Ahnaressu was quite angry at himself - he had Neloth beaten and threw it away. But his spells were not without limit, Ahnaressu knew, the mage's magical energies would soon be exhausted.
Neloth took a different approach than usual. Neloth was casting a spell, and Ahnaressu readied himself to dodge a fireball, or brave another lightning bolt, but instead, he found himself unable to see.
"You are blind." Neloth said casually. "Do you yield?" he asked, as if he was expecting Ahnaressu to actually give up.
Ahnaressu focused, using his ears intsead of his eyes. He swept his sword across, hoping to hit the target.
Neloth was a long way away before Ahanressu even swung his sword. "Your hearing doesn't help much." Neloth said, tauntingly.
He went to the left. Ahnaressu thought once he heard Neloth's voice, hoping maybe he could find a pettern in the telvannni councilor's movements.
He swiped his sword to the spot where he heard Neltoh last as a test. Would he go left again?
"You can do better than
that I hope." Neloth said, trying to anger the young ashlander.
Ahnaressu smiled to himself. He pretended to charge the spot he heard Neloth last, but swerved to the left at the last second, connecting with Neloth's midsection. He heard the sword tear through flesh, the groan that followed, and the sound of Neloth's body falling to the ground.
"Dispel the blindness." Ahanressu said. "And I can help you."
What he saw was not what he had meant to do. The wizard's stomach was wide open, blood was pouring onto the ground out of the wound.
"Hand...me your...sword." Neloth said in a raspy, breathless voice.
When Ahnaressu did so, Neloth closed his eyes and used its magic. Ahnaressu stared wide-eyed as the wound closed, and Neloth stood up, seemingly unhurt.
Ahnaressu was glad that the mage was alive, but quite angry that he had put a healing enchantment on his sword. "You put a
healing enchantment on my sword?" Ahnaressu asked incredulously.
"Not quite." Neloth answered. "It is an advanced absorb health enchantment. When you strike someone, the sword stores the bit of life that it took, whereas a normal absorbtion spell would transfer the enrgy to you immediately in the form of healing, you can use this at any time to transform the life energy into any kind of magic, because your sword will store the energy. Watch." Neloth said as he cut his hand with the blade. "I will use this energy to make your sword have a....flame enchantment." Immediately, the sword burst into flame.
Ahnaressu was more than impressed. "Wow." was all he had to say.
"I have something else for you, since you defeated me." Neloth continued. "I didn't think you would actually win, so I had actually thought to keep it for myself. but I try not to break promises I make to myself. I break ones I make to other people too much for that." he said with a chuckle as he led Ahnaressu back to his chambers in the tower of Tel Naga.
Neloth opened a large chest and pulled out a shortsword. Dwemer, by the look of it.
"This is an ancient dwemer sword. Its name is Scrib - some joke of the dwemer, no doubt." Neloth began, holding the shortsword out to Ahnaressu. "I don't know what you would use it for, since you have your own fine blade, but I felt the need to give it to you anyway."
Ahanressu accepted it. "Thanks, for the enchantment, as well as the duel." Ahnaressu said. "Especially the duel."
As he walked out the door of Tel Naga, he began thinking on what a great day it had been. He was nearly ready to exact his revenge.
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Enjoy. LoneWolf, I hope you aren't too disappointed with its enchantment
and minque, I probably should have sent it to you....but I just wanted to post it.