In Solitude, a pair of elves find themselves outside of the popular inn, the result of a long search.
“Are you sure she’s here ?”, asked Misa concerned with the prior fruitlessness of their hunt.
“Yes, Auryen told me she frequents this place”, Sawira confirmed confident that this wasn’t another dud. “Besides, she’s the only one with information on Grimson”.
“Well, if you’re sure…”, though she trusted her sister, the blone-haired elf couldn’t help but remain incredulous of their ordeal
Entering the establishment, the two made a beeline for the bartender situated in the back, wiping away at assorted stains on his countertop.
“Hello there”, Sawira greeted, immediately grabbing his attention.
“Why hello, how can I help you?”, he returned with a well-worn, almost rote, greeting that he’d used a hundred times that same day.
“Yes, I’m looking for an elven woman, long red hair, she wears a large gauntlet, you can’t miss it".
“Haha, I know who you mean. She took the table upstairs, just down the way then up the stairs to the left”, the barman replied curtly.
“Ah, thanks !”, Sawira twirled on her heel with purpose…
…Only to be stopped by her sister’s inquiries. “How are you going to convince her if she doesn’t want to tell us about the sword ?”, she asked, uncertain whether she was preparing for a debate, a battle, or something else.
“Trust me, it’ll be fine”, replied the redhead with confidence. Confidence that didn’t extend to Misa. “Hmm…”
Following the stairwell, the two girls immediately stumbled upon their quarry, sitting at a table by herself overlooking the bar below.
“Hello there”, Sawira called out.
Curious, but apprehensive, the gauntlet-clad elf looked over the two, replying shyly. “H-hello…”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you”, Sawira started, calmly. “But I’m an explorer, collecting artifacts for my museum here in the city.
Rumours say you happen to be the only one who knows where we could find the sword, Grimson”, she explained shortly in a tone that was reassuring and yet vaguely threatening.
The elven lass folded her arms, closing off. “No, sorry, I don’t know anything about your sword.”
Sawira didn’t believe it for a second, something she made clear by taking a seat at the table. “Alright, perhaps you want something for its location? Clothes, jewelry, weapons?”
She bargained, knowing that for every detail on Grimson, she had herself ten other items she could levy.
She received no answers. The elven lass simply stared back at her, maintaining the silence.
For all her earlier confidence Sawira’s patience wore thin very quickly. Her hand lit up with a crimson magefire as she jumped to her feet, a nuance so rough that the drinks at the table toppled.
“I don’t have the patience for games, tell me where the sword is or this will end badly”, she threatened, closing in on the elf with her sword drawn.
Behind her, Misa cursed the situation, readying herself for a fight.
Sawira’s eyes lit up, the white’s of her eyes darkening, as red, cruel, markings emerged on her supple, pale skin.
She received no answers. The elven lass simply stared back at her, maintaining the silence.
“You know, that’s not going to work on me”, the redhead maiden replied, breaking her silence with a casual flair.
“Why…?”, Sawira asked, demandingly.
“We’re the same, daedra-touched”, she answered, unconcerned, showing a surpisingly stronger demeanour than her earlier portrayal would indicate.
Thinking their avenue closed off with her sibling’s temper, Misa beckoned Sawira. “Sister, I think she should go…”
Alice stopped them, climbing from her seat. “I can help you find the sword, but on two conditions.”
The siblings looked back at her, eyes angry and disheartened both.
“First, I’ll be coming with you, and second, you’re going to tell me exactly who you are”, the elf made her demands clear, at this point realising Sawira was no ordinary ‘explorer’.
“Alright, fine”, she replied with a heavy sigh. Sawira’s daedric influence left her features, returning to normal. “But you should tell us who you are, then”.
“That’s no problem”, replied the elf.
The pair delved into their mutual pasts, time sweeping away in a long conversation that left both Sawira and the elf, Alice, with a certain level of understanding.
“Well, I certainly didn’t expect that”, Alice remarked of Sawira’s nature.
“Me either, to find someone like myself just like that…”, Sawira replied, awed, amused, excited.
The redheads continued their back and forth, losing track of their surroundings to the ideal that they had each found someone like themself.
“Okay, this is nice and all but we’ve got some work to do, if you two haven’t forgotten”, Misa interrupted finally, her patience wearing ever so thin.
Still here ? Thanks for reading now part 2 :)
Some ways outside of Solitude, the girls arrive in a grove. Their surroundings made up of naturally arranged rocks and overgrowth, an eery mist lingering in the area.
“Alright girls, here we are”, said Alice, turning to face the siblings.
“Why is it so foggy around here?”, Sawira inquired, struggling to see anything a few feet in front of her.
“I have absolutely no idea”, she explained. “The last time I came here it was like any place else”.
