18+ Gone But Not Forgotten

[Mesmerize]

"Rule one of the House Telvanni, Delnares. If your enemy cheats, cheat back." Jadoric was shocked as he saw the centurions approaching. "Well. If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying." Jadoric ceased his attempts to heal his wing, for the wound was too great. He then returned to his human form and walked into the open. "You really don't understand, Relyn."

The vampire's eyes were engulfed in a blue smoke. His smile grew as he rose high above the ground. "I am one of Lord Molag Bal's most trusted servants. You can not kill me." A blue haze began to take shape around Jadoric. "Time to end this, you pitiful excuse for a Telvanni. I'm going to end you, then enthrall you. You will serve me in the afterlife."

Jadoric raised his hands, then looked up to the sky and began chanting a prayer to Molag Bal in the daedric language. Once it appeared his prayer was over, a large ravine opened up underneath the approaching centurions, sending them all down into the deep abyss. "They now serve Coldharbour." Jadoric turned to face Relyn in mid-air. "Like I said. If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying." He then began to recite the rest of his prayer, now aiming it towards the wizard. "Roht-Ekem-Meht-Oht-Vehk-Ekem!"

 

[Gentleman Adventurer]

"What in Oblivion are you doing?" Relyn formed a large creature out of the shadows behind Jadoric, and prepared to finish the vampire off once and for all. Before he could strike however, his enemy finished the prayer.

"Roht-Ekem-Meht-Oht-Vehk-Ekem!" A burst of blue energy flew from Jadoric's fingers, striking Relyn in the chest. He felt a searing pain, as if he were being burned alive. Relyn screamed as the pain became unbearable, clutching at his chest in pain. The next few seconds were a blur. He saw Jadoric drop from the sky, exhausted. He saw his shadow constructs vanish. And then he began to fall.

With a crash, Relyn hit the ground. He slowly got up, wincing in pain. He looked over, and realized that Jadoric was still on the ground. Preparing to end the fight once and for all, Relyn began to form a new weapon... and realized that he couldn't. He tried to pull Jadoric over to him. Nothing happened. He attempted to cast a basic healing spell. His hands sparked once, and then the spell refused to work.

A feeling of crushing defeat spread over Relyn as he realized what Jadoric had done. The vampire had cursed him. He fell to his knees, letting the grief overwhelm him. He didn't speak, and he didn't move. He simply turned his head and wept.

He could hear Jadoric laughing.

 

[Ponder]

Elsa and Garrus were, undeniably, together. He'd seen their union looming on the horizon, felt its rising approach, and braced himself. And when the full fact of their partnership washed through him, he'd expected devastation to follow.

He loved her, Pilus thought to himself as Relyn and Jadoric flew at each other. Grandmother had vaguely educated him in antiquated boudoir etiquette, cynically neglecting any discussion of true romance, but the emotions that overwhelmed Pilus had to be love. And yet, none of it seemed to matter. Not now, with two titans locked in a deadly duel.

Pilus knew he was supposed to support Relyn, ostensibly the more magnanimous of the two, but he couldn't. Despite his propriety, despite his careful manners, the elf retained so little humanity. He seemed to set himself above Pilus and his mortal ilk. To Relyn, the act of truly living was something that happened to others. Jadoric might be an undead monster, but existential turmoil still consumed him, and dim empathy fought to survive in the dark chaos of his soul.

Pilus winced as Relyn cut a wing from the vampire's body. It crashed into the dirt, spitting blood. Jadoric retreated, nursing his wound, defended by two conjured abominations. They charged the Telvanni, but were easily dispatched. Exchanging words in a characteristic display of arrogant bravado, Relyn and Jadoric rose from the ground and returned to combat. And then the vampire, levitating almost directly above Pilus, pointed and Relyn and screamed words in an unfamiliar tongue. Blue light streamed from his hand, punching into the floating elf. Relyn fell, hitting the dirt with a dull thump. Jadoric, visibly exhausted, followed the elf to the dirt, landing directly in front of Pilus.

"J-Jadoric?"

The vampire turned. A grin was plastered across his face, and he shook with maniacal laughter. Although severely weakened, Pilus had no doubt Jadoric intended to kill Relyn.

