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Goodnight.
Kaleeth thought death was upon her when the wamasu unleashed its storm of lightning, but much to her surprise, and relief, Janius' ward saved both of their lives. Still, she wanted to scream out in terror once more, but looking at Janius beside her, she realized how useless she was. He had stayed calm and reacted quickly to save their lives, but what was she doing? Screaming, crying? Janius was being brave while she was being a coward. She knew she was better than that; she was a hunter, she had to be better than that. She did not have magic like Janius, and probably not as much experience, but she had to do something, anything to stop the monster. Even if she got herself killed in the process, it would be better than doing nothing and letting both of them get eaten by the creature.
While Janius was still blocking the lightning storm, Kaleeth grabbed her spear, which was slung over her shoulder with a leather strap attached to two points on the haft, and held onto it tightly. She wasn't strong enough, nor was her spear durable enough, to break through the wamasu's armored scales, but...there was one idea she had that might at least hurt it. It was probably a stupid idea and would likely get her killed, but at least if she did it, she would have done something to try and kill the beast before the end. As soon as the wamasu's storm let up, and Janius launched his fireball, Kaleeth decided to make her move. She was more afraid than she had ever been and her hands were shaking profusely, but pure adrenaline and dedication kept her going. She bolted out from their hiding spot and scrambled to her feet as quickly as possible as she thrust her spear forward. All of the spell light had temporarily blinded her, and probably the wamasu as well, in the dark cave, but she had a rough idea of where the beast's mouth was. As the fire was clearing, Kaleeth's spear rushed forward and embedded itself into the roof of the wamasu's gaping maw. The wamasu immediately began to thrash its head around, causing Kaleeth to lose her grim instantly, but the spear was still stabbed into its mouth. On reflex, the wamasu bit down to try and destroy the foreign object, but only made its situation worse in the process. While it did manage to bite the spear's haft in half, it ended up forcing the rest of the spear deeper into its head and pressing the spearhead up against the bottom of its skull.
The wamasu was now hurt, but it was certainly not dead, and since she had dropped her bow before hiding, Kaleeth was now standing directly in front of the enraged beast with only her bone dagger to protect herself. Still, she had hurt the wamasu more than she could have expected. Unfortunately, the spear didn't look like it was going to be enough to kill it. It was bleeding pretty badly, and the spearhead was close to hitting a lethal spot, but it wasn't going to die in its current state. Still...the beast was hurt, and definitely distracted. It couldn't even close its mouth properly. Surely there was something more they could do to it?
"In the Trial of Body, you must show that your body, like your soul and mind, is strong enough for the ritual. This is going to be a trial of combat, hence why it is the most dangerous trial. Now, it is certainly not a fight to the death. The fight will be monitored closely, only practice weapons will be allowed, and we will have healers watching, just in case of accidents. While you were gone, I asked Meesei about your combat training and abilities, so we will be sure to select an appropriate opponent for your trial. For the most challenging aspect of this trial, you will need to demonstrate that you are capable even when you are not physically at your best. To that end, before the trial, you will need to drink a specific poison. I can assure you, it is not a deadly poison, and it has no capability of killing Argonians or non-Argonians. Nor will it cause any lasting harm. It will, however, weaken you for the fight. It will blur your vision, slightly weaken your muscles, and make you fatigue more quickly. You must overcome these challenges and defeat your opponent in order to complete your final trial." Thorantilth explained.
While Janius was still blocking the lightning storm, Kaleeth grabbed her spear, which was slung over her shoulder with a leather strap attached to two points on the haft, and held onto it tightly. She wasn't strong enough, nor was her spear durable enough, to break through the wamasu's armored scales, but...there was one idea she had that might at least hurt it. It was probably a stupid idea and would likely get her killed, but at least if she did it, she would have done something to try and kill the beast before the end. As soon as the wamasu's storm let up, and Janius launched his fireball, Kaleeth decided to make her move. She was more afraid than she had ever been and her hands were shaking profusely, but pure adrenaline and dedication kept her going. She bolted out from their hiding spot and scrambled to her feet as quickly as possible as she thrust her spear forward. All of the spell light had temporarily blinded her, and probably the wamasu as well, in the dark cave, but she had a rough idea of where the beast's mouth was. As the fire was clearing, Kaleeth's spear rushed forward and embedded itself into the roof of the wamasu's gaping maw. The wamasu immediately began to thrash its head around, causing Kaleeth to lose her grim instantly, but the spear was still stabbed into its mouth. On reflex, the wamasu bit down to try and destroy the foreign object, but only made its situation worse in the process. While it did manage to bite the spear's haft in half, it ended up forcing the rest of the spear deeper into its head and pressing the spearhead up against the bottom of its skull.
