The Astray Apprentice -- A Skyrim AAR (23/6/13)

[Bullet Storm]

DUN DUN DAAAHHHHH!!!
I bet its the mage! Or a new character, one of the two..
Great update! more +rep... once i spread some round

[Anduril248]

hunted by a vampire and saved by a mage, I am at awe how you can produce chapter after chapter, i can do a chapter a day if lucky but my story is something different all together.

[Tigellinus]

Actually I find that doing chapter after chapter (For me at least.) is easy should I feel in the mood for it. It's what happened when I was writing Crowning of the Lions.

As for Swaeft I have no idea

[Anduril248]

Yeah i understand oft i do chapter after chapter on the same day hours after you finished uploading a chapter is beyond me at this point i can at most do 1 1/2 chapters and that if everything goes smoothly and that is roughly between 4000-6000 words roughly.

[Chirurgeon]

haha. you are using Aetia! She is the ranger of Falkreath in Nascent Ranger

[Swaeft]

haha. you are using Aetia! She is the ranger of Falkreath in Nascent Ranger

Oh...I'm sorry. Shouldn't have done that, bad boy...

Yeah i understand oft i do chapter after chapter on the same day hours after you finished uploading a chapter is beyond me at this point i can at most do 1 1/2 chapters and that if everything goes smoothly and that is roughly between 4000-6000 words roughly.

Hey! That's what I do! These chapters were actually prewritten, so thats how I was able to get them up so quickly. School has started again after the lunar new year break, so the updates will come sloooooooweeeer.

Actually I find that doing chapter after chapter (For me at least.) is easy should I feel in the mood for it. It's what happened when I was writing Crowning of the Lions.

As for Swaeft I have no idea

Chapter after chapter eh? That's good. For me, see above.

hunted by a vampire and saved by a mage, I am at awe how you can produce chapter after chapter, i can do a chapter a day if lucky but my story is something different all together.

Everyone's story is different. Take pride in your own work--it's unique and novel.

DUN DUN DAAAHHHHH!!!
I bet its the mage! Or a new character, one of the two..
Great update! more +rep... once i spread some round

Nah, can't be the mage. Too early.

Did I reveal something? Thanks for reading!

[Chirurgeon]

no worries mate its fine. She isn't going to have much of a showing for the rest of the book. Not until the Ranger's Council Meeting. Even then she is a minor character She isnt wearing skimpy armor in my story and she has a hood on so its really hard to see her in all her....hrmmm...glory

[Swaeft]

no worries mate its fine. She isn't going to have much of a showing for the rest of the book. Not until the Ranger's Council Meeting. Even then she is a minor character She isnt wearing skimpy armor in my story and she has a hood on so its really hard to see her in all her....hrmmm...glory

Well, I had to conform to social expectations of a vampire...

I find the person who made the follower's mods a great person--I'll be using some of them after all! I forgot she was an archer by trade Another great chapter by the way!

[Chirurgeon]

Well, I had to conform to social expectations of a vampire...

I find the person who made the follower's mods a great person--I'll be using some of them after all! I forgot she was an archer by trade Another great chapter by the way!

Indeed I have messaged him on steam and the ranger cabin mod creator to check out their mod use in my story

[Swaeft]

Indeed I have messaged him on steam and the ranger cabin mod creator to check out their mod use in my story

Do we have to? They have some sort of disclaimer at the bottom that says something along the lines of crediting them would be enough, which I intend to add on my OP once I finalize the mods I'm using.

[Chirurgeon]

Do we have to? They have some sort of disclaimer at the bottom that says something along the lines of crediting them would be enough, which I intend to add on my OP once I finalize the mods I'm using.

I think its proper to do that. At least advise them that this what you are doing. All the authors have been supportive of the use of their mods. Of course some have not replied. I guess i am old fashioned

[Swaeft]

Chapter Twelve: Recuperation

Vaela's eyes fluttered open gradually. Her hands fidgeted, roving over the ground she was on, trying to discern her location. She felt so...weak. Her fingers ran through some fine fur, and Vaela thought she recognized the feeling. It was quite familiar to her--a few days ago she had felt the exact same thing. But when?

"Ah, you're awake." A warm voice whispered. Vaela struggled to sit up, propping herself on a bed. And that was when she realized where she was. On a bed, in her own room in the Bee and Barb. Shaking off her lethargy, she shifted to the edge of her fur covered bed. Opposite her was a stranger garbed in black. The female had a circlet around her head as well, not dissimilar to the one Vaela had in her pouch. And that was when Vaela realized that the blur of black she had witnessed in the forest was actually the female stranger sitting calmly on a wooden chair opposite her, as if it was just another normal day. Vaela stared at the wooden floor, her eyes scanning the visible lines of wood, trying to comprehend the happenings.


"I assume that you're feeling better?" The stranger asked. Vaela shook her head in denial. She still felt dizzy, and her limbs felt powerless and slovenly. "I feel weak." Vaela described. "My arms and legs feel as if they don't respond to me. What's going on?"

