Chapter 20

Veleth's Story Part 2

XxXxXx

4E 140 – Safepoint Stros, Morrowind

Veleth was fairly certain his next step was going to be his last. His battered unit had been limping through the wilderness to Safepoint Stros for the past several days. They were all beyond exhausted but they hadn't dared stop. Once Veleth had regained some control over his body, he had insisted on walking, something R'is had greatly disapproved of but stubborn pride had prevailed. Now he couldn't say if he regretted his decision or not as his mind had completely shut out such thoughts, focused entirely on mustering the energy to move his body forward one single step at a time. With each step he could feel that focus fading a little bit more. His body was trying to shut down. When he started walking every step had sent waves of agony through him but now he was numb to the pain completely. He could feel the blood slowly dripping down his side from his grievous wound, the bandage hastily wrapped around it barely helping at all.

"We'll be there soon." R'is said tersely beside him, making sure he didn't drop face-first into the ground, "Weren't you supposed to be off this rotation anyway?"

He was, wasn't he? He had gone out again and again, somehow avoiding the mandatory rotation out. The rotations were a six-month chunk that each soldier was required to take every third rotation off. This was to keep soldiers fresh and morale up. Veleth didn't like the thought of just leaving his men abruptly so he had simply avoided the check-in station. The check-ins were, fortunately for him, disorganized and no one had noticed. He had avoided his last two rotations off that way.

"You're an idiot." R'is muttered, offering him a shoulder when his stumbling got worse. "You were supposed to be off. Why can't you take your time off like everyone else? Idiot."

"Sure seems like it…" Veleth croaked out, his throat completely dry.

"We're almost there." R'is repeated more to himself than out loud, "I'm hauling you to a healer first and don't you dare argue with me. You are by far the worst off. Why they couldn't establish a safe point south of Mournhold I don't understand."

Veleth didn't answer. He didn't have the energy to. He didn't care that he was the worst off. He wanted his men taken care of.

"They can walk better than you right now." R'is said, reading his mind. He didn't add "those that survived" but it hung in the air as heavy as fetid swamp air. It was particularly difficult for Veleth to swallow. Something had gone wrong somewhere…he just wasn't sure where. They had been miles away from the Argonian camp…yet they had known exactly where the Dunmer unit was going to be. How had they known? More importantly, who had told them? Was it a mole? A traitor? There was simply no way it was coincidence. Veleth didn't believe in coincidences.

"There! We made it!"

Relief managed to work its way through his mind at the sight of Stros' gates. That small rush of emotion proved to be the breaking point for his battered body. Just as they crossed the gate, everything simultaneously quit and he collapsed into darkness.


He had no idea how long he was out. He awoke to his body feeling like it was being consumed by fire. He tried to open his eyes but the world was spinning like a gyroscope. He quickly closed them again as his stomach churned. Not a good feeling.

Forcing his eyes back open and ignoring the dizziness he looked down at his body. He had been stripped of his armor, though he suspected that that had been ruined beyond repair. Thanks the Reclamations that no one had insisted on throwing a blanket over him. It was far too hot for that, especially with his skin feeling like it was about to catch on fire. Or was it cold? He couldn't make up his mind if he was hot or cold. He had a few bruises and cuts decorating his bare torso but those were purely superficial. Then his gaze was drawn to the stained bandage wrapped around his midsection. Carefully, wincing more than a little, he peeled back the bandage to see just how bad the wound really was. With a slightly choked grunt he realized it was far worse than he thought. Granted he knew it was bad, it had been a through and through wound after all, but he hadn't expected it to look so angry. The entire left side of his abdomen was already swollen, the area around the wound was hard and hot to the touch, his dusky skin stained a darker color. The edges were raised and splitting slightly from the swelling and faint red streaks were starting to lead from the wound. That was worrisome. He was starting to think that maybe that spear had been poisoned. It was fairly common for Argonians to poison their weapons. That could explain the dizziness and the fever. If it was it wasn't a very strong one. Thank Azura for small miracles.

