Still trucking along. I've gotten up to page 22 or so. Have a brief recount of my reactions.

Wait, why are they going to Crowhaven? Must be Gils' Aggie-complex.

Keep it in your pants, Gils.

Hmm, rather convenient for the big man to show up in the final room. Makes me wonder how long he's been following the horny pair as they blew up vampires.

Covered in blood now? Err, that might lead to trouble down the road.

Whee, it's Fathis! That means awkward funtimes are going to get even more awkward and fun!

And down he goes again. You would think he'd learned to guard his face by now.

Gils? Gils?! Curse you, Aggie! Curse YOU!!! I'll miss the bloke. Sure, he was a womanizer as bad as Fathis (worse even), mind-controlled for ages etc. But just when he was getting out of it!

Woah, I guess the count isn't a fan of letting kids and unmarried women visit his castle.

“Malan keeps sticking things inside me.”
Well, since Foxy is not around, let me be the one to quote this.

‘Malan said that bodies were worn for brief moments in time, but ancients see the souls within and recognize them,’
This is very cool!

Poor Maxical. If Janus is right, she probably should be hoping Fathis is dead. Her pain comes through loud and clear in this episode. Well, I’ll hold out hope for the Caped Argonian Tribal Crusaders and their hostage recovery mission.

This post has been edited by Acadian: Nov 14 2012, 01:29 AM

I decided to join here since the story is further along on here than fanfiction dot net.

This story has me rolling on my bed laughing, bawling, and every emotion in between. I frequently get funky looks from my fiance asking "What happened NOW?" hahaha!

Keep going! Not a lot of fanfics keep my sttention! Usually once I hit a break or they're writing another chapter I go "Oh." and forget about it. Not this one!

Like Elisabeth hollow, I come from fanfiction.net and decided to make an account here. When a story is good I tend to sit down and read for hours, so I've somehow managed to catch up on everything. This has to be one of the best fanfiction stories I've read so far. You are a wonderful writer and I can't wait for the next chapter. Thanks for the wonderful story.

By the way is there any way to chage my accout picture to one from my computer?

This post has been edited by King Of Beasts: Nov 16 2012, 03:07 AM

Yes - Welcome and thank you so much to both you and Elisabeth Hollow! I wrote some instructions on how to open up your PM mailing box on the "Introduce yourself" thread just in case.

Go to your "Control Panel" and a row of options will appear on the left side. Scan down to the "Avatar" setting and click on it. That will open up a screen with a "Browse" feature that will allow you to upload an image from your PC. It should be a certain size like 100 X 100 - mine is 90 X 90 and fits perfectly. Anything larger will begin to be resized by the uploader.

Thank you both so much for coming here to read the story, and for your kind words about it!

Malan keeps sticking things inside me


Why choose Maxical indeed? He’s doing everything he can to get Maxical back under his control.

… it involves her being poached by another ancient….
Janus was pretty eager to offer that service.

Who’s Blenwyth?

Janus is worse than Maxical at remaining inconspicuous, I didn’t think such a thing was possible! Is Maxical developing some kind of power with her thoughts?

Maxical’s in danger of being turned into a vampire again! Hassildor better not!

I do agree that Maxical needs to know what happened, but now that Janus has done it I wish he didn’t.

Something is happening that I don't think we can see.

If you ever have any questions regarding the chapters, feel free to ask - I never mind clearing anything up (as long as I can do it without spoilers).

So glad you and King Of Beasts like the story!

Oh no, I'm caught up, thanks plus, I like surprises!!

Tea on the monitor! ROFL!


It didn’t take long for Janus to volunteer for poaching duty! How funny that he was even more obvious than Maxical when she tried to give him a secret signal. I really like the notion that the grieving vampire could find the same chosen soul when they were born in another body.

Ugh, Maxical has more grief coming, and hopefully she’ll get to remember what happens this time. I have a feeling that Foxy will be in a bad way when they find him, too. Yikes!!

