A New Sun Rises - Maxical's Adventures, The Truth Behind The Oblivion Crisis Options

[mALX]

*


Chapter 114: The Refuge Camp



If Nisaba and I had cried till all the pain that haunted us was gone we may never have left that crook in the corridor; still been standing, clinging to each other for the comfort of the other’s arms and shared grief.

I may never know the root of Nisaba’s pain, or find the resolution for mine…but for that moment we were no longer two strangers. The sharing of our tears eased that jagged place inside both of us and a bond was formed…for the moment at least.

We walked the rest of the way to the cave’s greatroom with our arms entwined behind each other as if we were kin. Nisaba’s inner strength felt like a tower one could lean against and it never topple…it must be to have carried her thus far, from the aging in her eyes she had been through much in her short lifetime. I hoped she drew the same support from me that she gave.

The slime on the tunnel walls glistened with life and movement, giving the impression of snakes slithering up them. A shiver shot down my spine as my arm brushed against the clammy moistness of it.

Stepping out into the greatroom was like entering a different realm to me, but Nisaba was at ease as if she had spent her life in caves…maybe she had, I remember her saying I’d get used to the smell.

There could be no way to ever get used to it. The stench of the large chamber was overpowering and seemed to come from the walls themselves. Centuries…maybe eons of urine and feces from every species on Nirn, sweat seeping foully from the cave walls blending together…like a festering boil. How could anyone get used to this? I could feel it creeping into my fur and pores, embedding itself in my lungs.

“What’s wrong, you think you’re some kinda princess? Too good for the likes of us?” Nisaba pulled her arm from me when I stiffened at the mouth of the tunnel.

“It’s the smell, Nisaba. What is that?”

“Goblins. This cave musta’ had Goblins afore. The Legion musta’ killed ‘em to house us.

“Dear gods, that smell is making me sick…”

A fairly hefty Orc woman who had been squatting to do her business near the wall stood up and moved quickly when she saw me heaving in her direction. When my retching stopped Nisaba yanked on my arm, pulling me around the upper ledge of the bowled room and into another darkened corridor.

“Where…?” I pulled back.

Nisaba tugged my arm again. “Come on, you won’t find Khajiit in here with Orc. Crap where they sleep and don’t know enough to cover their own dung. And they call us beasts.”






***


Her musical laugh tinkled back to me as she dragged me into a much smaller room that had no fire. I could sense the presence of Khajiit, but the room was empty with the exception of a few battered crates. Nisaba stacked them atop each other and then deftly leaped on the top one. She promptly disappeared.

“Come on!”

Her hiss echoed around me. I looked up to see her head peeking down from a rounded hole in the ceiling of the cave. Trying to balance on the rickety crates and gather my legs to leap seemed impossible. What she had made look so easy and graceful took several tries of me restacking the crates before Nisaba dropped back down through the hole.

“You aren’t much of a cat, are you?” Nisaba followed that jibe with a sound I’d never heard before, but knew instinctively. Within seconds a Khajiit head appeared above us, then another.

“It’s the Apewoman!” The second Khajiit gasped.

“My friend can’t make the jump.” Nisaba grinned at the Khajiit before turning back to me and stretching out her hand.

I was pulled, pushed, then dragged up onto the dusty ledge. Nisaba leaped up behind me, then dangled down and knocked the stacked crates down.

A tunnel angled steeply from the ledged room. There was no stench or slime up here like in the lower caves, just the slight musk of old straw and dried clay. A moonbeam shone down somehow from above, illuminating a mist of dust that our feet were stirring up. I looked up, amazed.

“Look, I can see the sky!“ The faint familiar scent of the Rumare wafted down the shaft above me. “The Rumare! I can smell it!”

One of the Khajiit barked out a laugh. “You haven’t spent much time in caves, have you Apewoman?”

“This is my first time in one.” I wasn’t sure why I sounded apologetic about it.

