Felix Caelus (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
conjuredskies) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
sixwordstories2013-01-31 02:56 pm
conjuredskies) wrote in sixwordstories2013-01-31 02:56 pm
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This evening's taken an interesting turn.
[Maybe he ought to explain to David what will happen if that bundle goes in the centre. But there's no time for that. And it wouldn't be as fun.]
Agreed.
[He resists trying to watch David's transformation as the boy disappears down the dark rocks. After a minute or so he takes a different direction and starts angling around the tiny camp below, trying to get into the right position without losing height, without giving himself away. At times like this he wishes he knew more about illusions. It's tricky work on the damp and gloomy ledges.]
[By the time he finds a good perch, he reckons David will be waiting. The necromancers are intent on their business. As well they should be. But that leaves lookout duty to their shambling slaves, and undead just aren't that bright. Felix readies a frost spell - a very small one, no more than a magical snowball. A tiny patter of frost... then one candle and another gutters, hisses and dies.]
Agreed.
[He resists trying to watch David's transformation as the boy disappears down the dark rocks. After a minute or so he takes a different direction and starts angling around the tiny camp below, trying to get into the right position without losing height, without giving himself away. At times like this he wishes he knew more about illusions. It's tricky work on the damp and gloomy ledges.]
[By the time he finds a good perch, he reckons David will be waiting. The necromancers are intent on their business. As well they should be. But that leaves lookout duty to their shambling slaves, and undead just aren't that bright. Felix readies a frost spell - a very small one, no more than a magical snowball. A tiny patter of frost... then one candle and another gutters, hisses and dies.]
Selvia. Nice name.
So she sent you the letter?
So she sent you the letter?
[The transformation isn't as quick this time; it's always harder when he's moving. Nevertheless, by the time David's halfway down the ledge he's finished, shedding his human form in favor of a juvenile skeever. And now that he's much smaller, the smell of whatever's in Felix's bundle is much stronger. Little skeever nose twitching, he starts creeping towards the altar.]
[For a moment he considers calling to the conjurer, letting Felix know where he's at. That gets dismissed quickly; necromancers are too much an unknown quantity for him, especially in large numbers. So instead he keeps running for the altar, resisting the skeever's instinct to spit its foul-smelling package out.]
[Hauling himself up the altar via the red altar cloth, he creeps carefully towards the box, silently willing Felix to get going with whatever his plan is. He doesn't have to wait long - first one, then two candle lights, faint flickers at the edge of his weak skeever vision. That's his cue and he doesn't wait to see what the necromancers do, instead opting to crawl into the box - and yes, he is smug about the necromancer box being a simple container - and reaching for the artifact inside. Some kind of gem, just like Felix guessed. Finally spitting out the rank flower, David's skeever paws unfurl it from the cloth before he grabs the gem and makes a break for it.]
[For a moment he considers calling to the conjurer, letting Felix know where he's at. That gets dismissed quickly; necromancers are too much an unknown quantity for him, especially in large numbers. So instead he keeps running for the altar, resisting the skeever's instinct to spit its foul-smelling package out.]
[Hauling himself up the altar via the red altar cloth, he creeps carefully towards the box, silently willing Felix to get going with whatever his plan is. He doesn't have to wait long - first one, then two candle lights, faint flickers at the edge of his weak skeever vision. That's his cue and he doesn't wait to see what the necromancers do, instead opting to crawl into the box - and yes, he is smug about the necromancer box being a simple container - and reaching for the artifact inside. Some kind of gem, just like Felix guessed. Finally spitting out the rank flower, David's skeever paws unfurl it from the cloth before he grabs the gem and makes a break for it.]
Edited 2013-02-01 22:07 (UTC)
Right. Though she's not using that name these days, if you understand me. I haven't seen her in years. [And he tried. Which makes it particularly strange.] But she's built up a reputation for dealing in rare artefacts. Especially the powerful and dangerous kind.
And now she's tracked me down. Something about a business proposition...
And now she's tracked me down. Something about a business proposition...
[No candles, no light. No light, no ritual, at least not for these mages. The chants and the arcane meshings of power are on hold for a few minutes. The acolytes scurry to relight the flames, cradling wicks and blowing hastily while their master curses the snow and the cave and this worthless land. Felix responds by blowing out the candle behind him.]
