Join a variety of my lesser known and up and coming characters as they travel by province of Skyrim and try to make a name for themselves ... And grow as both people and adventurers in the process.
Flame-Child: Part Two Chapter Thirty One: Taking the Castle (2) (2/2)
“This sword… well damn,” Duraza said as a smile formed on her face her face. “You’re as heck a different animal aren’t you Syliel, even if you are the same beast.”
“…I guess you can say that.” The Syliel in question then retrieved her weapon and began looking about. “So where is Niyleen?”
Duraza shrugged. “She’s inside, probably still taking on Teresa.”
“Then I don’t have a moment to lose,” Carciel said as she hurried past the Orc…
*
“You… you can’t be serious… If this was all you had, if this was the extent of your power, then what was that month for?” Niyleen said as she descended the stairs toward Teresa. “I could have killed you then!”
To be fair, you’ve grown exponentially since then. I’d even dare to say that you’re at least twice as strong as you were before you met Trineiya. Not to mention you’re wielding a weapon that is the literal materialization of her weakness—
Niyleen looked down at Teresa and scowled. (Don’t you dare start trying to rationalize her weakness! That fight was so anticlimactic! Besides, shouldn’t a vampire as old as her like… have a plan against flames or something?)
She’s a vampire. Vampires regardless of how strong or how old are weak against flames. If you’re mad because you’ve too quickly breached her defenses and exacted your revenge, then just say that and move on…
“*cough* Ha! You *cough* mortals,” The vampire tried to get up, but didn’t seem to have the strength to do so. “You all think *cough* *cough* think that the universe revolves around each of you individually…”
“What are you getting at?”
“I’ve already… already warned you Redguard… The girl you came for *cough* *cough* is no more… Me winning… or losing… was *cough* irrelevant from the start”
Niyleen stood over Teresa while placing her flame sword against the vampire’s face. “I’ve not killed when it was avoidable in quite some time, vampire. I… I think Lucari would be proud of me for that.” The Halfling heard the sizzling of Teresa’s skin, and decided to continue with this torture for some time.
“Hisssss *cough* *cough* ssss… You bitch,” Teresa was able to make out while trying to avoid having her whole face burned. “S-so… you’re telling me this… why?”
That look of superiority even in this situation. Niyleen wanted nothing more than to dismember the undead bitch and look for Lucari on her own, but she didn’t know how much time she had left before someone came bursting through those doors to attack her. “Tell me vamp,” Niyleen said as she moved her sword away from the vampire. “Where are you hiding Lucari?”
“Kill *cough*kill me, mortal. KILL ME! For everything I’ve done, *cough* everything I’ve put your comrades through, you know you want me dead.” Teresa sat up a bit, looking completely unscathed, and peered into Niyleen’s eyes. “Do it! End this once and for all!”
(By the Nine, what’s this regeneration!? Was… is she holding back on me!?)
Does it matter? All you need to do is what we came here to do. End her life and retrieve Lucari.
“Shit!” Niyleen clenched her teeth as she struggled with this terrible feeling in her gut that killing Teresa would be the worst thing she could do right now.
I am a bit surprised that you’re hesitating this close to the end, but I can’t say I disagree.
(There’s something about her eyes… it’s like she NEEDS me to kill her…) Niyleen stuck Teresa through the arm and her shrieks almost caused the Halfling to pass out.
“Hissssssssssssssssss! W-what are you doing, mortal,” Teresa said as she hissed up a storm. “What are you waiting for!!!?”
“Like I said, I’ve not killed when it was avoidable in quite some time. Besides,” She flashed Teresa a grin. “I’d rather not assist my enemy.”
Turning from Teresa, she could hear the vampire hissing at her and struggling to no avail to remove the flame sword from her body. Just as she was about to head off to search for Lucari, the castle’s door opened and Niyleen went on high alert… until she saw who it was.
“Carciel?”
The Breton said nothing and simply went over to the Halfling and pressed herself against Niyleen. Before she realized what she was doing, Niyleen proceeded to hold Carciel close to her and the pair remained like this until the Niyleen finally broke the silence.
