Not for the first time J'layah wondered *is the world going mad?* First this dark stranger had appeared seemingly from nowhere, wandering up to them casual as you please, and then hot on the heels of her embarrassing performance with half a sword, *another* stranger - a woman this time -had literally fallen from the sky to land on the man in a tangle of cloak and limb. *Then* the Dark Elf - Tenaka Khan as he'd introduced himself - had reached into the folds of his cloak and produced a Daedric katana from thin air (though how he'd managed to do so in this place of null-Magicka was a mystery to her), offering it hilt-first as though it were a candied treat....and what a treat! She'd never possessed such a weapon in her life (nor was she ever likely to, judging by the recent dismal attempt to demonstrate her fighting prowess).
Taking a moment to send Alabyn Mastercroft of the Vanshire Hockshop -the man who'd sold her the shoddy blade in the first place - a silent curse, J'layah vowed to bury both pieces of the broken sword deep in his chest upon her return, then tore her gaze from the katana's beckoning call to address Tenaka.
"My name is J'layah and these are my good friends Mea and Twilight." Each acknowledged Tenaka with a slight nod, hands never straying from their weapons. "My mother warned me never to accept gifts from strangers, but introductions have been made therefore you are no longer a stranger, and since honour dictates that I consider your kind offer a loan rather than a gift......I humbly accept." She bowed deeply and took the proffered blade, noting with delight how the leather-bound hilt moulded perfectly to her hand. A couple of trial swings proved the katana to be perfectly balanced as well. This was a beautiful, deadly weapon indeed.
Twilight, who'd been silent for some time, turned to face the latest arrival - a Nord from the look of her - and spoke, her voice laced with weariness and a hint of suspicion. "I know not from whence you came but Your unexpected arrival bears testament to the fell power of this place. Had you another destination in mind ere you were wrenched here?" The flame-haired Nord nodded and Twilight continued in a more cordial tone. "Care you then to enlighten us as to your name and intentions?"
Three pairs of eyes (it should have been four but J'layah's were glued to her new acquisition) watched the newcomer expectantly as she disentangled herself from her cloak and stood, pausing to brush sand from her armour as she prepared to speak........
The stranger appeared unruffled by Twilight's challenge and was apparently in no hurry to provide an answer. Coolly appraising first her surroundings then the companions one by one, her gaze calmly met the Elven woman's increasingly suspicious stare. Finally she answered.
"My name is Pilar....Pilar Kent, and as to how I ended up here," she gestured at the expanse of desert around them and shrugged, "I have not the slightest idea! Rest assured however that I mean you no harm." She turned to face Tenaka.
"I apologise for uh....dropping in on you like that. I trust you are unhurt?"
Tenaka's wry smile and formal half-bow was reassuring.
"I am well - thanks in no small part to my armour - but we Dark Elves are made of far sterner stuff than you might think."
Pilar smiled and turned back to Twilight.
"Your assumption was indeed correct - I fully expected to arrive elsewhere. Perhaps you have room in your party for one more?" So saying, Pilar extended her arm, palm open in a gesture of friendship.
Twilight sensed the Nord had spoken candidly and relaxed her stance somewhat.
"Forgive my terseness Pilar Kent," she said, clasping the offered hand with her own and gripping it firmly, "but we have encountered much malevolence in this hostile place and I wager my last, precious ration of water that greater peril still lies ahead." She indicated the dark citadel, hunched over the dunes like a nightmarish beast of prey about to pounce on its next unsuspecting victim.
"That is where we intend to go - into the very "Heart" of the place."
Mea and J'layah grinned half-heartedly at the pun and Twilight spent the next several minutes explaining their quest while Tenaka and Pilar listened intently, grave expressions on their faces.
"And so after the tunnel collapsed and excavation proved futile, we decided to try another approach and march through yon front gate," she finished. "You are both welcome to join us but I know not what lies ahead."
It took the newcomers mere seconds to make their decision, and shortly afterward four women and one man marched purposefully ever closer to the menacing bulk and unknown dangers.
Some twenty yards from the raised portcullis they discovered the putrefying remains of a man - a mage, judging by the looks of his bloodstained robes and shattered staff. Twilight cast an experienced eye over the corpse.
