"Right, if we're lucky we might be able to get one." Ariel said in regards to capturing one of the sentinels, her mind overlooking when exactly the witches might take stock of them.
Ariel frowned uneasily at the next question, "I know. I knew that this would be dangerous, but I wanted to avoid killing any sisters of mine," she looked at Meesei for a moment, "figurative sisters, I mean," she returned her gaze back to where she was going. "I guess having the pack as a diversion might put them in more danger... or less danger if they are going to be away from the laboratories to defend." He released a slightly exasperated breath, "the thing is, even if they are hurt, they are very good at keeping themselves, and each other, alive. I daresay that the survivors would likely reconsider siding with Vile after this mission. As for connections..." Ariel pulled a leaf off of a bush they passed by and folded it in her hand as they walked, "... there are only a few of them that I was truly friends with. There many others that I have respect for, in terms of skills, but they are not the best of people. Regardless, they exiled me, I was not to ever see them again. It may sound slightly cowardly, but as long as I can find Lilia and destroy the gas, then what happens to the others is not something that I have much control over. I have to trust them to take care of themselves." She looked at Meesei again, "That said, when your pack engages them, please try not to kill them outright, just distract them. It would put my mind at ease."
With a grin, Fendros stood up as well. The movement caused his stomach to grumble. "That sounds good, I could go for something to eat. the rest of them should be back by now as well, we might see what they brought with them."
Picking up his bow in one hand and putting his other arm over Ahnasha's shoulder, Fendros walked from the clearing and back to the hunter's cave. Once they got back, he unstrung his bow, lifted his quiver off from his shoulder and went to get something to eat with everyone else. Sabine was grinding some more corkroot bulb, preparing more of the resisting potion. When she looked up at them both when they came in, she still held a beady stare, but her face seemed warmer and slightly less fearful. Fendros just smiled back, unsure. Janius was sharpening his axe by the fire, he had a thoughtful look on his face while he worked. "Hello," he greeted as Fendros and Ahnasha walked in. He didn't look up from his work while he talked. "Has Fendros learned how to shoot an apple off a distant tree yet?" He japed with a half-smile.
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Dear Mr Curly,
I have done little travelling lately because I have been so dreadfully weary. Can it be true as the old Ecclesiastes said; that all things lead to weariness? Surely not. Perhaps the opposite is true: that all nothings lead to weariness. I have a peculiar feeling, Curly, that I am worn out from something I haven't yet done and the more I don't do it, the more exhausted I become. How strange. Could it be something I haven't realised? Perhaps it's something I haven't said? Something I haven't finished! It must be very large and true whatever it is and a lively struggle in the doing but I look forward to it immensely. I know I need it. First, however, I must curl up in my chair and sleep deeply with the duck. Perhaps I'll dream of this thing and wake up refreshed and do it. My fond wishes to you Mr. Curly, and to all Curly Flat.
Yours sleepily,
Vasco Pyjama
xxx
P.S. Not having breakfast can make you weary. That's for sure!
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The Alchemist, Tala, obviously didn't approve of Leo's tone, but it was not matter to him, he needed to hang on to what was real! And this alchemist... she was probably real. His words came fast and somewhat maniacal, "Good! Excellent! Good-good-good-good-good!" Leo hit his palm lightly on the table, trying to blot out the sun of blonde curls in his peripheral vision until it faded away in a puff of logic. "Come, sit down, my name is Leopold, fantastic to meet you." He gestured to a spare seat at the table, his words remaining frantic. "Now, how did you end up in this forest, dear Tala?" Leo asked with one squinted eye and his forearms resting flat on the table. He folded his fingers together as he waited for a response. He didn't care if this girl was a guild alchemist, or even if she was a stereotypical one. If she was real, Leo wanted to talk.
Mkay, I'll strike up some more conversation then. Thanks for letting us know :) .
"Of course," Ariel said, taking the necklace from Meesei and loading up the rest of the things she would need. On top of what she brought in initially; a health potion, two magicka potions, a brown potion that improved her destruction spells temporarily, a scroll and a dagger; she also brought along a dark potion that held a shield effect and a purple potion that would reflect magic for a time. "Let's get moving, then. I'll tell you more about what to expect on the way."