He replaced the bandage on the wound and looked up at the ceiling, finding it far easier to deal with the vertigo when he was looking at a solid stretch of one dark color. He wasn't sure exactly where he was in Stros but it seemed to be one of the temporary housing units, judging by the dark canvas roof. Normally those were used to house soldiers when there were more soldiers than space, usually during rotation changes, but he knew that these units were also used to hold those that were deemed too injured to save. They were put here so they could die away from the injured whose already broken moral might shatter entirely being around the mortally wounded.

"What do you mean 'there's nothing you can do'?!" R'is. Definitely R'is' voice. Not too far either…and none too happy.

"I'm sorry sir but we simply don't have the resources. Next rotation…" The voice that drifted in on the tailwinds of R'is' angry words sounded young. More than likely it was a kid not yet at the age where he could officially join the ranks so instead ran around the Safepoints serving as errand boys. Poor kid didn't sign up for this though.

"Next rotation?! That's WEEKS away! I could get him to Blacklight myself and ride back before then!" R'is was really getting worked up. Veleth could envision it easily; waving his arms and his red eyes burning a bright cherry red. He would have smirked had he the energy. It was always funny to listen to when he wasn't the one dealing with it. "What about teleport mages? I know there were volunteer Guild Guides."

"There are so few of them, they were directed mostly to Adrusa…"

There was a period of heavy silence and Veleth cringed inwardly. R'is had reached the zone of no return. He knew exactly what had happened; R'is' earlier wild expression would have dropped suddenly, replaced by a blank mask, betrayed only by the fire smoldering in his eyes. It was the calm before the storm, the silence before the explosion.

"Do you mean to tell me that this Safepoint has no supplies…"

"Sir…"

"For the refugees who are STILL making their way north…"

"Sir, I.."

"Or for the soldiers who are out here getting their asses kicked…"

"Sir, please!"

"Because, somehow, WE CAN'T FIND MORE THAN FOUR GODS DAMNED MAGES IN THE ENTIRE OBLIVION FORSAKEN PROVINCE?!"

Veleth felt his stomach muscles unclench as the explosion finally came. He knew R'is temper; this was incredibly mild. The poor kid he was yelling at was completely unnerved but was getting off very lucky. Normally things would be flying through the air, punctuated by lots of screaming. Heavy things. Like chairs or tables. Veleth had actually learned to duck at an early age thanks to his best friend's temper. Too bad he hadn't been able to duck this last strike.

"I don't know what you want me to do about it!" The kid mustered up some courage from somewhere to blurt that out to the enraged soldier. Brave kid. Brave but foolish. "They said he's going to die anyway."

"Get out."

Veleth listened to the sounds of the kid scramble away with an odd detachment. So they really thought he was going to die, did they? In all honesty he could see their point; it was grievous wound, deadly enough on its own. He was pretty surprised he hadn't bled out on the way here. However, with the addition of poison, no matter how weak, or infection? He could see how he was considered a dead man. Veleth ground his teeth as his stubborn pride flickered briefly, even as it set off little explosions of pain through his head. He didn't want to die. He wasn't going to die. Not like this.

"Figures the only thing that wakes you up is my bellowing…" R'is flopped down gracelessly next to him, rubbing a hand over his face, "And, of course, you had to do this to yourself in an area with the least available help around. I swear you have a death wish. Don't you dare respond. Keep your mouth shut and rest while I try to think of something to keep you alive. Before you start to think about arguing, all the men are fine. They've all had healing potions forced down their throats and are just hanging out waiting to see what happens to you. A healing potion won't do a damn thing for you. There aren't even healers here. The only ones here that pass for healers can't tell a cut from a canker soar. They moved you here because they think you're going to die and its much easier to let you do that out of sight. Just…let me think."

Veleth stayed silent, more than a little annoyed at that. Dimly he was aware that being able to feel that annoyance was a great improvement from when he walked through the gate and that without help he would soon deteriorate far past that point. He ground his teeth again. He was not going to die.

"Sergeant R'is." Veleth heard another mer enter the tent-like building. He recognized the voice instantly though. It was General Deros Relas, one of the mer who was responsible for driving the Argonians out of Mournhold and back into southern Morrowind, the man in charge of Safepoint Stros and their direct commanding officer.

"General!" R'is shot to his feet and stood sharply at attention. Veleth tried to raise himself up, purely out of habit, but R'is shot him a swift kick to the ribs. Stars exploded in his vision and he dropped back flat on his back with a groan.

