Hey there, so here I am finally answering some reviews, get ready cause this chapter is going to drop the bombshell!
To Partsu:
Awesome review, and I'm glad I made you waste time :)
To Dphantom:
A jerk? me?! *goes to cry in a corner* nah I'm joking, sorry for making you wait, and I must admit I am sorta sadistic, leaving cliffies like that, but where's the fun in doing this, otherwise? :P btw awesome name, I'm a big Danny Phan ^^
To Shirahime Jade Silverstone:
THAT... IS... HILARIOUS! Holy hell imma add it at the end of the chapter now XD
To lovingskyrim:
Coming up next, Dovahkin Diana vs Godzilla, stay tuned ^^
To egb23:
Why thank you, kind sir :)
To Nokanomi:
Thanks for the help there, I'll change that mistake in a sec, and as for the synaesthesia, I'll keep it in mind. I must admit, I go fast with my writing and skip a lot of details, usually focusing on what I think is more relevant at the moment. It kind of happens when your brain is already figuring out how to end this story, while writing-wise, you are still stuck at the start of the second act (on a three act scheme)... Still, I'll try to be more careful, and once I revise some old chapters, I'll see if I can add more details to have my style becoming a little less dry ^^
To Krystylsky:
AWEEEESOME, thanks for being such a great fan :D
To TaylorLoe:
Ye got it Tay! it's pretty obvious, Diana's going to be walking on hot coal when she gets back to W city :)
To Baby Fawn:
That is just SO CUTE! btw Tideus is a weird name for a chinchilla, but I love it... lets all name things after greek mythology :) (oh and thanks for liking my chappie!) :)
To Elisabeth Hollow:
Don't worry, and btw, I've kept reading, and it's really a cool story :), anyhow, sorry for disappointing, I didn't even make those two appear during the dragon fight.. but I had my reasons to keep em away from D :)
To Valentine03:
Thanks! That was what I was hoping for, I still feel like I suck at describing fighting scenes, but I looks like I've been improving :)
To anonomon:
nananananananananananananana nana D-man! (as in Dovahkin man, not Diana man, that would sound really weird :P)
To Lunatic Pandora1:
Thanks, actually I wrote the first chapters somewhat like a year ago, when Skyrim first came out... I kinda took this project back into my arms only recently... My style has changed and my interests too, so that girlie part about Raelof romance from before? Forget it, this thing has progressed from that crappy twilight stuff :)
Ok ready, to get bombed?
Chapter 35: Blood
The god of time turned and stared hardly at the green haired intruder. He was not in the mood
"So you've noticed too, eh, Julianos?" Tosh muttered a little torn. His brother never came to visit, and now he was doing it for this girl… It was startling to think she could have such an impact on deities…
"Tosh, do you realize what might happen if she keeps absorbing souls?" Julianos asked, clearly on edge
Tosh scoffed, annoyed
"Something bad, I assume? Otherwise You wouldn't have come to visit. You certainly have never taken the time to visit much before…" He pointed out, spitefully
Julianos widened his silvery eyes and looked sorry for a second, before he remembered why he was there.
"Look, brother, I apologize for neglecting you, but this is a serious matter! What were you thinking when you gave this girl your blood!"
Tosh raised an eyebrow
"I'm pretty sure you would know why I came to such drastic measures… you are the god of knowledge.. aren't you?" He asked in a mocking tone
Julianos narrowed his eyes
"..And wisdom, for that matter. What you did, brother of mine, was nothing wise" He stated gravely
Tosh did not fall back
"And what, pray tell, was not wise for me to do? Hadn't I moved the way I did, my son would have already come out victorious from this little quarrel…"
"It was not wise of you to give your blood to a complete stranger!" Julianos replied, containing his anger. He was the god of wisdom after all, and wise people never got mad….
"She is not from our world and remains mostly unaffected from our powers. You cannot see her future and I cannot gather knowledge from her! I do not know what is happening at an absolute level, but I have been collecting data… and the results… are frightening…"
Tosh looked upon his brother curiously. To have Julie so shaken, it had to be something big. He had always been the calm guy of the group, the one who managed to bring peace between quarrels, and always compromise …
What was going on?
Riverwood was quiet. It was four in the morning and most people were still asleep. I waltzed in sneakily, hiding behind houses and walls, pleased. I could see that some had already begun reparations from the dragon attack. My funding was probably being put to good use.
There were still no guards in the premises, given that the Jarl had sent reinforcements barely yesterday, but I knew they would come soon. Now… how to snatch Faendal… knowing him, he was patrolling right now
I felt the sibilant sound of air being cut
Hastily, I moved my head thirty degrees to the left
An arrow planted itself on the front door of the elf's house
I grinned
He never learns
Spotting my smile, hidden on a tree a couple of meters behind, Faendal chuckled lightly
"I still can't believe how easily you can dodge them"
I raised an eyebrow
"I can't believe you shot me just to test this. I could have died, you know?" I teased
Faendal grinned "Ahhhh, but the point is you didn't" he remarked
I frowned. Of all the possible archery masters, I had to pick the wild experimenting one….
