Cearbhail:
Took me forever to figure out what I wanted from this chapter. But once I knew how I wanted it to start...everything else just wrote itself. Literally, so don't think I planned this conversation between Kyuu and Veselle until I had already gotten up to that point and went... hey... these is an opportunity to do something weird for once. Add some unexpected humor and stuff.
Oh...and enjoy. ^^
Dear diary of shadows,
The past week has been hectic. After a rescue mission where I actually single-handedly outsmarted some reavers into releasing a captured family to me, I told Master about a Telvanni mage with the name Ildari that had paid for them. He flipped out and returned home, but not before telling the family that they were moving to Tel Mithryn. By the time I returned with the family, Master was already busy setting up defensive spells and circles around all the buildings. And he had somehow built an entire farm house right outside Talvas's room. As for now, Master is too busy to teach me anything, and Brelyna is running errands for Master. So, Master put me on self-study, much like what Talvas has been on this whole time. I'm to experiment with Alchemy, and I've been doing so. You know…milk, ice…vanilla… and a bag. Ice cream…duh.
What else can I do? It's not like I'm working on some important project that only I can figure out. Besides, I hear that alchemy is a hard thing to learn. Experimenting with all these different alchemical ingredients required for chocolate bars and different ice cream flavors really takes up a lot of studying, tasting, and lounging time. I will not stop until I find the perfect ice cream flavor. You know…for alchemy. ;)
Veselle..
…
"Veselle, get out here!" Master called from my doorway, almost making me jump. He sounded slightly irritated and his tone of voice told me this was urgent. So, I grabbed my staff and rushed out the doorway. When I stepped out, the first thing I saw was a giant flash of light flying right into my face.
I screamed and just like that a giant wall of warding magic ripped up in front of me. I heard and felt the impact of the fire spell upon the ward…but it wasn't mine. Kyuu growled as he jumped onto my shoulder. "Looks like it's time for a fight, partner."
When the fire cleared away, there was a giant flaming thing that looked feminine in form. The thing stretched out its hand and fire sprang to life in it. It started launching several plumes of fire at us and I continued to stand there while the ward was pelted with flame spell after flame spell. I stood there in shock while I thought of what I could do. "Um…"
"Veselle!" Kyuu cried from my shoulder. "I know I'm getting stronger but…this is still a strain for me. I can't do anything else while this ward is up…and I'm running on low here."
"Right…" I said to Kyuu. I looked around my room. All I saw was my alchemy station, with a giant cooler of ice. "Right!" I said to Kyuu. "Just hold the ward until I say 'go'. Ok?" And he nodded. I cleared my mind and imagined my soulic arms reached out and grasped the ice. And I felt/saw the ice in the cooler as it started shaking and pulling up from the cooler. I had successfully used my Telekinesis spell. I visualized my arms launching the ice at the fire monster. And it started pulling back. Once I willed it…this stuff would fly. I waited until a plume of fire stopped on the ward. The thing was warming up another storm. "Now!" I screamed to Kyuu and he dropped his ears…and the ward. I launched my hands forward, my tiny imaginary launcher firing all my ice cubes at the flaming monster thingy. It looked Daedric.
The ice slammed into the creature, just enough to make it go defensive, covering its face. "Ok…Operation Ice Cream That Thing has officially begun. You take the Vanilla…I'll take the chocolate mint." Kyuu nodded and his eyes started glowing. My giant cooler filled with vanilla ice cream that tasted really good started flying up into the air, forming into compacted balls. I was doing the same with the chocolate mint. Time to …cream…this…whatever it was. And I charged out the door, my army of round balls of creamy goodness behind me. Kyuu and I separated as we ran circles around the temporarily blinded creature. When it finally came aware of us it started warming up more fireballs. And just like that it started throwing fire at us again.