The figure stood, her black garment cranking somewhat noisily. It appeared to be armor of some sort. "The effects are lasting longer than I expected. Perhaps it is time to commence the ritual." She beckoned Vaela over, motioning for her to sit cross legged on the floor. A mystified Vaela complied. After all, she saved my life. She can't possibly mean me harm, can she? Vaela pondered in her mind.

"No. I don't mean you any harm." The female spoke.

"How did you--"

"All will be explained in time. For now, you need to focus on following my instructions, or the effects of the vampire bite will only worsen with time. Time we do not have as of now." The stranger asserted, her aura of authority enveloping the room. The candle flame swayed as Vaela sat down, casting oblong, flickering shadows on the ground. The stranger knelt in from of Vaela. "What I want you to do now is to close your eyes, and imagine nothing. Nothing at all. Clear your mind of everything and only listen to my voice." Vaela nodded. There wasn't much else she could do. She closed her eyes and emptied her mind of all the distractions. It wasn't unreasonably hard--the room was silent, and the wooden double doors were shut, blocking out all the boisterous chatter from the main tavern below. She waited patiently for something to happen.


Then, with a sudden abruptness, a gush of power flowed into her mind at the speed of lightning, so fast that Vaela wasn't able to raise the mental barriers that protected her inner mind. She was no longer in the boorish room at the Bee and Barb, but instead she was transported to a cliff with a beautiful sunset on the horizon. The cyan-blue sky watched over the slowly sinking sun, which appeared to be a golden ball of blazing power. Its salmon-pink rays spread out all over the Earth, and the maroon glow that emanated from it flew languidly over the waters of the calm, blue ocean. Vaela was on a cliff, standing at its edge, admiring the marvelous sight and enjoying the cool gusts of wind that rocked her body. Pelicans and seagulls flew all around her, the harmonious, consistent flapping luring Vaela to sleep like a lover would one's partner.

Then, she tipped over, lost her balance, and fell. Surprisingly, she felt no fear, none at all despite hurtling towards the rolling carpet of waves at breakneck speed. The multitude of air flowing past her threw her hair into joyous disarray, and Vaela felt free. Free! All her ailments seemed to have evaporated, dissipating with the wind that tickled her ears and caressed her face. The power was starting to flow back into her now. With each second that passed, with each meter she fell, the fracas of noise in her ears increased, and the amount of energy and vitality she absorbed also increased. It was a direct path to the water, the lucid, clear blue water that would end the journey. But when the energy level within her reached its peak and climax, suddenly everything shattered into nothingness and Vaela was back in the Bee and Barb, still sitting cross legged on the floor in the same position and still closing her eyes.

But she was no longer powerless. She felt full of energy, ready to leap out of the room and run a hundred miles to...anywhere! Vaela felt revitalized and re-energized.

"Good. You'll need that boundless energy for the trip ahead."

Vaela's excitement dimmed a little. "Trip ahead?"

"Yes. We're heading to Whiterun Hold. It is there you will begin your training."

The bubbling enthusiasm returned. "Training?" Vaela's face broke into a smile of genuine joy. "You are going to train me in magic?"

"Yes. I have to. It's my obligation." Vaela thought she saw a single tear of anguish appear at the brim of the woman's right eye, but it disappeared so instantaneously Vaela wondered if she was imagining things.

"My name is Sonje. From now on, you are my apprentice, I am your Senior, and you must obey all my instructions no matter what they are. Understood?" The woman ordered, her once soft and gentle voice becoming stern and uncompromising. It was not a question, and Vaela meekly nodded her head. "I have sent your housecarl, Lydia, back to Dragonsreach. You and I will train alone." Vaela was stumped and speechless at this development, but a firm presence in her mind gave her the impression that Sonje was not to be argued with. Vaela nodded once more.

"Good. Now repeat after me. I..." Sonje started.

"...swear upon my ancestor's and my own honor, that I will uphold the legacy of honor and code of conduct of the Mage's Hall. In no way shall I throw the reputation of the Mage's Hall into disrepute or dishonor. I also swear to uphold Justice and Integrity in this world, and help those who need it. Finally, I swear to obey my Masters or Seniors, and treat them with respect and obedience at all times."

The words rolled off Vaela's tongue smoothly--it was as if she had been waiting to invoke the oath all this while. Sonje seemed satisfied, and procured a suit of black robes from her bags, similar to the one she had worn while sneaking into House Battle-Born, but that was just a mere coincidence. Furthermore, the robes that Sonje now held in her hands were armored and seemed to radiate some strange form of power. "Welcome to the Mage's Hall. Accept these robes as a token of your induction."

Sonje handed the finely crafted robes to Vaela reverently, and Vaela knelt and accepted the gift with both hands. Although it was actually very light, the armor seemed to triple in weight when Vaela felt it being placed on her hands. The weight of expectations, of future potential, of a new turn in her life, were all pressing down heavily on the garb. The passing of an apprentice's new robes was normally a highly respected and formal affair, but Sonje didn't have the time or people to conduct an elaborate ceremony with. Vaela did not know this, but Sonje's brusque facial expression and folded hands were enough of a hint. The robes fit amazingly well, and Vaela had a faint suspicion that the robes were not crafted by hand. The fine fabric slid over Vaela's skin smoothly; almost perfectly. She enjoyed the feeling, running her hands through her gloves and flexing her fingers. Next, Vaela slipped her feet into her new boots and wiggled her toes. There was a perfect amount of room for her feet--not to small so that her toes would be able to breathe, yet not so awkwardly big that her feet would slide in and out when walking. After that, Vaela slipped on her hood, which covered her ears and hair well. However, when she thought she was done, Sonje handed her a face mask. "Wear this. You need to mask your identity."

