4E 195 Second Seed

After thousands of years of various civilizations, countless ruins dotted Cyrodiil's landscape. Most of them were defunct forts from long past wars. Their exteriors crumbled into the ground and the underground tunnels collapsed in on themselves. Only the most stalwart explorers would dare to go near the forts.

Ancient Ayleid cities were not nearly as common. But even after eras of exposure and destruction, the cities were pristine. White marble sprawled along the ground while statues stood high above anyone who wandered by. Even the underground halls were mostly intact. Tree roots were rarely able to break through the walls. Scholars chalked the perfect condition of the ruins to any magic remaining from the Alessian Rebellion. Explorers didn't bother to learn any of the history and went about plundering anyway. Synod permits and regulations didn't stop them.

Valleri didn't care about what the magic was and wasn't doing. As far as she did care, the magic was gone. And therefore, the ruins were mostly safe. Mostly.

The room went pitch black as the flame in her lamp died. Valleri slapped her hand to her face and groaned. Of all the things that could happen, this was probably the most aggravating. She felt her way across the room to the stone slab where she kept her equipment. Her hands nearly dropped the sparker before she was able to light the lamp again.

Vilkas walked into the room just as Valleri adjusted the brightness of the lamp. "Things went dark for a second. Everything ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," the woman droned. "Light went out, is all. How are things with Lexius?"

"Smooth so far. He told me to come check in on you."

"Wonderful!" Valleri laughed. "He really has no faith in me, does he?"

Vilkas' brow furrowed, "No. He assumed you were just getting distracted."

"Oh. Well… He isn't wrong." Valleri watched Vilkas' face grimace. "Did Lex send you here to babysit me?"

"Maybe? Sort of? Yes, he did."

Again, Valleri laughed. She glanced about the room, "I'm almost done here. Got these last two walls, then I can move on. Do you have a tape and compass?" Vilkas shook his head. "Here, catch," Valleri called out before tossing her friend the mapping tools. One perfect catch later and they were ready.

Vilkas dropped one end of the measuring tape then walked it to the otherside of the wall. Valleri rushed over with a notepad and secured the tape with her foot. She didn't look up from her notepad while Vilkas took the measurement. "What's the mark?"

"Twenty seven feet."

"And the heading?"

"One hundred and sixty six degrees." Vilkas gave the compass another poke. "It's hard to get an accurate reading."

"Uh… Probably something to do with how far underground we are. Ready for the final wall?"

"Yeah, let's go."

The next measurement was a replay of the last. The constant repetition drove Valleri crazy if she was honest. Having to use precise measurements wasn't exactly helping. And last but not least, she'd get distracted halfway through and end up slowing the entire process down.

Perhaps Lexius was right in sending Vilkas over. The Nord, as work oriented as he was, did have a knack for keeping things in motion.

"Hey, Val?"

"Mmm hmm?"

"What's the point of all of this?"

"Of the mapping?"

"Yeah. Mark's at forty eight feet." Valleri paused and looked up from her book with slight confusion. Vilkas sighed, "I mean we're just muddling through getting a map together. It would make more sense to do this after you're all done right?"

"You're not wrong," the Imperial started. "But, there've been accidents before where no help could get out because there's been no directions. The ruins get complicated down here or something. Synod regulations I guess."

"Heading is two hundred and fifty six degrees." Vilkas rolled up the tape into a tight coil and handed it back to Valleri. "Now what?"

With a sigh, Valleri packed the tools back into her bag and crossed to an open door. In front of her was a steep, uneven flight of stairs. She held her lamp out in a futile attempt to see the bottom. Valleri didn't know why she was so surprised she couldn't see the bottom. "Down, I guess," Valleri mumbled.

"Should we head up and give Alastaros the measurements?"

Valleri thought for a moment with a grumble. "Nah. It's not as though he'd be able to do much with them until Lex coughs up his," the woman surmised. She turned back to Vilkas behind her with a grin, "Besides, I'm getting kinda bored up here."

Vilkas crossed his arms, "Yeah, I can tell."

Without much more thought, Valleri began her descent. Stones wobbled underneath her and every few feet bit and pieces of loose marble clattered to the bottom of the stairs. Her hand was held close to the wall to give Valleri any support she could take. Vilkas waited patiently at the top.

Valleri paused and turned back, "I think I'm almost to the bottom!"

