To say that Grulmar's attempts at trying to cure the symptoms of his addiction didn't go well would be an understatement. It went horribly. Just one try left him with such strong shakes that no Magicka potion could fix them and he had to spend the whole day shaking and sweating in his bed. He was fairly confident he could crack the fortify and resist spells on his own because...What was Grim always sayin'? Progress requires experimentation? Yes, he knew he would be able to figure it out. But he also reluctantly admitted he might be in need of...consultation.
Which was the reason why his steps brought him to the Arcaneum, looking for Collete Marence and all the while, he was grimacing while walking up the steps to the library. Half of this College is full of whack-jobs. Vanish, Chalk, Scorch, Mess, Sorry, even good old Deadsmell - who's really dead and smellin' like death now - certainly don't have it right in their heads. But sacrifices have to be made in the sake of knowledge, right?
He reached the top of the stairs and went inside the Arcaneum. Since Urag became Arch-Mage pretty much nothing changed in the Arcaneum - which doesn't really have to come as a surprise with Urag involved. Well...one thing changed. Now he requires even more order in the library. Mhm. Yeah, he's definitely on the nutjobs list too.
He entered the library and saw Collette approaching Urag sitting behind his desk. As Grulmar neared he was beginning to hear that terrible sound that was Collete's voice.
"Ah, my dearest Urag! How are you today, my green-skinned friend?"
"Did you need something, Colette?"
"I only wish to escape the constant glaring of my 'colleagues' and discover an opportunity for repose. Your Arcanaeum is so lovely and quiet..."
"I... see."
"Don't fret, my fanged acquaintance. I shan't trouble you a bit."
"So there wasn't anything specific you needed?"
"I'm positive whatever I require will be revealed to me on its own, in due time."
"So, you don't need anything then."
"Oh, my dear Urag. You're trying so hard to help. I do hope you're not disappointed."
"'Disappointed' is not the word I would choose, Colette. Excuse me." With that, Urag grabbed his books and headed to Arch-Mage's quarters with Collete looking at him, baffled by the meaning of his sentence, but Grulmar had a pretty good idea.
Well, no better time to strike than when she's confused. He walked towards her. “Hey, Chalk.”
She turned to him and suspicion cast long shadows over her eyes. “Grulmar, was it? We didn't have much time to talk when you arrived. You consider Restoration a valid school of magic, worthy of study, don't you? Don't you?”
“Eh,” Grulmar scratched his neck. “Actually, I'm here to talk about Restoration. So that's a...yes? I guess.”
"Good, good. Not that I require validation, of course. There are just some - and I shan't name names - who would disagree. It can make life difficult when one's colleagues fail to recognize the research one engages in,” she leaned closer to him and whispered - if that sound could even be considered a whisper. It was definitely rending Grulmar's ears.
“Yeah. Whatever. Listen, as much as I would like to hear about yer paranoia-”
“I know things are said behind my back. Conversations cease when I enter rooms. I'm quite aware of what's going on here, and I will not stand for it!" she snapped at him angrily. "It's quite simple really. There are some who shall not be dignified by being named, who have implied that Restoration is not a valid school of magic. That is to say, it's been suggested that resources used for my study of Restoration could be put to better use. Any other use, in fact. It's not just healing cuts and bruises, you know. The undead are a very real, very dangerous threat and Restoration magics can keep them at bay. Not to mention the benefit of wards! How can they continually overlook wards! It's baffling!"
“Alright, alright,” Grulmar raised his hand in surrender. “I just wanted to hear something about fortify spells.”
“Fortify spells?” she narrowed her eyes. “Ah. So that's how it is. Making fun out of me. This is your way of saying that Restoration is not a valid school of magic?”
“Oh for tusk's sake!” Grulmar's palm loudly slapped his forehead and continued rubbing the forehead with the whole palm, eventually rubbing his eyes too. He then opened them and squinted at Collete. “Alright, so ya have never heard about fortify spells. Alright. So how about resist spells?”
“You mean wards?” she asked with narrowed eyes. “Those are perfectly valid.”
“No, Chalk. I mean resist spells. Not wards.”
“There is no such thing as resist spell,” she murmured. “Just wards. But if you are trying to say that Restoration-”
“Alright!” Grulmar raised his voice to stop her. “Wards will do perfectly fine. Could ya please show me how it's done then?”
She tapped her forehead and showed on the Arcaneum. “Here? No, you silly. Down in the Hall of Elements. Now that the Thalmor are gone we can finally properly practice.”
“Right,” Grulmar murmured. “Lead the way then.”
No resist or fortify spells. What a bummer, Grulmar thought as he followed Collete down the stairs to Hall of Elements. Wards are still better than nothin', at least some protection against mages, but this means I'll have to play around with the fortify spells on my own. Ah, well. Progress requires experimentation. Let's just hope I won't grow a second head or somethin'…
They reached the Hall of Elements and Grulmar looked around. It was so strange to see the Hall without its center, the Eye. And also the activity seemed out of place too. Way too lively for his own liking. He saw the new teachers, Wuunferth and Falion, talking about something with each other, J'zargo practicing fire spells and he saw Brelyna there too.