Vaela was dumbstruck. "What? Why?" Sonje's face was a mask of emotions. "There are many evil doers in Skyrim, and one way to protect yourself is to mask your identity. This is a good way to do it, and I expect you to do it. Are you questioning me, apprentice?" Vaela recoiled at the mention of being an apprentice, and at once she obeyed. She fitted on the face mask which obscured her mouth. Vaela now had to breath through her nose, something that she would have to get used to in the coming weeks. Her awestruck expression satisfied an impatient Sonje, and when Vaela finally clipped on her golden sword, Sonje was folding her hands and tapping her fingers, staring Vaela down.


"Good. You look the part of an apprentice." Next, Sonje instructed Vaela on the proper usage of such attire. "The boots, gloves and cuirass are to be worn at all times during training. Your hood and face mask are subject to my approval. As of this moment, your training has started. Is that clear?" Vaela nodded, and Sonje grunted in response. "Now pack your things, and follow me. It's time we left this stinkhole." Sonje remarked resentfully. Vaela could not agree more, and hurriedly stuffed the few potions and materials she had gathered into her pouches, and together the two magically inclined women left the Bee and Barb.

Darkness had long descended outside, and Riften was shrouded in a gloomy shadow. It was depressing, and not to mention suffocating for Vaela, and she was keen to leave this dismal excuse for a 'town'. Sonje lighted a torch by magic while Vaela strode a few steps ahead impatiently. Vaela stared into the darkness of Riften, but her gaze could not pierce the blackness even with the help of Sonje's torch. "What now?" Vaela inquired curiously. "Where shall we go to begin my training?" Sonje's reply was immediate. "To Whiterun hold. We shall make for your Master's old house."


Vaela was stunned. Her Master had a house all this while in Skyrim? He had never told her anything about a permanent place to live, let alone a house. Then again, with a pang of heart-wrenching sadness, Vaela realized that she never had a decent opportunity to sit down and chat with her Master since they stepped foot in Skyrim. A few days and they had been separated. It was so...unjust. Vaela was determined to right the wrongs, and if it meant a few months of strenuous, vigorous training under a hard taskmaster, Vaela was willing to sacrifice that amount of time. Her Master did not deserve to rot in some Thalmor jail and be forgotten somewhere.

And that brought to Vaela's mind a burning question. In fact, it brought to mind many, many questions, but this one popped up first. "Where exactly is my Master?" Vaela asked hopefully, praying that Sonje knew the answer. Instead, Sonje replied somewhat lamely. "I do." A note of melancholy entered Sonje's voice as she continued. "I know where your ex-master is, but we cannot go there yet."

Vaela was astounded. "Why not?" Then, the answer presented itself to her before Sonje even opened her mouth.

"You are not ready."

With a sigh, Vaela and Sonje made their way to Whiterun hold, Sonje attaching Starstruck to an old wooden carriage so that he could pull the both of them and Senior and Apprentice could commune together.

Vaela had many questions on the way there. "What's the Mage's Hall, Senior?" Her Senior stared at the road ahead, which Vaela recognized as the one she had used to flee to Windhelm after the Thalmor captured her Master. "The Mage's hall is a sort of guild that once gathered together the most powerful mages of the era. Your Master was one of them. You are the lower ranked, novices and apprentices that make up the bottom of the social rung there. But don't worry, everyone there is jovial and cheerful, and above all, respectful, so you may speak and have your say no matter your station or rank." Vaela absorbed that information slowly, before asking another.

"Why do I call you Senior and not Master, Senior?"

The question brought a soft sigh from Sonje. She seemed to inhale and exhale sharply before replying. "Out of respect to your former Master, that's why. Until we are certain that an apprentice's master is dead, we do not introduce him or her to a new master, because the bond between apprentices and masters are one of the strongest powers in the world, and also because it is a rule in the legacy of honor. One can only have a single master out of utmost respect and obedience to that master, who has been so kind to take an apprentice under his or her wing. Therefore, in such a case as yours when your master goes missing or cannot under any circumstance continue your training, a senior is appointed to take over."

"Who are--"

"I am getting to that. Patience, apprentice." Sonje admonished. After pausing to admire a beautiful sight in the varied floral surroundings, Sonje continued. "Seniors are people who have completed their training, but do not wish to take up the honor of training as a Master will." Vaela was puzzled. "Aren't you turning into a master now since you are taking up my training?" Sonje shook her head and appeared miffed by Vaela's question.