[He can't overdo the entertainment, though. He keeps still while they settle down, hoping David's managed to do his job. There's a grumpy argument among the necromancers, hastily cut off when the most nervous spots the tail end of the skeever. He shrieks and throws a lightning bolt, making Felix stiffen up on his rocks. The master snarls at him for being an idiot.]
[He can't overdo the entertainment, though. He keeps still while they settle down, hoping David's managed to do his job. There's a grumpy argument among the necromancers, hastily cut off when the most nervous spots the tail end of the skeever. He shrieks and throws a lightning bolt, making Felix stiffen up on his rocks. The master snarls at him for being an idiot.]
I see.
[Simon taps his lips and thinks.]
Were I in your shoes, I don't think I'd rush back to her. Then again, I don't know how close the two of you were.
[Dangerous and powerful magical artifacts? Simon prefers to avoid such things.]
[Simon taps his lips and thinks.]
Were I in your shoes, I don't think I'd rush back to her. Then again, I don't know how close the two of you were.
[Dangerous and powerful magical artifacts? Simon prefers to avoid such things.]
Not as close as you might be thinking. But I have some expertise when it comes to daedra. So if she's onto something, and they're onto something... I'm willing to bet it's worth my time.
[While skeever vision is not that great, their sense of smell and hearing is excellent. So although David can barely see the necromancers as more than huge dark shapes, he can hear it very clearly when their chanting stops, when their boots start stomping through the snow and their leader starts ranting to no one in particular.
And that's when a world-filling blast of light hits the stone behind him and knocks him right off the altar and into the snow. For a few seconds all he can do is lay on his belly in the snow, all four paws clutched around his prize. He's not dead, but his body won't move and he can't hear anything. Not good. Definitely not good.
Slowly, with infinite effort, David rolls back onto his belly, so that the gem's under him at least. It's not easy -- every movement is agony. There's no way he can get back up to Felix now, not without shifting back, and that'll ruin everything.]
< Made the switch. > [It's risky, calling to the conjurer like this, but he's got no other choice now. All he can do is hope that none of the necromancers is psychic.] < But I don't think I can move. No one's seen me yet. >
And that's when a world-filling blast of light hits the stone behind him and knocks him right off the altar and into the snow. For a few seconds all he can do is lay on his belly in the snow, all four paws clutched around his prize. He's not dead, but his body won't move and he can't hear anything. Not good. Definitely not good.
Slowly, with infinite effort, David rolls back onto his belly, so that the gem's under him at least. It's not easy -- every movement is agony. There's no way he can get back up to Felix now, not without shifting back, and that'll ruin everything.]
< Made the switch. > [It's risky, calling to the conjurer like this, but he's got no other choice now. All he can do is hope that none of the necromancers is psychic.] < But I don't think I can move. No one's seen me yet. >
Daedra? What's daedra?
[Simon arches an eyebrow.]
Is that a term I should know?
[Simon arches an eyebrow.]
Is that a term I should know?
[David's voice in his head should be more startling. But Felix's first reaction is just relief to hear he's alive. Not that the situation's great. He tries prodding back, looking for a connection to reassure with, but he can't sense the stable link he does with a conjured spirit. He can't even warn David... Felix pokes his head out over the rocks, careful not to make any sudden movements. There's still murmurs of scolding and chastised apology from down below while the group settles down and everyone hastens back into place. Although necromancers have some telepathic talent, they're more adept at imposing their thoughts than hearing them, and none have caught wind of the quick message in among the bound souls and echoes of death.]
[The ritual's back on. And David is much too close to the line of fire. Felix grimaces as the chants resume, the wispy haze of purple light around the altar flaring up, building once more. Change of plans, then. He readies himself to move, and waits. The rhythm of the ritual quickens below. It's possible to taste the power of it now, a sickening pulse in the blood and on the skin. Cruel in its gladness, revelling in its train of horror and despair.]
[And then, abruptly, something else joins it. The gentle waft of a bitter fragrance: the scent of nightshade, as if the flower David placed has multiplied into a garden. The master's eager supplication turns to a confused demand-]
What is this- what are you- I did not call you! No!