A giant plume of fire raced for me and I jumped to the side as it flew past me. I actually had to roll as it rolled over my head. And when my knees touched the ground, I pushed myself into a roll that I had learned from Mjoll back in Riften. When I came up, I saw the giant river of fire falling down on me. I pushed off to the side, just barely escaping a haircut…a really bad haircut. But…I had an opening. And I launched three cream balls. I hit it right in the face, and it was blinded again. The circle of fire surrounding it started dying off. "Now!" I said and I started launching all my creamy balls. Kyuu did the same. We had nearly fifty between us. It was two entire containers filled with creamy goodness after all. Too bad I had to waste in on this. But we pelted the heck out of it. And before we even ran out, the creature was barely flickering with flames, down on its knees.
"No more…I'm full!" The fiery creature announced. I could see just how fat it had become. "Too much cream…I'm lactose intolerant." She screamed. "Oh…crap…" It screamed as lava flew out of where its butt would have been. The creature cried in horror for a few seconds while lava launched out of its butt like a molten river. And when it finished the thing exploded into flames. When the flames dispersed…there was nothing left of it. Good…I had just killed my first lactose intolerant Daedra. Lucky me.
"Apprentice!" I heard behind me; it was Master Neloth. I turned to see where he was. I turned just in time to be slammed with a full round of lightning. I was taken off my feet, flying through the air. My vision darkened and I didn't really know what was happening anymore. The lightning had run all through my body. Every part of me was screaming in both confusion and pain. By the time I hit the ground, my body was in full spasms and I was vomiting in my mouth. It tasted like mint chocolate. It was good…but coming up it wasn't.
"Veselle!" Kyuu cried. A giant ray of light formed over me, but it was suddenly taken away before anything could heal me. "Noo!" Kyuu's cries died off and then there was silence.
I felt the ground around me shaking. I had to…do something. I tried to make my body move, but nothing happened. My body wasn't responding to my commands yet. It was still confused as to what all the electric shock was. "Are you just going to lie there? If I were Ildari, you would be nothing but a pile of ash in the air. You need to step up your defensive training. And it is for this reason that you are going to take a quest." A quest? What was going on? "You see, the town of Raven Rock is running low on economic trade. If we do not assist it, the town will soon fall to low income. And if the town fails…the Redoran will retreat with most of the town. My tower is not moving…and I refuse to live on a gods' forsaken island with no resources coming in. So, I have chatted with Crescius Caerellius. It would seem that he has a plan to reopen the mine…which is filled with untapped ebony which would stimulate the trade between Raven Rock and Morrowind…as well as nearby Skyrim. So, you are going to Raven Rock to speak to Crescius. He will tell you what you need to do to reopen the mine. I expect there to be…violence. A good test of your abilities."
"Sir…I should come with her." Talvas said from somewhere my stiff neck and my motionless eyes could not see him.
Master sighed. "Oh, alright. The two of you make a good team, no dismissing that. And if you two become better at working as a team…well, who knows who you'll be capable of facing. However…I do not want you two teaming up too often. It might create a co-dependence…which the two of you will not always have. She will have to learn to walk on her own two feet eventually, Talvas."
"How about when she can at least control all the elements of Destruction?" Talvas snapped out.
Master grunted. "Fair point…I guess it was too early to spring my daughter's Flame Atronach at her… without shock or frost magicka to use against it…I honestly didn't think that through." Master walked over to me, standing right on top of me. "My apologies, Apprentice Veselle. I had a momentary lapse where I forgot…Flame Atronachs cannot be harmed by fire magicka… and you have yet to learn anything above it combatively. I am however pleased by your initiative and creativity in using frozen dairy products to compensate for your inability to magically defeat it otherwise." He patted me on the head and I felt Restoration magicka surge through me. I found myself being able to stand up. When I sat up I looked around for Kyuu. I didn't see him anywhere. He was just gone. Not passed out in the ash…just gone.
Master walked away from me, back up to his tower. "When you get back from your mission…you will begin learning Frost. You have been warned."
