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

[Grits]

Previously: Jerric, Darnand, Lildereth, and Aravi assaulted a vampire’s lair. Aravi and her screenshots appear with the cooperation and generosity of her creator King Coin. Thank you so much, KC!!


mALX: You got Lildereth completely, and that’s exactly why she acts the way she does (and once rode Darnand like a racehorse). Your comments really made me grin. Thank you so much, mALX!

Elisabeth Hollow: And that’s how Darnand accidentally invented the Flame Cloak! Thanks, Elisabeth!

Acadian: Thank you so much for your kind words about Lildereth. That understanding is what I was really hoping to get across with these episodes from her POV, since the Nord doesn’t completely get it. I’m so pleased that you quoted Aravi’s killing stroke. I’ve been waiting so long to write it! Beauty, power, and grace is exactly how I think of Aravi. Thank you, Acadian!

SubRosa: Darnand wishes his Breton resistance was more of a help. Thanks to his Apprentice birthsign he is as weak to fire spells as is a starved vampire. Ishckrihk wanted to staaay! The Void is boring compared to running around with Jerric. Thank you, SubRosa!

King Coin: Indeed, a Bosmer in one hand and a Khajiit in the other would have finished the adventure nicely for Jerric. I’m glad you mentioned that moment with Lil defending Darnand. Times like that are why she thinks about leaving them. She’s not built for heroics. And I’m so glad you liked Aravi’s moment with the ice man! It was so fun to picture that part from her perspective. Thank you so much, KC!

McBadgere: I’m glad you’re enjoying Lil’s POV. I fretted over switching from Jerric for this long, so it’s great to hear that it might have been worth it. (We’ll hear from Darnand next, then it’s back to the Nord.) You’re right that Darnand’s pulling the spell back was a gut reaction to the danger to Aravi, and he didn’t really know if he could do it. I’m sure Jerric is going to add some more drills to his list to get him better prepared for surprises. So glad you’re enjoying Ishckrihk. He would just be a plain old lump of ice if not for inspiration from you. Thank you, McB!


Next: Let’s go camping! This is part four of five featuring King Coin’s Aravi. A warning if you’re short on time: this one is a touch longer than usual. I’ll wait an extra day or so before posting the next update.

[Grits]

.

Chapter 16: Valley of Hopes, Part Five

Darnand followed Jerric into the corridor, Aravi walking silently behind them. He slowly flexed his fingers. The new skin felt tight. Thanks to Abiene’s instruction he understood how to repair burns with minimal scarring, but hands were always difficult to heal. Especially when they were one’s own.

His mistakes this day had been unacceptable. At first he had blazed through his surprised foes in a glorious storm of fire, Jerric’s solid presence in his mind balancing his dremora’s wrathful influence. But then Jerric had broken away for the last push, and Darnand raced on alone.

To the last chamber where he had nearly burned Aravi. His stomach heaved again remembering.

“We should split up here,” Jerric said. They had reached a junction. “You go see what your dremora was up to, and I’ll find out how Ishckrihk got blood on him. Do you remember where you dropped your staff?”

Damn it, thought Darnand. And I lost my lich’s staff.

Jerric walked away, and Darnand hesitated. To his relief Aravi slipped into the lead. He had to admit he felt better with an armored back of any size in front of him.

They reached a long chamber, dark like all of the others in this part of the fort. Darnand’s nighteye spell painted everything blue, but a light spell would interfere with Aravi’s natural night vision. Besides, he was not sure he wanted to view this carnage in truer colors.

“Their cattle,” Aravi said softly.

Naked figures lay on raised benches along one wall. Some had fallen to the floor in bloody tangles.

“My dremora did this,” said Darnand. “He slaughtered them while they slept.” He produced his charcoal and notebook. “I shall record any information that may be used to identify these unfortunates. Then I shall invoke Arkay’s Law over the bodies.”

Aravi gave him a look that he couldn’t interpret. “Are you a priest?” she asked.

“No. I just… do not want to allow further harm.”

Aravi moved to the nearest corpse. “I’ll help.”

Darnand recorded their findings and then Jerric’s when they met in the patriarch’s living quarters. Aravi easily opened the vampire’s locks. They filled a satchel with small personal items to pass on to the Hope Valley villagers. Darnand found his staff in the coffin room. He must have dropped it in his eagerness to incinerate the awakening vampires.

“I’m heading out unless you need me,” Jerric said. “I think you wrote down all my kills. I can’t see in the dark like you two, and I hate to waste another Prowler’s Potion.”

“I should like to collect some more vampire dust,” Darnand said. “Lildereth could use it to make a poison that curses the target’s magicka.”

Jerric snorted. “She can have it. The last thing I want is to stop a mage from casting.”

“Born under the Atronach,” Darnand told Aravi. Some of Jerric’s declarations sounded absurd without their proper context. He rummaged through his shoulder bag. “I wish I had brought more collection pouches.”

Aravi picked up a sheet of parchment and deftly folded it into an envelope. “This will hold dust,” she told him. “Take it, and I’ll make a few more.”

Darnand felt as much relief as gratitude. He had behaved recklessly, but it seemed that Aravi was not holding a grudge.

Jerric left, and they began scraping up the grainy dust. “I expect that midday has passed,” Darnand said. “I do not often presume to speak for my companions, but in this I know we are of the same mind. Will you camp with us tonight? The Nord’s cooking is far better than one would imagine, and between the four of us we might comfortably share the watch.”

Aravi nodded. “I found a place in the hills near warm springs. It’s only a little out of your way if you plan to return to Hope Valley. I wouldn’t camp there alone, but together we should be safe.”

