Rastislav
patreon
Arc 8 Chapter LXXVII: Many Visitations And Most Moral Experimentations
🕑 Added 2025-01-30 22:48:04 +0000 UTCA/n: And so beginneth my glorious break!
I thank you once more for your patience.
--------------------
My reaction, naturally, only serves to amuse my visitor as she lounges in her seat "Good evening dear." The smirking face of Mephala greets me as I turn to face her.
"Sup" I give her a lazy wave.
"Why thank you." She smiles and teleports my coffee into her hand (which I allow) and takes a sip.
Rolling my eyes "Very clever."
"What is that catchphrase of yours?" She hums "I am the image of wit?"
Feeling the amusement slowly overtake my annoyance I smirk and bow my head with a dramatic flourish of my hand "Your sharp mind is indeed a gift to us all, my lady."
She titters and fans at her face "Oh my, how charming."
I can't help but snort, much to her evident pleasure if her smile was anything to go by.
But I also make sure to remain silent and just lean back, enjoying the ensuing silence as she waits for me to ask the usual question.
Her amusement grows with my apparent 'defiance' but after a while she realizes I am more than content to just sit here for hours she huffs out a laugh "Changing tactics, dear?"
Waving her question away lazily I say "Just taking as much time to relax as I can get before you decide to afflict me with paranoia for a laugh."
She lets out an immediate faux-gasp at this "Why Reyvin, can't a lady visit her favorite little Ehlnofey?"
"Realized that, did you?" I quirk an eyebrow.
She just smirks "Dear, I have been there when they first descended onto the world, of course I recognized what you became, and so did my two dearest colleagues."
"Fair" I accept her point.
"But that is enough of that" Her posture suddenly shifts as she turns serious "First, allow me to congratulate you on crushing those annoying little trees so utterly, watching that was a delight."
The way she says the final world nearly makes me shiver but I manage to hold it back.
"Not a fan of them I see?" I ask "Why not remove them then?"
"Because they make things more interesting" She shrugs "They are odd, different, alien from us. Simply cutting them out would make the world that much duller."
"I see" For a moment I am tempted to frown at this but I am not foolish enough to expect mortal morality from her, and immortality is a really long ass time "That is fair enough I suppose."
"And I am very happy to hear that" She smiles "Sometimes even I nearly get lost in all the mortal hangups you all seem to have developed over the eras."
I immediately roll my eyes "No you don't."
She just smirks.
Shaking my head I decide to move the conversation on "Any news on the Dreaded Daedric Grapevine?"
"Nothing too interesting I am afraid" She answers with pretend sadness "Things have been mostly peaceful so far. Sheogorath has been acting rather odd but that is par for the course even if he? is being somewhat creative this time."
"Finally leaving the cheese jape behind?" I ask.
She chuckles "Not even I like watching him so who knows?"
"Mhm" I hum "Anything else?"
She taps the table for a few moments before snapping her fingers and pointing at me "Ah yes, Azura and Boethiah also sent their utmost regards, you can consider their support assured for the following few centuries or so."
'That is certainly useful' I smile in thanks "Alright then, so what is it?"
"Oh?" She tilts her head almost cutely "I am not quite certain what you are insinuating there, dear?"
"Mephala" I deadpan "You always visit like this to drop something on my lap, what is it?"
She pretends to sigh tiredly "Fiiineeee" She huffs and straightens back up "Azura predicted that you need to deal with what is happening on that little island in your new domain within three months or things will escalate... considerably."
"That is..." I pause "Actually pretty doable. Thanks."
Her smile then could have melted the sun.
We make some more small talk for a while before inevitably she is distracted by something far away and disappears, and I return to my relaxation, oddly at peace even with the new bit of danger in the future.
Well, not truly new but having a set time did certainly put things into perspective.
An hour of silent contemplation and relaxation later the familiar buzz of my Orbβ’ drew my attention and as I read the incoming message I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows.
It would seem I had another guest to entertain.
(General POV)
His first thoughts as his mind awakened were 'Dry.'
His body felt as if it were covered in tar and instinctively he attempted flicking his tongue out to moisturize his mouth but the moment he so much as twitched a wave of weakness assailed him and nearly sent him straight back into unconsciousness.
