Playing with Fire, part 2

• Posted by Cinae March 5, 2016 - 784 views

   Caelia Cassius, expert Illusion and Restoration mage, was having trouble casting a spell.
           It wasn’t her fault. It couldn’t be the spell’s fault either. On a visit back home to the Imperial City, she had called in some favors, and had the spell personally crafted at the Arcane University, which had a prestigious reputation in Cyrodill.
          This spell, when cast, allowed her to hear her friend Aliette’s heartbeat, no matter how far away her friend was from her. She had created it because of her friend’s fool-hearted and thrill seeking nature, and hoped that she would would never truly need it.
           Nevertheless, Caelia cast this spell five exact times during the day.
           Order, exactness, efficiency. These were the words that ruled her life. She had learned these values early on from her father, who had served with the Imperial Legion.  
         These values were a great comfort to her when faced with the inexplicable. She liked to believe that if she was prepared everything would turn out okay.
         What was the solution to the sudden, mysterious dragon problem? Arrows, lots of arrows. By the Divines, the fletchers must be getting rich.
        She cast the spell again. She heard nothing. Okay, something’s wrong. I’m going to find her, but first I must go over my inventory. I must be prepared.
                      She took out a slip of paper, that was kept inside a drawer, that was kept in her room, in the College of Winterhold.
                       She mentally read the list which said:
                           1000 elven arrows
                            Elven Bow of Shock
                            Elven Blade of Burning
                       Robes of Major Restoration
                       Circlet of Major Restoration
                        Gauntlets of Major Archery
                        Ring of Major Illusion
                        Boots of Major Illusion
                        health potions (5)
                        magicka potions (9)
        She read over the list, and was satisfied that she had all these things. A thought occurred to her. I don’t think Aliette does this. She ends up with all this stuff she doesn’t need. But I’m worried. I’d rather have her here, cluttering to her heart’s content.

         Caelia left the College, walked through the city, and out into the wilderness. She felt the same Winterhold chill she always felt, and a breeze brushed through her dark hair.

          She visualized Aliette, her red hair, blue eyes, and enthusiastic laughter. She then cast clairvoyance, knowing that the spell would lead her to whoever she was thinking of.

            She followed the blue light, traveling over many snowy roads. Often there came beasts, waiting for her, but almost as often she was ready to let an arrow fly before they had even seen her.

            And yes, there had been a dragon. And yes, she had had arrows, lots of them.

            At last, the blue light led her to a cave. She checked her inventory again to make sure she had enough for whatever lay inside. Yes, I have enough. I wonder what happened to her? If there is no way for me to heal her, to restore her, if she is truly dead, then she shall have justice. She shall have justice.

           There were undead, of course there were undead, but when she cast her spells they fled in her wake, and if they did not, they burned by the edge of her sword.

          She came to a large room, and saw an altmer, holding a staff. A necromancer, she presumed, because of the large host of undead which stood behind him.

            In front of him lay the body of her friend, silent and very dead.

                The necromancer smiled.

            ‘’ Ah! A visitor! I’m afraid I’m a bit testy today, you see, I was about to perform certain experiments on this lovely young piece of flesh. And you interrupted that, so now, you’re going to have to die.’’
              Caelia wanted to lash out. She wanted to shove her flaming sword down the necromancers throat. Justice, justice. The word spun in her head, repeating.

                However, she did not do these things. She knew that she would only get herself killed, and this was not her object.

           ‘’ Oh, and know what else?’’ began the necromancer, ‘’ I trapped her soul! Judging by your attire, I’m sure you know what that means.’’

            She heard him, whispering, hissing a command to his skeleton slaves. The moment they began to move, she cast a spell, pushing them back.

              She didn’t know how long it was going to last, but now she could focus on the necromancer.
              She strung an arrow and let it fly. She got more than a few shots in, because he seemed certain that his skeleton slaves could take her down. After awhile he got smart, and cast a ward spell.

             Now her arrows would bounce off him. She drunk a magicka potion and recast the spell on the undead.

           She drunk another magicka potion and cast invisibility. She needed to distract him.

           ‘’Hello? Hello?’’

              Her voice echoed in the cave, bounced off the walls. The necromancer lost guard, turning around, unsure of where she was. He hadn’t even gotten to use his staff.
         She sneaked around the room, and was firing at his back.

           He was almost dead, but before he died, she turned to face him. He hit her with his staff, a shock staff. The blue lines went splaying across her face, burning into her skin.

            However, she quickly healed herself, stuck him with her flaming sword and said,  ‘’Never underestimate a restoration mage!

           At that moment, his skeleton slaves fell to dust and bones, and their shields and swords came clattering to the ground. She hoped that the necromancer had entered one of the nastier afterlives, such as that for the servants of Molag Bal. It was likely, very likely.

