Sunday, November 27, 2016

Meeting, Malik and Cultists #7






"Twilight.."


"Is the worst time to be out, as one's eyes can not adjust quickly between the dark of the ground and the lingering brightness of the sky. I know Ash.... I heard  you and the guard round the corner of the Inn, the guard paused and went towards the bridge and you waited a count of ten, then came this way."

I looked back over my shoulder at him and he looked down at me his lips twitching. Then I turned back to look out over the Bay, the water still catching the sunlight, glittering like jewels.

" I needed a moment of quiet and peace, neither of which I would get in the Inn. Maya is very exhausting."

"She is, but she has a good heart and I think with the right Knight she will calm a bit and make a very good Priestess. We are going to help her with that, Malik was recommended by the High Prelate, as a good match for her."

"Do you know him?"

"No, though of course I know of him. "  I nodded and took one last look at the bay, the sky was darkening and stars coming out. We headed back to the Inn, where I played my Lute for an hour or so and then went to bed.

*************

I felt a hand on my foot at the same time I heard Ash say my name and that it was time to get up. Had there been any problems, he would just have said my name. I let loose of the dagger that was in my hand under the pillow and sat up, listening to the sounds of the town waking up for a moment. 

"Maya....Maya! It's time to get up if you want breakfast." she muttered and I grinned at her. " Ash won't spend the extra time here if you're not up and ready to go, we will leave without you."

She sat up and rubbed her glazed red eyes... I winced at the look on her face and walked over and did the best I could with a healing spell, but they aren't really designed to deal with hangovers.

"Come on, Bread will soak up some of the bile in your stomach that's making you queasy and a nice basin of cold water will help with the head. You do want to get to Solitude in time to get our measurements in at the dressmakers don't you?"  I laughed as she grumbled again. I dressed and was out the door to get my breakfast before she had even washed her face.

It took most of the day to get to Solitude, being late afternoon before we made it in the gate. As they were getting ready to execute a man, Ash hurried us to the Inn to get our rooms. I changed out of my heavy armor into a lightweight armor that was suitable for town and changing in and out of clothing.

We made the armorer first and he got our measure and said he would have a couple outfits that we could try on tomorrow, then it was off to the Dresser. The snotty Altmers weren't happy when Ash went in and out of every room and tried all the doors. 

The Sisters said they would have some dresses for us to try, but they would not be the height of fashion. I was happy with that, I only needed a couple of dresses to look nice if I had to meet with the kind of people who expected a Priestess to dress well. 

We went back to the Inn and had a good dinner, Maya chose to stay downstairs and drink and dance with some Imperial soldiers, Ash followed me upstairs where I picked up a book and Ash fixed a pallet on the floor. 

Maya came up as the Guard cried the eleventh hour, sooner than I thought. I was ready for bed, Ash braiding my hair.

"Tsuri, I have a question for you, it's a little personal." She gave Ash a look and he nodded and went out the door. I knew he would not be going far.

"I'll answer if I can, what is it you need to know?"

"I watched the men tonight, they were practically drooling over you and you, you never noticed. I want to get the same kind of attention, without stripping and dancing on a table. I mean even in your armor, you show nothing and yet, get attention, but more you get respect. That is what I want."

I had not actually heard a question, but I think I understood what she meant. I thought a moment about what I thought the biggest differences between us were. 

" I think what people see is my confidence, I don't want attention, but I walk with confidence. Also, my main armor shows nothing, but it does enhance my figure. What I mean is, that you can't see skin, but you can see I have large breasts, You are displaying them, I enhance them. Makes a man think, instead of just drool, about what's under the armor." I saw the light dawn in her eyes.

"Maya, it was a woman who helped design this armor and it wasn't just for protection. No as a Priestess I don't necessarily need to wear armor, I can cast a spell instead, but warriors take me much more seriously because they see I am serious. One of the Priestesses in Elswyer had a saying that I found both funny and apt, " If you've got it, Flaunt it, but remember anything on display is for sale." She looked out with unseeing eyes as she thought of what I said.

"Tsuri, could you help me get one of the armors like yours?  I know they are specially made for each Priestess and well I don't want to go back to the Imperial City to have one made."

"As it happens, I have a long version of the armor, it's got a heavier lining and I think the Armorer here can take some of the plates off the bottom and add them to the seams and adjust it to fit you."