[-and the circle wavers, one mage giving a horrified yell, the others shouting as the air ripples, opens to admit something with skittering feet and a vicious, unbending mind of its own. A Spider Daedra.]
[At which point, despite the master's furious attempt to command, everything dissolves into a melee of panicking necromancers.]
[The ritual's back on. And David is much too close to the line of fire. Felix grimaces as the chants resume, the wispy haze of purple light around the altar flaring up, building once more. Change of plans, then. He readies himself to move, and waits. The rhythm of the ritual quickens below. It's possible to taste the power of it now, a sickening pulse in the blood and on the skin. Cruel in its gladness, revelling in its train of horror and despair.]
[And then, abruptly, something else joins it. The gentle waft of a bitter fragrance: the scent of nightshade, as if the flower David placed has multiplied into a garden. The master's eager supplication turns to a confused demand-]
What is this- what are you- I did not call you! No!
[-and the circle wavers, one mage giving a horrified yell, the others shouting as the air ripples, opens to admit something with skittering feet and a vicious, unbending mind of its own. A Spider Daedra.]
[At which point, despite the master's furious attempt to command, everything dissolves into a melee of panicking necromancers.]
[Felix holds up a finger, gives an apologetic 'ah!']
Yes, sorry. When you're talking about them your whole life you forget... anyway. They're spirits who inhabit the realms of Oblivion - outside the mortal plane. Some of them are small, some - the Princes - are powerful enough to be worshipped as gods. They're sort of counterparts to the Divines. Less... light and friendly. Patrons of everything from corruption to hedonism to twilight. You should probably watch out for them.
Yes, sorry. When you're talking about them your whole life you forget... anyway. They're spirits who inhabit the realms of Oblivion - outside the mortal plane. Some of them are small, some - the Princes - are powerful enough to be worshipped as gods. They're sort of counterparts to the Divines. Less... light and friendly. Patrons of everything from corruption to hedonism to twilight. You should probably watch out for them.
[Deaf, nearly blind, David has almost no way of knowing what's going on. There's vibrations around him; the necromancers presumably, and then nothing. Left to wait for a hand to scoop him up, or much worse, a boot to stomp him, David's on the verge of shifting right back here and now, to hell with Felix and to hell with his plan. He agreed to two simple jobs, and nowhere in either of those jobs was the possibility of being squashed by filthy necromancer boots into the snow raised.]
[And then David feels something that makes him forget all about necromancer boots, makes him forget the necromancers entirely for that matter. A throbbing, seething surge of something, some horrible something that seems to be rising up all around him, in the air and on his skeever fur and even in his heartbeat. Something's coming. Something like a tidal wave, so overwhelming that he feels certain he'll drown in it.]
[Suddenly, something new permeates the inexorable wave of dread: a scent, one he recognizes at once as that of Felix's flower, the one he himself stole and then placed into the altar. This must be it, whatever trick the conjurer has in mind. He's not sure what to expect; a poison cloud perhaps, or maybe the undead turning on their masters-]
[Instead, something much worse than the necromancers or any undead creature emerges from the air. David can only barely make it out, ill defined and obscure above him, a nearly amorphous shape. There's vague movement and vibrations all around him as the necromancers fall into open panic, but David himself is literally frozen with terror. He can't even summon the focus to shift back -- for all the good it would do him now. Because he knows what their ritual summoned now, as surely as he knows his own name. One of the false gods, the destroyers he was been taught to fear since he could read and write. A Daedra.]
< Oh, no... no, no no no... >
[David's moaning in abject terror, no private message this time, but instead a terrified flood of thoughts anyone around him can hear. He can't help it. The Daedra's close, so close he can feel its very presence. It feels like ants crawling over every inch of his body, worse by far than the slow beating dread invoked by the necromancers. Unable to bring himself to fight or flee, David can only cower in the snow and wait for death.]
[And then David feels something that makes him forget all about necromancer boots, makes him forget the necromancers entirely for that matter. A throbbing, seething surge of something, some horrible something that seems to be rising up all around him, in the air and on his skeever fur and even in his heartbeat. Something's coming. Something like a tidal wave, so overwhelming that he feels certain he'll drown in it.]