I stood up from the ash, brushing the ash out of my frizzled hair. My hair was frizzled? Must be from the lightning that had surged through me. I looked over at Talvas. "Did Master really call me outside to hurt me?"
Talvas shrugged. "He was testing you. The first time, I'm guessing. Keep your guard up for now on. Aren't you a marital artist? Didn't you have test weeks where you'd always be on guard because your instructor would come out from around a corner and fight you with everything they had?"
I shook my head. Mjoll and Karliah had only ever gave me light lessons; teaching me how to use a staff at the very most. I hadn't learned how to use a sword or anything, but they did teach me how to deal with a person who had one. I had only done a few lessons. I wasn't some black belt…heck I was barely a brown. Ok…I'm not bad. And I had been doing it since I was six. Ok…I'm a complete martial arts nut. And I kick butt…but I don't like people knowing that about me. I'm not a fighter…I just know how to fight pretty well.
Talvas waited for an answer, but I didn't offer one, so he shrugged. "Ok. But just so you know…Master is really pissed off now that he thinks Ildari might be alive. And if she returns… well… let's just say that these little training sessions will come in handy." He patted me on the back. "Well, we should get to Raven Rock and talk to Crescius."
We started walking along the trail that led to Raven Rock. I looked over to the farmhouse where the Vedes family lived. They were more than happy to move all their livestock over with them and just reopened their dairy farm here in Tel Mithryn. They had cows and chickens, which was nice because they gave us eggs and milk every morning. Where did you think I got all the milk I needed for my ice cream experiments? Too bad I myself am lactose intolerant. I can't drink a lot before I get gassy. It's because of this I stick to smoothies and grape juice. But I was trying to learn how to use milk in a way that didn't affect lactose intolerance. I was going to call it Lact-Assistance. However all experiments ended with painful sessions with the bedroom bathroom. The toilet and I were becoming best friends.
The Vedes family was actually a nice addition to the daily routine here. I got the chance to play with the kids: Draseth and Zeratah. Draseth was about my age, only he was 12. He helped his father with the cows every morning. He was pretty serious at his 'job' as his father's farming assistant. Zeratah, 10 years old, was a different story. She spent her time running around the chicken coop, playing with the chickens and rabbits. She would often bug Master Neloth or Brelyna for magicka training. It would seem that both of them would be joining us soon for training. Once Master found what he was looking for. I don't know exactly what it was yet, but he was rushing to find whatever it was.
I could see Seth collecting a bucket full of milk from their cow Druilliah. When he saw me passing by, he cracked a smile before putting down the bucket of milk long enough to open the door to their house. He lifted the pail of milk and headed into the house, giving me a nod before closing the door behind him. I heard laughing and screaming as Zera chased her favorite rabbit Hera around their garden. Yeah…they have a garden already. Jeez…this was turning into a farming community. I didn't mind. They actually helped themselves to my garden, tending it for me. I, in return, set up a bunch of protection circles around their own garden and their livestock. I learned some new healthy circles that helped the livestock grow stronger and healthier. It led to more milk and fuller eggs. It was nice we could all get along.
As we walked along the pathway, we came across what used to be the ancient base that we had blown up. All that was left was a giant collection of circles with a trapped ash guardian inside it. Master would come by once in a while and study the thing. But it was Brelyna up here this time. She was tapping on some Illusion-based keyboard with some illusionary display of the creature. She was tapping her chin as she looked over its general makeup and its power ratings. "I think I understand what Dad was saying…" She mumbled as she started tapping things. The ash guardian stared at her with what I assumed with disdain. That thing had been trapped in that circle ever since our fight here. It tried to kill me, and that was my first real fight. I almost died, but Master saved me at the last second.