" Oh, so it's back in Riverwood?" She looked a bit crestfallen at that and I smiled.

" No It's one of the things that Ash was carrying, I was going to leave it, but he insisted we bring it. Perhaps for you, he thinks way ahead sometimes." She looked to start another conversation so I told her to think about it and we would take it to the smith in the morning, first thing... but we needed some sleep now.

**************


   The next day dawned bright and sunny and we spent the better part of the day getting fitted for various armors and dresses. The Smith said he could have the armor re-sized in a few days and Maya was very happy about that. We would both have a dress ready the next day.

   The only fly in the ointment, Ash, I was trying on some rather skimpy armors... yeah not to wear, just to try on and he had a major fit over it. I told him he wasn't my Dad and I would damn well wear what I wanted to wear and we had a really quiet fight right then and there. Ash never yells and won't talk to me if I do. Though at times, I yell anyway, it's like slamming a door, it just feels right, at that time anyway!

   Ash and I never stay mad at each other, I depend on him too much and well really I have no clue why he doesn't stay mad at me. We spent the day doing minor repairs to our armor and other gear and you do not know how much I really loved having a hot lunch and then taking a nap.

We picked up a dress apiece from the Sisters and they said the rest would be ready in a day or so and they would have one of the boys run them out to the Priory. Hopefully, more than one boy as I had several dresses myself.

The Armorer said it would be a couple more days before he had Maya's armor done, but he did have the links taken out and she tried it on over a light silk gambeson, which was all that the sisters could have done in that short a time. I reminded him that it would also need to accommodate a heavily padded silk one.

The Winking Skeever's bard and I played til Midnight and then I went to bed, knowing Ash would want to be up and gone with the sunlight.



The walk down and round the docks to the Priory would have been harsh and steep, had we made it with all our packs and Maya's extra gear, but one of the guards showed us a postern gate warning us that it was one-way and that we would have to get the attention of one of the guards to come back through.

Ash muttered something about a breach in the town's defenses and gates like that and said if he was the Jarl of this town he would have that gate sealed up. He was of course correct.

We got to the Priory mid-morning and Maya was about ready to have a fit, she was just that nervous. She hung back with me and let Ash take the lead and greet the Redguard who was chopping wood. 

I took stock of him the way Ash had taught me to. About Ash's height, tough a touch shorter, dark coffee-colored skin. The dual swords on his back looked complicated to me, and light crimson-colored armor made me wince at how visible he would be from a distance, though I would find out I was wrong about that.

His hair was long, but shaved on one side, in the fashion of a sword dancer, from Hammerfell's desert regions. He was a master of his chosen weapons, like Ash. The Order did not make just anyone a Knight let alone a Knight Protector.

We set our packs down and Ash introduced us, then we helped him with some of the chores he was doing before Maya and I took all our gear inside and started Lunch. Ash and Malik spent lunch discussing Maya like she wasn't there, which is par for course for Knights, male or female. Maya and I decided to chime in like we were talking about someone who wasn't there.

We spent the next week sparing and testing how the two of them would work together and then asked for an audience with the Jarl. We had left her be as she had much to contend with because of the recent death of her husband. 

Ash did most of the talking, as temporary High Prelate of our Order in Skyrim, he explained what our tenets were to her and that we would be more than happy to help with any and all troubles, except political ones.  He did say it a bit more, diplomatically though.

She nodded and thanked us for coming and that would have been that if not for the Steward whispering something in her ear. After getting a nod from the Jarl the Steward explained to us.

"We have a bit of a problem on our border, lately there have been reports of people going missing with some Cultists as the attackers. The problem is if we send the guard, the Jarl of The Pale, might take it as an invasion. He's.... touchy to say the least and with the Civil War, even touchier. I think as a religious order, that plans on staying neutral in the Civil War, you can do what our guards can't. If you could get rid of these cultists, the Jarl would be very grateful."

We took our leave and Ash and Malik started planning out what supplies we would need what was already at the Priory and what we would need to buy before we left town.


Two days later we were on our way. It had been decided that Malik and Maya would take the lead, with Ash and I as their backup, because they needed to be able to work together seamlessly. Maya's armor came the day before we left and I have never seen a man's face look so crestfallen.

Maya was asking Ash about the armor's fit, with Malik beside me. "But she has such glorious Breasts, it is a shame to cover them up." I looked at him and said 

"What?" 

