Shadow Contracts (for Ixis Naugus)

[conjuredskies]

Deep in the Parkland woods, twilight holds sway despite the early hour. The crumbling grey walls rise high and forbidding from the outside, but the heavy door stands ajar and swings open noiselessly when pushed – there’s fresh oil on the hinges.

Inside lies a great courtyard surrounded by a columned portico, with narrow doorways leading off into more dark corners. In the center, however, is a wide well with a low stone edge. Off to one side, its hooded summoner waits. Felix has spread a mat over the cracked paving stones, and now sits cross-legged beside his knapsack, picking over a few implements and books, checking the edge of a steel dagger. Aside from his hood, the conjurer has abandoned the legionary uniform for plainer leather armor, worn and mended from long use.

It’s been very quiet for some time. Just the skittering of breeze-blown leaves and birdsong drifting over the walls. Felix is quick to look up at a new presence.

Comments

[conjuredskies]

"Should she be left in there?" he wonders aloud. But that will have to wait until their mission is through, if they've time. The thief has at least a degree of pity and concern from him, but he doubts he wants to couch it in those terms to Naugus.

"All right, so then we need to get in without brute force. The farther we can go without using magic, the better. If we had another artifact they'd want to add to their vaults... hmm. Just how shadowy is your magic?" He pulls one of the soul gems from his satchel. "These gems are used to store magical energies - life energies. Could you taint one to make it seem... corrupted? Dark?"

[ixis]

"She's not my concern and certainly not yours anymore. Job well done, I say." Yeah, he's not worried in the least with that thief anymore. For her sake OR theirs. Enjoy the shadow zone, thief.

At the offering of the soul gem, he takes it and carefully turns it over in hand and claw. "I can certainly try. There's traces of darkness in everything I do." And crystals are always of keen interest to him either way. A concentrated burst of magicks fed from his claw and into the gemstone makes it glow a sickly green before fading to just a shock of light now and again from within its cloudy depths. Naugus then hands it back over to Felix. "And there we have it."

[conjuredskies]

Well, that seems to be that for the thief. At least for now. Felix looks troubled a moment, but he has more immediate concerns than fighting the cause of a woman who thought of him as prey.

Say, the distinctly awful thing in his hand.

“…That’s… even better than I hoped.” Really. It’s almost too good – he feels the urge to hurl the gem away, preferably into a sewer. Instead he clears his mind, trying to think of this as an academic exercise. It’s just a particularly unpleasant specimen. Yes. “Perfect. So now I’m just a distressed apprentice handing in a gruesome discovery from my explorations – some terrible new kind of black soul gem. With any luck they’ll be desperate to get this shut away.”

[ixis]

"And shall I keep to your shadow then? Easiest way to keep together, after all." He seems pleased that the gem is distinctly offensive; he'd put his best effort into making it thus! Just a great deal of foul feelings and energy infused into the unassuming soul gem. Because if there's one thing that Naugus has his finger on the pulse of, it's bad feels.

"And if they think to pull you away and interrogate you on how you came across such an artifact?"

[conjuredskies]

Felix looks amused for a moment, then shivers, assuming the air of a shaken man. “Of course. I was coming along the Gold road when a pair of men came out of the ditch and dragged me off the road. I- I didn’t realize at first, but the way they were talking… I think they were thralls.”

That last is almost whispered, and he swallows. “They pulled me into some Ayleid ruins – I remember a man giving orders, and some kind of altar. When I saw what was there I came to my senses and tried to fight them off – I barely made it out of there. Somewhere along the way I grabbed this… this thing. I knew someone had to know about it, so I came here as fast as I could…”

He trails off, looking anxious- then pauses. “Remind me to get more mud on my clothes first.”

[ixis]

"You're very convincing as a distraught youth." A hand reaches out of the darkness to give Felix a hearty pat on the shoulder. "You remind me a great deal of my apprentice back in Mobius, Geoffrey. Boxing clever, that one.

"And as far as finding these Vaults? They're on the map, correct?"

[conjuredskies]

Felix preens a little at the praise. It's nice to have someone appreciate a little deception. "They'll be under the Hall of the Vigilant. Once we have the cowl, I suppose we can create enough shadows to escape through."