Veselle? I heard Kyuu's muffled voice in the back of my head. "Yeah?" I asked in return, staring up at the sky. It was enough to make Talvas jump but when he looked at me staring up at the sky he rolled his eyes and continued forward. He knows I have conversations with Kyuu like this. He just had to get used to it. The dismissal has worn off. I've been trying to call you this whole time. You can call me back now. "That's good. What happened?" Your master blasted me from behind. "From behind?" Yeah, with a dismissal. It really hurt and it forced me to withdraw. "I'm sorry to hear that. So, how's the afterlife?" You know, it's not so bad. I tried to write my report, but my pen is running low on ink. "Your pen is what?"
I don't know what I said but it made Talvas choke on a laugh as he turned to look at me. "What did you just say, Veselle?"
I shushed him and looked up at the sky. "Wait…I don't know what that is. What is that? Please be descriptive. I have to picture it to understand what it is." A pen? "Yes. That."
Talvas ran up to me, covering my ears. "Veselle…that's a private question. You don't ask a guy about that!"
Well…a pen is a small writing instrument. It's golden plastic tube that is long and slender…filled with holy water that is used to write stuff like my daily reports to my Vermeister overlord and my healing runes that I use. It's like a quill, but this runs on Aedric holy water. "You write with it? With holy water?"
Talvas grabbed his head. "What is he telling her?"
I shushed him again. "Ok…so it's small, slender, and long…and it excretes holy water?" I guess you could phrase it like that. It's a weird way to phrase it, but it's better to say that it just…writes. And it runs on holy water that turns into black ink on contact with a solid writing material. We write holy wards with it too. That healing beam I use on you is made up of holy water. "So…every time you heal me you use this thing and the holy water from inside it on me?" I guess…jeez, Veselle. You sure phrase things weirdly.
Talvas's mouth was gaping. "He pees on you to heal you?" He shook his head. "I never want a contract with an Aedric creature."
That drew my attention. "What are you talking about, Talvas? I'm just asking about the holy water from his pen..."
He held up his hand to silence me. "Don't…just don't." He kept on walking. "We should continue heading to Crescius. I want to get this done with."
Are you going to summon me? Kyuu asked. I'd rather be with you than stay here in this realm. "What's so bad about it? Why do you hate it so much?" Nothing really. It's just boring. I used to do stuff, you know? And when my contract with Nrillia ended, well…I lost all my powers, returned to this form. Not that I would trade this cute body for some massive bloodstained heavy form that only came from betrayal and war. I lost a lot of friends that day. "Because you were huge and covered in blood?" Yes. I got a bad reputation among my peers that I failed to keep my previous owner on the right path. She went bad and they blamed me. I was her first contracted ally. That's why I love being around you. It's my chance to get this right, and fix my past. I have to watch my back; people try to get me from behind once in a while, hoping I'll just…die or something. One day, someone actually tried to get me from behind. "From behind? That's rude. If you should something like that, he should at least be able to see you coming for him."
Talvas grabbed his head. "I'm so sick of hearing about his thing and what he does with it."
"If it were me…I'd take him face-to-face. We'd go a few rounds, sure, that's natural, but I'd force him down onto his knees and make him beg for forgiveness. And then maybe I'd finish him. It's what I would do at least." Yeah, that's what I'd do. I'd kick his butt, but at least it would be a fair fight and it wouldn't be a stealthy sneaky attack. I'd hate being attacked like that, and have ever since that Thalmor got me from his attempted ambush on the Khajiit girl in Riften. "Someone got me like that in Riften. Caught me totally by surprise. I will never forgive him." I looked down, thinking about that day. That Thalmor shot an arrow into my chest. I almost died, and I only survived because that Vermeister filled me with Restoration magic. "That Thalmor ruined my favorite dress. It was covered in so much blood. And I only survived because that dragon filled me with that white magic."
Talvas grabbed his head. "I cannot believe you just said all that." He turned to look at me. "Veselle, I am not comfortable with this entire conversation. I don't want to know about what happened to you with the dragon and the white magic…just eww. And I don't want to know what you'd do to a guy. Ok?"
