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Arc 8 Chapter XXX: A Brief Bout Of Brainstorming
🕑 Added 2024-11-14 18:53:27 +0000 UTCThe stone wall of the secret vault closed behind me with a quiet thud as I reentered my study with a frustrated frown on my face.
After what I've learned the fact that Ariovistus had any kind of information on what I asked him was a stroke of fortune but even what he did have was... exceedingly limited in scope.
The moment I asked the question the book just turned completely silent, the soul seeming to dim for a full five minutes before he very hesitantly started scribbling down what he knew, and what I got was nothing concrete.
Vague sayings, titles involving capital P Prisoners, even vaguer information about the imprisoned Prince of Paths and all of it connected only through a nursery rhyme Ariovistus just happened to read in Apocrypha and then spent decades connecting the dots before giving up.
The knowledge was so utterly obscure that the self proclaimed Daedra expert gave up, yes. He did manage to retain the name, and that was only by lucky happenstance of his entire soul now being twisted into something made for retaining knowledge by its very nature.
And therein lay the kicker, the name of Ithelia was distinctly connected to the title of the Prince of Paths.
Not many beings were called Princes in this world, and no I did not mean the noble title.
Exactly seventeen of them in fact, or eighteen now I suppose.
Calming my racing thoughts slightly I plopped my ass down on my armchair, letting out a huff and lighting up a cigar before trying to organize the slew of random facts I just got thrown at me. I summoned an empty scroll and began writing down notes.
About a good twenty minutes later I had a few facts narrowed down.
First things first, Hermaeus Mora was definitely involved. Not many on Nirn knew this for a fact but one of his most dangerous abilities was that he could take knowledge and possess it in its totality, as in remove it from everyone else and thus get to keep it for himself.
The constant attempts of something to scratch the information from the back of my mind was no doubt his passive influence trying to get back what was his. It gave me great satisfaction to feel his constant and utter failure in the attempt.
Second, Ithelia was either a fallen Daedric Prince or one forcefully obscured. Following the train of thought that it was Hermetic fuckery in question that probably meant she was either subsumed or imprisoned by Mora.
A potential avenue of attack? Something to keep in mind in any case.
Third, she was related to the Prisoners, as in the protagonists of the 'games' and being that she was called the Prince of Paths (presumably) it would not be unreasonable to imagine she was involved in some downright discomforting levels of fate weaving fuckery.
Which meant she would be exceedingly useful as an ally and doubly so irritating as an enemy, thus making the avenue of attack idea far more viable but in the end utterly useless since I had no way to discover where she was in actuality.
Something told me I inevitably would however since I doubt the so called Prince of Paths would leave what I presumed was some kind of backup plan where I would discover it on simple accident.
Then again I do tend to fuck fate wherever I go as Azura herself told me so who knows? Maybe I shat on yet another divine plan without even knowing about it and was just hoping for a convenient way to sort the mess out?
In any case, me overthinking this any further would just be a massive waste of time. Why use my brain when I can just ask someone directly?
Snapping my fingers lightly I was instantly greeted by Mephala's cheerful puppet body "Reyvin my dear" She smiled widely before pouting "You finally remembered little old me?"
"Apologies" I say flatly "I've been quite busy."
"Very busy indeed." She purrs "Oblivion has been up in arms ever since your little scuffle in Zenithar's cathedral you know. That Meridia and Molag managed to pause their hatred towards each other for even one moment just so they could end you is quite the achievement~"
"Why thank you for the praise." I smirk at her and she giggles "Would you care for a seat?" I ask, eyeing a nearby chair.
Aaaand of course she immediately sits atop the table in front of me.
My deadpan expression only serves to amuse her even further.
"Always a delight." She smirks "But I am sure you didn't call me to simply revel in my presence, now did you?"
"Terribly rude of me, I know." I 'lament'.
She faux huffs "Such an offense will require recompense."
"Oh?" I raise an eyebrow "And how could this weak little mortal ever hope to repay you for your magnanimity, oh most chitinous of backpains?"
She mutters something about wanting some backpain for herself but I pointedly delete that thought as she gives me the actual answer "I want in." She says simply.
I guess what she is getting at but still play along "Pardon?"
"Come now dear." She pouts "You have been having such a grand time in this delightful little city I can't help but want in on the fun."
"Ah, but how can I be certain you won't just make me deal with a thousand more headaches after you go too far on a noble party?" I quirk an eyebrow.
She just smirks "They will be pleasant headaches I assure you~"
In Mephalan that probably meant 'yeah I will annoy the shit out of you but it will be useful' "Fine." I sigh in defeat "Just make sure not to draw too much attention."
She lets out a far too enthusiastic cheer that was somehow sensual and innocent at the same time and I am just going to stop that train of thought right now.
Just as I am about to bring up the actual reason I called her here I cannot help but ask "Anything else on the Oblivion grapevine?"
"Beside one of us taking actual damage in a fight?" She immediately asks, both of us knowing damn well that the information of my ability was out there now, and neither of us could do a thing about it.
"Yes, besides that little unimportant fact." I say dryly.
She leans her chin on her index finger while pretending to think about it for a moment before 'suddenly' remembering something "Ah, that is right!" Said index finger was now pointed at me "Dear old Mehrunes said he expects you to appreciate his little favor."
"What favor?" I narrow my eyes.
She shrugs "He said you would know soon enough."
Wasn't he supposed to be the straightforward one? "You need to stop corrupting the innocent ravager of the world." Is what I actually say.