"At ease, both of you." The general said with a frown, "R'is, I could hear you bellowing clean across the Safepoint. The only bellowing I want to hear is that of a supply caravan coming in. Now, before I get into that, I've gotten wind of a piece of information that is a bit…perturbing. Is it true that our dear commander Veleth here took the last six rotations without taking the mandatory rotations off?"

"It's true, sir, but I think the number is a bit higher than you think. He's been out here for a few years without taking any time off." R'is gave a warning nudge to Veleth's shoulder with his toe to warn him not to argue.

"Not sure how he managed to pull that stunt off at the check-ins." General Relas shook his head, "I'll have a word with them later. We have a bit more pressing matter. As you have found out by now, this Safepoint is tapped out in terms of supplies. We are the farthest one away from both Blacklight and Necrom. Adrusa gains priority over us as it is closest to Mournhold and there are two other checkpoints before us coming from Blacklight. We are dangerously undersupplied. We have been sending the injured out to Safepoint Kogo and from there they go to Blacklight, if they survive. The next caravan out doesn't leave for another week and a half."

R'is hissed through his teeth, "Sir, Veleth doesn't HAVE a week. I can get him to Kogo in that time…"

"Officially, I have to tell you no. He has to wait, just like the others." The general turned to go, "However, it'd be a shame to lose such a promising young commander, even if he hasn't learned to tell the councilors to shove their secretive agendas where the sun don't shine yet. There's two horses tied up behind the command tent. They need to be exercised. I'll be in a meeting for the next hour." The general stopped at the door, "I don't want to see either of you when I get back."

"Vith, vith, vith…" R'is started to swear colorfully, running around and shoving things into his bag, "We're not going to the next Safepoint. I'm not going to risk this again. We're going to Blacklight. It's a five-day ride. VITH that's going to be rough…you got to hang in there until we get there, Modyn."

Veleth gritted his teeth and shoved himself up, biting back a groan of pain. "Don't have a choice, do I?" By Azura, even his voice sounded like he was on the verge of death. "Wait...did he say sergeant? Aren't you a Lieutenant?"

"No, you don't." R'is threw a shirt at him, "And remember that incident in which several trees, a few buildings, a fence and the general's quarters caught on fire? That's why I'm a sergeant. Now shut up and get up."

Never before had standing been so horrible. The world bucked and spun around him, leaving him barely able to catch it with his feet as he staggered along with R'is holding him up. His side throbbed. Actually, throbbed was not the right word. Pounding pulses of pure agony was more like it. It nearly threw him back to the ground and it would have had R'is not been there holding him up. He grunted, desperately wishing he could curl into a ball.

"None of that." R'is shook him gently, "Don't give up before we even get going. Stand up straight, soldier!"

They made it to the back of the officer's building without anyone seeing them. Veleth idly wondered if his men had heard the exchange and surreptitiously cleared the way. Sure enough there were two horses standing tied, each had a back hoof cocked and their eyes were half closed. They were good enough horses, he supposed. They were tall, muscular creatures, certainly strong enough to make it to Blacklight at a fast pace. Getting on the horse was pure hell. The skin around his wound stretched and pulled, causing more waves of pain to roll through his already battered body. He was infinitely relieved when R'is tied the lead of his horse to his own horse in front, leaving Veleth to fully concentrate on staying on the shifting swaying mass underneath him. He sent up a quick thanks to Azura that this horse was fairly smooth and didn't have the jolting, jarring trot that some horses had. Still, it was taking a lot out of him to just hang on and not slid completely off and they hadn't even made it through the Safepoint yet.

After they cleared Stros' gates, Veleth slid into a dazed state. A few times his consciousness surfaced into reality and he caught a few glimpses of clarity. R'is telling him how far from Blacklight they were, the horse sometimes picked the pace up, and an increasingly crisp wind that was both a relief and torture on his fevered skin. Try as he might, he couldn't stay fully aware, which was either a blessing or a curse, given the length of the ride. He couldn't fully decide. He was dimly aware that R'is avoided Isa and Kogo, even waiting until nightfall to bypass Kogo. Why was he...? Oh yeah, they were technically AWOL, even if Relas had indirectly given them permission.

