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Post by The Lost Traveler on Oct 4, 2013 3:23:09 GMT -5
D'ordon jumped at the chance Julius gave him, “Yes, BladeKeeper, I agree with Sir Aventer here. Every moment we spend hesitating is a moment they get further away.”
But Hjor watched Julius with a intrepid gaze and said, “You said that we should be careful. I agree. And that is why the guards must come. I can understand your hesitation as a traveler – you must not have seen the Markarth men at work before. But the Vigilants of the Sanctuary have had a long relationship with them – I trust them. We will be stronger together then apart.”
D'ordon's shook his head, “But BladeKeeper – ”
“This is my decision, Vigilant D'ordon.”
“One day is not going to delay us much,” Mhalla heard herself say.
D'ordon whirled on her. His eyes wide. “How can you say that? You – of all people!”
Since it's me of all people, you should have known to take that with a grain of salt. But instead her calm tone rose, silencing him, “It is late. Best rest now if we want any sleep by first light.”
Hjor seemed to melt in relief. “Thank you, Mhalla,” He said, the formal “Vigilant” title forgotten.
For a moment, Mhalla felt a pang of guilt, but then she said, “Of course, Hjor.”
While the rest of the Vigilants filed out to the rooms in the back, Mhalla turned to Sir Aventer and his new companion. “I'm sorry for all the commotion, sirs, but it seems like our expediton is halted for the moment. Since it'll be unsafe to go alone, please wait till the morning.” With that, she reached over to the bar and grabbed Sir Aventer's ale from the counter. Once she was sure the Vigilants had left and that the inn emptied for the night, she handed it to him, leaning over as she whispered, “Be at the forge at midnight, three hours from now.”
An hour is what it took for the Vigilants, after reconvening in Hjor's chambers, to plot out the basic plan for tomorrow morning. It was a simple one, really. They were to meet with guardsmen and then divide into five teams – each one of the Vigilants would be split into a group of guards. Each cell would explore a different part of the ruins, clear it and make it ready for another cell to follow after. Hjor hoped to confirm the plans with the captain of the guards and get a basic map of the ruins, but he felt confident in their cooperation.
Mhalla did her duty in memorizing the plan … but for a different reason.
Once the planning finished, Mhalla took a spare scimitar and shield from out of their supplies and tested it out while Igmund – her roommate, settled into bed. Since Mhalla never had the chance to get the blacksmith to look over her blade and shield, she would have to make do with using the spares that she was less familiar with.
It took two hours then of silent working until Mhalla was sure that Igmund was asleep. Then she slipped out of the room and eyed the chamber Hjor and D'ordon were in. It, too, was closed tight and dark. Then she exited the Silver-Blood Inn and entered into the frigid night air.
Even without the benefit of daylight, she navigated her way back, crossing through the barren marketplace until she reached the Riverside.
Whether Sir Aventer would truly be there waiting, possibly with Cosnach, was another matter.
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Post by GuardsGhost on Oct 16, 2013 21:26:09 GMT -5
Julius did not interfere in the Vigil's discussion, noticing how quickly Hjor cut down the opposition to his decision. He bowed his head in respect, giving off the impression he'd go with the mans wishes. Cosnach on the other hand, merely folded his arms and watched, the Nord snorted, seeming impatient to actually get to work.
And then, Julius raised an eyebrow at Mhalla's comment, and the eyebrow went even higher at D'ordons outburst. He lowered it as it seemed like Hjor seemed...relieved to get her approval?
The Knight frowned, leaning over to his new companion and muttering, "She has more sway over this group than he does it seems like....", lowly so that none of the Vigilants could hear, still frowning though at Hjor. "No way for a leader to act..." He muttered again to Cosnach, the Nord merely giving a slight shrug and whispering back quickly, "These Vigilants can debate till sunrise for all I care...we should just move on..."
Julius was about to head back to the bar, when a sharp elbow from Cosnach and a grunt indicated that Mhalla was speaking to them. Julius turned to the woman, bowing his head and beginning to speak, "It's no trouble at all, do not wo-" He was cut off by her whisper, taking his mug of ale and listening with intent interest, humming as she finished.
After she left, Cosnach turned to his new employer.
"What'd she say?"
