Cearbhail:

And today... a new addition to the team. I'll explain below.

Oh, and enjoy =^^=


Dear journal,

I guess you can call this my official suicide note. Wow… where to begin? Well… my name is Veselle Tenvanni. I'm currently, thematically, 34 years old. I'm in love with a Khajiit woman by the name of Nisha Ruby Stonearm. She's dead. I killed her. I belong to a guild by the name of Crimson Hearts, which transformed into Crimson Blades during the war with the Dwemer. And so… if you're reading this… you're reading this because I know that in a few days… or maybe weeks… I will cease to exist. And you will be wondering what it all meant. What my life amounted to, and what yours can become if you allow it be.

So… Veselle. You probably just had your memories wiped. And you're lost, confused… maybe a little hungry. I'm not sure. But first thing's first… Ruby… if you let her… she'll be the greatest thing in your life. Oh... by the way… you're bisexual. Attracted to both boys and girls. You know… in case you have a hard time figuring that out when someone nearby tries to kiss you. Anyway, Ruby is already in love with two people: Maleek and another Dunmer that resembles you to a great degree: Ashana. Both are wonderful people. And Ruby will be happy with these two people. I'm not going to tell you what you should do. I don't know if you'll be curious after reading this… if you'll want to go after her. If you do… there are some things you should know. Ruby… she's… how to say this. She only dates you because her friend Ashana dies. You're her rebound. And if you want to keep Ruby happy, keep her friend Ashana alive. Keep Maleek alive too if you can.

Ashana is killed during the war with the Dwemer. In the battle of Solitude. There will be a moment where the Dwemer will open a portal through Aetherius to Mundus. This is when the Dwemer actually arrive in Skyrim. They get a foothold in Solitude, completely wiping out the town and the people living there. Ruby, Ashana, and I fought the Dwemer. We closed the portal. Well… Ashana closed the portal. It killed her. If you want Ruby to date you… you will let Ashana close the portal. If you want Ruby to be happy… if you don't want her to rebound onto you through her depression… here's what you need to know. I did research after Ashana died. There's this thing Ashana was working on: Magnetic Sealing. Using Magnetic fields to amplify our natural barriers keeping Aetherius, Oblivion, and Mundus separated. You just need to carry a magnetic orb with you. It's like a smaller version of the Eye of Magnus. Talk to your dad about it… I'm sure he knows where to find one. I'm going to ask him later today just to make certain he knows ahead of time where to find one. If you do this… not only will you be sparing Ashana's life… you'll be making Ruby happy. Who knows… you might not even want to be with her.

The next thing you need to know… you kind of become a mother to a small abandoned child: Agni. Her two parents are murdered in Morthal by a nest of vampires. Agni manages to escape Morthal in one piece and makes her way to the Crimson Heart's guildhall in Winterhold. She will join the guild and you will be placed as her training master. She basically becomes your daughter. I'm not saying to go to Morthal and murder a bunch of vampires but… that's exactly what I want you to do. Agni… I loved her to death as my daughter… but… she deserves an actual life. So, here it is. In Morthal there is a vampire by the name of Alva. She's a subordinate of an even greater vampire by the name Morvath. He has a cave just outside of the town. Go there and wipe those monsters out. You're stronger than you know… you can handle this. Take a few members of the Crimson Blades with you. Nexi, Ruby, and Samantha come to mind. You will need to be there and deal with the vampires before the 11th of Mid Year in the year 4e 210. That is the day the vampires make their move to destroy Falion and the rest of the town.

Now… in case I decided to have most if not all of my memories wiped out… there's still the question of Shock and how to use it. As well as what the heart stones are and how they contribute to an even greater disease that's going to wipe out the whole world if you don't stop it. Father will see to it that these events are kept in your mind. I don't really need to explain it. But… I will make certain you understand how it happened in my time. I got infected. I brought the infection to Skyrim… and it spread in the air. And it's linked to the Red Mountain. It's like an airborne zombie disease. Corprus. Look it up. The spell needed to destroy Corprus is currently locked in my mind. And I doubt father will just wipe that spell away from us. You'll need to know how to scan people though. And I don't know that. Ask father for methods of finding corprus in others. I'll see about getting Mirri trained as well.