"Let me know when, and I'll come down."

Breathing out sharply, Valleri took another step forward, holding the lamp out in front of her. Only this time, Valleri almost didn't feel the stone crumble beneath her feet. Her hands went to the wall as she tried to cling onto anything that would keep her from falling. But it was an act of futility.

Valleri yelled as her arms slid against the wall and she landed at the bottom of the staircase on her side. The wind was knocked out of her, making the young woman panic. The room was thrown into blackness as the lamp rolled a few feet away.

Slowly Valleri moved herself into a sitting position. She breathed in slowly through the burn in her side. Heavy footsteps boomed above her.

"Hey Valleri! Stay right there I'll get the lamp," Vilkas called. He sidestepped her and ran after the lamp. Valleri heard the Nord clattering in the darkness. Every few seconds a match would spark and die. Vilkas cursed all the while. "Hey, lamp is broken."

Valleri groaned, "Fuck."

Vilkas kneeled down next to Valleri. "Are you good?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just… a little frazzled."

"Right…" Vilkas murmured. "I can make out a little bit of what's around here. But I can only assume you're totally blind."

"One second." Valleri held her hand out and in another moment, a small ball of blue light floated in the air. She smiled faintly when she caught a glance of the amazement on Vilkas' face.

"I forgot you could do that."

"Still the only spell I can cast. And it's not much to go by. But it'll do until we get another lamp."

"Should we head up?"

The woman answered with a mischievous grin. "Not at all. I'm still good to go. You can come if you want."

Valleri tentatively picked herself up from the floor and surveyed her surroundings. She was on top of a walkway overlooking another chamber. Below her were pedestals holding up welkynd stones glowing with dying light.

As far as she could tell, traps were absent from this part of the ruin. Either they weren't close to the end of the ruin or the books Valleri read were wrong and Garlas Malatar had no significance whatsoever.

Vilkas was standing again when Valleri went to the end of the walkway and down another flight of stairs. She descended slower than before to make sure she didn't trip again. Valleri coughed violently when she stepped onto the bottom floor of the chamber. Dust plumed above her head in a hideous storm, coating her mouth immediately.

The Nord covered his mouth with a hand as he stepped past her. "You know apart from crumbling stairs and no lights, this place doesn't seem all that bad. Uriel kept insinuating we might get killed."

Valleri tied a handkerchief over her nose to keep the dust out. With a sigh and a shrug she answered. "It's usually more thrilling the first time we go through a new site. Something's off."

"And what about those?" Vilkas asked. He gestured to the light blue stones above them.

"Welkynd stones. They store magicka or something. They're everywhere so we don't pay much attention to them, honestly."

"They look like lamps…"

"Oh, absolutely!" Valleri exclaimed with a chuckle. She motioned Vilkas to follow her. "Come on, let's go."

Their trek took them into another room. The two of them were directed onto a walkway heading straight down the middle of the room, pillars closing them in on the sides. Banisters had been chipped away through the millenia. But the characteristic that caught Valleri's eyes was the water all around them.

The water was at least thirty feet deep and glistening with pale blue light. Valleri rushed to the edges of the bannister and leaned out as far as she could. Just under the surface of the water were welkynd stones and menacing golden helmets. The pupiless eyes stared back at her through the glass like water. Chills ran up her spine.

"Hey, Vilkas?"

"Yeah?"

"What's the bearing down the hall?"

Vilkas rummaged in his pocket for a second then pulled out his compass. "Uh, south-ish. Towards the ocean generally."

"That'd explain the water." Valleri turned around and faced Vilkas, "I guess we're getting near the end."

"How do you guys plan to measure this room?" Vilkas asked. He stopped for a moment to survey the room, eyes landing on one of the far corners of the room. "Probably a boat. Might be… be tricky getting it down here."

Valleri wasn't listening. The helmets staring back at her made goosebumps rise on the back of her neck. Valleri took a deep breath in and tore her eyes away. She strolled to the end of the walkway to a meteoric iron gate. The gate didn't budge when Valleri shook it.

Frustrated, Valleri took a step back, eyes glazing over the sides of the walls next to the gate. There had to have been a switch somewhere. Her eyes went to the ground to check for a pressure plate. Still nothing.

After giving the gate another once over, Valleri called out behind her, "Hey, Vilkas? Can you come over here for a second?"