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@ Jack Cloudy - Thank you very much Jack! Your summary had me in stitches! Thank you so much for reading, Jack!

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@ Acadian - Thank you so very much Acadian! That was my Foxy line for that chapter, hoping to lure him back where he belongs, lol.

Janus is right, (Chapter 178 was real, Malan just erased her memory of that happening). Thank you so much again, Acadian!

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@ Elisabeth Hollow - Thank you very much Elisabeth! This comment made my day big time! I still picture your fiance singing Antoine Dodson and asking what kind of Fic you were reading, lol. Thank you so very much for those kind words, that so tickled me to hear, as did your coming here to read ahead!

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@ King Of Beasts - Thank you very much KOB! GAAAH! What happened to your werewolf avatar picture? It showed up, now it is gone! Thank you so very much, for both your kind words and for reading; both are so appreciated!

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@ King Coin - Thank you very much KC! You are right, Janus all but said he’s the only one they need turn to, lol.

Maxical isn’t developing any powers, she knew Janus was eavesdropping on her thoughts, so sent one directly to him. Although he was used to his own kind sending him thoughts, no mortal had ever done that to him before, it felt strange to him.

** Greywyn Blenwyth = Tamriel's most powerful vampire assassin. He founded the Crimson Scars (after getting a vision from Sithis). They were a group of vampire assassins that tried to overthrow the Black Hand (by infiltrating the Dark Brotherhood and infecting all the members with Porphyric Hemophilia) in 3E 421.

One turned-vampy member (Silarian) sang like a pigeon to the Black Hand, and they ordered a “Purification” in which all the members of the Dark Brotherhood were killed in one night within the sanctuary, turning it into “a sea of blood.”

Only three escaped the Purge: Greywyn himself (who escaped to “Deepscorn Hollow,” vowing the Crimson Scars would rise again), Rowley Eardwulf, and Vicente Valtieri (who somehow schmoozed his way out of that purge).

I’m with you on that, he could have been a little gentler with her on that - and on Uriel, who was Fathis’s good friend. Thank you so much again, KC!

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@ Grits - Thank you so very much Grits! Lol, that was my Foxy line of the chapter, lol. Yeah, Janus technically excluded everyone but himself, lol.



I‘m really glad you liked that. I thought really hard about what it would be like to live centuries before writing the ancient vampires in the story (hoping they’d come across as legitimate, but still be interesting, lol). Having compatible souls marked, reincarnation, it just seemed right (hoped others would think so too).

Eyja will have to clear the mind control for Maxical to remember what happened that day, and then the memory will only come when Akatosh releases it (He has been doing something with her memories too since that night he showed her that vision in the Bloodworks).

Thank you so very much again, Grits!


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Chapter 185: Allusions Of Truths As Illusions Cloak Lies


Hannibal doused me so heavily with calming spells and nausea potion that I could barely move or keep my eyes open. My eyelids and limbs felt heavy and disconnected from me, everything was numb except my mind…it raced with dread, fear for Fathis. Hannibal said I’d sleep for eight to twelve hours…there wasn’t enough potion on Nirn to knock me out right now.

Muted voices came from Uriel’s chambers, for once I had no interest in eavesdropping. I staggered up and slid the bolts to lock all the doors into the room and then stumbled back to the bed. I had to cling to the headboard and lean against the wall to stay sitting upright.

“Malan? I know you can hear me, Malan please. I need to know…please talk to me…” My words sounded dopey and drawled out strangely, my voice was barely audible to my own ears.

As if he’d been waiting for my call a visible vapor appeared rolling rapidly toward me, mushrooming in size. Malan stepped out of the middle of the mist like a conjured being summoned from another realm.

“You called me to your side, now Dagoth-Malan has to wonder what’s going on in that little cat head of yours.”

Malan paused in front of me, cupping his hand under my chin to lift my face to his. “I read what’s on your mind, Lass. What on Nirn got you thinking I did something like that to your man Fathis?”