"Apparently we're to meet her in three hours by the forge at midnight. It appears -our- expedition shall consider my friend." Julius informed him, a grin starting to appear on his face. He straightened out his worn cloak, patting down his armor and began to pull on the gauntlets he had taken off for their fist fight. The gauntlets clanked together for a bit, and Julius glanced at the man. "Let's get a move on then, better to take a look around
Cosnach nodded, impressed by the Imperial's eagerness and dedication. It reminded the Nord of himself at a more naive time, before the problems, and the drinking that failed to solve the problems. "Go on the lad, I'm right behind you."
Julius shook his head at the Nord, chuckling. "No Cosnach, you lead on. You're better suited to navigating this town in the dark than I am."
Cosnach shrugged, "Fair enough."
And so, the two travellers would head to the forge to meet Mhalla there.
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Post by The Lost Traveler on Oct 18, 2013 14:36:15 GMT -5
Mhalla sighed, the weight of worry shedding off her shoulders, as she spotted the two waiting by the closed off forge. Whether she hunted down the hag or not depended on their appearance at this time, for not even she was not rash enough to take on dwemer ruins by her lonesome. While she, like all Vigilants, maintained and held up order and the chain of command – in this matter alone she could only disobey. She would not allow the hag to escape. She would disembowel the witch, have her scream out in pain as she delivered up her secrets.
But, for now, she had to play it smart. So when she approached the two, she unslung a satchel that hung from her shoulder, “It is good to see the two of you. I take it you are both suitably determined?” With that, she reached into the satchel and began to pull out the rations that the Vigilants had stored for the trip – thin slices of bread, chops of salted venison, and some cooked beef – packable and nutritious. She handed a bit of the rations over, saying, “This will likely be a all night affair, and it is best we conserve our energy. A bit of food in the beginning, moderate pacing through the ruins, and resting after any bout of combat. Have either of you been in dwemer ruins before?”
She has, but only once. Mhalla received a mission a year back of villagers vanishing in a small hamlet at the base of the Druadach Mountains. Since the kidnappings always happened at the dark of night, witnesses spotted shadowy figures, and a battlefield could be found nearby the villagers were convinced that it was the work of a haunting and had requested aid from the Sanctuary. It turned out, however, that it was truly the work of Falmer, those blighted goblin creatures, who sneaked out from a set of caves near the village which lead deeper into hidden dwemer ruins. Mhalla only discovered the mistake when the expedition was already too deep inside.
It ended with them fighting their way back to the surface – it ended with a failure.
And now she was going to repeat that process – without her comrades-in-arms.
This will not end well, She felt. She felt it with grim certainty, as if she had rediscovered the lost art of prophetic visions, painting the future in vivid strokes. Hjor was right in one regard, waiting- for the morning, for the safety of numbers is the wisest path. Ruins, no, Tamriel itself, swallows and spits out would-be adventurers – be they bands of two, three or five. Even if they do manage to make it through and find the right trail there was no chance they could get away unscathed.
It matters not, I have drowned in death and blood and have been reborn in it. This is my way.
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Post by GuardsGhost on Nov 3, 2013 14:52:02 GMT -5
Julius was waiting with his new found companion by the forge. He had dabbed bits of his armor that might gleam in mud, and she'd notice no parts of his gear were loose to make noise. He smiled upon seeing the satchel of supplies, and seemed rather impressed. "Excellent. These should keep us sated for a bit, and yes, my companion and I are both suitably determined. This witch must be caught. It's a personal matter as well as a moral one."
Infact, Julius looked positively happy with their situation. And she'd notice a look in his eye that said he -really- wanted to catch the witch. "I agree, we'll conserve our rations. It's good that we had some drink and food in the inn, eh Cosnach?"
The Nord chuckled, and then nodded in agreement. "Aye, don't worry about us Vigilant. We'll be fine."
Julius shook his head at her final question however, as did Cosnach. "Never. I tend to avoid the dreadful things. Filled with traps and ancient machinery, and nothing that interests me....except a witch for this one."