The wamasu was now hurt, but it was certainly not dead, and since she had dropped her bow before hiding, Kaleeth was now standing directly in front of the enraged beast with only her bone dagger to protect herself. Still, she had hurt the wamasu more than she could have expected. Unfortunately, the spear didn't look like it was going to be enough to kill it. It was bleeding pretty badly, and the spearhead was close to hitting a lethal spot, but it wasn't going to die in its current state. Still...the beast was hurt, and definitely distracted. It couldn't even close its mouth properly. Surely there was something more they could do to it?
"In the Trial of Body, you must show that your body, like your soul and mind, is strong enough for the ritual. This is going to be a trial of combat, hence why it is the most dangerous trial. Now, it is certainly not a fight to the death. The fight will be monitored closely, only practice weapons will be allowed, and we will have healers watching, just in case of accidents. While you were gone, I asked Meesei about your combat training and abilities, so we will be sure to select an appropriate opponent for your trial. For the most challenging aspect of this trial, you will need to demonstrate that you are capable even when you are not physically at your best. To that end, before the trial, you will need to drink a specific poison. I can assure you, it is not a deadly poison, and it has no capability of killing Argonians or non-Argonians. Nor will it cause any lasting harm. It will, however, weaken you for the fight. It will blur your vision, slightly weaken your muscles, and make you fatigue more quickly. You must overcome these challenges and defeat your opponent in order to complete your final trial." Thorantilth explained.
Alright, I'll attempt to complete it in a timely manner.
I edited on a response for Meesei, if you would like to respond.
Finished it. This should get interesting. Wamasu are indeed very tough, but not invincible. I could imagine it going a few ways.
At any rate, goodnight.
At any rate, goodnight.
Kaleeth tried her hardest to keep her breathing silent. At the very least, she was keeping the volume below that of the nearby stream, but the wamasu was already suspicious of their presence. It had their scent, and they were in its nest. The beast would do anything to protect its eggs, so it was very alert at the moment. Both she and janius were hiding behind the rocks, so she couldn't see it, but with a beast of its size, even its sniffing was easily audible.
The wamasu's heavy footsteps reverberated through the entire cave, so it was easy to tell that it was very close to them, probably right on top of the ogre's body. The beast shifted around the cave, first checking on its eggs, then continuing to search for the intruders. Several long, tense minutes passed as the creature searched. Kaleeth held on tightly to Janius, unconsciously searching for any form of comfort. She could feel his heart beating just as fast as hers, and with good reason. She had never been as close to death as she was at this very moment, a thought that struck fear in her very soul. She looked Janius in the eyes, with tears in her own. She did not want to die, and wished she hadn't been so stupid as to suggest setting foot in the cave.
When Kaleeth looked away from Janius for a moment, she noticed a dead silence in the cave. She had not heard the wamasu leave, but neither did she hear it shuffling around any longer. Had it laid down to rest, perhaps gone to sleep? They would need to wait a while just to be safe, but perhaps they could sneak out? She decided to take the risk to peer around the rock, but before she could even make a movement, her worst nightmare became reality. The wamasu's large scaled head appeared around the corner, its eyes meeting theirs. They had been spotted.
The wamasu immediately let out a growl, then lashed out and tried to crush them in its jaws. Fortunately, the narrow width of the cave saved the pair. Its wide body could not squeeze far enough into the cave that its head could reach them, even if it cut it very close. Its jaws snapped down with unbelievable force mere inches from their heads, causing Kaleeth to let out a frightened scream. Fear had overwhelmed her, and she was practically sobbing by this point. There was a brief glimmer of hope when she noticed that the wamasu could not reach them. No matter how hard it pressed against the cave's stone walls, it could not get any closer to them. After a few moments, however, she felt a charge in the air. Electricity started to arc across its scales, concentrating in its mouth. It would take a few moments to charge, but once it unleashed its storm of lightning, what could they do? She had no wards or magic to block the lightning. She felt powerless to do anything to stop it.