"Ah, but you see, Sword Dancers wear little, usually cloth. I wear this armor, more for the cold than the protection it offers. A female Sword Dancer will often fight in only a modesty covering, with hair flowing. I had thought from the armor she had been wearing that, perhaps...well, I guess it doesn't matter."

"Malik, once Ash is gone, you can probably talk her right into wearing as little as it pleases the two of you to wear, and the cold permits, as she is a Nord, that might be very little indeed. As a priestess, she may dress how she wills, in armor or cloth, Ash has an odd idea of propriety and safety."

   He looked very thoughtful as we continued on. We found the cave entrance that we had been told about. The doorway and masonry said much about the type of people that were inside. The newly killed and desiccated corpses said more.

   Ash motioned us to walk a little bit away. And told us that as it was only mid-afternoon he wanted to wait til later when opening the door would not flood the interior with sunlight, allowing them to know we were on our way in. So we set up a small camp and I pulled out my bed roll and took a nap until Ash called me awake.

   It was right at dusk and Maya was also rubbing her eyes, Malik handed us both a bowl of stew and a chunk of bread. I tasted the meat, berries, honey, and some of the spices that Ash used to make the Stew, it wasn't as tasty as one would think, but it was full of calories that we would need to fight.


  I opened the door as narrowly as possible and watched as the other three squeezed through, then went in myself and closed the door quietly. I put my pack on the floor next to the others and we headed into the cave. I blinked my eyes a little to adjust to the dimmer cave. 

  As I looked around, I realized it was not as dim as it could have been. The blue light shining down from the roof of the cave said that a hole or two in the mountain was letting in light, the color said it was iced over. There were also Brazier's burning, giving off a dim orange/yellow light. The effect was creepy.

  Malik and Maya were almost to the ramp down, when I heard it, claws on stone, I could not see any animal. I caste a very simple low-level spell that put frost on everything, not useful for much, but it did one thing well, put to sight anything invisible. It would not last long, but they pulled weapons and killed the Skeevers that were almost on top of them.

   They rushed down to the next level, making enough noise that anything there would have time to prepare. Ash gave me a look and followed a bit slower, I was now watching all their backs. I caste a detect life spell and was startled to see Ash almost pass something pressed to the wall.

   "Ash, 9 O'clock high!" He swung the greatsword in an arc and the mage who had been standing there, invisible, lost his head. I again cast my Hoarfrost spell and it showed two mages almost on top of Malik and Maya. Ash let out a battle cry and took off running, which was a good thing as neither of the other two was in a good position to battle.

   I caste a  summon Flame Atronach spell, not just to help with the fight, but they are very good about detecting hidden enemies. Maya got a knife slashed across her chest and fell, but the mage back-peddled with a fire-bolt to the face and then a greatsword across the neck. 

   Malik was faring better, but in trying to find an opening was maneuvering for space when the mage summoned an Ice Atronach. I caste another detect life spell, but only that which I could already see was visible on this level and I could not see below. The creepy smile on the mages face told me he was playing a waiting game and I needed to get to Maya.

  I pulled out my crossbow and dipped the tip of one of the bolts into a small vial that I carried. Hitting the mage in the side of the neck caused him to freeze as powerful paralyzing poison took effect, before he could topple over, Malik's swords scissored his head off and Ash's swing at the now dissipating Atronach had to be pulled.

   I got to Maya gave her a vial of fast-acting healing potion and caste a spell on top of that. She said her thanks as I went to both men and caste a small healing spell on both, neither had more than minor cuts. Ash looked at me and raised a brow, I nodded and said, "From the waiting game he was playing, he expected help from below."

   I kept behind the others, casting detect life at every turn, but we ran into no more than a Skeever til we were almost at the bottom. We were strung out on a steep downward ramp when the next attack came. I was flung into the wall by a pressure wave, as soon as I was half upright I caste my hoarfrost spell again and we could all see five or six mages heading up the ramp, though on different levels.

  The first of them got to us as one of those below had caste a paralyze spell and caught Maya before she had gotten an armor flesh spell on. She fell hard and I stopped beside her and caste two spells quickly one a flesh spell for me, the other a summon for a Storm Atronach. I drew my sword and readied a ward spell, I didn't have the strength to caste yet.

