Too short by far !!!!!!!!! Tell RL to take a hike! Kalila has always been too serious - both sisters are, and with good reason. It is amazing how you manage to create an ominous undertone in a simple joining of the Mages Guild - and all I can think of is what is going on with Tara and Clarissa while Kalila is here in Anvil - and when will the sister's worlds collide, lol. I love this story, I think you have found your niche in that little touch of darkness that hovers between love, madness, and necromancy. Awesome Write, as always!

Elizabeth Hollow~ Welcome I hope you continue to be intrigued!

McBadgere~ Oh, there's so much more story bottled up and ready to burst!

SubRosa~ Kestrella's name might be somewhat related to the bird. Her name at first was just Kestrel, named after this and looked like this. In time her look changed to this and her personality changed to what it is now. Kestrel was too serious, but Kestrella had a nicer, more cheerful sound to it.

PhonAnitPhon~ Aww thanks I'm glad that Tara is the kind of character that hooks people!

Grits~ And I'm glad to be back! I hope to rope in more of Kestrella wherever she fits. She's really fun to write!

mALX~ I know! This was my get-back-there post so it was a bit shorter than I wanted it. ♥





The instructions were simple: go to the Brina Cross Inn and speak with Arielle Jurard. Carahil gave her a small satchel and a few scrolls of resist frost, as apparently frost magic has been involved. Other than that, Carahil didn’t go into too much detail. Kalila got the feeling that she didn’t want to scare her off.

The way to the Brina Cross Inn was so similar, yet so different than the heartland of the Imperial City. It was still as green as ever, though instead of deep forest, the area was filled with rolling hills and tall golden grass. She could still smell a hint of salt water in the air. It was still warm, but a lot breezier.

It didn’t take long before she reached the inn. It was set just off the curved path. She supposed that she could have saved some time by leaving the main road, but she didn’t want to risk getting lost.

The inn was no larger than a house, built from stone and clay with a straw roof. It was quiet, unlike a lot of the inns in the Imperial City. When she entered, she only saw a handful of people. The name she was given suggested a Breton. Kalila turned to her gaze to a Breton seated at a small table by a window. The woman was dressed in a simple brown outfit. Their eyes met and she greeted Kalila with a smile.

“Hello stranger,” she said. “What can I do for you?”

Kalila didn’t sit in the empty chair across from her. She glanced around and said in a low voice, “I’m Kalila. I was told to come here and ask for you.”

Arielle nodded, her own eyes trailing around the room. “Carahil has sent you, has she not?”

Kalila nodded.

“Go and speak with Christophe.” She motioned to a balding man behind the counter. “Rent a room for the night. Once you have your room, I will meet you there. If anyone asks, you are a traveling merchant, nothing more. Do not say otherwise to anyone.” As soon as Kalila gave another nod, she said in a louder voice. “No, friend. I'm afraid I don't know the way to Cheydhinhal, but good luck in your travels. Please excuse me." She got up and went upstairs to where Kalila assumed she would be waiting.

She managed a disappointed expression, the way she figured one would look if they were a traveling merchant headed the wrong way to Cheydinhal, as she took a seat at the bar. Christophe approached her immediately.

“Welcome to the Brina Cross Inn,” he said with a smile. “Can I interest you in something to eat, or perhaps a bed for the night?”

Kalila was pretty hungry. The thought of even a piece of bread and butter sounded heavenly. However, she was on business and whatever it was that Carahil needed her destructive talents had to be more pressing. She would grab a bite as soon as she got back to Anvil. In fact, since they were on the coast, she might just be able to find octopus. Her mouth watered at the thought.

She turned her attention back to Christophe. “A room please.”

“Sure, sure,” he nodded. “I’ve got a couple available for thirty septims.”

As Kalila dug into her pouch and produced the money, he continued chatting. “Let me guess, traveling on business? You don't look like you’re out for a stroll.”

She hesitated for a moment. “Yes. To Cheydinhal.”