Oh yeah… regarding Mirri. Um… so… You know how when you two first met you had a wonderful sparring match, and how it made you feel? I mean… I don't. I've forgotten everything. Anyway, Mirri has a question for you. Go find her. Just going to leave it at that. Oh… and… don't forget… you're bi. ;p

So, the question of Shock. You need to meditate. You need to connect yourself to the world itself. To become one with Mundus, Aetherius, and Oblivion. You can do this by relaxing every muscle during your meditation, focusing on each muscle one at a time, letting them let go, relax. Focus on each breath; focus on the spot in the middle of your forehead. Let the magicka flow inside you, feel it shift you around. Feel the air around you, the stillness or the breath flowing through your lungs. Feel the music in the breathing around you. Feel your heartbeat matching the heartbeat of the world. Join your breathing, matching it with the world itself. Do this… do this and you'll master Shock in its purest form. It's wild. Your strongest spellform will always be Fire. One day you'll even create invisible fire. Fire so strong it melts sand to glass and turns rock into crystals. You have the potential to destroy an entire nation if you so desired. If you're anything like me… you won't desire to do it… but if you're like me… you will if you want to protect the world. If Corprus goes unchecked… you will have to protect the world.

Um… I really don't want to stop talking to you. There is so much you need to know… so much you can learn from me. But… I really should let you discover these things naturally. I just want you to protect Ruby and Agni as best as you can. Do this for me… and my sacrifice… my suicide… will actually matter. I need to rest in peace… and for you to give me that… I need these things done. If I think of anything else, I'll write it down in the days to come. Live a good long life, Veselle. I sure did.

Veselle Tenvanni, Shaman Master of the Crimson Blades.

Raven Rock. I haven't been here before. It was almost alien to me. As we neared the town, there was a certain… familiarity to it. I kind of remember being here. The massive bulwark that protected the rest of the town from the powerful ash storms that formed from time to time. I sort of remember it being larger than this. More… epic-sized. I mean… it's still a massive wall. It's just missing the grandiose image it left in my head last time I saw it. I've seen taller buildings than this bulwark during my time in Skyrim. Wander the ice fields outside of Winterhold sometime during the winter solstice aurora borealis in the middle of a meteor shower. It wasn't just the fact that the sky was lit up like a rainbow, it was the fact that the ice fields reflected the night sky. The entire ice fields were rainbow colored. And with the meteor shower in the sky… it was something else entirely to experience. That's a memory worth having. I think I'll choose to remember that one. The entire guild was there, camping out. The entire town was there. And we wouldn't have even known about it without Cecilie's ability to see the future…

Huh…

Actually, I can forget this memory then. If I do everything right… I'll get to see it again someday. And it will be just as powerful as the first time I saw it. Kind of makes me feel sad. Knowing that one day might never actually come.

I turned my attention back to the bulwark we were approaching. We were definitely not alone. There were people waiting for us. Redoran guards, both on top of the bulwark's walls, and standing in front of the rounded entrance. The ones on top of the wall were carrying bows. The ones standing down on the ground were carrying swords. The ones of the ground were also sporting red arm bands. Weird. I wonder if that meant something in this town. Maybe they're elites? I kind of remember seeing the guards as towering figures. Scary at times… but… there was something about the guards I was seeing. They looked… normal. I mean, I used to see them as these strong figures. And come to think of it… I was always stronger than most of them. I haven't seen one Redoran guard stop the Morag Tong. I never saw one destroy a Dragon Priest. I almost wanted to laugh. This is what Miraak/possibly Hermaeus Mora wanted to send against us? This is what he thought would slow us down? Really? I could sneeze some lightning and break down the entire wall if I wanted.

There was one element I did not expect. The woman standing in the middle of the guards. She looked like a competent contender. She was a tall woman, wearing a flowing kimono, holding a metallic fan up to her face, obscuring her image. Her hair fell down her back, combed neatly and braided. It takes time to do that shit. I should know. She spent hours getting ready for this fight. And she decided to not go with a warrior's crew cut. Not even a pixie cut. She knows she's going to win without messing up her hair. And that aggravates me to no end.

I looked over to Brelyna and over to the Dragonborn. "We need a plan."

"Well, well. Welcome home… dear daughter." The woman called out to us. Wait… this woman still retains her personality and her memories? I thought we'd be fighting mindless thralls. Unless... that's what Miraak and Hermaeus Mora wanted us to believe. They wanted us to be unsure about fighting our neighbors. Well… unluckily for them both… I don't remember the people of this town. And I've cared about people I love for much less than total global annihilation.

