r/RoleplayTES•10 yr. ago

17 - The Field Work
18 - The Trouble With Taproot
19 - Lessons from Coldharbour
20 - Tower of the Black Worm
21 - A Wolf Among Sheep
22 - The Revelation
23 - The Turning Tide
24 - A Tale of Two Choices

25 - Count the Stars
26 - Liar's Return

With the leftover soul gem dust from our previous attempts, I created another pentagram. “Are you ready Calixto?”

Calixto whispered an answer through my mind, “Yes, let us begin.” I raised my hands above the pale violet rune, beginning to channel magicka. Calixto and I had become more adept at using our abilities in unison over the past few weeks, after so many attempted rituals.

This ritual was similar to the previous ones we had performed, only this time I chanted in Ayleid rather than Sloadish, Falmer, or Aldmeri, as the Ayleids had mastered portal magic to such a great extent. As I pronounced the long-drawn syllables of Ayleid words, I saw a glimmer of purple energy spring from the ground soul gems. My chanting continued, and I thought I saw something ripple through the air. However, I was already fatigued from other spells, and I could feel my magicka being depleted into critical levels.

“Kvaasik...stop. We need to stop…” I felt Calixto was right, but I had to keep trying. We had run all the way from the Tower of the Black Worm in Dawnstar to the Reach, from there to Whiterun, and then to Falkreath and into Riften, having to evade S’Gast’s agents and attempt entry into Coldharbour with every spell and ritual possible, with no luck. S’Gast kept discovering our whereabouts through scyring and spying, and no spell we tried actually worked.

The fiery feeling of conjurer’s burn ripped through me, and I was forced to stop the spell before I was engulfed in fire. The soul gem dust erupted into blue sparks, transforming into useless sand. “That was the last of our soul gem dust.” I said to Calixto, although he knew it well.

“We are running out of options; that much is obvious. But there is another way.” As soon as Calixto conjured the thought, I was overwhelmed with a feeling of dread.

“No, Calixto. We cannot turn to him. The last time I made a deal with him, he—“

“Yes, I know. I am in your head, and I can see your memories. But he is the only option.”

I sighed. I did not want to see the Purring Liar again, but Calixto was right on all accounts. He is the only person who could possibly find a way into Coldharbour.

A few hours later, when we recovered our energy, I began the process. First, I retrieved the Black Star from where I stored it. When I had defeated Rajhin the first time and trapped him in the Star, I decided that it would be safest to store it in a place called a pocket space, a small realm of Oblivion just large enough to store objects. With a flick of my wrist, the slick facets of the Star materialized in my palm. I had a sense of fear upon feeling the Star again, but I swallowed it down; I am a Sload, and a Sload knows to do what is necessary.

With what materials I could find (snowberries, grass roots, pine sap, and little else), we prepared a trapping spell. With this incantation, we can communicate with Rajhin’s soul without letting it escape. I will not make the same mistake twice and cause further disasters to ensue.

“Are you ready, Kvaasik?” Calixto whispered, his thoughts conveying apprehension. Reluctantly, I nodded and began to channel the spell. With the power of two sorcerers in the same body, the enchantment was as simple as a flame spell, and the Black Star began to hum with magicka. An image began to take form in the air, a pale blue apparition of the Cat Who Walks.

Sorry for the hiatus; I assure you that Kvaasik will come back with full force. I would appreciate comments, as I took a break from writing and may be a bit rusty :)

Posted Nov 23, 2015, 12:10 AM UTC · edited

Kvaasik - Count the Stars