Cearbhail:

I'm going to hopefully focus on this story, Changing Fates, and the other Chronicles (Inquisition and Commonwealth). I know this particular story is on its final chapters. And when I say that, I really mean like 12 or 15. It's still a while away, but it draws closer. I won't give up filler chaptering or character chaptering in favor of getting through this faster, I WON'T. I'm saying it more for myself than any of you. I have a tendency of rushing things when I get close to the end. Oh... and this is a good throwback to some of the earlier chapters... of a lot of things for me.

=^^= Enjoy...


[4e 206, 7th Morningstar]

Dear book of shadows,

It's been… ten days? I think it's been ten days. Ruby's still hanging around, checking up on me every once in a while. I guess we're friends now, and that's great. I'm still a little perplexed at the whole idea that… everything I went through was a dream. And it was such a weird one, but… I can't use magicka now and what I can use is very limited. I called Master Neloth, and while he enjoys the notion of me being in a comatose dream-like state, he shrugs at the idea of me being his daughter. He mentioned Karliah and Brelyna being his daughters, and when I questioned him about Karliah being my sister, he brought up the fact that Karliah was from his first wife… and that would make me her sister due to that mother and not through him as a father. So… I guess Karliah is my half-sister in this realm, which… she kind of is anyway. Wow… head blown.

It was so hard to wrap my head around the fact that I wasn't his daughter… but then again he has no reason to tell me the truth. I asked him if I could come up to Solstheim to train with him, to learn magicka. He laughed at the notion, suggesting I stick to enchanting for now. He only took serious students and was busy training his apprentice, who I could name without even thinking: Talvas. He was surprised at my knowledge of him and questioned me extensively about my past life and how much I really knew. I gave him an entire history of my life at his tower, describing everything to him, even the people living in Raven Rock. He seemed enthralled with my retelling, even offered to come down to examine my head. He should be here soon. I sure hope we can get this resolved. I want to wake up and get back to living. Ten days here… and it feels like normal. I sleep, I dream… I even feel pain. It's like I'm not really dreaming. This is crazy! This can't be real! I need to do something… anything before I go crazy.

Veselle Tenvanni.

"Are you sure about this?" Ruby asked me, looking me in the eye. "You do realize that once you do this… you are signing a pact with me."

I nodded. "No, I get that. And I want this. So… let's do it."

Ruby smiled as she pulled a white mask over her face. "Ok… I've been doing this is Solitude for like… five days now. No one suspects a thing, and it's a lot of fun. So… let's do this." She reached for something from her head, grunting as she sliced a small bit of her fur off. She handed the lavender fur to me. "Here… you know… keepsake." Ok… that's weird. Oh well… she's Khajiit. They do weird stuff with fur all the time.

I took the fur from her, nodding. "Oh… thanks. And to think I didn't get you anything." What an odd gift to get Ruby, but then again… she's weird so… yeah.

She chuckled. "Well, I'm sure you'll make it up to me someday…"

The two of us stood atop a roof in Windhelm. It was a six-hour journey by carriage to get here from Riften, and our carriage driver asked us why two children were traveling by ourselves to such a town. When Ruby presented herself as a Thane of Skyrim, and Princess Nisha Ruby Stonearm, our carriage driver became that much more intrigued by having us in his carriage. The first thing he brought up was Ruby's use of first person perspective instead of traditional Khajiit speak.

Once we arrived in Windhelm, the two of us climbed up a roof in the Gray Quarter, an area the two of us would not be gawked at too much. We changed into our costumes. I was some kind of bandit archer comic anti-hero called the Ebony Arrow (the Glass Arrow's arch-rival). Ruby was dressed in this tight leather outfit that was pure white. She was supposed to be some ancient Khajiit legend called Lunar Splice. She saw her father M'aiq wear it on occasion, and now that she knew he was her father she was more than happy to dress up as her.