[ixis]

And if there's one thing Naugus appreciates, it's a good liar. "Oh? So we get to use this artifact? And that won't upset Nocturnal? Since it's her property, or so I gathered."

The hidden mage waves a hand, pulling it from the shadows to make sure the gesture is visible, urging Felix to lead the way so they can get to their sneaky task.

[conjuredskies]

"I don't know," he admits, making sure to stop and scuff his boots now and then as he leads onward. Cleaning up is going to be fun later. "Nocturnal said nothing about it, but my main concern is that I have no certainty what it does or how to use it correctly. I meant more that once it's in hand, stealth will become less important than a swift exit."

Of course if they can get all the way out without any alarm sounded, that would be best.

[ixis]

"Well, better to beg forgiveness than ask permission. Or just pretend you don't care either way, there's that as well." That's his go-to anyhow. Minus the pretend part.

Naugus slips his way to the shadows that Felix's own form cast once again, making sure that he's always close and always has a place to hide.

[conjuredskies]

"Well put - but in this case, I'll leave that as a last resort. Just in case the stolen cowl is still cursed."

The last alley comes out almost alongside the Hall of the Vigilant, a relatively large and new building, to go by the unstained stonework. It's neither as new or as ornate as the embassy opposite, though both are placed here for one simple reason: proximity to the great Chapel of Dibella across the open street.

Felix takes a gander at the thin traffic, spares a moment to make sure his hair and armor are suitably disheveled. His leathers were due a really good scrub anyway.

"All right, time to go. If I do get hopelessly trapped in questioning, feel free to give them a more exciting problem. The Vigil deserve all they can get."

[ixis]

While Felix is wrapped up in examining the surroundings, Naugus in particular peeks from the darkness to size up that...church? Temple? It's clearly some building of worship, though of what, who's to say? He wonders briefly back to the times he's antagonized Vanyel. Didn't the man say he followed the teaching of some goddess or another? Wonder if that's her.

There's a thin, rasping chuckle in response to Felix's plan and request. "Gladly! I'll be sure to keep an eye out for an opportunity."

[conjuredskies]

"Shadow hide us," he murmurs, before stepping into the street and into character.

Felix hastens in through the open door of the hall, looking around with palpable anxiety. Despite the attempt at imposing architecture, the interior atrium is quite simple, with bare flagstones and plain wooden benches around the walls. The few people around are all Vigilants in brown robes or pale green robes, some with maces of steel or silver at their belts. He swiftly catches the attention of the senior-most Vigilant, a middle-aged Redguard woman with a scarred face. He starts explaining, but no sooner has he started to take out the tainted soul gem than she spins him by the shoulder and leads him further into the building.

She calls out a couple of her brethren from the doors they pass, and soon they’re all gathered in what looks like a comfortable kind of study. The two subordinates fret and fuss over the gem, trying to work out what’s been done to it (preferably without touching it either physically or mentally). Meanwhile, Felix spins his story about an evil necromancer, making sure to stutter and correct himself in the right places. Apparently it’s a fairly convincing description, because the Vigilant in charge places a hand on his shoulder and soothes him when he falters. Even if she also shoots disturbed looks at the soul gem on the table.

Full marks for Naugus’ handicraft, that’s for sure.

[ixis]

It's hard to stifle further giggles to himself at seeing the frantic display, how easily these so-called Vigilants are sent into a tizzy over a spell he cast. But Naugus somehow manages, instead just silently observing.

Well, that and using his further expertise in magicks most foul to keep things on edge. An unseen glow (thanks to being properly shrouded in the realm of shadows) is emanating from the Mobian's staff, casting a subtle spell that reaches to spread to the entire room. An insidious, subtle aura that only serves to goad negative emotions into deeper severity and keep them there. Keep these fools good and scared, giving them no opportunity to try and gather a more level head in their investigation.

[conjuredskies]

It is fun to watch! Felix has to take care not to roll his eyes as they grow more and more nervous. They’re practically feeding each other as their speculations grow more frantic. Although he realizes even he’s on edge. Perhaps it’s the nervous thrill of deception, but it’s hard not to catch their doubt and disgust. And not hard at all to act distressed for their benefit.

