Jerric's Story, A Nord's Adventures in Cyrodiil Options

[mALX]

Chapter 17: Bruma, Part Three


BWAAHAA! You've really captured the Bruma Mages guild here! And Alga at the end; SPEW! I didn't understand the ‘Mara Mother Mild’ and Chapel family business.” either; but get the feeling this has something to do with Lildereth's telling that man that Jerric and Darnand were lovers,

Great chapter!

[mALX]

Chapter 17: Bruma, Part Four


This chapter had me rolling with how fast word is spreading around Bruma about Jerric and Darnand; and the fact that word of his getting whooped upstairs reaching downstairs before he even gets there was the icing on the cake!

EW! They cook the food after the dog chews on it, urgh! Gross!

Asgerd immediately spouts his true name, and just when he was getting good at remembering his alias! Oh, then ... BWAAHAA! Gives his full correct name, THEN gives him some code to figure out about Jauffre; like if anyone was listening to hear the coded stuff about Jauffre, they wouldn't have heard the Jerric part? DOH! A little late to remember to be secretive there, Asgerd!

Oh great, and as for trying to slip under the wires unobtrusively as an associate; now Asgerd is going to raise him up to a command position that will draw attention to him - especially such a fast rise in ranks. Oh, Asgerd most def blew his cover!

Now to see how he gets out of this...or does he? Maybe Jearl and Saveri Faram will attack him and expose themselves.

Great chapter!

[mALX]

Chapter 17: Bruma, Part Five

Oh no, he didn't ... Jerric is most def out of his element with women in the last few chapters, does this have something to do with his feelings for Abiene? I've never seen him so ... gauche; that is twice he has insulted poor Selena!

Oh, very cool intro to Camilla Lollia; what a great idea!

Ulfe the "Cat" chasing dog; and J'Skar the balls scratching Cat had me rolling, and the "Not the lads!" line had me choking!!!!

Jerric's warning to Volanaro not to try pulling any pranks on him was very smooth; and I liked how well Volanaro took the threat!

Great chapter!




This post has been edited by mALX: Jul 15 2016, 03:38 PM

[mALX]

Chapter 17: Bruma, Part Six


BWAAHAA! Jerric trying to field personal questions and can't think up lies quick enough or tell them convincingly,

And he gives away secrets anyway! BWAAHAAA!

I get the feeling everyone is thinking that wedding ring is a symbol of he and Darnand's "Marriage,"


Now, I wonder what this initiation will do? I'm with Jerric on not being able to come up with anything but peeing on a wall!



Chapter 17: Bruma, Part Seven


Jerric going all but naked to a brothel in the middle of the night = and with no gold! SPEW !!! Loved what he come up with though; now let us see if they really keep his secret! BWAAHAA!

Awesome Write!!!

To be honest I am surprised it took Jerric that long, given his history. Even if it was just a tug, and not a drill.

Or "bite?" BWAAHAA!

[mALX]

Chapter 17: Bruma, Part Eight - OMG, Jerric and Jaan !!!!! SPEW !!!!! Now THAT is the Jerric I remember from the beginning of the story,

Awesome Write, I may come back many times to re-read this chapter and have a great laugh again and again !!!

[mALX]

Chapter 17: Bruma, Part Nine - I think the Bruma Fighters Guild is about to develop a whole new respect for Jerric. He has experience with these gates - boy, it seems like forever since he has had to use that experience though! I remember him coming back to Anvil a shell of the man he started out being in his story; and Darnand having to bring him back from that awful place! He has sure come a long way in his story!

Awesome Write!

[mALX]

Chapter 17: Bruma, Part Ten - GAAAAAAH !!!! What in the holy hell is this? Is it how Jerric goes to Skyrim or something? Urk, this is freaky!!!! Can't wait to find out what is going on! Awesome Write !!!

[mALX]

Chapter 17: Bruma, Part Eleven - HOLY CRAP !!!! This is the most AWESOME world building - What the living hell is going on in that gate? Holy Crap !!!!

*mALX's head explodes*

AWESOME, AWESOME Write !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Acadian]

Just wanted to bump this magnificent story to wish dear Jerric a happy birthday!



Buffy’s always been drawn to the furry funny Nord. Perhaps it is the fact that, between Lil and Abiene she knows he is unavailable - and the little elf tends to want what she cannot have. Perhaps it is that he is everything she is not – big, strong, brave, can lift heavy objects and break things. Perhaps it is because he and she both bear the title of Blonde. Or perhaps it is the treasured toe-ring of resist frost that he gifted to her and she never removes.

Regardless, happy birthday to the big Nord!


Buffy has a massive collection of worms, guts and other things that she understand fishermen use as bait. It is safely preserved with frost salts awaiting his arrival to ESO’s PC North America server.

[mALX]

Happy Birthday Jerric!