They found Lildereth and Jerric waiting outside, the elf perched on a rock while the Nord savaged the air with shield and blade.

“Aravi knows a place to camp,” Darnand told them.

“Great!” said Jerric. “Let’s go.”

“Which way are we headed?” Lildereth asked Aravi. “I might take a different route and meet you. I’d like to pick some mushrooms for Jerric’s stew, and I might get lucky and find some wild mandrake.”

“Yeah,” said Jerric. “You two don’t forget to take your potions.”

Aravi stood next to Lildereth, murmuring and pointing into the distance. The elf nodded as if she knew what the Khajiit was talking about. Darnand considered drawing forth his map but decided he could do without Jerric’s inevitable jesting. He would mark the camp when they reached it.

They gathered hidden belongings and set out. Lildereth disappeared. Aravi walked in front of Darnand, shoulder to elbow with Jerric.

The Nord struck up a conversation in his usual direct manner. “Where did you get that armor?” he asked Aravi.

Darnand considered a Charm spell. Jerric possessed no guile, and folk were often put off by his blunt way of speaking.

But the Khajiit’s ears remained forward, and her tail stayed low keeping graceful time with her steps. “I got it from a vampire,” Aravi said. “She didn’t need it anymore.”

Darnand kept listening in the back of his mind while he unrolled the enchanted map. It was most gratifying to watch their progress past the noted landmarks, slow as it may be. And he could not feel safer than in the company of these two warriors.

In time they reached a thickly forested hollow between two bald ridges. Darnand stopped between Jerric and Aravi, one step before he would have tripped down into the hollow.

Aravi pointed at the foothills on the other side. The snowy Jeralls stood behind them in the distance. Darnand realized that the sun had dropped below the Colovian Highlands at their backs.

“It’s there,” Aravi said. “We can go around or down through the trees and back up.”

“Lildereth went down there I’d wager,” Jerric said. His ring would not illuminate life signs that far away, if he was even wearing it.

Darnand ached from his toes to the roots of his hair. He renewed the spell against fatigue and tucked his map away discretely. “Through the trees is the shorter path.”

Aravi glanced up at Jerric, and the Nord must have read assent in her expression. They moved down the slope. Darnand used his lich’s staff to help him balance, noting Aravi’s nimble progress with envy.

The level ground at the floor of the hollow stood in shadow, shaded by a dense thicket of tall trees. None showed the green of new leaves yet. No underbrush grew here. Darnand could hear trickling water, and the air was rich with wood rot and mushrooms.

They had not gone ten paces before blue light flashed ahead. The sound of a shock spell split the air. A thin shriek followed.

Jerric’s shield was on his arm before his pack even hit the ground. He sprinted away toward the sound, Aravi quickly outpacing him. They disappeared among the trees.

“Arkay’s balls!” cursed Darnand. He dropped the staff and wrestled his own pack to the ground. Then he kicked open his robe and ran after them.

Jerric yelled. Darnand heard more lightning and the boom of frost magic.

He found them in a small clearing. The Nord stood shield up with his sword hand full of frost. Aravi hopped from foot to foot at the near edge of the clearing, arrow at the nock. Something skittered between the trees ahead. Something big.

Jerric flung his frost with a wrathful howl. It impacted against a tree trunk. “Come out you fetcher! Fight!”

Darnand drew fire into his hand and readied the spell that would summon his flame atronach. What are we fighting?

“Daedra!” Lildereth cried out from somewhere to the rear and above. Up a tree, Darnand guessed. Jerric dropped his chin to his chest and stood utterly still, feet braced apart. He is summoning, Darnand realized.

Blue light flared in the trees, and a bolt of shock energy arced into Jerric’s chest. His body swayed as he absorbed it.

Darnand spotted their enemy. Her white face and bosom gleamed in the dusk, easily a dozen feet off the ground. Her torso melded into an arachnoid cephalothorax supported by hideous jointed legs. A spider’s abdomen bulged out behind her. Spider daedra. She raised pale hands.

The air ripped open, and Ishckrihk stepped into the clearing with the roar of an avalanche. Then there was the sound of a hundred rats stampeding over leaves.

Not rats. Spiders. A swarm of them broke free of the tree line. They swept forward in a thigh-high blanket of eyes and legs.

Darnand heard Aravi’s breath leave in a horrified hiss. He cast a hand forward, summoning his flame atronach in a swirl of fire. An arrow thunked into the middle of her back. She whirled around and whipped a flare past Darnand before he could react. At Aravi, Darnand realized. I summoned in her line of fire.

With the cracking groan of a glacier Ishckrihk twisted at the waist and flung his arm away in a volley of ice spikes. They crashed amongst the trees. A new appendage immediately sprouted from his shoulder. Then Darnand saw a surprising occurrence.

Jerric turned and ran back toward Darnand. “Fire!” he shouted, waving his free arm.

The spiders were coming. Darnand sent a jet of flame from left to right across the clearing, separating them from the spider swarm. The dead grass might catch but would not burn for long. He ran toward Aravi, half staggering with the effort of controlling his flame atronach.

The daedra’s mind was an ocean of rage. Fire snapped in a whirlwind around her as she fought his will.

Darnand heard Jerric shout a warning before he felt himself roughly shoved out of the path of a lightning bolt. He reached out blindly as he fell.

One hand scraped against an armored hip, the other closed around something warm and furred. With horror, he realized he had fallen into Aravi and was pulling her tail.

