Practice of Telvanni Magic: Chapter 8, Maaahtiii

• Posted by Karver the Lorc March 9, 2017 - Filed in TSC: Mixed - #Straag Rod  #Karver  #Practice of Magic  #Grulmar  #Telvanni  - 1,324 views

  

   

  18th of Sun’ Dusk, 4E 203

   

  Grulmar was slowly picking his way through the forest that surrounded the lake he passed the other day. He decided to go through the forest mostly because he didn't want anyone to see him, especially the Rieklings. One might not be so dangerous but dozens of them could swarm and overwhelm, so it was reasonable not to walk along the lake's shores where everyone could see him.

   

  He wasn't in a hurry, he still had plenty of sunlight left and he expected he might reach the camp of those warriors before dusk. So he walked slowly through the forest, paying attention to his surroundings, making sure he didn’t bump into any of those huge boars or Rieklings.

   

  All that slow walking through the snow-covered forests reminded him of the previous winter, when they were heading to the Aetherium Forge, through the birch forest of the Rift, leafless and all covered under the snow. Yes, the forest around him was coniferous with much less light, but the quiet, the crunching of the snow under his feet, the white sheet covering every inch of the ground all around him, all that reminded him of their journey to the Aetherium Forge.

   

  He snorted and shook his head. Before the shit went south...Everythin' for a blue shiny piece of Dwemer shit…

   

  But he couldn't help himself, he just had to take a look at it. To remind himself why he was doing everything he was doing. For Dec... He stopped and turned his sack around his body, his right hand going in, searching, until he pulled out the Shard. He looked at the metal, enthralled by the shimmer of its blue crystal in the dappled sunlight that creeped into the forest floor. He frowned. What would ya think about all the shit I've done, Uncle? What would ya say about my pursuit of power? He wasn't sure, but Grulmar would like to believe that the Imperial would approve, to a certain degree. Decimus knew very well what freedom from gods and Daedra meant, he believed that one man's life was his and no one's else to control.

   

  There was an image of Decimus lingering in Grulmar's mind, an image of the Imperial lying in utter darkness, his hands crossed over his chest, But now, the tip of a black blade was right next to his face. Sharp. Grulmar focused and the image became clearer, revealing sagged grey skin on Decimus' face, the normally full cheekbones protruding, the grey eyes-

   

  Grulmar dropped the Shard with a yell and the image disappeared. He shook his head, trying to clear it of the image. Ya are beginnin' to see things, matey. Just...why did ya think about Uncle's decayin' body? He shook his head yet again and picked up the Shard frm the ground, wiping the snow from it. I bet Shiny would have some clever shit to say about that.

   

  “Look at him, Borgahk. A fine son. Healthy. A Champion,” he suddeny heard Aelberon's voice rumble softly.

   

  “May he be worthy of the Ashen forge,” Borgakh gasped, as if she was in pain. There was an image of Shiny sitting next to a bed holding something wrapped in a cloth. His hands had dried blood on them and his face looked like shit, like he had been up for days. Lying in the bed was Borgakh, her skin pale and drawn, more dried blood upon the sheets.

   

  “His mother certainly is. Only she isn’t going there yet, not for a long while,” the Altmer smiled.

   

  “Not for the runt’s lack of trying,” she snorted. “The little tusker. Give him to me, Bloodkin. I will nurse.” Grulmar saw Aelberon hand the cloth to Borgakh, only now realizing there was a small and ugly baby wrapped in it. A baby Orc with bone protrusions and tusks.

   

  What the tusk-?! Grulmar thought and suddenly Aelberon turned around, looking straight at him, the eyes widening and then narrowing, the brows going down. “Motagiik?”

   

  Grulmar gasped and the image disappeared. “What the tusk is goin' on?” he murmured, looking at the Shard. “Either ya are goin' crazy or-”

   

  He heard a crack of wood and his attention immediately snapped in the direction of the sound. His hand involuntary stuffed the Shard back into the sack and he adjusted it over his back again. Grulmar squinted into the forest, but there was nothing to be seen. The crack wasn't that loud. Couldn't be anythin' too heavy.

   

  “I know ya are there!” he shouted, his hand now holding a knife from his bandolier. “Show yerself!” His yelling yielded no response and he frowned. Skaal? Come on, please be Skaal… He slowly walked towards the location where he heard the sound, his eyes flitting from one tree to another, expecting an ambush any second. Any second now… He then stopped when he noticed a flash of blue behind a tree several steps in front of him. He then sighed and relaxed a little bit.