"Please, don't do this." But Pilus' words were ignored. At that moment, Pilus understood the choice fate had presented. He knew what Elsa would do. She'd kill the vampire, happily and unquestioningly. She hadn't seen the small kindness the vampire was still capable of, she didn't know how he understood. But if Pilus let Jadoric exact revenge on the motionless elf, Elsa would never forgive him. The choice was binary--Jadoric or Elsa.

Pilus drew his surgical knife and plunged it into Jadoric's neck. He felt sickening resistance as it pierced skin and muscle, blood sprouting around the thin blade. Despite the grievous wound, Jadoric's laugh only grew louder, but it was tinged with uncertainy. Beyond the frozen expression of mirth, Pilus could see terror in the vampire's eyes. He may have been dead, but he'd never truly died, and impending finality seemed to frighten him.

"Stop it!" Pilus yelled. "P-please! Stop laughing!" He pulled his knife free, and frantically stabbed down again and again. The vampire continued to shake with gurgling laughter, streams of crimson falling from his mouth and neck. Eventually the laughter gave way to choking, punctuated by Pilus' methodical stabbing. Shuddering, the vampire collapsed, blood fountaining from his body onto Pilus' hands and robes.

"I-I'm sorry." He said to the corpse. "You... you... understand, don't you?"

Pilus knew Jadoric would.

 

[Aerin]

Elsa had held onto Garrus' arm for the majority of the fight. Something about watching Relyn go forward into a fight where he may not survive was too much for her to watch. She felt childish peeking through her fingers to see how the fight was going, but seeing the vampire's talons sink into Relyn's chest was too much for her to witness.

In the end it was Pilus who ended the vampire lord's existence. The demonic laughter that echoed through the air was twisted to the core, an uneasy feeling settling in her stomach as the healer begged Jadoric to fall silent. It wasn't right, Pilus was a healer, his blade was not meant to kill. The imperial was knelt in a growing pool of blood, the man stained crimson with the proof of his actions. Stumbling forward Elsa wasn't sure who to approach, on the one hand she felt the need to go to Pilus, to check that he was okay, to reassure him that he had done the right thing.

But Relyn, her dear friend was still knelt, weeping for reasons Elsa did not yet understand. Jadoric had done something in his last moments, and for some reason Relyn had stopped fighting. But was the ceasefire intentional or not? Deciding to give Relyn some more time Elsa went to the healer, slowly helping to his feet and out of the pool of blood that was seeping into the earth beneath them. "Pilus, you did the right thing. You saved Relyn." Kind eyes searched his in hopes of seeing some sign that Pilus was okay.

 

[Gentleman Adventurer]

The elf looked up, finally regaining his composition. His hair was white. "Saved me? Elsa, I've been cursed. I can't use magic anymore. Centuries of study, all gone. It would have been kinder to let me die. Look at me. I'm aging again." He got up off the ground, not even bothering to brush the rubble off his robes.

Relyn reached into his satchel and pulled out his map. "Come on, let's leave. I don't want to linger here. We can still make Tear by sunrise." He looked over at Garrus, waiting for his agreement.

 

[Ponder]

Pilus felt gentle pressure on his arm as kind hands helped him stand.

"Pilus, you did the right thing. You saved Relyn."

Had he done the right thing? Standing over Jadoric's twisted corpse with Elsa's hand resting on his shoulder, Pilus wasn't so certain. Jadoric had been a... a... he'd been potentially a friend, and yet Pilus had ended his life. Or rather, his undeath. And for what? A girl?

The girl.

Pilus had never ended a life before, not with his own hands. The crushing weight of his choice slammed down on him, stronger than even the terrible responsibility of his first murder. Killing went against everything he stood for as a healer. But he'd had to. Not for Relyn, but for himself. For her.

Jadoric would understand.

"Come on, let's leave. I don't want to linger here. We can still make Tear by sunrise."

Pilus turned to Elsa and nodded his agreement. "Y-yes. Let's just... go."

 

[Rextoret]

"Come on, let's leave. I don't want to linger here. We can still make Tear by sunrise." Garrus nodded, setting off. "Let's." Garrus attempted to ignore the stench of blood in the air, although he was glad Jadoric was gone. The trip to Tear was rather quite, without much talking going on. Even if someone had approached Garrus to talk, he probably wouldn't have been in the mood to do so. Even with Elsa. His mind was racing with thoughts, his heart desperately attempting to grab something to hold.