I looked over to Brelyna. "Did we have different mothers?"

Brelyna glanced at me. "No. Same mother. Same father. I think Karliah had a different mother though." Oh right… Karliah was an actual sister in this universe too.

I pointed over to the woman. "Then… whose mother is this?"

"Mine…" Mirri growled. "She's mine." Magick started forming on Mirri's palms. Ohh… this was Mirri's mother. I could have some fun with this then. Well, I could have fun. Right now, I need Mirri to be serious. And I need her focused.

I looked over at the Dragonborn. "Mirri and I will handle these fools. I need you two to get to the stone on the other side of Raven Rock. I need you to do whatever it is you do, Asger."

"Oh?" The Dragonbron cocked an eyebrow. "Giving orders and putting me on a first-name basis with you? I'm sure to more familiarity from people not inside my family."

Oh shit… I totally forgot he's the High King of Skyrim. "You're right… High King."

Asger slammed his hand on my shoulder. "I wish people would do it more often. I'm glad you're on a first-name basis. It means wer're becoming friends. And that means Compatibility will work better. Keep it up. Don't think of me as the High King… think of me as your bardic older friend."

I nodded. "I'll try. We're almost the same age, after all. Well, I guess not. I'm older than you by 11 years."

The Drabongorn laughed as he looked down at me. "Oh gods… this random world defeats me all too often. In actuality, I'm older than you by 9 years… and because of alternate reality time-skipping you're older than me based on your experiences and lives lived in another dimension."

I looked back to the guards. "I'll handle the guards. I'm guessing Mirri is going to handle her mother. And you two need to handle the stone. I'll try to take it easy, but the longer this fight drags on… or if Mirri goes down… I will kill everyone in this town." I glared back at the Dragonborn. "So, I need you to move quickly. The faster this stone goes back to normal, the quicker these citizens go back to normal. Right?"

Asger nodded. "That is correct."

"Well then…" I cracked my knuckles. "Let's not waste any time."

[Mirri Severin]

I haven't seen my mother since she was found guilty in the plot to assassinate the Councilor of Raven Rock. I decidedly stayed away from her just in case she tried to make me care about her sentencing. I didn't want her to see me weak. I didn't want her to make me think I chose the wrong side. I didn't want to see her disappointment. And yet… I can see her face now. She was glaring daggers at me.

I glanced over to Veselle. She looked lost and confused, which seemed to be her normal glare these days. But… there was strength behind her stances. She was confident. More mature. More capable. I have yet to see this new Veselle fight. I was curious to see what she could do now that she was an older, more experienced fighter. I was feeling excited just imagining what kind of dance the two of would create.

Veselle glanced over to me, her eyes narrowed, knowing. "So, this is your mother then?"

I nodded. "Yes. In case you've forgotten, she tried to kill Councilor Morvayn. She's a member of the Morag Tong. I'm her biological daughter, raised to be an assassin for House Hlaalu."

"Ahh…" Veselle nodded. "Right… I think I have some blurry memory of that." Veselle blushed. "I met Ruby right after that."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes. You met Ruby a few days later." Never mind the fact that you brought me back from the pits of oblivion, gave me a reason to live again, and promised me a fight.

I looked back to my mother. She was waiting for us. But… why was she even outside of her cell? Why was the Redoran Guard even out here waiting for us? I felt the heavy pulse of Daedric Energy surrounding us, and I knew the reason. That Daedric God… or his Dragonborn puppet was doing this. Probably both, now that I think of it. Well, if a Daedra Lord is going to play with us, I should use a Daedra Lord to return the favor.

I sighed as I willed the Ebony Mail to form on my body. Conjuration portals ripped open, surrounding my body. When the portals faded away, I felt the light armor sitting against my skin. With a flick of my wrist, the ebony naginata was summoned to my hand.

"Wow…" Veselle was staring at me wide-eyed. "Ebony Mail. I… you're amazing." Veselle gave me a genuine smile. It made my heart skip a beat.

I'll make you hot for me, Veselle. Just you watch. "This is my fight. You can sit by and watch."

Veselle glanced at the guards. "Permission to take out the guards?"