Aravi’s yowl sounded over his own surprised squawk. As her tail slipped through his frantic grip he felt an impact on the back of his head. Stars exploded in his vision. Was that her bow? he wondered, dazed. Did she punch me? It took far too long to reach the cold, hard ground.

“I don’t have a shot!” Lildereth shrieked from above.

Jerric yelled out something unintelligible. He staggered in a circle, covered in spiderlings. The grass had failed to ignite.

The Nord toppled over. He is paralyzed, Darnand realized.

A cry came from the seething pile of spiders.

“Burn them?” Darnand called back. He scrambled to his feet. “Did you say ‘burn them’?”

“Hrrrghaaah!” said Jerric from somewhere at the bottom.

Darnand’s mind raced. Jerric was wearing his Helm of the Nord, enchanted with a fire shield. And his ring of Hump You Fetching Mages. With a surge of hot joy Darnand shot his fire. The heaving mass disappeared in a ball of flame.

The spider daedra was still at the edge of the woods, pursued by Jerric’s frost atronach. She folded and unfolded her legs in an unholy dance around the trees, but the atronach moved like water. Rather than dodge an obstacle he simply flowed around it. They were making rapid progress around to the mortals’ side of the clearing.

Jerric thrashed to his feet. The fire was out, and there was no trace of the spiderlings.

The flame atronach whirled in place, throwing fireballs at Aravi and Lildereth while the archers pelted her with their crossfire. Darnand had lost that battle. He dispelled the magical ties that bound her to their realm. He would kick himself later. For now he would spend the rest of his magicka in fire.

Ice crashed under Lildereth’s position. The spider daedra skittered out into the clearing, waving her arms as if plagued by bees. Jerric’s battle cry sounded, sending a jolt through Darnand.

“For Kvatch!” Jerric cried. Aravi let out a high-pitched keening, trapped between Ishckrihk’s flying ice, towering spider, fire mage, and charging Nord.

Darnand shot a short burst of flame up the spider daedra’s near side. He flattened himself to the ground as she dropped her jaw to spew out a torrent of lightning. Aravi screamed and drew her blades. Then Jerric was there, splintering the daedra’s spider legs with sword and shield. As she fell he slashed open her abdomen, sending a gout of ichor out in a wave. Darnand stayed down. He heard Ishckrihk explode back to the Void. When he saw Lildereth running across the ground, he knew it was over.

The spider daedra lay dismembered mostly around Jerric’s feet.

“That was a bold plan, Nord!” gasped Darnand. Somehow he was standing.

Jerric glared, the fight still in his eyes. “What the fetch! Madman! You set me on fire!”

Darnand took a step back. “But you knew you would absorb my spell. And your helm bears a fire shield. You told me to do it! I heard you shout, ‘Burn them’!”

“‘Big one’!” Jerric gestured wildly. “That swarm was summoned. I said kill the big one!”

Lildereth clapped a hand over her mouth. Darnand recalled that she was prone to erratic behavior once a fight was over.

“Apologies,” said Darnand. He took another step back, pointing a finger. “You were mostly paralyzed, though, so you can understand why it sounded…”

Jerric and Lildereth were no longer listening. They both stared openmouthed at Aravi.

The Khajiit stood in the scattered spider parts, a sword clenched in each quivering hand. Black ichor dripped down her face and chest. Her eyes were wild, ears flattened back, tail rigid and bushed out.

“Spiders!” she hissed. “Nords! Bretons!”

“First undead and now daedra!” Lildereth declared. “I’ve been as useful as a Nord’s dictionary. Gods help any mortal creature that disturbs my watch tonight. They’ll need it!”

Darnand picked Aravi’s bow out of the sticky wreckage. This might not be the time to ask for help harvesting spider silk and daedra venin. “Aravi, I apologize for seizing your, uh… that is to say, the base of your tail.”

Jerric’s laugh had a wild edge. “Did you grab her ass, Breton?”

Aravi stared first at Darnand and then at Jerric, death in her eyes. Her claws were fully extended.

Darnand edged away from her, face hot with embarrassment. “Are you injured?” he managed.

Aravi spit out some spider glop, somewhat delicately. “No, I’m all right. But I’m really ready for a bath.”

Lildereth stepped forward with a cloth in her hand. She offered it to Aravi.

“I could use a bath, too,” said Jerric.

Aravi’s look should have flayed him where he stood, but the Nord seemed untroubled. He gave her a reckless grin.

“Gods,” Darnand breathed, half in relief that Jerric’s grief had not taken him, and half in worry that Aravi might slay them both.

“You’ll have to find your own pool or wait, Nord,” said Lildereth. “This is not the time to share your wooly mammoth impression. Aravi, I hope you’ll still camp with us. We’ll need to take extra care if there are daedra about.” She shot a worried look at Jerric.

He may want to look for a Gate, Darnand realized.

“You don’t need to work your wiles on me, elf,” Jerric said. “We’ll stick to the plan. If there’s a Gate open nearby we’ll see the light after nightfall. I spent some time in the hills west of here, after… Well, before I came back to Anvil. One daedra doesn’t mean an open Gate. Just means there was one.” He stared down at his feet for a long moment. Then he looked at Darnand. “You lost your staff again, Breton.” His slow smile told Darnand that he had pulled himself together.

“It is not lost. I know precisely where I dropped it.” Lildereth is untouched as usual, Darnand noticed. And Aravi is mopping her face with my handkerchief. He frowned at the Bosmer.

Lildereth’s return look carried all of her emotions.