"Hmmm, looks like he had a *very* bad fall - note how the limbs are placed at such unusual angles, and see there.. where a couple of snapped ribs have pierced the flesh? Also, the dried trickles of blood around his mouth, nose and ears would indicate he fell from a great height." She looked up at the lofty towers and crenellated parapets high above them, hand shielding her eyes from the relentless glare. "I cannot help but wonder how he met with such a grisly end."
J'layah blanched and shifted uneasily...not being blessed with a cast iron stomach this sort of thing made her nauseous. "Perhaps we could move on? There is nothing we can do for this man anyway, except bury him and we do not have time for that."
Twilight tore her gaze from the citadel's heights to regard J'layah with an amused expression on her face. "Surely you are not squeamish my young friend? A delicate stomach and a soft heart are poor ingredients for an aspiring adventurer."
J'layah looked unconvinced so she continued.
"Myself, I have seen death aplenty - so much so that a sight like this affects me not in the least nowadays." To emphasise her point she prodded the bloated cadaver with the tip of her ebony katana. The razor sharp blade effortlessly pierced the dead man's abdomen, releasing pent-up gasses with a loud "FSSSSSSS". The stench was truly indescribable.
J'layah dashed behind the nearest sand dune and violent retching sounds drowned out Twilight's soft chuckles. Mea turned toward her, eyes wide in amazement.
"Why Twilight, I never knew you possessed such a mean streak!"
"Ah Mea, there is much about me you do not know, and best it should remain so. Look you, our sensitive comrade returns."
J'layah tottered towards them, giving the corpse a wide berth as she rejoined the group.
"Feeling better?" asked Twilight, and J'layah nodded, smiling weakly. "Good, then let us make haste. We have tarried here too long."
Without awaiting a reply or even looking back, Twilight strode up to the citadel's huge, open maw and was soon swallowed up by the darkness beyond....
Tenaka smiled as he watched Twilight's example to J'layah. Possibly unnecessary, probably a bad idea to let people know that someone had arrived, but fun all the same. Somewhere within him he felt a twang of pity for the young elf. First a broken sword and then this. It really was not her day. As Twilight marched off towards the gaping gates, Tenaka swept back his cloak with a dramatic flourish and followed. He was willing to let her be the leader for a while. It would do nobody any good if he tried to take over.
As they entered the gate, he looked back and saw the other three following. Only he saw the looks on their faces. J'layah still had a pale face from the smell of the rotting corpse and he could easily translate the look Mea gave to Twilight's back into words. This incident had damaged their friendship. It was a sad thing when such a simple thing should be so damaging. The Nord, Pilar, was harder to read. Her look was still icy cold. Like Tenaka, she cared neither way what Twilight did to corpses she found, but it appeared she also had a certain empathy towards J'layah. It was only a few steps further on when he felt something to make him forget all of this, however. He and Twilight had entered a great hall, clearly a greeting place for whoever lived within the Citadel. Indeed, this person appeared very wealthy. There were tapestries over the walls, and the ornate candle holders appeared expensive. But it was not the wealth of the place that caught his attention. He had felt a slight tingling within him. For a few moments, he struggled to identify the familiar feeling. And then it hit him. He had been without Magicka for so long that he had forgotten its feel. But this was it. The real thing. And stronger than anywhere else. Now he recognised the feeling. It was the same as he felt upon leaving his Master's Tower.
In order to test his theory he conjured up a small light. Clearly feeling the drawing of magic, Twilight turned to him with a relaxed smile on her face, but he could tell that she was in reality as taut as a wound spring. The smile told him other things though. She had also noticed the return of Magicka, but had not expected him to. He had impressed her. He now had her respect. Letting go of the magic, he extinguished the slight flame. She turned away from him at a slight sound as the other three entered the room. There were noises coming from the end of the hall. His sharp Elven eyes could faintly make out large shapes, but nothing more. What he could tell, however, was that these creatures were not friendly. Anticipating a battle, he loosened his Daedric Dai-katana in it's sheath and tightened his cuirass. Sweeping back his cloak, he summoned up the newly available Magicka and channelled it into fire. As his cloak blew out behind him, he leapt to Twilight's side and released the magic. He knew there were too many for this simple spell to kill, or even injure, all, but it served other purposes. It evened the odds slightly, and it was the simplest way to inform the less experienced in the group that the old friend of Magicka had indeed returned.