The Pink Haired Pirate: An Old Norse Saying
Rated: M for language, future mature themes, violence
Warnings: Spoiler alert for Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
.
.
.
.
"You know... I was expecting a more peaceful place to study potion theory than a bustling café." Sakura flipped through a dusty tome, seated at a table in the Market District, with Marcurio slamming down a stack of books on top of the table before he sat down across her.
"We can't go to the Unversity's library right now. An asshole decided to run away with some books, and they're listing out their inventory as we speak. Plus, I didn't have my morning coffee. The underground rounds are ending soon, and you will need to be prepared for everything. Including having health pills at your disposal, just in case shit goes down." He took a sip of his plain black coffee to keep him awake and energized.
"Look, if we go with the standard soldier pill crafting method, but replacing the recipe with that of a health potion's, we should be able to create small capsules that heal when ingested."
Sakura nodded, looking over the pages. "Most likely. They will accelerate the regrowth of the cells and produce more blood. I just can already feel their taste, though." She mentally shivered.
"Don't be a child. You will have to choose between taste and utility."
"I know, I know."
They were sitting at a table in something that kind of reminded Sakura of the typical, Konoha cafés, although this one resembled more of a 'day tavern' with a nice terrace they occupied to study. It was one of the rare taverns that closed before 10 PM and people mostly came here to gossip or have a coffee, rather than something strong and alcoholic. It was kind of strange, really.
She has never seen a place like this in Skyrim, and she honestly doubted she will ever have.
Tora was scratching the door of Lady Valentia's shack early that morning, meowing from the top of her lungs, in a manner that would wake their neighbors up for sure. And when Lady Valentia let the little cat in, she ran straight for Sakura, trilling, with the message from her summoner.
Sakura immediately dressed up grabbed her basket and left for the Market District. Tora leads the way and was kind of surprised to see both heaven and nightmare awaiting the farthest table on the terrace.
"Well... there's health fortifying, health regeneration, and health restoring," Sakura commented. "And some potions also seem to have combined health regeneration with invisibility."
"Yeah, I can see that." Marcurio scratched his chin. "Monarch butterfly wings and blisterworts. They're a kind of fungi often found in caves and damp places. And also... we would need ashhopper jelly."
Sakura made a face. "Ashhopper jelly? Do we need to... crush ashhoppers? Are they like grasshoppers?"
"Yes, but way bigger. Brown and nasty." He seemed to share that disgusting expression with her. "You can only find those on Solstheim. Not even Morrowind is infested with those things. On top of that, they are known to carry a disease that makes your arms all weak and gooey. It's not a pleasant experience, trust me." Marcurio grimaced and flipped another page.
"We should rather stick to monarch wings, they are easier to find."
Sakura hummed. "I guess you're right. Where is Solstheim, anyways? I have never heard of that place before."
"It's an island, north-east from Skyrim. Used to be an imperial colony, but it was given to the Dunmer as a gift after the Red Mountain erupted. If you ask me, it was a good excuse to let others clean up after the ebony mines dried out."
"So Solstheim... is basically Morrowind." He watched the look on Sakura's face, kind of suspicious.
"Basically, yes. It's a frontier town."
It was kind of like Morrowind, outside of Morrowind. She didn't know why, but she really wanted to go. As soon as she would get the occasion, she would hop on the nearest boat -
"I know what are you thinking about. Push it aside, focus on studying the potion so we can make the capsules." He could already see the plaque of honor on the shelf of accomplishments and contributions brought to the University. He was often been thinking of working for one, but he has always thought it would be for inventing a powerful new spell. Everything he knew about potions was self-taught; he has never taken Alchemy as an elective, focusing mostly on martial magic and history.
He then looked at Sakura, flipping through the book. Maybe he should also give her a tiny credit for giving him inspiration.
Soldier Pills were initially supposed to replenish chakra and help the consumer stay awake for days long. They were helpful on missions, where you couldn't really waste time or were able to sit down to have a nice meal and a power nap. They were not the healthiest and certainly not a valid alternative to a regular diet, but they did their job when needed and nobody complained.