The elf cut my thought process by approaching me and catching me into a tight hug
"It's good to see you again, Diana" He released his grip, took a step back, and continued "Does this mean reinforcements are coming soon?"
I smiled. It was awesome to bring good news for a change
"They're on their way"
Faendal's shoulders seemed to drop, relieved "I am so glad… I'm not sure how much longer the village could have lasted… Your.. ahem… gifts… helped but I already had to fend off the wildlife, and I heard about some bandits setting camp nearby…. Pillagers from Helgen…" His eyes saddened
I shuddered at what Faendal was implying. They thought Riverwood was a dead town, like its predecessor
"Don't worry, they should come today, around a suitable hour. I asked the Jarl yesterday and he promised they would arrive fairly soon…"
Faendal looked curious
"So you managed to get here, by foot, in less than twenty hours?" He asked, impressed
Ahem more like in 5 hours if I take away the time I spent resting…..
But he didn't need to know that
I rubbed the back of my head and nodded, awkwardly
The elf smiled
"Well I supposed I couldn't expect less, given exactly who I'm talking to, huh?" He said in dragged under-tone while all accomplice-like poking me in the ribs with his elbow.
Before I could retort, the elf asked, excited
"So, I assume we are off to some epic adventure?"
I shook my head, sighing happily. There was no helping it… Faendal would stick to me like glue. Somehow, I didn't dislike the notion. My teacher had something about him that just cheered me right up, even in the worst of scenarios…
"Sure, first though, tell me a little about those bandit encampments…."
After dealing with bandits, and letting Faendal pack up his things and say goodbye, the two of us were now slowly walking down the path to Ivarstead, which we had to cross in order to climb the seven thousand steps of High Hrothgar…
"Wow, D, you really got powerful in this last week. I've never seen bandits so scared…."
I wasn't sure whether to grin or grimace at Faendal's statement. I definitely smiled at his use of nicknames… He had begun using just my first letter, as a response to the way I always called him Fae, because his name was too long…
"And where on Nirn did you get that circlet? That is one fine piece of work, changing your looks like that… you had me startled for a second…"
I sighed. I trusted Faendal, more than anyone in Skyrim, given that I had the pleasure of spending a month under his care… but could I tell him about meeting deities?
"Hey, D, do you mind if I try your circlet on? I'd really love to see how I look, clad in all of that demonic armor…"
I stopped walking and turned to stare hardly at my follower. My glare melted.. this was going to be fun…
"Sure" I tossed him the circlet with a grin. Whatever would happen, it should be interesting for sure…
"All right, here I go…"
As soon as the silver thing touched his forehead, Faendal vanished in a pouf of black smoke
"Uhm… Fae… are you still there?" I muttered, a little concerned
"Help!... cluck…. Diana….. take…. Cluck… this… thing… off… cluck… me!"
"I looked down at my feet and noticed a white chicken had appeared, in another pouf of smoke. Around his neck was the circlet"
I stared him down, expressionless
"…Fae?!"
"Don't… just… look… cluck… at … cluck… me… DO SOMETHING!"
My face became red as I tried to hold in the laughter
Oh, who am I kidding, this is solid gold!
"Buahahahahhah ahaahahahah!"
I almost dropped on the ground and started rolling, clutching my stomach
"Yeh…cluck… sure… have your… Cluck.. laugh… leave a.. cluck… poor friend to… cluck.. die.. like this… bwacaaaw"
I exploded into another series of laughs while the chicken was just staring at me with a murderous glare. Yes, apparently chickens could glare…
I dried out the tears from my eyes as I picked the circlet and removed it from the chickenified elf's neck
"Oh, Fae, I'm so glad you came with me!" I exclaimed, still laughing and drying my tears
"And I'm starting to regret it…" Faendal muttered, returning to himself in a pouf or white smoke. "Who on earth gave you that thing, anyways?! Tell me so I can go give him a piece of my mind!"
Still chuckling, I answered without much thinking
"I doubt you could… would you believe me if I told you it was Sheogorath?"
Fae paled
"The Daedric prince of madness?! Are you serious?"
I froze.
Damn.. well I guess I can trust him enough with this.
I nodded
"Ahem… well maybe then I'll just forget about it and pretend it never happened… deal?"
"Deal" I smiled. If that was the reaction, I was pretty sure I could trust Fae with anything….
It felt great to confide in a friend like that. I knew I had to keep some of this stuff for myself, but this elf was amazing. He acted like he wouldn't even flinch if I told him I was an extra-dimensional monster from outer space…
I approached him, mid walk, and wrapped him in a warm hug
"Wow, D, what's with this?"
I released my friend and looked at him in the eyes
"This is for you being you" I smiled, and then proceeded to walk forward, leaving a very confused Faendal on my trail
"So… you gain new powers in a week… get gifted with a demonic trinket from the prince of madness… and you're now off to save the world… not to mention, meet the Greybeards, who almost no one ever had the pleasure of seeing…. How does that feel?"
