We would like to thank our dear readers for sticking with us, and of course for the wonderful reviews. There was one rather detailed one to which we would like to give satisfying answers, just in case others are wondering about these details too. Sadly, there is no name attached to the review, but no matter, we would like to thank you for the constructive feedback on our story.
- Modern words in the story: Thank you for pointing this problem out. We will do our best from now on to pay attention and edit out any modern sounding words, although, we might end up missing a few.
- Hyano's case: Well, this certainly is a little complicated. We don't want to ruin the surprise, as the reason and the 'hows' and 'whys' are within the story itself and will be revealed in its own time. Until then, there are hints scattered around all over the story, so keep an eye out for them. Although, we feel we should give a warning: we have made modifications to Tolkien's world here, mainly to the istari. -Age, duties, later even in the numbers- It will make sense once these changes are explained.
- Hiring a beta: Sadly, one of us -avpke- had a very bad experience with betas. They usually aren't as good as they advertise themselves to be, and sadly have a very bad sense of time and rarely are done on schedule. Plus, we don't really wish to be dependent on betas.
We hope these answer all the questions you have. If we left anything out, please note it.
Thank you.
CA Productions
Cubby and Ren: *Playing 'Just dance'*
Hyano: *Walks behind the TV and trips over the power cord turning it off.*
Cubby: *Stands there stunned.*
Ren *Screeches then takes off after Hyano who bolts.*
Avp: *Walks in while reading a book. A black and orange blur run by him and somehow his book ends up upside down.* … Am I the only sane one that lives in this story?
Cubby: *On the floor crying.* Start the story already and let me morn my winning score in peace!
Avp: *Sighs* Enjoy the chapter folks.
Disclaimer: See first chapter.
Chapter 11 – First Steps into the Unknown
The Nazgul only stayed there for a little while to watch them, inspecting the preparation for the mining, the fights, and the start of the reconstruction he ordered them to do. He knew that right now they are slightly vulnerable. The doors are easy to be opened and give free way to the enemy if they wished to enter. No doubt they know how to gain entry by now. He cannot let them find this place... But how can he prevent their discovery? He was thinking very hard as he walked along the halls, drowning out the sound of metal, stone and water altogether. The door is sealed with magic... it surely can be changed with magic again. His gaze soon traveled forward, glancing in the direction they brought his servant into. Hyano is a wizard then, not a dwarf... Which he still didn't understand how it could be. She was too small to be a wizard and too young, more fit to be a dwarf. He shook these thoughts aside and walked quickly, hurrying to her.
While the Nazgul dealt with the problem at hand, Hyano had been placed in a rather well lit hall. She seemed to have enough energy now. Though the light of a torch did not give her nearly as much energy as that of true sunlight you get enough and she can make some use of it. She knelt next to the goblin from before. He was hissing as her hand glowed over the knee she had broken.
"Stay still!" she yelled at him before putting pressure on it, another crack forcing a cry from the larger creature. It was a mix of her moving the bone and using healing magic on him. While it did heal him it also caused him pain as a creature of darkness.
The light in the hall was bright in contrast to the darkness of this mine, and the scream coming from there was harsh, loud, bouncing along the corridors, echoing. He hesitated, but stepped into the fire-made light, noticing his vision seemed to blur, wavering as the flames flickered. But she was easy to be spotted, as she possessed a soul, unlike these creatures. He stood there, watching as she healed the goblin, but did not understand why. It was easily replaceable if he so wished and can supply the others with food if they felt hungry. They surely tended to eat the weak. After she finished, he stepped closer, tilting his head to the side.
"Hyano... Door. No safe. Magic." he tried explaining as best as he could, but his speech in this tongue was still limited. Then he turned his hooded head towards the goblin, addressing him in black speech. "Leave us and join the others in their tasks." he commanded him.
The goblin did as told with some difficulty however he was not foolish enough to try to stay there any longer than he had to. Though his leg was for the most part healed he still limped slightly as he walked away. Hyano watched the goblin then looked up to Ren.
The Nazgul watched as he left then gave the dwa...ehm... the wizard all his attention, hoping she will understand what he wanted. "New magic." he tried again.
The little girl knew he was right. With the door the way it was now there was a good chance of it causing more harm than good. Back when no one knew the answer it was worth its name as a strong gate but now it was a weak point. She thought a moment then stood.
"Go Door. Hyano make good." she told him walking up and taking his hand again wanting him to lead her to the door. She had an idea.
The Nazgul nodded and was surprised again as she grabbed his hand and not knowing that he should grab back, he didn't. Instead he let her latch onto his arm and pulled her with him, rushing, hurrying as fast as he could. He didn't take into account that she had shorter legs, just wanted to reach the gate as soon as possible. The wizard and elves might be not that far behind. With her not waking after their fall, they wasted much time, just like with staying outside at night. Who knows where the enemy is now... They could be already knocking at their door.
If she wasn't swift on her feet she might have lost her arm with how fast he was going. Lucky for her she could run about as fast as a rabbit when she wanted to.
"Fast." he told her as he pulled her along, now breaking into a run, making sure to hold her up just a little to make sure she does not fall and slow them down. It wasn't long until they reached the gate, the memory of the route was etched in his mind, and the hallways were familiar just like the directions from when they came in. He stopped in front of it and released her, gesturing towards the entrance with his head. "Door strong. Magic no strong. New magic." he told her, stepping closer to the gate, turning his gaze towards it, inspecting it closely.
Hyano stepped away from him and looked it over for a moment. Closed her eyes her hands together for a moment before opening them and slamming her hands on the door. A rush of energy burst through it. The original writing was quickly replaced by a new set however this time it wasn't a riddle. It was a warning to all those who somehow made it passed this gate of what lied ahead. In the middle of the door a symbol also began to appear. A three headed beast. She panted as she finished the spell before touching her shoulder and cringing. She needed to show Ren what exactly she had done. She showed him the symbol that was now on her other shoulder like the one on the door. She tapped it.
"Ren mark." she said then walked up to the door and touched it. The symbols eyes glowed red before opening up to her. The door would not open for anyone without the mark. They would have to do the same for the goblins as well.
The wraith tilted his head to the side, not quite sure what creature it is that she created on it, but he knew it doesn't have much significance. What mattered is now that she changed the way one can enter. Ren looked at the same symbol on her shoulder, now decorating her along the other sun symbol on her other shoulder. He understood the concept once she demonstrated how it all works. So, one needs this symbol to come in and go out, not that ridiculous word which she said not after a few minutes of watching the writing above the door... In this case they will need this symbol on each goblin and troll. Or at least some who would be assigned to keep close to the gates. They are too expendable to mark each. The generals surely need it, along with the guards, but the others are not as important right now to give them this sign. He wondered if he needed to bear it as well, or if he can go out without it just the same. Well, seeing she cannot truly mark him. His spectral body would not accept such magical signs. He pointed to himself, tilting his head to the side, asking her this way if he needed it, before trying to think of a way how to explain to her that not all creatures need this sign.
Hyano nodded and walked up taking his hand and putting her hand over his gauntlet placing the symbol on the palm of it so it wouldn't be easily seen. She then pushed him back a distance and as they moved away from the door all the symbols on it started to fade away leaving the door barren of any sign that it could even be opened. She looked up to him and grinned feeling proud of herself.
"Hyano good?" she inquired then sneezed and groaned. Being sick was so annoying. No matter how good you felt your body always had to remind you that you really felt like someone hit you with a mace.
The wraith at this tilted his head a little. He raised his hand and looked at the symbol on it. He still couldn't determine what creature it was... He never saw it in his life. He lowered his gaze to the door and watched it a little bit. So, does this mean, that each time he went close to the door it will light up and show the symbol? And more importantly... is it visible from the outside as well? If it was so, his position is easy to give away if he is close to it. However, when it isn't lit, one can't know how to enter the gates, which should prevent the wizard and elves to gain entry. But again... is the wizard able to trace this and simply copy the symbol? He wasn't sure about this... He had to word it somehow, so did not yet comment on her question, not scolding nor praising her just yet. His head jerked to the side as he heard that same noise come from her again and tilted his head to the side. This was the second time she did this today, and wondered if it is a sign of something.
"Door safe?" He asked, starting his questioning as he started walking closer. As he was near enough, the symbol lit up, revealing its form. "See out?" he pointed towards the door, not sure if she will understand. "Elf see?" He asked differently, as he still did not know the word for 'wizard'.
The young wizard blinked and tilted her head at his question. Elf? What elf? She was a little confused before figuring he was wondering just how safe the door was. She shrugged then walked over and picked up a skull. She didn't like holding things like this but she figured it was the best way to show him just what she had done. She took the time to etch the same symbol onto the forehead of the skull making sure to have it perfect mark for mark before smiling at her handy work. If it wasn't on a skull she might have actually been proud of herself. She then threw it right at the door. The eyes lit up again only this time instead of the door opening the creature moved one of its heads, growled like a dog before pushing out of the door and slamming its jaw down on the skull making sure to destroy the offending object before returning back to its place. She looked to Ren.
Oh, so this is how it worked! The Nazgul thought. If the wizard or the elves that accompanied him were to try and copy the mark, they cannot make a perfect one and will be attacked by this... thing. He never saw such magic, and it just strengthened his belief that taking her with him was a very good idea. She was truly valuable and wanted to keep her around for a very long time. Or forever, depends on the circumstances.
"No see out. Only see side on." she corrected him putting her hands in her pockets then sneezed again not able to help it.
The wraith looked down as she did that noise again and tilted his head to the side.
"Hyano good?" he asked, wanting to know if she was alright. Now that she is a needed ally, he will do everything to ensure her safety and well-being. Make her his right hand. But nothing more. He still needed to keep his superiority well known for her. With the security of their new base, the spawning of goblins and trolls, and the securing of the mine will be easier and safer, and also can be sped up greatly without the danger of being ambushed and intruders sticking their nose where they shouldn't. With the generals taking the orders, he has time to plot and think further into the future. This is something he will do with the dwa... the wizard that was with him. But first, he needed to make sure she was comfortable in the mines...
The small girl nodded. Yeah, she was alright. Or at least she would be. It was the same cold she got every year. She knew why she got it and sadly there was no way of preventing it. Her body was simply getting payback for her not being able to get enough sunlight as of late. Her body's ability to fight of disease was lacking but as long as she was careful she should be fine, though, considering the situation she would have to take additional care this year.
"Need light." she told him honestly before taking his hand only this time she climbed up his arm to his shoulder. "Sick... body weak. Need light and rest." she replied not sure if he understood all that but figured she would get what she needed either way. She turned her head away from him to sneeze again. She did have some manners before relaxing her head resting where his head should be.
He tolerated as she grabbed his arm again, but was quite surprised as she this time climbed up to sit on his shoulders. Well, not like he couldn't carry her as they used to position to help her reach something tall before many times, but for someone else, especially the goblins to see this... He didn't know if it would give voice to his strength or if it would humiliate him only... His pride being difficult again, he did not move first after she told him she needed light. He understood as much. Light. In a mine... Where can they find light? Torches maybe?
"Fire?" He asked her, tilting his head slightly upwards and to the side to try and look at her, but not with much success. He shifted in his stance, maintaining his balance, but did not move, still not sure if he should carry her this way.