Speaking of which, Ruby told me about her conversation with M'aiq once she went home for the wedding. There was a lot of awkward questions and answers when M'aiq asked her how she found out, to which she responded to her conversation of me and how I told her… which prompted a lot of yelling and confusion… mostly because M'aiq had no idea who I was. The two of them marched into my room, both of them torturing me with tickles and Khajiit pranks until I reminded Ruby that I was from the future… to which she only rolled her eyes and stormed out of the room, screaming that one time-traveling nuisance interfering with her life was enough for her. I felt bad for kind of ruining the natural run of things… interfering with her actual discovery of finding out M'aiq was her father. I wonder if this was how Cecilie felt when she came back in time. I know nothing of her life, but I'm guessing it's one of the best places to live. With how fun things are, and with how things are evolving, I'm guessing her life is just one of the best in the world. After all, she has some of the best family members ever.

After things calmed down between me and Ruby, she invited me up to Windhelm to join her in a fun day. Since Master Neloth was supposed to be arriving the same day, it was more than enough motivation for me to join her. Master Neloth would be arriving in port in the late afternoon, just a few hours after we arrived. So… in the meantime while we wait for him, I guess this is what we're going to do… play super hero.

So, the two of us were dressed up in costume and ready to get into action. All we had to do was go around town and fight crime. Yeah… this should be fun.

"Help!" Both Ruby and I caught with our regularly advanced hearing that humans lacked.

Ruby took a dramatic pose. "Sounds like justice needs to be served!" She took off, flapping her cape behind her, making a 'whoosh' sound as she raced across the rooftop.

I only rolled my eyes as I followed behind her. I never got to do things like this in Tel Mithryn. I mean, sure there was Talvas, Seth, and Zera, and while we did have a lot of fun doing magick all the time… we never got dressed up in costumes and 'go fight crime'. This was some of the fun stuff I never got to do… ever. I mean… the more I think of it… ever since the witch invaded Tel Mithryn and tried to kidnap me… I've been brainwashed, sent to live with a stranger, and forced to practice martial arts and the art of survival from Karliah and Mjoll, while being forced to drink a nasty garlic potion that drained me of all my magicka. All in order to keep me from being hunted by other magickally-inclined people. I had friends like Pantu and Zaliika, but Zaliika ever wanted me to be her cooking friend, and Pantu wanted me to help him steal things. Not the best friends to have. I'm kind of hoping everything I did in the past life really was a dream… even though I know it can't be. I can't know about Ruby's parentage if it was all a dream.

The two of us raced across the rooftops, Ruby having a lot more ease for it than I did. By the time we reached our destination, Ruby was waiting for me. She was looking over the rooftop down to the scream for help. When I looked over the roof, I could see an older woman lying on the ground, looking up at us. It was one of the older Dunmer living here in the Gray Quarter.

Looking at the two of us, the elder nodded. "Yes, may I help you?" She called up to us.

Ruby looked perplexed. "Didn't you call for help?"

She nodded. "Yes."

Ruby smiled and leaped off the rooftop, falling to the ground, landing in a perfect hero landing, her cape fluttering behind her as she settled on the ground. Just seeing her do that… I really wanted to do that too, but as I prepared myself for the jump down, I froze. It was perhaps two stories high… and I'm wearing heeled boots that went up to my knees. And I'm not a badass anymore. I waved it off and looked for a ladder to go down. When there wasn't one, I looked down at Ruby. "Lunar Splice… I'll stay up here and provide over watch!"

She looked up at me, smiling and giving me a thumbs-up. "Got it, partner!" She turned to face the elder woman. She started taking a dramatic pose, making what she called the 'baker's sign' which reminded me a lot of what hardcore lute players do whenever they're thrashing their heads. She made two of these hand signs while doing dramatic poses. "I'm the pretty sailor soldier of love and justice! Lunar Splice! I'm the name of the Moons, I will punish you!"

When she finished her dramatic pose, the older woman just sat there, looking at Ruby with curious eyes. "Well, aren't you cute." She finally said with a small laugh. "You remind me of a slave I had when I was but a little girl."