The pills Sakura used to make kind of tasted like mud, that was true, but medicinal herbs were bitter more often than not, so the taste was literally out of her hands if it meant they wouldn't lose their nutritive values and properties.
Having small, candy-sized pills to help you fortify your cell regeneration, mana, or even give you energy would be revolutionary, especially for the on-going Civil War. Soldiers could carry themselves for far longer, and wouldn't need to die from a bleeding wound because carrying a giant flask was too heavy to keep and drink from mid-battle. They would pop a pill in their mouth and get back on their feet.
The idea was amazing and they would be rich!
Of course, it would also help her with the tournament. Potions were not forbidden to carry, they were just not common because they were not too practical. However, drugs like skooma, sleeping tree sap, and berserk-inducing supplements were strictly forbidden and could get you not only disqualified but maybe even worse.
It was tiny writing on the bottom of the pamphlet.
"So I guess this is it. We'll just need a hell lot of butterfly wings and blisterworts to make the pills. We should also need to make some stamina and mana pills too, just in case. You never know when you might need an extra boost."
Marcurio nodded, slamming the book shut. It was a bad idea because he started to couch up dust bunnies. He wiped his nose. "Yeah. Agreed. The next stop is the apothecary then. We can use the laboratory at the University for our project. It's Saturday, nobody has classes until Monday. Unless you count out the Alchemy nerds that get high on potion fumes."
"That was such a bad joke." Sakura chuckled, shaking her head, as she grabbed a good armful of old books. "But the joke's on us anyways, since we have to carry them all back to the University's library."
"Blazes." Marcurio sighed and grabbed the other half. He has paid for their coffee beforehand, so nobody stopped them from leaving the terrace. They did have to be careful not to knock anybody down on their way to the University. "Move to the left, you almost hit somebody."
Sakura quickly sidestepped, letting someone pass beside her. "Ah, I'm sorry!" She called out, quickening her pace. The books were towering over her head, making it almost impossible to see ahead. "Why did you even borrow all of these books? We haven't flipped through half of them."
"I was tired, okay? I didn't know what was I grabbing, I just asked for some alchemy textbooks. Just watch the road." He snapped, and with an almost eventless half an hour of blind walking, they climbed up the final set of stairs.
Marcurio pushed the main hall doors with his back like the gentleman he was, allowing Sakura to slip through first, and hold the doo. They panted, heading for the back of the hallway, where the library was located.
"I'm going to kiss... whoever had the idea to place the library on the ground floor." Sakura wheezed, as she dodged in the almost falling stack of books, following Marcurio to the desk.
"Well, the founder's dead. And so is the architect. So you pretty much missed your chance by a few thousand years." He placed the books down. "Good morning, we are back."
An elderly lady looked up from the long roll of parchment that must have been a few feet long, as she went over the registry. "Oh, Mr. Motierre, welcome back! You did say you wouldn't take long." She counted the first stack of books. "And the others-" the woman adjusted her glasses, a little puzzled, seeing the second stack of books wobble and move a little.
"I'm sorry, I'm here!" Sakura's head peeked from behind alchemy volumes before Marcurio lifted it from her arms and placed it down. "Thanks. It feels good to see you again." And she could truly see the mess the library was going through. A few mages were going through several lists - because a real Imperial had a list for everything, and floors were covered by piles of books of all kinds, trying to discover what were the missing volumes.
"Yes, this is Sakura, my friend." Marcurio patted her head, but his hand was quickly swatted away.
"Ah, I didn't see you there, dear." She marked down the borrowed books as 'returned'. I'm really sorry you had to go through all of that, but I really don't think you could have studied in peace at the moment. The whole place looks like it was run over by a stampede of mammoths." Lady Castillo smiled amiably. "A human-sized, mammoth, really. We don't know what happened. He always respected books and spent a lot of time here studying."
"I am sorry to hear, Lady Castillo." Marcurio gave her an apologetic smile. The woman merely waved her hand.
"It's alright. He seemed to have run away with some valuable tomes, so it won't be long until he gets caught. He made a mess and hurled the books down on the floor while looking for them. A few of our mage guards were dispatched to search for him; we can afford to miss a few guards in a school full of potential destruction mages." She gave them a bright smile.