Meesei gladly hugged Sabine. She looked at her with a smile and a proud expression. "You did well, Sabine. I know the Trial of Heart can be a difficult one, not because it is physically difficult to complete, but because of the emotional conflict it can create. I did not think for a second that you would fail, though. You are not a person who would leave someone to die like that. Now, I am sure you are tired from all that running. Would you like to return to the common quarters and rest, or perhaps stay and talk? If I am not mistaken, there is more we can tell you about the Trial of Body."
Thorantilth nodded in agreement as he chimed in. "Indeed we can. The last trial is much more straightforward than the previous two. There are no puzzles or tricks, it is just the merits of the trial itself which provides the challenge. We can tell you anything you like to help you prepare."
The wamasu's heavy footsteps reverberated through the entire cave, so it was easy to tell that it was very close to them, probably right on top of the ogre's body. The beast shifted around the cave, first checking on its eggs, then continuing to search for the intruders. Several long, tense minutes passed as the creature searched. Kaleeth held on tightly to Janius, unconsciously searching for any form of comfort. She could feel his heart beating just as fast as hers, and with good reason. She had never been as close to death as she was at this very moment, a thought that struck fear in her very soul. She looked Janius in the eyes, with tears in her own. She did not want to die, and wished she hadn't been so stupid as to suggest setting foot in the cave.
When Kaleeth looked away from Janius for a moment, she noticed a dead silence in the cave. She had not heard the wamasu leave, but neither did she hear it shuffling around any longer. Had it laid down to rest, perhaps gone to sleep? They would need to wait a while just to be safe, but perhaps they could sneak out? She decided to take the risk to peer around the rock, but before she could even make a movement, her worst nightmare became reality. The wamasu's large scaled head appeared around the corner, its eyes meeting theirs. They had been spotted.
The wamasu immediately let out a growl, then lashed out and tried to crush them in its jaws. Fortunately, the narrow width of the cave saved the pair. Its wide body could not squeeze far enough into the cave that its head could reach them, even if it cut it very close. Its jaws snapped down with unbelievable force mere inches from their heads, causing Kaleeth to let out a frightened scream. Fear had overwhelmed her, and she was practically sobbing by this point. There was a brief glimmer of hope when she noticed that the wamasu could not reach them. No matter how hard it pressed against the cave's stone walls, it could not get any closer to them. After a few moments, however, she felt a charge in the air. Electricity started to arc across its scales, concentrating in its mouth. It would take a few moments to charge, but once it unleashed its storm of lightning, what could they do? She had no wards or magic to block the lightning. She felt powerless to do anything to stop it.
Meesei gladly hugged Sabine. She looked at her with a smile and a proud expression. "You did well, Sabine. I know the Trial of Heart can be a difficult one, not because it is physically difficult to complete, but because of the emotional conflict it can create. I did not think for a second that you would fail, though. You are not a person who would leave someone to die like that. Now, I am sure you are tired from all that running. Would you like to return to the common quarters and rest, or perhaps stay and talk? If I am not mistaken, there is more we can tell you about the Trial of Body."
Thorantilth nodded in agreement as he chimed in. "Indeed we can. The last trial is much more straightforward than the previous two. There are no puzzles or tricks, it is just the merits of the trial itself which provides the challenge. We can tell you anything you like to help you prepare."
I'm almost finished with this, it shouldn't be long.
It is pretty late here at the moment, but I want to give you at least something to respond to. I'm going to try to write at least a response for Kaleeth before going to bed. I don't think I could write a good one for both right now.
Kaleeth moved as silently as she could alongside Janius. Just as she had been trained to do, she did her best to keep herself more silent than her surroundings, in this case the stream flowing alongside them. Without it, their footsteps would quite obviously echo throughout the cave, so she was glad it was there. Nevertheless, she was growing nervous. Her breathing grew more heavy and irregular, but at least her hands were steady enough. She had her bow ready and an arrow nocked so she could fire as quickly as possible, if need be.