              There was justice, and there was grief. Caelia fell to her knees, beside her dead friend and simply said,’’ It’s over, it’s over.’’ Hers was not a naturally magickally attuned race, and so she was very tired. There she stayed because she could do no more.

             At last, she rose, remembering what the necromancer had said, because as strange as it was, he had given her hope. If her friend’s soul was still within Tamriel, had not gone to some other realm, then she could be brought back. 

              She went over to search the necromancer. She found a black soul gem, and she found that this soul gem was not a cold dead thing, but warm, and aglow with life.

              Aliette’s soul was alive.

           Before she did anything else, Caelia healed Aliette’s body, freeing it of all signs of injury and decay. Then she lifted Aliette’s soul out of the soul gem and placed it back into her body.

          Caelia handled her soul gently, as if it were as sacred as an elder scroll.
          Aliette stirred, and turned, as she was having a dream.
          She murmured,’’ Brave . . . brave . . . politics . . . can’t remember.’’

            Hm. If her friend wasn’t a Breton she might be more concerned. She remembered one odd conversation she had had with Aliette right after the High King’s death. Aliette said that she was strangely comforted by it, because it made her feel as if she was back home in High Rock.  

          She tapped Aliette on the shoulder.
         ‘’ Hi. You’re alive.’’
          ‘’ I’m alive? Yay!’’
         ‘’ You were dead.’’
           ‘’Yeah. It wasn’t fun. I don’t think I’ll try it again. Umm . . who are you?’’
           She doesn’t remember. I didn’t get here in time. I should have done more!
            It was funny, wasn’t it, how Aliette’s words hurt, more than anything a necromancer could do to her?
            ‘’ I’m Caelia. I’m your friend, and I’m taking you back to the College.’’
              Aliette tried to stand. ‘’Oh, hi! I feel dizzy, confused, and not like . . walking.’’

                She was about to fall and Caelia caught her in her arms.
                ‘’ I have you. Sleep.’’
                 Thankfully, with the necromancer’s death, the rest of the undead outside the chamber, had fallen into bones and ashes as well.

            Along the road, Caelia met a courier going towards Winterhold. In exchange for protection along the road, he agreed to help carry a once-dead, very confused mage.

            By the time Aliette was in her room, recuperating, and the tale of her rescue had spread throughout the College, Collette Marence was telling everyone, ‘’Restoration is a perfectly valid school of magic.’’

            Only this time, she meant it. She clearly felt vindicated by her brightest pupil, Caelia.

               It was hard, being here, Aliette thought. It was hard in way that having a necromancer whisper threats into her dying ear wasn’t. Then she hadn’t been expected to smile.

             She hated lying here, doing nothing. She wanted to do something, anything.
             People she didn’t remember, and couldn’t remember, mostly fellow students kept bringing her gifts. Each had seemed certain that he or she would be the exception. 

             Surely, she will remember me, was each student’s thought. All the people who visited her were not a comfort. They reminded her of how much she had lost, of sitting in the darkness, with pieces of her soul being drained away bit by bit.

             Her room was more cluttered than usual because of the gifts, mostly more sweet rolls than she could ever eat, and more staffs than she could ever use.

               The imperial mage, the one who had saved her, walked into her room and took a chair. That conversation she had her, the one where she told her that she was alive, she hadn’t thought it was real. Only a vision, a bit of comfort, before she was gone. That’s why she had reacted she way she did.
            Consequently, when the imperial mage walked into her room, she felt a little embarrassed.
             ‘’ Hi.’’
             ‘’ You’re Caelia, right? You’re the one who saved me?’’
               ‘’ Yes, and I want you to know I’m working on doing more. A certain black soul gem, and a certain staff are under the inspection of Sergius Turrianus, and Collette Marence is going to send to the courier to Whiterun with a letter for Danica Puresprings asking about what can be done.’’
              Aliette was silent.
             ‘’ Is this making any sense?’’
            ‘’ Yes, a little. What was the courier’s name again?’’
              ‘’ Er, Gareth Aquillus. Why?’’
               ‘’ He should have something, I mean, he goes and carries me all the way back to Winterhold, and now he has to go all the way to Whiterun.’’
                Caelia shook her head. ‘’ He’s all ready been paid.’’
                ‘’ No, I mean, like a gift. I don’t think he would like a staff, so sweet rolls. Gareth Aquillus shall have sweet rolls!’’
                  Aliette tried to rise from her bed, then fell asleep.
                  If there is any way for me to heal you, to restore you, I will do it, because that’s what I do. And because I’m your friend even if you don’t remember me.