The rest of the ride he stayed in a black half sleep that was shot with ribbons of blue and red that twisted and shimmered like snakes. He could hear himself breathing, each breath felt as hot as smoke from Red Mountain in his lungs. He tried to breath less as he knew that smoke was bad. Smoke meant ash and too much ash could lead to Red Lung for those who weren't used to it. He had gotten the disease as a child after a freak wind change had brought a large amount of ash to Blacklight and had spent two miserable weeks trying his best to cough up a lung. He couldn't cough now, the pulsating wound on his side would burst.

Speaking of his wound, was that a waterfall? It felt like a waterfall going down his side. He couldn't tell what was coming from it though. Oddly enough he could see the wound, even though it was through his back and out his front. Angry red streaks ran from is like tongues from a dragon, bright green poison surging within the streaks, pumping through his veins with every heartbeat. The edges were raised like fault lines. Those fault lines were oozing burning hot lava. That scared him. He wanted to brush the lava off him but even the heat-resistant skin of a Dunmer was no match against molten lava.

"-eleth. Veleth! Dammit, MODYN!" He snapped back to reality. The horses were moving fast, very fast. R'is was sitting behind him, holding him up as they galloped along. He could hear the horse's hoofs clattering against stone. "Wake up! Gods damn it all, we're almost there. Don't you DARE die on me!"

Veleth tried to reply. He tried his hardest to get his tongue and lips to form a reply but it was like that connection to his brain was cut. His body was at the end of the line and shutting down. He couldn't even wonder at where they were. They could be in oblivion for all he could tell…or care.

The horse slid to a halt and R'is jumped off, dragging Veleth with him. He couldn't even feel it this time. A cold emptiness was taking over. His limbs twitched involuntarily and his vision took on a hazy black ring that was starting to close in around everything. Soon it would be over. Truth be told he was almost relieved at that prospect. He was so tired…

He heard a pounding noise. Frantic voices breached the cloud that was taking over his mind. Then someone else was supporting his failing body, a strong powerful presence that picked him up like he weighed no more than a child. His last lucid thought was that at least he would get to die surrounded by a presence that reminded him of his father.

XxXxXx

The world swirled in a confusing amalgam of colors and shapes that he couldn't fully identify. Every time he tried to focus fully on it, it disappeared in the black mist that hovered at the edges. Every now and then noises would pierce through, noises he thought he recognized but like with the tornado of images, he couldn't quite place just what they were. His mind wouldn't let him breach the black pool he was in to fully hear the noises that hovered above the surface.

Eventually all the colors coalesced into a storm of red and grey, a flurry that reminded him if the stories of the bad ash storms his father had often told him about. He had seen ash storms, of course, but the winds usually kept Vvardenfell's ash storms away from the shores of Blacklight. This was a bad one. He couldn't see anything through it. That made him nervous; he wasn't used to being stripped of his senses.

Suddenly a figure appeared in front of him. Despite the abrupt appearance, Veleth was relaxed, almost as if he expected it. He couldn't see the figure's face, couldn't tell if the smaller being was male or female, human or mer, but he knew that this mysterious person was a friend despite the dark appearance. It reached out and grabbed Veleth's arm in an astonishingly strong grip and began to pull him through the curtain of falling ash. Veleth surprised himself by not protesting in the slightest. He simply followed like a loyal dog.

The rain of red and grey cleared and Veleth found himself standing alone on a high ridge overlooking a massive lake. In the center of the lake was an island with a large walled city on it, a massive pale tower rising majestically above the darker buildings that peeked out over the walls. Even at this distance he could see people walking along the stone bridge that connected the island city to the mainland. He could tell they were mostly human, if their skin tone and dress was anything to go by. What city was this? He didn't recognize it.

He did jump this time when the dark being reappeared next to him. This time he was able to see that the being wasn't made of shadows like he though in his initial impression but was dressed all in black. He still couldn't make out anything else though, as covered as it was. The being wordlessly pointed southward. Veleth followed his finger and saw a massive storm brewing, the black clouds slowly advancing on the bustling city below. It wasn't a natural storm. It made the hair on the back of Veleth's neck stand on end and his skin crawl. This wasn't a storm he wanted to be caught in. He looked back down at the city; none of the citizens seemed to be aware of the approaching danger. They calmly went in and out of the city gates, children ran down to the lake to swim, horses grazed in a small paddock by the gates, guards patrolled the long bridge. Veleth took a step forward, the urge to warn them of the impending danger overwhelming, but a hand on his arm stopped him. He looked back at the dark-dressed figure, who slowly shook its head.