“Hey Carciel,” Niyleen said as she ran her fingers through the Breton’s hair. “You… you cut your hair? I could have sworn you were growing it—”
Carciel suddenly pushed Niyleen away and hung her head. “You’re… you’re too nice to everyone, you know that! It may not be a naïve niceness, but you’re quick to give people exactly what they need in the moment…”
“Carciel… I—”
“Shut up!” Carciel’s sudden outburst caught Niyleen off guard and made the Breton chuckle. “Heh, way to push her right into her arms Caricel… As if you ever stood a chance…”
“I just wish… N-nevermind. Geez, do you need me to hold your hand? Got to her already!” Niyleen saw Carciel try to force herself to smile, but it was obvious to Niyleen by her tears what Carciel really wanted.
She had a ton of questions for the Breton like: Was Nyleine safe? What happened with Duraza and Sevetia? How were the two of them supposed to move forward? And so on. Niyleen knew what Carciel wanted. Carciel wanted Niyleen to hold her again, to choose her over Lucari. If this was a matter for the heart, Niyleen in that instant would have obliged, however, her heart wouldn’t allow her to do as the Breton wished.
(I… I never wanted to hurt Carciel again. Especially not like this…)
With three women vying for your love, it was inevitable. You’ve got to be resolute now. If you don’t want her to hate you now, in this moment you have to act cold to her just like you were with Eolri earlier.
Following Nega’s advice, Niyleen went back to Teresa and felt something inside her break as she heard Carciel’s whimpers as she walked away. “One last chance vampire,” Niyleen said trying to maintain her composure. She took hold of her blade again and its flames rekindled again. “Where. Is. Lucari.”
“HISSSSSSSS! …Kill me you low bred bitch!”
“Fine,” Niyleen sighed. “I’ll grant your request.”
“STOP!”
Niyleen didn’t have to take her eyes off of Teresa to know who that voice belonged to, and luckily she didn’t. Otherwise she would have missed the fear traced on the vampire’s face.
“Y-you Orc!!! W-what are you doing!?”
“If you kill her, then Lucari, as you know her, won’t exist anymore,” Duraza said, ignoring her client. “She’ll become an insatiable ravenous beast who will want revenge on the person responsible for her ‘Mistress’s death! And once she attains that, she’ll just go around killing everything that’s in her path trying to sate her unending hunger!”
“Is this true?” Niyleen looked down at Teresa who had pursed her lips.
“Every word,” Duraza answered in the vampire’s stead. ”Anyway, the one you’re looking for? She’s downstairs, not too far from here actually. Take the path on the left of the throne and you should soon get to a room with a big opening. Your Nord should be there.”
“Thanks.” Niyleen delivered a swift kick to Teresa that knocked the vampire unconscious. “Why are you helping me? You told me that in this life, ‘only a fool would turn down easy coin.’”
“I made too many mistakes on this mission to get paid anyway near the amount of time that I signed on for,” Duraza admitted. “That and… I’m sick of repeating the same events over and over again you know? Regardless of which side I’m on.”
(She knew!? Of course she knew about the Cycles! Orcs ARE Mer, and it was never specified that the elven Mer were the only ones to—)
Stop thinking so hard about this and get going! I’ve a feeling that this is may be it. That this is going to be the last time we’re caught up in these Cycles!
Niyleen nodded, to both Duraza and Nega, and then headed in the direction that her former mentor had mentioned. Like Duraza had said, it didn’t take long for Niyleen to come to room with quite a wide opening. There was an empty shrine and a pool of water that contained a fountain that seemed to flow with blood, however the one she was looking for, Lucari, was nowhere to be found.
Niyleen crossed her arms and Edged closer to the pool of water. “S-something’s wrong. I know Duraza wouldn’t lie to me, not when I was this close. Not even she’s that cruel,” Niyleen looked around for Lucari some more but her efforts were in vain. “But even so… Where in the world is Lucari!?”
There’s something—someone in the water!
Just as Nega’s words filled Niyleen’s head, she saw a feminine figure dressed in white rise from the pool of water with its back turned to Niyleen, and for a moment the Halfling couldn’t move. She knew who it was, who it could only be, but something deep within her stopped her from wrapping the Nord in her arms and never letting go.
This is it! What are you waiting for? Got to her! Don’t make everyone’s efforts be in vain damn it!!!