“Ah, yes,” he said with a sigh. “Thought so. We get many of them traveling through here. Well, we used to. Haven’t seen as many lately, what with the… well, you know.”

When Kalila’s eyebrows raised, he suddenly seemed sheepish. He rubbed the back of his head before handing her a key. “Oh, it’s nothing. Never mind.”

Nothing my golden bronze— Her thought was interrupted by an Altmer standing before her. Kalila couldn’t help wondering about her age. Elves usually appeared to be almost ageless, but this woman’s face was etched with wrinkled. Her hair had begun to take on a brassy golden color. “Pardon me,” she said. “But did I hear you say that you're a traveling merchant?”

“Yes. I’m going to Cheydinhal.” She mentally kicked herself for repeating that line over and over. It couldn’t sound natural.

The Altmer frowned. “Don't you worry, what with the recent killings and all?”

Kalila’s stomach suddenly felt as if it were line with ice. Murders? Carahil sent her out to stop a murder? For the love of the gods, she was barely out of the University! This was a job for the Anvil guards! Or battlemages!

Or battlemages. The ice soon melted into a fire. This was her golden opportunity. It was exactly what she wanted, what she needed to prove to herself and possibly Arch Mage Traven that she was ready. If she could do this, there would be no reason other than a slight lacking in restoration skill to deny her a place with the battlemages.

The Altmer didn’t wait for Kalila to respond. “I'd be ever so scared, if it were me. I haven't left the Inn in days, just in case! Well, you take care of yourself. I'd hate to hear about another senseless death. Good luck to you!”

When she was alone again and heading up the stairs, she couldn’t suppress the trembling in her legs. Her first job. It wouldn’t be easy, but she could do it.

This post has been edited by Jacki Dice: Jan 27 2013, 05:15 AM

That sneaky Altmer! -wink-

Kalila can do it! I have faith in her!

You have really captured what I felt the first time I played this quest - GAAAAH! Oh Kalila, don't die and make Tara have to bring you back too! URK! Glad you added to the last post, it was almost a teaser, lol. Awesome Write!

PS: Where is the Philter of Frostwood when you need it? I was going to look up ingredients for her to pick if she had her mortar with her, lol.

This post has been edited by mALX: Jan 25 2013, 07:53 AM

Good heavens m'dear...Please, McB will do, it's what everyone else calls me... ...Well, at least to my face... ...

Another excellent chapter...I've always loved the area around Anvil and Brina Cross and you paint it wonderfully here...

Hopefully Kalila'll get the chance to shine with this task...Although I remember doing this quest on one of my high-level characters (I'd left the MG till last) and the fight was this huge thing with Frost Atronachs all over the place...And a dead Legionaire...And a couple of Minotaurs I seem to remember...

Aaaamywho, I'm sure it'll go much easier for Kalila... ...



Loved that line... ...

Teeny edit nit...



I'm guessing you meant Inn...*Winces*...Just sayin...Don't hit me?...*Shrinks*...

Excellent stuff!!!...

Nice one!...

*Applauds heartily*...

That's exactly what I thought the first time I did this quest. I love how Kalila's thoughts quickly turned the situation into a way to fill her ambitions.

That walk from Anvil to the Brina Cross is one of my favorites, and you did it golden justice here.

Elisabeth Hollow~ The very subtle Altmer Some of the other dialogue the wiki said she was supposed to have was a lot less obvious >.>

mALX~ You know.... Tara bringing her back would make it rather interesting *scribbles down some notes*

McB~ Oh, I don't mind the nits! Please, bring them to my attention whenever you notice them. So dead legionnaires and minotaurs? I'm glad I played the MG on an early enough level and before I started the MQ. Oblivion gates can get so inconvenient!

Grits~ Aww, thanks! I haven't touched Oblivion since Skyrim came out (I had to buy a new Xbox and need to restart >.<) so I was going by memory




Just as Kalila thought, Arielle had been waiting upstairs. As soon as she unlocked the door to her room, Arielle followed her inside.