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Post by The Lost Traveler on Nov 15, 2013 17:38:56 GMT -5
gIndeed.h Mhalla said, nodding. gSuch ruins are filled with danger and the Vigil itself makes a habit of never venturing inside. However, I had to enter into one once, and it was for a matter completely unrelated to the dwemer. I think that's the greatest lesson I learned about such places. Many consider dwemer ruins to be inhabited only by ancient machinery and traps, but the truth is more complex. There are the Falmer, wild beasts such as Giant Spiders and wolves, along with bandit clans who take refuge in them.h She gazed up the flight of steps that lead into the Markarth ruins, the hidden entryways which crisscrossed under Cidhna Mine. gBesides moderating our pacing we must never assume that once we discover one danger that it will be all that we will face. Who knows what dangers lurk in the deep.h
On that note, she craned her neck back to the two men, a smirk spreading that was veiled by her shawl, gWell? Shall we go on?h
Without waiting for a reply, Vigilant Mhalla turned away from the forge and began to climb up the steps. Towering twin doors, plated in painted gold, appeared before her, jutting out of the smooth stoneworks of Markarth. With but a single look behind her to make sure that Sir Aventer and Cosnach were still there she eased open one of the doors then slipped inside.
When Mhalla descended she found that the smooth stone of the entrance she walked on soon became the rough dirt of a sunken cavern. The stone and earth merged seamlessly together to the point when she circled around the sole pillar in the middle of the entranceway and walked down another flight of steps she was not at all surprised to see that the dwemer masonwork had resumed.
gNothing too surprising yet,h She told the two behind her, but nevertheless she fingered the hilt of her scimtar on her hip. gThough the visibility could be better. Do either of you have a torch? I can use Sun Fire to light up the cavern, but I rather not waste my magicka just yet.h
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Post by GuardsGhost on Dec 4, 2013 15:29:59 GMT -5
((Didn't realize it was my post TLT, I'll post today))
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Post by GuardsGhost on Dec 4, 2013 16:12:59 GMT -5
Julius had been listening to her with attentiveness, and now tilted his head. "The Falmeer may be a problem. Alone, those scum are weak. Their poison however is deadly. Do you know any restorative spells or have any potions that may help us in that regard?" He inquired curiously, "It'd certainly help our journey...." Consach spoke up, adding on."Aye, Sir Aventer is right in that regard. Falmeer poison is a deadly thing, painful deaths for all of us if we can't get rid of it." Cosnach then following Julius who followed Mhalla in to the Dwemer ruins golden gates. "Indeed we shall." Julius replied.
Julius and Cosnach followed her down the stairs, Julius coughing from some dust as they went. "Aye, nothing surprising. And I do." He held out the torch to her in the dark as they walked, his steps clanking against the stone floors. Julius just seemed more curious....but also aprehensive at their surroundings., After she lit the torch, he'd swing it around, looking around the room.
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Post by The Lost Traveler on Dec 14, 2013 23:25:12 GMT -5
Mhalla was glad that Sir Aventer came prepared. While the Vigilants had brought torches to light – the lot of them were stacked away in the BladeKeeper's quarters and Mhalla obviously could not traipse in, demand some supplies, and then traipse right back out again. So when Sir Aventer held out the torch towards her it was with some relief that she took out her flint and sparked it to life, following closely behind the knight as he led the light aloft. Looking at both men in turn,. Mhalla said, “Addressing your earlier question. Aye, I know a bit of Restoration. However, Cure Poison is a Adept level spell, which is a bit beyond me. No worries, however, I am skilled enough to keep the two of your whole and healthy despite whatever physical trials we prevail across. If, by chance, we do come across some Falmer poison I have a potion or two which can remedy it.” The dwemer stonework stretched on before them – a bench on the left wall rested before some sort of embedded cage of gold with a green glow within. A dwemer lightpost of sorts but where men of this age used lit oil these elden masters of technology developed a power source that still ticked away many centuries later. But even without that light or the flames of the torch in Sir Aventer's grasp, the charred form of the dwemer automaton would still be visible in the darkness – it's round golden figure still rocking even in death. “A dwemer Sphere,” Mhalla said, bending down to brush a hand along it's circumference. “It's cold to the touch. Whatever powered this machine has long left it – the witch has passed through this way – a while ago.” Almost too long ago. Her fingers came up with a thin layer of dust. If the Hag killed it, it must have been before her confrontation with the smith's apprentice. Unless, there are two of them, and one witch was in here waiting while the other was doing the haggling. And, like that, the image of those two Hags, from that