The tunnel eventually opened up into a bowl shaped room with a few crates burning in the center. Musty straw had been pushed into piles for makeshift beds along the outer rim. Three decent sized shafts stretched up from the ceiling, bathing the room in glimpses of moonlight and drafts of fresh air. A handful of Khajiit women stood up as we entered.

“It’s the Apewomen!” One Khajiit called out.

“She doesn’t like to be called that, her name is Maxical…and she’s my friend.” Nisaba’s voice rang out protectively. “And she spit on Ocato!”

I pointed to the parchment tied around my neck with yarn. Gaped mouths were followed by laughter and cheering welcomes. “Hail!”






***


Nisaba spread out her straw bed some to make room for me. I had gratefully stretched out next to her thinking I may drop from exhaustion…but sleep was impossible. I didn’t know if this end of the tunnel was closer to the Imperial City or if the war was spreading to the ends of the City Isle.

The sounds of the battle raging wafted down the air shafts on gusts of wind. Even distant thundering explosions could be felt in vibrations below us, but the closer ones shook and jolted the rock foundation of the cave till I feared it would crumble around us. The upper platform we were on rocked like the Arcane had the day I blew up the yard, and I wondered if they were using the old unstable version of Delphine Jend’s famous spell.

Occasionally the bit of sky I could see at top of the shaft would be glowing pink from an exploding fireball or the crackle of lightning magic was followed by a flash of white light…the sounds were the worst, though. I could number the vampire deaths by their animal screams that filled the night like they could be heard from all corners of Cyrodiil.

I lay awake staring up that air shaft long after the others were sound asleep, aching to know if Fathis and Gils were safe.

Azura’s seal on my tongue was a burning reminder that Gils was out there in that war…Gils, who knew no magic. I prayed whoever was doing that blasting of spells was the Arcane Mages and not adept vampires. Worse still…Fathis. Gils had the whole Imperial Army at his side…but the vampires already had Fathis.

The stench of singed flesh burned into my nostrils as it vented down the shaft, and my stomach lurched into a knot. The mezzanine had smelled the same. The image of that pool of blood on the mezzanine where I had last seen Fathis standing flooded my vision and a terrible wail echoed around me.

“Wake her up!” Nisaba’s frightened voice broke through, pulling me from the nightmare just as I was straining to see through the sea of vampire legs for a glimpse of Fathis…but it wasn’t Fathis, couldn’t be…no, it was that vampire pretending to be him…

A row of concerned Khajiit faces surrounded me as the vision slowly faded. My stomach felt like a large rock filled it…my tongue on fire, a pain like I’d never known…that horrible wailing sound…me. It was coming from me, and I couldn’t make it stop.






***


“Get the juices.”

An older Khajiit tipped my head back. A dirty brown bottle was clutched in her hand, she was bringing it near my face.

“NO!“ I tried to pull myself up, but many arms were holding me down and the hand under my chin tightened till I couldn’t move.

The bottle was forced into my mouth in spite of my struggles. In a rush burning liquid made a trail down my throat, its fire making what seemed an endless pathway inside me.

The Khajiit holding my head leaned over and blew into my mouth as she pulled the bottle out. Her breath on the liquid seemed to ignite it, exploding it within me with…what can only be described as an overwhelming burst of euphoria.

I lay there like a glassy-eyed bowl of jelly for a long time, the pain in my tongue from Azura’s seal was gone…at least for now.

“Th…thank you. What is that stuff?”

“Didn’t your Ma teach you about this kind of thing?”

Nisaba raised her hand to quiet the woman. “She didn’t have one, she’s an orphan like me.”

The woman that had held my head sat down in front of me and held up the bottle. “This is how Khajiit survive once they’re separated from their bound mate. Liquid gold, it is, and just as expensive.”

“I drank…gold?”

A burst of laughter broke out. Nisaba glared at them. “She doesn’t know, let her be.”

“Is it…illegal? A drug?” I pulled myself up on one elbow and examined the bottle.

“It is in Cyrodiil, damn Uriel’s Law. We have to go to Elsweyr to get this. It’s legal there. We can’t carry much at a time across the border, either. The Legionnaires are everywhere on horseback along the border. It’s jail if you’re caught with one bottle, death if you’re caught trafficking it. We’ll be lucky if our supply outlasts this war.”