“Alright, where can we find the sword?”, Sawira continued, quickly.
“Sis, I’m a bit worried, its too calm here, not a single noise…”, Misa interrupted, relaying her mounting concern.
A mysterious sound resounded within the grove, taking the girls by surprise.
“What in Oblivion ?”, drawing her sword, Sawira scanned the treeline cautiously.
“I knew something was off about this !”, Misa cried, her hands alight with magicka.
“I have a bad feeling about this…”, chimed in Alice, afraid.
“I’ll bet whatever made that sound is causing this fog”, Sawira noted. “So let’s go find it.”
Armed and at the ready, the girls head deeper into the grove, intent on finding the source to these phenomena.
“Its completely dead in here, not a thing in sight”, a trained assassin in her own right, Alice was blessed with keen senses, but even she couldn’t hear or see anything hidden behind the fog.
“And we’ve heard nothing after that sound”, Misa assessed with her.
“Shhh, I feel something”, Sawira said stopping them, “Wait here, I’ll check it out”, she commanded, dipping into her daedric senses.
As she stepped forward, Sawira came to see a gargantuan figure of moss and branches.
“W-what is this thing?”, taken in by shock, she hadn’t moved by the time the others joined her.
“I-it looks like a giant spriggan”, Misa remarked, uncertain.
“Its a beast of the hunt, one of Hircine’s spawn”, Alice told them, familiar with this kind of daedra. “Dangerous, powerful, and it looks like this one’s guarding our treasure”.
“Then we need to get passed him?”, Misa responded with concern.
“Powerful, huh? Then I’ll have to use this…”, Sawira stepped forward.
“Stay back girls, I wouldn’t want to hurt you”, Sawira continued onward, her tone vaguely threatening.
“But—”, Alice tried to stop her, only to be stopped herself.
“Listen, just let her do this”, Misa told her, sounding despondent.
“I’ll end this nice and quick”, said Sawira, transforming under a veil of shadowy energy.
“First time I’ve used this kind of magic like this, I wonder if I’ll be alright ?”, Sawira contemplated her intent whilst her transformation ran its course.
Whether she was certain or not however, the ominous globes of magefire in her hand made it all but certain that she was going through with it.
As she stepped forward, the tree-like figure took heed of her. “This place is not for mortals, why do you tresspass ?”, its voice was like an echo through hollow bark.
“Doesn’t matter to me, I’m here for the sword and you’re in the way”, Sawira dismissed, a trail of shadowy flames behind her.
Before the guardian of the grove could make its move, Sawira unleashed her spell…
A condensed sphere of energy that knocked the entity from its footing.
The pair of them collapsed to the ground, the tree-like entity dead. Sawira looked on, tired and drained. “Just a couple of spells and I already feel like I need a nap”, she grumbled, clearly having overused her new magic.
With the coast clear, Alice and Misa returned to Sawira.
“Hey, are you alright?”, Alice asked with concern.
“By the Nine, you took him down so fast !”, Misa instead showed awe for her sister’s prowess.
“Yeah, I’m fine, I just need to lie down for a few minutes”, Sawira replied seemingly unconcerned.
“What was that magic? I’ve never seen something like that in my life”, Alice inquired, sharing Misa’s awe with her concern satiated.
“Something powerful, but dangerous”, she responded vaguely.
“Why would you use something like that, we could’ve helped you !”, Misa chastised, but it fell on deaf ears.
“We don’t have to worry about what it can do, if we don’t let it do anything”, Sawira explained.
“Anyway, we’re here for something, no ?”, she continued, climbing to her feet slowly.
Ascending the steps to an old ruin in the heart of the grove, they come upon the sword, resting at the centre of a shrine.
“Finally we’ve found it”, said Sawira excited, though evidently still exhausted from her ordeal.
“I’m glad its still here”, Misa mentioned, happy to find the thing at all.
“Another piece for the collection”, Sawira said with relief.
“At last we can get out of here”, Misa added with her own form of relief. Not soon after, they collected the blade and made for the exit.
“Looks like this is where we part ways”, seeing the exit to grove, Alice made her remark, wistful if pleased.
“Thanks for helping us, maybe you’d like to come back and we can share a drink ?”, Sawira offered, knowing their next stop would be right back in Solitude.
“No, that’s alright, I have other things to for myself, but maybe next time”, Alice said.
“Oh, that’s a shame”, Misa replied. “It was nice meeting you at least, Alice.”
“You too, Misa”, she reciprocated.
“Well, next time you’re in Solitude, I’ll treat you to something special”, Sawira smirked as they offered their farewells, the girls going their own ways.
Thanks to @necrosisxiii for his cute elf and @desvati for writing help :))
I hope you guys apprecied even with these hard times with tumblr…