Ariel began to walk to the cave entrance with Meesei in tow. Before exiting the chamber, she turned and addressed Sabine, Lorag and Janius, "we'll be back well before morning I think." She said with a small wave.
As they walked through the cave complex, Ariel began her briefing of sorts. Outside of talking casually with the pack, she talked with a tone that spoke of a confident level of knowledge, rather than her slightly nervous, conflict avoiding self from before. "The Vos Witches Coven is situated in an old ruined fortress on a hillside. The local authorities lost their deed to the land due to some swindle the witches pulled at least a century ago, but their presence has been tolerated for a number of reasons. I know a few side entrances we can use, so finding a way in shouldn't be difficult. You just have to be careful of runes set on the ground that will alert sentinels to our presence. They can be hard to spot if you aren't looking for them. White runes, they are, about the size of your palm." Ariel held her hand up as an example, before crawling through the hole in the cave in that she still couldn't work out what happened to cause it.
She continued walking after dusting herself off on the other side. "The sentinels themselves are animated skeletons, often armed and armoured. They aren't too tough or smart, but there are a lot of them, and they can raise an alarm quickly. As long as we stay out of their vision and don't make too much noise, they shouldn't prove to be a problem. If we approach at nightfall, most of the witches will probably be asleep, but there are many that like to perform rituals under the moonlight, so we shouldn't be complacent." Ariel turned her head to Meesei for extra emphasis on her next point, "Oh, and if you see a particularly hunched witch, one with feathers on her, that is one of the hagravens. They are very old and very powerful, especially in this coven. Don't try to best them, it's not worth it." Ariel's words were truthful, but underneath she still had a respect for her old mentors. The hagravens often weren't as much involved with the coven's practices as they were used to, they more interested in their own pursuits, they were smart enough not to get involved with a Daedric war in any case.
They eventually found the mouth of the cave and stepped into the light of the day. "There won't be much to see from outside the walls, so I was going to try a headcount with a life detection spell and maybe slip in for a moment to see where they had set up the equipment to make the gas. Did you have any thoughts?"
With Ahnasha seeing more reason now, Fendros wasn't so worked up. After kissing her, he felt as if they weren't rushing towards something they would regret. He nodded slowly in acknowledgement, he was put at peace for now. He brought her close and held her body to his chest, wanting to just sit and embrace for a while. "You don't have to be afraid, Ahna," He said quietly, feeling her heart beat. They sat in each other's arms for several minutes. It was another moment that Fendros didn't want to see the end of. Here, they could just be together, comforting each other. Never had he felt more like doing nothing was the best thing in the world.
After those several minutes had passed, Fendros looked down at Ahnasha. "As for staying out of danger, you do what you think is best, Ahna." He stroked the back of her head, "I understand protecting the child."
Ariel began to walk to the cave entrance with Meesei in tow. Before exiting the chamber, she turned and addressed Sabine, Lorag and Janius, "we'll be back well before morning I think." She said with a small wave.
As they walked through the cave complex, Ariel began her briefing of sorts. Outside of talking casually with the pack, she talked with a tone that spoke of a confident level of knowledge, rather than her slightly nervous, conflict avoiding self from before. "The Vos Witches Coven is situated in an old ruined fortress on a hillside. The local authorities lost their deed to the land due to some swindle the witches pulled at least a century ago, but their presence has been tolerated for a number of reasons. I know a few side entrances we can use, so finding a way in shouldn't be difficult. You just have to be careful of runes set on the ground that will alert sentinels to our presence. They can be hard to spot if you aren't looking for them. White runes, they are, about the size of your palm." Ariel held her hand up as an example, before crawling through the hole in the cave in that she still couldn't work out what happened to cause it.
She continued walking after dusting herself off on the other side. "The sentinels themselves are animated skeletons, often armed and armoured. They aren't too tough or smart, but there are a lot of them, and they can raise an alarm quickly. As long as we stay out of their vision and don't make too much noise, they shouldn't prove to be a problem. If we approach at nightfall, most of the witches will probably be asleep, but there are many that like to perform rituals under the moonlight, so we shouldn't be complacent." Ariel turned her head to Meesei for extra emphasis on her next point, "Oh, and if you see a particularly hunched witch, one with feathers on her, that is one of the hagravens. They are very old and very powerful, especially in this coven. Don't try to best them, it's not worth it." Ariel's words were truthful, but underneath she still had a respect for her old mentors. The hagravens often weren't as much involved with the coven's practices as they were used to, they more interested in their own pursuits, they were smart enough not to get involved with a Daedric war in any case.