“Is it from a plant that only grows down there or something? I didn’t listen much in Alchemy class…”

The women were looking at each other, hesitant to answer. Nisaba leaned close to my ear and whispered, “vampire juices.”

“VAM…” Nisaba’s hand clapped over my mouth to silence me.

“SHHH! You trying to get us in trouble? No one can know we have it!”

“Sorry. Ew, that’s gross! …But the pain is gone…like it never was. How long will that last?”

“Not long, a few hours. We don’t have enough to keep sharing with you, especially with this war on. None of us know when it’ll be safe to get out of here. And this stuff costs a fortune, every minute we’re in here is Septims lost we could be earning to buy more.”






***


“Gee, the town is full of vampires right now, how do you get the juices? Can you extract it from the dead ones? …Urk. I made my own self sick picturing it.“ I gacked. I didn’t know where they got the juices from, and was afraid to ask or keep trying to imagine.

Nisaba laughed. “Yea, too bad we can’t barter with them for their juices without getting killed.”

“And no need robbing anyone right now, the streets are littered with bodies to loot,” an older Khajiit cackled. They all laughed at her witticism that I didn’t quite get.

“I’ll share mine with Maxical.” Nisaba said quietly, but her face looked like the idea scared her.

“I don’t have any Septims to buy a bottle from you, only those sweet rolls...if the mouse left any.”

“I can’t give you that much.” Nisaba shook her head. She looked at the others. “We could give her an empty bottle and each give her a few drops.”

When each had contributed a tiny bit and handed me the brown bottle with a grimy cork plugging the top, I held it up to the firelight. There was under a fourth of the bottle filled. What was I doing? Was this something I would regret later? …But could I live with the pain if I didn’t? With an uneasy feeling I slid the bottle into the pocket of the borrowed leather pants. I’d only use it if it was an emergency, and ask S’Jirra about it the first chance I got. She was from Elsweyr, she’d know.

I stretched back down on Nisaba’s straw bed listening to the outraged squeals of the mouse as he was dumped from the sack and the remaining sweetrolls divvied up among the bandit women.

All the pain in my tongue was gone, but the worry about Fathis remained. Janus had sworn Fathis still lived. His voice rang with truth, he was not just saying that to calm me. I had to believe that…keep believing that, and that Janus would find him and bring him to safety as he promised.

As the others went back to their own beds Nisaba nestled in by my side breathing out the scent of the sticky sweetrolls, and I could swear I felt the mouse kick me before laying down against my feet.


*

This post has been edited by mALX: Oct 18 2011, 06:14 AM

[Jacki Dice]

I think I read "vampire juices" three times to make sure I read that right.

I didn’t know where they got the juices from, and was afraid to ask or keep trying to imagine.

I second that!

This post has been edited by Jacki Dice: Oct 18 2011, 06:56 AM

[Uleni Athram]

Vampire jui- You... You..

http://emotibot.net/?content=viewer&id=3412

http://emotibot.net/?content=viewer&id=3403

http://emotibot.net/?content=viewer&id=3393

[Athynae]

Now that's the way to start a new day, a nice dose of vampire jui....I mean mALX!!!! I have missed mALX so much, and she returns with that same humor tinged drama. A wonderful rendition of what is proving to be a horrid experience for mALX. I look forward to reading more of her adventures, I SURE HOPE I WON'T HAVE TO WAIT AS LONG!!!!

So glad to see the story continue and thank you for your kind words. I have been a little distracted by RL myself but I am trying to catch up with all the stories here little by little. I did miss mALX so very much.

[King Coin]

I’ve been looking forward to Maxical for a while now! I’m so glad you posted!
I had to go back and reread part of the last update just to get myself situated. Not that I'm complaining or anything, I loved the previous chapter too!

Aww that’s so sad! I’m glad that Maxical and Nisaba are friends.