Ruby's ears instantly deflated. She dropped her pose, rolling her eyes. "Ok… I'm done." Her tail drooped and she turned to leave. It was such a switch in personality that I almost couldn't believe it was the same girl from before.

The older Dunmer just continued to lay there, looking at Ruby with curious eyes. "What about my call for help?"

Ruby shrugged, turning around. "Ok, I'll bite." She took a less enthusiastic dramatic pose, saying, "What do you need, old racist woman?" She said while attempting to lower her voice to sound more heroic. Like you could ever make such a high-pitched squeal of a voice heroic-sounding.

"I've fallen and can't get up." She said with a sigh.

Ruby shrugged again. "Ok, I can help with that." She walked over and grabbed the hand of the old woman. With a small tug from the old woman, Ruby was pulled off her feet and onto the ground with the woman.

The old woman quickly wrapped her arms around Ruby, pinning her down. "I have her!" The old woman screamed to the sky.

And just like that, the rooftop exploded into chaos. Dressed assassins that I somehow missed appeared out of nowhere, each one dressed like a comic book nameless henchman. I felt a whack against the back of my head, and the next thing I remember was me struggling to keep myself up on my feet, which failed miserably. I stumbled around, trying to stay conscious. A hand planted itself against my back, pushing me, and the next thing I knew, I was falling off the roof. I landed against some railings, flipped around a couple times, and then felt a slam against the frozen pavement. Every bit of breath in me exploded out, and I was left on the ground. A light snowfall landed all around me, the alleyway spinning without end. I was surprised that I was still in one piece to be honest. As my headache started to dissipate, I felt the cold slowly take me. I tried to remember something… tried to fight to stay aware of my surroundings.

"Ms. Tenvanni." I felt a warm pressure on my head passing through my body. I felt like my headache was finally wearing off. As I started slowly opening my eyes, I could see a slight blurred image of Master Neloth standing over top of me. His hand was placed so slightly over my head, feeding healing magick into me.

"Ugh…" I started to pull myself up, the world around me not even gracing me with a spin around. I just felt everything crash on top of me and I spun myself around right before vomiting blood onto the pavement.

"There you go." Master Neloth started vigorously slamming me on my back, helping me to cough up more and more bile and blood. "Get the bad out of your system."

I sat there for a few seconds, trying to let my body calm down. I wasn't dead… I'm practically healed already… the stitching on my body is practically ruined. That just means Ruby and Maleek will probably have to fix it… again. Second time this week. The first time was when I accidentally went swimming in the river. My cuts got infected and they had to be cleaned. And that meant reopening them. Seeing how blood is dripping through my black leather… I'm guessing my stitching is broken. The pain enveloping my chest is also telling me. I definitely felt too weak to be alive.

"Thanks…" I spat up some blood, wiping my mouth off as I struggled to stand up.

Master Neloth groaned as he stuck his hand out. A small slam of magicka sent me right back to the ground. "You are not well, Ms. Tenvanni. You should have known better than to come to a dark dreary place such as this dressed as you are. It is obvious that you have met some of the more violent males of these kinds of cities. Clearly they had their way with you and then tried to silence you."

I shook my head. "Nope… just playing super hero."

I could hear his eyes rolling with his scoff. "Let me guess… ambush?"

I nodded. "Big time."

He grunted as he stepped over me. "You'd be surprised how many corpses wash ashore… most of them dressed in some costume or another. Children and young adults pandering to their delusions of mastery of magic, archery, or swordsmanship. All torn away from the world before they can obtain enough experience to actually change anything. In these cities, there is always a gang or two waiting for heroes to show up… only to kill them. It is a sport of sorts to them… a game."

I instantly started thinking of Ruby. She had been lured in like I was. I didn't know what happened to her. I looked up from my spot, looking through the alleyway for her. I didn't see her or the old woman. As I reached up at my head, I felt that lump from where I took a hit from what I'm guessing was the blunt side of a sword. Or an axe. Something metallic and flat.

I tried to stand up, by my broken stitches quickly reminded me I'm not super elf. I couldn't even stop myself from falling flat on my back, crying out in pain as I reached for my broken wounds. "Mephala!" I screamed.