   

  “I see ya,” he said loudly. “So come out.” Nothing. Grulmar continued walking towards the tree. “I know it's ya, shrimp. It was ya who left that gift at my camp, right?” A head peeked from behind the tree, a pair of yellow eyes looking at Grulmar and then immediately disappearing again. There was a strange murmuring, almost as if the Riekling was praying. “Come on. I won't hurt ya if ya don't try anything.”

   

  He then jumped to the tree and the Riekling shrieked like a little girl when Grulmar appeared on a different side of the tree then he expected. The Riekling tripped over his own leg and fell into the snow, quickly scrambling back on his feet and hiding behind the tree again, getting out of Grulmar's line of vision.

   

  “Koolawasa!” the Riekling shouted. “Muuuu far!”

   

  “Come on, damn it!” Grulmar growled, running around the tree. “I won't be chasin' ya around a tuskin' tree!”

   

  “Muuuu far!”

   

  Grulmar then suddenly changed direction, running to the other side and the Riekling literally ran into him. The blue creature barely reached his waist so when the Riekling ran into him, his head hit precisely that precious spot. Grulmar's eyes rolled, his hand went to his crotch and he dropped to his knees, gasping for breath. “Tusk!” he growled, trying to grab the Riekling but there was this weakness spreading throughout his whole body from the blow. “I'll tuskin' kill ya, ya piece of worthless blue shit!” he yelled at the Riekling who hid behind another tree, cautiously watching Grulmar trying to get back on his feet.

   

  “Koolawasa,” the Riekling said, almost pleading. “Muuuu far!”

   

  “What the tusk does that mean?!” the Orc shouted in annoyance.

   

  “Godspeak. No kill,” the Riekling answered, this time in Common tongue and Grulmar frowned.

   

  Godspeak? Suddenly the image of whirling smoke came into his mind, a memory that wasn't really his and he realized it was the Riekling's memory. “Godspeak? Ya think I am this Godspeak?” he murmured. “Are ya crazy?” He rose, leaning against the tree. “Alright, shrimp, I promise. No kill. I'm flattered by all that worshippin' bullshit, but ya should go back where ya came from. Go back to yer tribe.” Grulmar began stumbling away, heading south through the forest, but he didn’t even take five steps when he heard the crunching of snow behind him and he turned to see the Riekling following him. When the Riekling saw him turn around, he again hid behind a tree. “Gah! What ya didn't understand about goin' home, ya little idiot?” Grulmar growled.

   

  “Koolawasa. Godspeak,” the Riekling peeped. “Riekling follow.”

   

  “Riekling follo- Ya want to follow me?” Grulmar's hand loudly snapped his own forehead and he shook his head. “Oh tusk. This is what happens when ya recklessly use magic, ya idiot,” he said to himself. What are ya goin' to do now? Chase him away? He'll just crawl back. Kill him? Ha, ya don't have the guts for that, matey. He scratched his goatee in thought. What are ya goin' to do with one clumsy Riekling, matey? If he had to be honest with himself, he didn't really mind that worshipping part, it was quite flattering. Could be turned into advantage, like making the Riekling his devoted servant. Now that's a thought. But on the other hand I don't want to trip over that little blue bugger everywhere I go. Hmm. Maybe he could be trained? He knows little bit of Common. When ya teach him more he might even understand more complex orders. Like: “Fetch, but walk slowly back.” Or similar shit.

   

  He then crouched in the snow. “Alright, come here, ya shrimp.” The Riekling didn't seem to respond to that and Grulmar sighed. “Follow,” he tried and the Riekling peeked his head from behind the tree. “Follow,” Grulmar repeated. “Godspeak.”

   

  The Riekling seemed like he wasn't sure, but he came from behind the tree and slowly walked towards Grulmar. “Koolawasa?”

   

  “Yes, Godspeak,” the Orc nodded and then frowned. “Wait, no. Not goin' to let ya call me like that.” He put a hand on his chest. “Grulmar.”

   

  “Grooolmaaaar,” the Riekling repeated slowly, as if savoring the word.

   

  The Orc grimaced. Sounds more like “droolmar”... “Grulmar,” he repeated and then he pointed at the Riekling. “Ya?”

   

  The blue creature tilted his head to the side, clearly not understanding. Grulmar repeated the process, introducing himself and then pointing to the Riekling. The creature's wrinkly blue face lit up with a wide grin when he finally understood.

