Ahnaressu's Travels Ch. 6 Options

[Dantrag]

Ahnaressu walked through the camp as usual. The common glares he got no longer bothered him. He knew he was not of the tribe and never would be. He carried his last two buckets back to the camp, and made his way towards the old yurt he and Relgar now called home. The door to his yurt was quickly blocked by a young ashlander, about a year older than Ahnaressu. The older ashlander, named Yas, was obviously trying to prove something to his friends because another group of young ahslanders were about ten feet away, watching and laughing. Ahnaressu knew Yas wanted a fight, and Ahnaressu had no time for such stupidity, especially with his little brother standing beside him.
"What do you want?" Ahnaressu asked rather rudely.
"You to leave."
"What?" Ahnaressu asked incredulously. "Surely I have done nothing to offend you." He said with mock respect.
The only response Ahnaressu got was a swing from Yas. Ahnaressu dodged the blow, and in the same motion, pushed Yas away and calmly walked back in his yurt.

Valnor sat by the fire with his three companions. None of the three dared disturb Valnor and bring him from his thoughts. Valnor's thoughts were not those of defeat, but of revenge. He formulated plans to raise another army, tactics to use, and most of all, he thought of how to replace Nyph. Nyph was brilliant. Even if he was wrong, he presented another point of view so that Valnor could see his own plans in a different light, allowing for corrections. Valnor and decided to spend another few years buidling another army. A larger and more effective army.

Ahnaressu decided that Yas was right. He did not belong here. He could hope for no relationship with any of these people beyond getting their water. With that thought in mind, Ahnaressu packed his things. He put his sword belt on, and put his dagger inside his overcoat as usual. He held Relgar's hand as they walked out. Ahnaressu headed south towards the next camp - Erabenimsun.

After about a week, Ahnaressu and Relgar were nearing the last known location of the Erabenimsun camp. As he walked in a valley, he noticed a strange figure lying down on the rocks. As he neared it, Ahnaressu noticed it was a dark elf. The young dunmer quickly went to work making splints for the man's obviously broken arms and legs. Ahnaressu had no idea that who he was helping was one of the main causes of his mother's death.

Nyph awakened in a strange place. He was sitting under a makeshift lean-to made of guar skin. The assassin looked around to see a small baby accompanied by a young teenager. He started to move, but the splints on his arms and legs would not allow it. (As if he could move without them!) Thankful for the rescue, he wondered which god it was that answered his prayer. He made a silent oath to mend his ways and follow this god if he found out which one it was. Send me a sign. he thought.
Just as he thought that, the dark elf in his teens walked up to him and said with concern "Thank the ancestors that you are alive!"
"There's my sign, I guess." Nyph thought. Almost disappointed that he vowed to uphold the ashlander customs. He would uphold the vow anyway, mostly because he was grateful to the ancestors, but also because he had heard of the penalties given to mortals for breaking vows.

Ahnaressu gently put Nyph's head back onto the ground and silently said "You need more rest." Nyph did not argue, for he was already feeling pains from his limbs and sleep was a good way to ignore it.

Valnor began his search for an army in the grazelands. There were quite a few of the oucasts in that area. Valnor knew it could not possibly be as large as the first, but he figured he could hire mercenaries just as he did with the orcs in his old party. His current army consisted of fourteen including himslef. He already had four, and the other ten had been difficult to obtain. It had taken two weeks for the number to reach fourteen. A good time, but it would not stay at that pace. Valnor knew that this ordeal would take years, but he was willing to be patient. Revenge could wait.

The next time Nyph woke up, he saw the young dark elf studying notes with alchemical tools and ingredients beside him. Nyph watched as the boy crushed up thw two ingredients with a mortar and pestle. Nyph was not in any way familiar with alchemy so he just watched as the boy did complicated measurements and used different tools to put the mixture into a bottle.
The boy noticed him and siad "Drink this. It should heal you a small but at least."
Nyph drank the mixture, and at once felt his bones mending, and the pain was lessening. But suddenly, the healing potion stopped working. Nyph knew it was just a lesser potion, not some devious plan to make him suffer longer.
The boy said "I will be making more until you completely heal."
Nyph nodded his thanks.
"What's your name?" the boy continued.
"Nyph," the injured man replied. "Obviously I am in your debt."
Ahnaressu waved the thought away with his hand. "I am Ahnaressu and you owe me nothing."
Nyph smiled, and closed his eyes once more.

[Dantrag]

The Erabenimsun were obviously a warrior tribe. they looked tough and hardened from many battles. Judging by the numerous scars, they had been in quite a few recently. Ahnaressu garnered no real information about Valnor, other than exaggerated tales of bravery and warrior prowess the Erabenimsun warriors posessed. Ahnaressu quickly realized that there was nothing else to do in the camp. His original idea to live with these people was shattered with the boy's recent discovery of the dunmer in his dreams, and even if he had not gathered that news, Ahnaressu doubted that he would even wannt to live with these warring people. He remembered the stories of tribal battles, and the Erabenimsun have had a bad reputation for torture as of late. Their current ashkhan made sure the violence kept coming.

Valnor and Nyph continued the search for people to join their cause. It went slowly. Many people they had persuaded to join became tired of the slow process and left. Valnor became enraged, but Nyph held his usual careless expression, as if none of it mattered.
"Calm down, Valnor." Nyph said while absently chewing on a hackle-lo leaf.
"Calm down?" Valnor repeated incredulously. "How can I calm down when everything I have worked for suddenly crashes down on me?"
Nyph kept the same careless attitude and expression as he said "We can wait. It may take years, as a matter of fact, it probably will take years, but we must be patient and continue despite the losses. Did not the same exact thing happen while we raised the first army?"
Valnor was glad to have Nyph back to give him useful advice. "Perhaps you are right." Valnor conceded as he sat down by Nyph. Nyph handed him a hackle-lo leaf and said, "That's it. Relax and get some rest." Valnor did just that. Chewed on his hackle-lo and closed his eyes.

Ahnaressu held little Relgar's hand as he walked to the coast and headed south. He hoped to find some sort of civilization. He needed food and clothing for himself and his brother. Young Ahnaressu was half starved from feeding Relgar and Nyph all the food and neglecting his own needs. He figured Seyda Neen would be a remote enough town so hopefully the bar incident in Ald'ruhn would not repeat itself. Besides, he had a lot of money from his Thieves' Guild job that he had never spent.

He made a camp right on the coast, mainly because he liked the sound of the waves. He let Relgar sit down in the waves and splash while he started a fire and laid out his tattered overcoat for a blanket. He picked Relgar up out of the water, dried him off and went to sleep. Still dreaming of the hated dunmer. The one responsible for the death of his mother and his tribe.