"Oh right!" Lady Castillo pushed the glasses back on the bridge of her nose. "Canuldil was looking for you. It would be best if you didn't keep him waiting."
Marcurio looked down at Sakura. They had something to do, after all. He waited for confirmation, which was given to him with a simple nod of her head.
"Alright. Thank you for everything, Lady Castillo."
"Don't worry about it. It was nice to meet you, Sakura."
"Likewise." She bowed her head quickly, before running out of the library, to follow Marcurio out.
"Come on, Sakura. You won't be the one getting whacked if we're late."
Sakura skipped a few stairs, catching up to him. "I'm coming, don't worry about me." She grinned. "Though, are you sure you don't want a piggy-back ride? We'd get there in a blink of an eye."
"Sakura, we are never doing that again." He deadpanned. He did flick the side of her head when he heard her snicker, though. "I heard you."
Said woman was rubbing the side of her head, in visible discomfort. Sakura watched Marcurio take a deep breath as he knocked on the door of Canuldil's office. It was answered with a cough and a rough 'Come in!'
The old Altmer was sitting at his desk, closely inspecting a Dwemer artifact, and Sakura was quite happy to see it was the core she has found in the depths of Irkngthand. He didn't seem to mind that he was not alone in his office anymore, and judging by Marcurio's hand gesture, it would be best if they didn't disturb him just yet.
Instead, Marcurio awaited patiently for Canuldil to acknowledge their presence, while Sakura was looking around. She didn't touch anything, so there was no harm done. Right? Her eyes were fugitively going over the hundreds of titles crammed in the bookshelves, written with golden ink and trimmed elegantly. Most were about Dwarven history, culture, mathematics, metaphysics, magic, engineering, and architecture. She has even spotted several research journals, personal or written by fellow colleagues, during their excavation trips in Skyrim, Morrowind, Hammerfall, and High Rock.
A miniature Dwemer Oculory was sitting on a wooden pedestal. It was a genuine copy of the real deal, which was currently residing on the bottom of the Sea of Ghosts. Sakura wanted to touch it, but she kept her hand to herself. It was not a gesture missed by Marcurio, who moved closer to put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
He nudged her away from the artifact and back to the Dean's desk.
Canuldil let out a deep sigh and pushed the core away. He raised his head up in surprise, before nodding. "Right. I have summoned you." He didn't seem all too surprised to see Sakura standing beside his former pupil. His head turned to the young woman. "Good to see you again. I wanted to thank you personally as well, for you two's trouble. You see, child, when you're my age, it's not easy to go on field trips anymore. And especially not now."
All the sacking and violence has stopped barely a few years ago, making the roads extremely dangerous. Even if the Great War has concluded way before Sakura was born. She has missed it by 6 years, really.
"We are glad we could have helped, sir," Marcurio spoke for the both of them. "Is there anything I can help with?"
Canuldil pushed his chair back and grabbed the wooden cane leaned against the wall. He gripped it tightly, shaky, and started to move his weary legs. Marcurio wanted to move to help him walk, but he was stopped by a raised hand, motioning him not to interfere. The old Altmer wobbled to his bookcase and grabbed what seemed to be an expedition journal bound in old and worn-out leather.
"This is why I summoned you. Do you remember your first lecture on Dwarven history? Arkay may bless his soul, the lecturer did his best to introduce your lot to the subject."
Marcurio's eyebrows furrowed. "Of course. He began right with the disappearance of the Dwarves."
"Good, good. Your memory is not as hopeless as I would have expected." Marcurio's left eye twitched, but whatever he wanted to say, he kept it to himself. "You see, we have caught wind of a rumor. That one of Kagrenac's profane tools was lost inside the ruins of Sancre Tor. The artifact was bought by the University from a relic hunter in Morrowind, but the package was lost on the way. Bandits, of course."
"Bandits. Nature's snakes." Marcurio snorted.
"Aren't snakes, 'nature's snakes?'"
"The bandits have been tracked down to an old ruined fort, named Sancre Tor. Boy," Canuldil turned to Marcurio. "Would it be too much of a challenge for your magical prowess to complete a task delicate such as this?"