…And they call us beasts.
Love that line!

The Khajiit definitely have a better living area than the others. I’m happy to see Nisaba stepping up to help Maxical!

I wasn’t expecting that nightmare. Poor Maxical!

Vampire juices! ACK!

That mouse!

I look forward to reading more of her adventures, I SURE HOPE I WON'T HAVE TO WAIT AS LONG!!!!

I second this!

[D.Foxy]

Holy freaking...

VAMPIRE JUICES!!!!


Just when I thought the imagination of MaLX couldn't get any more inventive...


...let me bow down in deep awe of thee, my inventive minx!!!

[Acadian]

By Mara! This was stunningly well-written. I could feel everything our kitty did. Oh, and smell it all too. . . .

Sharing jagged despair with her new friend.

Horrifically vivid descriptions.

Weaving dialogue, description and, most importantly, Maxical’s inner thoughts for us.

I love Orsimer as you know, but in Maxical’s world at least, I must agree that they are perhaps better avoided – particularly when it comes to using the sand box and such.

Speaking of sand boxes, I simply loved the heavy feline influence you so naturally let float through this entire episode. And poor Maxical is not the most gracefully kitty in the cave, is she?

So Maxical is ‘addicted’ to Gils, which may be okay if he was there. Or, she has the choice of keeping Azura’ Seal at bay through continuing use of vampire juices. And still, her heart cries out for Gils and Fathis.

I was so relieved that The Mouse is still alive and (literally) kicking.

I realize as I say this that I have been suffering from Maxical withdrawal symptoms myself, but this episode was as good or better than anything you have ever written, my friend!

[Grits]

“Dear gods, that smell is making me sick…”

And then it did. Poor Maxical. That was a truly revolting cave situation, very vivid. I was relieved when the other Khajiit hauled her up into the cleaner part of the cave.


“You aren’t much of a cat, are you?” Nisaba followed that jibe with a sound I’d never heard before, but knew instinctively. Within seconds a Khajiit head appeared above us, then another.

I thought that Maxical’s culture shock among the Khajiit was just brilliant. She’s so used to apologizing for herself, it’s great to see her being cared for and celebrated. When the Khajiit laughed and cheered her for spitting on Ocato, I wanted to cheer, too!


Azura’s seal on my tongue was a burning reminder that Gils was out there in that war…Gils, who knew no magic. I prayed whoever was doing that blasting of spells was the Arcane Mages and not adept vampires. Worse still…Fathis. Gils had the whole Imperial Army at his side…but the vampires already had Fathis.

Just heartbreaking. Little details like how many men she may or may not be married to mean nothing at all in a situation like this. Maxical’s helplessness and worry are so real in her thoughts here.

It’s been said already, but… VAMPIRE JUICES?! Wow, that’s… I am completely horrified and fascinated.


“I’ll share mine with Maxical.” Nisaba said quietly, but her face looked like the idea scared her.

Now, that is a friend! Nisaba curled up at her side and the mouse kicking her in the foot was the perfect end to this chapter. This is such a great chapter. There are so many Maxical moments that I love, and this whole episode is right there at the top!!

[mALX]

@ Jacki Dice - Yeah Jacki !!! You are back !!! (not just on here, but updating your own story again !!!) WOO HOO !!!! Thank you, Jacki !!

***
@ Uleni Athram (Uremiashtram) - ROFL !!! Those pictures were great, you had me rolling !!! Thank you Uleni !!!

***
@ Athynae -

Athynae, Athynae
It made my day
when you stopped by to say
- and you must know by now you'll never get away
from these rotten 'poems' about you, they're here to stay ...

ROFL !!! Poor Athynae, I hope you don't mind the horrible poetry about you. Thank you so much for reading, it means a lot to me !!!

***
@ King Coin - Thank you so much KC !!! And thank you for pushing me to get back on Maxical's story. That you like the story - that means a whole LOT to me !!!!

***
@ Foxy - Thank you Foxy - and you are the master of creative !!! I always knew that, but am getting a huge refresher on that in your new work !!