As if someone manually turned them on his ears began working and a trio of voices reached him, two familiar Dunmeri tones drenched with familiar noble flow, and one unfamiliar yet oddly squeaky and childish Argonian hiss.
That final detail was all it took to fully awaken him and with a failed roar that was more of a silent whine he sat up.
An act he regretted immensely as pain assaulted his every nerve.
"Hold there fool!" The squeaky Argonian appeared above him and slapped him before he could even see him, somehow not causing any further pain but still making him lay back down while easing his body's reaction considerably.
"Everything fine, Master?" The familiar voice of the enemy ruler came from nearby, making his mind reel at the term of address.
"Worry not student mine!" The egg-brother? squeaked back "The fool merely needs a moment to get used to existing without the shit trees." The jovial tone suddenly shifted into one of utter hatred before seemingly righting itself at random "He should be fine in a minute or so."
"If you say so" He could practically hear the frown in the elf's voice.
"Right then" The third individual, the other elf, cut in "What have found out?"
"I believe I have an idea" The first elf answered "The Hist seems to have overridden his biological makeup with their own traits, imposing their near constant growth for the price of massive consumption and a slow mutation of the mind."
"So they turned him into a person-sized Hist Tree?" The second one asked.
"If he survived the inevitable rampant mutation?" That did not sound good "Then... kind of?"
"Ah" The other one voiced.
The squeaky one rejoined them then "You have ideas then, student mine?"
"I tried going down the restoration route bat that is like trying to bar a dam since I am not truly restoring anything but attempting to stifle life." The so called 'Hortator' answered "Alteration seems to be the proper route and I suspect a mix of rituals and self-modification could be the solution but I am unsure as of right now."
He sighed "I could probably make some stopgaps but with how busy I am I recommend tossing him at Tolfdir and Phineas. Those two would probably be able to fully stabilize him until you can teach him how to properly take care of himself."
"A most wise course of action, most glorious of students!" The squeaky one squeaked "But first we must see if the fool has the will to go beyond the animal he was turned to!"
Valezar felt a growl forming in his throat but a quick jab from the small Argonian had him sitting up in a near instant, his no doubt heavily bloodshot eyes snapping open once more as he now faced his captors.
'And the ones who would now use him as a lab-rat' His mind supplied quickly.
The two elves he recognized easily, both champions of the enemy and both immensely dangerous.
The enemy Great Warchief/Shaman immediately rose a hand "Hold. Before you say anything I would like to inform you that your side has lost the war utterly and the Hist itself was forced to admit defeat. You are no doubt considered to have died in the battle and things will remain as such if I have anything to say about it."
"Why should I believe you?" Valezar's words came out in a rough gargle.
"I will have the treaty delivered to you later." The elf answered with pure boredom in his voice.
Valezar looked around the room, and his eyes inevitably reached the nearby window which was left conspicuously opened. He recognized the view almost immediately as he had been to Mournhold on numerous occasions and the reality of the situation slowly began to set in.
He looked back to the elf who merely rose an eyebrow and spoke to the tiny Argonian next to him "Your turn now, Master Shalazar."
Things ground down to a halt as the words reached Valezar, his tormented but enhanced mind swiftly parceling through the information he was given.
Small albino Argonian, someone a Great Shaman would call 'Master' and the name Shalazar, once granted as a sign of great wisdom but turned to a curse for the greatest of betrayals amongst his people.
Still, defeat had taught Valezar humility, and so instead of trying to pounce at his new target he merely growled at him "You taught the one who would see our people enslaved once more?"
The elf scoffed but did not speak.
Oh no, it was the betrayer's voice that struck his mind next "Speak not of what you do not understand fool!" He was visibly holding back from growling back "My student disdains that which you use as an excuse, and you know this well."
He immediately went to retort "Defending the enem-"
But the betrayer scoffed, somehow making him shut up with the mere noise "My enemy he was not." He squeaked tersely "Merely because I resemble you does not mean we are of same thought, fool."
Valezar felt his words die in his throat because... well, he small Argonian did resemble him. To an uncanny degree, to the point that they may as well have been born from the same egg, even with their differences in size.
"Then why?" He croaked, their previous conversation and his current one not tracking with each other "Why even bother trying to save me?"
"To be fair I did it mostly as a favor to Master Shalazar here" The elven leader piped in "It is entirely up to him how you end up."
Valezar said nothing and faced the tiny one.