"Seniors also remain as seniors if they were bound so by a master." She said with a sob. It was not until a few seconds later that Vaela fully digested the meaning of her words. "You've had a disagreement with a master? And because of that, you can never be a master?" When Sonje's ashen face turned away, Vaela's incredulousness grew tenfold.

"But what about any form of repentance? Surely a master will forgive someone of lower station when they express remorse or admit to their culpability?"

Sonje shook her head bitterly. "No." Her whisper almost passed for a gasp. "A master's word is absolute. You must understand, my dear apprentice, that masters are held in extremely high regard in our society." Sonje declined to speak further on the subject other than impressing Vaela on the importance of a master's rank, and Vaela broached the subject no further out of respect for her new Senior.

~~~~

"We're here." Sonje ascertained, a blue hue tingling around her heavy robes. Senior and Apprentice had abandoned the broken cart sometime ago, and Sonje had chosen to walk on foot. Vaela was taken aback as she expected to be able to show her new Senior some form of respect, but in the end, no matter how hard she strove, Vaela simply could not convince her adamant Senior to ride Starstruck.


Vaela and Sonje both stared at the magnificent sight before them. Tucked away behind a cluster of tall, indomitable mountain range, was a small retreat that nestled beside a rampaging river--this house would not easily be discovered, such was the perfectness of its location. "Believe me, the outside is as good as it gets. The inside, though, is simply a marvel." Sonje's voice spewed with pride as she spoke. The turbulence of the runaway river brought fresh froths of water careening down the hillside, sending a cold, chilly spray up against the rocks every now and then. The trees that surrounded the lodge were barring their full, green or orange leaves in a splendid display of color and vibrant life. Some birds could be seen soaring high overhead, where the cold, frosty peaks of the mountains melted away all life but the toughest, giving the impression that this was a place of true power and reverence. It was truly a fantastic sight to behold.


"And it is here we shall be spending a few months, maybe even a year, training." Sonje affirmed. Vaela twiddled her thumbs. She did not mind spending a year in this wonderful place, but did her master have a year to live in captivity?

"Which is why I am accelerating your training as I see fit. Do not question my methods any more." Sonje remarked sullenly. Vaela was quite astonished. "How are you doing that, Senior? How are you reading my mind? You've done that at Riften and now you've done that again here. Surely it can't be a coincidence?"

Sonje shook her head. "Of course it isn't. It's a skill that can be taught and learnt, if you are willing. Now follow me." Sonje led her apprentice up towards the lodge and down to the dining area. There, she leaned against the wall and let Vaela admire the beautiful scenery around her.


She led Vaela on a tour of the lodge, where she showcased its different functions, such as a hot spring, a sauna, a wood chopping block, a lovely back garden, a nice, well laid out stable and so on. By the time Vaela had finished touring the exterior, she was so utterly impressed that she could not help but blabber about its well furnished facilities. And she had only seen the exterior. Sonje grinned to herself when she saw how excited and enthusiastic her apprentice was. If only she knew what was going to happen...

Sonje led Vaela back across a wooden plank bridge to the outside again. They stopped at the exact same spot where they had first admired the view. It was going to be sunset soon, and Sonje wanted her apprentice to have ample time to set up her...residence. "Unpack your camping supplies from Starstruck's back." Sonje ordered. "Set them up here."

Vaela looked dumbfounded. "Why?" Sonje chortled and replied, "Don't you want to set up your new home?"

Vaela was crestfallen. She had imagined training in an enclosed area with her Senior--which she had hoped would be in the lodge. She had imagined unwinding after a long, tiring day of training in the sauna room next to the main lodge. She had imagined relaxing at the dining area, drinking copious amounts of ale and admiring the scenic surroundings and pounding waterfalls. She had imagined--

"Put that out of mind, my young apprentice. Set up your camp now!" Sonje roared, reminding Vaela of her authority and her position as her Senior. Vaela miserably trudged to a whinnying Starstruck and began unpacking the camp. Sonje helped out for a bit, by unpacking the items and setting the campfire ablaze, but that was it. Vaela had to gather wood for the campfire and pitch the tent herself. She also spent an hour setting up the cooking spit and re-positioning her tent so that it would not be blown away by the elements. My the time night fell, Vaela and Sonje stood next to the rocks, eyeing the hastily constructed campsite. Vaela had retrieved her lantern and set it alight, showering the camp with a dim glow. The campfire wasn't burning very brightly, but Vaela was too tired to care. She just wanted to hit the sack.


Sonje nodded after looking around. "Well done. The first thing you need to learn is how to cope with the tools you are given with. You've been living in this tent for the past few months, so I see no reason why you can't for another month or so. This training will help you adapt to changes and your surroundings. Good night. Wake up early tomorrow and meet me on the wooden bridge." Sonje extinguished her torch and ambled away, leaving a lethargic Vaela to douse her lantern and head into her tent to sleep. Even a bedroll seemed comfortable to her at this stage. She drifted off to sleep beside the crackling of the luminous campfire.