night, rose up as specters in here mind. And Mhalla squashed it down. No. She thought as she stood up once more. No. Don't think of it and better yet don't get your hopes up. You will kill this Hag because she needs killing. If she's in Halivid's coven than it's all the better. The narrow hallway opened up to a larger chamber with a elevated platform in the middle. From where she stood Mhalla could make out the sight of a golden arch in the front of the platform, one that is meant to hold a towering automaton. It could only be Stendarr's mercy that it was currently empty. A quick scan of their surroundings showed that the entire chamber was likewise empty, the hollow silence rang out with starker contrast than any banging cymbal could and the Vigilant felt her spine crawl. Something is not right. Even taking into consideration that the Hag came before them and cleared the way, there should still be signs of passage – scattered Spiders, traps disabled for the one who came before them to slip on by. But there was nothing. It was like the witch magicked herself out of this room to safety and now it sought to turn it's vengeance on them. That was what she could taste – a sense of violence. But obviously, Cosnach did not feel the same. Or perhaps he was too caught up in the sight of the dwemer ruins to truly pay heed, but that very moment he walked towards the steps in the middle of the chamber – passing a wall with a metal contraption embedded on it. One with a hole through the wall up at the top – a hole that was now stirring. “Get away from the wall!” Mhalla shouted, drawing her scimitar at the same time – it's shedding light painting the new arrivals in stark relief. Out from the wall crawled a golden spider, metal legs bending and body sparking. It clung to the wall, scurrying up higher. Another appeared moving to the left and making room in the center. A space quickly occupied by a golden ball that popped out of the hole, rolled forward a handspan before a humanoid shape emerged from within – a blade where a arm should be pointing to the group of three. ...Oblivion take them! Was all Mhalla thought as she charged forward with a bellow. …................................................................................................................................................................. Notes: Sorry for taking over Cosnach like that for a sec. I needed someone to walk by and trigger the ambush and Mhalla would not make the mistake of walking by the walls where dwemer machines pop out of. Speaking of which, what do you think of their numbers? I thought the three of them ganging up on one Sphere would not be too challenging so I added a couple Spiders as well as a distraction. Depending on if you think that's too much or too little I can shift the difficulty settings  Anyway, with this out of the way I can start focusing a bit more on Irradiated Forks. So don't rush and post whenever you can. TLT |
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Post by GuardsGhost on Jan 6, 2014 17:04:12 GMT -5
Julius nodded silently as Mhalla explained her skills in restoration. A part of him was nervous, but another was greatly relieved. She could have had -no- skill in restoration. Then we'd have been in a rather tight spot of trouble if one of us got wounded. He mused in his own head, then spoke up, "That is very reassuring Vigilant Mhalla, thank you for informing us. I'd rather like knowing that if I almost lose my arm, you can repair it." There was a hint of humor in his tone, but only a hint. The Knight understood how serious this was.
His eyes finished adjusting to the light from the torch, and he began following Mhalla through the Dwemer ruins. He was secretly amazed at the wonders he saw before them, but refused to say so outloud. Dwemer ruins were impressive, yes. But also dangerous. His hand held onto the hilt of his blade, prepared for any trouble that should come their way from the ancient halls of the Dwarves. "I'd watch your step. I don't trust that the Dwemer didn't leave us any gifts before disappearing. Or that hag of yours."
He paused by the dwemer sphere, raising a brow and glancing around wearily. "I've never seen one of these before - if the witch killed it, I suppose we can thank the Divines for one blessing. I'm not sure how you'd fight such a thing." His hand rubbed the sphere the way one might rub a dog, and he smiled slightly. It was a sad smile. "Perhaps a writer would find some poetry in this, eh Mhalla? All things come to an end. We all get a layer of dust on us at the end, no matter how well we are built."
Something is not right.
Julius half drew his blade, steel becoming visible as it screeched against the scabbard. He felt the same way as Mhalla, only his feeling was practically overwhelming. So he did what all knights did, and drew his sword and prepared to fight or die. "Divines give me strength..."
Cosnach recoiled from the wall as the spider crawled out, drawing his own blade and swearing a rather vulgar oath. The Nord began swinging at the spider, but missing as it crawled up the wall to safety. Julius turned to the sphere, letting out a bellow of his own and charging with Mhalla at the sphere, he'd swing his blade at its head only for it to be deflected by the spheres own blade. However, this left the construct open to Mhalla, at least momentarily.