"Yes. fire." she confirmed. Fire would help. Not as well as the real sun but it would make her feel better than this after a while. She noticed he seemed hesitant to move on and tilted her head. "Ren good?" she questioned. She was pretty sure nothing was wrong with the dark creature so she wasn't sure as to why he was stuck there. While she did understand respect and so on she did not have much of a sense of pride. She couldn't fully understand what Ren was thinking or feeling. She could only wait for him to either tell her to get off or for him to move on. She was a child who was sick and tired. She isn't going to figure out everything even if she understood pride.
She needs light that is sure, but he cannot bring her outside... Who knows if that wizard and elves aren't lurking around here now. Maybe once they secured the mountains completely... Extending the fortress towards the surface. Until then, maybe there is a part of the mine where a little light is seeping in. He will have to ask one of the goblins about it. He sighed and decided to move now and bring her to the same spot he got her from. He hoped no one will question his methods. If they do, he will make sure they follow the mindless troll into the nothingness. He took his time, not rushing anymore, content that their greatest trouble was solved, giving them the security they needed. But the mines aren't enough for him... he wanted the surface as well. But this is for the future. He walked along the corridors and halls, going up steps and turning corners, using the same direction they came from. Once they arrived at the lit hall, he hissed at the light before stopping, letting her climb down on her own. After this, he will make sure to consult the goblins about a better light source.
Hyano jumped down and sighed happily already feeling her body accept the warmth and light from the torches. She looked around before sitting down cross-legged and looking back at him.
"Hyano's?" she questioned wondering if this place could be hers. It seemed the goblins didn't pass through here much so her taking over this area wouldn't be much of a problem and until she found a better place to call her own this seemed best. It reminded her a little of what her home was like before they decorated it. Just needed some furniture and clothes and she would be set.
Ren tilted his head to the side at her request and looked around the hall, eyeing it. Well, this part didn't seem to be needed as much at the moment, so she can stay in his opinion. As long as the halls aren't needed here. He still needed to find a place where some sunlight seeps into the mines. A small hole is enough. There surely must be some. Maybe he should explore the area a little and see what he can find on his own. Being so dependent on goblins and trolls was never good for one's reputation. He nodded at her request.
"Yes." Then after making sure she is comfortably settled, he turned away from her and started walking away from her. "Ren go. See home." He told her, intending to look around a little, calling the mines his new home, and walked off, leaving her alone for now to rest.
The wizard waved him off then decided she would take the chance to sleep. Gather what energy she could then maybe go explore herself when she had the chance. For now though, she curled up into a little ball again and was soon out like a light. Even if anyone did need to go through this hall she wouldn't be much of a problem considering her small size. They could easily avoid her with little effort.
The mines were abuzz with work. Now that the goblins knew just what to do they did it proudly and with whatever strength they had. The goblin who had approached him first was barking out orders. He apparently had gained the title as a general. Not too surprising. While he wasn't the largest of goblins he was rather smart and had guts to spare. While there were probably goblins who could challenge him in strength, many lacked the intelligence or the courage to take him on.
While Hyano slept, Ren made sure to get to know the mines as best as he could on his own, memorizing as many paths as he was able and looking at the working goblins as they shoveled away the dirt and rocks from the metal they found, while the trolls carried the rocks away to be used for the restoration of the underground city. Forges were heated and the sound of hammering and forging filled some of the halls as some of the skilled goblins worked on armor and weapons. The wraith walked along the halls silently, his steps soundless... only his strong dark aura gave him away, reassuring them of his presence and control. He never was truly in charge of anything before. Yes, he had troops but big operations were never his thing. He was surprised to find that with his mind set free somewhat, he was able to think more coordinated and clearly, and he knew he couldn't show them uncertainty. He also tried to find a spot where sunlight reached within the mines, but his search yet had to yield a result. As he walked, he stopped briefly at the familiar voice of the goblin he talked to not long ago. He wasn't surprised to see him as one of the generals. He was even pleased. But this is something he will not show.
"How is the work going along? Is metal plenty?" He asked him as he came from behind, stopping next to him to watch the miners, his hands resting behind him, folded. "The doors are safely sealed and protected. I will need guards readily equipped to patrol the halls and settle any disputes." He demanded. While he explored, he saw many goblins and trolls fight over whatever they found or said. Having fights within one's army was a great disadvantage. This city needs guards.
The goblin looked up to him dark eyes full of an inner fire.
"Plenty to last us a lifetime, Lord Ren. We could line all of the cave halls with it." he replied not exaggerating in the least actually. The dwarves would go crazy if they ever had a chance to get this mine back, considering the sheer amount of raw ore that lingered in these caves. However, Ren was right about the fighting being a problem. The general hissed in annoyance as another fight broke out. They may have purpose now but they had lived with nothing more to do than to beat each other for so long that it was very easy for it to happen now. "I suggest you set the guards up in teams of three. One orc and two goblins. Orcs aren't all as dumb as they look but they can't speak for the life of them and are easy to anger. Two goblins should do. A strong one to keep the orc in line and a smart one to speak to whoever is causing the problem before deciding to kill them or not." he said seeming to have thought this sort of thing out before.
The Nazgul wanted to chuckle at this. He hummed at the suggestion, but decided three guards at once would be too much. If he sets up three guards together in a heap at every corner, who will work? There surely are enough workers, but he didn't want to reduce their numbers too much.
"Three is nonsense in a group. Maybe guards in two is enough. An orc and a goblin. No need to talk when settling disputes. They have to stop fighting and that's it. No need to talk." He said in a rather commanding tone. Goblins and orcs aren't as easy to talk to, surely... But if they are fighting it is always over some small thing that isn't worth discussing. "I will leave the guards to you. Choose them wisely and set them up with armor and weapons." He really didn't want to deal with this right now, and this goblin surely knew the creatures down here more than he does. And surely also the mines. Which brings him to his little 'quest'. "Is there anywhere a place in this mine where sunlight comes through?" He asked quietly, but still with authority. It must be strange for others that a creature of pure darkness as asking for sunlight, but he didn't care.
The goblin was a little put off by the question not sure why he would need such a nasty thing until he remembered the little wizard that came with him. Despite her small size she seemed rather powerful. Surprisingly enough. Normally the goblins only trudged deeper into the darkness rather than anywhere close to where light could push through. So it took him a moment or so to think of a place.
"Yes. In upper corridors is a room where sunlight seeps through the rocks. It was built for elven visitors I think because it is far too nice for a dwarf's liking. Kind of disgusting if you ask me but I'm sure the youngling will approve." he replied. Unlike Ren he understood the matters of age and knew the little girl wizard or not was none more than a child.
The news was good indeed, so there is indeed a place where sunlight can be found. The Nazgul nodded at the goblin, praising him silently for his knowledge of the mines, but didn't say it out loud, just in case, so he doesn't get too spoiled. They need to know their place and their tasks. Knowing such things is one of the basics really. At least in his mind. At his last comment the wraith tilted his head to the side a little. Youngling? He heard this word before, and mostly newly bred orcs and trolls were called that among his kin. So, she is a very young wizard then? One that wasn't yet fully developed? This was strange to him. Orcs are created at their full size, just need to develop some last features before they can be used for their tasks. Aren't all creatures born like this? But then why are they so small? He stood still for a few moments, confused about all this, but decided he will not ask about this. He didn't want to humiliate himself with a question to which the answer should be apparently obvious to him. Instead, he turned towards the goblin once more and addressed him.
"Once the guards are set, make sure to look for me and show me this place." He commanded and turned around to walk off and inspect the miners, smiths and the rest of the generals. To him, the coordinated and safe work of his new army was more important. The more survive this phrase, the more will aid him at the takeover of Mordor.
The goblin nodded then started barking out orders. He went among the men going through all of them finding all those with both strength and the best intelligence for this job. Once the men were picked he sent them on their way to do their new task. While all this was happening work had not stopped. When one goblin would stop for a rest another would take his place. Work would go on at all hours. There were more than enough of them for that. He looked over the mines for a moment making sure there was nothing more he needed to do before turning to go find his Lord Ren.
Ren continued walking among the working goblins, now this time inspecting the reconstruction of one of the bridges that were destroyed a long time ago. It was hard, to say the least, considering the stone bridge was narrow, and the gorge it stood above was deep, making it harder to rebuild, seeing they lack some of the necessary tools. But this didn't stop them. There were a few deaths as they sometimes slipped and a few fell into the depths, but most managed to stay alive and successfully repairing the damaged parts. One of the main halls are also being rebuilt, the rooms new formed, giving it a different look, but the Nazgul did not complain. It did look now a little more suitable to his taste, and they know best how they want and can repair the mine and the city. Along one of his walks did he meet the goblin again, and once it was clear he will lead him to the sunlight, Ren decided to bring Hyano right along and let her be surprised, just to strengthen her loyalty to him. He went along the halls once more, knowing from memory where he left her.
It had been some time now. Hyano wasn't sure. It was hard to tell time underground. All she knew was she felt well-rested, considering all she had was the lights of the torches to help her. She got up and yawned before looking around. She wanted to explore but she wasn't sure if Ren would like that. She looked at one of the torches and smiled before using a spell to lift it off its pedestal and into her hand. As long as he could easily find her she was sure he wouldn't mind. Once she was sure of her idea she walked into the darkness her mind curious as to what secrets it held.
The wraith's steps were quick and strong, determined in the direction, but once he stopped at the empty hall, he started to question the effectiveness of his mind. Did he round a wrong corner? But this room was the fire-lit hall... it was the lightest; seeing the many torches, then were did she go? He sniffed the air audibly, trying to find a trail she left behind. Once finding it, he started to follow it, searching for her with his senses, but did not call her out loud. That would be futile at such a noise the miners made.
Hyano walked the halls hearing the sounds of metal and work echoing throughout them. She listened closely to it, not following the sound but just listened. When creatures of any kind worked on a repetitive task they always ended up working themselves into a beat of some kind. It was not something they did on purpose. In fact, she was sure the goblins weren't even aware of it. It was likely a result of them having a heart beat. Their bodies naturally trained to work at a beat as their hearts were. She smiled and started to hum to herself lightly following the beat the workers had already created for her. Once she felt she had it down and she came to a wall covered in writing. Likely a story of some great dwarf who lived here before she started to sing the story. She was having far too much fun for a little girl trapped in darkness. She started to dance her torch in hand spinning and playing. The flame started to stretch out from the torch like a ribbon creating designs around her until she was surrounded by fire. She stopped then lifted her hands up and the fire flew up until it formed a little ball above her and exploded like a small firework the sparks coming down around her making her giggle. A trick she learned from her time with Gandalf and his fireworks.
He had been following her trail for a while now, his nose set on her scent, and turned each corner fast, wanting to find her. What was she thinking of running off like that? Anything could happen to her and he would find it highly annoying if she died. She wouldn't be able to help him further, aid him in producing more orcs for his army with the help of her magic, or simply help him with directions on the surface. He hissed as the third hall was empty too, slightly annoyed. Just when did she wake up from her 'sleeping'? He wasn't really looking where he was going, so bumped into a fair amount of creatures before a sudden light caught his attention. He stopped in his tracks as he saw the flash, while his ears finally picked up the sound of her voice. It must be her... But what is happening? His first thought was that something went wrong. There was an explosion, easily noticeable by its unique sound and the flash of light... the smell of fire. He gave a threatening hiss as he neared the location, wanting to know what happened.