(two cakes, knowing Jerric's appetite, lol.)

[ghastley]

Something tells me two cakes will take a lot of mead to wash it down, too.

Merry Birthday! (Hic!)

[Grits]

Aw, thanks everyone. and all around! It means so much that you have stuck with us through this story's many long silences.

Acadian, Buffy's kindness warms a Nord's heart. His petite fellow blonde has always held a fascination for him. Even as he respects and admires her dragon spirit, her butterfly fragility makes him want to get his shield between her and danger. (Perhaps this is why he gets shot in the back so much.) How sweet and generous that Buffy is collecting and preserving bait for Jerric! When he gets there he is going to catch and cook so many fish, the cookfire smoke will make folks think an anchor has dropped. Beach party!!

Jerric found himself in Malabal Tor with Ulfe and Flash on his birthday, where he stumbled upon this spot. After thoroughly checking the falls for naked, frolicking wood elves and alas finding none, he knew exactly how he was going to celebrate: Plan B.

[Acadian]

'This spot' - Wow, Jerric's biceps are bigger than Buffy's waist!

'Plan B' - Aww, so glad Jerric got some fishing in today!

[mALX]

I just love Jerric's outfit!

[haute ecole rider]

Plan B -

Happy Birthday to Jerric! This is actually from my Skyrim character Alise. who has not yet arrived in ESO. If you may recall, she is married to Argis so Jerric holds a special spot in her heart for being so much like her hubby!

[kafn8ed]

So what happens? Can't leave Jerric stuck in that gate! It's been 2 1/2 years! I need to know!

[Grits]

Previously: County Bruma. Fighters Guild members Jerric, Kjestrid, Shamir-do, and Gjaever entered a Gate to Oblivion. They arrived in an icy, unstable realm. The Gate closed, trapping them. Jerric’s summoned frost atronach Ishckrihk located another open Gate and a possible return route to Mundus.


SubRosa: Ah, “willed� sounds much better. Thank you! I was a little surprised at how Izzy and Jerric connected in the last episode. I wonder if I will ever find a chance to contrast a daedric elemental being with an aedric one. Our Nord is a terrible spy. At least he technically made it out of County Bruma before announcing his full name!

Acadian: Thank you, Acadian! Itchy has been fun to write. Thanks for spotting that wayward d.

Darkness Eternal: Thank you, DE! They will soon figure out where they are.

Kazaera: Thank you, Kaz! The Gate closings can be tedious in the game. I’m glad changing them up a bit in the story world keeps the danger close.

ghastley: Kjestrid is in deeper trouble than she’s ever been, but so far she’s proving her worth. She’s still not entirely sure about Jerric, though. Thank you, ghastley!

McBadgere: Thank you, McB! Here’s another one!

mALX: You got it, Alga’s “Mother Mara mild� line from the game was a warning that even though she and Honmund weren’t married, Jerric should keep his trousers buckled around her man. Poor Jerric was out of sorts with all of the “real� Skyrim Nords and attempts at secrecy. Pretty soon he would have stood on the table at the Tap and Tack and yelled, “I’m Jerric! Come and get me!� Good thing a Gate opened, he knows what to do about that! Thank you, mALX!

kafn8ed: A warm welcome, and thank you very much for the bump! I went back to this story for my NaNo project in November, and here are the results!


Next: A chilly hike.

[Grits]

.

Chapter 17: Bruma, Part Twelve

The ground became rockier as they climbed. Icy grit made drifts in the lower areas. The distance felt farther than Jerric had expected. Uncertainty gnawed at his nerves. He couldn’t sink into his travel mind the way he liked.

Ishckrihk led the way, three atronach paces ahead of Jerric and to his left. Jerric wondered how long his summoning would last in this realm, since he was not taking damage and repairing himself. He knew that he imbued the atronach with a certain amount of his magicka at the summoning, but after that it was up to the frost man.

Now that Jerric was paying attention to his magicka, he noticed that the steady flow from his gulp of Jerric’s Juice potion had slowed to a trickle. He squinted ahead at Ishckrihk, remembering how the atronach had reached into his well of magicka as he formed. Here was a being of immeasurable age and experience. Who knew how many Nirn centuries had passed while Ishckrihk was in the Void, or how many lifetimes he had spent in untold realms? Did daedric entities even age? No wonder he was laughing at me.

Jerric trotted a few steps to catch up with him.

“Ishckrihk.�

The atronach angled his head knob in response. “Ck.�

Jerric decided to keep the rest between the two of them. ‘Show me your home.’

Ishckrihk’s head tilted back and then forward again.

‘Your place of origin,’ Jerric explained. ‘The realm where you… spawn..?’ He imagined all manner of young creatures and placed them in the eye of his mind for Ishckrihk to view. Then he recalled what he had told Kjestrid. Instead of young creatures that change as they grow, he pictured snakes and fish hatching and then becoming larger versions of their younger selves.