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Post by The Lost Traveler on Jan 12, 2014 20:12:20 GMT -5
Mhalla took the opportunity presented, striking swift and strong with her blade and then following up with Sun Fire, so that the heat of the blast scorched into the metal. However, given that the spell was usually weaker than it's Destruction counterpart and that the Sphere was not undead like the spell's intended target meant that the flames were weaker than they could be. But it was enough to cause the Sphere to back up some. Mhalla took a step back as well, eying Cosnach out of the corner of her eye as the Nord battled against the two Spiders, before casting Barkskin over herself. Her skin, already a tanned hue beneath the holds of her Vigilant robes, now hardened and fractured, taking on the texture of the outer coating of a tree trunk. She dived in again, blade singing through the air, as a laugh bubbled to her lips.
“Julius!” She said, the adrenaline causing her former formality to flee from her mind, “It looks like you'll learn how to fight it the hard way!” She was not sure where the conceit came from, but right then, in the middle of the fray, she had remembered the comment the knight had made mere moments before the ambush.
Truly, the gods had a good handle of irony.
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Post by GuardsGhost on Jan 15, 2014 21:46:49 GMT -5
As the sphere backed up, so did Julius. His blade was held in a two handed grip, his eyes taking on a look of steely determination. This was something familiar to him. This was holy almost, doing the divines work, destroying a creature that dared get in their way on the path of the Hag. He'd destroy it alright, and his eyes darted over to Mhalla, nodding as her skin took on the hue and texture of a tree trunk. He was not familiar with the spell, but if that's what the Vigilant chose to protect herself, so be it. He dressed himself in steel, she dressed herself in wood. His lips twitched into a slight smiked as he charged to support the laughing Vigilant who was diving into the fray once more, her blade singing the familiar song of steel that was thirsty, although in this case it was not for blood and flesh.
Her comment elicited a laugh of his own, and he shouted back at her as his blade clanged into the Spheres head, not doing much more than forcing it back and aggravating it really. "I suppose I will have to learn the hard way indeed! Luckily, I have a tree fighting by my side! Unfortunately-" He grunted, the spheres blade hitting his armor and leaving a dent- "It is also a -talking- tree who seeks to embarrass me!"
Surely, the gods were having a laugh at Julius' expense.
Cosnach let out a fearsome battle cry, that of a Nord ready to fight, and possibly die. The creatures he was fighting were unfamiliar to the veteran mercenary, who had never been silly enough to accompany caravans that wished to go through Dwemer Ruins. But he was a fighter, and a fighter knew how to adapt. His boot came slamming into the first spider to launch itself at him, sending it tumbling back and crashing against the stone wall. His sword flashed down, splitting off one of the other spiders legs with a lucky blow. The wounded machine backed up, and came at him again.
Men could adapt, machines could not.
Cosnachs blade caught the spider, but on the flat. He sent the spider flying as if a ball hit by a stick, right into the Dwemer spheres blade. The spider was cut almost in half by the blade, and Consachs boot stomped down on the second ones weak part from above. And then again. And again. And again, until finally the spider stopped twitching.
"My snow cursed foot is sore now!" He growled, grabbing the broken machine and slamming it against the stone wall a few times in a fit of rage, leaving Mhalla and Julius to finish off their own opponent.
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Post by The Lost Traveler on Jan 16, 2014 20:55:08 GMT -5
Right after her blade struck in a flash of sparking metal and flashing light, she heard Sir Aventer's answering laugh. His blade followed her's – knocking the Sphere's head back in a jar, but the higher pitched whine of steam that exited it meant the machine's aggression had only been agitated. His comments came to her in periodic jags, breaking through the haze of red that coated her vision. “I suppose I – ” and “Luckily, I have a – ” were the only parts that reached her as her eyes traced along the machination's path.
But, despite moving to the point her bones creaked and muscles strained, still she wasn't able to intercept the blade of the Sphere before it struck Sir Aventer on the side, denting his armor inward. Impressively, though the man let out no more than a grunt, going ever on with what he was saying. But she was only allowed a stab of confusion (embarrass?) when out of nowhere a Spider came careening in – imbedding itself on the Sphere's blade. Instantly, the red which had touched every aspect of her reality in the last few seconds which had been eternities rotted away in a flash, leaving behind only a thick dread. “Julius!” She screamed, once more forgetting decorum, “Jump away from it now!” as her attention shifted over to Cosnach. While her inward Tarvlyn chided ”Situational awareness, Vigilant!” she spotted Cosnach slamming a damaged Spider against a stone wall. Then again. And again.