The child laughed and continued her playing unaware of the state she had put her friend in. She couldn't even hear his hisses past the sounds of work and her own singing.
He quickened his pace and rounded the corner with another low, sharp hiss, ready to pounce on whoever caused the explosion, who tried to hurt her, so he can push them into the deepest grave one can find in this mine.
She spun around and let off another firework before yelping as her friend rounded the corner not seeing him until the light burst. She gasped and fell over in her shock dropping the torch. She groaned and looked up at him.
His first action was to look around for another presence than her, checking if she was alone, or who made the explosion, only able to see that she caused them when she made one more before noticing him. He relaxed almost instantly, shaking his head at the wizard as she fell in annoyance.
"Ren?" she said looking up at him then pouted. "Annoying." she grumbled as she stood up again and dusted herself off before picking up the torch again.
"No... Hyano annoying." he told her firmly, crossing his arms over his chest, staring at her, making her giggle. Actually, he was glaring, but that was unseen by everyone because of his invisibility. He watched as she stood and grasped that... irritating fire light again in her hands, before suddenly tilting his head to the side and pointing at the torch. "What do?" he asked, not sure how to express himself in any other way. No matter how he hated fire, now that he thought about it... what she did... didn't look so bad. He never saw such a thing before happening. It was an explosion yes, but not quite at the same time, which confused him.
Some things never change. She was pretty sure he was giving her an annoyed look of some kind, however she could never see his face but had grown used to him enough that she had created something of an imaginary face for him instead. She stuck her tongue out at him then blinked at his question.
"What do?... Oh! You mean the firework." she said realizing he meant the explosion. "Watch." she said then spun around creating the designs with the fire around her again before sending them up and creating the explosion again. "Firework." she told him pointing up as the sparks came down around her. If it had been much bigger she might worry about it catching her clothes on fire but all it did was warm her up a little.
He tilted his head to the side as he watched the explosion again, called 'firework'. He knew what fire meant. It was this glowing destroying thing that was on the torch, and work meant to do an activity. So... in a meaning... firework might mean that...the fire does something. He tried explaining to himself as he watched the remains of the explosion float down. He wasn't able to see the explosion itself because of the harsh light, but these remains didn't look so bad.
"Fire... work." He said, separating the words for now, as he held out an armored hand, letting a floating glowing piece land on it and die in his palm. He watched the light for a little while, before they reminded him of his task and his... 'surprise' for the wizard. He lowered his hand and addressed her. "Hyano come." he said, gesturing with his hand and backing up, making sure she understood that she needed to come with him, before turning and nodding at the goblin that came with him all the way here, to lead him to that place where the sunlight seeps into the mines.
Hyano shrugged doing as told and walking up and taking Ren's hand with her free one. The goblin gave a nod to the little wizard before making his way down the halls towards the upper chambers.
The Ringwraith tolerated her grabbing for his hand again and let her follow him, sometimes eyeing the torch in her hand, making sure she holds it away from him, and won't accidentally light him on fire. He went after the goblin silently, sometimes watching the workers, averting his gaze from him, but was careful to not round a wrong corner and always keep him in his line of vision.
They soon came to an area built to a more elven standard. Dwarves and elves did not get along very well. Elves were creatures considered to be of perfection and nature but they are far from the down and dirty creatures that dwarves were. So this area of the mine was likely created in order to impress any elven visitors that passed through. Dwarves had a very high sense of pride so it was no real surprise.
The creature walked up to a door and pushed it open revealing a bed chamber. It was night now but the moon was out and full. The light seeped in through a hole and hit a mirror that reflected off of another quickly filling the room with the moons mild light.
As he opened the doors, the light of the moon was like it slapped the Nazgul right in the face and he reared a little back, but held himself fast. It might be just the moon, but it was concentrated into the room, strengthened even by these reflective surfaces.
Hyano blinked then grinned. "For me?" she asked looking up at Ren with big eager green eyes.
He let go of her hand and pushed her forward with a hand towards the inside. "Yes." he told her, and stepped back a little, searching comfort from the darkness of the corridor leading to this room, watching her and her reaction to all this.
The wizard got a huge smile on her face. She handed the goblin the torch earning an annoyed look from him but he did not say anything. She then started to look around the room inspecting it all over. She was a child, so of course she was going to look everything over like one. She then ran and jumped on the bed laughing as dust puffed out a few times as she jumped.
Ren shook his head at first as she bolted for the room and jumped on the bed, but his own curiosity was beginning to catch up as well. Without his Lord's guidance he was able to control his own attention and so he noticed new things he never gave much thought to, or wondered how some things worked. Like the wet sand. He many times was travelling along the shores of waters; seen how his prints were left behind, but only wondered why and how once his mind was set free. And thus he started building things from it. It was old, yet new, just like this room. He stepped in finally, his spectral body slowly starting to tolerate the light once more and looked around silently, reaching out to touch a fabric draped over a seat, watching as it easily floated back in place. The dust gave the room a more mysterious look, something worth to explore further. He tilted his head to the side, watching her jump on the bed, and his mind just briefly wondered how it might feel like to do this, but put it into the deepest reaches of his soul. Even the thoughts itself was a little... humiliating... but interesting nonetheless.
She grinned then jumped off the bed and without warning she ran and jumped up hugging Ren tightly. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she said happily. To be honest this was the first time anyone actually gave her anything much less a home since Radagast. She had to take care of herself, make her own things, find her own food, and build her own home. For once someone else gave her something. Even if it was just a room she was obviously very grateful and hugged him tightly.
He snapped out of his thoughts when he felt someone crash into him, forcing him to take a step back to steady himself, and felt arms wrapping around him. He stayed this way for a long time, not quite sure what is going on, hearing her utter her words of gratefulness. He didn't think offering her this lit room meant so much for ones like her. Not knowing what to do or what to say, the Nazgul lowered his hands and hesitantly put them on her shoulders, patting one lightly and awkwardly.
Hyano gave a happy sigh as he actually held her. She hadn't expected him to return the hug in any way but he did. She knew however it was strange for him so she didn't let it last too long no matter how much she wanted it to. She let go and dropped down with a grin up at him. She walked up to the goblin.
"Since I'm going to be here a while are there any young goblins I can play with?" she inquired. She was pretty sure Ren would be busy a lot now that he had the mines to work on so she thought she should take the chance to make some friends. Even if they were likely as good socially as Ren was if not worse.
The short dark being blinked down at her. He had almost forgotten the language spoken outside this place. He stopped to ponder on her question. In his experience when a wizard wanted to play with something they usually tested magic on it. A form of torture in his opinion. He wanted to reject her request but wasn't sure how Ren would react to him lying to the little girl. He valued his safety over that of any of the other goblins so felt it best not to test the waters on that one. He nodded.
"Yes..." he hissed. Although, the term 'young goblin' might not mean the same as she thought. Goblins are born like all dark creatures. In an adult form, just inexperienced and needed to be trained.
The child wizard talked to the general for a few more moments before asking him if he could please look through the mines for any spell books or anything of the like and bring them here for her. She would make use of whatever she could find. She still wanted to improve her magic until it was at its best.
The general was surprised when she waved him off not sure what exactly to do for a moment. Did he do as she asked or wait for Ren to tell him what to do? He shook his head deciding if Ren disagreed with anything she said he would correct it soon enough. He nodded and made his way to continue his work.
In the meantime, the Nazgul was relieved when she let him go and stepped back as she walked up to the goblin general. He didn't know and surely didn't want to know what they are talking about, because mostly his attention was taken by the room itself. It looked... pleasing to the eye to say the least. The scent was surely natural, melded in with that of the mines, the light at the moment wasn't something he couldn't get used to, but didn't want to be inside when the sun rises, seeing the moonlight was strengthened too by the reflections. He walked away from the two, resuming his inspection, reaching out to touch a fabric or run a metallic finger along the surface of a furniture. One particularly caught his eye. It was in the corner, some kind of wooden table, but it was decorated. Carvings were etched in its side, surface and even legs, giving it an interesting look. He tried to associate it to anything he had seen so far, but he couldn't find anything. He reached out to touch the carvings, before walking off, turning his hooded head to give the room a quick glance, before he stopped in his tracks and walked to the bed, seemingly drawn to it by something. He stopped in front of it and leaned in, finding something etched into the wooden headboard. He first thought it was a symbol, but now he sees it is something more. He never saw such... strange carvings before... Does this even make sense? Unknown to him, he was staring at a quite difficult maze.
Hyano grinned then noticed what Ren was doing. She tilted her head then ran over jumping onto the bed and looking at the headboard. It didn't take the little wizard long to figure out what she was looking at. She tilted her head then put her finger at the entrance to the maze and slowly started to move her finger along the maze as if it was a person trying to find its way to the middle.
The Nazgul only looked to the side when she jumped on the bed, but didn't move otherwise, gazing intently at the strange symbol. He watched as she put her finger at a specific location on the symbol and started running it along between the lines. He followed it and it maybe took him a little while, but he figured it is something like an entertainment mortals tended to amuse themselves with.
But what was the goal?
He didn't know, so waited for something to happen. He watched as she grimaced if she got a line wrong, and simply chose a new one, noticing that each time the 'road' of her finger was blocked, she would have to find another way. Like... escaping from an unknown tunnel. Just in a small version. He hissed as he finally saw what the goal was, and continued to watch as she tried to solve the puzzle. Of course, it wasn't one that was easy, it was one of the harder kind, twists and turns at every inch in every direction, hundreds or thousands of tunnels littered the headboard... and only one exit existed on the other side. After a while, Ren found his awkward stance slightly uncomfortable, so stood up and sat on the bed next to her, following her finger from there in a more comfortable position.
The Nazgul tilted his head in one direction then the other, watching as she went on, wondering if there is a solution to the puzzle or if it is just one of those games where you can't win but are allured to try because you see the end solution. The more her expression changed to the worst, the more he thought this might be the case. He tensed up just a little when she grabbed his hand and replaced hers with his.
"Ren turn." she said giving him a challenging smile.
He just sat there with his finger at the spot, not moving, not saying a word, just wondering what he is supposed to do. Well, he knew he has to apparently find the way through it and reach that little hole on top... But how? There were too many possibilities, and with his mind just recently freed, he was uncertain and couldn't decide which route to choose. He finally picked a line that might bring him somewhere.
Once she saw he was actually resuming their little game she shifted, getting comfortable, moving so she was sitting on his lap. She had grown used to his presence over their time together so being close like this didn't bother her. She also wanted to get him used to having her close as well. That was an easy enough task. She waited for him to get started moving his finger along the maze before resting her head on his chest and relaxing. It didn't take long before she fell asleep again. She surprisingly enough felt safe near the creature of chaos. She probably shouldn't but she did.
If the wraith could, he would have blinked rapidly with quite wide eyes, as she never did this before, and found it rather uncomfortable. The knowledge that she is using him as some kind of cushion just adds to his slight humiliation and having her this close was new. Normally she was content sitting next to him, in front of him, or if on a branch under or above him on the tree. But never right on him. He stayed in one position for a long while, as if frozen in place, feeling as she shifted a little. His pride was loud in his mind, telling him to throw her off and let her sit on the bed itself, but it was slowly drowned out by his curiosity directed towards this game. He didn't pay any heed to her, and instead resumed the maze game, running into blocked paths too many times, which sometimes made him growl in annoyance. Sometimes he thought he will finally solve it, only to be blocked again, or go in circles... Nice.
