Elder Scrolls: An Unwordly Visitor

Lysona was reevaluating the girl as she spoke, and nothing in her new analysis was anything good. Clearly, this girl has more than just a few screws loose if she didn't know how to get off of a mountain. And surface? It wasn't like they were delving into ancient ruins or even in a mine. Sighing, Lysona stared at the girl as though she were the stupidest girl in all of a Tamriel. "Listen, to get off of a mountain, you have to go down. Going up would bring us to the tip of the mountain, also known as, the Throat of the World." Only the tip had the title, earning it by, again, being the tallest mountain in all of Tamriel.

Lysona barely managed not too laugh when the girl mentioned fighting a dragon. "Girl, you wouldn't be able to scratch a dragon." Dragons, since they've been appearing as of a month ago, had rocketed to the top of Lysona's "most dangerous creatures in Tamriel" list. And there was no competition. They were incredibly powerful and Lysona had seen Alduin-on their first encounter-wipe out an entire hold in under an hour, not suffering a single injury despite being up against master archers and dozens of Imperial Soldiers. "No, if you ever face a dragon, you're going to die." Unless Lysona happened to be there, but even then, it was always difficult to protect and fight at the same time. Although, now possessing Dragonrend, Lysona was sure the battles with them would happen very differently.

"No, you need a weapon for the common dangers. You know, bandits, wolves, trolls, vampires." The list went on and on and most of what she said, Lysona knew the girl before her wouldn't stand a chance. She might stand a chance against a lone, injured wolf. After all, due to the girl's revealing clothes, Lysona noticed a significant lack of muscle. Even a mage such as herself had much more due to the dangerous tasks that her research required her to perform.

"Luckily for you, I have a spare dagger." Reaching into her bottomless bag, Lysona pulled out a steel dagger. It was in good condition as despite never having to resort to it, Lysona kept her dagger in good condition. She'd have to get a new one, in addition to a staff, as this was actually the only dagger she had left. They weren't expensive though so Lysona didn't care much. Pressing the hilt into the girl's hand, she warned. "Be careful, it's sharp enough to draw blood at the lightest touch."

[Sardonyx]

"Hmph...I haven't been to this place before...I'm not that stupid that I don't know how to get off a mountain, I'm just saying...the Throat of the World to a newcomer from where I would come from would be pretty misleading...!" Larissa spoke as her pout came back again when the older woman gave her 'the look' that asked whether or not she wasn't screwed tight up north.

She couldn't really argue much with the fact that she probably wouldn't stand a chance against a dragon, she doubted that she would stand up to most people, much less something that up to now had been considered a myth found in fairy tales. The other list of enemies also seemed to come out of a fairy tale. Bandits, Trolls, wolves, vampires, etc.? It seemed as though next she was going to come across giants and other talking animals. Though she really shouldn't look at things like a joke, she couldn't help but do so.

Then she received the dagger, which her grip locked upon once feeling the handle. "....Cool...never really held one of this before...thanks..." she had to resist the childish urge to 'test' it out by giving practice jabs in the air, she didn't want her guide to give her even more strange looks and think even less of her. But then she decided to turn towards her. "And yeah, I'd like it if you didn't call me 'girl'. I don't call you woman, we have names for a reason right...? Mine's Larissa...tell me yours isn't Dragonborn or whatever I heard these guys call you before..."

"From where you come from?" Lysona repeated. "Oh, what province do you come from?" She asked. Last she checked, the Throat of the World was known everywhere, although she supposed it was impossible for any piece of information to be known by everyone. Lysona noticed the calm way the girl held onto the dagger, although she was giving it some strange looks. It probably felt odd in the hands of a novice. In which case the girl should give it a few swings to get used to the item. "You should give the dagger a few swings." She voiced, feeling the oddest sense of irony, but not able to understand why.

Lysona wanted to smack the girl for giving her her name. "You must be very sheltered, or very stupid, to give someone your name so easily." Many people avoided giving their names whenever possible, unless they lived in a secure place, such as one of the holds or a village that had a lot of guards. Lately, because of the war, every village had soldiers and so the name thing had become rather lax. The reason for the tensions lied in an organization called the Dark Brotherhood, a group that would kill anyone for the right price. A hirer would perform the ritual and then give the name of the person they wanted dead. The Dark brotherhood must have some type of magic that let them locate the target, as Lysona herself had been attacked shortly after crossing the Aldermi Dominion (during which she let her name slip). The assassins were powerful and Lysona was lucky that she paranoid by nature. Well, Lysona was about to contradict herself, but there weren't actually that many who took the Dark Brotherhood seriously anymore, at least, not in Skyrim. This was because the group had been on a losing streak lately since the raid on one of their hideouts...but, back to her main point...

