"So let me get this straight. This group of mentally stagnant space mages, were hunter down to a man, just because they didn't expect the slave army to kill them at the first chance they got? That's dumb. And this Anakin guy sounds like an indecisive little Horker shit. Why not just leave the cult, and be with his wife? What could they do to him after that? It was obvious what way they were going. From what you said, they already kicked out his apprentice." Lydia picked apart.
"Well, I mean. Yeah. But it's a little more complicated than that. He had been raised in the order. Though, he probably would have left the Jedi if not for Darth Sidius." I tried to explain.
The rain had remained just long enough for us to get soaked. Then it got cold enough to snow. The girls were all but cuddling, while I was stuck to suffer. Thankfully, Aerana had made a small fire in her hand we all huddled around. Aerana had asked for more information about the multiverse, and just different things could become. So I decided to explain Star Wars to them. Because as far as I knew, every fictional universe existed. There were some translation issues, but I thought I had gotten the general idea across. But Lydia had decided she needed to pick it all apart. Why? Because she sucked I guess.
"And that's another thing. These Sith are stupid. This Rule of Two you keep talking is a great way to ensure a group dies out. No matter how much time one has, they cannot possibly teach everything they know to a single apprentice. And you say that the younger graduates when he surpasses and kills his master? That guarantees knowledge is lost. The whole thing is dumb. I don't believe it." She said, and it was annoying that when it was put like that, it made sense.
"Well, the cult of bane is-"
"Hey, we've arrived." Our chauffeur announced. I pulled my head away from the huddle. Huh, so we had. Lydia wasted no time to leave the cart, and Aerana was quick to follow. I shivered pitifully. " Can we go to the inn to warm up?" I through chattering teeth. I was dressed in wet iron armor and thin mage robes. Both of which were soaked.
I couldn't help but notice that, Aerana, though cold, didn't look near as bad as I did. And Lydia just looked at me with contempt. Damn nords and their cold resistance. I was a baseline human damnit!
We past the door, and I felt the warmth hit me immediately. "Oh god." I moaned. It felt so good.
"Gross." I heard Lydia complain. And I think I heard Aerana giggle. But I didn't care. I sat in front of the hearth for a few minutes. Just long enough to get rid of the chill. Long enough to think straight. Wilhelm gave us a glance, but dismissed us to keep cleaning the tankard in his hands.
"Ok, I have a question." I directed behind me, to wear Aerana had taken a seat. " I get how Lydia is unaffected by the cold. This is Skyrim. And she's a freak." I didn't need to see her scowl. I could hear it. " But how are you not freezing? Your wearing less armor than me."
"Huh? What do you mean?" she sounded confused. Like the question wasn't completely logical and within reason. "Oh! Wait, do you not know about basic warming spells?" Her voice was incredulous.
This was new to me. "Warming spells?" I asked. Annoyed that I sounded like an idiot, for a totally normal question. "What are warming spells?" I'm glad only these two could hear me, because Lydia broke out laughing.
She laughed so hard she fell out of her chair. I turned back to look at her, and even Aerana looked at me like I was dumb.
Lydia finally seemed to control herself. "Oh! Oh Divines! Oh! You! Your!" then she broke out laughing again. But more controlled this time.
Scowling, I looked back to Aerana. And I saw pity. "Wait, so all this time? You've been living through the cold of Skyrim without Warming spells? Oh, Sheo." Yep. There's the pity. Arg, that was even worse.
Lydia walked up to me, and offered me a hand. "I might have to change my mind about you. I had figured you an idiot or a cripple. And while I haven't changed my mind on the first, I think this proves your not the second. Bal's spiny pecker sir, to think you've been baring the frost raw! Ha!" I had just enough time to take her hand and get off the floor before she nearly sent me flying forward with a slap to the back. Fuck! That hurt! Could she at least have taken her greave off first?
Still, this was the closest thing to nice she had been to me. "Um, thanks. I think?" I said unsure.
"Don't mention it. Now, as brave as you've been doing your best to die of hypothermia, you won't make it any further without at least a basic Warming spell. High Hrothgar is located on the throat of the world. That's the tallest mountain in Nirn, excluding red mountain of course. You will die up there without such a basic skill. Even with it, we will feel the effects of the cold. My Thane? Could you depart the basics of the spell onto him. I would do so, but I actually don't know. As a Nord, it's instinctual for me." She asked Aerana.