Master Neloth looked down at my bloody leather tunic nodding. "I see… you have not healed from your experience yet."

I shook my head. "No… Ruby's a lot of things, but healer is not high on that list. Not with holes this big anyway." Not to mention the fact that I keep getting hurt. If only Kyuu were here to help heal them like he always did. I think having him around made me too… reliant on his healing. I was getting reckless, leaving myself open for things like bats to the back of the head and falls down buildings. I had to do something about that soon.

"Just leave it to me." He placed his hand right over my bloody tunic. It started to glow with the familiar feeling of Restoration. The warm feeling was quickly spreading through my chest, quickly drowning out the pain.

As the pain slowly started to drown out, I let a small breath escape me. I could finally let myself relax on the ground. Just feeling the wetness underneath me, I already know I've made a perfect corpse outline of my body with my blood. Great… another great outfit ruined by something that won't come out in the wash. I really wanted to keep this one. When I wake up from this weird reality I'm living in, I'm totally getting me one of these. In fact… I'm finding Ruby and the two of us are going out for ladies' night. Just two good friends… kicking ass.

I looked up at Master Neloth… surprised at how much I'd forgotten what it was like to see him in a way that wasn't reflective of me being his daughter. This man came over here just to talk to me, and yet… he was completely sure that he was not my father. We had to get this settled soon, but first… I need to make sure Ruby's ok. If… and this is a nasty ifIf this is not really a dream… if this is reality… then Ruby's in trouble, or dead. And I have to make sure my best friend is safe. It's my duty.

"Can we hurry? Ruby's probably dead." I tried to call out through my punctured lungs.

He looked down at me. "Who?"

"Ruby? My friend? The one that's been healing me?"

He nodded like he understood. "What do you mean though? Why do you suspect she's dead?" He paused, his eyes flickering around. It finally dawned on him. "You… you were not alone today, were you?"

I shook my head. "Her idea, actually."

He nodded. "Yes… I see." He stood up. "We will go find your friend, but… first thing's first." He looked down at me. "I must know if what you claim is correct. Allow me into your mind."

I nodded. "Please, make it quick. Ruby needs me."

He placed his hand on top of my head and I was suddenly pulled into my thoughts. Memories of me growing up in Tel Mithryn were quickly pulled right back into my mind. They raced by with agonizing speed. As quickly as the visions began, they were already over and I was back on my stomach vomiting for the second time in two minutes.

"Interesting." Master Neloth stated as he walked away from me. "It would seem that your memories are indeed genuine. I sensed no malicious attempts at mind-wiping, no lingering traces of Illusion. It would seem that you lived a solemn life… one where I am your father. One where you have immense prowess as a magician. Or… perhaps…" He placed a finger on his forehead. "Ah… I see…" He looked down at me. He started to smile. "It would seem that I have placed a similar blocking spell upon myself. It has a certain little trigger on it."

That would actually explain a lot. When I looked up at him, I couldn't help but wonder if something was actually going my way for once. I thought I was going to be forced to live through this dream while pretending that everything was real. A giant lie where I was stuck in this world where Neloth is not my dad, and where Brand-Shei… a dead man… continued to mock me with his love. I say mock because I know he's dead and this dream is not a gift… it's a mockery of the fact that I don't have him anymore. It's a constant reminder of what I've lost and what I'll never have again. He died protecting me.

At least one thing about my past was finally playing out. Neloth was still my father. I just had to find out why he placed a blocking spell on his own mind. "You placed a blocking spell on your mind?" Like he did for mine? Or… like whenever he erased his memories whenever I embarrassed myself. Oh… those.