She leaped at him, as behind her the Sphere, which had been waving it's blade around in a frantic urgency (Gods be good! They're that aware!), was washed over in a cloud of exploding golden parts and a storm of electricity – before abruptly powering down and curling up in a ball.
Cosnach had paused in his finishing move at the sound of her pounding footsteps and had witnessed the destruction behind her. He let go of the Spider's imobile form immediately, and was caught by the side when Mhalla tackled him pushing the both of them to the other side of the chamber. She felt the heat of the electricity spark against her back, but the charge was deadened against the steel armor beneath her robes and the Barkskin beneath it. So Mhalla just winced as the battle closed behind her in a hail of flashing light.
After a beat where the silence reigned, Mhalla felt a grin break through. She glanced down to where Cosnach lay pinned beneath her and said, “Well, Cosnach, quite a feat! Destroying the Spiders and the Sphere in – ” Her voice died as she caught his eyes fixed on her face. “One.” His features had paled to a ungodly hue and just blinked as if not trusting his eyes – disbelief and horror (such a familiar sight) etched onto his very brow. “fell blow.” She finished in a whimper.
“Your … your face.” The Nord said in reply.
Despite knowing that it would reveal nothing she did not already guess, Mhalla's fingers reached up to brush against her face – a face unveiled by her shawl and hood becoming loose from the tackle. She felt the smooth skin of youth on her right side before it descended inexplicably to the leathery wrinkles of age on the left – the skin clinging to the bone of her jaw and skull reaching up to where her glazed, dead right eye waited. She tore her gaze off of Cosnach to peer up to where Sir Aventer stood some ways away, before jerking her head away, her body off of Cosnach and marching some distance off. With stiff, automatic movements she rewrapped her red shawl around her countenance once, twice and thrice, finishing it off by flipping her hood back over her head.
Once done she walked pass Cosnach, the shards of the first Spider, pass Sir Aventer and the deactivated Sphere and went deeper into the ruins.
The footsteps of her boots echoed behind her.
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Note:
I suppose you forgot that the Spiders explode, huh?
Granted, they're not that strong in the game, but considering none of them is the dragonborn and are probably fairly low levels I figured I could up the danger level.
Well, it works well with the backstory of Mhalla having been in dwemer ruins before while the two men have not, and also gives me a excuse to finally pry that shawl off and let the two have a good look at what she's been hiding underneath all this time. As for why Cosnach acted the way he did, I'll leave it to you. Either he's a prejudiced bigot like others she has met or he was just surprised like anyone would be by such a unnatural sight (you can tell which interpretation I favor).
Anyway, I look forward to your post after this mess.
TLT
P.S. You're up in Rad Apple
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Post by GuardsGhost on Jan 24, 2014 16:33:14 GMT -5
“Julius! Jump away from it now!”
Julius disengaged long enough to turn to her as confusion washed over his face. He wasn't stupid enough to ignore a warning, and soon enough the Knight was down on the ground, back to the Sphere, covering his head with his arms. Just in time as well, for the spider detonated on the spheres arm merely seconds later, covering the Knight with flying debris that bounced off his armor. A jagged piece pierced through at one of the joints however, cutting into the mail underneath, which luckily kept him from getting seriously injured. He swore, beginning to stumble to his feet when a -second- blast sounded behind him.
Quickly, the Knight whirled around to check on his friends. What he saw concerned him greatly. Something was wrong with Mhalla's face. What was wrong exactly? Julius had no clue. But it was just -wrong-. One part was young, smooth. The other looked as if it was dying.
“Your … your face.” The Nord said in reply.
And with that, he watched, his confusion growing even more profound as the Vigilant slowly re-wrapped her shawl around her face and head, saying nothing to neither Nord nor Imperial.
Once done she walked pass Cosnach, the shards of the first Spider, pass Sir Aventer and the deactivated Sphere and went deeper into the ruins.
The footsteps of her boots echoed behind the Vigilant, and Julius walked over to Cosnach. "You saw it too Cosnach?" He muttered lowly, so to not offend their companion. The pale faced nord nodded in reply. "We'll ask her about it another time Cosnach. For now, let's get out of here." "Bad luck..." Cosnach grunted.