~~~~

Vaela shifted in her tent. Something was wrong. Just a few seconds ago, she had heard a weird noise projecting from outside her tent. Getting up groggily to inspect her surroundings, Vaela exited the tent. To her chagrin, someone had put the campfire out. It was pitch black. Looking around for the possible perpetrator, Vaela saw nothing initially, but her eyes soon picked up a faint glimmer of light in the forest behind her. "Blast. What time is it?" Vaela muttered to herself. She cautiously followed the glimmer of light, careful to not attract attention, using the tall grass and foliage to her advantage. She snuck up onto the glimmer of light, and to her surprise, it looked like a human figure! Inching closer, she tried to discern who it was. Could it be a bandit, or a thief?

However, as she stepped closer, she realized that the figure was clad in black armor. And only one other person could be wearing such black armor. "Senior?" Vaela called out.

It was a mistake. The figure turned around its hand was bathed in a bright, cyan glow. Vaela had no time to react, and was instantly engulfed in some form of energy not unlike the Thalmor mage at Northwatch Keep. Suddenly, she felt afraid, and all her weariness dissipated as pain started to sink into her bones.


"Never give yourself away like that." A familiar voice intoned. It was Vaela's senior! Her mind clouded with confusion as her Senior stopped the flow of energy, and the blue lightning around Vaela disappeared. Just when Vaela wanted to approach her senior to inquire about the nature of her doing, her senior's voice floated back to her with unmistakable clarity. "Defend yourself!" Another blast of energy hit Vaela, and she doubled over in pain. What's going on? Has my Senior gone mad? Vaela wondered, clutching her stomach in agony.

The pain stopped, and Vaela looked up to see her senior standing disappointingly over her. "What are you doing? I told you to defend yourself!"

"I don't know any defensive spells!" Vaela protested. "What are we doing anyway? It's very, very late at night!"

Sonje clucked with disapproval and snapped her fingers. "Your training has started, and you must learn to deal with surprise attacks. Offense is the best form of defense. Has no one taught you that?"

Vaela's eyes widened. "Surely you don't mean for me to attack you, Senior."

Sonje frowned and lashed out at Vaela. "In a duel, no one is going to worry about your station! Defend yourself like a true mage! I am so horrified that your Master trained you up to be a young, pathetic, weak whelp!"

Vaela's temper flared at the mention of her weakness. She could take personal attacks, but for someone to insinuate her Master as a failure irked her to no end, partially because of her bond with her Master and partially because she felt to some degree, guilty for not helping him and running away. The hate and anger boiled over in Vaela, and she started to channel the power through her hands again. Don't...insult....my...Master!" She growled, and raised her hands in anger. A burst of flames engulfed Sonje, and she staggered back in surprise as the heat of Vaela's flames enveloped her.


For a moment, Vaela worried that she had injured her Senior, but a ferocious blast of fire zoomed past her head, barely missing her. Vaela realized that her Senior was casting fireballs at her with heated intensity. Any touch from one would instantly fry her.


"Defend yourself, apprentice!" She heard over the bedlam, and started to blast her Senior with flames again.

Then, she realized that her Senior was fleeing the duel. "Don't run away now, Senior!" Vaela bellowed in frustration. "You told me to attack you!" Receiving no reply, Vaela started to chase her Senior all over the forest. Suddenly realizing that she would never be able to outrun a superior mage, Vaela started to utilize the cover of the tall grass. She outflanked and outmaneuvered her Senior, herding Sonje back to her own camp. Jumping out of the grass triumphantly, Vaela let loose a surge of fiery flames from her palms, only for her Senior to throw up a purple circle that absorbed the flames.


Then, as she readied herself for another strike, a thin but deadly strip of what seemed to be ice hurtled towards Vaela with such speed that she had no time to react. It embedded itself in Vaela's stomach, and suddenly Vaela felt very cold. Surprisingly, she felt no pain, but all the power in her seemed to effuse out of her body and into the surroundings, leaving her weak kneed and unsteady.


Staggering and falling to the floor, Vaela crumpled against the dirty ground in a heap. Her Senior walked over calmly and stood over her, eyeing her prone form. Vaela expected to be punished, but instead Sonje clapped her hands together and applauded her. Slowly getting back to her feet, Vaela tottered about unsteadily while her Senior praised her.

"Well done indeed. It looks as if those weeks in the wild actually honed your tracking skills. That is impressive. A mage does not only rely on the arcane ability he or she wields. We have to use all manners of advantages available to us, and you have certainly learned a thing or two. You have progressed further than I had anticipated, but you need to control your emotions. When you staggered me with the blast of flames, I felt more anguish than power in the heat. Still, it is a useful duel we have completed tonight. Rest well, for tomorrow we train at dawn again." With a warm smile, Sonje winked at Vaela and left for the lodge. Vaela stood still, not knowing whether to feel proud of herself or feel irritated that she had succumbed to her emotions once more.

Then, deciding that she would care about it tomorrow, Vaela headed back to her tent and dropped to sleep immediately.

Training had begun.
----

[Anduril248]

i am excited to see her learn more magic.

[Tigellinus]

Your AAR made me bring out my mage again

I must say my favorite character to play was always the Assassin/thief. It makes for awesome kill cams to see your arrow fly into someone's head (Frequent for me.) and see them hurtle of a cliff

[Bullet Storm]

Again.
You never cease to amaze me Swaeft!