"Something happen?"

"No!" Valleri exclaimed with ample frustration. She continued to scan for some sort of lever or switch or push block. "Take a look for some sort of button. Maybe you'll have better luck than I did."

Vilkas pushed past her and started to press into the walls in case Valleri did miss a button. The Imperial watched from behind, face twisting into a frown the longer her friend continued his search. Frustrated, Vilkas cursed under his breath while he tried to shake the metal filigree gate. All he got for his effort were a few loud squeals from the hinges and a large dust cloud.

He took a step backwards and laughed through a cough, "This ones beyond me, Val."

"There's gotta be a way in there," Valleri continued, gesturing wildly towards the gate. "It was meant to open. There's a corridor on the other side of that fucking… Gods!"

"Hey we should go."

"What? Why?"

Vilkas was focused on the bridge behind them. "I think I hear Alastaros calling for us."

"Don't be ridiculous. It's silent in here."

"In any case, staying here and trying to force that gate open isn't going to help us anytime soon."

Valleri exhaled sharply then relented. "Fine. Let's go."

…

Much to Valleri's surprise, Alastaros was indeed looking for both her and Vilkas. The look of exasperation on the old Altmer's face was not surprising. None of them said anything as they ascended back to the exterior portions of the ruins. By then, the sun was just beginning to set and the tide was creeping closer to the shore.

Lexius was already going through some of his own notes next to a large map sprawled onto a table. He smiled sheepishly when Valleri approached. "You guys are an hour and a half late. What happened?"

Valleri exchanged a concerned look with Vilkas before she answered Lexius. "We made it to the next level down."

Alastaros perked up from the back, "Oh? Frankly, I'm surprised we found it this quickly. How'd it look down there?"

"Wet," Valleri blurted aloud. She cringed for a moment before opening her mouth again. "It's pretty much flooded apart from a few walkways."

"That's not good."

"And then there was that gate," Vilkas continued.

Alastaros arched an eyebrow. "A gate?"

"Uh," Valleri stammered. Her eyes darted between Vilkas and Alastaros. "Yeah. We couldn't find any way to open it either. No buttons, no levers, nothing. Not even a push block on the floor."

"It's probably too late to go back down and take another look," Alastaros muttered as he went to the table Lexius was working at. "Besides, we're still working on the first floor. Do you have measurements for me?"

"Yeah," Valleri hummed, digging for her notebook. "Hey, you mentioned that we aren't the last ones to be here recently right?"

"Depends on how you define recently, Valleri." Alastaros didn't have to look up to see the irritation on Valleri's face.

"It had something to do with Uriel," Vilkas spoke up from the back. Valleri shot him a slight frown and he only shrugged.

"Right. The Knights of the Nine came here to defeat Umaril the Unfeathered. Umaril was supposed to be one the last remnants of the great liches of the Merethic until the Knights came around. But that was well before Uriel's time. Why were you asking, Valleri?"

"They probably went to the bottom level of the ruins. That's usually where the most interesting parts of the ruins are."

"Yes?"

"Then they had to have gotten through that gate somehow," the Imperial figured. She tilted her head and gave Alastaros an expectant grin.

"Lexius, can I see that compass? Thank you, lad." With a sigh, the old Altmer looked up from his work. "Valleri, you're getting ahead of yourself. We'll get to the gate eventually, but until then we have work to do."

"The knights probably had a record of how they got through somewhere."

"Valleri, you know better than I do that any records the Knights of the Nine had are gone. We'll get to it when we get to it."

"But-"

"No, Valleri. Can you start on dinner tonight? It'll take your mind off things for a while. Thank you."

With a roll of her eyes, Valleri groaned and walked away. She knew why the old Altmer was saying no to going back and taking another look at the gate. There was a process to these things. People died in Ayleid ruins if they weren't prepared or methodical. It was like working the Sload. But that didn't stop her curiosity.

None of them knew exactly what they were looking for in Garlas Malatar. But there was something in there. The unmovable gate was the only proof Valleri needed.

"Hey, Val. You still there?"

Valleri looked over her shoulder and groaned. Vilkas wasn't looking directly at her, but his mouth was pulled back in a frown. He knew. She could see an unspoken warning in his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You're not going to stop thinking about that gate, are you?"

Valleri stared down at the grass under her feet. "No, I'm not."