Jerric’s mind filled with images in reply from the atronach. He struggled to keep his feet moving as he concentrated.

In Ishckrihk’s vision he stood atop one of many cliffs that curved like ribbons impossibly set on their narrow sides. Crystalline spires jutting up from the ground towered over him, bathed in light from a blue-green sky. The height took his breath. Then he realized that he didn’t need to breathe.

The ground was smooth. Hard but made of flowing shapes. In contrast the ice spikes were all angles. A keening sound began. He felt an answering vibration build inside him.

The spikes began to move.

“Jerric!� Kjestrid shouted.

His real eyes opened to the cold as something yanked him backward. Jerric scrambled for balance, wheeling his arms in the air. They had reached the edge of a sharp decline. It wasn’t a cliff, but it would have been a bad fall.

Ishckrihk’s faint light glimmered ahead and down the slope.

“Did you try to walk me off the edge, ice man?� Jerric yelled at him.

Ishckrihk’s head lump turned in imitation of a mortal’s. He lifted his arms up slightly from his sides.

“What was that about?� Kjestrid demanded.

“I forgot I was walking,� said Jerric. “Uh, that is to say, I asked him… Well, he’s not from here, I don’t think.�

Kjestrid snorted. “You said it.� She began her descent, cutting the sides of her boots into the slope.

Gjaever took a position between Jerric and Ishckrihk.

“Jerric said that he does not think,� Shamir-do explained. The Khajiit had bundled his head in such a way that his ears and whiskers still stuck out. His eyes squeezed in catly humor.

“Yeah, I got it. Thanks for the catch.�

“Gjaever had the honor.� Shamir-do gestured for Jerric to move ahead. “But now this one guards Jerric’s back.�

The terrain looked more difficult than it was to traverse. When they reached a point below some far bluffs, the wind became easier to ignore. The mountains and volcano that Ishckrihk had shown Jerric did not become visible to their eyes. Eventually Jerric decided that landscape lay behind the bluffs, as they had dropped in elevation while walking.

The magicka from his potion had stopped its flow. Jerric noticed a slow but steady drain. It was coming from Ishckrihk.

Jerric called a halt. “There’s a situation.�

He waited for them to gather around, Gjaever maintaining his defensive position.

“Keeping him summoned drains my magicka. I have a good supply of my potion, but—�

“What’s your plan?� Kjestrid asked him.

“I want to keep him, at least for now.�

“All right. You’re in charge of your magicka. We’re used to getting along without a lot of spells.�

Jerric weighed his waterskin of Jerric’s Juice as they resumed their walk. He had as much as he could take without poisoning himself, but experience made him wary. He decided to let his reserve get low rather than sipping at the potion. After all, many daedric creatures used magical attacks that he might absorb, including Ishckrihk. The thought of his guildmates’ reaction to his inviting the atronach to attack him with frost almost made him grin. Then the image of Kjestrid bleeding out for the lack of a healing spell brought him back to the moment.

“Ishckrihk,� Jerric called out. “That way, toward the lower pass, right?� He gestured as well as picturing what he meant for clarity. “I’m sending you back for a bit. But stay ready.� Whatever that means to a disembodied being in the Void.

At the affirmative reply, Jerric dispelled him.

They stopped to rest more often than Jerric thought necessary. Rations were consumed without discussion. They left the blowing salj behind and climbed through the pass to a high plain of grey ice. In the clearer air distant mountains became visible, pale streaked with red and black. Lava flows, Jerric decided. That explains the fog. Where the grey clouds cleared, white stars gleamed in a black sky. “This is starting to look familiar.�

An orange speck appeared over their left shoulders as they walked. “That’s the other Gate,� Jerric pointed. “We’re getting closer to the Sigil Tower.� He hadn’t realized the depth of his doubt until the sight proved Ishckrihk true.

When Kjestrid called another rest, Jerric broke the silence. “Soon we’ll get to the settlement. We’ll be able to tell which one is the Sigil Tower by the fire coming out the top. It runs up through the middle of the tower like a column. When we take the stone, we won’t be burned. It’s arcane fire. Don’t let it touch you until we have the stone, though. Then it will pull us in and carry us out.�

Kjestrid worked a bit of jerky to the side of her jaw. “Tell us more about that.�

“Well, we’ll be, uh, not solid. Like ghosts. The fire is hot but it won’t be able to burn us.�

“Ghosts can burn,� said Shamir-do.

Jerric gave him a look, unsure if the cat was worried or just annoying.

“How will we all..?� Kjestrid’s half-question hung in the air.