The room contained a small bed with a worn out dresser next to it. A copy of Alessia Ottus’ Guide to Anvil sat on it next to an hourglass. The glass had clouded with age and dust. Bits of blue sand glittered in the candlelight. The cover of the book showed several signs of constant wear. The few blankets on the bed also seemed to have been put to several years of use. Something about that made Kalila feel a little sick. She took a seat on the very edge of the bed as Arielle began to speak.

“Alright, it should be safe to speak here,” Arielle said, closing the door behind them. “Once you've rested here for the night, you need to continue along the Gold Road, heading towards Kvatch. Do you know where that is?”

Kalila nodded. “East of here.”

“Good. I shall be following out of sight, along with a fellow battlemage. Make no attempts to speak to us for the rest of the night. Trust that we will protect you. Should you be confronted by this cowardly mage, do not hesitate to protect yourself by whatever means possible. Do you understand that? This person will not hold back, so you cannot either. This fight very well may be you or them.”

Kalila’s eyes lowered to the ground. This was a lot to take in. Not in the Guild for even a day and she was set up in a potentially deadly fight. She had been in a few fights in her life, but nothing that resulted in more than a flesh wound or a broken nose. She looked up at Arielle. The woman seemed to have complete confidence in her. Otherwise she would have simply told Kalila to stay out of the way or run for cover. Forcing up all the stubborn determination that she held inside of her for years, she nodded once more. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Once the mage has revealed himself, we will step in and settle the matter quickly. Now, make sure you get yourself some sleep. You'll need to be well-rested. And remember, don’t speak with anyone, not even me. We don’t know if the mage might be someone here.” She paused. “Any questions?”

Kalila thought for a moment. “Carahil gave me these scrolls.” She pulled them out of the satchel. “Frost shields. What exactly does the mage use?”

Arielle frowned. “Well, we’re not completely sure. The bodies have been found with several frost burns, so we do know that they will be using that against you. There were some markings on the ground nearby that suggest conjuration magic was at work, but by time we were able to investigate the area, we couldn’t tell if it was an atronach or something else.”

She nodded to herself. Not only would she need the shield scrolls, but flame attacks as well. If there were atronachs as well, that would require a little more planning. “Is it just the one mage?”

“As far as we know, yes. It’s certainly not a large group, picking on lone travelers. Larger groups tend to stick to caves or abandoned fortresses. Even if it’s a few of them, that’s why I have a partner coming along, just in case. Between the three of us, we’ll be able to take down a small group if it comes down to that.”

“So when do we leave?”

“I would suggest being ready to leave around seven. Sound good?”

“Yes.”

“Right then. See you in the morning.”

Kalila left the room shortly after Arielle did. She was going to need some food in her if she was going to be at her best.


She took the meal up to her room, though she still wasn’t sure about the cleanliness of the bed. The plate of seared slaughterfish with a slice of bread and olive oil sat on her lap. She picked at it as she traced her finger along her thigh. When not picking at her plate, her other hand found its way to the necklace her father had given her.

“So, I go down this road,” she said, tracing to the side. “And I should be attacked around this area, I suppose. So if there’s a group ready to ambush, they’d probably be around the rocks… if not, if it’s just the one, they might follow me the moment I walk out the door.” She frowned. “We can’t get into it too close to this place or else someone could get hurt.”

She let out a sigh, sweeping her hand over the imaginary map as if to erase it. There couldn't be a set plan. She wasn’t a general preparing to strike an opposing army. Not even a battlemage, like Arielle. Just a new face from the Mages Guild; a face that any mage who has been in the area for a while wouldn’t recognize. That was probably the point. Her skill in destruction was just icing on the cake.

After she finished her meal in silence, she set her satchel on the floor and laid her head on it. She took the hourglass and placed her hand on it. “Evigilare faciatis; horarum novem.” Most of the sand rose up to the top and slowly began to fall. Soon after she closed her eyes, she drifted away and dreamed of snow.