I shrugged. "Be my guest." They were always Veselle's best friends while in this village. "Should I remind you that the ones wearing red armbands are part of your Cute Girl Squad?"

Veselle nodded. "I was wondering what those were. Thanks for reminding me. I'll be sure to give them a wonderful experience."

Veselle smirked as she jumped into the air. Fire blasted from her feet, but she could barely get off the ground. "Huh… That's weird." Veselle tried again, this time doing even less. She fell to her feet, huffing and grabbing her chest. "What the fuck? I'm… oh…" She slammed her open palm into her head. "I totally forgot… I'm a fucking noob right now!" She cracked her knuckles. "Well, better work with what I got. Hey… Mirri."

I glanced over to her. Veselle was up in my face. "I know you're going to like this." She grabbed me by the back of my neck, pulling me close to her. I felt my heart come to a full stop as she locked lips with me.

Wow… just wow.

It was over just as quickly as it happened. And when it was over, Veselle was screaming at the top of her lungs. Fire was exploding all around her. Blue fire.

She pushed off the ground, flying through the air up to the bulwark. Flames exploded through her whole body in ways I've never seen them before. I felt… a little tired. I think she sapped from energy from me. Oh well… totally worth it. I get to see what Veselle is truly made of. I can see what she's going to become.

I managed to collect myself as I turned to face my mother. She was patiently waiting for me to approach her. Well… she wanted to summon me to her cell for a chat. Might as well indulge her this time.

Behind me, the High King of Skyrim and Brelyna were glancing at each other.

"You know… Asger… I feel completely unneeded."

The High King nodded. "The story does seem to be focusing on the two young women who are working through their difficulties while helping to build their relationship and save the world."

Brelyna sighed. "So… what are we going to do then?"

"Our part to save the world. Veselle will take on the guards for us. We just have to reach the stone inside Raven Rock and cleanse it to release the minds of those being affected by the nearby stone."

"Right. You lead, I'll follow." Brelyna nodded her head. "Veselle is taking on the archers. If we take out the guards by the bulwark's entrance, we should be able to just rush on in."

"Don't forget about the citizens on the other side." The High King stated. "No, I feel we're going to be taking the long route. The one no one else can travel." The High King glanced at Brelyna. "We're going ice skating. Follow me." The two ran off towards the ocean. Well, I wonder how they're…

"IISS!" The High King sneezed across the ocean. Ice flew out of his nose, covering a large portion of the ice. The High King waved to Brelyna. "Well… here you go. Think you can manipulate the ice like the last time we went iceboard surfing?"

Brelyna nodded. "Of course, Asger. Let's go."

My mother watched as the High King and Brelyna left on their ice raft. "Well, now that they're gone, we can have our chat."

I glanced up at Veselle. She was moving like a lightning bolt… no seriously. She was flashing from spot to the next, lightning surrounding her. Lightning blasted from her fingertips as she dodged sword attacks, grabbed arrows, pummeled guards, knocking them out by sending lightning through their armor plates. Man… she was amazing.

"Excuse me, Mirri. I'm talking to you." My mother's voice made me pull my eyes from Veselle back to her.

I glanced back down to my mother. I spun my naginata around, aiming the tip right at her. "Well then, mother. Should we make this a short conversation?"

Mother sighed, spinning her fans around her. A whirlwind started to surround her. "Your father was always too short-sighted to see the grander picture. I hoped you would have turned out different." She waved her fans towards me. Whirlwinds forming around her blasted their way to me. I quickly charged to the whirlwinds, slashing the naginata at them. The whirlwinds quickly broke apart under the pressure of a Daedric artifact. I charged straight for mother, jabbing my naginata right at her. Her Whirlwind Form didn't stand a chance against the tip of Azura's naginata, and it passed right through to mother without any protest.

Mother brushed the thrust off using her fan as a defensive shield. Wind stronger than her whirlwind brushed my naginata away from her. I decided to let the wind push me into a spinning slash. Mid-spin, I felt a heavy slam against my back. I stumbled, falling to my knees.

Mother was behind me, laughing. "I remember the days I taught you how to fight with mana. You were always leading with your right leg. So easy to watch you, predict what movement you were going to do next. Your father was a simple man with simple artforms. Assassins always teach the most basic arts. The reason being that… if your job is to quickly eliminate someone… what does it matter if your form is imperfect. If you're too slow, you're a bad assassin. There's no art, no form. Just cold, quick eliminations. The most basic moves drilled into your head until you're an instant acting machine. I tried to teach you some complex forms, but it seems you retained your weakness."