***
@ Acadian - Thank you, thank you, Thank YOU !!! And I'm really glad you liked the chapter, that made me feel really good. You are right, Maxical will learn more about being Khajiit from these !!!

***
@ Grits - Thank you so very much Grits !!! You always catch every undertone !!! Maxical has not been around any "feral" Khajiit before, it means a lot to me that you were able to pick up on that culture differences between them! (And you are right, at this point she is pretty shell shocked from the last few days of her life and couldn't really care about her marital status, only that they are safe). Thank you so much again, Grits!!!

[mALX]

*


Chapter 115: Fowl Revelations


The firelight flickered over Nisaba’s delicate facial bones, illuminating those long lashes brushing her cheek now in sleep. She had remembered me from the orphanage, instinct told me that…instinct and the hurt in her eyes when I denied remembering her.

Nisaba said she’d been a cute baby and adopted right away…that had to be a lie. Only the un-adoptable were sent to the Prison Compound Orphanage, and all beast species were considered un-adoptable…even cute baby ones.

We weren’t even allowed to show our faces on the rare occasions when prospective adoptive parents or philanthropists like Fathis came to visit. Philida was afraid their open purses would snap shut if they saw beasts. It was a miracle of the gods that I was adopted, I have always known that.

Why had she lied about that? Had we been close? Yes, we would have been…both being Khajiit, and around the same age. I tried to imagine how she might have looked with the buffy thick fur of a kit, strained to remember her…or anyone from the orphanage.

Oh, I remember glimpses of my time there…every moment of meeting Alix and Fathis. Sitting on the Compound lawn next to Alix, his expressive eyes revealing every emotion flickering through…especially his soft heart. Meeting Fathis the first time; the flashes of unholy amusement when his eyes smiled into mine, the cold anger as he confronted Philida…the feel of being protected in his arms...the scent he wore. These moments are etched in my memory forever.

Beyond that the memories are mostly of Philida or getting in trouble. Philida with his face beet red and contorted in anger, or that day he got covered in pigeon poop. Hieronymus Lex…his face a raging mask in that split second as he rose from the bed, still peeing from the bowl of warm water I’d dipped his hand in while he slept.

Odd that angry faces and shouting were all that remained uppermost in my memory…that, and I could remember every inanimate detail of the orphanage itself. It was true, I could picture in my mind minute details of the room I spent so many years in; the windows and doors, where each bed was situated…even the pattern of the quilted cover on my bed there. Everything but the girls that had filled those other beds.

How could I remember everything except those I would have cared about most? The important memories were erased as cleanly as any memories of my mother before her death. My friends had become faceless and nameless, their voices muted indistinguishable echoes of sound. It was like chapters in a book whose pages blew free from their binding once the moments were passed.






***


“Nisaba...” The whispered name didn’t feel familiar on my tongue, evoked no memory…or did it?

Once again I struggled to capture that moment in the tunnel with Nisaba. Something about us facing each other that way…it had struck a chord in me. Both of us crying, her hand raised in vow…her palm glistening.

We must have been friends in the orphanage if we swore vows of some sort together. What kind of vows would children make to each other, friendship? No, we wouldn’t have been crying if it was swearing friendship.

I had a sickening feeling that whatever promise I’d made to her, I hadn’t kept it. Maybe when I was leaving the orphanage I vowed never to forget her…obviously I had broken that promise.

Another thing that bothered me; how had Nisaba become used to living in caves? Nisaba was my age. All un-adopted orphans were turned out into the streets on their eighteenth birthday. She should just now be getting released from the orphanage.

She couldn’t have been adopted by parents who lived in caves, either. Alix had to pass rigid standards before he could adopt me, even with Philida pushing hard for the adoption to be approved. One of those standards was a valid and permanent roof over my head.

Fathis had the orphanage at the Compound closed down the year I was adopted, and he donated plenty toward building all new orphanages in every city…but where were they? Not in caves, that much I’m sure of. Fathis wouldn’t have stood for that…if he knew about it.

