actually but very misunderstood".
Beth watched the Netches off in the distance a few minutes more until Teldryn stood up and began to gather some wood.
"Help me gather more" he said.
Beth wandered a few feet away collecting dry wood when she heard a rustle. Her heart thudded as she grabbed her bow and an arrow from her quiver. A rabbit appeared, nibbling on a sparse patch of green grass. She quietly set her arrow and let it fly, piercing the rabbit in the side.
She returned back to camp with an armload of wood and her furry reward.
"Ahhh, roasted rabbit for dinner" Teldryn smiled. "You look to be quite handy yourself" he said chuckling.
The pair bundled the wood into a pit Teldryn had dug for the fire. He stretched his arm out, sparks shooting from his extended fingers, setting the wood ablaze.
Beth skinned the rabbit, keeping its fur intact.
"I don't have a spit" she said, partially to herself as she gutted the dead animal.
"Here" Teldryn said holding her a long stick. "We'll just have to do it manually"
She speared the animal carcass onto the stick.
"You're just going to cook it like that?" Teldryn asked, sounding offended.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
He sighed, standing up and walked away.
Beth huffed! "Of all the nerve! If you're really that damn picky, then you can cook it yourself" she shouted out to him.
"Come now, don't be like that" he said returning with a handful of red foliage.
"Let me show you" he said sitting down next to her and taking the stick. "Here, go wet these" he instructed as he handed her the red leaves.
She walked to the water, plunging the fisted leaves in. They immediately started swelling and giving off a pungent, but slightly sweet aroma.
She sauntered back, sitting next to him. She watched as he opened a pouch in his bag, grabbing a pinch of salt, and rubbed it over the rabbit.
"Okay, now the leaves" he said. She handed the now sticky leaves to him, wiping her hands on the leg of her armor wrinkling her nose.
Beth watched as he gently wrapped them around the meat, then held it over the fire. The leaves sizzled almost instantly, giving off a sweet peppery aroma.
Teldryn smiled at her. "You tend to pick things up like this when you hire yourself out".
She nodded smiling back. Her stomach doing the little flip flops again.
Swallowing she grabbed the rabbit fur and started cleaning little bits of leftover meat from the skin. "So, how long have you been a mercenary?" She asked, placing the fur skin side up next to the fire to dry.
"Hmm, going on about eight years" he replied. "I spent most of my life exploring Tamriel, and finally got bored". Handed the stick to Beth and started removing his armor.
"I wasn't ready to settle down, so I decided to hire myself out. I have the experience and it makes me happy helping those who want to explore themselves" he pulled off his helmet, tossing them into the discarded pile of armor.
"You may as well take your own off" he said. "Armor is good for exploring, but sleeping in them is sheer murder" He took the stick back, and watched her remove her own out of the corner of his eyes.
She sat next to him, sighing after being freed of the bulk. She looked up at the stars, and listened to the fire crackle and meat sizzle. Her mouth watered when the breeze pushed the scent towards her, making her stomach rumble.
She watched the Netches off in the distance as Teldryn hummed quietly to himself.
"I think it's done" Teldryn said as he poked the cooked flesh. He slowly licked the grease off of his finger, savoring the taste.
Beth's heart skipped a beat as liquid heat pooled below. Gods he was divine!
Pulling a tin plate out of his bag, he used his knife to slide the meat off the stick. He cut a haunch off of the rabbit offering it to her.
She grabbed it nodding thanks and took a bite. The flavor was amazing! The red leaves had melted away leaving a spiciness behind. "Oh wow!" She exclaimed, taking another bite.
He chuckled, enjoying his own meal.
They finished the rabbit, throwing the bones into the flames. Teldryn looked over as she licked the grease off of her own lips. The firelight glistening off the moisture her tongue left behind. He studied her - her auburn hair was glowing from the fire as the curls framed her face, trailing over her shoulder and down her back.
He took a ragged breath as he caught himself wondering what her lips tasted like.
She sighed and turned to look at him smiling. The flames dancing in her blue eyes as their gazes locked. Both of their hearts sped up.
"Well!" He said after a deep breath. "Time to turn in".
He took his bedroll, laying it out. He climbed in, tucking his arm under his head. "Sleep well... Beth" he sighed.
"You as well" she replied, climbing into her own on the other side of the fire.
Closing her eyes, she quickly drifted off to sleep