Stendarr’s sake, they’ve nearly convinced themselves that there’s a plot of Molag Bal afoot. He'll have to explain the compliment to Naugus later.

“Tiela,” says one of the junior Vigilants after a while. “I’ve… I’ve never seen daedric magic like this. We need to put this in the vaults- to contain it until Keeper Fruscia returns!”

Tiela hushes him, nodding meaningfully at Felix. “Very well. I’ll go with you. You, young man, should rest. We’ll see that the… crystal is safely taken care of. But the Keeper will have questions for you when she returns.”

Felix nods shakily. “Rest… rest would be so nice. I haven’t slept properly since… Is there somewhere I can lie down for just a while? Please?”

“Of course.” She shows him into the small bedchamber next door, and leaves him to his own devices. Perhaps it’s the growing anxiety she’s working to hide, but she neglects to have him guarded while she goes down to the vault. Felix is soon leaning against the door, listening to the Vigilants’ footsteps recede over the floorboards outside.

[ixis]

Naugus, meanwhile, is going to be certain to consult his brand new book on Daedra to figure out who this Bal guy is. Mental note made.

He follows in Felix's shadow until the escort turns and heads for the Vaults instead. He hisses, "Time is of the essence! Follow as soon as you can!" before his presence slips beneath the door and back out into the hall, sliding his way into the retreating guard's shadow and keeping close. Let's see how far he can get before wards or the like become a concern.

[conjuredskies]

Felix jumps at the hiss from the shadows, managing a nod just after the Ixian mage’s presence disappears. Damn it, Caelus, pull yourself together. You’re on Nocturnal’s business, remember!

The thought of following three Vigilants down an unknown corridor into who-knows-what vaults and reinforcements is one to inspire caution, but he can’t play his part if he isn’t around when Naugus needs him, can he? He waits a couple of minutes, before leaving quietly and trotting after them. Lucky he's wearing his older, quieter boots. But just in case, he stops to cast a muffling spell, to deaden the sound of his footfalls. It seems to work. He has to hope it’ll stick.

Ahead of him, the Vigilants turn a few corners and descend a long flight of steps to a spacious undercroft beneath the Hall, littered with supporting arches. The door is warded quite obviously with runes of elemental destruction and seals designed to make loud noises if the door is breached. No sign of divine protection here – and besides, the senior Vigilant quite unsuspectingly lifts her hands, concentrates to lower the wards, and produces a key to open the vault. Naugus can just slip right in to the main vault, where a motley collection of books and artifacts are arranged within their individual wards.

There’s also a set of much larger and better-warded double doors: heavier runes, heavier locks… and the mark of holy symbols, blessing the doorway against dark and malevolent beings. In the arch above them is a carved emblem: a sword and goblet.

[ixis]

The wards get a moment of curious peering from the hidden wizard, the elemental ones especially, as that's another craft near and dear to him. But business is business, and it seems things are being dismantled momentarily to allow entrance. He follows silently into the main foyer of the vault.

The entire area gets a passing, visual sweep before his eyes land and stay on the big doors. That's probably where his tainted soul gem is headed, isn't it? And he doesn't feel confident about nearing those holy symbols without causing a stir. Or burning the living hell out of himself, either/or. Perhaps it's best to wait here until Felix secrets his way in as well. Naugus settles into a darker corner well and away from that holy warded door to observe in the meantime.

[conjuredskies]

There’s some discussion, right now, about where to put the gem. The younger and more impressionable pair definitely want it to be sealed in the big vault; their elder has just enough sense not to want to tamper with the protections. Somewhat less sensibly (perhaps) she’s reminding them that the Cowl of Nocturnal is being kept in there, and they can’t risk the corruption of exposure to such a dark artifact.

She’d rather just put the gem into the sealed display case where there are already three black soul gems. ‘To wait for purification’, she says. Nearby is a nearly complete set of daedric armor looming black and blood-red on its stand; an ugly black mace on another, a gnarled wooden staff in the center of an unnecessarily large (and smelly) cage. Each is warded with more simple runes (though an ordinary thief, one imagines, could easily be killed by even these precautions).