He knew he loved Elsa, even though they had only been together for what seemed like a week. Garrus shook his head, wondering why he ever let any of these travelers come with him. He knew that harboring feelings for her was dangerous to himself, yet he couldn't seem to stop. And he knew he had to leave and that it was best for Elsa to stay behind. He didn't want to hurt her in any way, even if it was indirect. She had to stay behind, as with the rest of them.

Hours went by, filled with nothing but walking. The whole time, he pondered what would happen. Garrus knew that if he was to leave Elsa, he could never come back to her. And that frightened him slightly. He tried to push her out of his mind, even though she was stuck in it the whole way. As the group climbed a ridge, the calming sound of the sea filled their ears. They looked down, to see the wall-less city of Tear. It's wooden ports seemed rather busy, filled with a great number of people departing in boats.

Shortly thereafter, Garrus found himself leading the group through the streets. His destination was the port, even though he loathed the fact he had to leave. They arrived at the port where Garrus proceeded to search for his ship's captain, Helseth Avilo. Within minutes, he located the captain and ship. The ship itself was small, with no other occupants besides the captain. Garrus turned to face the group. He hated that he had to do this, to leave Elsa behind. But he had to go. Something told him that Sorex would have known exactly what to do here, find some way to fix everything.

But Garrus wasn't Sorex. He opened his mouth to speak. "I- I have to go now. Alone, and none of you can come with me. I truly am sorry for this." His eyes had been focused upon Elsa as he said this. He wanted so much to go up and hug her, tell her how much he truly loved her. But doing that would only make things worse at this point. And Garrus wanted things to be alright, even though he knew they wouldn't be.

 

[Aerin]

"I- I have to go now. Alone, and none of you can come with me. I truly am sorry for this."

---​

The harsh air clawed at her throat as hands pulled her back. A strong arm around her waist held her close as she watched the emperor's men drag her world away. Tears spilled down her face, dark trails leaving tracks in the dirt that covered her features. No one was listening to her. No one would let her do the right thing. People were stopping now, watching as the filthy dock rat screamed to be let loose.

"Such a shame. Poor child didn't stand a chance."

"Some one shut the wretch up."

"No my dove, don't look at the girl. Her father probably deserves everything he gets."

She was scared, so scared. What was going to happen to her papa now? Would she ever see him again? Where was she supposed to go? What was she going to do now?

---​

Elsa's heart felt as if it were about to beat out of her chest. What was she going to do now? Everything seemed to slow for a moment as Garrus' words sunk in. "But...but that's ridiculous. You need someone to watch your back. What if something happens to you?...what if you get hurt? What if you don't..." She wasn't going to cry. Elsa did not cry.

Despite her best efforts Elsa sucked in a breath as she felt the hot sting of her tears, wet tracks running down her cheeks. Stepping forward Elsa grabbed onto Garrus hands, everything in her pleading for him not to leave her. "You can't...just, let me come with you. I can help you, I can help protect you. I know I can." She felt her throat tighten with emotion as she furiously wiped away tears. She wasn't getting angry, why wasn't she angry? Anger was easy to understand, easy to deal with. This just....hurt. If this was heartbreak then why would anyone ever want to fall in love? "Please don't leave me." Elsa no longer cared what people saw. She was stood rooted to the dock, tears falling freely as she tried to find the words to convince Garrus to stay..or to let her go.

Reaching up Elsa kissed Garrus, desperate for him not to do this. It wasn't fair, he was her chance at something good, something that made her happy. Why couldn't she have this?

---​

A cold wind passed through the town, the sound of children carried over the breeze. A small girl peeks around a pile of crates and watches the daughters of the local people play pretend, young girls enacting their dreams.

"Can I play?"

Greeted by harsh sneers and giggles of disbelief, the girl stepped back into the shadows cast by the crates and barrels.

"Don't be silly. We're playing happy endings, and rats like you don't get happy endings."

 

[Gentleman Adventurer]

As the group reached the Tear docks, Garrus turned and spoke to the group. "I- I have to go now. Alone, and none of you can come with me. I truly am sorry for this." Relyn sighed. He had suspected Garrus would do something like this but, like a fool, he had pushed it out his mind as part of his misguided attempts to be happy.

Elsa began to cry. She tried to stop, but it was evident that her emotion were overtaking her. "Please don't leave me." She kissed Garrus, her tears never once ceasing. She looked miserable. Garrus looked depressed. Before the Imperial could do anything else, Relyn walked up to him.