Aerana nodded gently. I guess class was in session. I came closer to her, away from the sweet, warming fire.
"Alright, um, wow. Hold on. I have to remember. Everyone learns these spells as children. Ok, I think I remember." She said to me. And didn't that sting. I was being taught a spell children knew. My only comfort was that I was new to this world. "So, this art requires the use of Fire. The cost is far below even the most pitiful Magicka regeneration. So even elderly and the sick can do it. There's a Dunmer spell that achieves the same thing, and they do it instinctually. It's basically the same, but with Frost." Oh. That…explained a lot actually. Like why everyone knew at least one starter spell. And why nords started with Flames. "So basically, what you do is convert the energy to fire nature. But instead of projecting it, you allow it to flow back into your body. Very simple. Oh! You don't know how to preform flames do you?" she asked and I shook my head. So far, this sounded simple. "It's really easy. All the projection spells are. So, for Sparks, when you use it, you force the Magicka to separate and connect quickly then send It out in that state. For flames, all you have to do is, well, grind the Magicka together quickly. The friction creates fire. The Magicka does the rest."
I thought about that. I let Sparks run across the fingers and palm of my left hand. In my right, I tried to emulate what Aerana had told me. I could feel how Sparks worked. A deeper understanding of physics helped me here. I was using Magicka to ionize the particles. I could feel myself pull the positive and negative Magicka apart. And like she said, the Magicka did the rest. Then I felt my right hand. I tried to grind the Magicka in a circular motion like in Naruto. I was picturing the first faze with the water balloon. The result was exactly the opposite of what I wanted. Frost spread across my fingers and briefly spouted out. And I made a manly noise of surprise. And Lydia didn't break out laughing again when someone went 'Eep'. None of those things happened.
"You tried to make it spin instead of making it grind. Try again. Your really close!" Aerana encouraged.
Ok. Good to know. Also, I was 80% sure I could recreate the Rasingan. But back to the matter at hand. Grind them. Ok. I tried that. Then I considered it, and how the word grind would be thought of in a middle age society. And I came to a realization. No. I didn't need to grind it. To grind it would be like how they grind grain. They put it under a heavy wheel and crush it. I needed to compress it!
Fire hot enough to singe me came forth. It was beautiful. Like the sun in my hands. Like a warm lamp. It was everything I expected. Aerana smiled at me. "A very good Flame. Now just keep that feeling. And spread it over yourself."
I nodded and did so. And it was amazing. Have you ever put clothing fresh from the dryer on after being in the cold? It was like that. Not quite enough to make me sweat. Just as if the heat of the fire covered every inch of me.
And yet, while staring at the small fire in my hand, I couldn't help but feel underwhelmed. Don't get me wrong, this was amazing. But I could feel it. I could do more. Not for the warming spell. But for the Flame spell.
If magic truly was conceptual, then it made sense. See, I had worked in a foundry before my untimely death. This was the equivalent of a gas stove fire. Hot enough to seriously burn, yes, but I knew how to make it hotter. I focused on the concept of pushing the fire through the compression. Of putting the Magicka under the pressure if an industrial blow torch. Not just compressing it, but directing the compression. And the result was glorious.
A bright blueish white fire rose from my hand. Both Aerana and Lydia jumped at the sudden heat of it. Strangely, I wasn't effected. The fire wasn't even being projected. I was just holding it idle in my hand. The flame must have been well over 2000 F. Hot enough to forgeweld steel. Almost enough to melt glass
I let it dissipate. It was, surprisingly Magicka intensive. Like using Flames in vanilla once you had the Destruction Apprentice Perk. A significant feat considering my reserves.
"Ahem." I heard a gruff voice ask. "I'd ask you please watch the magic. If you haven't noticed, this building is made of wood and straw." Wilhelm admonished. I looked up at him from where he hovered over my shoulder.
"Ah, sorry." I said embarrassed." Won't happen again."
He gave me a stern look, before nodding and going back to his bar. "See that it doesn't."