[Suddenly, something new permeates the inexorable wave of dread: a scent, one he recognizes at once as that of Felix's flower, the one he himself stole and then placed into the altar. This must be it, whatever trick the conjurer has in mind. He's not sure what to expect; a poison cloud perhaps, or maybe the undead turning on their masters-]
[Instead, something much worse than the necromancers or any undead creature emerges from the air. David can only barely make it out, ill defined and obscure above him, a nearly amorphous shape. There's vague movement and vibrations all around him as the necromancers fall into open panic, but David himself is literally frozen with terror. He can't even summon the focus to shift back -- for all the good it would do him now. Because he knows what their ritual summoned now, as surely as he knows his own name. One of the false gods, the destroyers he was been taught to fear since he could read and write. A Daedra.]
< Oh, no... no, no no no... >
[David's moaning in abject terror, no private message this time, but instead a terrified flood of thoughts anyone around him can hear. He can't help it. The Daedra's close, so close he can feel its very presence. It feels like ants crawling over every inch of his body, worse by far than the slow beating dread invoked by the necromancers. Unable to bring himself to fight or flee, David can only cower in the snow and wait for death.]
Edited 2013-02-03 18:02 (UTC)
[Felix can't help it. He's eager to see the Daedra that emerges, wildly curious to watch it work, catch a glimpse of its nature. There's a thrill down his spine as it takes shape, half spider, half woman - he was right!]
[But the blind rush is checked sharply as he watches. The ritual's in tatters, the daedra's summoners completely unprepared for something so powerful. She snaps their control like a frayed thread, lunges straight for the master with venomous claws. In a few moments she's joined by a spiderling, her nimble miniature spitting venom, paralysing the nearest bodies warm or cold.]
[And over it all comes a wave of terrified thought that must echo every mind down there. But he knows that voice. He blinks. Oh, Talos. It sounds like David's completely overcome, right on top of the combined presence of daedra and necromantic power. And he sees one of the mages looking around as she backs off...]
[He'd better get in there. The necromancers are variously trying to fight or flee or both, undead shambling into everyone's way and throwing themselves on the spider's claws. He waits for them to get distracted, focusing on the right spell. Then scrambles down the rocks in a bumping charge. He's casting as he thumps and tumbles to the ground, the air in the cave warping once more. Felix lands in a sprawl behind the sudden chilly mass of a frost atronach. He looks up at its back, feeling its cool, solid presence touch his mind. And grins.]
[He commands it to circle around the edge of the confusion, him shadowing at its flank. He hasn't got anything left to summon swords now. He's relying on his silent, chilly guardian while he hunts through the shadows and snow. In the panic, no-one else stops to work out where the atronach came from. The closest necromancer assumes it's one of his colleagues' summons. Until it slams a a glacier-like fist down at him.]
[But the blind rush is checked sharply as he watches. The ritual's in tatters, the daedra's summoners completely unprepared for something so powerful. She snaps their control like a frayed thread, lunges straight for the master with venomous claws. In a few moments she's joined by a spiderling, her nimble miniature spitting venom, paralysing the nearest bodies warm or cold.]
[And over it all comes a wave of terrified thought that must echo every mind down there. But he knows that voice. He blinks. Oh, Talos. It sounds like David's completely overcome, right on top of the combined presence of daedra and necromantic power. And he sees one of the mages looking around as she backs off...]
[He'd better get in there. The necromancers are variously trying to fight or flee or both, undead shambling into everyone's way and throwing themselves on the spider's claws. He waits for them to get distracted, focusing on the right spell. Then scrambles down the rocks in a bumping charge. He's casting as he thumps and tumbles to the ground, the air in the cave warping once more. Felix lands in a sprawl behind the sudden chilly mass of a frost atronach. He looks up at its back, feeling its cool, solid presence touch his mind. And grins.]
[He commands it to circle around the edge of the confusion, him shadowing at its flank. He hasn't got anything left to summon swords now. He's relying on his silent, chilly guardian while he hunts through the shadows and snow. In the panic, no-one else stops to work out where the atronach came from. The closest necromancer assumes it's one of his colleagues' summons. Until it slams a a glacier-like fist down at him.]
So they're dark spirits? Is that what you mean? And I suppose that makes the divines good spirits?