"I want you to listen to me," The elf spoke softly, making sure no one else could hear. "I have known that girl for a long time now. I have seen her fight, cheer, and mourn. After Sorex died you were the only thing that seemed to make her truly happy. To take that happiness away is an insult to her, an insult to me, and most importantly an insult to Sorex. If you get on that boat and leave her all alone, I will never forgive you. And neither will she."

He backed away, glaring at Garrus. He hadn't meant to be so harsh, but he had needed to let the man know the consequences of what he was about to do. Relyn then stood silently, having said his goodbye, however badly it might have gone.

 

[Farthlion]

"W-what?" Farth stumbled on the single word. Weren't they in this until the end? To carry on Sorex's memory? This was insane. The bard's hangover was long gone by now, the alcohol out of his system thanks to how quickly time had passed. He felt the same confusion of a drunk man - simply due to the fact that none of this made sense. What was Garrus' point in dragging them through this journey? He understood that perhaps he wanted to get to know them, that perhaps he wanted to learn more of Sorex's last memories, but it was too hard to comprehend. Was this really where their journey ended?

Farth remain quiet as Elsa reacted to the Imperial's words, and he could see she was truly heartbroken. She lost someone she loved - someone who she cared for immensely. It had to be painful the way Garrus was handling this. He felt bad for assuming deep in his mind that she didn't know what she had been doing, but the truth was, the Redguard felt he was right. Garrus might have been planning on this. She obviously didn't know him well enough to see that he would be leaving.

He was strangely calm, despite the confused thoughts that were racing through his mind. Nonetheless, he remained silent. There was no use intruding on the moment - Elsa had been giving him the cold shoulder all day. He was confused what this behavior was about, but he wasn't planning on questioning her. Especially not now.

Farth watched Relyn. The Dark Elf had been one of the bard's closest friends over the years, always relying heavily on his magic. He was without that now. For Relyn to lose his magic - it must have been like a warrior losing their legs. The bard could not even fathom what his friend was most likely going through.

Pilus was nearby, and Farth's thoughts went to the young Imperial healer. He was strange, and while Farth trusted him, he still felt as if he had to watch his back when he was around. There was a strange few days when he had begun to let his guard down, but now he had changed. He had lost the part of what made him the helpless healer that Elsa trusted and insisted on bringing along. Pilus had changed into something more fearless, but not in a good way. It scared Farth.

Tacitus and Alana seemed to be the only bright spots in the group. After meeting up with the man, Farth was uncertain whether she was just another one of his usual women that he brought to bed. After remaining with the notorious Imperial for more than several days, Farth was convinced that the man was head over heels. It seemed that Tacitius had lost himself to a lady for once.

He didn't want to think much of Garrus' situation. He had lost a friend, and now it seemed he was forcing himself to lose a bit more than that. Was it pride that he felt dictated his actions? Was it something about the members of the group? Surely there could have been another way to do this.

Farth didn't feel like he had come away with any loses. Perhaps the worst part was that he had felt a part of himself change. He was no longer a bard - that was established after Sorex died. Bards don't go on journeys to preserve the memories of their dead comrades. He was a warrior - the characteristic of drawing a sword before talking things over now was an instinct.

He had stories to tell now, stories that the other bards back at the college would absolutely love to listen to. Farth couldn't wait to tell them, but deep in his heart he felt that telling them would be a painful reminder of what had happened. The grand adventure he had been planning to write now seemed like it had turned into an epic with a tragic ending. Friends killed, heartbreak, a man clearly confused about his life, another man who just found out the news of his friend's death, and a wizard who lost his magic. Sure, it would be entertaining, but would it be worth sharing? Knowing that these events were anything but fictional, how could he write about them? For the first time, he felt sharing this story would be wrong.

 

[The OP3RaT0R]

At the docks of Tear, Garrus revealed that, shockingly especially to Elsa, that he would be embarking on the next leg of the journey alone. The Nord tearfully kissed him, and Relyn was whispering something to him. Tacitus and Arana, having barely known the secretive Imperial, stayed back a respectful distance. Tacitus felt a surprising sadness for his friend's predicament. Not only was Elsa his friend, but just as he had been happy for her when she became involved with Garrus, he empathized with the sudden loss of Garrus as well. It suddenly came to him that he wasn't sure what he would feel if Arana left so suddenly, maybe never to return.