"Me, corrupting anyone?" Mephala gasps in 'outrage' "Preposterous!"
I can't help but let out a snort at that.
"You are hesitating." She says after a few silent moments "How unusual."
"It is a perplexing little conundrum I find myself in." I half deflect "What can you tell me of Ithelia?"
Not even a split second passes before she answers "Nothing." And immediately frowns.
I just stare at her with barely concealed surprise.
"That is odd." She tilts her head "The knowledge was removed from me but the only way for that to happen would be for me to do so willingly..." Her usual playful aura is replaced with a serious expression as she turns to me "Why do you seek this knowledge?"
I quickly explain everything I know and have so far concluded about the connection between what was found in Skingrad and the potential connection it may have with Hermaeus Mora.
"Maybe..." She mutters before speaking up "It would not be the first time all of us decided to be rid of someone who we thought too dangerous for the rest of us."
"More so than Jyg-" I pause, best not summon that kind of evil on me "The order obsessed freak?"
She just shrugs again "How should I know?"
My mouth closes with a click "Point."
"Reyvin, I have to ask." She begins after a moment, once more uncharacteristically serious "Just how far are you willing to go in dealing with Mora? Is setting something we all feared enough to imprison forever free truly worth it in your eyes just so you could spite Hermaeus?"
"You'd be surprised what I'd do out of sheer spite." I immediately fire back.
She gives me an amused look but doesn't say anything, still waiting for my answer.
"As to if it would be worth it?" I ponder aloud "How should I know?" I shrug helplessly "I can't go around planning to face another god without looking for every advantage I can get. It could be that this Ithelia would be more an adversary than an ally but it also could be that she would be instrumental in stopping whatever idiocy the calamari in the making will try cooking up next."
"All very good points." She hums along approvingly "Still, it is rather endearing to see you acting so uncertain for once."
"Eh" I shrug "Facing Alduin was simple and straightforward, we either won or we didn't. Facing something like Mora means that we could be lead to believe we won while the tentacular bastard danced around us while giggling in his odd disgusting slurpy garble."
Even Mephala shivers at the memory of her 'brother's' voice.
"So in short, things are getting quite exciting, no?" I ask with a grin.
She grins back, our expressions carrying differing yet disturbingly similar derangement within "Quite exciting indeed." She agrees and gets up from my damn table "I will be sure to check if I have any information hidden but do not expect a miracle."
"Any help would be appreciated." I incline my head with genuine gratitude.
Her playful smile turns genuine for a moment before returning to normal "Oh and do visit your shrine before you leave for Morrowind. My delightful colleagues want to meet with you and you know how Azura can get about her prophecies."
Before I can so much as make the slightest of noises she is gone.
Eye twitching and irritation growing, I simply decide to shove that off for later and leave to meet with Titus, he ought to know of our success in Skingrad.
-----
Three days later I find myself in the enchanting chamber I had built below the manor, a long ebony staff laid out on the large enchanting table before me.
The days went by with relative slowness, most of my time spent reading through reports, walking through the city under the guise of a wealthy merchant, visiting Titus and his council to give some tips about dealing with the slowly dissolving slums and trading messages with Alor and Minthara.
Let us just say that the latter was having an absolute blast in Hammerfell and leave it at that.
Anyway, I finally got to creating a proper warcrime stick. The staff I added to Blasphemy was good with the effect it gave and that made it great for more... precise engagements, but it lacked the sheer ability to channel Magicka from both within and without that the Staff of Magnus possessed.
Now that would usually not be a problem since it was exceedingly rare for people to have enough Magicka for such a thing to be a problem, doubly so since there was usually no actual need for people to use that much power at once.
Naturally, I was not your usual knife ear, and so I needed a bigger stick.
The issue was not a lack of ability to channel my Magicka in its entirety but the time it took me, the overcharging of grand spells taking all the way up to half a minute for the truly big ones which in a high level fight was the equivalent of politely asking your opponent to turn your entire body into fertilizer.
To make a complex issue much less complicated, I needed a better magic funnel, and so I made one.
Before me lay a simple staff, totally not the near exact copy of the one a certain white wizard I remember yelling up a storm from atop his grand and totally not evil tower had, it even lacked the crystal at the tip so I was safe from any potential interdimensional Maiar copyright!
My asinine ramblings aside, I was quite satisfied with my newest creation, even if was nowhere near as fancy as most of the others.
[Surge: Greatly improves the wielder's ability to channel vast quantities of Magicka]
Simple and effective, just like I wanted. I admit I was tempted to call it something like the Staff of Surging Simplicity for a moment but alliterating wizards were overdone and I had already done enough intellectual thievery for one item.
Now one might find themselves asking: But Reyvin, what is the point of just shoving large amounts of Magicka into a spell without making the spell more powerful or efficient?
Quite simple, actually. I already made the spells more powerful and efficient with my skills and other artifacts, and now I could shove a good ten archmagis' worth of magic into a single spell in less than five seconds.
Chuckling darkly at the mental images of the utter destruction this staff could cause, I quickly bound it to me and threw it into my inventory, my merry mood growing with each step I took towards the exit of my enchanting room.
Only for it to disappear as I felt a distinctly dark aura approaching my manor, a quick scrying confirming my immediate suspicions as I saw Alor and his band approaching while surrounding a large and quite heavy cart between them.
Oh and Cicero was there as well, all of his limbs missing as he squirmed uselessly.
My dark chuckles returned soon after, readily advancing into straight up cackles as I locked the enchanting room behind me.