I rolled myself away from a blast of wind. The Ebony Mail absorbed most of the wind magick blasted at me. I quickly corrected myself, standing up in Fire Petal Dance. I spun my naginata around, creating a protective ward using some Restoration magick I'd been practicing the past few days.

Mother glanced at me. "Fire Petal Dance? Of all the stupid forms you could take. I will give you points for the Restoration Ward you've raised. It's a little draining though, don't you think? I haven't even blasted you with anything yet. And you're pouring magicka into a small shield that easily collapses the second it's hit with one small firebolt. A wasted bit of magick. I thought you were smarter than that, Mirri."

I held my ground, shifting my stance into Ash Storm, the long distance mana form I used often. I fed energy into my ebony naginata. I learned this from Ruby. I screamed as mana poured through my naginata's tip. I thrust the blade forward, launching a stream of pure mana over towards mother. Mother seemed surprised, but she reacted quickly. She raised her fan, and that's when I noticed it. The small Ward covering her fan. With it, she waved herself away from the incoming attack. And just as quickly as she blocked the attack, the Ward on the fan faded away.

So… that's how she does that. I never noticed before. She's knows magick… I know that. She never taught me magick though. Only mana manipulation. Just pure energy. Dad's idea. Just simple methods to quickly kill someone. Anything else was to waste time teaching me something that didn't matter. My life was to be used up as an assassin. Anything else was a distraction. The elemental magick was a distraction. Restoration was a distraction. I didn't need to heal. I just needed to kill. Friends were a distraction. Love was a distraction. Everything to my parents was a distraction.

I charged. Mother was waiting for me. I slashed with my naginata, keeping a steady stream of mana flowing through the naginata. Whirls and whirls of energy began to surrounding me, flying outwards towards mother. She smiled as she danced around my attack. Wind magick couldn't compete with my onslaught. She decided the best reaction was to literally fly through my attacks, using wind magick to make herself float. She spun through my waves of mana slashes, keeping her eyes locked on mine the while time.

I continued to thrust my naginata at her, trying my best to keep her on her toes with mana slashes coming at her from all angles while also trying my best to land a killing blow on her. Mother was moving like she was made of air. Just going with any attack I had and just barely escaping it.

"Is this how you plan on defeating Miraak?" Mother goaded me in between two of my slashes. One she cut in half with her Warded fan. "You're not even trying to kill me, are you?"

I screamed as I poured everything into a final thrust. I charged for her, slamming my naginata at her. Mother chuckled as she lowered her stance, brushing the tip of my naginata over her shoulder. She calmly walked through my attack, the pole of my naginata resting on her shoulder. She got up to my face. She was smiling as she wrapped her hands across my back.

"I missed you, butterfly." She whispered into my ear.

I felt tears forming in my eyes.

"You've made a really nice friend. Although… I can see it's turned into something more. I'm glad to see that you're doing well. Dressed in the Ebony Mail, Boethiah's armor. And carrying Azura's Dusk Glaive. I couldn't be happier. You even learned to channel mana through your weapon. You sure have grown up, Mirri."

I found myself dropping the naginata. I slowly found my arms wrapping around her, hugging her back.

"How have things been for you at Tel Mithryn? Is your new life working out for you?" Mother's soft voice started sounding a bit harsher.

I felt something beginning to form behind me. My armor quickly dispelled, leaving me in my shirt and pants. I felt a knife aimed right at my back. Oh… oh shit.

[Veselle]

Jeez… this one guard is overpowered. This woman… whoever she is… she's amazing with her sword. I sighed as I readied my lightning again. "I won't lose to you, girl."

The woman continued to glare at me through her visor. Just like all the others… she didn't say anything. Just dolls to be played with. Miraak stripped all personality from his victims. I couldn't hold back anymore. I'm sorry… whoever you are. But… I'm going to have to kill you.

I formed lightning claws on my hands. Might as well do this like Ruby would. "Come at me, bitch!"