Only after an hour or two did he feel like moving again, wanting to get off and resume his duty as Lord of Moria, walking among the workers, instructing generals and look at the new guards. They still needed to apply the mark on them as well as they planned. He shifted only slightly when he noticed a weight on him. He didn't weight this much, did he? Only then did he remember the wizard, which was still sitting in his lap. He sighed and looked at her, wanting to tell her to get off when he noticed her steady breathing and relaxed heartbeat. She is sleeping... Great. He wondered if he moved would she wake up or not, so experimenting, he shifted a little more, grabbing her at her shoulder, he started pulling her off of him.
The istar groaned as she was shifted.
Once she groaned, he was quite surprised. Normally, she wouldn't wake up if he moved her at night. This is also why he could move her on top of a branch once, or under her bed, or on the table. So, why did it change? He didn't really want to give it any thought at the moment, as he needed to move now.
She had been dreaming, something she hadn't done in some time. She blinked a few times washing the sleep from her eyes before looking up to him. He must finally want her to get off him. She was honestly surprised it had lasted this long. She yawned and stretched her back popping before she did just that. It didn't take her very long to fully awake after rubbing her eyes and looking around and back up to him. "What?" she questioned wondering if he wanted anything. She was mildly curious if he found the answer to the maze but then she wouldn't be able to figure it out for herself so she didn't bother to ask.
"Ren go." He told her simply, shifting a little, preparing to stand, before his attention was fixed on the maze again, giving it an annoyed hiss, not at all pleased that he still couldn't find the right path. It seemed easy, but once you put a finger on the beginning it becomes a confusing journey, where halfway you forget where you came from... He finally averted his gaze from it and fixed it on the rather sleepy wizard, watching her a little before deciding that the marking of the guards will have to wait. He can't have her make a mistake just because she didn't replenish her energy fully. "Hyano sleep." He told her, almost in a strict tone, as if not accepting a 'no' for an answer and stood, adjusting his robe, checking his gauntlets briefly before turning around to leave the room, still silently fuming because of this annoying maze.
The wizard blinked at this. She had never had someone order her to sleep before. If anything, he was normally annoyed at her for doing so. She smiled a bit and nodded. "Yes Ren. I sleep." she said. It was odd. He acted strict with her. She guessed besides Radagast it was likely the closest to a fatherly action she had ever seen. It was kind of nice. She waved him off but before she could fully lay down the general came back and placed a book on the bed.
"Here... first could find." he told her before leaving the same way he had come making sure to bow his head as he passed Ren.
Hyano tilted her head then took the book. "Dark magic... wonder how this got here." she said curiously looking around. An elf wouldn't have brought such a thing here. They hated dark magic and she was pretty sure dwarves couldn't even use the stuff so it was useless to them. She looked over the book for a moment and her thoughts turned to Ren. Maybe this could be useful. Ren had told her to sleep though maybe she should wait... He surely wouldn't mind as long as she was being productive and not getting lost.
Ren turned back around, taking a few steps towards her as she held the book. The wraith tilted his head to the side as he stopped next to the bed, trying to have a look at it, which he couldn't remember having ordered from the general. He couldn't remember the cover... But it was strangely familiar... He cast a questioning gaze towards the general, who left rather quickly, giving him no chance to ask about the book.
"Hyano sleep." he told her again, wanting her to sleep now, and not read whatever book was in her hands. He still wanted to be done with the complete security by applying the required symbol on the guards and generals. She can't do it if she was tired. So, he insisted she sleeps.
She looked up to him then sighed and nodded. "Yes Ren." she said like a child being told by their parent what to do. She didn't really want to sleep anymore but he was insisting. She closed the book and tossed it to the other side of the bed. She could easily place hundreds of books all over this bed and still have room to sleep if she really wanted to. Kind of the perk of being a small person with a rather large bed. "Good night." she said laying her head on the pillow and soon closed her eyes falling asleep rather easily. The light from the moon had been enough to help her wake as she needed but in reality it was still night time. Her body was crying out for that needed sleep so she could be back to her full strength again.
Ren nodded in satisfaction, seeing she decided to listen to him and sleep as he told her to. Slowly, but surely, he walked out of the still dimly lit room, closing the door behind him. He didn't waste time, but took off, going around the halls once more. Occasionally, he would stop an equipped guard to inspect him, checking on his weapon if it is truly sharp, if he is truly fit for the role, if he is sturdy enough... Most seemed to be fine, but there were a few that he could question, however, he didn't because he trusted the goblin general's choices. He spent most of his time at the miners, then a few hours at the city, then in the end vanished deeper into the mine, wanting to see what is beyond the inhabited zone.
When sunlight finally crept through, replacing the moonlight and brightening her room up properly. Hyano awoke and looked around for a moment. Sometimes she thought all this was just a dream and she would wake up and Ren would never have happened. Though, as she looked around she smiled glad it wasn't. She moved to get up and groaned as her stomach started to hurt. How long had it been since she last ate? She would have to ask Ren about getting food later when she saw him. Her hand brushed the book and she looked at it.
"Hmm... I guess I could get some studying in." she said and chose to stay sitting on the bed with the book on her lap. She started going through the pages noting how much... darker the imagery was. She couldn't read it very well yet and knew better than to just go reading dark magic spells anyway. Even just saying the words could end badly. Instead, she kept everything in her head. She stopped as she came to what she only could guess was a shifting spell. She tilted her head at it. "Hmmm... this might be a good one..." she said then put the book at the end of the bed tilted up so she could read it and stood up. She picked a random object ending up grabbing a cup and put it in front of her. She looked over the spell one more time before closing her eyes and whispering the incantation.
It worked alright.
The cup was turned into a plate however she didn't think of how the spell might affect her. She screamed as her hands felt like they had been lit on fire and turned black on the tips of her fingers.
For long hours, Ren stayed down, deeper inside the mines. He stopped his exploring when he came up to a silent gorge, the bridges long destroyed and a part of them laying uselessly at the edge of the seemingly endless drop. The sounds of work, smiting and mining didn't reach this deep, giving the Nazgul the much needed rest from the constant noises. He was standing at the edge, just staring into the distance, as if in a trance, not moving or saying anything. Then all of a sudden he shrieked once, the tone and length equaled that of a calling of his brethren, then stayed silent once more, tilting his head to the side as he waited. It didn't take long, as the same sound returned, repeated at least five times until it died down. His mind of course clearly knew it was just an echo, but it felt so good. It somehow gave him some kind of security, he became more energetic, and almost hopeful as his call returned, deep down actually believing another of his brothers is answering his call. Soon enough, he started sounding more kinds of shrieks, as if talking to someone in the wraith's language, pausing every once in a while to listen to the echoes. It lifted his mood and somehow smoothed his agitation and stress, somehow lighting up his day. He knew it wasn't right to give himself false security and hope, but his insecure mind yearned for it.
After a few hours of 'talking', the Nazgul returned to his duties and walked the halls once more, inspecting the mines and giving out commands for changes here and there, before deciding that Hyano had enough resting and now surely can give the guards and generals the required symbols. He turned a corner and made his way towards her new room, mentally preparing himself for the sudden blast of light that will surely await him once he opened the door. He sighed, pausing just for a moment before grabbing the handle and opened it to peek inside, not sure if she awoke by now.
Once the initial shock and irritation from the bright sunlight was gone, he could focus better. He smelled it again... The scent of that salty liquid that she tends to release when something is very wrong.
She was awake alright. She was very much awake. By the time he walked in her hands had completely turned black and she was holding them to her body tightly like she was hoping for some sort of relief from the pain in her own body. She knew better but one can only do so much thinking when they are hurting. She jumped as she heard the door open tears having been streaming down her cheeks for a little bit now turning her eyes red. She gritted her teeth then slowly pulled her hands out to show him what she had done to herself.
"I-it hurts, Ren." she told him honestly then tilted her head to the book she had tried to use to help him understand exactly what she had done.
When she says something hurts, he learned it meant that she injured herself either physically or mentally. However, he never understood how someone can be hurt mentally... He tilted his head to the side once she showed him her almost burnt looking hands, black like it was held above fire. He stepped even closer and reached out to take her hand and inspect it closer. Well, it did look like it was burned... But not quite. He followed the direction she pointed at, and released his hold on her, picking up the book. He flipped it open and hissed as he recognized some words, the spells in it were not only written in the language of men but also in black speech. She was trying to cast black magic, wasn't she? He turned his gaze towards her and pointed at the book he was holding.
"Bad." He told her and shook his head. It looked like she was infected with the black breath now, affected by black magic. This is something he couldn't help with. He was no mage and knew no magic, no spells, so knew no way how to stop this curse if he wasn't the one causing it. He sighed and put down the book where it was. "Bad Hyano." he scolded her, reaching out to take her hand once more, trying to determine if she just burned it or if she truly was infected with the black breath.
The wizard child nodded very much believing it was bad.
"Sorry..." she mumbled then watched as he took her hand inspecting it. At first she honestly couldn't feel his touch. Her hands hurt constantly but she couldn't for the life of her feel his touch. The tips of her fingers however were starting to change back. In a similar way to how they had changed before. She watched as slowly her hands started to turn back to their original color. Once they were back to normal the pain slowly subsided and she was able to move them. She looked up to him. "Why?" she questioned wondering why it was that this happened to her. She understood it was black magic but it was only a simple looking shifting spell. A very small level one at that. Part of her was worried about the results if she was to ever try anything even more powerful.
The Nazgul was relieved to see the black color subside quite quickly and let her hand go. He didn't know what happened of course, all he knew was that she probably tried to use black magic, which in return had this effect. Wizards don't react well to the magic that created him and his brethren as it seemed. He would have dismissed all this and just shrugged first, but he decided to give it more thought. The reason being, that if she truly cannot use black magic, then she can't help him with many things... like... spawning more orcs and trolls for their army, or work on a new kind of breed. He looked at the book and picked it up, flipping it open to read some of the text in his mind, remembering some, while others sounded foreign. He leaned closer to her and pointed at a page.
"What magic?" He asked, wanting to know which spell she tried.
Hyano was a little annoyed he dodged her question but figured he likely did it because he didn't have an answer. She looked at the book then started flipping the pages before pointing to the shifting spell she had tried to use. It was rather basic though she couldn't read the black speech text. She figured all it was meant to do was shift any object or person into the desired item or creature wanted. She thought learning a spell like that would be useful. She knew of a good magic version but the last time she tried that on Ren it ended rather badly. She thought maybe if she learned a dark magic version it would end better.
Once she pointed at the spell Ren stood straight again and started walking away from her slowly, murmuring the words in himself in black speech. Of course because he wasn't a mage, it didn't do anything as he didn't possess the required traits for casting a spell. A shifting spell it is. He tilted his head to the side and turned around to look at her once more, returning his gaze briefly to the page, then at her again.