Your world seems rather dangerous on a whole, if you want my opinion.
Your world seems rather dangerous on a whole, if you want my opinion.
[Huddled into a ball, alone in the cold snow, David remembers in a flood everything he was taught about the Daedra, even as one rampages around him. He remembers the priests and their grim admonishments, well-worn books with warnings that had been heeded by a dozen generations of Chosen before him. The Daedra were harbingers of lamentation, lawless beings that had rejected the true God long ago and forced to inhabit worlds beneath this one as punishment. They were never to be fought, only to be avoided, and never, absolutely never, to be invoked.]
[Why is it here? For him, it must be here for him. Daedra were, after all, enemies of the true God and His disciples. David wants to tell it to leave him alone, that he's not a disciple anymore, but he can't find the words. Not even with his mind now. It's above him, literally above him, ebon abdomen hanging high overhead like the shadow of death as it visits lamentation on the necromancers foolish enough to summon it. Was summoning this thing their intent all along? Or, Ket forbid, is this his own doing? He's whimpering, unaware that he's doing so. The Daedra's seething, roiling presence is all he can fathom.]
[And then, just like that, the shadow lifts. The Daedra's not gone, it's still close, but it's not above him anymore, bypassing him as a dragon might bypass a rabbit, unworthy of notice. Under any other situation, David would be indignant. Right now, though, he's thankful to the true God and every other god for it. Let the Daedra kill the thrice-damned necromancers, every last one of them, as long as it leaves him alone. And Felix... hells, is the conjurer even still here? Maybe he took the better part of valor when he saw the Daedra.]
[David's mind is swimming with images, birds and beasts and all manner of creature in between, but the one he latches on and seizes in that moment is his own form. Now, before he loses his nerve again. If he's to die today, it will at least be in his own body.]
[Why is it here? For him, it must be here for him. Daedra were, after all, enemies of the true God and His disciples. David wants to tell it to leave him alone, that he's not a disciple anymore, but he can't find the words. Not even with his mind now. It's above him, literally above him, ebon abdomen hanging high overhead like the shadow of death as it visits lamentation on the necromancers foolish enough to summon it. Was summoning this thing their intent all along? Or, Ket forbid, is this his own doing? He's whimpering, unaware that he's doing so. The Daedra's seething, roiling presence is all he can fathom.]
[And then, just like that, the shadow lifts. The Daedra's not gone, it's still close, but it's not above him anymore, bypassing him as a dragon might bypass a rabbit, unworthy of notice. Under any other situation, David would be indignant. Right now, though, he's thankful to the true God and every other god for it. Let the Daedra kill the thrice-damned necromancers, every last one of them, as long as it leaves him alone. And Felix... hells, is the conjurer even still here? Maybe he took the better part of valor when he saw the Daedra.]
[David's mind is swimming with images, birds and beasts and all manner of creature in between, but the one he latches on and seizes in that moment is his own form. Now, before he loses his nerve again. If he's to die today, it will at least be in his own body.]
[Felix waves a hand in a 'sort of' gesture.]
Not dark exactly. It's not quite good versus evil, so much as order versus chaos. The Divines govern things like natural law, duty, beauty - things about structure and boundaries. Not that they aren't good, but- well. Our friends over there serve Stendarr, God of Compassion and Merciful Forebearance.
[And yet here he is, judiciously keeping his voice down. His wry smile at that turns to more genuine amusement.]
And I thought yours was too mechanical for me to handle.
Not dark exactly. It's not quite good versus evil, so much as order versus chaos. The Divines govern things like natural law, duty, beauty - things about structure and boundaries. Not that they aren't good, but- well. Our friends over there serve Stendarr, God of Compassion and Merciful Forebearance.
[And yet here he is, judiciously keeping his voice down. His wry smile at that turns to more genuine amusement.]
And I thought yours was too mechanical for me to handle.
[Felix's attention bobs back and forth - search and battle, search and battle. The atronach's very presence is a bonus - what it can't smack aside, its frosty aura slows and hurts. The battle's starting to separate now, the surviving necromancers fleeing toward the path out of the cave, a couple stopping to throw defensive spells backward. The remaining undead throw themselves on the spider's claws, but her smaller minion remains free and scampers after those who flee. Those hit by its venom stiffen and fall. Easy prey for the approaching claws...]