“You grab the stone,� Jerric told her, “and we’ll all hold on to you.�

“Good plan,� said Kjestrid. She gestured with the dried meat. “Jerric will take the stone, and we’ll each hold on to him.�

Jerric decided not to argue. When the time came, whoever was left standing would deal with the stone. “How are you doing with that ring?� he asked Kjestrid. If he had worn a life-detection charm for this long, he would be hard-pressed to move for all of the vomiting.

“It takes some getting used to,� Kjestrid admitted. “I can almost ignore your life signs now. Like you can talk over a pack of kids playing until your own baby cries.�

“You have children?� Perhaps she had adopted some. Jerric could picture Kjestrid naked as clearly as if they still sat in the steam hut. His navel check had never failed him.

“No.�

He nodded at her hand. “Are you still wearing it?�

“Aye.� Kjestrid raised a gloved fist. With her other hand she stuffed the rest of the dried meat into her mouth.

Jerric put his attention to his own meal. Breakfast felt like another lifetime.

“Have you seen anything alive?� he asked after a moment. “The range isn’t great, so the smallest thing could be worth looking at.�

Kjestrid shook her head, chewing.

“This one has smelled nothing,� Shamir-do put in. He sat on his haunches with knees raised, ever ready to spring up. His tail lay still across his lap.

“You staying warm enough?� Jerric asked him. “This place looks dead, but I’d wager that under this snow we’d find something to burn.�

Shamir-do dipped his head in acknowledgment. “Rest is good but cold, and moving is warm but tiring. Kjestrid sets a good balance.�

Jerric glanced over at Gjaever. The big Nord looked like he might nod off into sleep, but Jerric was not fooled.

“What kind of things have you seen in the other realms?� Kjestrid asked. “I want to hear it from you.�

“The places I’ve traveled are all parts of the same realm,� Jerric said. “There are mountains, rocky hills, volcanoes, and rivers of lava. It’s hot and smells like… Like wind from a forge mixed with dust and meat. Our dead don’t rot the way they do at home. They bubble and seep, but I’ve passed the same bloated horse months apart. It never split open.�

“What kind of animals are there? Do they have wildlife?�

“You could say that. Clannfears sometimes move together in herds like grazing beasts. Daedroths seem to have their territories, like bears or the solitary minotaurs you find. The dremora put the scamps to work, though. I’ve never seen them without some task that they’re doing.� He wiggled his fingers. “It’s the thumbs.�

“Do they fight each other? What do they eat?�

“That’s a good question. I’d like to know how to get them to fight each other. I’ve seen scamps play with, uh, meat, and I’ve seen clannfears nip at bloodgrass. Where the dremora dwell they have these blood fountains for healing. Well, they’re in the towers. Not sure how to describe what the dremora are doing there. I’ve not seen any place that makes me think they sleep or cook or eat. Even their… kills are displayed like trophies or something. They sit, though. I’ve seen plenty of chambers with benches where they sit and who knows what they’re doing.� The black rooms in the towers with their red light and flayed mortals hung like decorative objects haunted his dreams. Now they threatened to appear in his waking vision. “Look, you have all seen some skitt in our line of work. This is going to be worse. There is nothing we can do for anyone here except close the Gate so they don’t get company.�

Gjaever had turned to watch Jerric. His eyes looked like a spirit in a mountain.

“How do you know their blood will heal?� Kjestrid asked.

“I found out by accident. Makes sense, dremora hearts make strong healing potions. So do xivilai hearts. They look like mortal hearts only,� he made a gesture, “bigger.�

Shamir-do let out a hiss that sounded like magesss.

“Darnand is not a necromancer,� Jerric told him. “But some of his books have— never mind.�

“They told us about dremora,� Kjestrid said. “But not about xivilai.�

“Big half-naked grey fetchers. Horns. They cast a lot of spells. They can absorb a lot of spells, too. Tremendous reach. Swing a war hammer with one hand. But they don’t like frost, so maybe we won’t see them here. And they work alone. Not like the dremora.�

“Frost or frost magic?� Kjestrid asked.

Jerric blinked at her. “You make a good point. I don’t know.�

“It is said that the Hero of Kvatch ate the hearts of his enemies to give him power,� said Shamir-do.

Jerric pointed his apple at the Khajiit. “Savlian Matius does not eat people.�

Kjestrid snorted. “We all know who they’re talking about.�

“You’ll get to hear your own names whispered when we get back,� Jerric said. “I hope you don’t have to eat any hearts before this is over.� He tucked the apple core into his pack, reluctant to leave anything of home in this realm.

.

This post has been edited by Grits: Jan 3 2019, 11:22 AM

[Renee]

Yeah, that would be gross, I agree. Hope no hearts get eaten.

Hee hee Jerric communicates with an atronach, through mind-pictures! Wish I could do that with my cat sometimes.

[haute ecole rider]

The only hearts worth eating are Daedric Hearts! ;P

Enjoying this still! Glad you got back into this over November . . .