They eventually found the mouth of the cave and stepped into the light of the day. "There won't be much to see from outside the walls, so I was going to try a headcount with a life detection spell and maybe slip in for a moment to see where they had set up the equipment to make the gas. Did you have any thoughts?"
With Ahnasha seeing more reason now, Fendros wasn't so worked up. After kissing her, he felt as if they weren't rushing towards something they would regret. He nodded slowly in acknowledgement, he was put at peace for now. He brought her close and held her body to his chest, wanting to just sit and embrace for a while. "You don't have to be afraid, Ahna," He said quietly, feeling her heart beat. They sat in each other's arms for several minutes. It was another moment that Fendros didn't want to see the end of. Here, they could just be together, comforting each other. Never had he felt more like doing nothing was the best thing in the world.
After those several minutes had passed, Fendros looked down at Ahnasha. "As for staying out of danger, you do what you think is best, Ahna." He stroked the back of her head, "I understand protecting the child."
Ariel looked at Meesei for a moment, unsure exactly what she meant. At first, she suspected that Meesei wanted to scout the coven in the nude, as effected by her impression of Lorag during breakfast. Her sense came back to her eventually, though. "Well, er... I think in any case, if you were spotted, the coven would recognise you as an outsider. I don't think dressing to fit in with Vos would help you much." Ariel wondered whether it would be worth it to be in disguise in the first place. She had wanted to use invisibility for most of the close-quarters sneaking anyway. "That said, however, the coven is situated some distance from Vos, we won't be needing to go near the city."
With that, Ariel began to gather up some of her belongings, assuming that they would be leaving soon. "Will it just be you and I, or are some others coming?" She asked.
With Ahnasha's response, Fendros just looked right back at her. His face showed fear. The words that she was saying were all out of a frantic scramble to solve a problem that neither of them really knew how to deal with. It was scaring him that Ahnasha was talking so hopefully about what could destroy her. There was very little hope in Fendros' mind about the magics that could extend her life, but he didn't want to end up losing her sooner because she had attempted it without knowing the consequences.
Just before she finished indirectly asking him whether it might work, Fendros wrenched his eyes shut and shook his head slowly. "Ahna, please," he sighed angrily. He let out more of his thoughts with an upset and frustrated tone, but one that pleaded all the same, "Please don't do anything rash. This magic..." He opened his eyes, "... it just doesn't seem right. Let's at least ask Meesei about it before committing. For all we know it's impossible."
Fendros breathed and tried to calm down, he was cursing himself that such an endeavour had seeded in Ahnasha's mind. After another outward sigh, he held Ahnasha gently by the shoulders. He spoke with a slower and more collected tone now, but his face was still laced with fear, "I'm sorry, I'm just... talking about this... I'm scared too."
With that, Ariel began to gather up some of her belongings, assuming that they would be leaving soon. "Will it just be you and I, or are some others coming?" She asked.
With Ahnasha's response, Fendros just looked right back at her. His face showed fear. The words that she was saying were all out of a frantic scramble to solve a problem that neither of them really knew how to deal with. It was scaring him that Ahnasha was talking so hopefully about what could destroy her. There was very little hope in Fendros' mind about the magics that could extend her life, but he didn't want to end up losing her sooner because she had attempted it without knowing the consequences.
Just before she finished indirectly asking him whether it might work, Fendros wrenched his eyes shut and shook his head slowly. "Ahna, please," he sighed angrily. He let out more of his thoughts with an upset and frustrated tone, but one that pleaded all the same, "Please don't do anything rash. This magic..." He opened his eyes, "... it just doesn't seem right. Let's at least ask Meesei about it before committing. For all we know it's impossible."
Fendros breathed and tried to calm down, he was cursing himself that such an endeavour had seeded in Ahnasha's mind. After another outward sigh, he held Ahnasha gently by the shoulders. He spoke with a slower and more collected tone now, but his face was still laced with fear, "I'm sorry, I'm just... talking about this... I'm scared too."