[Merchant of Venice]

Another great chapter well done.

[Swaeft]

i am excited to see her learn more magic.

Thanks! So I am! I am currently mapping out how I shall implement magical training in this AAR, but I'm almost done with the brainstorming.

Your AAR made me bring out my mage again

I must say my favorite character to play was always the Assassin/thief. It makes for awesome kill cams to see your arrow fly into someone's head (Frequent for me.) and see them hurtle of a cliff

I'll second that. Skyrim's kill cams are awesome. Especially the falling off cliff part.

Again.
You never cease to amaze me Swaeft!

Thank you. I appreciate any reader's comments, and I am glad you like my story.

Another great chapter well done.

Thank you. I'll be heading over to your own once I'm done with some minor edits here and there.

[Swaeft]

Chapter Thirteen: Learning and Training

Vaela grunted behind her face mask. The crisp morning air was refreshing to breathe, but Sonje had forbidden Vaela from taking it off. However, she had not stopped Vaela from removing her hood, and so Vaela stood stoically at the wooden bridge, facing the gushing roar of the waterfall and the outpouring of liters and liters of liquid. She felt the wind rustle her hair and play with it, but she paid that exhilarating feeling no heed. She had been set a task by her Senior, and she planned to carry it out in full. Concentrating hard, Vaela unleashed more power from her hands and let the fiery flames loose under the dull morning atmosphere.


She was not, however, satisfied. She had done that countless times, and doing it now seemed like a repetitive, meaningless bore to her. She wanted and needed to do something new. However, her Senior had yet to emerge from the lodge. The words she had spoken to Vaela reverberated within her skull. "Keep practicing on conjuring flames until I come out from the lodge." Groaning in frustration, Vaela resumed her conjuring of flames, drawing the power from within her mind and letting it loose once again. And just like the many numerous times before, the hot flames spurted out from her palm and singed the morning air. And just like before, they faded away a few meters away from Vaela, dissipating and vanishing.

Vaela was despondent. Was there nothing else she could do? She hadn't practiced her other skill--the one Farengar had taught her in Dragonsreach. But her Senior had forbidden her to do anything else other than conjuring flames. Sighing in dismay, Vaela brought her hands up once more and let loose yet another gout of flames.

And another. And another.

By late morning Vaela had had enough. She could stand the idleness no longer, and marched angrily to the lodge door, willing to pay whatever price she did for doing so. Knocking on it twice, she waited for her Senior to emerge.

She never did.

Vaela knocked ten more times. And another ten. And another.

Frustrated and indignant, Vaela stormed back to the wooden bridge. What on Earth was her Senior doing? Vaela's mind began to wonder. Up till now, she had only conjured a direct burst of flames from her hands. What if she could change that into something else? Vaela thought hard, but while she was thinking, it had begun to rain yet again. Irked, Vaela removed her hood from her belt pouch and slipped it on. The droplets of liquid stopped harassing her face, and Vaela was free to concentrate again. What if I could change the shape of the fire? Is it possible for me to change the form of it when it erupts from my palms? Vaela pondered. Intrigued by the possibility, Vaela started to close her eyes and focus on nothing else. She blocked out the pounding of the waterfall and the whistling of the wind.

She imagined a fireball, like what she had seen her Master do on many occasions. Delighted with the thought, she continued exploring the possibilities. A moving fireball would be free to zip wherever it wanted, and not be bound by the limited distance of the flames Vaela had been conjuring up til now. It could strike a target many, many meters away, way further than what her flames could ever reach. Her heart beating with the excitement, Vaela set her mind to figure out how to do it.

"That's a very big how..." She muttered aloud. Trying to start somewhere, Vaela conjured up some flames again. She went through the process step by step, something she had not done since the snowy days in Windhelm. She had not done so, she realized, because it felt so easy to conjure up gouts of burning fire at whim. Her magical prowess had increased, Vaela was sure, but by how much she did not know. Realizing that she had let the fire in her hands die out, Vaela re-conjured them, but this time she paid careful attention to the process. Firstly, she dismantled the barriers in her mind that kept her from accessing her magical powers. Secondly, she drew deep into her power base within her head, and garnered strength from it. Thirdly, she imagined the flames bursting out of her hands, and started to channel the power from her mind to her palms. Lastly, the flames erupted from her hands like the countless times before. Vaela started to think hard. What could she do to change how the fire erupted? The way she drew her power out?

No. Vaela mused. That would only affect the amount of power she received from her mind. She thought deeper. What had she done to conjure up the flames? Reviewing the process step by step again, Vaela finally deduced the crucial juncture from which she derived the type of fire from.

The imagination. As hard as it was for Vaela to believe it, it seemed to be the only part that she could change without compromising the standard magical process. Heartened with her small success, Vaela closed her eyes, this time aiming for a larger success. She faced the waterfall and started to break down her mental barriers again. Drawing the power in a manner so familiar to her, Vaela started to imagine a ball of fire erupting from her palms, instead of a normal gout of flame, and flying high into the sky. Channeling the power into her hands as usual, Vaela inhaled once and let loose the energy, further enhancing it with her desire to see a fireball fly high and free. She poured her longing and drive to discover a new spell into the energy, and it bubbled steadily within her. When it reached her hands, she was pleasantly rewarded. A fireball actually burst forth from her hands like a new seedling, and even the wooden planks of the bridge vibrated as it sped away from her hand.