Master Neloth nodded. "There is a release trigger." He pointed to the base of my forehead. "This little lock was implanted on your forehead to keep you from accessing your magicka, only to be unlocked in an event of utmost peril. You must have failed to be put in a strenuous situation up until now… which surprises me with all you've told me." Yeah… being forced to drown in the lake while Karliah trained me… me being chased by wolves while Karliah was training me… me being forced to survive a clown mob while Karliah trained me was not strenuous enough to make me activate my magicka? Or the fact that I was shot up with arrows and left to bleed out outside my door? You know what… I really think Karliah hates me or something; her training usually involved me nearly dying. "The lock on your forehead was also meant to deactivate my own memory lock once it had been broken. Meaning, I will have no idea if you are truly my daughter until you've exploded."

So… that moment when I summoned the giant Vermeister was the moment Master Neloth remembered he was my father. I guess it was a way for him to know that I was no longer safe, no longer blocked away from the world. Smart. He's shrewd… I'll never disagree with that statement.

I found myself shaking my head. "Ok, great… but… this does not help me find Ruby."

He nodded. "True, but you will find her. If you truly are my daughter, then you know how to use magicka. And if you wish for me to know you as you know me… you will have to break that lock. And this is the perfect time to remember who you are. Find your friend, Veselle. Use all your training. Find her, and in doing so… become my daughter once again. Until you do so… I cannot help you further. I will be waiting for you in Tel Mithryn. If you come to me without my knowing of you… you will not be accepted. I am sorry, but while these memories are indeed valid, I have no recollection of them, and I would not be so dismissive of Daedra from doing the impossible to get close to me. Enjoy your afternoon. And thank you for the chance to see you in person. I would have hated to wander down to Riften to be so quickly disappointed. However… this has not been as disappointing as I thought it would have been. I will stay for 24 hours. I have questions, as well I'm sure you have some as well."

Master Neloth pulled his hand off my chest. I was surprised that the pain was all gone. I patted myself, happy to know that I was actually healed. Master Neloth pointed to the corner club. "I shall wait for your return in there." He nodded respectfully to me. "Go find your partner, Ebony Arrow."

I nodded, pushing myself up. "Ok but… one thing…" I looked Master Neloth in the eye. "I don't know tracking spells."

He groaned heavily, almost acting like the Master Neloth I grew to hate. "You will need a piece of her hair or something. A nail clipping or…"

"I have a lock of fur!" I pulled up a small collection of Ruby's mane that she gave me for no reason except for perhaps this plot-driven tracking spell.

Master Neloth glanced down at the tuft of fur, looking up at me with curious eyes. "That is not a normal gift to receive from a Khajiit friend."

I shrugged. "She handed it to me… for almost no reason at all."

Master Neloth nodded slightly, as if confirming something he already knew… and he wasn't telling me. Just like always. Did I really have to throw my arms up and demand an explanation from him or something? I really did not want to fall back into that mindset… the one I had when I first met him, so I forced myself to act like the older version of me… the one that knew what to do when it needed to be done.

I crossed my arms and looked up at him, giving him a small glare. "You have something you're not telling me?"

He nodded, turning on his heel, snapping his long cape out with a snap just inches away from my face. "Of course I do, young one. The question is… do you need me to hold your hand to figure it out?" He gestured to the fur in my hand. "In order to find your friend, you need to focus your magicka on the fur… picture your friend, and visualize a string connecting the fur to your friend. Your mind will supply you with an energy trail… one leading to your friend. Take it slow, no distractions. Or you'll lose the trail. Good luck young one. I shall be watching from here."

I watched as Master Neloth walked over to the pub. If he knew my friend was in danger, and that I was not a magicka user… why did he just leave me here to do this on my own? This was stupid… but… Ruby might be in trouble. And I have a way of finding her. I had to get working.

I cupped the fur in my hands, doing what I was always told to do. I focused on my task, visualizing what I wanted done… and forcing my energy to do what I wanted done. With almost no talent with magicka, I felt a small spark from the fur in my hands. I could feel the slightest grasp of energy in the fur… an energy not connected to me at all. I tried to visualize the color of that energy… it came up as yellow in my head. And I thought of Ruby… the fur's connection to her. I tried to see the yellow energy streaming off the fur as it reached back to Ruby. And… slowly, but I felt the energy stretch out ahead of me, leading down the alleyway.