   

  He began nodding and puffing his chest. “Baaaheereekaaaroo.”

   

  “Bahee-what?” Grulmar raised his eyebrows and the Riekling repeated it.

   

  “Baaaheereekaaaroooooo.”

   

  Tusk this.

   

  “Sorry, matey, but not goin' to call ya that. How about a…matey? Matey? Does that sound good? Matey?”

   

  “Maaahtiii?” the Riekling repeated, furrowing its own brow in confusion.

   

  “Yes, Maaahtiii. Ya Maaahtiii.”

   

  “Maaahtiii,” the Riekling tried how it sounded and then grinned, nodding. “Maaahtiii!”

   

  “Yes. Maaahtiii. Maaahtiii follow. Follow Godspeak. Alright?”

   

  Maaahtiii began nodding hectically and Grulmar just sighed. Can this get even more weird? He shook his head. Nah, probably not.

   

  He got back on his feet and headed through the forest, with his new servant behind him, hopping around happily, making noise. “Just lovely…”

  

  The smoke swirled through the air, slowly rising to the ceiling, taking on various shapes. Talvas was watching it through squinted eyes and dilated pupils, watching it with lazy bewilderment. “It does look like the smoke rising from Red Mountain,” he said out loud and chuckled.

   

  Varona, next to him, giggled and he looked at her. She was lying on the ground among dozens of pillows, naked, and his eyes were scanning every inch of her body, the bit of the water pipe in her mouth, smoke rising from the corners of her lips and all the while she was giggling. Her grey cheeks were turning to a darker shade of grey streaked with crimson as she was forgetting to breath. Talvas laughed at that and suddenly he was lying next to her, laughing like an idiot too.

   

  “Red…” Varona said between fits of laughter. “Mountain.” She erupted in another fit of laughter and Talvas laughed with her, even though he had no idea what was so funny about it.  He just laughed and laughed until he had to take a deep breath as he was running out of air to laugh out of his lungs. “Reminds me how you erupted just few minutes ago.”

   

  He sat up and coughed, his throat becoming sore. “That's not funny,” he rasped and then erupted into another fit of laughter yet again.

   

  He wasn't really sure how long that was continuing, but then he realized he was lying among the pillows, his head next to Varona's, both just staring at the ceiling where trails of smoke were still lingering. Talvas blinked several times, feeling likehe just woke up. What time is it? He had no idea how much time has passed. No damn idea. His head was spinning and he quickly got up which didn't exactly help it. He took a deep breath.

   

  “You alright?” Varona asked slowly, pronouncing every syllable.

   

  “How long we were here?” he asked, with terror creeping into his voice.

   

  “Only few minutes,” Varona answered and Talvas felt his eyebrows shoot up.

   

  “Minutes?” he asked and then murmured: “Minutes.” He began laughing again, tilting his head to the side and hearing Varona's dry chuckle when she saw him.

   

  “Do you think he will be looking for you?” the Dunmer woman then asked out of nowhere and Talvas looked at her. She was waving her hands in front of her eyes, watching them move like snakes and he became enthralled by that movement for a second too.

   

  “Neloth? I doubt he'll notice. I bet he's sleeping with his eyes open again.”

   

  Her eyes darted towards him. “He does that?”

   

  “Yes,” he nodded. “Just imagine that. He's standing in the middle of the room, eyes staring at one spot. It's...creepy.”

   

  She giggled. “Sounds more funny to me. Have you tried to do something to him when he was doing that?”

   

  “No!” he gasped in surprise how anyone could think that. “He's a Magister of House Telvanni! And so powerful and wise…” He began chuckling not able to continue.

   

  “You!” she laughed. “You did something to him! What did you do?”

   

  “Hehehe. There wasn't much I could do, he's not doing that for long,” he chuckled and then scratched his neck. “So, there was this Emperor Parasol Moss-” he said but Varona interrupted him with her laugh. “Let me finish! So I took that Emperor Parasol Moss-” And again he wasn't allowed to finish, Varona now rolling on the floor. “What's so damn funny about it?”

   

  “Emperor…” she said and began laughing again. “Emperor Parasol Moss,” she imitated his voice and erupted in laughter. She stopped after a while, putting a serious expression on her face and nodded to him. “Please, do continue Talvas Fathryon,” Varona said solemnly.

   

  “So I took the moss and made a wig out of it for him,” he said and she chuckled. “Oh come on, Varona, it's not really that funny. How much Moon Sugar have you smoked?”