She noticed him walking in and he winked at her, which made her face turn pale and she quickly ran out of the Hall. I could certainly get used to this kind of respect. Respect? Well...if they can't respect ya they should fear ya. Works fine by me.
Collete stopped between two collums on the right side of the Hall and turned to Grulmar. “Alright. Here we are. Shall we?”
He shrugged. “Just tell me what to do.”
“Well, let me say up front that Restoration is perfectly valid school of magic-”
“Oh for tusk's sake,” Grulmar rolled his eyes. “Would ya just get to the point, Chalk? That part where ya tell me how do I cast a ward? Or is that too complicated?”
She narrowed her eyes, Grulmar's words finally getting through that shell of hers. Maybe she's finally realized how paranoid she is. And annoyin'….Nah, most likely not.
“As you wish,” she hissed. “As you well may know, Restoration is magic of a body. Every spell cast goes through your body which acts something like a magicka filter. You're making it clearer, purer.”
“Yes, everyone knows that,” the Orc nodded. Shit. I didn't know that. Should have realized it, it's not that complicated after all. “So I drew the magicka through my body...then what?”
“With Restoration spells intent is everything. Emotions are the driving force. If you want to heal, you have to care about the suffering. Feel their pain. Sympathize with them. Wards are similar. Many mages cast Wards out of fear, fear of being hurt, fear of facing death, but their wards never hold too long. Fear is a strong emotion, but not strong enough.”
Grulmar frowned. “Alright. So what is stronger than fear?”
“Love,” Collete answered and the Orc snorted at that. Bollocks. “Oh, I see your scorn. But it is the truth. Love, the need to protect those that are important to you, that is much stronger than fear, giving strength to your wards.”
Grulmar scratched his still growing goatee and shook his head in disbelief. “Alright, I'm game. So I draw the magicka through my body, fuel it with emotion and then?”
“You release it, around yourself. You harden it, by your emotion, creating a barrier that prevents everything from passing through. Spells, weapons. Everything.”
“Isn't that Alteration?” Grulmar asked and immediately regretted it. He saw Collete's face go red, as if he said something about her mother - and he was quite sure he didn't. Fairly sure.
“What? Alteration?!” she exploded. “This is perfectly valid portrayal of Restoration at its finest!”
“Alright, alright,” Grulmar raised his hands in surrender and narrowed his eyes. “It's Restoration, clearly. My mistake, it just slipped.” Why the tusk are ya afraid of that lunatic? Even more than afraid of Broody who's one damn scary Orc? As he was looking at Collete going even more red he probably received the answer. Because she's crazy, that is the right answer. And crazy people are as scary as a mammoth tusk being shoved up yer arse.
“You’d better mean it,” she murmured. “You seem quite nice-” Grulmar nearly choked himself in that moment, trying to supress a laugh “-and I would be very displeased if you would become one of them.”
“Them?” he asked.
“Yes! The ones they are laughing at me!” she erupted.
“Rrrright,” the Orc nodded, the muscle under his left eye twitching. “So I'm just going to give a try, alright?”
“Oh, yes. Please, do. It will be great to have another student of Restoration here,” she babbled, but Grulmar already forced the sound of her voice outside of his head, just as the Hall and everything else. His hands reached out, into the currents of magicka, drawing from the streams around him, drawing them inside. He felt the energy crackle through his body, tingling in his belly and lower...the hair on the back of his neck and forearms straightening up. All the magicka...flowin' through my body...ecstasy! As much as he was absorbed by that sensation, his mind was trying to remain focused and he conjured up several images in his mind. Decimus, the Forge, Borgakh...the need to protect. He focused it through his hand, through his fingers and the magicka poured out of his body. But the control remained.
He squeezed the magicka together with invisible hands, shaping it into a shield, a protective wall.
As soon as the Ward materialized in front of him his eyes nearly popped out as he felt the Magicka being drained from his soul at a tremendous speed. The shock made him release the spell. Not even my first spells were drainin' my reserves so fast! “The magicka,” he gasped. “Being used at such tremendous speed.”
“Yes,” Collete nodded. “It's not an easy spell to hold for long. It gets better with time, but I advise not casting it for too long. You might stop a spell but you also might find yourself drained of all your magicka.”
What a crude tool is this Ward. Nothing like the resist spells described in the books. These Wards are like combination of Restoration and Alteration, a mutant. Ward is like a wielding a shield, a heavy and ugly thing, while the resist spells are like becoming the shield.
He walked away and ignored Collete's questions. His mind was already racing in a different direction and he didn't feel obliged to thank her. She was a teacher, it was her job to teach. And now that he learned what he wanted he didn't need her anymore.
I'm not done with Restoration yet.
Comments
But here´s some food for thought. If you go to college or high school, how close you´ll get to know your teachers or professors? Because that´s what they are, teachers - even though... more
But here´s some food for thought. If you go to college or high school, how close you´ll get to know your teachers or professors? Because that´s what they are, teachers - even though Grulmar treats th... more