That aroused the guard to charge at me. Well, flash at me. She moved so quickly that I had to keep my Lightning Form active, allowing me to move as quickly as lightning. And no… not as quickly as light itself. Magick lightning. I can move as quickly as the fastest magickal element… but nothing moves as quickly as light itself. As quickly as the woman slashed at me, I dodged out of the way. I slammed my palm into her stomach. I breached her armor, armor which had been enchanted… by me in another life probably. I ran my fingers right through her chest, unleashing the full fury of my lightning through her body. She spasmed as lightning cooked her from the inside. She crumbled underneath me, falling with her sword still clutched in her hands.

"Kyuu?" I called to the fox spirit following behind me. "Mind keeping her just alive enough to stay down?"

Kyuu nodded. "Of course, Vess! By the way, I'm loving just how powerful you've become."

I sighed. My hands and legs were shaking. "I can't keep this up for much longer. This body hasn't had the years of training I've had. My magick reserves are nearly spent. I could have done this for hours longer… with more magick to deal with… but I'm almost ready to collapse. Even with the magicka I borrowed from Mirri… I'm running on empty. I hope we're done here." I glanced down to the fox spirit. "You should hurry, Kyuu. Once I'm out… so are you."

Kyuu nodded. "Right, of course." He ran over to the fallen girl and started feeding Restoration into her body. I saw as her slacked hands started to tighten around her blade. She didn't make a move against me, but she was at least moving. That's a good sign.

"I fixed her nervous system. She won't have to worry about being partially paralyzed." Kyuu reported. "Um… Vess?" He looked up at me. "Time's up. I'll see you later."

I nodded. "Thank you, Kyuu. Have a good rest." With that, my partner faded away.

Man… I'm out of magicka. Give it an hour or so and I'll have it back. Somewhat. Enough to be combat worthy again.

I leaned on the crenellations of the bulwark, looking down at Mirri. She was hugging her mother. Aww… how cute.

[Mirri]

I summoned a small Ward on the point of my back where my mother placed a dagger. And just as quickly as I did so, she plunged the dagger. I mentally wrapped the dagger with my Ward, making it nothing more than a pressure point on my back.

Mother started to laugh. "Good job, Mirri. I'm glad you're always prepared."

As she was talking, I lowered my stance, slipping out of her hold. And as I began to lower myself, mother raised a knee to my chin. With my arms still partiall trapped by her hug, I took the full tooth-shattering attack to my chin. Stars danced in my eyes as she let me fall to the ground.

"You still have a lot to learn. Your father would have killed you by now." Mother reported, walking around my body. "Your girlfriend is watching us, Mirri. And from what I remember, she's the kind to be turned on by a good fight. You should pick yourself up and give her a good show."

I sighed as I flipped myself around, using my legs and mana as I spun my legs around me. I used my feet to draw a Ward spell overtop of me as I spun myself back up on my feet. Honestly, I was impressed I managed to do that while still feeling the shattering of several teeth in my mouth. A bit of Alteration and Restoration and they should feel good as new later.

Mother watched as I picked myself up. "Good moves, daughter. Solid Ward work. And using your feet. You've improved."

I brought my palms up, slipping into my created combat form: Gold Kanet Blossoms. The firm roots of Stoneflower Shuffle and the flowing quick strikes of Fire Petal Dance formed into one strong-stanced combat form. I've been experimenting with adding Ash Strom into the mix, forming the ultimate art: Stone-Fire Blossom Storm.

Mana started to flow off my palms, forming into bright blue petals surrounding me. Circles were being drawn by my fingers as I readied my stance. Wards started to surround me. My feet, firmly planted, drew mana from the ground into my body.

Mother watched. "Such wasted energy." She scoffed as she readied her fan. She charged at me, slashing mana off her fan.

I gently waved my hand. One of the circles flew in front of mother's attack, taking the mana slash. I quickly drew another ward circle to replace the one that dissipated. More and more of them began to form around me. And while I was at it, I hade more and more fire petals forming off my aura. I was quickly being surrounded by hundreds of them.

"This… this is new." Mother looked at the floating flower petals from from mana. "Your father never taught you this."

"Correct." I replied. "Always simple arts. I had to teach myself how to combine them into something more artistic. Something you'd want me to know."