She was right. There would be time for recriminations and apologies on the long road to Bruma. Tonight let the sun set on a company of friends.

He glanced again at Aravi. At least her teeth were no longer showing. “Let us go make our camp.”

[Elisabeth Hollow]

That was intense!!!!

[Acadian]

‘ He had to admit he felt better with an armored back of any size in front of him.’
The prudent mage, ever.

‘ Jerric snorted. “She can have it. The last thing I want is to stop a mage from casting.”
“Born under the Atronach,” Darnand told Aravi. Some of Jerric’s declarations sounded absurd without their proper context.’
A wonderful reminder of Jerric’s birthsign.

‘ They gathered hidden belongings and set out. Lildereth disappeared. Aravi walked in front of Darnand, shoulder to elbow with Jerric.’
This is another magical Grits passage. In two short sentences, you tell us so much about all four of these characters.

A spider wench! What a fight – somewhere between the Keystone Cops and sheer terror! Aravi’s fear of spiders, Frostie bursting onto the scene, Darnand’s Flame Mistress turning on the good guys over a ‘friendly fire’ boo boo, hacking off some of those spider daedra legs to topple her. . . .

‘ And his ring of Hump You Fetching Mages.’
That’s our Jerric!

Buffy sympathizes with Lil. Too fast, too many friendlies mixed in with targets, too close - not a recipe for successful mystic archery.

Whew, and after all that, Aravi chose to stay with this crew. They will certainly need a good night’s rest now!

[ghastley]

Aravi and Darnand certainly have misfortune working against them. First she jumps into his line of fire, and then he summons in hers. I presume that he doesn't have much control over where his atronach appears, it's just "nearby" as usual.

And do I detect a particular dislike of spiders? And does Jerric have any hair?

[Lopov]

I'm only on page 4 of Jerric's story so I have a lot to catch on. I won't comment on old stuff because it might ruin the flow of the present stories but I just wanted to let you know that your stuff is great and I have a constant need to return and read.

[mALX]

Darnand heard Aravi’s breath leave in a horrified hiss.

I love this line! Aravi hates spiders, lol.

Acadian already quoted another three lines I would have.

One hand scraped against an armored hip, the other closed around something warm and furred. With horror, he realized he had fallen into Aravi and was pulling her tail.

SPEW !!!!! ROFL !!!!

A cry came from the seething pile of spiders.

“Burn them?” Darnand called back. He scrambled to his feet. “Did you say ‘burn them’?”

“Hrrrghaaah!” said Jerric from somewhere at the bottom.

Holy Cow! This was Awesome!

The flame atronach whirled in place, throwing fireballs at Aravi and Lildereth while the archers pelted her with their crossfire. Darnand had lost that battle. He dispelled the magical ties that bound her to their realm. He would kick himself later. For now he would spend the rest of his magicka in fire.

ROFL! So Maxical is not the only one who conjures hostile Daedra, ROFL!

Jerric glared, the fight still in his eyes. “What the fetch! Madman! You set me on fire!”

Darnand took a step back. “But you knew you would absorb my spell. And your helm bears a fire shield. You told me to do it! I heard you shout, ‘Burn them’!”

“‘Big one’!” Jerric gestured wildly. “That swarm was summoned. I said kill the big one!”

SPEW !!! ROFL !!! Your fights are NEVER boring!

Awesome fight and write!




This post has been edited by mALX: Mar 24 2013, 04:07 PM

[SubRosa]

He had to admit he felt better with an armored back of any size in front of him.
Darnand sounds like pretty much every mage or archer here. Its always comforting to have a tank around like Jerric, Mazoga, or Tadrose whom you can hide behind!

The mention of Arkay's Law was a good lore friendly touch on your part. As was Darnand's concern for the people his summoning had slaughtered.

But the Khajiit’s ears remained forward, and her tail stayed low keeping graceful time with her steps.
A wonderful description of a calm kitty.

Something skittered between the trees ahead. Something big.
Uh oh, I don't like things that skitter. Or throw lightning. A Spider Daedra?

Sometimes I hate being right. Oh my, this is even worse. A horde of spiders? Ewwwww! Call Orkin! Or call Orcs in.

A nice description of Darnand's fight to retain control of his back-shot Fire Daedra. Plus I love the way you worked the Frost Astronaut's abilities. From flinging arms as missile weapons, to flowing around trees like water.

“That swarm was summoned. I said kill the big one!”
This had me laughing!

He may want to look for a Gate, Darnand realized.
I was thinking that too. That Daedra had to come from somewhere.

All in all, that episode was a fun romp. It was well worth the extra word-length. Once it got going, I did not really notice.

[Elisabeth Hollow]

Sometimes I hate being right. Oh my, this is even worse. A horde of spiders? Ewwwww! Call Orkin! Or call Orcs in.

Aaaaahahahahahaha!

[Colonel Mustard]

I'm all caught up! I'm all caught up!

And god DAMN is this good! I mean, seriously, you have an incredible talent for character-driven writing; Jerric, Darnand, Lildereth and Abiene are all excellently written, well rounded, complex characters, and the way they interact with each other and the world is an absolute joy to read. Your world-building is excellent and well thought-out, your action scenes are exciting, fast-paced and realistic, the consistent thread of humour throughout is great and your everything is just so...everything! I'm even sure what that means!

Also, the Aravi cameo for the last couple of chapters has been great. Love that kitty!

[King Coin]

The detail on Darnand’s hands at the beginning was fun. I like the idea that healing magic is much more complex than it is represented in the game.