Oops. Didn't think of the repercussions in my moment of inspiration. Aerana was also giving me a thoughtful look. Honestly, I think I should feel lucky I didn't hurt myself. "Oh yeah!" I said. "That reminds me! Want to grab the word wall while we're here?" I asked Aerana.
She thought it over for a second. "Alright." She told me.
Xxx
We made our way Into the burrow with ease. Once down the steps, we came across our first obstacle. Was it Draugr? Skeletons? An overlord? Not yet it wasn't. It was Wyndelius.
"Go! Leave this place! Leave this place!" he wailed.
"Is that a ghost!?" Aerana asked, somewhat spooked.
"No, that's a man who drank an etherilize potion. Side effects may include, itching, scratching, rash, memory loss, paranoia, hearing voices, head aches and diarrhea. Please consult a healer before consuming." I prattled off. We could do the lever puzzle to get passed these iron gates. But I didn't want to. I lifted my hand to the gate, and engaged my newest spell. The Flame whined as it burned a line into the aged gate.
"What are you doing?" asked Lydia when the gate began to glow. It was pig iron at best. She got her answer when I ate through the first bar. "Oh. Clever." She said. And that just warmed my heart. I think she was starting to like me. "Now all I need are a spit and some roast, and you'll finally become not a complete liability, sir." Nevermind. She was so mean. Anyway, I tore away the last bar, then for good measure cooled the whole thing with Frost.
We stepped through carefully, avoiding being caught on the sharp parts. Wyndeluis screamed when he saw us, and ran to engage. It was stopped when Lydia hit him across the nose with her shield. When he didn't get up, we assumed he was down for the count. At least he was still breathing.
I walked over to the table, ignoring the awful smelling corner with the bucket. Gross. I was joking about the side effects. I took the journal and offered it to Lydia. "Be a dear and go give that to Wilhelm. Ask for the sapphire claw in return."
But she didn't take it. We just stood there. Staring at this breach of etiquette . "Please." I asked awkwardly. Aerana just sighed and gave Lydia a pleading look.
"Of course my thane. I shall return shortly." She said curtly. She snatched it from my hand and left.
Seriously, what did I do to her?
"So, what should we expect up ahead?" Aerana asked me. It took me a moment to remember.
"A few skeletons, a draugr or two. Oh! And another Overlord. Nothing we can't handle." I said.
She nodded. We stood in silence. Crap. This was awkward. Say something. "So did your mom really try to marry you off?" Why the hell would that be what left my mouth?!
Aerana looked a bit struck for a minute, and an apology was just on the tip of my lips when she answered. "Yeah. Unfortunately. I was a mistake I'm afraid. The result of a fling my mother had during her days studying in the empire. Then the great war happened and she returned home. It was only months later she found out she was pregnant. Grandfather never quite forgave her, I don't think. I was seen as a burden on the family, so when another noble family offered a bride price for me, that was it. I had no say. Everyone just expected me to go and be the happy bride." Her hands clenched. "Nevermind he was in his greying years and the picture definition of a career politician. By marrying me, I tied our families together. The family got a nice mound of gold out of it, and he moved up in the social class." The next part she sneered at. Were her teeth getting sharper? "And of course, it was expected that children follow the union!" Her teeth were definitely getting sharper. And her eyes faintly glowed yellow in the light. I thought her eyes might be slitted, but when I looked again they were normal. Maybe an elf thing. "And when I brought up my distaste for the whole affair, my objection to someone 40 times my age bedding me, do you know what I was told?" Her glare shot to me. Yeah, her eyes were glowing. This was terrifying. I regret everything.
"Uh, no?" I…asked? Said? Which response didn't get me torn limb from limb?
"I was told to drink a mind numbing potion, lay on my back, and think of Cyridiil! Those bastards didn't care! They saw me as a pawn! A pawn and an asset to be traded for the betterment of the family! In their eyes, I was finally worth something! A broodmare, and twice my weight in gold! Ha!
So I ran. I took what rations I could, and I ran. Because screw that! My only regret, is that I didn't grab anything to identify myself with. And because of that I was caught at the boarder.