The old man was brushing his ego, which was evident to Sakura, but not so much to Marcurio. He was sharp, yeah, but...
"Not at all, sir. I will head to the ruins right away."
The old man smiled under his stark white mustache.
"I will see you to it, then. Thank you."
"If I may ask," Sakura began. "Sancre Tor? The name seems familiar to me. From a book." It might have been a book title she has skilled through when browsing the bookshop windows. She watched him pull out a brown book from the shelf, handing it out for Sakura to take.
"Here. It's yours." His smile grew wider.
"Mine...?" Her eyes widened in wonder, opening it gently. It seemed old, but the craftsmanship of the covers and how neatly it was printed made it seem pretty valuable. 'Battle of Sancre Tor' was written in bold, golden, and cursive letters. On the first blank page was something scribbled, followed by the personal signature of someone who seemed to be not the author, but the writer that has recovered the piece of literature and printed it out, making it available for everyone to read.
"Yes, it's yours, child. Consider it a thank you for your effort. I have gotten it from a very dear friend of mine, but I know it will be left in good hands. Now go, enjoy your lecture."
Sakura clutched the book to her chest and bowed her head in gratitude. "I will treasure it for the rest of my life."
.
.
"In 2E852, allied Nord and Breton forces crossed the borders into Cyrodiil and occupied the major passes and settlements in the Jerall Mountains. Making their headquarters for the winter at Sancre Tor, the Nord-Breton allies dared King Cuhlecain's new general, Talos, to assault them in their mountain fastnesses.
When they learned that General Talos had mustered an army in the dead of winter and was marching to assault Sancre Tor, they were elated. Sancre Tor was impregnable, its citadel on high cliffs overlooking the lower city, nestled in a high mountain basin with steep, unscalable cliffs in their rear.
The Cyrodilic army was small, poorly trained and outfitted, short on rations and unprepared for winter campaigning. As their ragged units assembled in the lowlands beneath the citadel, the Nord-Breton allies confidently assumed that their enemy had delivered himself into their trap.
The citadel was not only protected by an unscalable cliff in front and unscalable heights in their rear, but the entrance to the citadel was magically concealed under the appearance of a large mountain lake in the basin beneath the heights. Accordingly, the Nord-Breton allies left on a small force to defend the citadel, descending through lower passages to attack and overwhelm the cold, hungry Cyrodilic forces before them. They expected to defeat, overrun, and annihilate General Talos' army, leaving no one to oppose their springtime descent into the Cyrodilic Heartlands.
Thus did General Talos lure the Nord-Breton allies to their doom."
.
.
"You know, you will hit something, again, if you don't watch the road," Marcurio commented, a little condescending.
"Sancre Tor might be a ruin, but it sounds so impressive in the book. So when are we going to hit it?"
Marcurio stopped. "We? You have to go to the Arena today."
"We were supposed to make the pills today too, in case you have forgotten." Marcurio froze. He actually did, for a second, when the Dean handed him out the task. Still, they were talking about a strong Dwarven artifact. The Wraithguard! It was something deemed to be a legend almost. He could simply not refuse.
"So I will just tag along. It's more fun to go with hands-on experience fighting, instead of hitting dummies."
"Won't your brother be mad that you're missing out on your training?"
Sakura paused. "It is that bad that I want to tag along and see the Wraithguard? And Sancre Tor? Like in the book? Please?"
There it was again, that annoying twitch in his left eye she has found so cute. If anything, she grinned wider, making him cave in.
"Fine. But if you miss the fight..." the rest of the sentence was left unspoken; they were both aware of the dire consequences. But it would be just a quick in-and-out trip, anyways. Bandits were small fry; they should prove themselves to be not that much of a problem.
"I won't." Sakura drew in a few long needles from her basket. "If something happens, I will use these. I will scatter them on our way and we'll be able to hiraishin back just in time for the tournament."
Marcurio has waited for them both to be out of sight, before he moved his hands into a familiar set of handsigns, just after biting on his thumb and flicking it over his palm. The clouds of smoke revealed Tora.
