Hasir followed Ceralyne, with Inigo walking reluctantly behind them, back to the castle exterior where she turned left and entered a rather derelict funeral home with crooked-looking wood paneling and fade green gothic wallpaper. The elf ignored this whereas the Argonian and the khajiit remarked on this quite disturbedly.
Hasir noticed how, atop the wooden stairs, stood an immaculate wooden table with a complete set of alchemical apparati laid out meticulously on it - almost as if the owner had left in a hurry due to some ghost chasing him. Hasir saw in his mindd's eye the previous owner, the underking presumably, chased out of the funeral parlor by his ex-lover who he'd killed over some dispute. The underking, Hasir surmized, fully formed and fleshy though he may've been, deserted his prized stash of alchemical ingredients and alchemy gear. He further deduced this line of reasoning by the rather thick layer of dust and cobwebs enveloping the set.
Hasir looked from the elf, brushing off dust from a rather ornate mantle to a collection of books existing in dusty jackets.
"Inigo, do you know why Ceralyne led us here?" He said, running his scaly hands along a row of books.
Inigo's eyes darted uncomfortably around the room. He had a feeling there was a lingering presence.
"I dunno, my friend but I think we should leave immediately." He said, his voice trembling with fear.
Hasir shot a look of surprise over his shoulder.
"Come on, Inigo, stop being such a scaredy-khajiit."
Inigo watched fretfully as he pulled one of the books from the shelf, sat in a cobweb infested chair by the ornate fire and began to read.
"This castle..." He read to a cautious, but still curious, khajiit sitting in an equally infested chair across from him, "was won after the underking, then a steward to Jarl Balgruuf, was sent off to battle a deadly vampire threat that set sail from Akavir. The region from which they set sail was named Tsaesci. The war with their neighboring races of giant icemen, tigers dragons and peaceloving monkey-men left most of the region in ruins so their leader looked for a new land to call home, however, the land they chose was full of bigots and rascists that despised anything different from them..."
Hasir gazed from the book into Inigo's pumpkinish eyes.
"I apologize if this hits too close to home for you."
Inigo merely grinned and bade him continue with his tale.
"While that is something that I loathe with all my heart, rascism I mean, proceed."
Hasir nodded in acknoledgement and did as Inigo asked. All while he was telling the tale of the castle's naming, the fire burnt low - almost to the embers that birthed it. Inigo yawned hugely as the tale was concluded. Hasir found a wolf fur blanket and curled up on it in front of the fire - much to Ceralyne's disgust. Still, it didn't serve well for her to at odds with the Argonian as she harbored love for him regardless.
The argonian woke up as he felt the wind rushing by him and an immense battlefield below him. Before him lay a familiar castle. The very air sseemed to sshifted as it burned alight with the day intense blaze, even under the unending shadow. Hasir flew onward as the war below raged like an unending fire. He flew to the top of a looming tower with crosses adorning it and saw multiple archers lighting the sky with their matchsticks as well as multiple blood suckers and reptilian beings overtaking them.
The image shifted with a crack of lighting to one of a barren field beyond the castle with a god of wolves and one of bats trading blows. Still on his steeed of wind, his stared down and saw puprle fire emanating from a deep chasm in the earth; voices of those long dead. He circled around the large, bull-like demon and wicnhed as parts of the demon - eyes, leegs and teeth flew off as if joining the bird on the wind.
From his mount, he saw a sizzling egg peak over the horizon. The argonian thought that daybreak was still a few minutes away. He closed his eyes to prevent the rays from blinding him, when he reopened the scaly curtains, he saw that he was in the funeral parlor. He yawned, got up and walked over to Ceralyne.
He could tell from her fuming face, something was amiss. Instead of running scared like a spooked deer, he channeled the wolf within.
"Sorry about not snuggling with you, I... I mean, that wasn't what ou intended..." As hard as he tried, he could not get the words out. He felt like a
rain drop falling on dead leaves.
Her expression softened as she patted the blood-stained bed.
"It's okay." She said, kissing him. "We can make up for it right now."
Inigo came over, a disgusted look on his face as he watch the golden sea mingle haphazardly with the scaly rocks. After the seas have calmed again, They decided it was time to leave. Back in the graveyardesque entryway, they turned to the horizon to see the strange wreckage of the prison ship that had brought them here.
Hasir saw this and shrugged.
"How and why did this happen?" He asked curiously
Inigo shook his head, more out of confusion than an unknowing expression. The Argonian pulled out his dragonbone axe as he he heard a soft shuffling near the crypt entrance.