Felix, in the meantime, has made his way downstairs: he’s lurking outside the door and trying to peek through the crack to see if he can sneak in. He pushes it carefully, but it starts to creak once it’s open a crack, making one of the Vigilants jump and look around nervously. Blast! He retreats a step to try and come up with a new plan, listening in case they actually come investigate.

[ixis]

Naugus knows how to bide his time. For years, decades, if need be. But that doesn't mean he knows how to be patient in the more immediate frame of time. It's not long before he's grown antsy in the dark, especially surrounded by all these curious objects! He wants to examine them! But he feels he might not be able to move as freely as he'd care to in said examination, not with these idiot Vigilants still sitting around, nattering about nothing that matters.

They've confirmed at least verbally that the item they want is under lock and key (and ward) of the largest doors, but that's given little more than a passing thought to the impetuous wizard. He's distracted now by his curiosity and his impatience to sate it. The door they came through gives a creak, making him look towards it as well as one of the guards, and that makes Naugus decide to act.

Was there ever an order to do this without lethal means? That question only gets a moment of consideration before it's cast aside without care. No more lurking, no more hiding; Ixis Naugus surges from the shadows, already casting his magicks mid-leap, reaching towards the Vigilants and snapping his hand back into a tight fist. The air immediately around them and the air from their very lungs is sucked from both, ensuring a nasty sensation of drowning on dry land for the three guards. Asphyxiating. And Naugus, malicious glee in his eyes, appears to have no intention of allowing them breath any time soon or ever again.

Felix makes a token effort to be the lesser evil here

[conjuredskies]

The ugly sound of choking resonates threefold inside the vault; Felix hastens to take a look, and then goes wide-eyed. He sidles carefully through the door, taking in the writhing Vigilants on the floor, the gleeful sorcerer standing above them. His eyes are wide, but it's hard to tell from his expression if he's amused or disturbed or simply... stunned.

He's no fool. Or no hero, perhaps. He circles the scene slowly, nodding to Naugus with an obviously impressed air. He won't kid himself that he has the power to command the elder mage, nor that- what, charging in to stop him? - would help matters.

But he's not sure he's entirely comfortable with the painful death of some vaguely well-meaning idiots, so when they look like they're going unconscious he speaks quietly to Naugus. Respectfully. (Steady voice, don't sound afraid, don't sound ungrateful...) "They'll be more useful if you spare them. I suppose."

[ixis]

Naugus spares Felix a glance aside, one eyebrow raised. "And how's that? We can figure out a way into the warded area on our own. I have faith in you, boy! And they've said our goal is indeed past said wards. What use are they to us now? Or at all?"

He hasn't stopped holding that void of air.

[conjuredskies]

"Oh, in case someone else comes along," Felix says brightly, talking fast. "Injured friends make better distractions than corpses, you know."

He has no idea if this will sway Naugus, but the appeal to self-interest is the only one with any chance of success. Self-interest and pride.

"And- of course, if they're dead they won't be able to bear witness to the feat of magic which overpowered them... so effortlessly. I've seen nothing like it." Look attentive, look relaxed...

[ixis]

He frowns, possibly considering this appeal...then lets his fist unclench. There's a whoomph noise of the air rushing back into the void he'd created. There's another gesture that follows, pinching his fingers together and drawing a line in the air. A portion of the ground near the unconscious soldiers bursts upwards, trailing stone fused into chain links, and closing one clamp after another onto the ankles of the fallen.

"There. I don't need them rushing us from behind with spears at the ready. Now! Let's have a look at that door, shall we?"

[conjuredskies]

Felix doesn’t need to try to act impressed right now. He bows, temporarily wordless, and hastens to examine the door. He lifts his hands to probe the wards, faint light playing over them.

“Hmmm… I can definitely break these elemental wards and the shielding- though perhaps not quietly…” He looks up at the holy symbols marked on the door. “Those protections will harm any daedra I summon to break the locks. Perhaps… hm, wait. They must have some way to deactivate the holy ward, if they put the Cowl inside.”

He spins on his heel, picking out the eldest of the Vigilants and going to search her. “Surely there’s a key…”