This post has been edited by Jacki Dice: Feb 15 2013, 07:31 AM

I'm excited to see how Kalilah handles herself! She sounds like she may panic. Hopefully not.

This quest freaked me out so badly the very first time I played the game! I went into my room and shut the door. Within seconds the door popped open and Caminalda shows up. "I'm ever so frightened!" - she leaves, leaving the door open. I go shut it. Seconds later, the door pops open - it's Arielle. She leaves, leaves the door open. So I go shut the door. I lay down to sleep, when I wake up Lucien Lachance was standing by the bed! I shrieked like a banshee! By the time he got done calling me a murderer (had no idea who I had murdered) - then I've got to go face this murderer in the road !!! I'm telling you, I was freaked out as hell. So I'm walking down the road and she just popped out of the bushes - I was standing there shrieking so badly that my character almost got killed. Never liked this quest since, lol.

I absolutely LOVED the hourglass trick - really good world building to have the mages able to do something like that using magic !!! What a great idea !!!!

Awesome Write !!!!!!

-points and laughs at mALX-


HAAAAA.

You should have seen me on that Mages Guild quest where Janus Hassildor pops up in your face out of nowhere hollering at you! You know he's a vampire, and he (supposedly) asks you to meet him at 2 am out in some field. So I'm scared to death anyway, thinking he's coming to drink my blood or something. I waited in the wrong place, but was close enough to trigger the quest I guess. Next thing I know I saw a bunch of guys in black robes running around, a fight going on, and there is Janus Hassildor yelling that he needs blood! Next thing I know, he is in my face yelling at me! I shrieked my head off! Woke my son up, he was in hysterics laughing at me.

This post has been edited by mALX: Feb 15 2013, 07:58 AM

-points and laughs at mALX again!!-

HAAAAHAAAAAA!!!!

If it's any consolation, I did the same thing XD

When Lucien first woke me up, I screeched and almost threw the controller.

Lol! I shouldn't have spammed Jacki's thread this way, urk.



This post has been edited by mALX: Feb 15 2013, 08:27 AM

I've finally caught up

I remember I started reading this when I first registered to chorrol, but I can't remember why I stopped reading. This is quite an entertaining story! I'm really enjoying this.










That quest really confused me. Arielle told me to fight back if I was attacked, but the lady attacking me didn't take damage when I attacked her

You guys got scared when Lucien appeared near your bed an Janus Hassildor killed a bunch of necromancers then screamed at you?

I almost died of a heart attack during the boots of springheel jak quest and the arrow if extrication quest.

I remember during the boots of springheel jak quest, I wasn't very happy to start with when Jakben Nel sent me into the basement and THEN I see a vampire, a skeleton, another vampire, and a lich! I had to fight through ALL of that just to get to the coffin, so I'm already on the edge. I got pretty mad when the boots weren't in the coffin, but I picked up the diary and read it. As soon as I close the damn book, done dude in full Mitchell armor is running at me with a ebony claymore declaring that he was going to kill me. I didn't expect the earl to do that, so I dropped the controller and fled the room while my character was getting murdered

The arrow of extrication quest scared me pretty bad too. All the conjurers were summoning a bunch of different things, trying to kill me with all kinds if monsters, and setting me on fire. When I finally get into the wizards tower, I keep heading up the stairs until I see Fathis Aren doing something with a mortar and pestle. He seemed docile, so I walked up to him without sneaking. He suddenly turns around and starts attacking me! I nearly dropped the controller a second time!

This post has been edited by King Of Beasts: Feb 15 2013, 02:03 PM

Excellent stuff!!...

Loving the description of the room, and her uncomfortable-ness with it...

Arielle is sooo pretty...

*Cough*...

Sorry, got a bit lost there...

Aaamywho...

Loved the imaginary map thing...That was excellent...And again, the hourglass was brilliant...Beautiful imagery...