"What? Why does it have to be a guy? I'd just as easily take on a girl, you know." I crossed my arms. I'm not some selective fighter. I don't care who I fight, I'll kick all their butts if they try to kill me.
Talvas held his tongue as he turned around. "Oh look…we're in Raven Rock. I guess we'll just end this conversation here."
I formed my portal ball and tossed it up into the air. The portal ripped open and Kyuu fell from the sky onto my shoulder. "Took you long enough to bring my release!" He cried out in joy. He wrapped around my neck, lying down. "I hated having to wait for you to finish…" He snuggled up on my neck. The portal. Sorry…too tired to from real words. Want to sleep. Ok?
I nodded. "Go ahead and nap. I'll wake you up when it's time to continue. Ok?" He nodded and drifted off.
Talvas, the whole time, rubbed the bridge of his nose as we walked through town. "Veselle." He started to chastise me. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure…" I ran up to him, catching up beside him. "What's the question?"
He looked over at me. "Maybe I missed the conversation…maybe you weren't…talking about what I thought you were. Can you clarify what you were talking about?"
I shrugged. "Oh…you know. Kyuu's magical pen is low on Aedric healing water, and he's complaining to me because he uses it all on me from time to time to repair my clothes and stuff." I looked back at him. "I don't really know why you're getting all hard on me all the sudden. I thought it was Master's job to be hard on me so that I don't forget my place as his apprentice…but you're my upperclassman. You're supposed to be loose with me and just have fun mentoring me when I have questions."
Talvas looked away from me back to the road ahead of us. Everyone in town had stopped what they were doing and looked at us. Why were they staring at me with such wide eyes? I didn't get it. Talvas sighed. "I'm not hard on you…I'm just…" He looked around at the mouth-dropped shoppers and then looked back at me. "Choose your words carefully for now on." He smacked the back of my head and continued on. "You keep talking like this and people will start to think we're…you know…"
"No…I don't." I jogged to catch up. He didn't say a word after that; he just kept staring at the staircase leading up to the mines. "See? You're being a pain in the butt! You just won't come and say what's bothering you!"
He stopped by the mine's doors. He sighed and looked at me. "Ok…we need to fix this now." He looked at me. "Veselle. The things you've been saying…think about them for a second. Really try to narrow down on exactly what you've said."
And I did. Ok…Pen. Holy Water. Um…did I say anything else? Nothing out of the ordinary, I guess. "I'm still not getting it." I shrugged and looked up him. "Just say it, Talvas. If I said something…and it's making you uncomfortable…just let it out."
He sighed. "Ok…were you talking about Kyuu's penis?"
"His…" That made me stop. "penis…" I grabbed my face in horror as I replayed the conversation. Flames started shooting out my body as my embarrassment embraced me. Talvas had to back up, putting up a Frost shell over himself and then putting a containment circle over me, keeping my flames from overwhelming the town. "No…no, no, no, noo…" I started sputtering as I continued replaying the whole conversation. I said… oh no…and then… ack… that was even worse! I was so embarrassed. Flames roared for a mile or higher in the tiny circle as I screamed in shame. And then…with the statement about me taking on a guy… oh no… and then saying Master was hard on me. Man…I really wasn't paying attention to anything I was saying. My flames were burning so hot that they were turning blue and white. When the fire finally started dying down, I was sitting on my knees, still burying my face in my hands as I screamed into my palms.
Talvas nodded. "I guess not. Well…I'm glad that wasn't what I thought it was. Imagine what I would have thought of you if you had been. What were you really talking about?"
I looked up at him, my face burning hotter than the flames that had roared out of me. "I'm not bi!" I screamed to him. "And… and… I'm not like that!" I buried my face into my hands. "We were talking about his pen! It's some writing instrument…like a quill. And then about his past where he was a towering monster that fought in a war and lost his friends due to his unsettling size and bloodstained fur. And then he was attacked from behind by one of his friends, and I compared it to what I would have done if I was going to attack someone. I wasn't saying…I didn't mean…ohh." I sank even lower into my knees, bowing to Talvas. "Please forget this whole thing."