"Once I was foolish like you too." He spoke softly, the comical squeak barely present "So very bloodthirsty, so very willing to sell my mind and body to the fucking plants that see us only as tools to expend."
The once-Warchief felt like protesting but held back, impotent rage would do him no good here.
The little one's eyes brightened as he looked up "I too slaughtered my way through Deshaan, and all the way up to the Telvanni lands. Why, a good part of the slaughter was my own work... but you already know that, do you not?"
All Valezar could do was numbly nod.
"But once I was done cutting through their towers and slaying both the adults and the children in the name of my vengeance do you know what I felt?" He asked rhetorically "Nothing but emptiness, my mind which was once honed to strike was now bereft of purpose and all that remained was emptiness."
His easy expression turned utterly blank as he stared directly into Valezar's soul "A broken tool was of no use to them and so they tried to extract what little use they still could, and had my empty vessel reproduce."
Valezar felt rather sick as he realized where this was going.
"And so, oh descendant most foolish" Shalazar grinned "Do you still desire to hold on to your blind loyalties as a good little disposable pet? Or do you want to use the chance I am giving you to try and actually live for yourself?"
Valezar's mind was reeling as his entire world slowly crumbled down around him.
But he was not given too much time to think before Shalazar spoke once more "No need to choose now, foolish boy. Think deeply of my wisdom, I will return later for your answer."
(Reyvin's POV)
As our trio of archmagi were leaving the private wing, still deep in discussion about the state of Valezar, his future, and how to potentially replicate his growth in a safe manner, we were stopped by a sudden defensive bubbling of Magicka coming form nearby.
All three of us rounded on the intruder and we came face to face with Demnevanni and Fyr, the latter of whom was utterly relaxed while the former was visibly holding back from blasting Shalazar with as many spells as he could muster in a second.
"Gentlemen?" I greet them with a raised eyebrow.
Fyr just smirks while Demnevanni ever so slowly turns his gaze to me "Dagoth" He remembers to greet "Forgive me my Alinori, but what in the most accursed fuck is the Pale Scourge doing in the palace?!"
"Master Shalazar is my guest." I answer blandly "Do not fear, he is tentatively on our side."
"On our side?" Demnevanni whispers to himself "Do you have any idea what the little motherf-" My eye twitching stops the curse as he corrects himself "What he did to my house?!"
"Hist fuckery." I fire back easily.
He pauses, gives the smirking Shalazar a look, turns back to me and visibly holds back from spitting on the ground "Fine. I do not like it but I will not make a fuss since you obviously trust him but do kindly make sure he is not seen by the rest of them. I do not need a revolt right now."
I give Shalazar a sideways glance and he nods "He will be careful."
"Good" Demnevanni sighs "I guess that is all I can ask for really." He turns to leave "I will see you on the council meeting, I need a drink after this n'chow." And trots off without another word.
Seeing the Mer leave I look to the other visitor present "Fyr, I trust your accommodations are pleasant?"
"They shall suffice" He replies naturally "However I have not come here for a meet and greet, even if I do admit a certain curiosity towards our resident mass murderer."
Shalazar scoffs "Maybe some other time, bored one."
Fyr just smirks at this and looks to me "I believe our schedules finally align enough that we may continue discussing our pact?"
Quickly scanning through my agenda for the day I nod "Very well, I do not mind" I quickly turn to Shalazar and Savos "I trust that the two of you will be able to entertain yourselves fo a while?"
Savos rolls his eyes and Shalazar nods happily "But of course, most glorious student of mine!" He pauses and adds "Ah, my most mighty mind seems to have slipped a delightfully important message I needed to deliver."
Catching on I ask "And what is this message?"
"She has been patient because she understands the necessity" He states "There is no longer a need for said patience."
Savos and Fyr look utterly lost but I understand what he was saying instantly, no doubt aided by Shalazar's own mysticism based fuckery.
So that is what Mephala meant when she mentioned Ole' Sheo... Well shit.
She is probably laughing her ass off right now.
The wave of spectral amusement I feel through my bond is all the confirmation I need.
Comments
Ryan Helmbold
Man salazars so fukin awesome. Honestly one of my fav characters in this fic, but theres so many other amazing characters too so he cant technically be my most favorite character, just one of them
Hakkira
Thank you kindly for the chapter π