Sakura had to admit, it was a little strange to see a foreigner do handsigns and speak her language, but she also had to admit that it was pretty cool. Tora jumped on his shoulder, like a little guardian angel. At least he has worked on his speed a little.
"So, where's Sancre Tor actually located?" Sakura held the basket close to her, heading down the path outside of Imperial City. Marcurio was holding a map, making sure they were taking the right road, west of the City.
"It's located in the Jerall Mountains, north of Chorrol. I don't think you've visited Chorrol yet... unless you stumbled across it while pulling drunk pranks with Sanguine."
Sakura snorted. "I certainly don't remember. At least it's not all that far away from here." She peeked at the map. "If we take the Black Road, and then head for the mountains, it should be fine. We don't even have to go through Chorrol."
Marcurio nodded. "Exactly. And the faster we move, the better." He folded the map and pocketed it, before unsealing the Rose from a small scroll provided by Tora. He strapped it across his back. He wasn't quite sure how many were knowledgeable about Daedric artifacts, besides his college friends and professors, so it was wiser to keep it hidden. While Daedra worshipping was one of the 'acceptable blasphemies', it was also highly frowned upon, so flaunting it in public was rather precarious.
That's why shrines have been built far away from larger towns and cities, where the cultists could bring their offerings in peace.
Skyrim was just a little different. Yes, most shrines were hidden and all of them were in remote places, but for example, Azura's Shrine was considered a work of art. Not many pilgrims ventured so high in the mountains, and those who did were left with a lasting, positive feeling.
Azura also happened to be one of the less 'evil' Daedric Princes too. So it kind of made sense.
"Have you figured out what is that staff doing? Sam didn't give me a utilization manual." Sakura asked, poking the head of the rose. She folded the ear of the page she has left her lecture off, and placed it in her basket.
"Honestly no. Haven't had the chance yet. You see, I don't know yet what kind of staff it is. Testing it out in my room and burning the house to the ground would be a terrible idea, so I'm looking to test it in battle today." He explained.
"I see. I vaguely remember Sam telling me that it's a conjuration staff. I was pretty intoxicated so I don't know if he elaborated more on that."
He looked down on her head. "Conjuration, you say? Really?" Marcurio checked behind his shoulder. During the whole time Sakura was reading and he was lost in thought, they have already walked a considerable distance away from the City. Tora's task was to occasionally look behind because he couldn't yet detect a possible enemy's chakra signature without casting a spell-like a shinobi would.
"Tora. All clear?"
The small brown cat looked around and nodded. "Yes!"
Marcurio stopped and took off his staff. "Good." He focused his mana on the staff, letting a typical purple beam and smoke to manifest at his feet. Sakura shielded her eyes and Tora buried her head into his shoulder. A scaled foot stepped out, accompanied by a screech.
"What... in the Oblivion ... are you...?"
Marcurio blinked a few times. The creature looked nothing he has ever seen, encountered, or read about. Maybe once, in a lost Mage Guild journal he has found by accident and nothing else.
The creature looked a lot like a smaller bipedal dinosaur, with light purple scales, a spiky tail, and a spiky back. The mouth was full of razor-sharp teeth, the eyes were small with slit pupils, and seemed to have a deafening screech. The lizard-like Daedroth tilted its head, curiously, before looking around.
"It's a Clannfear." Marcurio walked closer near the creature. He extended a hand and watched the little reptile sniff it, before opening its mouth. Marcurio retracted it fast enough so it wouldn't chomp down on it. "Hey!"
"Bad boy. A hand is not food." Sakura scolded the creature. "Well, it's a summoned creature. Let's head out and find something to fight, then. Before it gets hungry. Do Daedra even eat, anyway?"
The Clannfear let out a little sound.
"I have no idea. But I'd rather not find out on my own skin. He can snack on a bandit if he wants some human meat."
The creature stayed close to his summoner, rather docile, as they headed for the mountains. Sakura couldn't help herself but pet that scally head. The creature was kind of an oddball... sure... but it held a weird cuteness too.
.
.