Yikes, Darnand really got the lust for battle with the vampires. His actions with the care of the bodies would definitely help Aravi trust him. Genius with the envelopes!

But the Khajiit’s ears remained forward, and her tail stayed low keeping graceful time with her steps.


And then the fight! Oh this was so much fun to plan out with you! Pulling her tail was absolutely brilliant! I still laugh about it! And then the spiders just for Aravi! We are cruel.

“What the fetch! Madman! You set me on fire!”
Not what Darnand was expecting!

...And then Aravi! Covered in spider innards. She probably wants to scream right now. Her reaction to Darnand and Jerric was perfect!

Great chapter Grits.

[McBadgere]

So much to love!!...

A truly incredible chapter...

Ishckrihk!!!!!...*Sighs*... ...Finally... ...I absolutely loved that whole thing with him shooting his arm off, and the flowing around the trees in order to cut the distance...

Oh, I also thought that it was cool that it seemed to be entirely from Danand's POV this time...*Applauds*...

Laughy bits ahoy!!...

“Arkay’s balls!” cursed Darnand.

One hand scraped against an armored hip, the other closed around something warm and furred. With horror, he realized he had fallen into Aravi and was pulling her tail.

Aravi’s yowl sounded over his own surprised squawk.

“Spiders!” she hissed. “Nords! Bretons!”

...Oh my, they were too funny...

I hope there's not going to be another gap after this flurry of excellence... ...

Looking forward to much more...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

[Darkness Eternal]

Valley of Hope, part four: The entrance to this spooky place had me on the egde. It is great to see all these characters together! Aravi did some good killing here. Love that shot with her bow.

I enjoyed this particular detail here:

If they were vampires their flesh would rapidly decompose once the energy that had animated them faded. Old vampires would fall into dust, but fledglings would only wither.

Goes to show that these guys are walking fossils! Jerric will make short work of them!

The team-up here is awesome. The imagery of Jerric running into the room with an atronach behind him had me laughing, but also painted a pretty cool picture.

"You need someone to hold your hair back like a woman.”

It was nice and wise to see that they stopped to consider that the vampires could have hoarded the material possessions of their prey. Out of sentiment and the need to deliver proof, bringing these things back to the villagers would be a nice touch. You added humor, action and a bit of drama all in one! Hooray!

Part five:

Talk about lack of communication skills here. Poor Aravi! More spiders for her! I am a sucker for well-written battles and you delivered. Kudos.

Arkay's Law made a mention! Sticking to lore like Subrosa said. I like this a lot. You are a good writer and I regret not checking this story out before. I can learn from you, Grits! Truly, I can.

Once again this chapter has humor on it that actually had me laughing. This part had me digusted.
Khajiit stood in the scattered spider parts, a sword clenched in each quivering hand. Black ichor dripped down her face and chest. Her eyes were wild, ears flattened back, tail rigid and bushed out.

This post has been edited by Darkness Eternal: Apr 6 2013, 11:57 PM

[Grits]

Previously: Jerric, Darnand, Lildereth, and Aravi finished their business in the vampire lair. Aravi agreed to camp with them, and they went to find a site she knew near warm springs. On the way they encountered a spider daedra. Aravi and her screenshots appear with the cooperation and generosity of her creator King Coin. Thank you so much, KC!!


Elisabeth Hollow: Thanks!

Acadian: That was a fun scene to write, especially on the heels of the vampire fight. Lil appreciates the sympathy. Her skills prevent big messy fights, so her successes could be written as, “…and no one suspected a thing.” Thank you, Acadian!

ghastley: Yep, Darnand is a loose cannon these days. More power than practical experience (Apprentice birthsign) and more confidence than judgment. He didn’t know that Aravi was shooting much less where she was behind him when he summoned. Jerric will report on his hair status shortly. And yes, Aravi is not a fan of spiders! Thanks, ghastley!

Lopov: Welcome to the story, Lopov! Thanks, and I’m glad you’re reading.

mALX: I’m glad you enjoyed the spiders and tail-pulling. We had a blast writing them. Aravi and Darnand had a rough time on this adventure! This whole part reminds me of the fun we had sending our characters to clear dungeons in Aravi’s Oblivion thread. All they needed was for Maxical to pop up with that bow and arrows that she found!! Thank you, mALX!

SubRosa: Darnand is still coming to grips with killing people, so I’m glad you pointed out those lines. Even in his own POV I wasn’t sure if that was coming across. Teresa’s story has inspired me to think harder about how magic works in Jerric’s world, especially the possibilities with summoned astronauts. Thank you, SubRosa!

Colonel Mustard: You caught up!! Wow, and yay! Your kind words have me grinning and blushing. This has been quite a learning experience. Thank you so much, and I’m glad you’re reading!

King Coin: I was just looking over our notes for this section and giggling like a fiend about it. Writing this together has been tremendous fun! And thankfully it seems our characters did not all storm off in a huff over the trials we gave them. You really picked up on how Darnand’s summoned dremora fueled his recklessness when he was already enjoying his own fire a little too much. Thank you, KC!

McBadgere: Finally the Ishckrihk episode!! I’m so glad you liked it. After I didn’t show him being awesome against the vampires I wanted to yell, His Big Part Is Next!! (Er… that didn’t sound quite right. ) But I waited. Thank you so much, McB!!

Darkness Eternal: Thank you for your vampire advice! I like the way different areas of Tamriel have their own kinds of vampires, and I wanted mine to make sense. Also as a PS3 player my characters can’t cure vampirism, so not knowing a cure was a little dig at Those Who Failed To Fix The Game. I’m glad you enjoyed the fights. There aren’t many so I tend to stress over them. Thanks, DE!