And even that, I'm having doubts about regretting." She was breathing heavy by the end. Slowly, she unclenched her fists. Then, she stiffened in a different way. This time, instead of projecting anger, it was embarrassment. "Oh, no. I'm so sorry. That was too much. You didn't ask for all that. Sorry Sheo. I didn't mean to dump that on you. It's just been hanging in the back of my mind."
At least she wasn't giving me the stare of death anymore. "No, no. It's ok. Really. I... I want to say we're friends. We are, aren't we?" I asked, and she nodded gently, a small smile graced her lips. "Yeah. So, you were just venting. It's cool. I understand. And, for what it's worth, I don't think what they did was right. You should be able to decide your own fate. They had no right to do that." I left unsaid that she didn't have a choice to be the Dragonborn.
"What about you? What did you do before this? Surely you didn't just sit and wait for me to show up?" she teased. But I saw it for what it was. It was a distancing tactic. The problem was, I didn't really want to talk about my life. But, Aerana had opened up to me. This was what I wanted. If this was to be a real friendship like I just proclaimed, I would have to put the effort in. Even when it was uncomfortable.
"Before this, I worked in a" I struggled to find the Nirn equivalent "Steel smelting guild. It was good. My…my wife, she worked repairing wear and tear on car-ages." I almost slipped up. It was hard. Thinking of Razz. God, what was my name before? I know I had one? Did they take my name? "We were happy." My voice cracked. Was this what Aerana went through well digging up her past. I felt like an ass now. I wasn't ready for this. "And then-And then-" I…I couldn't say it. Not out loud. God's, it hurt so much. "I-she-" A hand fell on my shoulder, and I was pulled into a hug. I tried to stop the sobs. I did.
"Shhh. It's ok. You don't have to go any further." She held me, and I sobbed softly into her shoulder. It was everything, it was all crushing me. My wife, my death, every death that followed after that. This place had scared me. It had been so long since I had been here. For me anyway. And I had experienced so much pain! I had just been suppressing it. Pretending it didn't effect me. But just the smallest prod was enough to shatter the dam.
I kept crying. We had fallen to the ground. Well, I had fallen. She had rested on the side of her knees. She was what I needed. A literal shoulder to cry on for a few minutes.
Speaking of shoulders. She was so god damn tall. Almost a full head taller than me. Don't get me wrong, I was slightly short for a guy. But not diminutive. It was probably the Bosmer blood.
I began to reign control over myself at that point. "Thank you." I said as I pulled away. And I meant it.
She smiled at me. "What are friends for?" she asked. Yeah.
It was as we were dusting ourselves off, that Lydia got back.
"Your not convincing me about how you knew all this. I heard the inn keeper talking to the bard about this place when I entered." She began stubbornly.
Ok. Well that sounded like denial.
I'd describe the battle after that, but it was kinda disappointing. It was skeletons armed with rusty blunt swords. The only real threat, the Overlord, was vaporized by a single Thunderstorm.
Aerana absorbed the Word wall, but didn't have a dragon soul to unlock the words deeper meaning. The chest was nice. It had gold, a few gems, a elven sword that Lydia claimed, and one other thing of little importance. I explained that nobody was to touch the weird Octagonal Prism.
I went on to explain doing so would lead to them hearing the voice of a bitchy, self righteous, Daedra. They looked at me like I was crazy about being so obsessive about this. But eventually the realized this was the hill I was willing to die on. And it was. I would physically fight them if it would keep from having to hear about hands and touching.
After that, we began our daunting journey up the 7000 steps. I could feel the joint pain already.
Xxx
MEANWHILE TO THE EAST OF SOLITUDE.
Meridia waited patiently. Soon, an adventurer would discover her beacon, and her new champion would work to destroy the dark in her temple. Soon.
Briefly, doubt entered her mind. Was it truly the best recruitment tactic to send her beacon to some random ruin, somewhere on the face of Nirn? Possibly in an unreachable location? Or lost among the buried treasures and labyrinths of the Dwemer?
But that doubt left as soon as it found her. Of course someone would come. They would find the beacon, and she would have her champion. She need only wait.
Soon. Very soon. Now? No. Soon. Soon. It was only a matter of time.