“Janus.”

“Well, remind me to thank him for that. You can‘t hardly sit up, Lass! What did Traven give you?”

How could I say those words aloud without screaming…

“My neck was tore up like dogs scavenged me, and my wrist too. He said you used it to tease Fathis so he’d comply, that he chewed on me and…drank my blood, that three days was enough for blood to grow back. Janus said you…you…took Fathis’s soul.”






***


“You think Lass, and you’ll know what’s truth. You grieved over those bloodstains at the Arena that day, blood everywhere but you rightly knew Fathis’s from the rest both there and on the mezzanine. Mortals can’t lose that much blood and live, you know your man is gone. My army killed him that first day the war broke, you know it. That‘s why I came to you that day, to ease the pain I knew my army’d caused.”

“Dead! But that night at the Temple you said he was alive!”

“I said a lot of things that night, so did you. None of them true from either of us.”

“But…you’re stuffed full of souls, I know you are!”

“Aye, but not his. Your man died while I was impersonating him, you saw me and knew it wasn’t him. It’s truth, Lass. I was too far away to get back in time. When I got to him, his was already gone to whomever he’d promised it to.”

“But…you had his same mysteries.”

“All Arbiters are given the same so we can teach any.”


Please gods let him be telling the truth.


“Think, Lass. You promised Janus he’d be the one, then I got there instead. He asked you to compensate him for the broken promise, prove it was him you wanted. You refused. You know that made him mad, he grew to a giant with Uriel in the next room! Now he’s filling your head with poison about Dagoth-Malan, hopes you‘ll get mad at me and turn back to him like you did that night in the Temple. The only thing I did was exactly what I told you that day at the Arena. Free choice as long as your choice was me, I’d not see you go to another.”

“Then how did it happen? My neck and wrist, I mean. And why did you keep me in your lair three days before mating me?”

“Lassie, I’ve never seen someone get as sick as you did, and that’s no lie. You vomited more than the Red Mountain erupting, my feathers were coated and may never come clean. All that heaving and carrying on, almost dropped you twice in flight. My bird had to grip so tight with its talons and once with its beak…it cut you, I‘ve never had that happen before. Half of Cyrodiil was coated in your blood, the other half in your vomit. Aye, it cut your neck and wrist.”






***


“The smell of my blood didn’t bother you?”

“It near killed me not to taste it then, Lass. But you’d have died if I had. I healed you…”

“No you didn’t. You’re a master healer, that healing was amateur.”

“You got me, Lass. I can’t say I didn’t leave the traces on purpose, knowing they’d blame Janus. The lad needed a lesson taught.”

“What about me, did I need a lesson too? You left me near dead for days, Malan. I was in the Dreamsleeve…no wait, that was Eyja‘s breasts. But anyway, I was between this realm and the next.”

“I’d have healed you as soon as they took Janus off, but damn Traven and Eyja wouldn’t leave your side long enough for me to do it! I stayed right there in your room, watched over you. If you’d worsened I’d have shown myself and healed you, that’s the truth. First time they left you alone for twenty minutes you were healed, you know that.“

Dear gods I wanted to believe him…Janus was right, I’d rather Fathis be dead than…a minion without his soul. Malan looked me in the eye the whole time, and his voice rang with truth. There was no overt attempts with body language trying to look believable, nothing that would alert me he was lying. Everything was stated as fact. But Uriel’s words kept repeating in my mind, I could hear him saying them.

Malan is an uncanny con. Until we have proof Fathis is dead we must assume he lives and Malan holds him in that dungeon. Whatever it takes, your focus must remain in saving Fathis regardless of anything Malan says or does.

“I’m in over my head, Malan. I don’t know who to believe anymore. Janus has lied to me before, but you…I know I can’t trust you, you’ve proven that. I need proof Fathis is dead? Where’s his body?”