Next: Let’s go camping, for real this time. This is the fifth of five segments featuring King Coin’s Aravi.

[Grits]

.

Chapter 16: Valley of Hopes, Part Six

Jerric stood at the pool’s edge, knee-deep in soft ferns. The water was just warm enough to bring early spring to this sheltered grotto. Cold air flowed down from the mountain, sending mist off the surface in slow tendrils. Frogs trilled in the reeds. The stars bathed him in cool light.

“I wish I had a tail,” said Jerric.

Darnand snorted. “If you had a sixth appendage we would never get anything done. You took so long in the bushes I thought you had fallen into some crevasse.”

“It was that Hope Valley sheep’s cheese,” Jerric laughed. “It made me costive.”

“It was a Khajiit and a Bosmer vying for your imagination.” Darnand knelt in the pool’s shadowed end, but Jerric could guess his expression.

“It’s a shame but that’s all I have to work with,” Jerric replied, bouncing on his toes. “All that sweet tail back at the campsite, and you’ve had your hands on both of them.” He leaped up onto a boulder and back down, trying to land silently. “That reminds me of a joke.”

“No tail jokes tonight, if you please,” said Darnand. “It might be racially uncomfortable. And for the love of Stendarr put on some trousers if you must prance about. Some of us can see in the dark.”

“Are you still shaving? What happened, can’t find your other chin whisker?” Jerric hopped back up on the rock. “Anyway Lildereth has pointy ears and you’re slim as a maiden but we don’t avoid the subject. I guess it’s the same with a tail.” A breeze whispered through the tall firs and curled around him like Kyne’s softest kiss. “Gods, it’s good to be alive tonight!”

Darnand splashed out of the pool, shivering. He lunged for his pack. “Wh-when were you in danger?” He quickly dried himself with the cleaner side of his mages robe. Towels had been among the casualties when they re-packed Jerric’s armor.

“Well the vampires went down pretty quick, but then some Breton tried to burn my face off. Again.”

“Apologies. We should add to my practice drills. Casting under duress.” Darnand’s head disappeared as he scrubbed his hair with the robe.

Jerric considered giving him some immediate duress. One leap would carry him halfway across the pool, but he would have to flounder the rest of the way to the Breton. Darnand would have too much time to react.

“Speaking of which, how is your..?” Darnand made a vague gesture, head still under the robe.

“My what? Face? Don’t worry, the spiders took the worst of it. Besides I can grow another beard, and what’s the real point of eyebrows?” He scratched across his belly, still sparsely furred thanks to Darnand’s fire scroll two weeks ago. “You know if I had absorbed your spell, I would also have protected the spiders.”

“I know, though at the time it did not occur to me. My knowledge is largely academic. It is imperative that we expand its practical applications.”

Jerric pondered that statement while Darnand combed his hair. “Yeah,” he finally said.

Darnand tugged his robes into order, then hefted the pack onto one shoulder. “May I guess as to the nature of your first conversational offering at dinner? You are going to ask if I enjoyed my piece of tail.”

“Uh,” said Jerric.

“I fear that Aravi will misinterpret your jest as an inappropriate advance.”

“Ha! I never make unwelcome advances.” Unless they might annoy you, he thought with a grin.

“If she slaps you it will hurt more than usual,” Darnand warned.

Jerric jumped down into the ferns. “How’s your head? Any claw marks?”

Darnand gave him a look. “I shall see you back at the campsite.”

It didn’t take the breeze long to dry him. Jerric pulled on his clean tunic and leggings.

The frogs fell silent as a night heron landed at the edge of the reeds. It squawked at him irritably.

“All right, don’t get your feathers in a bunch,” he told it. “You sound like a Breton. I can’t find my damnable camp shoes.”

Jerric made his way through the fir trees to their campsite tucked between a ledge and a steep rockfall. They had a view over the valley, but the valley also had a view of them. Thus the need for a night watch.

The smell of stew cooking made his stomach gurgle. He heard Aravi’s and Lildereth’s voices alternating in conversation. Jerric tossed his soiled clothes at his pack and joined them beside the fire. Darnand passed him a cup of cold water. His face told Jerric to sit down and keep quiet.

“When you first spoke to me, that was Ta’agra?” Aravi asked Lildereth. She drew her claws through the end of her tail like a comb, picking off burrs.

“Yes.” Lildereth looked into her cup.

Jerric stilled himself.

Aravi’s voice sounded mildly curious. “How is it that you speak the Khajiit language?”

Lildereth’s brows came together. “How is it that you do not?” she snapped.

“I am not from Elsweyr.” Aravi gave Lildereth a level look.

“I’m sorry.” Lildereth spoke in a rush. “I’m being rude, and there’s no call for it.” She bit the corner of her lip. Her eyes found Jerric’s. “Is the stew ready?” she asked a little wildly.

“Not yet. We have some time.”

The fire crackled. Crickets chirped in the ferns. An owl called from the firs overhead and was answered by another down in the valley.

Then Lildereth spoke. “I’m from Valenwood. My village was on the banks of the Xylo River, at the border with Elsweyr. We lived in the trees right over the water. It never grew cold there. Fruit and fish practically fell onto our plates. Athay wasn’t far, and we could get there without ever touching the ground. They had a harbor.”

She took a trembling breath and continued. “You’ve heard of the border wars between the Khajiit and my people.”

Darnand nodded. “The Five Year War.”

“That’s what some call it. I don’t suppose any of you were born yet.”