  The men were in a guarding position with Ash slightly ahead, his sword's longer reach keeping most at bay, Malik kept closer to the wall where his speed and agility would work for him. I reached into my pouch and felt around for a small vial of potion that would allow my magicka to regenerate faster, at the cost of me physically crashing later. I drank that and chewed on the lump of dried meat and berries kept together by honey, that would help with my energy level. 

   I knelt and poured a drop or two of healing potion at a time into Maya's mouth, I didn't want her to choke. I kept looking and had to put the stopper on the vial and stand, flinging up a ward spell in time to stop another one of those pressure waves, it had been preceded by a sound like a clap of thunder, which gave me warning. 

  As I thought that my Storm Atronach was about to dissipate, I summoned another, only to find, that the 1st did not. In the back of my mind was the thought that my conjuration skill had just gotten stronger. Looking down to the bottom of the cave, I could see a dark blob floating around, and I caste a fire bolt at it, but it barely moved the thing. 

   Sighing I kept one ear out for the thing and then concentrated on the mages, they all had daggers and those must have been enchanted, Malik and then Ash went down.. I caste Healing spells at both and then threw a rune spell at my feet. At almost arm's length one of my fire-bolts hit a mage square in the chest and he went off the edge of the ramp down to the bottom, I heard the crunch of bones breaking. An ice-spike flew past my face and caught another through the eye and I caste a spell at him that pushed him over the edge, then used another Summon spell, this time for one of the Lesser Deadra, a Golden Saint answered and she put paid to the remaining mage.

   I gave both Malik and Ash very strong healing potions and they staggered to their feet. Two more mages and the black creature were at the bottom of the cave. The two men started for the bottom and Maya went to follow, I grabbed her sleeve and shook my head.

"You go to that landing and I'll go over on the other side of the stream. Strafing spells at it, keep it off balance, try not to hit the men."

  It wasn't too much longer before it was a pile of black rags and mush and we looked around at all the landings and in the sleeping areas. I caste spells to see if there were hidden passages but could find none. We all tramped back up to the first landing and from the sound of the wind rattling the door and the snow blowing through the cracks, a blizzard was blowing outside.

 "we'll camp here, Tsuri, you and Malik go find more wood and other things that will burn, then put some runes on the ramp up. Maya lay out everyone's sleep rolls and put a low-powered rune on the door, so that we know it's being opened, but it won't hurt the unwary." 

After all the preparations had been made, but before the stew was done. Ash looked at me and barked, "What went wrong?!"  I sighed cause, while I was used to Ash and the way he did after assessments, neither Maya nor Malik were.

 "Malik, Maya you both rushed ahead, without knowing what was there. Malik, it's your job as a Knight protector to protect your Priestess. Maya, it's your job to make sure Malik knows what it is he's protecting you from. Ash, you were not as cautious as you could have been following them. I was slow to caste the right spells to allow all to see what the danger was."  I paused and thought for a moment and then started again.

 "Maya, for the second part of that fight, you didn't caste protective spells on yourself, yes this armor is better, but it's not plate steel. This caused you to miss most of the fight, being paralyzed. Malik, I should not have been the one standing over Maya protecting her. I had to watch her and also pay attention to you and Ash and those mages. Ash, my Conjuration has increased, I can now summon two deadra from the other plane."  He nodded and then stood up and walked away for a minute. He paced back and stood looking at the three of us.

 "Maya, Malik, to be honest, you should have had more time to get to know how each other works. Tsuri and I know each other well enough to know how we are going to react. BUT, knowing you each need to talk to the other, when we get back and work out how you are going to work with each other." he paused and then frowned, " Those weren't just mages, they were cultists of one sort or the other. That creature was a Lurker, Tsuri best guess?"  I frowned and thought about it for a minute or so. 

  "At first glance, I would have said Hermaeus Mora, but it doesn't quite fit. His cultists are power hungry, yes, but they feel power through knowledge and I didn't see more than ten books, very unlike any of his followers". I looked off into the dark of the cave. " Even though the Lurker is one of his creatures. I don't know Ash, but it seems it's something that we should look into. I do have a question though, what was that  ummm weapon it was using, the sound and pressure wave?" Ash was shaking his head and I could see he didn't know.

"A Thu'um, that was a Thu'um or shout. It is something that can be learned but it would take a very long time. Legends say that a Dragonborn can use them without extensive training." She looked at me inquiringly. I shook my head.

"No, not as far as I know, who would we ask?" She tipped her head a little and smiled.

"The Greybeards they are the only ones who might know."









   
    






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