[But they'll only amuse her for so long. Felix scans the floor hastily. There! Something's moving- no. Growing!]
[There's a shout of rage then. One necromancer remains - the suspicious one, a Dark Elf who'd rather take a saboteur with her than escape. She's pushing her way past the zombies with a dagger in one hand, spell in the other and a murderous look fixed on David.]
[His atronach starts moving as soon as he thinks it. But it's slow, much slower than the conjurer himself as he sprints to intercept her, half-thing. Sword- he needs a sword...]
[Or a good shoulder tackle. That might do.]
[But they'll only amuse her for so long. Felix scans the floor hastily. There! Something's moving- no. Growing!]
[There's a shout of rage then. One necromancer remains - the suspicious one, a Dark Elf who'd rather take a saboteur with her than escape. She's pushing her way past the zombies with a dagger in one hand, spell in the other and a murderous look fixed on David.]
[His atronach starts moving as soon as he thinks it. But it's slow, much slower than the conjurer himself as he sprints to intercept her, half-thing. Sword- he needs a sword...]
[Or a good shoulder tackle. That might do.]
[The dread is still there. The Daedra's presence is still there, its pressure still intense enough that he'd run away gibbering if he thought about it for too long. But with each passing second, David becomes less skeever and more human, and with those changes come to return of his fried senses. Hearing first, the skeever's burnt-out eardrums rearranging themselves into whole and uninjured human ones. Naturally, the first things he hears are screams. Screams, then the crackles of some kind of magic and the horrible skittering that can only be the Daedra. His sight becomes less than useless just in time to see the furious necromancer charging him.]
[He throws his half-formed arms up, trying to shield himself from the incoming attack as best he can, but it never comes. Instead Felix lunges out from behind a large rock, tackling the Dark Elf and forcing her into the wall. It's more muscle than he frankly expected from the conjurer, who thus far has been content to hang back and use his spells. David would be surprised, if he could afford to be.]
[But there's no time for that, not with the Dark Elf still fighting and a handful of zombies still shambling their way. He's fully human now, the only weapon available to him the dark crystal at his feet, and in the time it'd take him to shift into another form they'd both be dead.]
[So David grabs the soul gem in both hands and slams it down hard on the back of the necromancer's head while she's distracted with trying to shove her dagger into Felix's chest instead. He's never tried this before, so all he can do is hope soul gems are tough.]
[Tougher than Dark Elf skulls, at least.]
[He throws his half-formed arms up, trying to shield himself from the incoming attack as best he can, but it never comes. Instead Felix lunges out from behind a large rock, tackling the Dark Elf and forcing her into the wall. It's more muscle than he frankly expected from the conjurer, who thus far has been content to hang back and use his spells. David would be surprised, if he could afford to be.]
[But there's no time for that, not with the Dark Elf still fighting and a handful of zombies still shambling their way. He's fully human now, the only weapon available to him the dark crystal at his feet, and in the time it'd take him to shift into another form they'd both be dead.]
[So David grabs the soul gem in both hands and slams it down hard on the back of the necromancer's head while she's distracted with trying to shove her dagger into Felix's chest instead. He's never tried this before, so all he can do is hope soul gems are tough.]
[Tougher than Dark Elf skulls, at least.]
[Charging the necromancer was a split-second decision. Tackling her was improvisation. For a moment, it works. But she jerks her weight and twists him away, hissing Morrowind curses in his ear. He was lucky to catch her off-balance. Now she's going to make him pay for it.]
[He catches the flash of steel angling his way, lashes a hand out in an attempt at deflection. And then a dull crack: the necromancer jerks, her blade slashes up and past him. She crumples in a black-robed heap, Felix blinking as David appears behind her with the glistening black gem in hand.]
[For a minute all he can do is nod to David while he catches his breath. The dagger struck a glancing blow just above his armour, and blood already trickles from a gash the length of his collar. But his eyes are bright with excitement, the conjurer already summoning a delighted grin.]
Nice work. Very nice.
[His atronach lumbers in behind David, to plant itself between them and the melee. There's a low creak of ice as it swats at another zombie.]