"Valleri…"

"Look, I know, I know. I don't really want to be lectured right now. Alastaros can do that anytime he wants." When Valleri stopped, she finally met Vilkas' eyes. The Nord gave her a put out scowl. Valleri stepped back with a knot in her chest. She should have listened to him. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Valleri sighed, "Sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

Vilkas stared out into the distance towards Garlas Malatar. "You three stick really close to whatever protocol the Synod gave you guys," he trailed off. Vilkas said nothing more and started getting dinner ready.

Valleri watched him for a moment with crossed arms. Vilkas kneeled down and shuffled through a crate. He pushed past potatoes and leeks. Finally, he paused, holding a glass jar of smoked fish. "Do you know if we have anything other than fish?"

"Not that I know of. Why? Tired of fish already?"

"I grew up on a tundra and only had fish once a year if I was lucky. Honestly," Vilkas paused, "I don't think I can stand it much more."

"You'll have to catch your dinner if you want something else."

There was a tense moment when Vilkas' expression soured further. He placed the jar of fish on the table next to him, "Nevermind." He turned to Valleri behind him, "You could help out, you know."

Valleri stared blankly for a moment, still preoccupied with the gate. Vilkas stood up and waved his hand in front of her face. "Valleri, are you even listening,"

"What?" she asked, perking up. "Yeah, I am."

"Your minds all the way in Atmora." He gave Valleri a light tap on the forehead. She frowned. "Lets get dinner over with. We can worry about the gate some other day."

"Fine by me…" the Imperial droned.

…

Valleri said little through dinner. Any questions Alastaros threw at her were answered with one word replies. She picked at her food with her fork absentmindedly. Lexius stared at her with narrowed eyes. He knew that look on her face well.

"Hey, old man!"

The Altmer looked up from his bowl with an irritated frown. "Yes, Lexius?"

The Redguard glanced towards the woman sitting next to him. Valleri was staring down at the ground, obviously not paying attention. He continued, "What are the chances we'll run into a lich here?"

Vilkas and Alastaos perked up. The old Altmer's brow furrowed as he thought. Valleri continued to stare at the ground. After another moment of deliberation, Alastaros spoke, "I'd wager the chances are low. Whatever was here before, the Knights took care of it two hundred years ago. We should be alone here."

"Then what about the one Valleri found in the ruins near Anvil?" Vilkas asked. Valleri finally lifted her head.

Alastaros waved his fork through the air, "I feel it would be safe to assume that lich was a fluke. No one messed with those ruins in ages and there were plenty of places to hide."

"Are you saying I have a knack for finding things, Alasataros?" Valleri muttered with a faint smile.

"In a way, perhaps I am." Alastaros' face soured, "Don't go and get any funny ideas, Valleri. I can see right through you. There's a reason why we do things the way we do, and you know that very well."

The Imperial grumbled as both Lexius and Vilkas looked over with varying degrees of exasperation. They both knew Valleri wasn't listening. Alastaros stared pointedly at Valleri as well. The three of them watched her as she finished her meal. The three men tried not to pay much attention to her. Without a word, Valleri put her bowl away and started walking towards the hills.

"Valleri! Where are you off to?" Alastaros called out.

Valleri waved him off, "For a walk. I've been staying around here for a little too long."

Alastaros' face soured. Before they knew it, she disappeared over the hills. Vilkas glanced between the old Altmer and Lexius. By this point, Lexius looked as though he didn't care anymore. Maybe Valleri would finally put the gate at the back of her mind for the time being.

It wasn't long before the sky grew dark. Lexius and Alastaros retired for the night while Vilkas waited, poking the dying fire with a stick aimlessly. Valleri still wasn't back and Vilkas was too tired to wait any longer. His bed called.

…

Vilkas didn't expect to be woken up by something tapping him in the side. It was a rhythmic tap, like someone trying to prod him awake with their foot. He groaned then pried his eyes open. The first thing he saw was Valleri's scowling face looking down at him. She ceased kicking him when she noticed him looking back at her.

"Valleri, what the fu-"

"Shut up for a second," she hissed quietly. "You'll wake everyone up."

The sleepy Nord looked around. It was still dark outside. "Then why are we up right now?"

"We're getting to the bottom of what's wrong with the gate. I've got a few ideas."