That thought struck me forcibly. Fathis didn’t know. Whoever he placed over the donations would be someone he trusted to carry out his wishes. They had to have misappropriated the funds and lied to Fathis about the welfare of the orphans, because Fathis would have checked back to learn how the orphans fared.

The rage I felt at the thought of orphan girls…Nisaba…growing accustomed to living in goblin caves; it would be nothing compared to what Fathis would feel, especially since it was done on his donation funds. Whoever Fathis put in charge of those funds will have a very bad day if I find out their name, or if…when…Fathis returns so I can tell him of this.

On top of that rage, I had a sudden clear look at what my life may have been had I not been adopted by Alix when I was…or met Fathis when I did. How sheltered and spoiled I had been, while Nisaba was robbing people to survive and living like an animal in a cave.

The glaring differences in the turns our lives took…it was sickening realizing that…when I should have been giving appreciation, instead I created havoc and expense.

With that sudden clarity came another…my vow to Akatosh. It’s pretty shameful to think I cried like a baby at being called to his service, when for all I know he may have been the one that kept me from living in caves beside Nisaba. I always knew it was a miracle of the gods that a beast like me…albino to boot…got adopted in the first place. It’s not like I earned it by my good behavior, that’s for sure.







***



My dreams were a confused jumble, mostly of the recent events in my life and things I was thinking about before going to sleep. There was a lot of Fathis and Gils, Vicente‘s attack, Hannibal waking me after the attack…even that childhood song I was singing when Hannibal found me in the tent, “Jack be nimble.” But in my dream, Akatosh came out of the sky with a blaze of light behind him. He was hovering ever closer to me and singing the song with me.

When Akatosh was singing, his voice sounded like many voices…all female Khajiit. He came closer and closer till I could feel his fiery breath blowing my whiskers as he sang the song, and the light behind him got brighter till it was burning my eyes.

I blinked awake, my lips still mouthing the words to the song…”Jack be nimble, Jack be quick…” But I couldn’t have been fully awake. I could still hear Akatosh singing, feel his breath in my face and see the blinding light…no, wait. That was light coming down the vent shaft above me.

I sat up. Daylight was streaming down the shaft over me, illuminating the nest of straw I was laying on. The other two shafts in the cave room were doing the same, creating an eerie glowing aura around the faces of the sleeping Khajiit in the straw beds below each shaft.

Even from where I was across the room I could see they were mouthing the words of the song, and hear it being sung from the beds in the darker areas of the room.

A chill shot down my spine and raised goosebumps under the fur on my arm. All the Khajiit women were singing that childhood song “Jack be nimble” in their sleep, even Nisaba. Her breath must have been what was blowing my whiskers.

“You’re one of us.”

The voice so close behind me nearly caused me to jump out of my skin and pee Nisaba’s bed. I spun around to see luminescent eyes glowing out of the dark beside me.







***


With slight relief I realized it was Khajiit eyes, they always glow luminescent in darkness. It was the older Khajiit woman that had forced the potion down my throat last night.

“Uh…uh…huh?” I tried to keep the shiver of fear out of my voice, but even I could hear it.

“You know the song. You’re one of us.”

“What song? Uh…Oh, that childhood song? Uh…doesn’t everyone know it? Er…doesn’t every mother sing it to their children? Er…uh…don’t they?” I tried to act nonchalant and not scramble too fast like a bolting deer to get out of bed and then out of this cave.

Her heavy hand dropped on my shoulder and held tight, keeping me from tearing out of there like a banshee. “The woman that adopted you sang that song too? Then she is also one of us…”

“NO! She…it’s a childhood song, everyone sings it! Oh! You mean…Oh! Does it have something to do with that…er…potion you gave me last night?” I pulled out the brown bottle of vampire juices and waggled it at her. “She may have used it since she wasn’t with the one that started her…“

She slowly shook her head, watching me carefully. I felt like she was expecting something from me, but didn’t know what.

"Er…does it mean something special among…er…bandits?” I pointed to Nisaba’s ‘bandit’ sign even though it had twisted around facing her as she slept and the letters couldn’t be seen.