The wind picked up and the storm bore down on them quickly. Still no one seemed to notice. Flags were ripped from their poles, small trees were uprooted and waves pounded against the bridge but still there was no sense of alarm. Then the rain hit. Veleth narrowed his eyes. That wasn't normal rain. Was that...? He recoiled as he recognized the color. It was raining blood. The people had stopped moving, standing stock still, their faces blank as blood ran down like macabre tears.

The figure tugged at his arm again before the horrible rain could reach them and the bloody city disappeared behind the haze of red and grey again. Veleth was a little rattled. He had no idea what was going on or why he was being shown this. He knew that his guide wasn't out to hurt him but he wasn't so sure he wanted to see anything else it had to show him.

He was understandably apprehensive when found himself standing on the side of a mountain, again looking down on smaller village this time. Snow covered the landscape, giving everything a cheery, crisp feel. He didn't see as many people as he had in the walled city but given that it was cold enough for this much snow he wasn't all that surprised. He wasn't all that fond of snow himself. No Dunmer was. Looking beyond the town, he could see quite a bit of whatever province he was in. It seemed to be a primitive land, gorgeous and untamed. The snow faded away further down the mountain, giving way to thick pine forests. What he didn't see, mercifully, was a storm of blood.

The relief was short lived. Again he felt that hand on him and he looked over to his dark companion looking straight up into the sky. He followed the gaze and again flinched. The sky was on fire. The flames swirled like snakes in the sky, weaving in and out of each other with the delicacy of lovers. Then, one at a time, they twisted and descended like hawks going in for the kill, raining hell fire on the pristine innocent land below. The town below was hit the hardest, houses veritably exploding under the powerful force.

As before, Veleth was pulled away before the rain of death could harm him, back to the relative safety of the ash storm.

"No more." he tried to say, but he found he couldn't even open his mouth to form the words. His vocal chords refused even to allow him to grunt. The pressure on his arm lessened slightly and the dark being inclined its head while holding up its other hand apologetically. They weren't done yet.

This time, instead of the cloud of ash, it seemed as if the world flew by as the dark being led him on. Each step was a different place, a city, a town, a open landscape. Each had their own disaster that befell them, each being destroyed one by one. A village falling to a wave of back garbed figures, a island rolled over by fire, a town swallowed by sand, an entire city sinking into a giant hissing chasm. He was quickly wearied by it. He was a soldier, someone who fervently believed in fighting for what was right but what was the point of fighting if in the end everything was destroyed?

The figure gave him a sharp painful squeeze. Disapproval. He could feel a harsh gaze on him from somewhere in the dark clothing. Don't think like that. Veleth realized that they had stopped but he didn't want to look around. He didn't want to see another bit of destruction. He had fought for years to try to stave off destruction and in the end, he was nothing but one tiny dot futilely fighting against a massive tide. How could he stop that?

Another squeeze, this time accompanied by a shake. He finally looked up and yielded to the demand to look. He instantly recognized where he was. He was in Morrowind, floating above the province. He could see from Blacklight all the way to Firewatch on the opposite peninsula, from Vvardenfell all the way to Tear, the southern most town in the province. Morrowind...his home. No, not this. He couldn't bear to see its destruction.

Sure enough, a wall of back and red appeared in the southwest, across the border, a writhing mass of creatures that seemed poised to tear the province apart. It made its steady march closer, Veleth's heart sinking with every inch it gained closer. Another shake. He looked over and saw that the being was pointing at something ahead of the wall. He looked closer. Four dots of light, gold, red, orange and green, stood defiantly in front of the horde. Amazingly, the darkness halted in front of the lights. From behind the defiant little group of lights came a small glow. It was tiny and faint at first but then it began to grow. Veleth watched in amazement as glowing spheres came in from all around, from the north, the south, the west, the east, even flying in from above. They all seemed to be massing behind the points of light, answering some unheard call. Soon it grew into a army that rivaled that of the dark mass. They began to glow brighter and brighter, the light swelling to engulf the darkness. The black army began to push back and the battle was joined, light and dark struggling for supremacy.