Jerric searched his memory. His childhood stories had largely featured questing knights and wicked sorcerers, and he had parted ways with formal education before the history lessons left the First Era.

Aravi looked puzzled.

“Assume I didn’t get far in school,” Jerric told Lildereth.

“It was right before the turn of the century,” Lildereth said. “For a time the war didn’t touch us. We heard of battles and a truce, but day to day our lives were the same. Of course there was some tension when we saw our Khajiiti neighbors, but we had always lived so close together. It seemed that the war was for outsiders and we river folk would weather it as we had every other storm.” She looked over at Aravi. “So you see, I’ve always spoken Ta’agra. For a time I heard it every day.”

Darnand spoke. His tone was more gentle than Jerric could have imagined was possible. “What happened during the war?”

“They sacked Athay,” said Lildereth. Her eyes grew wide and blank.

Jerric felt as if a fist had closed over his chest. She lost everyone, he remembered.

“It was our Khajiiti friends,” she continued. “I don’t know what they thought we had done. They came at the front of their army like a great wind through the trees. I had just been found worthy of a gin-jiru bow. My first kill was an Ohmes-raht. I knew her. Her name was Nahdari.”

Jerric glanced at Aravi. The Khajiit sat perfectly still, arms wrapped around her raised knees.

“We fled while the forest burned. I couldn’t think because the trees were screaming, and all I could see was the hate in Nahdari’s eyes. Later folk said the Khajiit had dagi with them. Spell casters. I didn’t know about any of that. I wasn’t yet considered an adult, and I still lived with my parents. I was thirty, the age of… well it translates to ‘the age of stupid decisions,’ so I’m not surprised that Cyrodilic doesn’t have a word for it. My life had been one long summer.”

Lildereth took a sip from her cup.

“Go on,” Darnand murmured.

“We ran to Vindisi, a little town sheltered down in a valley. Khajiiti followed us the whole way like furibari in the trees. Like bad spirits. It was dark, and we could see the smoke in the sky lit up red and orange from the fires below. Our tribe only had three children, and none of them made it that far.”

Lildereth put down her cup. “My people have a way of living, nunkadai. It means ‘I am because we are.’ A person is only as separate from others as a branch is from the tree’s trunk. There is no self without the whole. I cannot speak about what happened next. All I can say is that when the ritual began, I fled. I ran away from my people, my responsibility, every purpose there could have been for my being.”

Jerric looked over at Darnand.

“The last Wild Hunt,” Darnand said. “It is said that every monster in the world is a remnant of a Wild Hunt. But the account I read claimed that they… that your folk… were all destroyed.”

Lildereth shook her head. “Many escaped the valley. I saw from where I hid up high in the rocks. The army was upon them when the horde burst free of the temple. The things that my tribe had become devoured the Khajiit and then turned on each other. It’s said that they were trapped by an avalanche, but that’s not true. I saw the shapes in the moonlight, moving away through the trees. I heard the cries. And I remember.”

For a time nothing spoke but the crackling fire.

“Mara’s moon blood,” said Jerric. He let out an explosive breath.

Lildereth gave a shaky laugh. “Aravi, I promise I will not become a wild beast tonight. I’m sure that’s more than you ever wanted to know about wood elves.”

Aravi sat in wide-eyed silence. Jerric wondered if she might simply stand up and walk away after Lildereth’s revelations.

“That is whom you are hunting,” Darnand said to Lildereth.

Lildereth picked up her drink. “Yes.”

“Where did you go when you ran?” asked Jerric. “You were still a kid by your reckoning, right? Who were the Imperial couple you told us about in Arenthia?”

Lildereth stood up. “The stew is ready.”

Jerric took the hint and climbed to his feet. “Breton, will you scoop it out for us? I’ll get the wine.” He walked a short distance with his back to the fire. After a moment his eyes adjusted, and the hilltops took shape dropping away in the distance. No other campfires were visible. And no angry orange glow from a Gate.

Lildereth appeared beside him.

“I guess that puts me at the age of stupid decisions,” he told her.

“A Nord’s thirty is a Bosmeri sixty,” she said. Jerric could hear the smile in her voice. “You can’t blame your age any more.”

“Today, in the ruin. When I saw you standing there with your little arrow and Darnand on the ground.”

Lildereth found his hand. “I’ll let you have that arrow and you can see just how little it is. Where would you like me to put it?”

“I’m not a vampire. You know what I mean.” A small squeeze told him that she did. “Anyway, you didn’t run.”

When Lildereth spoke she sounded somehow defeated. “I was going to use you.”

She wasn’t talking about the vampires any more.

“Now I know why you need us,” said Jerric. “I wondered. We both wondered.” He pushed down all the promises he couldn’t keep. “I hope you’ll stay with us. I’m running out of time, but I hope I get a chance to be what you want.”

Lildereth turned her face up toward him, pale in the starlight.

“You trusted us with this,” Jerric told her. “I can’t think of a greater honor.”

She slowly shook her head. “I would have let you—”

“But you didn’t. You told us. That’s more than I’ve been able to do. I guess you have an idea my sword is spoken for.”

“The Blades.”

“I can’t tell you more.”

Darnand’s voice carried to them from the campfire, but Jerric couldn’t make out the words. He wondered if Aravi’s quiet presence had triggered Lildereth’s confession. No doubt it had been building for some time. Perhaps the Breton could find the words to thank Aravi.

Lildereth hugged his arm. “I miss them so much,” she whispered, wiping her nose on his sleeve.

“Yeah,” he muttered. “I wish we could go home.”