"Why?" he asked pointing at it, walking closer once more, his head remaining tilted, asking why she wants this spell now? She did explain to him what she wanted back then a few months ago with a shifting spell and he didn't even want to hear about becoming something else than a Nazgul back then. This didn't change even now. With his current form, he maintained more power than as a human, he was sure of that and didn't want to be changed to something that dies too easily. He wanted to make sure she doesn't cast it on him in any circumstances.
She thought for a moment then looked at the newly made bowl. How could she explain this without getting herself into trouble? She knew he wasn't going to like that she was trying to find ways to shift him again, however an idea did come to mind. She stood up again and this time shifted the bowl using her usual spell turning it into a figure of a goblin.
"See?" she said then shifted it again only now it was an elf. To make sure he understood she pulled out her sand and showed him her figure and a goblin's. The goblin is changed into an elf and the elf walks among other elves no one the wiser.
This was actually something to think about. She wanted to learn this shifting spell so he can walk around the people without being detected. But it has a big problem which cannot be solved. His aura. While the spell might change his looks -which it surely can't anyway because the ring of power he wore had a greater magic- it can't change his aura. He shook his head at her, waving her off.
"No. Ren no human." He told her firmly. He didn't plan on walking among the people anymore anyway. He was content to live here until the army is ready to cover more territory. Then once the mountains are theirs, they will expand their land towards Mordor. A few more centuries... and they can start a new campaign against men. He looked at the book, and opted to take it away from her, so she doesn't try something as foolish, but he did want her help... She does have to practice black magic to be useful to him, so made sure to leave it with her now.
The orange wizard sighed and nodded.
"Fine..." she grumbled then thought a moment and looked at herself. He could stay the way he was but she could not stay like this. She wore orange. A good color in nature but here in the darkness it easily gave her away. Her flowers were also in need of some help. She thought a moment then looked at Ren. "Hyano change?" she inquired before standing up and walking up to him. She figured he needed her to go somewhere. He wouldn't have come otherwise. Likely to start marking all those he wanted marked. This would be a long day of that more than likely.
"Change?" The Nazgul asked, tilting his head to the side, not knowing what she meant by it. Does she mean that she wanted to use this shifting spell on herself? Of course didn't know in what situation one still uses this word, so he couldn't grasp the true meaning of it this time. Instead, he shook his head, dismissing it altogether and gestured towards the door with one hand. "Go? Mark guard." He tried, wanting her to do as they planned yesterday, marking all the guards and generals. The workers were not important at this time, so did not need to receive the symbol. They die too easily now.
The child pouted as he didn't answer her question but sighed and nodded. "Yes Ren." she said then followed him to do just that.
"Good." He actually praised her with words, unlike with anyone else, where he wouldn't say anything but nod or won't even mention anything the creatures did. Ren knew that Hyano needed verbal approval many times and doesn't understand the shift in his aura or what the different tones in his hisses mean, unlike the goblins, orcs and trolls, which had an idea and behaved according to it. It might seem he favors the wizard more, but actually he just can't find another way to communicate.
They came to the goblin general first. He stopped his screeches at the lower workers to regard the little girl and his lord. "Lord Ren... wizard." he said not knowing the little girl's name. She found this kind of funny.
"My name is Hyano. Give me your shoulder, please." she instructed pointing to the shoulder where hers was. She figured it was the best place. It could be hidden if needed without the use of extra clothing such as gloves.
He raised a brow at her not sure exactly what she had in store for him but did not want to invoke the wrath of his lord by saying no so he knelt so she could reach his shoulder.
"This will sting." she said honestly then put her hand on his shoulder.
The goblin hissed as he was magically branded with the symbol. That was technically what she was doing to him. It probably wouldn't hurt as much if she knew dark magic however they would all have to grin and bear it until she got that far.
As they moved along the halls, they met many guards, who did as she told them or as their Lord wished, as not all understood her language. They were all skeptic about this, and some even wanted to oppose seeing their guard partner hiss in pain but didn't dare going against this... If they misbehave, death can be their punishment, delivered right on the spot from their leader.
By the time Hyano finished with the last one she was tired again. Not sleepy. Just tired. She realized she had been awake for some time now and still hadn't eaten a thing. She looked up at Ren.
"Food." she told him. Unlike Ren she needed to eat. She didn't eat a lot but she did eat. With her being sick recently it had been the last thing on her mind so she hadn't eaten in some time either. However, there was a slight problem. She hadn't seen one plant since she got down here besides the ones growing in her own hair. She was kind of worried. She didn't think Ren would be pleased with the idea of her coming in and out of the caves for something as simple as food especially when he himself didn't even need it.
The Nazgul looked at her, tilting his head to the side just a little, watching her for a few seconds. "Food?" He repeated, not sure if he heard right.
Of course...
She was a mortal, and mortals need to consume either each other or plants to keep their body at full strength, using the other's energy as their own. He looked around briefly, not sure where to find what he saw her eat back then at the tree house. He had no knowledge where to find anything. The wraith then held out a hand to the side, stopping a guard from his patrol and asked him quickly where to find 'food'. Of course the reaction was surprise, as the orc didn't remember that Ringwraiths needed any food to survive, so his answer was heavily blinking eyes, but after he caught sight of the young wizard next to him, the guard nodded and gestured for them to follow him. He will take her to the place where the food is kept. Unknown to them, or maybe they suspect, that orcs and goblins never eat plants. The only food there is, is meat. Either their own kinds or whatever animal they could find in here. Including large insects. All raw. Ren of course didn't want to go, instead wanted to inspect the reconstruction again, and so gestured for Hyano to follow the orc herself without him.
The wizard looked up at him and nodded silently. She waved to him as she followed the creature. For the most part the far larger lumbering creature didn't say a word as they walked down the halls.
"Um... so what's your name?" she inquired curiously not expecting an answer. She smelled what they called food way before they got even close to the hall where it was kept. She gagged stopping and putting one hand over her stomach and the other over her mouth. She continued to follow the orc though trying everything she could to not lose her stomach then and there. What did these creatures eat?! It smelled like pure death ahead.
The orc walked leisurely along the halls, clearly not at all disturbed by the scent that is coming from their storage room. He turned his head backwards just a little as she addressed him. The creature turned back and walked in silence. He of course understood her language like most, but wasn't an expert in using the language itself. Should he tell her his name? Should he even bother, seeing she will forget him anyway after he showed her their food? Why not...
"Tuhul." he told her simply, marching along the halls before stopping and gesturing inside a rather large chamber, where all the raw meat was kept. Of course, all meat is divided properly among his kin to prevent fights, but this little wizard surely didn't eat that much... Mostly considering he noted her expressions. What is it? Doesn't she like the scent of a fresh kill? Or the odor of a carcass resting here for a week now? But those are the best!
The young wizard stepped back nearly loosing what was left in her stomach at the sight.
"Tahul... I... I can't eat that." she said through gritted teeth. How could he stomach any of this stuff?! It smelled horrible! She shook her head. She didn't want to insult him but there was no way in Middle-Earth she could ever get even a small bit of this down. Even if she did it likely wouldn't stay down anyway. She had never taken in meat of any kind before. Her body wouldn't be able to handle it. "I eat plants. Fruits and vegetables. Things like that. I can't eat meat." she explained to him.
The orc narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms at her denial, and accusing that the meat is bad. Bad? Did she even try it? "The name is Tuhul. Not Tahul." He corrected her first, finding it annoying that she misspelled it. "And sorry to disappoint you but all you can find in this mine is meat. You eat this or starve. No other option." he told her firmly, raising his head and showering her with a strict glare. Favorite pet of their Lord or not, he will not hear whining in these mines as long as he was there. "Have you even tried meat ever? Or tried this that we have? How can you say that you won't eat it if you never tried it?" he asked her, raising an eyebrow and tilting his head slightly.
"Sorry Tuhul..." she mumbled in embarrassment then looked to the meat and cringed.
He grunted as she corrected his name and apologized. This was something new, something he never heard before. His kind never apologized to each other, but went their own way once a dispute was cleared.
"I... I've never had meat in my whole life... I'm a healer... I..." she shuddered and stepped back again. "My body wouldn't be able to handle it. I'm already sick as it is. I don't think making myself sicker is a very good idea." she pointed out to him her eyes stuck on the scene of meat. Some seemed to be rotting no less. "H-how can you eat it? I... it's so full of death and pain..." she said not being condescending but honestly asking. She never could understand how creatures could eat other creatures. Could they not sense the pain and death in the meat they were consuming? Though, considering who she was talking to, he probably was numb to the fact at birth.
The orc growled as his sharp yellow eyes narrowed to slits, leaning down to tower over her, his shadow engulfing her much shorter and smaller form. "This is life, kid. You eat or you get eaten. We all live to die one day. I don't care how. Some people just live because they will become meat for us. If there is no meat, we die." he told her angrily, almost shouting, baring his yellow-black teeth at her. "And your body will have to get used to it or you will starve. We won't go out every day to get you food. This is an orc stronghold. Get used to it. End of story." he almost commanded as he stood up to his full height again, his hands were formed into fists because of his anger and looked at her, awaiting any more comment on this... if she dared to make any.
The girl blinked. She saw the logic in his words, he was right. She was going to have to change to live down here, however he was acting with command over her. She thought a moment then bawled her own fists and glared her green eyes up at him. They almost seemed to glow in contrast to the shadows around her.
"Listen here you over grown lumbering piece of slime. I command you for speaking honestly and ask that you do so in the future however if you are ever stupid enough to act like you have rank on me again I will blow you through as many walls as it takes for you to understand your place." she said then slammed her foot down knocking the orc off his feet then jumped up on his gut and walked up to his chest so she was glaring down at him. "Are we clear?!" she snapped her voice booming through the walls of the mines. If this was what she had to do not to be seen as just Ren's little wizard side kick then that is what she would do. It wouldn't matter much if the orcs here only saw her as a little wizard with nothing of worth besides being Ren's little pet. She needed to show him exactly what she could do.
The orc was taken aback by the display of abilities, and stared at her with surprised wide eyes for a few seconds, before clearing his throat and shaking his head to get rid of the initial shock.
"And are we clear that you cannot command us more than Lord Ren does! You are nothing compared to him. And what he says goes. If he says you eat meat, then you go ahead and gulp down what you find in there without question. Is THAT clear?" he retorted, suddenly sitting up, throwing the wizard off of him with the force and glared at her, gritting his teeth. He was a guard for Lord's sake, and won't put up with such little annoyances. Alright, maybe she is stronger than he actually thought but that was to be expected. She is a wizard. "We won't go picking flowers for you all day so you can eat. Go in there, fetch what you need and be done with that. We don't need whiny rats down here!"
Hyano landed on the ground and dusted herself off.
"It isn't that easy! I've never eaten meat before. My stomach isn't adjusted to it so if I just go in and eat whatever I can get I'm going to just throw it up later anyway. That would be a waste. And unless you plan on changing your diet choices in a day I suggest you cut out the high and mighty attitude. I'm young but by wizard standards I bet I'm older than you by a hundred years or so." she explained to him crossing her arms. "And I believe you were told to get me food. Not anything specific so as far as Ren goes I could eat rocks for all he cares." she pointed out with a shrug talking about Ren like a friend rather than a lord unlike the orc. She sighed rubbing the back of her head. "I don't know a thing about meat. I'm sure if I'm going to do this I can't eat it raw though... at least not yet. Ugh... annoying..." she grumbled.
