"Focus, Aderyn! Your form has gotten sloppy, if you ever had any. I honestly don't know how the Altmer back on Summerset Isles even worked with you without giving up." Varulae sat down next to Aderyn in his house. The basement had been revamped into a training quarters of sorts. It surprised Aderyn how much the countess actually agreed to help him. Her thanks were in abundance, almost to the point of annoyance, but Aderyn gratefully accepted the large sum offered for helping Anvil. With the reward he was practically able to redo the entire mansion.
He had an additional wing installed at ground level, and the training room downstairs. Those were only the physical changes to the place; the others included various items of importance, such as new furnishings, additional dishware for visitors, along with other trinkets particular to him. While he was grateful for the furnishings provided by Anvil's citizens, the vast variety of colors and shapes clashed with each other. His most precious acquirement, however, came not in the form of household fittings, but more of flesh and blood.
His new pet, Cadogan, a small brown dog with white spots lining his back, and partly drooping ears, gave Aderyn a sense of comfort. The house was perfect, but seemed rather empty. The large black eyes of Cadogan, innocent and adorable, added that needed touch to completely liven the place. Old enough now to walk and even sit still for a decent amount of time, he sat off to the side, watching as Varulae instructed Aderyn on how to communicate with animals.
It had been three months since he first acquired the mansion, and already Aderyn felt completely at home again in the city. Varulae had been edifying him for several weeks, but to his consternation she was a relentless instructor. He hadn't openly practiced his magical abilities in large amounts at a single time, and overall it had been quite a while since he used it a fair bit. He wished to regain the knowledge he once possessed. Lucky for him, Varulae was also taught by Summerset's wizards, some of the greatest and imaginative magicians around.
Spells, designed for particular uses, could be somewhat "bent" to perform tasks other than what they were originally created to do. Varulae and Aderyn both knew this due to their unique training, but Aderyn had not practiced with them in far too long that he had nearly forgotten all he was taught. At this time, Varulae was trying to reinstall into Aderyn's mind the basis for the various classes of magic. The control aspects of Illusion could not only be used to command living organisms, but also be used to communicate with them. In order to do this, the magicka stored within said individual would have to be manipulated by applying various forms of mental tension to them.
Command creature, the spell being relearned by Aderyn, would have to be cast while applying that mental tension to control the effects of the spell. Instead of using it to "control" Cadogan, Aderyn would have to use it, instead, to open a mental link with him. However, Aderyn wasn't quite remembering how to do it – the source of Varulae's frustration.
"Alright" she said, throwing up her hands, exhausted, more mentally than physically, from the struggle with the Dultmer. "More like Dumb-mer" she grumbled, glaring at Aderyn.
"Oh, come on. One last time. I think I'm getting it." Aderyn reached for her arm, pleading with her to wait.
"No! I've taught you all I can for one day. You know what to do. Practice it in your own time. I'm through for today. I'll check back on you later this week. Hopefully you'll have progressed." She turned around to walk away, grumbling some more as she left.
Aderyn sat back on the small bench in the training area. He called Cadogan over to him, rubbing behind the pup's ears, working down towards his stomach. Cadogan's leg and tail shook in unison, obviously pleased.
"You understand me, don't you?" Aderyn looked in the dog's eyes, those cute yet oblivious eyes. Recalling his training, he once again focused, finding it quite a deal easier to focus his magic without the added frustration of Varulae.
Extending his mind, and applying the needed illusion magic, Aderyn touched the conscious of Cadogan. While not as sophisticated as a sentient being, creatures' speech patterns relay messages more through feelings when the mental link is applied. Simple commands may be understood, but that depends on how often the creature has been around people.
Aderyn wouldn't be able to communicate with Cadogan too much right now using actual words, but he did sense a certain feeling coming from the pup. A feeling coming from the stomach, bubbling, almost aching. Was it hunger? No, there was no sensation of feeding reverberating through the link. Aderyn, stirred from his wondering by a sudden noise, looked to Cadogan who looked rather relieved. The pup cooed, and, stretching across his sleeping pad, relaxed.
Aderyn gazed over his new friend, amazed at the mysteries of magic. Though, his attention was abruptly refocused as he gazed over to the hidden wall, the secret entrance to Lorgren Benirus' evil chamber. Something inside, ethereal almost, urged him to investigate further.
The room was empty, not surprising. After finishing the fight with Lorgren he incinerated the bodies, fully aware of the powers of necromancy, Lorgren's specialty nonetheless, and their abilities to suddenly repossess their lifeless bodies, converting them to Worm Thralls – the evil practice of converting a victim's body into a zombie, able to be commanded by the demented being that created it.
Aderyn sneered at the thoughts. How could something so evil have ever been created? His attention was again reverted as he saw a glimmering effect cast through a small crystal on the floor. Dark and unholy purple, the crystal was shattered. Its remains scattered across the floor.
"What is this?" Aderyn picked it up, noticing a dark presence creep up his arm. He immediately dropped it as the sensation felt as though it sought after his heart, wishing to devour it. He decided he would show it to Varulae in the morning. Whatever it was, evil had certainly been wrought through it.