   

  She giggled and winked at him. “A lot.” She looked at him with curiosity and he squirmed under that look. “Why can’t we do this more often? Just...unwind. Forget that there is a world out there. Stay in here forever,” she sighed the last words.

   

  “You know why. We have our duties,” he murmured and then dryly chuckled. “Plus Moon Sugar isn’t so easy to get around here.”

   

  “True,” she nodded. “Hey, maybe I could ask the Orc in Raven Rock to get us more.”

   

  He raised his eyebrows. “Are you crazy? Never ask for anything of that Orc. The only reason why he leaves us alone is because he’s afraid of Neloth. He has nothing on him.”

   

  “So what?”

   

  “So what? Just...don’t do it, alright?” He barked, getting up to step towards the window. He rubbed his eyes and looked at her. “Sorry, Varona. I didn’t mean it.”

   

  “Yeah, whatever,” she murmured and sat up, holding her knees. “I just thought you’d like the idea. I’m heading out to Raven Rock so I just thought…” she looked away. “Well, never mind.”

   

  To Raven Rock? “Alone? You will go alone? There are Ash Spawn out there. Burnt Spriggans and Ash Hoppers.”

   

  “I’ve made the trip several times, I will be alright.”

   

  “I’ll go with you,” he said resolutely and sighed. “Neloth won’t miss me for few days, surely.” I can’t lose you too. Not like Idari. Not again. “Alright? You can’t be careful enough these days.”

   

  She smiled. ‘You’re so sweet, Talvas.”

   

  You’re so sweet, Talvas, he heard in his mind accompanied by the image of another Dunmer woman. He shook his head to get it out and took a deep breath. “I need fresh air.” He began putting on his clothes, looking for his pants among the pillows.

   

  “Fresh air? Ash is falling outside again. What’s fresh about it?” she asked, confused. She didn’t understand what was going on inside Talvas’ head and he preferred it to stay that way. He grabbed his cloak and walked out, wrapping the cloak around himself and hiding his head under the hood. He looked up, right against the ash falling down into his face and sighed.

   

  He liked Varona, he really did, just not...like Idari. She is just a replacement, even if you don't want to admit it to yourself. A replacement, consolation, for the true love you have lost.

   

  “I'll do it. If there is a chance this experiment will succeed, I have to do it. Imagine that, Talvas. If it succeeds I could be more powerful than Neloth. We could take this tower from him, like true members of Great House Telvanni. If you can take it it it is yours.”

   

  It was never worth it, Idari. It was destined to fail, but you didn't want to see that. Why couldn’t you just listen?

   

  It was really hard to determine what time of day it was, the cloud of ash completely overwhelming the sunlight and Talvas felt how the temperature rapidly dropped. It wasn't like that back in Morrowind, with the volcanoes providing enough heat to sustain the inhabitants of the land, but here on Solstheim...Sometimes, Talvas was of a mind that Solstheim was in a certain way much more inhospitable than Morrowind.

   

  He took a deep breath, the world around him spinning a little from all the Moon Sugar. He felt the pungent taste of ash in his mouth and frowned. He heard that the ash was poisonous, especially after extensive exposure and breathing the stuff for long periods, but his people, Dunmer, never had the problems. They had been living around volcanoes for so long that the ash became part of them, thus not hurting them. But he remembered a few cases of outsiders dying of the poisoning.

   

  He then squinted into the ash storm and noticed a figure wrapped in a brown cloak walking to Tel Mithryn. The Orc? To say that he was surprised to see him would be an understatement. He actually didn't expect to see him ever again, not after going inland to gather Taproots from Spriggans.

   

  He then frowned when he noticed a smaller figure walking next to the Orc and then his eyebrows went up. I must be hallucinating because of the Moon Sugar. He went to intercept the Orc, noticing that he had his face hidden under a scarf, his eyes squinted against the ash. The creature closely followed him, its yellow eyes wide in surprise. Then it spotted Talvas and quickly hid behind Grulmar's legs.

   

  “Is that a Riekling? Why is a Riekling following you?” Talvas shook his head in disbelief when the duo approached.  

   

  Grulmar looked at the Riekling and then at Talvas. “Hey, ya are scarin' him. I guess he never saw a grey-skinned devil before.”

   

  “And an ugly green pig?” the Dunmer retorted and then rubbed his eyes. “Sorry. I'm not myself today.”

   

  “No shit,” the Orc snorted, wrinkling his nose in distaste. “I'm used to that.” He then looked at the Riekling. “It's alright, Matey. This is Talvas, he's alright - for a Dunmer. So go ahead, what's yer name, huh?”