"Oh Ahna, no." Fendros held her as well, trying to think as Ahnasha cried into him. "You aren't trouble to me, please don't blame yourself." He thought for a moment about what she had said. To say that she was not beautiful was a blatant lie in his mind. To think that being an elf would solve these problems would probably have made her such a different person that Fendros wouldn't recognise any detail about her. The mention of necromantic magic to extend her life was something that deeply concerned Fendros, especially with what can go wrong. What he knew about it was limited to hearing about the practices of certain Dunmer families as well as the tribunal, but it was not something he liked the idea of.
With one hand, Fendros lifted Ahnasha's head by the chin so he could look at her again. "Ahnasha, I did not fall in love with an elf. You are beautiful. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, especially yourself." He kissed her on the forehead before continuing, "This... magic to extend your life... It could go wrong, it could make you become a husk of your former self. You wouldn't be Ahnasha any more. I can't let that happen." He then sighed bowed his head forward, closing his eyes. "What are we to do?" He whispered almost rhetorically. It was he that started to hold her tight now, it had all fallen into a hopeless conundrum again. "Maybe there's someone else who knows a better answer." He said hopefully.
"Oh, I see." Ariel replied briskly, blushing slightly. It was still strange to hear about such a pairing, but apparently it was true.
There was a nudge on Ariel's arm. She turned to see Sabine's eyes demanding her attention. It looked like she had set up the equipment required to make the resisting potions. "Ah, well, we might as well begin." Ariel said. The activity that followed involved Ariel writing down a detailed recipe for preparing the required ingredients and making the potion to resist the suppression gas out of them. It was a simple recipe, just as she promised, but it involved an awful lot of chopping and grinding the ingredients, before making a condensate out of one and just mixing in the others. She wrote it as she demonstrated it to Sabine and anyone else who was watching. Sabine imitated her as best as she could, and actually ended up making a purer end product than her older sister. Ariel was unsure exactly why, but she expressed her suspicions that maybe the purer mixture had more patience put into it. The end product itself was a number of vials of sickly yellow liquid that had a genuinely awful smell and taste, but had come out perfectly according to Ariel. Their first batch was a smaller one in order to practice the recipe, enough for four doses. They might have time to make a few more before night fell.
After the while it took to make the potions, Ariel looked over to where Meesei was resting and treating herself. She couldn't quite see how far she had gotten through the regeneration potion while she wasn't looking, so Ariel was curious as to her progress. "Meesei, how are you feeling now?"
With one hand, Fendros lifted Ahnasha's head by the chin so he could look at her again. "Ahnasha, I did not fall in love with an elf. You are beautiful. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, especially yourself." He kissed her on the forehead before continuing, "This... magic to extend your life... It could go wrong, it could make you become a husk of your former self. You wouldn't be Ahnasha any more. I can't let that happen." He then sighed bowed his head forward, closing his eyes. "What are we to do?" He whispered almost rhetorically. It was he that started to hold her tight now, it had all fallen into a hopeless conundrum again. "Maybe there's someone else who knows a better answer." He said hopefully.
"Oh, I see." Ariel replied briskly, blushing slightly. It was still strange to hear about such a pairing, but apparently it was true.
There was a nudge on Ariel's arm. She turned to see Sabine's eyes demanding her attention. It looked like she had set up the equipment required to make the resisting potions. "Ah, well, we might as well begin." Ariel said. The activity that followed involved Ariel writing down a detailed recipe for preparing the required ingredients and making the potion to resist the suppression gas out of them. It was a simple recipe, just as she promised, but it involved an awful lot of chopping and grinding the ingredients, before making a condensate out of one and just mixing in the others. She wrote it as she demonstrated it to Sabine and anyone else who was watching. Sabine imitated her as best as she could, and actually ended up making a purer end product than her older sister. Ariel was unsure exactly why, but she expressed her suspicions that maybe the purer mixture had more patience put into it. The end product itself was a number of vials of sickly yellow liquid that had a genuinely awful smell and taste, but had come out perfectly according to Ariel. Their first batch was a smaller one in order to practice the recipe, enough for four doses. They might have time to make a few more before night fell.
After the while it took to make the potions, Ariel looked over to where Meesei was resting and treating herself. She couldn't quite see how far she had gotten through the regeneration potion while she wasn't looking, so Ariel was curious as to her progress. "Meesei, how are you feeling now?"