Julius found it hard to disagree.
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Post by The Lost Traveler on Jan 31, 2014 18:28:36 GMT -5
The click of her steel cuffed boots against elder stone sounded in the dim cavern, as Mhalla made her way up a flight of steps to a higher platform. Julius and Cosnach still waited below, sharing a few spare words to each other that she was happy not to hear. She did not know how long their journey would continue after this, or if it would continue at all, but she pressed on regardless – making her way to a tunnel opening.
The dwemer stone descended into dirt like before, but this time Mhalla paid no heed to her surroundings. Instead, she had her blade drawn and inspected it. Notches and chips scarred it's length – having formed in the swift battle before. The trouble with silver swords was that despite it's usefulness against the undead and other abominations like werewolfs the metal itself was inherently soft. Much softer than the dwemer metal she had clashed against. Indeed, if the blade had not been expertly made and enchanted it would likely have snapped in half during the first strike. And she definitely would not have lasted the full fight – not against so many foes.
She needed to two men who had joined her on this expedition to make it out of these ruins alive.
The tunnel opened up to a web-coated chamber. Upon sight of it, Mhalla held a loft her scimitar while she brought her buckler to bear. She shouldn't have bothered. The Giant Spiders, of flesh and poison instead of golden metal, lay dead on the floor – charred with magical energy. “The Hags.” She muttered, before scanning the room more fully. There was only one exit, but before she walked down it to the ruins beyond she paused.
Wait.
Mhalla knelt down to where the dirt and stone met – but instead of footprints leading into the exit a firm layer of dust still coated stone hallway. And it was different from the thin covering over the Sphere in the entranceway – it was so thick that Mhalla doubted anyone has walked down that way in years.
When Julius and Cosnach finally caught up to her, they found her walking along the walls of the rocky cavern – brushing a gauntleted hand against the jagged crevices and spikes. After a moment of silence, when the two men did not speak – either of the aftermath of the fight or of her current pacing, the Vigilant turned to them. “It seems are prey came into this chamber, but did not leave that way,” She said, nodding her head towards the only exit. “So I suspect that there's a hidden passageway somewhere in here – ancient ruins of all sorts are known to house them. If we are lucky it will open the way directly into their lair.”
She took her hand off the wall and then turned to look the both of them in the eye – for the first time since the fight.
“Will you help me look for it?”
Her tone was soft – but the confidence from before was creeping back in bit by bit.
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Post by GuardsGhost on Feb 22, 2014 14:54:37 GMT -5
Julius had been looking around the chamber again, letting out a low whistle upon seeing the dust. He didn't think anyone could have come by here in years. Perhaps centuries, who knew with Dwemer ruins? Mhalla was walking around, brushing her gauntlet against the dusty walls and..spikes. The knight watched with a raised eyebrow, Cosnach staying far away from the woman. "I doubt they're expecting anyone to come right next to them in their own little private lair. Should be an interesting experience for them I presume." He murmured to his Nord friend.
He met the Vigilants eye easily. She had fought beside Julius, and was still fighting beside him. She was helping him locate his fathers helmet, a relic from the past that he -needed- to acquire. She was a friend, a sister in arms so to speak, and a companion.
Anything else could wait for another time, when their lives didn't depend on eachother.
He was happy to hear that confidence in her tone coming back. She sounded unnatural without it, like a different woman entirely. "Of course Mhalla. We'll find it, together." He gave her a smile, and began to look about, shoving aside spider corpses as he walked, making a face when he touched the ones with charred flesh. "Suppose I'll need to clean my armor after this, eh?" He chuckled, attempting to lighten the mood in the dark ruins. It was dark and depressing enough -without- the awkwardness that had descended on their little trio, something the Knight didnt want. He was a man raised on tales of how men and women would travel together, keeping their spirits up in the face of all the odds against them, smiling as they walked into death.
Someone had to be smiling.
Cosnach eyed the Vigilant wearily, giving her a wide birth as he too began to search. Muscles heaving as he pushed aside broken pottery and other things to clear away paths. His large eyes were narrowed as he glanced around for whatever it was they were looking for. What the Nord was thinking was anyones guess at this point. But by the looks he had given Mhalla, it was nothing good to be sure. The suspicion and revulsion was there, plain as day. But the Nord appeared to be loyal to Julius for now.
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