I waved my hand forward. The fire petals launched from me over towards mother. She waved her wind magicka at the petals, and sure some of them blew away, but as quickly as they did, I redirected them to her. I was quick as I started doing shadow boxing with mother, aiming attacks at her like I was trying to strike her weak spots with my palms. I was too far away to pull that off, but my petals were an extension of my energy and therefore, went where my palms could not. I managed to get a solid strike against her side. My petals brushed against her side, and she reacted like I just burned her with fire magicka.

Mother spun around, waving the attack away. She glared up at me, seeing me for my truest form. She started laughing as she readied her fans. "Okay, daughter… you want to dance? Show me how it's done."

And we started dancing. Mother quickly made her way to me, all while brushing off my fire petals. I tried my best to keep her on her toes, but now that she was watching my movements, she was able to track my fire petals flowing off my body. It didn't matter how many I summoned, she was just as capable of blocking my attacks. And as she closed the distance with me, I quickly shifted from Stone-Fire Blossom Storm back to Gold Kanet Blossoms. I dropped the fire petals, focusing mana into my palms. I quickly brushed off a slash from mother's fan attack, spinning my wrist around hers. I locked her wrist in my hand, spinning her around. She quickly reacted, spinning with me, breaking free of my wrist lock and grabbed onto my wrist using her fan. The blade on the fan would have cut through my wrist, had it not been protected by mana.

And so we went into a strike-block-counter routine we had done ever since I was six. It was like sparring with my mother all over again. Mana launched from both of us, waves of blue energy that could do serious damage negated by wards. We continued this for a few minutes.

"I see you've mastered your new forms." Mother said during the middle of our sparring match. "Your Gold Kanet Blossoms has solid footwork. You definitely incorporated Fire Petal Dance and Stoneflower Shuffle into a well-balanced art form."

"Thank you, mother." I replied, not letting her voice throw off my movements. The longer this dragged on, the more she would try to distract me. She would say anything to make me miss a step.

"So, Veselle." Mother started proding. I refused to let her distract me as I brought my palm up to her face. Mother blocked it away, but I managed to land a single kick against her stomach.

"You… you kick now?" Mother looked surprised.

"My fights with Veselle taught me a lot." I replied simply.

"Speaking of which." Mother was smiling now. "I knew you and Veselle were close. But… never that close." Mother was almost laughing. "The look on your face when she kissed you. Precious. I'm glad I was there to see it."

I missed a step.

Mother took her chance, slamming an open palm against my chest. She blasted me with mana. I felt my heart come to a stop for a second. It was long enough for mother to blast me off my feet with wind magicka.

"I am glad to see you, daughter. I know you think I wouldn't be… but I am. We're both free of your father now. You can do what you want with your life… and even though I'm sure you won't like it… I do want to be a part of it."

I pushed myself back to my feet. "Then you shouldn't have become an assassin for House Hlaalu." I launched myself at her, slamming two flaming palms against her warded arms. She brushed off my attack, slipping back into a defensive form.

"I had no choice." Mother replied. "House Redoran did a lot of shady things to obtain their position as the top house. The dissolution of House Hlaalu. The destruction of House Telvanni." What?

I came to a stop. "What do you mean? Argonians destroyed House Telvanni."

Mother nodded. "And who did not come to House Telvanni's aid? Who has the most soldiers standing ready at the borders? Who let the Argonians into Morrowind? House Redoran knew about the Argonians. House Redoran allowed the Argonians to do what they did. The wanted the other two great houses silenced so that they could obtain full power of Morrowind. House Hlaalu became a target for siding with the Empire. Our House was drained of its power because of our beliefs. So was House Dres. And House Telvanni was destroyed militarily. Only House Redoran stands as the strongest house. As long as Tel Mithryn stays small… as long as House Telvanni does not retain actual power… they will allow your chosen house to continue thriving. But as soon as House Telvanni shows signs of obtaining their influence again… you can be sure your chosen house will be silenced all over again."

I… I never thought…

I glanced up at Veselle. She heard the whole thing. She didn't look shocked. And she was from the future. "Is that true?" I called up to her.

"I wouldn't know." Veselle called down to us. "House Telvanni was destroyed in my timeline. Ildari killed everyone, including everyone in Raven Rock. And I killed Ildari. I'm the last surviving member of House Telvanni. And to be honest… I didn't care to revive it."