You'd likely get this:
EDIT: In other news, I should probably wait for PrimezTime to post.
EDIT: In other news, I should probably wait for PrimezTime to post.
With Arco's intervention, Leo folded his hands together and lowered his brow, showing a facial expression that he should at least get a hint of. "With no offense intended, Paladin, I did not direct the question to you." Leo said with a slight undertone of annoyance. Regardless, Rye seemed willing to receive Leo's treatment for her throat. Before Leo could even begin, however, a woman in a bright red cloak entered the conversation. Presenting herself as an alchemist, righteous one at that. Leo just observed the others resolve the situation without offering his own cynical opinion of the alchemist's guild. During the talk, another dwarf burst in with a frantic manner. Leopold didn't really know what had happened, but it got rid of Caelyn for a while. Good, maybe now I can concentrate.
Assuming that the situation with the alchemist guilder was resolved, Leo pointed his hand to the surface of the table. "Now then, Rye, if you could lie comfortably on your back for a moment, we can begin."
Leo started with a simple movement, facing his hands together and tensing his fingers, allowing his fingertips to face their opposite. Without a word, and with a face completely devoid of distraction, Leo brought his fingertips together and a soft white glow emanated from between each of them. He held his fingers together like that for a few more moments, closing his eyes for a few seconds as the glow became slightly brighter. Then, with a careful, deliberate movement, he moved his hands away from one another. The glow from where his fingertips had made contact extended and drew out into thin, shining, semi-corporeal threads that conjoined his fingertips. As he moved his hands further and further apart, the threads became finer, until they were impossible to focus on. At this point, Leo flattened one hand, and brought his other hand to a position over Rye's body. The flattened hand seemed to let go of the glowing threads, leaving them dangling from the fingers of his other hand. With steady eyes and a steadier hand, Leo contracted his fingers on the threaded hand until they were almost touching, then the threads began to be drawn toward's Rye's throat, looking like they were trying to pull Leo's hand in with them. As the threads pulled, Leo held his breath and carefully lowered his hand until the threads contacted the skin on Rye's throat, at which point their tips seemed to phase into her. It was no doubt a strange experience for Rye, who likely was feeling as if she wanted to break into a coughing fit, but couldn't quite manage to no matter whether she wanted to or not. "Try to hold still," Leo mumbled, not taking his eyes of the threads for a second. With the fingers of his other hand, he made tiny movements near to the thread. The threads made corresponding tiny flicks and movements at Leo's whim.
While the treatment lasted a full twelve minutes at least, during which Leo didn't stop to perceive anything other than his task, Rye would likely have started to feel a soothing relief in her throat from the second minute onwards. By the fifth minute, the tickling coughing feeling began to subside, and by the tenth minute the soreness was completely gone. There was, of course occasional tiny sharp pains in her throat during the process, the kind of sharp pain akin to stepping on a pointy seed. When Leo finished, he flattened the hand that held the threads and they all coursed into Rye's neck completely, their glow disappearing into her skin without leaving so much as a scar. With that, Leo took the hands away and shook them until they weren't so sore. "That was probably the smallest lattice I've ever had to manipulate." He commented to himself, before looking over to Rye directly, "Alright, how do you feel? Do you remember how to speak?"
Only now did Leo get distracted. It was a woman with beautiful blonde curls and a revealing garb sitting by the bar. She was striking in every way Leo could think of, and his reaction was to grasp either side of his head with his elbows on the table and sound a lengthy groan while he looked at her. "Nononononono. Brain, I don't want any hallucinations, enough of this place is real already, don't overstep it," Leo was mumbling with such a low tone that it was as if he really was going mad, the rest of his words were in a whispered shout, words racing fast, "now your trying to top it off with an attractive lady in see-through silk? Just shut up would you!" He closed his eyes, then curled his hands into fists on his head. Opening his eyes wide facing the wood of the table and taking a sharp inward breath through his mouth, Leo came back realising his company. "My apologies, I think I am in desperate need of a drink." He said tersely.
In an attempt to distract himself from both the woman, and her kobold companion that just made Leopold even more uncomfortable, he sat up straighter and addressed the other woman, the one in the vibrant red cloak in front of them. "You! Alchemist! What did you say your name was?"