I looked back at Fae, walking behind me. That was a peculiar question… We were way past Helgen, where the elf had cringed in pain, looking at the city's remains. As for myself, I tried to push away the bad memories of that place. I had partially succeeded, since by now, I was a pro at living in a constant state of denial. As we moved up the mountain pass, the day approaching it's end, things were starting to get cold.. very cold. I couldn't feel it as much, but I knew the elf was tired, and freezing. His conversation was just a way to distract himself from the cold snowstorm…. Though it still held genuine concern, and curiosity….
I shrugged it off, I wasn't ready to talk, not without tearing up….
"I try not to think about it.. Fae, there's a cave up there, feel like resting a little?"
The elf got completely distracted from his questioning as he looked to where I was pointing. His eyes where glimmering, his previous thoughts and questions gone. I high fived myself for being such a good manipulator…
Attempting to look like he could still keep going, and didn't really care, the elf answered
"Sure"
"Dammnit…"
"What is it, Fae?"
"Wood is too humid here to make a fire… do... do you know any spells or awesome dragon stuff that could do it?" the elf asked, eyes glimmering
We were stuck in the cave. The snowstorm outside had increased with the coming of night. I could probably handle it, but my companion was not as sturdy. I was also reminded that he needed sleep, while I really didn't… great… I was less human than an elf….
I knew Fae needed some warmth. I was fine, if not a little chilly, but he wasn't. Could I really come up with a way to make fire?"
"I don't know… I certainly never tried it… I attempted doing magic once but I failed spectacularly… though it was before I gained this… gift…."
There were two ways I could approach it. Magic, or dragon shouts. I still had the lightning spellbook in my satchel, which could have caused a fire… as for a shout.. I wondered if I could translate the word 'fire' in Draconic and then try to start fire breathing… even though I had not managed to see a word wall before….
I went for the second option. I wasn't sure how magic induced lightning would behave. If it would burn or disintegrate the wood Fae had so meticulously gathered.
I focused on the word fire. I focused on the power inside me, and fire… somehow.. the word began to change into 'yol'
Happy that my mental translation was working, I tried to summon the word yol, just like I had done with fus, pointing my head away from the elf… testing in the air
"YOL!"
I felt the air shift, some sparks form, but ultimately, nothing happened. I guess I needed a bigger understanding of the word before I could attempt it….
…or maybe it was because I had tried to do it too much like fus…
Instead of focusing on the attributes of a force, I tried to focus on what represented fire. The burning, consuming, heat, power, volatility…
Faendal was staring at me intently, while I gathered my concentration.
"YOL!"
This time a little fire appeared, forming from my mouth and launching itself in the air like a flamethrower. It got up to one meter away, before dissipating. I knew that I needed a word wall to grasp it completely, but at least it was enough to light our encampment….
I turned back and grinned at the elf, victoriously
"That's it! That has got to be the coolest thing!" He yelled, excited "You were just like a dragon, D! I swear to god, I almost saw your pupils glow for a second there!"
I raised an eyebrow at him, though I was kind of hurting inside… I didn't want to look like a dragon…
Fae stopped under my glare, understanding that he better not continue, before saying
"Well, can you do the honors?"
I shook my head and sighed, then stared at the bonfire Fae had made sure to place just next to the cave's exit (we had to vent the smoke)
"YOL!"
The green haired god was still in a deep argument with his brother
"How would you expect a girl from a foreign world to react to your blood? From what I gathered, her universe has a complete lack of anything magical or godly in nature. Her world is governed by chance, probability and physical laws. There is not even a figure for death, or an established afterlife…."
He then muttered something about how he would appreciate a world without all of these goddamn godly shenanigans…
Tosh brought him back on track
"…ok, but why would she react so strongly to my blood? You said it yourself, she has no magic of her own…."
Julianos eyed him with hidden anger. Why were his brothers and sisters always so dense?
Of course he knew why. He was the god of wisdom and logic, he knew everything
It still didn't mean he had to appreciate it….
"Because, once her cells came in contact with magic, and all those godly powers your blood provided, her body had to process something it never recognized before, on a dimensional level! It was bound to react differently!"
He took a deep breath
"In order to adapt to a forced intake of a foreign, extra dimensional type of blood and power, her body began using its magic to adjust accordingly… adapting would be the better word…."
Tosh blinked. As a god of Time, he knew a lot of stuff, even science, but… leave it to Julianos to come up with something that confused him… He was never much into magical biology anyways…
"So what you're saying is…" He probed, trying to have him speak some more
Julianos couldn't help grinning, knowing he had the almighty god of time on edge
But his mirth was short lived, as he got ready to drop the bomb
"It means she has begun to transform, on some genetical level, into the provider of that blood source"
Tosh went completely blank and let go of whatever superior attitude he was oozing, letting his lower jaw drop
Julie thought that was one hell of a rare sight to behold
"WHAT?!"