"Leaving a weak force in the lowlands to draw out the defenders, General Talos approached the citadel of Sancre Tor from the rear, descending the supposedly unscalable heights behind the citadel, and sneaking into the supposedly magically concealed entrance to the inner citadel. This remarkable feat is attributed to the agency of a single unnamed traitor, by tradition a Breton turncoat sorcerer, who revealed both the existence of an obscure mountain trail down the heights behind the citadel and the secret of the citadel entrance concealed beneath its illusory lake surface.
While the Cyrodilic army in the lowlands fought a desperate defense against the Nord-Breton sortie, General Talos and his men entered the citadel, swept aside the sparse defense, captured the Nord-Breton nobles and generals, and compelled them to surrender the citadel and their armies. The confused and demoralized Nord captives, already suspicious of the scheming High Rock sorcerer aristocracy and their overreaching dreams of Heartlands conquests, deserted the alliance and swore loyalty to Tiber Septim. The Skyrim generals joined their rank and file in Tiber Septim's army; the High Rock battlemage command was summarily executed and the captive Bretons imprisoned or sold into slavery.
Thus was the concerted allied invasion of Cyrodiil foiled, and General Talos' army swelled by the hardened Nord veteran troops that played so crucial a role in General Talos' succeeding campaigns which consolidated the Colovian and Nibenean into the core of the Cyrodilic Empire, and which results in the crowning of General Talos as Emperor Tiber Septim.
Historians marvel at Tiber Septim's tactical daring in assaulting a fortified mountain citadel in the dead of winter against vastly superior numbers. Later Tiber Septim attributed his unwavering resolve against overwhelming obstacles to have been inspired by his divine vision of the Amulet of Kings in the Tomb of Reman III.
The young Talos may indeed have been inspired by his belief that he was fated to recover this ancient sacred symbol of the Covenant and to lead Tamriel to the high civilization of the Third Empire. Nonetheless, this should in no way reduce our admiration for the dash and genius of this defining military triumph against impossible odds."
~ An extract from 'Battle of Sancre Tor', Anonymous Author
.
.
A/N: It's been a while since I used book fragments as those chapter breakers. I thought it was appropriate this time. They will happen whenever Sakura reads something, so you can take a peek at what's going on in her mind. Alternatively, you can skip them.
Normally, Sanguine Rose summons a leveled Dremora to fight on your side, BUT it can also summon a random Daedra. There's a small chance. The reason why I made it summon a particular Clannfear is some sort of tribute to my beloved summoned ESO partner.
Okay so when I first started playing Elder Scrolls Online, I made a Nord dark sorcerer character. One of the Daedra Summoning abilities is to summon a familiar, aka this good, dinosaur-looking boy. It distracted the shit out of a boss fight so I can hit them hard without dying, and aided my party more often than not. It's AI also warned me of potential enemies because it went for the neck immediately... what can I say, I love the little guy.
He's not going to have a big role in the story, but he's here, for now.
The quest is more or less original if you don't consider it's a Dungeon Delving shit. The three items used for tapping into the Heart of Lokhan have not been destroyed for good. A quest in Skyrim shows that the dagger 'Keening' is still intact and obtainable. It's just dangerous to use without the gauntlet, The Wraithguard.
And if you are wondering why haven't I chosen a Dwarven ruin... well... there are no Dwarven ruins in Cyrodiil. None at all. But I figured it would make sense for the bandits to hide in ruin, and what better ruin would it be than Sancre Tor. It used to be a fortified city that died together with the end of the Reman Dynasty. In Oblivion it was sealed by the Blades, but in the 4th Era... the Blades were reduced to Delphine and Esbern.
I'm kinda having fun shaping the post-war Cyrodiil. Well... post-war for over 20 years Cyrodiil. I'm personally having fun here. What about you, guys? Any ideas?
I still have the metal spider draft on-going... I think I will go for it later. Maybe at the end of the Arc. Dunno.
Also, I made a mistake last chapter. The 1st of October is on Tuesday, not Monday like I said. I have forgotten a few details, really. Today is 28th, then 29th is on Sunday. The official tournament starts on Monday, and the Emperor will personally start attending the fights on the 1st. Makes sense? I mean I hope so xD
Well... I will see you later then. :)
Cheers!