She yelled out in merriment, her pent-up frustration flying away faster than the speed of the fireball which zoomed towards the waterfall and burned up against some rocks. Ebullient and flushed with success, Vaela tried again, the soaring fireball nipping away from her and blasting high into the sky.


"Well done. I see you've learnt the basis of magic." A voice remarked from behind her. Startled, Vaela turned around and came face to face with her Senior who had an approving smile on her face. Contended with her new discovery but remembering her earlier grievances Vaela scowled at her Senior and questioned her hotly. "Why did you leave me out here for...almost three hours? It was incredibly exasperating, Senior!" Vaela protested, her hood still being pelted by the wearisome rain.

"Patience, young apprentice. That is the value I was trying to teach you. Without patience, many things cannot be achieved in this world. It is a necessary characteristic for every single mage to have. You did quite well, in fact. Most apprentices we train give up after an hour. But don't get complacent. Continue to do well, and you'll grow from strength to strength in no time."

"Senior, is it true that our imagination allows us to change the way we conjure spells?"

Sonje flashed Vaela a smile, and responded warmly. "Indeed it is, as you probably have discovered by now. It is the very nature of our imagination that shapes our power, that allows us to create and explore different avenues of magic. Come with me." Sonje instructed, and led Vaela to the dining area. Sitting down and handing Vaela a loaf or bread, she proceeded to instruct Vaela on the process of conjuring a spell while Vaela ate ravenously.

"To conjure a spell, you must follow a strict guideline. For some parts, you may let your imagination run wild, but the basic structure needs to be there. Renowned mages discovered and perfected this technique many years ago, so please try to follow it, and ask questions later." Sonje said. Vaela nodded and mumbled a faint 'yes' in between her munching. Conjuring up spells for three hours had left her tired and hungry.

"Pay close attention now. This is important." Sonje spoke, then took a deep breath before continuing. "The first and second parts of drawing power should be second nature to you by now thanks to your experience in the wild, but I'll state them anyway. You need to first break down some mental barriers in your brain, which will allow you to draw the reserve of power deep within your mind. The amount of power you hold in this reserve depends on your magical ability and experience."

"How does one tell if one's magical ability has increased?" Vaela could not help but ask. Sonje's brow furrowed before the reply came. "Well, there is no hard and fast rule to judge how large the reserve of power is within your mind, but the mages of old devised a method to accurately determine the extent of one's power. Should the need to test oneself arise, a mage would ask for a buddy's help, then proceed to conjure up a simple spell that can be used in a prolonged duration, such as the spell that allows flames to erupt from your palms. They record the amount of time the user can cast the spell--the longer he can cast it, the higher his magical ability obviously. From the recorded timings, we can deduce whether one's power has increased or not." Vaela nodded and appeared interested. "Please continue, Senior."

"The second step would be to draw that power and think of something that you would like to cast. For example, your flames. You imagined, in your mind, flames sprouting out of your palms, didn't you?" Vaela nodded affirmatively when she heard this. "Good. This is the crux of the matter. When drawing the energy out from within, you must use your mind to imagine what you want to create."

"Does that mean that we can conjure up whatever we want to create, Senior?" A very curious Vaela inquired. "Actually, yes you can!" Sonje admitted to a Vaela who looked tickled pink. "However, conjuring up the hardest of items would require extraordinary and immense skill, while conjuring up the little things require almost no skill except for focus. Why would one want to conjure up a basket however? That is why magic is usually related to spells and attacks." Vaela had another piece of information to digest, but she was absorbing these snippets well.

"You are going to have to focus on what you have imagined intensely, then summon it by channeling the power you have called upon into your palms, hand, or wherever you want to evoke it from. The power will be released in whatever form you have deigned it to be released." Sonje finished.

"Sounds easy." Vaela remarked somewhat tenuously. Sonje immediately snapped at her apprentice.

"Don't you ever think like that!" Sonje hollered furiously, startling her young apprentice. "That sort of attitude gets many mages killed in battle. Killed!" Sonje stressed, angrily trying to impress upon her apprentice the importance of a mage's attitude. "You may think that it is easy now, and it indeed may well be easy right now, but that's because you are alone! You are living in a tranquil area with no disruptions or attacks. In the heat of battle, many a mage have been killed because they are unable to focus on fighting, instead being distracted by the happenings of the surrounding. As such, they cannot conjure up the simplest of spells in battle simply because they fail to focus on imagining it, breaking their mental barriers and concentrating on the battle all at the same time. An even greater number have perished because they forsook the battle or duel while attempting to conjure up the spell, allowing their opponents to get the better of them any finish them off while they were still imagining their spell. Never, ever underestimate the consequences of letting your guard down or being unable to focus. Is that very, very clear, apprentice?" Sonje barked, ending her tirade. Vaela nodded meekly, humbled by her Senior's admonishment.