Talvas sighed. "I'll be inside when you feel like joining me." He patted me on the head, which caused a small explosion of fire from me. He pulled his hand away quickly, chuckling. "You sure are hot some days." That drew another smaller explosion from me. He smiled down at me when I looked up at him. "See… it's easy to take what someone says out of context. Try to be more careful." He walked into the mine and I just sat there for a few seconds while I waited for my flushed face and trembling body to quiet down.
After a few minutes, I felt I was ready to try again. So, I stood up and pulled the door to the mine open. I slowly walked into the room to see Talvas talking to some old man. When Talvas saw me, he waved me forward. I quickly walked up to join them. Talvas turned to face me and then to the old man. "Crescius, this is Veselle Tenvanni. She's the newest apprentice. Try not to embarrass her. She tends to explode when you do."
Crescius looked at me and then over to Talvas. "Every girl does. It just means she likes you enough to be straight with you."
Talvas threw a containment bracelet onto my left arm before I could feel any flames pour out of my body. "No…she literally explodes…with fire and stuff. She has a hard time controlling her magicka when she gets stressed, excited…embarrassed." He looked at me. "I guess it's just good luck I had this old bracelet. It should prohibit any further explosions." He looked back at me. "Where's your necklace?"
I shrugged. "Um…I don't really wear it anymore. It's not like my flames really set anything on fire anymore. Only things I'm mad at." I glared at him.
He nodded. "You're keeping that bracelet on." He looked back at Crescius. "Anyway, we'll go and see what we can about clearing the mine out of the frostbite spiders. And…you want us to deal with some draugr?"
Crescius nodded. "Yes. I tried to go down there, but it's just too dangerous. Be careful, though. My great-grandfather died in these mines…and I wouldn't want you two to join him as a burial in these ruins." The old man walked away from us, sitting on a table in a darkened corner of the room that was only lit by a small oil-lit lamp. The shadow his face was cast upon by the light of the burning flame looked eerie as he glared down at the small flame. "You know…the way he died… the company said it wasn't their fault… that he died of an accident. I never believed them." I heard some bumps on the roof above us, and the old man held up a finger while glancing up at the ceiling. "You hear that? It's the ghosts of the ones that died here…from unnatural causes… that I could prove… if I could find my great-grandfather's journal."
"Right…" Talvas drawled on as he looked from Crescius over to me. "Ok, Veselle. Let's kill the spiders and draugrs so we can go home."
"Twinkle, twinkle fallen star… how I wonder how far down the rabbit hole you are…" Crescius sang to a little skull in his hands that he petted as he rocked back in forth in his little corner. His empty stare looked up from the skull up to me. His mouth contorted into some weird sneer that looked sinister and just plain wrong. "Down below the mine so deep…all who enter, their blood shall seep."
Talvas grabbed my arm. "Ignore him, Veselle. He's old, paranoid…and senile."
I felt so scared that I could swear that I just ate a bad patch of ice cream. "Ah-huh…sure." I replied as Talvas pulled me to the small board of wood leading down to the mine. I looked over the railing and saw just how far down the mine went. I accidentally kicked a bone that had been resting near the entrance to the mine. It fell from the edge of the floorboard I was leaning over. I paused as I watched it fall. When I couldn't see it anymore, I didn't hear it hit anything. Then…after ten or more seconds, I heard it hit something, and just like that, I heard some shuffling from whatever was down there, and some barking. Barking? What barks? "Twinkle, twinkle fallen star, how I wonder how far gone you are…"
Cearbhail:
What did you think of the ominous ending? The little song and the way he acts all paranoid, creepy, and stuff. I'm good at over-exaggerating characters like that. But that song...wow, when I thought of it, I thought of the actual quest and it matches pretty well to what happens.