"If you throw it up, you eat it again. We don't waste any food here." He told her firmly as he stood up, completely dismissing any thoughts about her age compared to him. All he saw was that she looked quite young and was at the size of a child, so she was a child to him. Their Lord Ren was too soft on this thing as it seems. How could he even think about bringing her here if she refuses to eat properly? "You go in and take what you need." he said, pointing at the chamber that was stacked with meat of various states. All were raw, some fresh while others at least a week old. All smelled, some bodies were even still intact. A few goblins, orcs and even an arm of a troll could be found among the many. Some meat pieces however weren't quite as distinguishable where they came from but smelled and were raw nonetheless. The room wasn't that cold after all. "Do with the meat what you think you want, but in the end eat it and don't waste our time. Don't whine but do as you are told by our Lord."
The child rolled her eyes then holding her nose and walking into the room of flesh. She grimaced as she forced herself into the room, and would hate to walk in here during summer. Even if it was underground it would likely still be rotting a lot faster than this. She picked what she guessed was the freshest without it looking like it still belonged to a body before running out and panting heavily her whole body shaking from the whole ordeal.
"I'm... never going to... get used to that" she said between gasps for fresh air. She put the meat down on a clean surface then sighed. "Alright... I'm not really that good of a cook but..." she was mumbling to herself again ignoring the orc for the moment.
He watched as she put down the meat on the ground. His expression changed to that of confusion, raising an eyebrow, not sure what she wanted with it on the floor... Does she want to eat it without touching it and like an animal on all fours?
She took in a deep breath then blew out fire like she had back home when she was lighting the fire for the cauldron. It wasn't long before the meat was fairly cooked. To a normal person it was perfectly cooked and looked ready to eat. To Hyano it still looked like the worst thing she had ever laid eyes on. She sat down cross-legged beside it. She was working on forcing herself to eat it. For someone who had never done anything close to this she was doing well in her opinion. She finally looked at the orc. "What's your favorite color?" she asked to help distract herself from the... thing beside her.
He watched as she sat next to it and ate the burned meat. "You ruined it." he told her, crossing his arms, staring as she ate slowly, not even bothering to answer her question. "Humans and their ways of eating... Always burning the meat, making it hard... The meat is best when it is still full of blood... Tender and still wet... There is at least something to chew than this." he pointed at it, almost in disgust, closing his eyes and shaking his head.
The istar ate slowly, pulling off small strips of it and eating it as slowly as she could doing everything she could to avoid the meat actually touching her tongue. Each time her stomach tried to lurch out of her. It didn't help that the orc decided to start complaining about how she chose to cook the meat and took the time to describe how it should be eaten. She swallowed a piece and used all the will power she had to not gag before giving him an annoyed look.
"Now who is whining?" she pointed out the smirked before ripping off a piece of the meat and tossing it to him. "How can you say that you won't eat it if you never tried it?" she asked using his words against him. She even copied his voice perfectly. She giggled lightly and gave him an expectant look waiting for him to try the meat she had given him.
The orc raised an eyebrow at her challenge, but instead grabbing it, he raised a foot and stepped on it, hearing a squashing noise. "I chose not to. As I am not forced to." he told her, stepping away from the ruined piece of meat. "I am not here the one who is having problems with meat, the only food we have. And as I said..." he trailed off, smirking as he pointed towards the cooked meat part he stepped on before. "... We do not waste food. Everything must go that you ruined. Everything." The orc crossed his arms and smirked in her direction, knowing full well that she already felt disgusted by simple ruined, cooked meat, he wondered if she will be able to eat that one on which he stepped on. He had been going places not long ago... if she knew what he stepped in regularly...
The girl raised a brow at this. He seriously thought this was a good idea didn't he? She would eat the food beside her but if he honestly thought she was about to eat that he had another thing coming. However, she wouldn't waste it either. She looked at it then slammed her hand down and the meat quite literally burst into flames.
"There. It wasn't wasted. It's providing heat." she said and continued to eat her food as if what she had done was perfectly logical and normal. While her tongue was growing numb to the taste of it her stomach continued to keep feeling like it might burst out of her at any moment. She would force herself to get used to it. Not like she had much choice at the moment. She would love anything besides this right now. I guess this was payback for all those meals she made that Ren hated so much.
"This was still wasting... If you didn't cook that thing, someone else could have eaten it, and wouldn't be starving. But you just took a bite from someone else's meal." The orc told her angrily, still holding his arms crossed, despising how this good-for-nothing spawn of man was thinking. Wasting food which they needed dearly and someone will have a bite less as it seemed. All because of her. At least this was logical for him and his mind. "If you do this again, you will be the missed bite for the next one you stole the food from." he threatened her, smirking, baring his yellow-black teeth but didn't say anything otherwise, just waited for her to eat everything that was in front of her. He won't let her waste another bite.
The young istar raised a brow at his threat before finishing the last of her food. She took a moment to make sure it would stay down then stood up and dusted herself off. "I think you are letting that big mouth of yours talk just a little too much Tuhul." she said looking to him. "So I dare you. Back it up. Try now to do something to me. We will see what will happen." she challenged him. She had enough. His tongue was getting on her nerves. She didn't like it when humans did it, why in the world would she like it when he did it. If he was going to try to continue then she was going to have to take the time to fix the problem before it got any worse. He obviously only saw a useless child when he looked at her. He didn't see all she had done or learned in her time alone and with Ren.
The orc chuckled, and then laughed, shaking his head, not moving from his position. "So what?" He laughed. "So you can go to our Lord and tell him that the mean orc hurt you? Ah no. I am not stupid to get myself into trouble." He told her, pointing a finger at her, before gritting his teeth and narrowing his eyes. "But I warn you. If you begin whining because of food or waste anything, you will be their next meal. We cannot afford babysitting you." he told her firmly, before turning around. "Now go and do whatever Lord Ren told you to do. At least I hope he gave you something to do and aren't just eating our food, not working for it." he spat, before starting to walk off, wanting to return to his duty again.
That was it!
She twitched cursing under her breath before slamming her foot again only this time as she promised she sent him through something. A stone pillar. She glared after him then walked up to him.
The orc shouted and grunted as his back made contact with the stone pillar, making the weaker structure break, letting him fall down into his back with a groan. He couldn't really see anything or say anything at first, her words only echoing in his skull for a while. He groaned again and brought up a hand to stroke his chin, making sure his hurting jaw didn't break and he can actually talk. His dazed yellow eyes soon found the little wizard and her triumphant stance, before gritting his teeth and standing slowly, staggering at first but did manage.
"You are a moron Tuhul for believing that Ren would let me follow you if he didn't believe I couldn't take you out if I needed to. Ren is no idiot. He needs me while you can be replaced. You are a guard not a general. I lived on my own taking care of myself way before I met Ren and beating the sin out of you will be no problem... Now... I have orders for you. You will take me back to my room, finish your tasks for the day then report back to me... You're my new sparring partner." she told him not giving him room to argue as she stood there her arms crossed. If Ren had taught her anything over their time together, it was how to be stone cold when you want to be. If it wasn't for the fact she was in fact a little girl she would have his stance and voice patterns down perfectly.
"You do not have the right to order me doing anything... Only the generals can... and Lord Ren. You are just his pet he took pity on..." If he had to die today, so shall it be but he would never hear the end of it if he got beaten down by a little girl or is made a servant to one... "Learn your place."
"I am far from just his pet, orc, and you do not know the story between Ren and I, so do not let your mouth speak what your mind doesn't know. Actually, our pet was left behind but that is another matter all together." she said waving it off. She was still sad that they had left Shipmunk behind but that was something to worry about for another day. "And trust me when I saw Ren doesn't take pity on anyone. Much less me. He takes care of me, yes, but only as much as needed. Once I have adapted to this place he will expect me to handle myself just like everyone else." she corrected him. "As for my place... I know it full well. I am under Ren. The generals under me. And you under them. Simple as that. You can sit here and argue it all day if you like but if you were to ask Ren himself he would say the same. Now while wasting time may be a part of your agenda it is not mine. Let's go already."
The orc raised an eyebrow at this, and simply not wanting to argue about each of her points, he let everything slide by his ear, not even caring about what she said. It wasn't yet announced what her position is, so he will not handle like her pet until then. He was an orc guard, not her babysitter. He didn't have time for this but needed to do his duty.
"Go ahead, and fume in your room. I have places to be at, and don't have time to be your babysitter. I am not your pet orc but a guard." he told her, with his eyes narrowed and equally angered, still not wanting to do as she said, refusing her dominance over him completely. "As long as your rank is not announced, your rank is the same as any other goblins. Which are under the generals and under the guards. So, at the moment, you are an annoyance I have every right to squash if I so desire." he told her matter-of-factly, then turned around again and started to leave towards his patrolling site. He had a slight limp on his left leg but he tried to shield it as best as he could, to not seem weak.
Hyano rolled her eyes. "Fine. I still expect to see you later when your tasks are finished." she said following him. Despite his tries at hiding it she could see the limp. "I can heal that you know. If you want that is." she said simply. She only planned to follow him until she got to an area she recognized. Or she ran into Ren. Whichever came first. She probably should go to her room for a little. The sunlight would probably help her body digest this horrible food she was given. If anything it would brighten her spirits a bit at least.
"You wish." The guard said as he stepped into a hallway full of working goblins and trolls, going along it. "My tasks are never finished. I am a guard. I do my job, then I get tired, go to sleep, and do my duty again once I awoke. No such thing as 'when my tasks are finished'." He grumbled as he walked along that hall, then turned a corner, coming to another, which looked almost the same, but the orc knew this place like the back of his hand, so knew exactly where they are now. "And healing? I don't want anything from you. At least you can see what you did. Trying to kill a guard is a crime around here." He said before going up some stairs, and coming up in a narrow corridor. Once he noticed she was still following him, he stopped and turned around, snorting. "Quit following me. I am not your guide, nor your babysitter."
"I haven't had a babysitter in my whole life so will you stop with this. What makes you think I even need one anyway? I am only following you until I get somewhere I recognize. Or I see Ren." she said rather bluntly then stepped around him. "As for crime I think you are the last person to talk to me about crime." she said continuing to walk. "Now are we going to continue on or are you going to keep complaining like a child?" she questioned annoyed. This big tall orc just didn't hush now did he?
"I am not complaining." He told her firmly. "I am telling you what to do. And currently, you would be wise to follow my instructions." The orc then stepped forward, pushing past her and walking down the hall. So, the little girl wants to follow him until she sees something familiar? Fine by him. He chuckled to himself, before turning to his left instead right, making sure to choose another route than usual. A route she surely wouldn't find anything familiar in.
The orange wizard shrugged. "If they were orders I could follow, I would. However I can't see very well in the dark and I've never been in a place like this before. So, it is also wise to stick to what I know." she replied continuing to follow him noting that nothing seemed to be familiar at all. If anything she was feeling more lost by the second. She figured she would have to get used to it though. Like to everything.
"Well too bad, you will have to get used to it because we won't hang around candles for you to see better, just so the others can go blind." he told her firmly once more before returning to silence once more, walking along the halls, maneuvering carefully to go to places where she surely hadn't been, going deeper into the mines.
She sighed and put her hands in her pockets. "You never answered my question earlier. Or do you not care for colors at all?" she questioned deciding to try to be friendly as much as she could be.