Looking forward to the next bit...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

Oh my gosh, I LOVE the enchanted hourglass! And the way she didn't want to touch the bed, lol. Been there!!

Elisabeth Hollow~ As you'll see below, she handles it better than I would. >.>

mALX~ Wow sounds like you were pretty popular that night! Thanks though about the hourglass thing. Around the time of writing that chapter I went into a Harry Potter fit and read all seven books ♥ And even though wands aren't common, it gives some good ideas on practical uses of magic! Though they didn't do the hourglass one

King of Beasts~ Well, I'm glad you're back and getting caught up. (Talos knows I've been giving plenty of catching up time lately!)

McB~ Lol the dirty bed. I once lived in a house with five other young guys that weren't the cleanest of people >.> So... strange beds gave me that feeling.

Grits~ Glad you liked the hourglass too! Elder Scrolls is so awesome for having magic! It's one of my favorite things to write about... which is probably why a certain other story has gone neglected.





As commanded, the hourglass emptied the last of its sand nine hours after Kalila had set it. Bursts of blue light jumped from its top, bouncing on her face until her eyes opened. She sat up and twisted around until she was satisfied with the sound and feel of her spine popping. She grabbed her satchel and headed outside.

The air felt damp. Beads of dew sat on every surface, just starting to sparkle with the sun’s rays. Birds had begun chirping. A few butterflies danced from flower to flower. For a moment, Kalila was taken by the beauty of the area.

She had been expecting someone to start following her, so when she saw someone lunge from the bushes, she jumped in surprise.

Immediately, she recognized the high elf from the inn. She was still in her blue dress. The twigs and leaves in her hair made Kalila wonder if she had been waiting all night. "I'm afraid your journey ends here, traveler,” she said. “I'll be taking whatever you're carrying. After you're dead, of course. I do hope it's more than the last few had. They were most disappointing.”

Her arm was instantly clouded in frost. Kalila had only enough time to pull one of the scrolls out before she was hit with the burning freeze of her spell. Her arm and shoulder was coated in it. She did her best to ignore it as she read the incantation on the scroll. The parchment began to glow light blue. It suddenly grew rigid and shattered in her hands. The pieces surrounded her in a shield. Of course, it didn’t help the attack that had already hit her, but she was thankful to have some protection from any more.

Right after the shield formed, Kalila’s hands blossomed into flames and she began pelting the Altmer with her own attacks. The woman was quick, dodging most of the attacks before ducking behind some rocks.

Kalila held off on anything else until she was startled by the appearance of Arielle and an Imperial man. The both of them were fully suited in armor. The symbol of the Mages Guild was etched into the armor. Both of their heads were covered in the usual teal hood of battlemages.

“Is she back there?” Arielle asked, her eyes following where Kalila had been staring.

She nodded.

“Good. I don’t think she’s seen us. Go out to the rocks and try to lead her back here.”

Kalila dropped her bag and with both hands blazing, she began to fire shots toward the rocks, in hopes of luring her out. Instead of the Altmer, she came face to face with a frost atronach. The moment it emerged from behind the rocks, Kalila was surrounded by a sudden chill. With each step, the surrounding grass became coated with frost, the leaves on shrubs darkening instantly. The drops of dew became little pellets of ice. The creature itself stood at eight or nine feet, towering over Kalila and everything else in the area.

The flames engulfing her hands began to die down as she stared up at it. It wasn’t the first one she had seen, but it was the first one ever outwardly hostile to her. She could barely hear Arielle yelling over the pounding in her heart. Her body became overwhelmed with shivers and not all of it was from the cold.

The atronach slowly stomped toward her as its master took off the other way. It’s diamond-like body glittered in the sunlight, creating little flecks of rainbow on the ground. Against her will, she began to tremble. She cursed herself for it as the flames died down. Arielle seemed to be preoccupied with the rogue mage. She prayed that Arielle would finish her off quickly.