Once again, Niyleen knew that Nega was right, but she couldn’t—wouldn’t accept it as so. It felt like something was off, like this couldn’t be it, this couldn’t be the end. There had to be a catch. (This could be a trap… Maybe if I go into the water it’ll become acid. Or perhaps if I take a step forward even more vampires will come and attack me. Or maybe—)
“I… I can sense you back there…”
“That voice…”
Do you think this is a trap now?
Niyleen shook her head and tried to contain her feelings from overflowing. “Lucari…” she said as she reached out towards her.
The woman in the water turned toward Niyleen and smiled, chilling the Halfling to the bone. “Ah, it’s you Niyleen.”
“Shit!” Niyleen and Nega said simultaneously as they realized at the same time that Niyleen’s suspicions were correct. Unfortunately for the duo, they realized their error far too late.
Before Niyleen could make a move, she felt a sharp pain in her chest. Looking down, she saw saw a bloody hand that was gripping something protruding from her. “Is that… am I—”
Niyleen! NIYLEEEEN!!!
Before she knew it, Niyleen fell to the ground and everything started to go dark. It wasn’t long before the feeling in her body went numb and it was getting harder and harder to breath. Niyleen knew this was the end, but she didn’t feel too bad about it. Seeing how Nega and the other versions of her ended the cycles, there was a feeling of invincibility that she felt. However, Niyleen wasn’t stupid, she knew from the start that death was a possibility, and since it was by her lover’s hands, she wasn’t all that upset about things…
“Sweet dreams, dear Niyleen~”
*
Shit I was too careless! Nega was doing all she could to keep their body alive, but without the heart, there was little she could do to prolong the inevitable. Maybe I could take over, yeah… If I gain control, I can probably use my influx of power to—!!
*PLOOP*
Something was wrong. As soon as Nega tried to make the switch she could feel their body failing at a rapid rate. This… this has never happened before! Why? Niyleen! Are… are you accepting this? Why? Did you think that THAT was the so called monster Lucari was suppose to turn into!? I can’t accept that! YOU can’t accept that! You haven’t even seen Lucari! We came all this way! We freaking beat Teresa! You can’t just die without doing—without telling Lucari anything!!! Niyleen, wake up! WAKE UP!!!
That feel when you don’t wanna use an otherwise perfectly good screenshot because you 1) took the screenshot before the effects of tm (via hotkey) went into effect, and 2) you didn’t take multiple screenshots...
Ranking your OCs. Who can hold their alcohol best, and who is the best leader.
Who can hold their alcohol best?
Well, number one is obviously Carciel. Canonically (in my story) she drank a drink ~every ten minutes for 26 hours straight and still fought and beat Sorene. And they say little people can’t hold their liquor XD (she’s a Breton btw)
Second one is Durul. This Orc has been known to drink bottles of the strongest stuff out their and not have it faze her.
Third one is Madina. As a [former] bandit queen, Madina used to challenge all sorts of men to drinking contests putting herself on the line. Let’s just say that no matter how smashed she got, no one ended up smashing her ;)
Who is the best leader?
Sorerica is first. In every Cycle (you’ll know what this is if you read Flame-Child) Sorerica has been or ended up as a high ranking officer with many soldiers under her charge on one of the sides in the Civil War, and in every Cycle the side she was on ultimately won. She’’s a beacon that brings people together, and the sword necessary to help them execute their goals. (Leader Rank: SS)
Niyleen is second. A reluctant leader of sorts, if put in charge of anything sh’ll get things done quickly and efficiently (unless the Forsworn are involved*). Though at times she may seem cold when handling others, ultimately everything she does whilst leading is predicated on logic and ends for the better. (Leader Rank: S)
Although she typically will play the position of the right hand man, Liri is definitely my strongest candidate for third place. Her charisma is through the roof and she’s able to get people to follow her (be they perverts or not) and her orders better than even Sorerica. That combined with her penchant for victory would probably place her at the top of the list. Ultimately, Liri’s major shortcoming is that she simply can’t be bothered to be THE leader of something. She can take charge if necessary (like if the leader goes down or something similar), but she’d sooner leave a group than become it’s full-time leader. (Leader Rank: SSS or D depending)