I let my breath catch up with me, snapping my eyes open. I could see the golden trail of energy faintly leading me away from the alleyway. I clutched the fur tightly in my hand as I took off in a sprint down the alleyway. As I started to leave, I caught a small glimpse of Master Neloth standing by the pub doorway, holding a glass of tea. He raised his glass as a small gesture of good fortune, sipping it as I raced past him. He seemed the slighted bit pleased. I would have to go back to him when this was all over and see if he remembered me yet.

I turned my attention back to the golden trail. It led me through the thickest of the Gray Quarter, heading even further into the chaos and danger. I didn't stop myself as I charged forward, my wound fully healed, and my mind actively reading the magicka trail left behind by Ruby's fur.

I ran down stairs leading to an even deeper Gray Quarter, one that looked darker, damper, and filthier. I stopped seeing so many Dunmer and soon started seeing Argonians. Most looked thin, sickly, sprawled out in the alleyways. The one little alley leading through the slummy area of this town was small and narrow, filled with trash and fishbones. Argonians were packed tightly together down here, and as I tried to plow my way through the alleyway, trying my best to keep following Ruby's trail, I found myself being stopped by an Argonian.

He reached out, grabbing me by my collar and brutishly shoving me to the wall. "Well, well…" he reached up, touching my ears. "A Dunmer. Down here?" He looked me up and down. "Too young to be here, too old to not have been warned. Why are you down here, little…" He touched my mask. "heroine?"

As he talked to me, I noticed several more Argonians starting to form up around us. Each one had a similar marking on their head… which I noticed was on the head of the Argonian pinning me to the wall. These Argonians must be in a gang. The marking was some kind of tattoo of a dagger. Might be cutthroats or something like that. I'd rather not find out. No reason to lie either. I guess it's just time I do something I'm actually good at. I've killed dragon priests… I can handle this.

"I'm looking for my friend. Khajiit, same age as me… purple mane." I said to the Argonian, glancing from him to his friends. I started noticing a small knife making its way up to my throat from the Argonian's free hand. I didn't want to waste time with this. I rolled my eyes, feeling slightly empowered by the costume I was wearing. "Ok, fish stick, either you let me go, or this happens. Got it?"

He smirked. "Got some spunk in you. Too bad you came in our town. We're the guard of the town. And we don't appreciate your kind interfering with our home."

"I came for my friend. I find her… I leave… and never come back. And you get to continue having them." I brought my knee into position for my ultimate technique… the one that never seems to fail… except on dragon priests.

I felt the knife slide up towards my throat. "Oh yeah? Continue having what?"

"So clichéd." I replied, slamming my knee straight up into his balls. It didn't quite have the impact I wanted though. I felt my knee connect… really hard too. But the guy standing over me only smirked.

He shrugged. "Yeah… I'm a girl." She replied, pressing her knife into my neck. I had to admit… I didn't see that coming. And it hurt… a lot. I felt her sliding her knife through me. And in knew it was going to lead to my death. I instinctively reached out with my hand, crying out in pain and fear.

The Argonian-standing-over-me's eyes widened as she was suddenly evaporated in a stream of fire that exploded from my body. A fire that blasted through her and her fellow guards. Countless other Argonians standing in the alleyway were suddenly consumed in the fire. Argonians just trying to live in this small space were consumed. My fear and anger fueled my fire explosion, one that strong enough to blast through the falling walls of this town. Buildings started caving in around me… the alleyway of the district quickly shattering apart from the immense heat.

As the fire consumed everything around me, I let everything bothering me pour through, my flames burning so hot that I started seeing the flames disappear altogether into some kind of invisible force that was melting the rock around me. I started standing in a glassed alleyway, bones burned so bad that they fused with the glass surroundings. As the fire finally died down, I fell to my knees, my new outfit completely consumed. My new bow… gone.

I reached up to my neck, still feeling that burn from the knife slice. I felt the tear in my neck, pulling my fingers away to see blood covering my hand. "Great… and I'm probably dying."