The orc snorted and grit his teeth, annoyed that she just wouldn't go quiet and sighed in annoyance, gritting his teeth, holding himself from snapping at her to go quiet. Well, most of her words did go unheard, as the sound of pickaxes hitting stone and metal drowned out most of it. He didn't want to answer, but decided to humor her and actually answer her question.
"Red. As the flowing blood, but deep, which has already spilled from a wound. Or as deep red as the flesh, which has gone tender with time." He smirked, then shook his head and continued on his way.
The child blinked at his answer then smiled.
"You would like roses then. They are a type of flower. Both beautiful and fierce. They have thorns and deep red petals. They can be both a sign of love and death." she said looking around at the work around her. "It's sad you will never understand that." she said this to herself. Orcs were to some degree depressing creatures. While they held much passion they had no sense of all the good feelings in the world. I guess this helped them to be as evil as they needed to be.
"I don't care about flowers. It won't make me full if I ate it." he simply answered her, turning yet another corner, growling and kicking a goblin which was starting a fight with a fellow orc over a piece of metal.
She shook her head to dash out the thought. "So besides killing and work and stuff are there anything you guys do for fun? I heard your battle drums when we first got here. Does that mean you guys like music?" she questioned.
The orc walked leisurely but still held his hand on the handle of his sword, just to be safe. "The drums give the others spirit. We sing to strengthen our determination. We know we aren't alone and frighten our enemies as they hear the strong beat of the drums and the song of our tongue." Just talking about it made his spirit stronger, the wild beat of the drums, the anticipation for a fight... The sound of many of his kin singing to the beat...
The istar smiled as he talked about the music and how it gave him and his people spirit. Confidence. Even let them know they weren't alone. She looked around. "I guess when you live in a place like this... it's nice to know you aren't alone." she said her words growing a little sad. She was not an orc or a goblin. She did not feel a sense of companionship with them because they didn't see her that way either. The only person she really trusted was Ren. She could not feel the same energy that they did from the drums. Because in reality she had spent her whole life alone. That's the life of a wizard. A very lonely one. "You are lucky Tuhul... orcs as strong, proud, and angry as you all are... are born into huge groups like this one. I can see why you are the way you are." she said her eyes looking around as she talked almost like she wasn't talking to him at the moment.
The orc snorted in amusement at her emotional moments, not finding it the same way as her. "Not as lucky as those filthy humans. They take all our lands and think everything belongs to them." He growled, thinking about humans and dwarves alike, killing many of his kin for a piece of land. He gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes. "We heard about Mordor's fall. This just shows how hungry those worms are for land, taking one that wasn't made for them, then instead using it, they lock it down, turning it into a prison." Tuhul growled once more, thinking of many of his kin trapped in there. It wasn't about individuals but a whole group or army going wasted.
"Yes, I heard of it as well... If Ren and I had gotten caught on our way here that is likely where we would be as well." she said turning her eyes to him again. "Humans have not been very kind to me either so it is no surprise to me what they did. They stormed into my home, beat me in my sleep, then set fire to it..." she gripped her fists at the memory. She still didn't understand what right they had to do that to her.
The orc wasn't surprised that she is treated bad by her kind, only that they do it in a state where she can't fight back. In his mind, it is alright and common among his kin to attack each other and fight for something, test each other's skills... The strongest can claim what he wants after all... But they never... ever attack each other while they slept or were wounded in a battle. Ambushing an enemy is another story.
"Humans are truly nothing more than worm dung. They go on about honor, yet we have more. I don't know why the gods value them more." Tuhul said, then spat on the ground, disgusted to even think about any reasons behind it. Perhaps before they are shaped like them? Going after the so called 'beauty'?
"I don't think the Gods favor anyone. I think we all must work for what we get and humans have found a way to take others work for their own." she said thinking back on what she knew of human history which was very little at best. "They just need to be knocked down a size. Then they will see they are like everyone else in this world. Judging by Ren's actions though... that madness won't last forever..." she said pretty sure she knew what Ren was up to creating this army down here. She was no fool. She knew what she was a part of. Sadly she also knew people would eventually die because of it.
Tuhul smiled, even smirked, already looking forward to what is to come. "Oh yes... He will end it all. Our situation is not yet final. He wants to take the mountains... then go for Mordor. The human scum will learn to not underestimate us... We will feast on their flesh and laugh in their bloodstained faces. Just as he promised."
Hyano thought about the attack on Mordor. They may be on their own for that. If she could not figure out a way to help herself to survive without the sun there was no way she could possibly be any use in Mordor's territories. She thought on the book in her room a moment.
"What do you know about dark magic?" She asked, looking up at the orc with a curious gaze.
At her question, Tuhul stopped and frowned, before turning around to face her with a raised eyebrow. "Why do you want to know?" At first, he was suspicious that she might be out for something but had to remember that she apparently is on their side now. Well... this is something that only time will tell. "I am no mage, so I am one of the worst orcs you can ask." He told her, before shaking his head and turning back around to continue his patrol in the deeper levels. "It heals us, dark magic is what created us and our Lord. It is what gives us shadow on the day and what aids our attacks on strongholds. Our Dark Lord calls to it when we need it."
"Hmm... that is good enough I guess. I think I have an idea... Can you take me to my room now? I have something I need to do. It is rather important." she said looking up at him. She had yet to see anything she recognized and was sure the orc in front of her was doing that on purpose. As well she also hadn't seen Ren. Or Lord Ren as everyone kept calling him. If the Nazgul thought she was about to start calling him that he seriously hadn't learned better yet. They were likely going to fight over that one she was sure.
Unknown to her, the orc smirked as he walked, and turned his head just briefly to look at her. One could read it from her expression that she was lost. This is something he wanted. "Well, too bad, because I am on duty and don't have time escorting you around. Ask a goblin that has time on his hands, or if you dare, a troll." he chuckled at this, looking straight forward as he walked. "Good luck." With is, he sped up, wanting to get away from her now, taking larger steps, distancing himself from her as best as he could. He led her quite deep into the mines, so it will take some time until she reaches her room.
The little wizard was a little annoyed and let him get away stopping and looking around. She started to walk around the mines her eyes scanning various walls not able to make them out very well in the darkness. It was some time later when a goblin found her.
The general.
He had noticed her walking around lost and wondered how in the world she found her way here without Lord Ren at her side. He shook his head figuring it better not to ask. "Come, youngling. This way." he said putting a hand on her back and showing her back to her room. He didn't think Ren would be pleased if he went looking for his wizard and she was hurt or killed.
Hyano looked down as she was shown back to her room. He even seemed to think she was none more than a pet. This frustrated her. When she finally knew where she was she broke into a run. "Thank you!" she called back to the goblin general who blinked in surprise at both her words and sudden act.
The Nazgul was sitting in her room for a good hour now, yet again drawn to that strange maze that was on the headboard of the bed. He tried figuring it out, choosing new paths, following it back if he was blocked to choose new ways. He was in a state where he was ready to just raise a hand and claw the headboard across its surface, angry and fuming, frustrated that a simple game like this is winning against him.
Hyano ran into her room slamming the door behind her at this point. She saw Ren sitting on her bed. "No Pet!" she yelled.
He snapped away from his thoughts once he heard the door open and close but didn't turn around, knowing who it was by scent, aura, and frequency of steps. What made him stop and actually turn was when she shouted. "No pet?" He asked in a confused tone, not sure what she meant by it. He stared at her with his head tilted to the side, expecting an answer.
She shook her head then walked up and sat beside him. She wished a 'never mind' would work but she was sure after an outburst like that it would just get her in trouble. She sighed. "Orc... Goblin... all think Hyano Ren Pet..." she explained obviously annoyed. She wasn't just some pet. She had already done more than enough to prove that, so why was it they only saw her as Ren's little pet. "They think Hyano no good." she added then sighed. Just a little girl... that's what everyone always thought. Why no matter what she did that was always what people thought. Even Gandalf had done that to her. Stuck her in this little box of her just being this little girl who could not handle the world. "...Why?" she questioned no one really. Just the air.
Her first sentence made the Nazgul stop every guessing he made in his minds for reasons why she was shouting like that. The way she said it sounded like she said that the orcs and goblins think that he was her pet, making him highly confused and question her sanity for the first time since a few months. But her next sentence seemed to correct it. So, everyone thinks she was his pet, and she doesn't like it. Ren slowly looked back at the maze, now not really concentrating on it but thinking, at least having his invisible gaze staring at something else than thin air.
Well, they weren't so far from the truth.
He didn't think her as equal to him, not even close but this is also how he thought about everyone else. This doesn't make her necessarily his pet but a personal servant. Which is actually a pet... yet not at the same time. However, that he thought this doesn't mean he had to share it with her but ease her mind about this. The others will not bring this up once they see how powerful 'pet' she is. "No pet." He told her finally in a determined tone, turning halfway to look at her.
The child looked up at him as he said this, then smiled a little. At least he didn't think she was just his pet. She hugged his arm for a moment, making him tense up slightly, then grinned up at him her mood easily being lifted. "Um... Ren go. Come back later. Hyano surprise Ren." she said with a smile. If what she was planning worked she would have a good surprise for him and all the creatures down here. "Come back week." she added. She knew he wasn't going to like that she was basically telling him to leave for a while but she had an idea and she knew it would take time to make it work. "Trust Hyano, please." she said with a smile. She also hoped that by doing this she would also fix her little orc problem.
The wraith looked at her sharply, staring at her for a few seconds. "No week." Firstly, he hated surprises, especially those which she has for him... And secondly... one week is too long. He planned to come around every day, or he wanted to have access at anytime to her room, so he can wake her up if needed. What if there is an emergency, or if he felt bored? He still wanted to... repay her for her insolence and disrespect from back then. He didn't forget and still wanted to make her waking up... worth his time.
Hyano giggled then shook her head. "Ren like it. Trust Hyano. Worth wait." she told him and tugged on his arm. "At least 3 days." she said trying to compromise with him putting up her three fingers. She knew he would still not like it but maybe he would be more willing if she made it less time. "If need come get." she added telling him if he really needed her then he could come get her at anytime. She hoped he wouldn't but it may help make it easier for him to at least consider the offer.
Ren thought about it, staying silent for a good minute, staring at the maze in front of him. Three days really isn't much, but he also didn't want to have her do something stupid, or something he didn't like. Back then in the tree house, she did many things for him, thinking he will like them but he eventually ended up disliking it more than anything. "Ren no like surprise... What do?" he tried inquiring about what she was planning. She might not say it, but it was worth a try.
"... hard explain... learn... improve." was all she said not sure how else to explain this to him. She honestly wasn't fully sure just how this would end. She just knew that by the time she figured it out she likely will have changed a bit. "Be careful. I promise." she said crossing her finger over her heart to show she would be as careful as she could be. Considering she was going to work with dark magic she really didn't think that was much of an option but she could at least reassure him all the same.
Ren yet again wasn't sure what she meant. "Improve what?" He asked, turning his hooded head towards her again, staring at her. He hoped it wasn't what he thought it was. If yes, he might have to interfere and make sure she doesn't do this all alone but with supervision. She was too precious for his plans to let her die because of a simple mistake made. But if it was something else, then he was ready to give her those three days she is asking for.