Mother put her fans away. "Daughter. I am pleased to see you've become a true warrior. Don't forget your roots. You are House Hlaalu and adopted into House Telvanni. House Redoran is… and always will be your true enemy. One day you may find yourself at the sword's end of their… 'negotations.' And when that day comes… I hope you remember what I told you. And I hope you remember your training. You are an assassin, and you will become one again… because there is nothing else this world needs right now than the final House cleansing. Reduce Redoran's strength, and this nation will finally begin healing. That was our goal from the very beginning. You were our last hope, Mirri. And as it stands… you're on the right path." Mother wrapped me up in a hug. "I am proud of the person you have become. Just bear in mind what I've told you. And never forget. House Redoran might spout that they're the most honorable of the houses… but they're sneakier than House Hlaalu ever was."

I found myself nodding. As strange as it seemed… it made a lot of sense. And I felt my fists beginning to shake at the thought. Yeah… House Redoran might be that frightening. I should keep my eyes on them for now on. Especially since I'm a battlemage in service to House Telvanni.

"Is our fight over then?" I glanced at mother.

She nodded. "Yes it is. Now unless you need me, I will begin traveling back to Tel Mithryn. I have decided to join House Telvanni as a battlemage. You made it look so appealing."

"You're still under arrest for the attempted assassination of Second Councilor of Raven Rock." I replied.

Mother laughed. "Oh… that. It would seem that there was a sudden lack of evidence to prove that I was there that night. And Neloth isn't the only one capable to erasing memories."

I glared back at her as she walked past me. "You better not do anything to hurt my family."

She glanced back at me warmly. "Dear daughter… I would never do anything to harm our family."

I felt my fists shaking as I let her walk away. My mother… she was… she pushed her way back into my life. I don't know how to feel about that. There was so much history between the two of us… and yet… even if I went after her, tried to obtain her, turn her over to the law… I'm not sure I could defeat her.

I'm the one that has a bleeding cheek. I'm the one with blood pouring from a split chin. I'm the one that was fighting for their life. Mother was just playing with me. Even I could tell as much. She made me feel like a piece of shit. So… nothing has really changed then. Unless I get rid of her… she's just going to continue abusing me.

"If you're coming to my home… you better start treating me better!" I screamed as I turned to face her.

Mother glanced back at me. "Define 'better.' I am your parent, so I will treat you as my child."

"I was always treated like a tool for you and dad. Just an object to be used and discarded. Did you know that dad tried to kill me? When I wouldn't do what he wanted… he stabbed me. I refused to kill Veselle… I refused to kill the only friend I ever had. And when I said I wouldn't kill her… he didn't even hesitate. He ran me through with his sword. He would have killed me if Veselle and Kyuu hadn't been there to save me." I jabbed my finger at her. "And you… if you'd been there, you would have done nothing to stop him. I was never your daughter… never your child. I was just a tool to be used. If you're going to push yourself back into my life… you better actually treat me like an elven girl. I'm not your tool… I'm barely your daughter. I'm a person! And I demand you treat me like one."

"Whoo!" Veselle screamed from up on the bulwark. "You tell her, girl!"

Mother's glare softened. "We will discuss the terms of my surrender when you come home. Do make sure you make it home, Mirri. I will listen to what you have to say once you think about what it is you want from me. I will try my best to learn from you." With that, mother turned around, walking away from me.

"Goodbye… mother." I could barely believe I had the nerve to talk to her like that. I had those kinds of emotions punched out of me by father.

Veselle landed next to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "Well, I think that went well."

"The stone is cleansed." The High King reported from behind us. "The town should be free now."

I turned to look at him. He and Brelyna looked soaked from head to toe. "What happened?"

"A Lurker appeared. Several of them actually. They crashed our floating ice raft. We had to fight them in the ocean. Quiet a lovely fight too." Brelyna replied. "Visually stunning. Wish you could have seen it."


Cearbhail:

I wasn't expecting anything to come from this fight honestly. Mirri versus her mother? Last second addition. Having her mother join the others at Tel Mithryn... I'm not sure how that will go over with Lord Neloth. Or the people living in Raven Rock. She was part of an assassination plot. But then again... so was Mirri. I'll leave it up in the air for now. And if things get hairy enough, she'll just escape and leave Solstheim altogether. But I can say this... this won't be the last time Mirri and her mother talk. I think I'll be able to redeem their relationship. Maybe. I'm not sure Mirri will want to.