"Come now." Sonje stood from her bench. "Wipe that glum look off your face and follow me. I'm going to teach you a new spell." Vaela's mouth twisted into a grin as she remembered the excitement she had felt when she discovered how to cast a fireball on her own. What else could she possibly learn now? A thunderstorm of lightning bolts? A very enthusiastic Vaela followed closely behind Sonje, back to the bridge where they had come from.

The waterfall was still roaring loudly, and in order to avoid fighting to make her voice heard above the din, Sonje led Vaela to the side, where the discord was not so audible. "Now, I'm going to teach you a new spell. Listen carefully at what I want you to imagine." Sonje took a breath to compose herself while Vaela waited eagerly.

"Do you remember a day when you used any shield to ward off an opponent's attack?" Sonje inquired.

Vaela nodded in affirmation. She had used her shield countless times to shy away from an opponent's blow in Cyrodiil. "Good." Sonje remarked. "Do you remember the feeling when you raised the shield high in order to block your opponent's strike? The feeling of protectiveness, of...shielding oneself from harm?"

Vaela flexed her arm instinctively. "Yes. I do. I thought that I had to hold the shield upright at all costs and prevent my opponent from breaking through, but I was pretty nervous too I guess." Sonje shrugged. "That's normal." She remarked. "But what I want you to do now is to imagine that exact feeling again. Draw into your reserves of power, and imagine the feeling of protectiveness. While you're at it, raise any one of your hands, preferably your left, and imagine that you are holding a shield there. Then, channel the power from your mind to your hands. Do it now."

Vaela closed her eyes and focused on breaking the mental barriers once more. Barging through and drawing power from deep within, she started to think of the 'protectiveness' her Senior had spoken about, imagining that someone was battering away at her ferociously with a sword, trying to get past her block.

But it didn't work. The setting was simply too serene and tranquil for her to imagine a fictitious fight going on. After several attempts in vain, Vaela looked at her Senior sheepishly and shook her head. "I can't do it." Vaela admitted. "I don't have any feeling for it right now." Sonje smirked. If Vaela didn't know any better, she might have assumed that her Senior was waiting for her to say that.

"Right. Stand over here and get ready. I am going to go over to the other side and cast a spell at you." Sonje remarked.

"Wha...what?" Vaela stammered, hesitant. Did her Senior say she was going to cast a spell at her? But there was no time for protest. Sonje had already strode over to the other side of the bridge, and was calling out at Vaela. "Remember what I told you! Just concentrate, imagine a shield, and channel the power into your hands! Follow those instructions and you'll be fine!"

A trembling Vaela's fear was further intensified when a bright, glowing light coruscated from her Senior's hands, illuminating the surroundings in an luminous glow of cyan.

"Senior, wait! I can't do this!" Vaela's voice quaked with trepidation as she shouted nervously. "How can we endanger ourselves like this?"

To her horror, Sonje continued to devote more power to her hands nonchalantly, as if she were doing a simple household chore. A voice drilled itself into Vaela's head. I know you can do this. Believe in youself, and cast away your fear. I trust you, Vaela. You have ten seconds. Vaela knew there and then that her Senior would not be stopping, and so she, to the best of her ability, focused on creating the feeling of protectiveness and started to direct the magical powers to her hands. A dim glow erupted from her hands, but this time it transformed into a bubbly, shimmering blue oval.


"Hey! Senior! It worked!" Vaela exclaimed in high spirits. But then lightning crackled in her Senior's hands, and a tremor of extreme apprehension induced itself in Vaela, worming into her mind and limbs. She wavered, and her magical shield almost broke when Sonje's lightning bolt flashed at it. Thankfully, Vaela had committed enough power to it, and it stopped the deadly bolt of lightning centimeters from Vaela's hand.


To Vaela, it was an incredible feeling, to brush and traffic so closely with death, only for it to be stopped by the power emanating from her fingertips. It was so surreal. She started to feel weakened by the magical shield's drain on her energy, but her Senior had no intention of stopping. Vaela now had to take on two opponents, for Sonje had conjured a fiery beast of some sort that Vaela had never seen before. It appeared to obey her Senior's every beck and call, so Vaela assumed that it was pretty harmless. However, the burning brand soon lifted a fiery hand, and its palm bristled and gleamed with power. Prepare yourself. If you can pass this, I can begin teaching you a new spell and technique. Thus, Vaela raised her hands again in preparation of a new assault, slightly more confident of overcoming the tough challenge.

However, it was not to be. Whether by horrible judgement, sheer ill-fortune or unthinkable inaccuracy, Sonje's more powerful lightning bolt and her blazing compatriot's fireball intersected, and combined into a gigantic blast of power. Vaela's weak and wavering shield erupted in a bright glow, and the world around her darkened and pulsed. Vaela was thrown back against something hard and instantly lost consciousness.





----

[Bullet Storm]

This "Senior" seems to be out to kill your poor protaginist! Lets hope that she survives!

[Chirurgeon]

how do you get your follower to spar with you like that? Great update though