Assuming that the situation with the alchemist guilder was resolved, Leo pointed his hand to the surface of the table. "Now then, Rye, if you could lie comfortably on your back for a moment, we can begin."
Leo started with a simple movement, facing his hands together and tensing his fingers, allowing his fingertips to face their opposite. Without a word, and with a face completely devoid of distraction, Leo brought his fingertips together and a soft white glow emanated from between each of them. He held his fingers together like that for a few more moments, closing his eyes for a few seconds as the glow became slightly brighter. Then, with a careful, deliberate movement, he moved his hands away from one another. The glow from where his fingertips had made contact extended and drew out into thin, shining, semi-corporeal threads that conjoined his fingertips. As he moved his hands further and further apart, the threads became finer, until they were impossible to focus on. At this point, Leo flattened one hand, and brought his other hand to a position over Rye's body. The flattened hand seemed to let go of the glowing threads, leaving them dangling from the fingers of his other hand. With steady eyes and a steadier hand, Leo contracted his fingers on the threaded hand until they were almost touching, then the threads began to be drawn toward's Rye's throat, looking like they were trying to pull Leo's hand in with them. As the threads pulled, Leo held his breath and carefully lowered his hand until the threads contacted the skin on Rye's throat, at which point their tips seemed to phase into her. It was no doubt a strange experience for Rye, who likely was feeling as if she wanted to break into a coughing fit, but couldn't quite manage to no matter whether she wanted to or not. "Try to hold still," Leo mumbled, not taking his eyes of the threads for a second. With the fingers of his other hand, he made tiny movements near to the thread. The threads made corresponding tiny flicks and movements at Leo's whim.
While the treatment lasted a full twelve minutes at least, during which Leo didn't stop to perceive anything other than his task, Rye would likely have started to feel a soothing relief in her throat from the second minute onwards. By the fifth minute, the tickling coughing feeling began to subside, and by the tenth minute the soreness was completely gone. There was, of course occasional tiny sharp pains in her throat during the process, the kind of sharp pain akin to stepping on a pointy seed. When Leo finished, he flattened the hand that held the threads and they all coursed into Rye's neck completely, their glow disappearing into her skin without leaving so much as a scar. With that, Leo took the hands away and shook them until they weren't so sore. "That was probably the smallest lattice I've ever had to manipulate." He commented to himself, before looking over to Rye directly, "Alright, how do you feel? Do you remember how to speak?"
Only now did Leo get distracted. It was a woman with beautiful blonde curls and a revealing garb sitting by the bar. She was striking in every way Leo could think of, and his reaction was to grasp either side of his head with his elbows on the table and sound a lengthy groan while he looked at her. "Nononononono. Brain, I don't want any hallucinations, enough of this place is real already, don't overstep it," Leo was mumbling with such a low tone that it was as if he really was going mad, the rest of his words were in a whispered shout, words racing fast, "now your trying to top it off with an attractive lady in see-through silk? Just shut up would you!" He closed his eyes, then curled his hands into fists on his head. Opening his eyes wide facing the wood of the table and taking a sharp inward breath through his mouth, Leo came back realising his company. "My apologies, I think I am in desperate need of a drink." He said tersely.
In an attempt to distract himself from both the woman, and her kobold companion that just made Leopold even more uncomfortable, he sat up straighter and addressed the other woman, the one in the vibrant red cloak in front of them. "You! Alchemist! What did you say your name was?"
Fendros held his bow up to his chest in both hands. One thousand years was of course pushing possibilities without some sort of magical assistance, but it didn't alter Ahnasha's point. It was something that he had reasoned as to why he would never try to get too connected with too many people of non-elven races, that was before he joined the pack, before he fell in love with Ahnasha. It was all such a nice dream up until this point that it wasn't something he had remembered. Now that he had been reminded, it suddenly became rather hard to breathe. Fendros sat himself down in front of her, putting his bow to one side. His eyes looked at the ground next to him, his thoughts whirring and churning like an small ocean.