"Who's there? He growled. "Show yourself or I'll topple this tree on your head." He said miming the destruction of the neary deceased tree.
His eyes lit up with liquid lava as, out of the shadows, came two familiar faces - one Argonian, one khajiit. Hasir lowered his axe but his grip did not lighten on them.
"Lance? Giner? Wha-how did you get here?" Said Hasir, his ship changing course last minute. "Let me guess, he said, suddenly pensive, "did you make that ship kindap us? Do you have an in with Oak? Speak before I gut you like a roast pheasant!"
Ginger began to speak but her brother promptly silenced her. He hung his head and held his hands out as if he did wrong.
"I admit it. It was I who coerced the faun to kidnap you. We made a deal with Molag Bal." Hasir furrowed his eyebrows as if asking what this deal was. As if reading his expresssion, the khajiit launhed into an explanation. "We thought that, with the deal, we would be accepted at an orphanage and taken by some loving family, but, you know how daedric princes are, you can only trust 'em as far as you can throw 'em."
Hasir snorted in derision and raised his axe. His eyes narrowed as his tail hit the ground.
"Enough!" He thundered. "You sent us here as experiments? That is disgusting. Now it is you who will feel the bite of the metal serpent."
Inigo looked on, eyes wide as his friend lowered the mini guillotine. Just as the blade sliced off a bit of fur from the boy's neck, Inigo intervened.
"Stop, my friend. Yes, they did wrong but killing them won't solve anything. Show some sympathy, some empathy. How would you feel if you were in their position? Oak must've said something or brainwashed them in some way. He might've promised them things with which he could not deliver. Think of the bigger picture and don't just give in to blind emotion.
Hasir thought about this and lowered the axe; seeing the boy's frightened expression.
"Inigo, you're right. I forgot myself and for that, I'm sorry." He said, ashamed. "What will we do with them though? Lost them in the funeral home? The tower? We can't bring them with us."
Inigo pondered on this for some time before responding.
True, we can't take them with us, but what if we took them to Akavir and left them to be looked after by Tigress? I think she would like that."
Hasir nodded and bade the children to walk with them to the dock where a ship painting the deep blue canvas with brightest golds, browns and sails depicting a crossed battle axe and claymore on a field of crimson and gold approached. The ship docked and four people disembarked, one of them the very last person Hasir wanted to see. He was pretty sure it was no picnic for her either.
Hasir, Inigo and Ceralyne walkeed the mini Argonian and khajiit to the docked and made sure they got onto the ship. When they were safely on, Inigo, Ceralyne and Hasir walked back to the dock and greeted the harbinger and the inner circle of Jorrvaskr.
"Kodlak, nice to see you again," Hasir said, extending a hand. "Did you come all this way from Black Marsh? Keshu induct you into the black fin Legion? Oh wait, they only accept Argonians." He said, eyeing Aela smugly.
The harbinger shook his head and stared in horror at the castle.
"We had to make a stop in Akavir first. Someone named Tigress is looking for you. She had more to teach you. She says what she taught you was just the tail of the khajiit. The rest is yet to be discovered. She said their leader must also assist you."
Hasir thought on this and raised an eyebrow speculatively.
"Who said this? Tigress I know but who was the second? Tosh Raka?"
Kodlak shook his head, making the silver curtains flutter around the pale snowy face.
"No, she said something about joining forces with the Tang Mo nation of...well, Tang Mo."
Hasir considered this and talked about it with the khajiit and high elf. They already had a plan and had no intentions of derailing that train by visiting Akavir early for they thought that was merely a far off galaxy in the preparation for the batlle against Molag Bal. He walked toward the harbinger, saying he had plans to escape this ghastly realm and will put Akavir on the back burner, so to speak.
Kodlak looked sorrowful but accepted the Argonian's judgement.
"Very well." He said, boarding his ship, his companions folling suit, "I'll wait for you near Tigress' house in Ka'po'tun." He looked over the ship's rail curiously at Hasir. "You do know where that is, don't you? In any event you forgot or are unaware, it is a short wayss inland from the hope spring which lay to the east of the dragontooth mountains." He grinned as the Argonian nodded. "Good. Tigress and I will await you there." He turned to leave. "Oh and one more thing," He said. "I heard there's an issue she may need your help with."
Hasir ran up to the docked ship. He thought up a better plan that will work since he completed his task.
"I thought that, instead of looking for an alternate way out, would it be okay if I came with you?" He asked them pleadingly.
Kodlak nodded ethusiastically and, once the Argonian, elf and khajiit were aboard, set sail for Akavir.
Replies
hey, this is really good!