The pair needed to move slowly through the cave to make sure their eyes stayed adjusted to the darkness. They could still see the light of the entrance behind them, so it wasn't complete darkness, but it was growing more difficult to see. The smell of ogre grew strong and unmistakable, but once they were close enough to the end of the cave, Kaleeth saw something she did not expect. There was indeed an ogre, but it was lying on the floor of the cave on its back, quite dead. Walking up to the body, she could see that there were large chunks bitten out of its flesh, with bones and bits of organs strewn around it. Kaleeth quickly grew concerned. It had not been dead long enough for it to be a scavenger that mutilated the body, and there were few creatures in the marsh that could take down a fully-grown ogre. Even worse, a loud, echoing sound suddenly sounded out behind them, from the entrance of the cave. As Kaleeth turned to look at the source, she spotted a small form just to her right in the shadows. In such low light, she had to lean in to get a good look, but once she did, she gasped and had to physically cover her mouth to stop herself from screaming.
"I stupid! I stupid! I stupid!" She said in a frantic whisper to Janius. "We should not have come in here. Dead ogre must have masked scent. In the corner, the eggs, this is..it is wamasu nest. We need to get out, quickly!"
Unfortunately, the time to escape had passed, as the wamasu had returned to its home, following the scent of intruders. Looking back up at the entrance, they could see its silhouette in the light, raising its nose to the air as it followed their scent. With how large it was, there was no way they could get past it in such a narrow cave, and Kaleeth knew it. "Oh no, no time. Maybe...I don't know." She whispered, looking around frantically for some kind of option. Her eyes followed the stream down to the point where the cave narrowed like a cone to its smallest point, certainly too small for a wamasu to fit its sizable body. As quickly as possible, she rushed to the very end of the cave and laid down, sliding feet first into the narrow part of the cave and trying to position herself behind some rocks to break line of sight. "Quickly, hide here!" She whispered frantically to Janius, seeing no other way to survive but to stay out of sight.
"Stop!" Shaleer-Za's voice rang out, and was quickly echoed in Cyrodilic by Thorantilth. "You have completed the Trial of Heart."
Once Sabine had stopped moving, Thorantilth let go of his son, who stood on both legs as if nothing was wrong. The treeminder charged a green ball of magicka in his hand and started to wave the energy over his son's leg. "Hold still while I remove the illusion." He ordered, allowing his magic to weave through Tuxeek's leg until there was no trace of anything being wrong. After he was finished, he stood up and began to interpret for Shaleer once more.
"To commune with the Hist, one must show that they are of a pure heart, which you have demonstrated excellently. Even with the stakes as high as they were, you showed a willingness to sacrifice your own well being for one who is, essentially, a stranger, with no guarantee of reward, and indeed, no request for it. You showed the wisdom in your judgement to select the path that led to your success, the path to return and aid another. I apologize for any stress the deception may have caused you, but you have demonstrated the strength of your character. Through the first two trials, you have shown your wisdom, and your heart. Now, all that remains is to show that your body is strong enough to undergo the ritual. You will need to be in good health for the Trial of Body, so it will be held tomorrow, after you have had a chance to rest and recover." Shaleer explained.
The pair needed to move slowly through the cave to make sure their eyes stayed adjusted to the darkness. They could still see the light of the entrance behind them, so it wasn't complete darkness, but it was growing more difficult to see. The smell of ogre grew strong and unmistakable, but once they were close enough to the end of the cave, Kaleeth saw something she did not expect. There was indeed an ogre, but it was lying on the floor of the cave on its back, quite dead. Walking up to the body, she could see that there were large chunks bitten out of its flesh, with bones and bits of organs strewn around it. Kaleeth quickly grew concerned. It had not been dead long enough for it to be a scavenger that mutilated the body, and there were few creatures in the marsh that could take down a fully-grown ogre. Even worse, a loud, echoing sound suddenly sounded out behind them, from the entrance of the cave. As Kaleeth turned to look at the source, she spotted a small form just to her right in the shadows. In such low light, she had to lean in to get a good look, but once she did, she gasped and had to physically cover her mouth to stop herself from screaming.
"I stupid! I stupid! I stupid!" She said in a frantic whisper to Janius. "We should not have come in here. Dead ogre must have masked scent. In the corner, the eggs, this is..it is wamasu nest. We need to get out, quickly!"