"You're fine." Master Neloth said as he walked up next to me. He placed a hand on my neck, and that same warm energy flew through me again. He pulled his hand away a second later, smirking as he looked down at me. "Well, well, well… Veselle has returned to her old self. You've… grown." He looked away. "Do not worry. I'll erase my memories of this embarrassing display."

He tossed a small robe to me. It was a simple dress from the Gray Quarter.

"Get dressed, daughter." I glanced up at him at hearing that word. He was looking away from me, but I could tell that he finally knew I was his daughter. I guess that display of magicka unlocked his own memories. I felt slightly relieved at the very thought. "I do believe we have a quest to continue." He glanced back at me expectantly.

I looked down at the small patch of fur in my hand. Somehow, I hadn't burned it. "Yeah… but…" I looked around the glassed alleyway. "I killed these people."

He nodded. "And they would not have stopped your assailants from killing you." He walked past me. "Every second we dawdle is a second your friend's life is in danger. And… let's not forget about Windhelm's strict policy on magicka… and murder. Even if all you killed were slaves, Windhelm will not look kindly on an elf using magicka for murder. You will be pursued and killed if they find out you did this. And if we leave here before the guards arrive… there is no way they can know."

I nodded and slipped the dress over me. He had a good point; we had to get moving. "Before we go… we really need to enchant this."

"Already is. I plan ahead." He replied. "It should not burn if you decide to use your magicka. Sadly, it's not enchanted to stop it… so you will need to remember your own teachings from you distant other life. Your body has not achieved this knowledge, even if your mind has. Train your mind to overcome your body. Doing this will transform your fire into shock. Doing this will complete your elemental training. Do this… and achieve mastery of yourself."

I looked down at the glassed bones littering the glassed alleyway. "I'm sorry…" I bowed to them. I remember long ago Master Neloth warned me about this very thing happening if I ever ran away from Tel Mithryn. He'd say that one day… my magicka would kill people… that I wouldn't be able to control it. And… I still can't. I thought I would have gotten better over time but… here we are all over again. My fire is uncontrollable… and it's stronger than ever. Just what I need. I guess I needed to learn Shock. Now's the time, I guess.


Cearbhail:

So, I wasn't really planning on Veselle conquering Shock in this manner but... I like this direction. It's a great reason for her to master it. Because she doesn't have her spirits to stand over her the whole time. And just so you know... I had a few other ways this chapter was going to end. Might as well tell you them all, it's not really spoilerish. So... ending one.

Veselle was going to get cut across the throat. And as she lied there being stabbed to death, Kyuu calls out to her to make a bond with her. And she does. And then Kyuu gets summoned, only... he's a massive mountain of fur and blood and teeth. And as he climbs out of the portal he basically ravages the whole district, burning everyone with the same invisible fire Veselle used. And then he tries to kill Veselle. She barely escapes his fury, only surviving because Master Neloth shows up at the last second to save her.

Ending 2, probably the one I was leaning towards the whole time: She follows the path, gets into scripted fights with some overdressed villains with spoofy names. She kicks their butt and finds Ruby chained up to some kind of chaotic-hilarious torture device... like feather tickler or something. And Veselle has to save her from being tickled to... minor discomfort or something lame. and then once Ruby's free, she tells Veselle how she'd planned on doing this from the start to make her have a fun day or something weird. It still might be the outcome later on but... I think i'm leaning more towards a thick conspiracy with Ruby dying or something like that. I'm not sure yet.

Ending 3: Veselle kicks him in the balls, and he stabs her with the knife by jerking reaction. And as she lies there, clutching her throat, she burns everyone with fire... only she can't stop. and as she starts destroying the whole town... clutching her throat Ruby jumps out of nowhere, blocking her fire and rakes Veselle hard enough to knock her out. Veselle wakes up in Riften with an armless Ruby standing over her. Ruby's right arm completely singed off by Veselle's invisible fire.

Those are the other options I ran through my head. Each one was fun to think of... but not to act on. You can tell me which would have been your favorite.