Farth looked disappointed; Tacitus thought the huge bard was most likely let down by the fact that the epic he had probably been hoping to write had just come to a less than triumphant end. Tacitus and Arana walked closer to the bard, Tacitus placing his hand on the Redguard's shoulder and saying quietly, "Come on. Let's leave them to say their goodbyes and get a drink."

 

[Aerin]

As Tacitus and Arana left Elsa tried to calm down. Looking up at Garrus she could tell she wasn't going to be able to change his mind. He'd planned this from the start, he'd got involved with her, knowing he would be leaving her. If he knew that then why would he lead her on like this, only to break her heart in front of everyone?

Stepping back the thief wrapped her arms around herself as if to give herself some kind of comfort. She felt spent. Ten years running and she was tired. All she wanted was to go home, but home no longer existed for her. Pushing past Relyn and Farth, Elsa looked around for Pilus, only to see he had gone. It made sense she supposed, but it would have been nice to say goodbye to him. She had grown fond of him over the past couple of weeks, she had come to think of him as a friend.

Biting back any further disappointment she raised her eyes and walked. She'd find a carriage that could drive her back to Cyrodiil and she'd go from there. Once she hit the Imperial City she'd think about finding somewhere to stay and then perhaps she'd work out how to make a living. Anything to distract her.

Turning her back on Relyn and Farth hurt, they had travelled together for so long now they were like family to her. But time changed people, and none of them were the same people who'd met all that time ago in a tavern in Falkreath. Something had happened over the past few days and Elsa wondered if perhaps it was time to move on and forget.

Sat in the back of a carriage Elsa looked down at the small metal dragon in her lap and knew she would never be able to forget the journey she had made thus far, but she'd be damned if she didn't try.

 

[Rextoret]

Garrus wanted to kiss Elsa back with his full passion, but he knew anything they could have had was already over. He watched Elsa walk away, no doubt the last time he would ever see her. One by one, the others left. Relyn's words hanged in Garrus' mind, the sting they carried seemed to be poison. One by one, the only 'friends' he had ever known walked away. Went on to continue their lives. Sorex was gone, and here went everyone else. They might as well all be dead, for Garrus though he'd never see them again.

A short while later, Garrus found himself alone on the dock. He sat down and leaned upon a nearby crate. There was no going back now. The group was shattered, fragmented. Every person that Garrus had ever cared for was gone. And now he was alone, with nothing to go off of besides a name and a place. But he didn't feel sad. He just felt empty. And empty was a feeling he was used to. So he stood. Making his way onto the boat, he confronted the captain. The dunmer was clothed in the armor of a Morrowind Thieves Guild member, and seemed to recognize Garrus. "Where to, sir?" Garrus walked over to the door that led down into the ship's interior. He opened the door and began his walk down into the ship. "Ayem-koht-ayem-vehk-iya-roht."

 

[Gentleman Adventurer]

One by one, Relyn's friends and companions left him. Elsa had run off, Pilus had disappeared, and Farth had gone drinking with Tacitus and Arana. The elf watched as Garrus sailed away, sadness overtaking him. That man had just ruined his chance at happiness, and left the woman who loved him heartbroken. Relyn shook his head. "Fool." He walked off, ready to leave this whole journey behind him.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

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Two months later, a carriage dropped Relyn off at his lab in Skyrim. The old fort hadn't changed a bit. Thanking the driver, Relyn grabbed his walking stick and got out. As the old Dunmer hobbled into his laboratory, he smiled. "It's good to be back."​

​

The interior was just as he had left it. Dwemer machinery whirred and clicked, alchemy stations bubbled, and automatons clattered around. Relyn coughed. The air was ancient in here, and aging seemed to be taking its toll on him. Drinking a small healing potion to restore his energy, the elf walked upstairs.​

​

On the top floor of the fort lay a large bedroom, decorated by Telvanni banners. A small desk was pushed up against one of the walls. Placing his walking stick on the ground, Relyn sat down at his desk for the first time in a very long while. He grabbed an empty scroll and dipped his quill in ink. Giving a weary sigh and a faint smile, the Dunmer began to write.​

​

The will of Relyn Telvayn, Mage Lord of the House Telvanni​

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