"There's always hope." the being finally spoke, a light easy tone, "Sometimes its small and hard to find, but its always there. And sometimes...you ARE the hope. As long as there is a small point of hope, the rest will follow."

Veleth looked down. Two points of bright gold light were watching him from underneath the dark cowl. He felt courage well up in him, hope. He could tell that the being was pleased at that as the light grew brighter, swallowing him up. It took control of him, transporting him away from the battle of light and dark. He relaxed, feeling far more comforted and free from stress and anxiety in a way that he hadn't in a long long time.

"Good. Now wake up."

XxXxXx

The first thing that registered in his worn out mind that was actually real was the smell: hackle-lo and leather. Odd, that was what his parents house smelled like: hackle-lo that his mother always kept on hand and the leather his father used for repairs. He wasn't home though…had he died? He didn't remember hearing anything about Azura's realm having a smell that reminded a soul of an earthly home.

"I think he's starting to wake up."

If there was one thing that could have startled him to full awareness, his father's voice practically in his ear was it. Though, while his brain came back to near full speed, his body was far slower to respond. The only response he was able to elicit was twitching a few fingers.

"Modyn, can you hear us?" Came the gentle, worry-laced voice of his mother.

Veleth really had to force himself to work. He managed to drag his eyes open but it took a monumental effort. His eyelids felt like they were made of stone and about as pliable. He found that if he concentrated on moving just one part of his body at a time he could just manage. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust but slowly the figures of both his parents swam into focus.

"Where am I?" he asked. Or rather, tried to ask. All that came out was a dry croak.

"No, don't speak." His mother, Azura bless her soul, knew exactly what was on his mind, "You're home. Dalin thought it prudent to bring you here rather than having to deal with the military getting upset over you two making the journey here without permission. He said you can handle that after you recover. I don't know how you managed to make it that far without healing aid but you made it home just in time. You were…" her voice broke, eyes glassy with tears.

"You almost didn't make it, boy." Jorun picked up when his wife faltered, "You've been unconscious for the past week. There were a few moments when we thought you weren't going to wake up."

It was almost too much to take. A week? He had been out for a week solid?

"Enough. Don't think on it. You have a lot more healing to do." Jorun said, frowning. Veleth saw that he had been in far worse shape than he realized if his father was that worried. Jorun never openly showed worry. He faced everything with an unflappable sense of calm. When he did show any sense of worry or frustration, it meant things were in dire straights. "Your fever is finally starting to go down. Rest."

Rest. That thought was definitely appealing. Just staying awake this long had been annoyingly exhausting. No sooner had that thought entered his mind than his body dropped him into sleep, lulled by the murmur of his parents' approval. Mercifully, he didn't dream this time.

XxXxXx

It took another full week before Veleth finally recovered the strength to drag himself up for an extended length of time. It was highly frustrating. He had been in the peak of physical condition and now he could barely push himself upright without panting for breath, his body desperately wanting to collapse back down and curl in a ball. It was frustrating, humiliating and, above all, maddening. He would wait until no one was around to stop him before stubbornly forcing himself to his feet, gripping the nearest piece of furniture so hard he would nearly leave gouges in an effort to ground himself against the intense waves of dizziness. He was careful not to over aggravate his injury though. He didn't want to pop the careful stitching holding his left side together and land himself back in bed. When the pain in his side reached a razor sharp pitch, he would concede defeat and lay back down. After a few days he found his persistence paying off as the spinning began to abate and he was able to take a few tentative steps. It was only to the end of the bed but it was improvement. He'd take it.

"In many ways, your stubbornness is your greatest hinderance...but in all other ways, it's your greatest asset." Veleth looked up to see his father watching him, his expression unreadable. Veleth didn't say anything in reply, bracing himself for a rebuke while forming his argument at the same time. "Oh knock it off before I change my mind about it being helpful. Far better for you to be moving around rather than me devising ways to get you up."

Veleth relaxed, nearly losing his footing when he lost his concentration briefly, and readjusted his grip on the bedside table, "If I had to stay flat on my back one more day I was going to lose my damn mind."