   

  “Maaahtiii,” the Riekling peeped and Talvas raised his eyebrows, looking at Grulmar.

   

  “Maaahtiii, huh? How long have you been here? Just few days and you're already making friends among local population?”

   

  “It's...complicated,” the Orc rubbed the back of his neck, his voice muffled by the scarf around his face. “Just ran into him and now he thinks I'm his “big green Riekling god” or somethin' like that.” He then pulled his left hand from under the cloak, all bandaged and he pointed with it at Talvas. “And I got the damn Taproots, gettin' my hand burned in the process.”

   

  “Spriggans burned your hand?” Talvas asked, now noticing that Maaahtiii was sticking out his tongue, catching the ash-flakes on it and swallowing it. Grulmar followed the Dunmer's gaze, saw what the Riekling was doing and he slapped the back of the beastie’s head.

   

  “Ya dumb? That's ash, not snow. It's poisonous.”

   

  “Pooosiiinooos,” the Riekling repeated and Talvas chuckled when he heard that, for a second mistaking it for completely different word.

   

  “Seriously?” Grulmar asked.

   

  “Hey, I think you two are a perfect match,” the Dunmer laughed. “So what are you going to do with him? Teach him how to roll, play dead, and such things?”

   

  “And maybe ‘fetch’ too,” the Orc murmured. “The alchemist Hag inside?” he pointed at Elynea's house and Talvas nodded. “Alright,” Grulmar nodded in return. “Maaahtiii, come on, boy. Follow.” He headed towards the house, but the Riekling just stood there, looking at the mushroom house with uncertainty. To Talvas it definitely seemed like Maaahtiii was out of his element.

   

  “I think he’s never seen Telvanni mushrooms either,” Neloth's apprentice said dryly and he heard Grulmar growl in frustration.

   

  “Really? What makes ya think that? Maaahtiii! Follow!” he commanded.  The Riekling twitched after the Orc raised his voice but didn't move. Grulmar waved with his hand in defeat. “Why do I even bother. Stay, I don't care. Just don't eat the ash.”

   

  “Pooosiiinooos,” Maaahtiii nodded vigorously and Talvas chuckled, which earned him a look from the Orc but he just shrugged away. Alright, maybe it's not so funny. Maybe it's just the Moon Sugar...maybe. Hehehehe. He stood there, watching the Riekling, noticing how his eyes were darting all over Tel Mithryn. As far as Talvas heard, Rieklings were never spotted on the southern side of Solstheim since Red Year, clearly preferring the cold climate up north. But maybe it had something to do with the ash and Dunmer too, because Rieklings were known for being superstitious. And one was now following an Orc…

   

  Well, Talvas. There might be something to this Orc after all. He brought the Taproots,  didn't he? Which meant that there might be competition for Talvas on the horizon. Another apprentice. How long will it take until he'll go after your neck? It was Telvanni mentality. Two apprentices meant that the knowledge was being divided among those two, each one striving to know more than the other. It usually didn't take long for the apprentices try to kill each other, in their ambition to be their master's favourite.

   

  But Talvas wasn't really a Telvanni. And it didn't really work like that with Idari.

   

  Did it? A sudden thought crossed his mind. Weren't you meant to be the test subject? Weren't you showing your reluctance because you were afraid? Weren't you…

   

  “Tusk ya!” he suddenly heard Grulmar shout from Elynea's house. “Ya said three Taproots and now ya only need one?! Are ya tuskin' shittin' me?!”

   

  Talvas heard footsteps behind him and he turned around to see Varona wrapped in a cloak approaching. “I guess the Orc is back.” She then looked at the Riekling and snorted. “And brought a little brother with him.”

   

  “Heh, apparently.”

   

  “Go tusk yerself ya tuskin' bitch!” Grulmar kept shouting. “I'm keepin' the Taproots! Tusk! I hope the Telvanni fries yer arse!” The Orc then stormed out of the house and headed towards Neloth's tower. “Shit! Last time I'm doin' somethin' like this. Last tuskin' time!”

   

  Varona poked Talvas with amused look. “I wonder how long that will last.”

   

  Neloth's apprentice grinned with knowing look on his face. “Not long. But I have a hunch the Orc is going to stick around.”

  
  “Reclamations save his soul,” Varona laughed and Talvas laughed with her. Then they both looked at the Riekling with raised eyebrows when he started laughing too.