She sighed. He just wasn't going to let up was he? Then grabbed the book of dark magic and tossed it to him. "Guess." she said and crossed her arms. She really had no choice. She needed to do this one way or another. She really didn't see any way he could help make this any better or worse for her. He had no magic of his own so if things went wrong there was nothing he could do. "Ren no help. Go. Come back later. Hyano fine." she told him then reached to take the book back.
However, the Nazgul held it out of her reach as she wanted to take it, staring at her, holding his head higher, as if daring her to reach for it again and take it from him. "No. No safe alone." He told her, shaking a finger at her, holding the book above his head. He was determined to at least attempt to help her if something goes wrong. While he did want that she learns black magic, unlike her, he learned from her past experience and decided to not let her train on her own. If needed, he will take the book with him to prevent any lonely experiments. He needed her for his future projects, and couldn't let her kill herself accidentally.
The young wizard groaned and dropped on the bed. "Annooooying." she said dragging out the word a little as he always does. She put her hands on her stomach and sighed. They were both stubborn but in this case he had the upper hand. "... Fine... start now." she said sitting up and sitting cross-legged beside him. Alright, if he was going to make her be supervised she would at least still keep on the schedule she had made in her head. She wanted to start as soon as possible so it would be over with as soon as possible as well. She pointed to the book. "Read... tell where start." she said. He might as well be helpful by reading what she couldn't and telling her where she should start at.
He felt satisfied that she decided to listen to him, relenting to his decision. Which was a smart move from her. As she asked for his advice where to start, he briefly looked at the dark-covered book and flipped it open at a random page. He wasn't really sure where she should start... If she wanted to improve on her black magic casting, she had to first learn to cast it. Which is more different than what method she uses normally. That is all he knew, so she surely needed something easy. Something that cannot go wrong. He pulled the book completely in his lap and flipped through the pages, trying to find something simple. Soon enough he stopped and put the book into her lap, pointing at a bulk of text, which was kind of short. It was there to cast a light source. A magical light orb, so people can see in the dark. This was mostly used by numenoreans or human mages who joined their ranks, he thought. He wondered if he should read her the text before he lets her try it... One misspelling and it could go wrong... But with a simple light orb not much can go wrong. Right?
The istar looked it over closely. A light trick? Sounds easy enough. She didn't see how it could go wrong either. Though, that is also what she thought about the shifting spell. Well, technically nothing did go wrong with it, she just got some rather nasty feedback with it. She moved the book off her lap but kept it where she could easily see it.
"Alright... Let us start." she said and closed her eyes whispering the spell. Again like before it worked. She cringed though feeling the same burning she had before in her fingers again. Was this something she would have to get used to if she was going to use dark magic? That seemed logical. By most definitions of the word she was a being of light so it only made sense that her body wouldn't react well to dark magic. She was doing what she could to bear through it, though.
The Nazgul made sure to inspect the way she cast the spell closely. There wasn't any trouble with pronunciation, nor by the required movements, and the magic cast as it should, seeing his vision blurred almost instantly as the glowing orb appeared next to the wizard. However, her movements and expression told him that the problem was the same as before. He reached out to touch her hand and take it in his own, inspecting the almost burning skin more closely.
Hyano allowed Ren to take her hand letting the spell drop as he did. She was panting and silent as he inspected the newly burned looking flesh on her hand. Again, over time it started to fade away. She moved her fingers and hands slowly once she could feel them again. She looked up at Ren intently. "Again." she said before pulling her hand away from him ready to go another round. Maybe if she tried this more and more the effects would slowly fade away. At least she hoped that would be the case. Her stubborn nature would prove useful in this case.
Maybe trying something different might not have such a good effect or her improvement might last longer. She will have to try and get these effects gone at the simple spells first, before moving to something more complex. He reached over and pointed at the same bulk of text again. "Again. Same." He looked at her before pulling back, sitting silently, and waiting for her to repeat it. If needed, many more times.
She nodded. Hyano ran through the same spell countless times with almost the same effect. It wasn't until much later that she noticed that the blackness on her hands wasn't nearly as large as it had been the previous hundred times. She grinned. This was a good sign. She had started to doubt herself but maybe she had what it took after all. She let her current spell drop and panted for a second. She had been going at it for hours by now she was sure. She had even shut the book at this point having already put the spell to memory long ago. She wasn't about to stop just yet though. Not now when she was finally starting to get it. She cracked her knuckles as her hands turned back to normal before saying the spell again and smiled as she was able to do it much faster this time.
While she had been casting the same spell over and over, the Nazgul watched her. Well, for a while. As usual, he lost interest after a short time and returned to the maze in front of him, sometimes sighing in annoyance as his vision would blur because of the light orb that she casts all the time. Not only that, but his frustration with the maze returned and soon he gave up on it, only to stand from the bed and walk around the room. He didn't really have time to inspect the whole room yet, having been drawn to the maze all too quickly before. He walked about the room, touching fabrics, looking into that... reflecting surface, seeing the reflection of not only his robes, but his face as well. Being a Nazgul, a wraith has its advantages. Like seeing things mortals and living can't see... The world of the unseen is only seen by those who walk it. Just like him. So, he took his time to have fun with his reflection, seemingly staring at it only, but in reality he was making faces, just not visible for anyone else. Well, in the past months he was able to figure out that who appears in the mirror is actually him. His own reflection and not another wraith.
When she finally got the spell down to her fingers the small wizard decided enough was enough and fell back panting heavily. That had taken a lot more out of her than she had expected. She grinned though. She did it. It took a long time but she did it. The istar looked over at him and noticed he was looking in the mirror. She wondered what Ren saw when he looked at his reflection. She couldn't see his face so she was sure he had some other way of seeing. She wondered if he also saw her in a different way as well. She closed her eyes. "Hyano... good..." she mumbled to herself tiredly.
When she spoke, Ren turned around and looked at her with his head tilted to the side. He wasn't truly sure what she meant by her words, but he guessed -by the way she was exhausted and the sensation of dark magic was ticker than usual- that she finally succeeded improving and has no more burnt skin when she cast it. "Good." he replied, giving the reflective surface one more glance, before turning back fully and walking back towards her, stopping just in front of the bed. He didn't want to sit on it and have his attention taken by that cursed maze... So, he leaned forward, reaching out to take the book again and flipped a few pages, wanting her to continue. While he saw her exhausted state, he was also sure that pushing one's limit was always the greatest way to improve the most. So, after choosing a spell that summoned a very tiny whirlwind, he pushed the book towards her, pointing at it.
Well, she should have expected as much. The wizard guessed it was good he was there even if it was exhausting. She sat up and looked at it before looking to him. "Ren sure?" she asked raising a brow. He did realize this could end badly right? Wind spells were tricky because past the spell itself was the focusing on containment and keeping the thing up. Unlike the light spell she would have to ride this one for as long as it took to get used to it. No repeats just pushing through it and holding it in place as long as she could.
The Nazgul pointed at the spell again, as if urging her to cast it. He didn't truly want to have her rest too much. She knows how to cast weak black magic by the light spell and shouldn't forget the method before doing another spell. "Sure." He told her, absolutely sure she can cast it and learn how to do it without damaging herself. She might maybe see a whirlwind spell, but he knew from experience of seeing it, that this whirlwind isn't as big, but actually tiny, enough to fit in one's palm. He didn't know what it was used for... But he supposed his kind or the Dark Lord had a good reason to create such a strange spell.
"Alright." the child said, then looked over the spell for a moment. She made sure she had it down before closing her hands leaving some space between them, then started the spell and gritted her teeth as air was pulled in between her fingers. She could feel the burning at the tips of her fingers but she tried to hold it back. She continued the spell. As she got to the end her fingers and palms had turned black but besides that she had done well. She panted a little feeling the wind in her hands. She slowly opened her hands and for a split second there was a tornado there but then it exploded sending a gust of wind at them both knocking Hyano back and forcing her to lay down.
Well, this was something even the wraith did not expect. The wind sent him backwards as well, although he did not fall, he almost succeeded in crashing into that reflective surface, bumping into it a little, almost breaking it. He hissed as he pulled away from it and turned back to make sure it wasn't broken before walking over to the bed and leaning over the laying Hyano's form, wanting to make sure she is alright. "Hyano good?" he asked, tilting his head to the side, raising a hand and started poking her forehead, wanting to wake her if she was asleep, but otherwise there was not much he could do. His gaze soon turned to her hands and picked at one, pushing it a little to be able to see the surface. As expected, it has turned black... After all, this spell was slightly more advanced than the light orb. Practice makes the master. If she can, he will make sure she practices enough.
She was panting and tired but awake. Hyano winced as he poked her and opened one eye to see him messing with her hands. She couldn't feel it so it was just kind of strange to watch. She slowly sat up. "Yes. Hyano fine." she replied pulling her hands away and yawning. "Tired... very tired." she told him honestly then shook her head trying to jar herself awake a little. A mixture of sleepiness and just a straight worn-out state was trying to take over her mind and body. Her hands didn't hurt as much when the blackness took over her hands, mostly because she had grown numb to it but she still couldn't move the limbs when it happened which annoyed her because she would have to wait for it to go away before she could try again.
Ren nodded and pulled back, standing straight and stepping back. "Hyano sleep. Ren go." he told her, wanting that she sleeps for now while he goes and does his own duties, then he will come back after a while to repeat this 'practicing'. He was about to step towards the door when he stopped in his tracks and looked sharply at the book. He tilted his head to the side, contemplating to take it with him or not... She might go against his word and cast spells anyway... This much he knew about her. He walked back to the bed and took the book from near her, then walked up to one of the shelves and put it there, making sure to at least not have it this close to her. He will leave it here... Just to test if she does as he told her or will go against his word. He nodded at the book, satisfied at its location before folding his arms behind his back and walking up to the door, pleased.
The young wizard watched him then rolled her eyes as he put it where she would have to work to get it. This time she was far too tired to even try to disobey him but maybe next time if she had more energy she would. She was a child. While she was technically doing adult things the fact she couldn't handle waiting very well was still a problem. She sighed then gave a lazy wave not able to do much else with her hand. "Bye Ren." she mumbled then turned onto her back and quickly passed out. She didn't even bother to get into a more comfortable position or curl up as usual. She was out like she used to when the sun went down.
"Bye." Was his answer as he closed the door, not being careful to do so silently, after all, he knew her well enough to tell she won't wake up now, no matter what noise he made. He stopped at the door and stood there, just staring ahead. To anyone else, he looked like he was just staring into nothingness, like in a trance, but it was far from it. He was plotting. The sudden urge to do something to her to make her pay once more for her disrespect a few months back returned. He was so used to it, that it left him empty if he did not do something. So, after thinking for a few minutes, he turned on his heels and walked right back into her room, closing the door behind him. He hissed in anticipation and rubbed his gauntlets together as he walked closer, before looking around for any way to make her waking up not as pleasant. Useful or not, it was a habit of his now. He decided he will do something else this time. He moved her a little and pulled her to the edge of the bed, there he made sure she was laying straight and on her back. He then proceeded to roll her on the bed, making sure the sheets go around her, trapping her hands and feet. Like a little cocoon she looked like in the end. He hissed once more, pulling her to the center of the bed before exiting quickly. Too bad he won't be here when she wakes up...
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