It took her a moment to register the other battlemage calling out to her. He was waving his arms toward them. Gaping craters filled the atronach’s back. Water gushed to the ground, freezing in place. With a crackling hiss, it turned to the man, stomping slowly toward him.

Kalila was unsure where to go. Each of the battlemages seemed to be holding their own just fine. Should she leave them to it? No, of course not. If she ran, she would never forgive herself whether or not the job got done.

She turned her attention to the mage herself. If she killed her, the atronach would vanish.

Dear gods, if she killed her? She had never killed a human being before! The very idea was nauseating. It wasn’t as if murder had never passed her mind. When Clarissa was killed, for months all she could think of was dishing out some well-deserved justice. And she had realized long ago that once she became a battlemage, she would have to deal with those who refused to come quietly. However, the difference between fantasizing and doing was vast. The fact that it was either their lives or the rogue mage’s only made it slightly easier. What would Tara do? Her older sister wasn’t a fighter, but she was always a good moral compass.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before running back in to the fight. Arielle’s shock spells were starting to take effect. The mage’s spells were starting to waver. It was only when she saw Kalila that she seemed to strengthen. She turned from Arielle and raising both hands, hit Kalila with a shock spell of her own.

Kalila had never been hit with anything like it. Her entire body contracted, yet spasmed involuntarily. The burning that coursed through her blinded her. She felt herself hit the ground. Everything was silent. She feared that she had gone deaf until she saw the Altmer on the ground, in a crumpled heap.

“Kalila?” She felt Arielle’s cool hand on her cheek. “Are you alright?”

Kalila wished there was a spell to eliminate tears, as they streaked down her face. She couldn’t find her voice, but she nodded.

“That was a nasty shock spell she got you with, but it looks like the magicka she needed made her drop her shield.” She held out her hand to Kalila. More than anything, she just wanted to remain on the ground, huddled in a ball.

The other battlemage made his way over. “Everything alright over here? The kid’s not hurt too badly is she?”

Kalila glared into the ground. Kid. And there she was proving it by crying into the dirt. She wiped her eyes with the back of her arm and allowed Arielle to help her up. “I’m fine,” she said. She didn’t try to take a step for fear that her knees would buckle under her.

“Well, you did it,” Arielle smiled. “Now that we have her, we can get to work on finding out who she is and sending a report to the Countess. And Carahil of course….” Her brows furrowed. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Fine,” Kalila managed a smile. “Really, it’s no…” Her voice gave out for a moment. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

“Alright… well, thank you.”

They shook hands and parted ways. Though Kalila had every intention of going back to Anvil, she bought a room at the Brina Cross in once more. Her body was in so much pain that she blocked out the disgust at the seedy bed and collapsed into it. Even in deep sleep, she felt her muscles ache.

She knew that as long as she chased the life of a battlemage, this pain would be only the beginning.

Oh, fair dues...That was excellent!... ...



Epic alarm clock!!... ...I absolutely loved that...Brilliantly done...

I loved the fight...The ice shield was brilliant...

Atronach!!...Oh yeah!!...That was a brilliant description of the terror of having one bearing down on you...And the way it melted from the inside out was nicely done...

As was the idea that the shocking of Kalila would take the magic from the nasty wee elf and be her undoing...

Brilliant fight!...And the post-adrenaline reaction to it was perfect...

Excellent story, loving it...As ever...

Oh, I also loved that she didn't care about the state of the bed in the end... ..

Nice one!!...

*Applauds most heartily*...

Oh, I loved the frost atronach!

Kalila did a great job keeping her composure at the beginning of her first fight. Then her reaction when she got seriously hurt felt genuine. But someone tried to kill her, and they didn’t. I like how she collapsed into the formerly unacceptable bed to sleep it off (and consider her future).

What would Tara do? Her older sister wasn’t a fighter, but she was always a good moral compass.

Yikes.

I'm getting here to read as soon as I can, Jackie! I'm sorry it is taking so long

This post has been edited by mALX: Jun 23 2013, 04:40 PM