"Val… No. Alastaros said we'd get to it when we get to it."

The Imperial nudged him further, grinning, "Come on, Companion. Where's your sense of adventure?"

"Don't call me a Companion," he retorted, taking a sharp breath in.

"Well, be a stick in the mud if you want. I figured I'd invite you along. But I'll just go by myself." Valleri turned around and started off towards the entrance.

Vilkas watched her for a moment. His stomach churned. He knew Valleri was accident prone. At least he remembered her that way. Flipping his blanket off, Vilkas got up and followed Valleri. She was already inside, illuminated by her pale white light. Vilkas ran to catch up to her. He followed her wordlessly through the first level of the ruins. This part was familiar at least.

Valleri slowed as she approached the gate. When she figured she was close enough, the Imperial kneeled down and rifled through her kneeled down next to her. "You said you an idea?"

Valleri's gaze didn't move from her bag. Vilkas watched her flip through her notebook with apt attention.

"Well?"

"We saw no lever, right?" Valleri paused to see Vilkas nod his head affirmatively. "It might be activated by something more abstract. Like some sort of spell or light or something."

"Is that common in these kinds of ruins?"

"Eh, sort of." Valleri paused for a second, landing on the page she was searching for. "It's not common per se, but they do pop up. Considering the history of this place, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case."

The Nord took a seat on the ground next to Valleri. "Do you have any idea what the passcode could be?"

"Again, only a few ideas. We're not really strapped for time though. Do you have a weapon on you?"

Narrowing his eyes, Vilkas stared back at Valleri. The woman's face was blank while she waited for an answer. "No, I don't. Didn't really think I'd need one."

Laughing nervously, Valleri got up from the floor and approached the gate with her book in hand. "We'll be fine!"

Vilkas' chest felt suddenly heavy. "Have you ever done this before?"

"Nope!"

Stomach sinking, Vilkas braced himself. Valleri placed her hand on the gate then stole one last nervous glance to Vilkas. He gave her a shaky thumbs up. Taking a deep breath in, Valleri spoke in a low voice, "Umarile sunnia hanne."

With bated breath the both of them waited for a reaction. Vilkas wasn't sure if he was surprised that nothing happened. Valleri grumbled to herself.

"Meridnunda sunnia hanne."

Still nothing.

Rolling her eyes, Valleri tried a third time, yelling with frustration. "Fuck Pelin El!"

"They really didn't say fuck back then, did they?"

"I figured I'd try before going more complicated. They had to have had a version of their own." She waved Vilkas over hesitantly, "I don't honestly think this last one will work. Follow my directions to a T. I'd rather not have this go wrong."

Vilkas said nothing as he stood facing his friend. She read once more from the book in her hand, the other one still set flat against the filigree gate. Valleri's light, pale and cold, illuminated the small space in between them while the unfamiliar blue glow of the welkynd stones rose out of the water behind them. Vilkas focused on Valleri's face to keep any semblance of composure. At least she didn't notice him staring.

"Meridnunda man sunnia?"

Valleri glanced up to Vilkas, "Place your hand on the gate and repeat after me. Meridnunda sunnia Umarile hanne."

"Meridnunda sunnia Umarile hanne."

Vilkas almost didn't realize the words were coming from his mouth. They felt… foreign. And his voice wasn't his. Or at least it seemed that way.

A second passed and Valleri was already starting to lose hope that any of her attempts had worked. She let out a weary sigh and slammed the book shut. She was opening her mouth to speak when the light above her head flashed and disappeared. Instinctively, her hand reached out for Vilkas' arm. The Nord didn't need to see her to imagine the look of shock on Valleri's face.

"No, no, no. Why isn't it working?" she muttered while trying to recast her light. Over and over again, the spell failed.

Just when the final bit of panic settled, they heard a metallic grating next to them. In the low light, Vilkas watched the gate recede into the floor. His eyes narrowed as he tried to find any light in the new corridor in front of them.

Valleri exclaimed with delight when her spell finally worked and the familiar pale light floated near them. The Imperial broke out into a sprint, not bothering to wait for her friend behind her.

The new corridor ran downwards and the air around the two newcomers grew cold and thick with ages old dust. The only signs of life were barely visible foot prints. Vilkas assumed they were from the knights who came to vanquish the lich. Whoever they were, they were long gone.

"Hey, Val?"