The older Khajiit’s eyes flickered into a quick glare and her lip drew back. She shook her head.

“What does it mean?” My voice sounded defensive. I knew she wouldn’t respond to that, but suddenly…I had to know.

“Tell me, please…I…“

She waited for me to finish the sentence.

“Can you tell me what it means? I don’t know…I…er…“ I ground to a halt.

The room was filled with glowing eyes now. All the women were sitting up in their beds staring at me. I felt a bump on my arm and turned back around to Nisaba. She was sitting up now too. She nodded her head at me, I guess encouraging me to finish what I was saying.






***


“Er…it only happened to me once before, a few days ago. I…I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but…er…“

“You can tell us, we are sisters…now.” Nisaba’s hand slid into mine.

“It was right after the music festival. I was…er…attacked by…uh…er…someone named Vicente. Uh…well…when I woke up the song was kind of…uh…stuck in my mind. Can you tell me what it means?” I didn't want to tell them Vicente was a vampire, they might think I had gotten that scurvy vampire disease or something.

“It means He is near.” Nisaba is the one that answered, but both she and the older Khajiit pointed up at the ceiling. The rest of the Khajiit’s heads just bobbed up and down in agreement.

“He?” I looked up at the ceiling of the cave where they were pointing. “Akatosh?” It was Akatosh in my dream. I stared up the shaft expecting to see a dragon shape appear.

Was this it then? Was Akatosh coming for me now, before I even turned eighteen? Was it because last night when I was thinking about my vow to him, I felt such shame over how I acted that day? Dear gods Akatosh doesn't even let you think his name before leaping on you like a hungry leopard!

I didn’t really know what Akatosh would sound like, but still I was surprised to hear a cawing sound echoing softly down the shaft. Somehow I thought a dragon would have roared or something.

A shadow began angling across the shaft. I held my breath, biting my lip in combined fear and anticipation at actually seeing Akatosh appear before my very eyes…

A huge bird circled over the top of the shaft. “Jak?” The shocked whisper changed to a shout. “JAK!” Maybe he could find Janus and show him where I was!

The bird tipped its wing and angled back over the shaft. And then suddenly it hit me.

Janus was a vampire. He said the bird belonged to a friend of his. Who else would be a friend of his, but another vampire? The childhood song…I only sang it after Vicente’s attack! The bird Jak must belong to Vicente! Did that mean Vicente was near us or just his pet bird?

Dear gods, I had sent a friend of Vicente’s…a vampire…to find Fathis! And trusted him! Oh dear gods!


*

This post has been edited by mALX: Oct 21 2011, 04:46 PM

[Acadian]

Wow! This was delicious! I thoroughly enjoyed basking in Maxical’s ruminations.

’I tried to imagine how she might have looked with the buffy thick fur of a kit,’
Hee! By buffy, I guess you mean blond.

Beautifully painted images and emotions, ranging from Maxical’s selective memories of the orphanage to the dreamy portrayal of Akatosh.

’even with Philida pushing hard for the adoption to be approved.’
I laughed at this, imagining how much Philida wanted to be rid of our troublesome kit!

What a magnificently crafted dream sequence and awakening from it.

And the pervasive mystery of the girls, cave, vampires? I’m no plot follower, but Jak’s reappearance near the end tickles a memory of him mentioning how he ‘farmed’ girls. I sort of feel as if many things are coming together into mALXishly clever clarity here.

Gosh, this was some beautiful writing. In mALX-speak, it simply rocks with awesome sauce! (Um, not to be confused with vampire juice)

[D.Foxy]

It's official. My jaw is now on the floor.

YOU BETTER UPDATE THIS SOON OR I SHALL KIDNAP ALIX AND FEED HIM ONLY BREAD AND WATER!!!

[King Coin]

Oh that’s sad! I hope Maxical can recover those memories. Nisaba probably felt terrible that she was forgotten. But I’d like to know why she lied too.