"Ahnasha, I..." He tried to look at her, but the pain in her face was difficult. "Come here, I'll tell you something..." Fendros shifted himself to get close to Ahnasha and took her hand between his hands. The words came to him slowly, he had to think carefully, but there was a hope in his mind that he wanted to express. An inevitability that had a harsh truth, but one that Fendros could not see an alternative to. "Ahna..." Fendros stopped to breathe, stroking her hand with his thumb while he held her, "... we elves are cursed with our lifespans. We have to be the ones who watch all good things in the world come to an end." He managed to look up at her now, the words in his mind assembled, "Ahna, you have made me happier than I could ever be in my life, in this... in this, my fate is sealed. You see... my great aunt, Mirasi, she wasn't a black sheep because she was disagreeable. It was because she fell in love with a Nord. I never knew who this Nord was beyond his first name but it just so happened that he died shortly before the Red Year commenced... with what she wrote about him, and how I feel now, I finally understand what really happened to her. She lived more than most Dunmer, I keep finding that out more and more. There was no more living for her to do." Fendros paused and let the implications sink in for a moment. "... I cannot imagine those hundreds of years I might live either, Ahna. I don't know whether it's just me being young and stupid, but all the living I want to do is with you." Fendros brought his hands, along with Ahnasha's hands up to the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. "My promise that you would not be alone, the one I made weeks ago. All the hunters, all the gods in the world be damned if it is not their will. I won't break it." Fendros reached and placed his hand on Ahnasha's cheek, his own eyes were saddened and grieving as they stared into hers, "I cannot break it."
With the clinking of bottles and the chatter of their voices, Ariel, Janius and Sabine emerged into the main chamber of the cave, laden with alchemical supplies. Ariel wore a bright smile as she entered, it looked like her and Janius had a fine time entertaining each other with their company. Sabine didn't really feel the need to speak during their journey, but there was a colour to her cheeks, a healthy one.
Janius and Ariel deposited their crates near the light of the fire so they could sort through what they brought back, while a couple of paces away, Sabine went about organising what they had brought back in the sack. "Hello again, everyone!" Ariel announced cheerfully, "Meesei, I brought you what you asked for, as well as what will be needed. Come, I'll show you."
Firstly, Ariel removed a number of vials of restoring potions, both for magicka and physical health. "These will come in handy for quick treatments, of course." Ariel said.
The next five bottles were all of an odd set of colours and consistencies, and had Ariel's strange brand names. "These are for helping to cast spells. I brought two for making illusion easier, one for restoration, one for destruction, and finally one for channeling magicka in general, though it is not as effective for any particular school of magic as the other ones."
Not even stopping to catch her breath, Ariel pulled out seven bottles of sickly-cream coloured liquid. "This is my special invisibility mix. They don't last long so I brought all I had. I can use illusion magic to sustain my own invisibility, but I thought you or your pack might want to make use of them yourselves."
"And finally..." Ariel strained to reach in and pull out a wine-bottle sized deep red mixture, "... This is your medicine. Enough of this could remake the flesh on Tiber Septim's bones. I also have a little spice to add which should dissipate any traces of silver left. It'll probably make your entire body a little sore, but if it doesn't make you as fresh as when you were born, then nothing will heal you." Ariel handled the hefty potion carefully to Meesei. "Sip it slowly, don't try to drink it all at once." She was quick to make clear.
"The rest of it is... some of my equipment... some more ingredients..." Ariel excitedly pulled out various items from the crates like she had come back from a day of shopping for clothes in the Imperial City, "some inflammation ointment for Ahnasha... aha!" Ariel pulled out a green bottle filled with what appeared to be a clear liquid, "Lorag, this is for you. I don't think it's within my means to help your kneecap any more than what is being done now, but this..." Ariel pulled the stopper from the bottle and almost immediately the entire room reeked of menthol and chamomile. It was somewhat pleasant, but rather overwhelming, "... if you rub this on the skin around your knee every few hours, it'll deal with the pain for longer than potions will, and it will make sure that your cartilage stays healthy." Ariel explained it all rather proudly, obviously being used to the smell, as well as not having the nose of a lycan. She handed the bottle to Lorag.
"Oh! And of course I brought back enough ingredients to make enough of the suppression gas resisting potion to last the entire pack at least a few doses each." Ariel concluded, gesturing to the sack that Sabine carried back. "Um, where are Fendros and Ahnasha, by the way?"