“That’s something you’d have to ask your Gils and that Captain Renault. They took it, Gils thought I’d desecrate it like some barbarian. Listen to me, Lassie. It was wrong to do what I did to you, I know it. I already knew then I’d not let you go. I had her soul right there, you asleep…got greedy. Thought Dagoth-Malan could have it all. You were right to be mad. I took her out, she’s gone from you for good. She wasn’t there when we were together, Lass. That‘s the truth.”

“She wasn’t?” Inside me I hoped he‘d removed her for that.

“Nae, Lass. ‘Twas just us.”






***


“How did you just happen to have her soul on you when she died a century ago?”

“You see this amulet hanging off my breastplate? The stone in the center is a black soul gem. She’s been with me always since she died. You said it right, it was a stupid thing to do. In a century I never did that to anyone. Thinking about that connection between us, it got me to thinking about the connection she and I had.”

“Uriel said she’s been there at least since my graduation because that‘s when Janus started following her. He thinks you stuck her in me that night at the orphanage and she was the connection I felt between us.”

“Uriel is like Traven, thinks everything I do is connected to deep plots. They see conspiracy where there is none. She was put in you that night in the Bloodworks.”

“Why me, Malan?”

“Why do you think?”

“I don’t know, revenging an enemy? Because you tasted my blood and got obsessed by it?”

“That I did, Lass. Aye, I was obsessed with your scent after tasting you that day, but it was more than that. You saved my life. There’s no bigger promise than that to an ancient. Before that I held your promise eleven years.“

“But you released me from that promise!”

“Words aren’t deeds, Lass. I watched and waited for that promise all those years, planned for it and anticipated the day. Ancient’s lives are counted in centuries, women and blood come and go with ease. My following would be bigger than your man Fathis’s was if I wanted it to be. It palls, but anticipation never does. You saved my life, thought you’d keep your word of your own accord. You see how that worked out, you threw yourself on Janus. Seeing you with him brought a rage I’ve not felt in centuries. I told you I’d not see you go to another, Maxical.”






***


“Your rage was because Amiela was inside me, you threatened to have your army kill me. If she wasn‘t in me you would have.”

“Threats aren’t deeds, Lass. Ancients aren’t mortals, we are ruled by a nature as feral as your leopard. Anyone but Janus would have been in pieces for touching you. I was that close to just snatching you out of that Temple, but you all but spit in my eye with the free choice I’d promised. I had to give it the only way I could and end with you mine. Dagoth-Malan won’t give you cause to fear again.”

“Why? I don’t understand, Malan.”

He spell-cast his armor off and sat down on the bed in just his loincloth, leaning his back against the wall and scooping me to him. “I’m claiming you. You know it, felt it inside when it happened.”

“No you’re not. You poached me with that trick so your heart stays with her. I’m the only one who’s on the line by that thing you did inside me. Why the trick if you are claiming me?”

“You want to do it right then? We’ll go back to Theryon right now, make a fresh start.”

“Huh? Uh…that’s not what I meant.”

“Lassie, you were too sick to walk in of your own power, or it would have been done right. I’m ready and willing to make that commitment with you whenever you give the word. Until then you’ll have every privilege a chosen should, I’ll see to that.”

“Ready! You’re not ready, Malan. Not when you’re sticking your dead wife inside people you’re supposedly interested in. If you were ready your own nature would provide you a chosen and you wouldn’t be poaching me.”

“Willing then. It’s truth Dagoth-Malan isn’t over his grieving, but neither are you Lass. It‘s saving your life I am, you know it. As Arbiter if I don’t take you as my own you’ll face death for those mysteries you learned from young Gils, mysteries you proved knowing in your taking.”






***


Uriel was right, Malan was an uncanny con. Disarming. Everything he said made perfect sense, if it was anyone but him I’d have believed every word. I sure didn’t want to call his bluff and end up his chosen…maybe he counted on that.