[He catches the flash of steel angling his way, lashes a hand out in an attempt at deflection. And then a dull crack: the necromancer jerks, her blade slashes up and past him. She crumples in a black-robed heap, Felix blinking as David appears behind her with the glistening black gem in hand.]
[For a minute all he can do is nod to David while he catches his breath. The dagger struck a glancing blow just above his armour, and blood already trickles from a gash the length of his collar. But his eyes are bright with excitement, the conjurer already summoning a delighted grin.]
Nice work. Very nice.
[His atronach lumbers in behind David, to plant itself between them and the melee. There's a low creak of ice as it swats at another zombie.]
[To his infinite relief, the soul gem is tougher than a Dark Elf skull. The necromancer goes down like a sack of stones, her dagger falling from nerveless fingers to land in the snow beside her. He only half-hears Felix; the Daedra's overwhelming presence is still too raw on his frayed nerves for him to take very much satisfaction from his split-second victory.]
We need to get out of here.
[He jerks his head to the Daedra, because he knows if he turns to look at it fully, horrible and glorious in its deadly majesty, he'll be lost. Instead he squats down to retrieve the fallen necromancer's dagger, rising to his full height again just in time to catch a flash of movement, something large and blue moving behind him. He spins at once, blade ready to confront the new threat.]
[Instantly he realizes what a futile notion that is. The new arrival looks like some kind of golem, carved from ice and every bit as impervious as the glaciers it came from. Moving towards the undead shambling their way, as if to chase smaller and weaker predators away from its prey, it lifts one massive arm and knocks the closest zombie away as easily as a snow bear would swat away an underfed ice wolf.]
[His stolen dagger won't stop that thing. He'd be lucky if he even scratched its frozen body.]
Ah... I really hope you've got something in your bag of tricks for that thing. Otherwise we really need to get out of here.
We need to get out of here.
[He jerks his head to the Daedra, because he knows if he turns to look at it fully, horrible and glorious in its deadly majesty, he'll be lost. Instead he squats down to retrieve the fallen necromancer's dagger, rising to his full height again just in time to catch a flash of movement, something large and blue moving behind him. He spins at once, blade ready to confront the new threat.]
[Instantly he realizes what a futile notion that is. The new arrival looks like some kind of golem, carved from ice and every bit as impervious as the glaciers it came from. Moving towards the undead shambling their way, as if to chase smaller and weaker predators away from its prey, it lifts one massive arm and knocks the closest zombie away as easily as a snow bear would swat away an underfed ice wolf.]
[His stolen dagger won't stop that thing. He'd be lucky if he even scratched its frozen body.]
Ah... I really hope you've got something in your bag of tricks for that thing. Otherwise we really need to get out of here.
[Felix nods absently, eyes skimming over the cave. Yes, they need to find a way out. The spider's between them and the door, that's their biggest problem. Not their only one. He leans to the side, trying to see where the spiderling is behind zombies and atronach and the dark flutters that might be robe or spidery legs behind.]
[Then David's words sink in. He looks toward the shapeshifter, blinking. Oh. Right. No reason to assume that isn't an enemy summoning.]
Actually, the atronach is with us. [He flashes a grin. If David's looking for tricks, that's easily his biggest. And the reason Felix is still unarmed, his fingers half-curled, twitching as he tests his magic reserves. Sure, he's enjoying this, but he'd feel even better if he had a blade...]
It might be able to keep the Spider off our backs for a while. Haven't you any other forms you could use?
[Then David's words sink in. He looks toward the shapeshifter, blinking. Oh. Right. No reason to assume that isn't an enemy summoning.]
Actually, the atronach is with us. [He flashes a grin. If David's looking for tricks, that's easily his biggest. And the reason Felix is still unarmed, his fingers half-curled, twitching as he tests his magic reserves. Sure, he's enjoying this, but he'd feel even better if he had a blade...]
It might be able to keep the Spider off our backs for a while. Haven't you any other forms you could use?
You can summon golems? That should would've nice to know beforehand.
[Okay, atro-something, not a golem. Whatever. Either way, he's feeling a lot better about their chances of getting out of this alive now that he knows that frozen hulk's on their side. If it were just the surviving necromancers and their undead, he'd even be feeling cocky right now. But there's still the Daedra...]