"Ahnasha, I..." He tried to look at her, but the pain in her face was difficult. "Come here, I'll tell you something..." Fendros shifted himself to get close to Ahnasha and took her hand between his hands. The words came to him slowly, he had to think carefully, but there was a hope in his mind that he wanted to express. An inevitability that had a harsh truth, but one that Fendros could not see an alternative to. "Ahna..." Fendros stopped to breathe, stroking her hand with his thumb while he held her, "... we elves are cursed with our lifespans. We have to be the ones who watch all good things in the world come to an end." He managed to look up at her now, the words in his mind assembled, "Ahna, you have made me happier than I could ever be in my life, in this... in this, my fate is sealed. You see... my great aunt, Mirasi, she wasn't a black sheep because she was disagreeable. It was because she fell in love with a Nord. I never knew who this Nord was beyond his first name but it just so happened that he died shortly before the Red Year commenced... with what she wrote about him, and how I feel now, I finally understand what really happened to her. She lived more than most Dunmer, I keep finding that out more and more. There was no more living for her to do." Fendros paused and let the implications sink in for a moment. "... I cannot imagine those hundreds of years I might live either, Ahna. I don't know whether it's just me being young and stupid, but all the living I want to do is with you." Fendros brought his hands, along with Ahnasha's hands up to the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. "My promise that you would not be alone, the one I made weeks ago. All the hunters, all the gods in the world be damned if it is not their will. I won't break it." Fendros reached and placed his hand on Ahnasha's cheek, his own eyes were saddened and grieving as they stared into hers, "I cannot break it."
With the clinking of bottles and the chatter of their voices, Ariel, Janius and Sabine emerged into the main chamber of the cave, laden with alchemical supplies. Ariel wore a bright smile as she entered, it looked like her and Janius had a fine time entertaining each other with their company. Sabine didn't really feel the need to speak during their journey, but there was a colour to her cheeks, a healthy one.
Janius and Ariel deposited their crates near the light of the fire so they could sort through what they brought back, while a couple of paces away, Sabine went about organising what they had brought back in the sack. "Hello again, everyone!" Ariel announced cheerfully, "Meesei, I brought you what you asked for, as well as what will be needed. Come, I'll show you."
Firstly, Ariel removed a number of vials of restoring potions, both for magicka and physical health. "These will come in handy for quick treatments, of course." Ariel said.
The next five bottles were all of an odd set of colours and consistencies, and had Ariel's strange brand names. "These are for helping to cast spells. I brought two for making illusion easier, one for restoration, one for destruction, and finally one for channeling magicka in general, though it is not as effective for any particular school of magic as the other ones."
Not even stopping to catch her breath, Ariel pulled out seven bottles of sickly-cream coloured liquid. "This is my special invisibility mix. They don't last long so I brought all I had. I can use illusion magic to sustain my own invisibility, but I thought you or your pack might want to make use of them yourselves."
"And finally..." Ariel strained to reach in and pull out a wine-bottle sized deep red mixture, "... This is your medicine. Enough of this could remake the flesh on Tiber Septim's bones. I also have a little spice to add which should dissipate any traces of silver left. It'll probably make your entire body a little sore, but if it doesn't make you as fresh as when you were born, then nothing will heal you." Ariel handled the hefty potion carefully to Meesei. "Sip it slowly, don't try to drink it all at once." She was quick to make clear.
"The rest of it is... some of my equipment... some more ingredients..." Ariel excitedly pulled out various items from the crates like she had come back from a day of shopping for clothes in the Imperial City, "some inflammation ointment for Ahnasha... aha!" Ariel pulled out a green bottle filled with what appeared to be a clear liquid, "Lorag, this is for you. I don't think it's within my means to help your kneecap any more than what is being done now, but this..." Ariel pulled the stopper from the bottle and almost immediately the entire room reeked of menthol and chamomile. It was somewhat pleasant, but rather overwhelming, "... if you rub this on the skin around your knee every few hours, it'll deal with the pain for longer than potions will, and it will make sure that your cartilage stays healthy." Ariel explained it all rather proudly, obviously being used to the smell, as well as not having the nose of a lycan. She handed the bottle to Lorag.
"Oh! And of course I brought back enough ingredients to make enough of the suppression gas resisting potion to last the entire pack at least a few doses each." Ariel concluded, gesturing to the sack that Sabine carried back. "Um, where are Fendros and Ahnasha, by the way?"
Yay! Now I can make a post tonight after work!
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