Back at the campfire they admitted that they hadn’t brought any wine. Jerric sat cross-legged and tucked into his stew.

“These clouded funnel caps make the meal,” he said to Lildereth. “Thanks for murdering them for us.”

The Bosmer rolled her eyes at him.

“You might have chopped them a little finer,” Darnand told him.

“Teeth are for chewing,” said Jerric. He watched Aravi blow on a spoonful before she ate it.

“I did not notice cattle in Hope Valley,” Darnand mused. “Where do you suppose they got this beef?”

“It’s probably cave beef,” said Jerric. “It sure isn’t mutton.”

Aravi paused, spoon raised.

“Cave beef?” asked Darnand.

“Yeah, same as sand beef. Rat. Not corpse-fed tomb rat, just good old cave-dwelling, cairn bolete stuffed— Are you all right?”

Aravi put down her stew, coughing. She took a gulp from her cup.

“He is jesting,” Darnand said, wrinkling his brows. His spoon became a delicate probe as he investigated his bowl.

“Is that like mountain oysters?” laughed Lildereth.

“Yeah,” said Jerric. “Only the opposite.”

Aravi pressed white knuckles against her mouth. Her shoulders heaved.

“Gods,” said Jerric. “I was only jesting! It’s beef from the valley, I swear it. They buy calves every spring and graze them in the meadows, but they don’t overwinter like the sheep. Igren told me all about it. They dry the meat to preserve it, that’s why the stew took so long to cook. Aravi, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you sick.”

Darnand spooned another bite into his mouth. “You are a brave man if you sleep tonight, Nord.”

“Anyway rat meat is more stringy,” Lildereth said to Aravi. She raised her eyebrows in an encouraging manner.

Aravi just stared at Jerric, shaking her head.

Jerric waited as long as he could. Lady Luck favors the bold, he decided.

“Uh, Aravi, if you’ve really lost your appetite…” He nodded at her abandoned bowl. “That is to say, are you going to finish that?”

.

This post has been edited by Grits: Apr 8 2013, 04:48 PM

[Elisabeth Hollow]

That was some intense stuff from Lildreth's past. But she told them! That's a step in the right direction!

[mALX]

Anyway rat meat is more stringy,” Lildereth said to Aravi. She raised her eyebrows in an encouraging manner.

Very visual line - and funny picturing it! Absolutely LOVED this chapter! Some one on one time between Jerric and Darnand was so missed! Lildereth’s finally confessing her secrets, how Jerric must feel the similarity of what they’ve been through and where they are headed - except the enemies aren‘t the same ones, and Jerric‘s sword is spoken for. (hopefully he meant only the sword that hangs at his side). I knew the second Aravi abandoned her bowl Jerric would pounce on it like a hungry leopard, ROFL! Spectacular chapter, and Awesome Write!

[Acadian]

A wonderful two part episode.

First, we have the boyz and their bath. Here, you so totally capture both of them with their own words:
“I know, though at the time it did not occur to me. My knowledge is largely academic. It is imperative that we expand its practical applications.”
Jerric pondered that statement while Darnand combed his hair. “Yeah,” he finally said.’

Don’t feel bad, Jerric. Buffy wishes she had a tail too sometimes. Something about always wishing for what you don’t have.

*

Ah, then back to camp for part deux -

‘The fire crackled. Crickets chirped in the ferns. An owl called from the firs overhead and was answered by another down in the valley.’
Another magnificent bit of Grits painting the scene – only this time with sound. Oh, and a beautiful screenshot, thanks to KC!

Very cool to hear Lildereth open up about her past. Loved hearing about her Valenwood. Aravi’s having a good influence on her.

Poor kitty’s patiently endured having her tail pulled, spiders dropped on her and now rat / not rat stew.

[SubRosa]

A breeze whispered through the tall firs and curled around him like Kyne’s softest kiss.
This was a particularly wonderful metaphor.

what’s the real point of eyebrows?
To keep sweat from dripping down into your eyes? This reminds me of an interview I once saw with Peter MacNicol, who starred in Dragonslayer. His face was singed in one scene, and his eyebrows completely burned off. He mentioned the part about the sweat falling into his eyes after that. You learn the strangest things from movies...

“Ha! I never make unwelcome advances.”
Now that is spoken like a true male!

Another wonderful Aravi picture for the campsite.

I loved your description of Lil's old home on the banks of the Xylo, especially the part about being able to walk to the city without stepping on the ground. It is hard to imagine it now, but the entire eastern U.S. seaboard was like that at one time.

“Assume I didn’t get far in school,” Jerric told Lildereth.
This reminds me of The Chronicles of Riddick. "Pretend you're talking to someone educated in the Penal System. In fact, don't pretend."

Lil's description of the sack of her home was a sobering examples of the horrors of war. Not just any war, but a civil war, where the people killing and being killed are friends. I loved the fact that you included so many Bosmer words in your description. It makes their culture come alive as being real and distinct. Especially small touches like "the age of stupid decisions" - sounds like 15 -20 for a human.

The Wild Hunt! Eeeps. I do not blame Lil for fleeing rather than take part in that. It may have been a betrayal of her people, but the Hunt itself is a betrayal of their own elfmanity as well. Now we finally see what is driving at Lil. It does a lot to explain her nature. Still, as dark a horror as it is to hunt down the monsters that your kin have become, at least she is not a Mythic Dawn agent!

“It’s probably cave beef,”
Oh noes! I know what that is!

[Elisabeth Hollow]

What's cave beef? I know what mountain oysters are... But...lol