For fighting off those zombies? Sure, I've got plenty. But they're the least of our problems.
[Could his lion win a fight with that spider demon? He doesn't know and he's not sure if he wants to find out. Turning to see how many undead are left, he thinks hard before remembering a form he'd acquired just a week before all of this. Funny how he'd just been thinking of snow bears...]
Actually... [A slow, fierce smirk spreads across his face as he looks back to the conjurer.] I think I've got just the thing.
Here. [He offers his dagger to Felix from the pommel end, brow furrowing as he focuses on his new form.]
[Okay, atro-something, not a golem. Whatever. Either way, he's feeling a lot better about their chances of getting out of this alive now that he knows that frozen hulk's on their side. If it were just the surviving necromancers and their undead, he'd even be feeling cocky right now. But there's still the Daedra...]
For fighting off those zombies? Sure, I've got plenty. But they're the least of our problems.
[Could his lion win a fight with that spider demon? He doesn't know and he's not sure if he wants to find out. Turning to see how many undead are left, he thinks hard before remembering a form he'd acquired just a week before all of this. Funny how he'd just been thinking of snow bears...]
Actually... [A slow, fierce smirk spreads across his face as he looks back to the conjurer.] I think I've got just the thing.
Here. [He offers his dagger to Felix from the pommel end, brow furrowing as he focuses on his new form.]
Oh, good.
[Felix takes the dagger quite readily. It's a short blade, but it's a weapon, and he knows perfectly well how sharp the edge is. Something ironic about that.]
[He tests the unfamiliar weight as he steps back from David, moving to a position where he can watch the cave and the shapeshifter at the same time. More or less. He has to divert his attention to direct the atronach toward a flanking zombie.]
[Felix takes the dagger quite readily. It's a short blade, but it's a weapon, and he knows perfectly well how sharp the edge is. Something ironic about that.]
[He tests the unfamiliar weight as he steps back from David, moving to a position where he can watch the cave and the shapeshifter at the same time. More or less. He has to divert his attention to direct the atronach toward a flanking zombie.]
[It's a reassuring feeling, shifting into a form that's larger rather than smaller. Suddenly he's just as tall as Felix. Then, he's larger. Then he's quite a bit larger. He doesn't bother warning the conjurer; after pulling that golem thing on him, David feels almost obliged to show off a little.]
[When the transformation's complete, David's almost as broad as the atronach. Dropping to all fours, he doesn't rush in immediately. Instead he looks back in Felix's direction.]
< You wanna grab that rock thing and climb on? > [He jerks his snow bear towards the soul gem, lying on the ground where he set it as he began changing.] < Between me and your golem thing, we might be able to just force our way outta here. >
[When the transformation's complete, David's almost as broad as the atronach. Dropping to all fours, he doesn't rush in immediately. Instead he looks back in Felix's direction.]
< You wanna grab that rock thing and climb on? > [He jerks his snow bear towards the soul gem, lying on the ground where he set it as he began changing.] < Between me and your golem thing, we might be able to just force our way outta here. >
[Felix stumbles back, instinct hurrying him aside as David suddenly sprouts into a snowy mass of muscle and snowy fur. The incoming zombies are forgotten temporarily. He's watching David shift with wide eyes and a twinge of instinctive alarm. Daedra he's used to. Seeing those jaws turn his way, on the other hand, brings back an awful lot of cautionary stories, the tales of hunters in the Colovian hills...]
[Knowing that's on his side brings a bit of a thrill. Still, David's suggestion makes him hesitate.]
Climb on? Are you serious?
[He does move to pick up the soul gem. No, better not leave it for anyone here. But his fingers pause over the glistening black facets: even with the thick leather of his gloves, it takes some will to pick up the corrupted thing and stuff it in his pack. He'll get rid of it when he can.]
[Knowing that's on his side brings a bit of a thrill. Still, David's suggestion makes him hesitate.]
Climb on? Are you serious?
[He does move to pick up the soul gem. No, better not leave it for anyone here. But his fingers pause over the glistening black facets: even with the thick leather of his gloves, it takes some will to pick up the corrupted thing and stuff it in his pack. He'll get rid of it when he can.]
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