"Yeah?"

"How did you know that passcode would work?"

Valleri looked over her shoulder with a grin, "I didn't."

Pausing for a second, Vilkas looked down to his feet with puzzlement. "Knowing you, it had to have been an educated guess."

"It was."

Vilkas' brow furrowed. "You could at least tell me what I was saying back there!"

"Right!" Valleri laughed, "I asked, 'Who has Meridia's blessings?' And you answered, "The army of Umaril has Meridia's blessings.' So, an educated guess."

"They worshipped Deadra here?"

Valleri tilted her head as she thought. She spoke finally, with another laugh, "As far as Deadric princes go, Meridia is hardly one you have to be worried about."

"You're not wrong," Vilkas muttered mostly to himself.

Valleri paused when she came to the bottom of the stairwell they found themselves in. He squinted when he looked over. Bright, blue light came from the next chamber. Valleri must have already seen what was creating the light.

The both of them stepped out into the final room with a fair amount of trepidation. A towering platform rose at the back of the chamber, topped with a large glowing crystal. The light pulsated at uneven intervals. If Vilkas stared at it too long, he began to feel sick.

In the dark corners of the room, skeletons laid sprawled out over the ground. Lifeless helmets stared at the two newcomers. They were watching.

Taking a deep breath in, Vilkas steadily approached one of the helmets. It was frightfully similar to the one that Kodlak sent back to Uriel. The gilded wings on the side were rusted and chipped. Carefully, he picked the helmet up and looked over what other damage the helmet picked up over the years.

Valleri's voice, barely audible, came from behind him.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

…

Blue light pulsated across the chamber, originating from the crystal on top of the platform in front of Valleri. It was all she could look at. Like a moth to a flame, she was attracted to that stone.

It was almost as enthralling as watching the lich in the Anvil ruins. She felt the same cold chills up and down her neck and arms now as she did then.

Vilkas was rummaging amongst some bones at the side of the room. He wasn't paying attention. And that was fine. To each their own.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Vilkas looked over his shoulder back to her. But Valleri was already walking up to the taller platform.

"Valleri?"

Valleri wasn't listening.

"Hey, don't mess with that stone. If something happens we won't be able to make an easy exit."

The Imperial didn't stop until the stone was right next to her. Now that she was close enough to look at it, she saw the stone floating off of the ground. The pulsating light was almost blinding now.

Vilkas was still talking, "Valleri, what in Oblivion are you doing?"

Valleri couldn't answer him. By now, even she didn't know what she was doing. Without another thought, she placed her hand on the top of the stone.

As soon as her hand contacted the cold crystalline surface, Valleri's head filled with a cacophony of whispers. The voices spoke in heavily accented Ayleidoon and the Imperial could only pick out a few words. She didn't need to know what they were saying to hear their anguish. The words were almost too much and with each passing second, Valleri's chest tightened more and more.

"Valleri!"

Suddenly, she felt large hands grasp her arm and pull her way from the crystal. A snapping noise echoed through the chamber when whatever connection she had with the stone was severed, followed by an explosion of light. Valleri scrunched her eyes together as Vilkas pulled the both of them off kilter and onto the ground.

When they landed, the Nord was holding her close against his chest and staring down at her with wide, anxious eyes. "Valleri, what were you doing?"

Slowly, Valleri stared up at him. Her words were not her own, remnants of the whispers that nearly consumed her. "Amraldava Falasil Sedor Aran Al-Eshe Lie."

By now, she could barely see the worried, perplexed expression on Vilkas' face. His words were barely whispers, "Valleri, what are you even saying?"

The woman's eyes rolled backwards and the periphery of her vision went dark. Her limbs grew heavier and heavier. Cold seeped from the tips of her fingers up to her neck and back. Soon enough, she was asleep.

"Valleri? Valleri! Fuck!"

Oh my god, I am so sorry. I havent posted shit since April and now its june. Whoops... TO make it up to you guys, you get a tasty long chapter. Hope thats ok?

In other news, I graduated college and moved out of my home town for the summer to help with sea bird research! So i still might be a little slow. but that ok? I have this story all plotted out and what not, so my only excuse now is that I'm not actually writing. I'm gonna see this monstrosity finished even if it kills me!

Anyways, this time a very heartfelt thanks for reading! Means the world to me that people enjoys my stories! Thank you!