“Words and threats aren’t deeds, what of your actions then? You drank my blood, Malan. I have to feel safe. The tome said you’re bound from hurting chosen, but you have.”

“That’s not something we choose, Lass. The virgin blood does something to us, it has more power over us than we have over the nature. There is no stopping that drive, I had to take it or go mad. Both times I took from you, I tried to breed you so you wouldn’t die. The first time you killed my ability to with your knee. This time I made sure the deed was done before tasting it, because once it’s on your tongue there is no stopping.”

“That’s what Janus said. It sickens me.”

“I know it does, Lass.”

Malan cupped my chin in his hand, lifting my face to his.

“Read my eyes, Maxical. I can’t help what I am. The nature makes us do things we can’t live with as men. I’ve had to live with the vampire out, because the man would have killed himself for what the vampire did. It’s the nature of the beast, we can’t help what we are. You know more about me than anyone, save Traven. But you’ve also seen the side no one has but my wife. You bring that side out in me, you know it.”

I dropped my eyes. Dear gods it was hard not to believe every word. He came across as open, frank and candid. I clung to Uriel’s instructions, thinking them over and over in my mind like a mantra to give me strength and focus for what I had to do.

Malan is an uncanny con. He has Fathis…he has Fathis…don’t believe a word he says, I’m just a means to an end that will avail him…whatever it takes, he has Fathis.


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I don't know what's wrong with my avatar it keeps disappearing. I'll figure it out. Another great chapter, but I'm having a little trouble believing Malan myself. I'm pretty sure he's lying though. He's one tough opponent, Thad for sure.

Right click on the picture you want, check the properties, see what size it is. It may just be too big. You may need to resize it or choose a smaller pic.

** And yes, Malan is lying through his teeth. He is a pro at lying and manipulating.

Everything he said had just enough known truth in it that it would connect readily to things Maxical knew were true - then he just twisted the end around to make him sound innocent (and believable/honest).

Maxical is too naive to be dealing with a con like Malan, Uriel was right about that.

I did resize it but it kept disappearing. Not sure what's going in. I'll figure it out somehow.

This post has been edited by King Of Beasts: Nov 17 2012, 03:55 PM

If you see someone else's avatar you like, you can right click directly on it and copy it to your PC or get the properties (and it will be the right size).

I had no interest in eavesdropping
This isn’t Maxical! Is Malan impersonating her? (kidding!)

Oh my gosh here comes Malan. How does she so casually call out to that beast? Thank goodness he still has plans for her; else he’d just squish her like a bug. But still, this is a horrible time for him to start working on her, she’s vulnerable.

That lying [censored]! I’m so glad Maxical isn’t just accepting what he’s saying even if she wants to. She’s still listening, but she has doubts, she’s keeping Uriel’s warning in mind.

You saved my life. There’s no bigger promise than that to an ancient.
Here we go again with the promises. Shouldn’t he owe her one and not the other way around? Vampires. You can’t hold a door open for him without him thinking you just promised your soul to him or something.

It’s creepy how she wants to believe him so badly, even after everything he’s done to her.

This post has been edited by King Coin: Nov 17 2012, 07:20 PM

‘I was in the Dreamsleeve…no wait, that was Eyja‘s breasts.’

Gosh, that Malin has a silky smooth and smarmy answer for everything! Uriel is so right and I’m glad that Maxical kept his admonishments in mind. Given the vast age and experience differential between Malan and Maxical, she acquitted herself well!

I knew I was missing something! Loved this line too!

Poor Maxical! Sounds like she has that feeling where no news could ever possibly be good again. Just checking to make sure I’m getting it, is Maxical calling Malan because he’s built the dependency into her, because he’s the one who can answer about Fathis, or both? I’m thinking both, and she’s not thinking ahead that she won’t be able to trust what he says anyway.

Malan is such an impressive liar. Uriel would have kittens if he knew Maxical was in there cuddled up with him! Argh!