It was like chapters in a book whose pages blew free from their binding once the moments were passed.
Fantastic imagery!
I wonder if this difficulty with memories is going to play a role in what’s coming. Is it a sign?

Nisaba is an example of why Aravi has felt some sympathy for some of the Bandits she encounters. Not enough to not kill them, but a little twinge of regret.

Maxical is maturing in the cave going through her memories. And a dream of Akatosh.
All of them singing the song? How do they know who He is? Have they all been attacked before? Have they all been put under some sort of vampire spell? Ah! You leave me on the edge of my seat wanting more!

[Thomas Kaira]

Caught up again.

I see your bombshell-dropping skills are sharp as ever, mALXie!

Vicente just can't keep his hands off of them women now, can he? Race, wealth, it doesn't matter to him. Once the bosom and hips come sidling through, the fangs poke through, seeping their sweet, sweet juices....

No, Bad TK! It's all your fault D (for Dhertee) Foxy!

Hieronymus Lex…his face a raging mask in that split second as he rose from the bed, still peeing from the bowl of warm water I’d dipped his hand in while he slept.

I guess Maxical didn't get the memo from Mythbusters, but this one got busted.

I wonder what plans Akatosh has in store... knowing Uriel's pronouncement, it might be something far bigger than a few vampires who need to cut down on the Skooma.

[Jacki Dice]

You know you're a great writer when I'm ignoring a horror movie to read your latest chapter And when I'm bursting out laughing one moment, then gasping in shock moments later.

I knew there was something fishy about those "juices!"

...
.....
.......
So... did the other Khajiit drink them...directly? After all bottles aren't always there when you need them.

[treydog]

See all that has been said above to get a taste of my reactions (hmm- perhaps not the BEST metaphor under the circumstances).

Humorous- heartbreaking- beautifully imagined. And most of all- BACK!

Dachshund dance is almost certain to follow; those with heart conditions or weak constitutions are warned that they should avert their eyes.

Welcome back Maxical and mALX!

[Grits]

You have done it again! Grits’ jaw is among those hitting the floor! The images in the episode were especially haunting. The part where Maxical wakes up from the dream is masterfully done! All of the Khajiit women softly singing… Even more mysteries about Maxical’s background, her mother, and even S’Jirra. And there’s still a war going on. !!Holding my breath!!

[McBadgere]

Oh my...Oh...Oh my...

*Tries to figure out some sort of "Give Brock some more time to read" spell*...

Dammit, you're all so amazing!!...

*Will return with some truly stunning insights such as "Whoa dude, you rock!"*...

This post has been edited by McBadgere: Oct 22 2011, 03:35 PM

[Athynae]

I'm still trying to figure out what in the heck jumping over a candlestick has to do with khajit, vampires, and a god. ........

Sorry I get stuck sometimes, I have trouble with the whole "over-thinking" thing.

And like the others I am captivated by Maxical's story, but I have been since the first word I read so.....

KEEP IT COMING mALX!!!!!!

[treydog]

My prior comments were lacking in substance- (bad word choice again). But- there was much to... digest (doggone it). Enough- let me get to the comments before I dig myself any deeper.

The running thread of sweetrolls is priceless- and also makes me hungry.

Falanu becomes another of your unforgettable characters.

And- for entirely different reasons- so is Nisaba. You do such a WONDERFUL job of bringing her to life, causing us to reflect- along with Maxical- what could have happened.

then draw her hand back quickly when the mouse started squeaking loudly.

Alix makes his appearance!

“I want…home…”

Wow- just… wow.

And then- as we are reeling from that one, you follow with this:

Something about that moment tugged at a long buried memory, a glimpse so fragile it was gone in a trice, and trying to bring it back was like trying to catch a feather in a windstorm.

Then, showing us that no matter the circumstances- Maxical is still Maxical- and mALX is still mALX:

and I could swear I felt the mouse kick me before laying down against my feet.

And Maxical’s missing memories are an interesting mystery…

Not going to talk about “vampire juices.” Just--- not. Nope. Nope. Uh-uh.