"I understand. Been injured a few times in my day. C'mon, let's get out of this room for a bit before you do something stupid on your own." Veleth gratefully allowed his father to help him hobble out. He didn't care where they went, it was just a relief to be up and out of that room. Simply sitting down at the table made him feel more alive than he had in days. It was one more step away from that black hole he had been sliding into. One step, but a big one. One thing had been nagging at him and, now that it was just him and his father alone together, he felt the need to get it off his chest.

"It took getting run through by a poisoned spear to figure out what you meant." Veleth said bluntly, fixing his gaze at the table top. "When you said to be aware of my surroundings."

"Sometimes it takes something…drastic for some things to sink in." Jorun said, "Though next time I would suggest finding another form of punishment…someplace closer and not quite so destructive. I hear getting kicked in the gut by a guar is less damaging."

"Says the man who escaped nearly being mauled to death by an ogrim on Red Mountain by sheer luck."

"At least I was on the other end of the spear."

"Touche…"

"But I doubt you meant the spear."

"That spear hit me not because I wasn't aware of my enemies. I knew they were close by, I knew we were going to be in a fight. What I wasn't aware of was all the...other stuff."

"The subtle machinations of politics that are what really runs a war? That stuff?" Jorun watched his son carefully, "Ah, my boy, you've always hated the sneaky stuff."

"It's pointless."

"Spoken like a typical young, hot-headed idiot." His father never minced words. Veleth appreciated it at times but it could get annoying rather quickly, like right now. "It very much has its purpose in this world. Is it annoying dealing with politicians, rogues, assassins and and thieves? Very much so. But you're going to have to get over it. Morrowind runs on subtle manipulations, words hidden within words and, sometimes, not so covert assassinations. The Nerevarine even had to resort to more illegal steps in order to complete his task."

"Ai, by the GODS must you bring him up again?" Veleth groaned.

"He was far younger than you when he figured that out. You're behind."

"You're being old again."

"And you a young idiot." Jorun smirked. Veleth sighed in exasperation. "In all seriousness though, you can hate the so-called sneaky stuff all you want, but the fact remains you should still learn it and learn it well. It's not just Morrowind that thrives on such things, but the world over."

Veleth grunted. He heard his father's words but he couldn't accept them. Not yet.

"Dalin was in rare form. Said something about half of Black Marsh coming at you." Jorun smirked slightly, changing the subject. "Then went on a rant about the Safepoints, mages, healers and errand boys. Couldn't make heads or tails of it but he had a lot to say about it."

Veleth rolled his eyes. "Sounds about right. I came to to him bellowing at some poor kid. Fortunately everything around him was nailed down or things would have been flying again. As for the Argonians…they butchered those poor people and hung them from the trees. They knew we were going to be there and find them. We were baited then we were ambushed, I know we were. I just don't know how they knew."

"And we come full circle." Veleth looked up sharply. "More sneaky stuff is at play here, boy."

That was exactly what Veleth was afraid of. As his body healed, his mind was turned more towards what had happened in that swamp and what was going to happen now. All he knew was that it was nothing good.

"You won't have to wait long to figure that out." Jorun said, reading his son's mind perfectly, "A letter came for you. Not a happy one I'm afraid. As soon as you can stand for an extended length of time, you are to report to Rootspire. Into the very den of sneaky stuff. Modyn, if there's one time that you need to heed my advice, this is it. Listen carefully to what they say. Not so that you can follow their instructions because most of what they say is utter shit, but because you need to be aware of what's going on. Something is happening and you are right in the center of it my boy."

That left one question: what horrible act had he committed against what daedra to deserve this?

XxXxXx

A/N: I updated the summary to better reflect the story rather than the vague thing I had up. I'll probably update it again as the story goes on. Don't want to give anything away just yet. Funny enough my views shot through the roof when I did, once again proving that good wording is paramount (of course, as soon as I write this, the traffic tracker thing breaks. Yay...). I'm rather shocked I was able to write this out as I don't know who was sicker: me or Veleth. 'Tis the season to be icky. Oh, ah, one more thing. I know I'm throwing out seemingly weird random things but...keep track. I've been putting things out there for a reason. That's all I'm going to say. Enjoy!

I GOT INTO GRAD SCHOOL!