Unfortunately, the time to escape had passed, as the wamasu had returned to its home, following the scent of intruders. Looking back up at the entrance, they could see its silhouette in the light, raising its nose to the air as it followed their scent. With how large it was, there was no way they could get past it in such a narrow cave, and Kaleeth knew it. "Oh no, no time. Maybe...I don't know." She whispered, looking around frantically for some kind of option. Her eyes followed the stream down to the point where the cave narrowed like a cone to its smallest point, certainly too small for a wamasu to fit its sizable body. As quickly as possible, she rushed to the very end of the cave and laid down, sliding feet first into the narrow part of the cave and trying to position herself behind some rocks to break line of sight. "Quickly, hide here!" She whispered frantically to Janius, seeing no other way to survive but to stay out of sight.
"Stop!" Shaleer-Za's voice rang out, and was quickly echoed in Cyrodilic by Thorantilth. "You have completed the Trial of Heart."
Once Sabine had stopped moving, Thorantilth let go of his son, who stood on both legs as if nothing was wrong. The treeminder charged a green ball of magicka in his hand and started to wave the energy over his son's leg. "Hold still while I remove the illusion." He ordered, allowing his magic to weave through Tuxeek's leg until there was no trace of anything being wrong. After he was finished, he stood up and began to interpret for Shaleer once more.
"To commune with the Hist, one must show that they are of a pure heart, which you have demonstrated excellently. Even with the stakes as high as they were, you showed a willingness to sacrifice your own well being for one who is, essentially, a stranger, with no guarantee of reward, and indeed, no request for it. You showed the wisdom in your judgement to select the path that led to your success, the path to return and aid another. I apologize for any stress the deception may have caused you, but you have demonstrated the strength of your character. Through the first two trials, you have shown your wisdom, and your heart. Now, all that remains is to show that your body is strong enough to undergo the ritual. You will need to be in good health for the Trial of Body, so it will be held tomorrow, after you have had a chance to rest and recover." Shaleer explained.
"Yes, I know the cave." Kaleeth answered silently. "It is not big. No turns, no chambers, just one straight path, leading down. It is pretty wide, enough for the ogre, but it gets narrower near the end. There is a stream going through it, into a hole at the end of cave." There really wasn't much detail she could draw, but she complied and used two claws to draw a narrowing path and tried to convey that it sloped down.
"Hmm, it is small space, and ogres are strong, but...if we go in, we will have our backs to the entrance. We could always back up; the cave is not wide enough for it to get around us. We can back it into a wall, but it can not. The stream makes noise, we might be able to sneak up on it. We could try to lead it out, but then we will not be able to surprise it. It will be ready. Should we try to sneak in? Do you think it is too dangerous?" Kaleeth asked.
Tuxeek seemed surprised that Sabine was able to carry him as well as she was, especially at the speed they were going. It seemed Human girls were stronger than he thought. He said little on his way back and mostly seemed to be focusing on blocking out his pain. They moved at a fair pace, but even so, it took longer to get back than it did for Sabine to run to the halfway mark. Thorantilth, Shaleer-Za, and Meesei were all still at the starting line, and all except Meesei seemed surprised that Sabine was returning so soon. The moment she came into sight, Thorantilth walked forward to meet them, then dropped down on his knees to accept his son from Sabine. He looked down at Tuxeek with a concerned expression, then looked Sabine in the eyes. "What happened?" He asked simply.
"Hmm, it is small space, and ogres are strong, but...if we go in, we will have our backs to the entrance. We could always back up; the cave is not wide enough for it to get around us. We can back it into a wall, but it can not. The stream makes noise, we might be able to sneak up on it. We could try to lead it out, but then we will not be able to surprise it. It will be ready. Should we try to sneak in? Do you think it is too dangerous?" Kaleeth asked.
Tuxeek seemed surprised that Sabine was able to carry him as well as she was, especially at the speed they were going. It seemed Human girls were stronger than he thought. He said little on his way back and mostly seemed to be focusing on blocking out his pain. They moved at a fair pace, but even so, it took longer to get back than it did for Sabine to run to the halfway mark. Thorantilth, Shaleer-Za, and Meesei were all still at the starting line, and all except Meesei seemed surprised that Sabine was returning so soon. The moment she came into sight, Thorantilth walked forward to meet them, then dropped down on his knees to accept his son from Sabine. He looked down at Tuxeek with a concerned expression, then looked Sabine in the eyes. "What happened?" He asked simply.
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