The girl's naivety went no bounds it appeared and it would get her killed. Larissa was an interesting name though. It was similar to a Breton name, actually, but lacked some of the common rules. "Larissa, huh?" The woman said, brushing a lock of her white hair behind her ear. Since the girl had given her name, Lysona decided she would take the risk, since the Dark Brotherhood was probably too weary of her to attack again. "It's Lysona."

Lysona also noted the way Larissa threw around her title, and it was clear the girl didn't understand the significance of it. "You don't seem to understand what Dragonborn means." She observed, aloud. Clearly this was another area the girl was ignorant in. Lysona didn't feel like explaining it though, as she had the suspicion it would only lead to more confusion. "I'm going to sleep, now." She said, standing up. She was exhausted from the fight, her intensive magicka use taking a draining on both her body and mind. "The offer to go to the base of the mountain is open. Just make sure you're away at dawn if you decide to come, I can't afford to waste any time." She said.

The woman then traversed the castle tiredly, eventually finding on of the guest rooms and falling asleep on the mat.

[Sardonyx]

Larissa just gave a deep sigh. "I doubt you would know...if I clearly don't know a thing about where you come from, then I doubt you would have a clue about where I'm from..." she only wished that the roles were reverse, and she was nice at home, and this woman was the confused one. She didn't want to be made to look stupid anymore.

But apparently that didn't help as the look she got after telling her name made her even more uncomfortable, then upset as she heard the Dragonborn's other comment. "H-Hey...! It's only common courtesy to introduce oneself...I don't see the big deal..." she said. It was true, she might...no, most definitely was ignorant to what her guide's world was like, so Lysona's response weren't uncalled for in the slightest, though Larissa took it as just being rude, it only made her further wish that she was home. Though she finally smiled as her current companion revealed her name. "Lysona...sounds pretty..." she remarked as a compliment.

"Shouldn't be surprising at this point that I wouldn't know..." the girl then said in a joking matter as Lysona remarked that she didn't understand the significance of her title, and it was true she didn't, all the young girl knew was that she saw two dragons earlier, one good, one evil. Maybe she was raised by the good one, who knew? Everyone else but her it seemed. Then she listened to Lysona bringing up the offer again and she nodded sheepishly, finally giving her dagger a few practice swings. Then she decided to head off to sleep on her own.

She wandered around the castle for what seemed like an eternity before she finally found a room, all the while when she was walking, she pulled out something from her pocket. A cell phone, which was surprisingly still active. "....!! It's alive...c'mon...okay...92 percent...good thing THIS came with me out of all things...i better conserve energy though, I doubt I'll be able to charge it in a while..." she groaned to herself. She had no service obviously, but functions still worked, such as an alarm. "Dawn huh...well, a little early for me but doable..." once it was set, she managed to find a guest room. Her expectations were shattered, she should have known better than to expect a hotel like suite, but it was a simple room.

She had to go to sleep thought, so she reluctantly laid down on the mat, which she shifted herself on in order to get comfortable, thought it didn't work. She was pretty sure that she would never fall asleep, but eventually she clocked out.

The night went by slowly for Lysona, who's dream was haunted by the different terrors she had faced throughout her life. Adluin was a terror that stayed constant, as this was an aspect that Lysona felt particularly insecure on. Would she be able to defeat him without the help of Paarthunax? Before it had been a mixture of luck and skill, but next time Alduin would be weary of his underbelly, which was grossly unguarded due to the lack of scales. Lysona wouldn't be able to damage him that way...which meant...Lysona's eyes opened.

It was the middle of the night, but Lysona couldn't sleep just yet, despite her injuries and exhaustion. "Magelight." A small, hovering ball of light appeared, only able to be seen by its master, Lysona. It was very bright and Lysona rubbed at her eyes. Grabbing her satchel, which she had left by the mat, she searched it, eventually finding a book. She stared at the spell tome. In this book was the most advanced spell that she had ever had the chance to study. She had pledged not to touch it until she got to the college (as a student, not a visitor like before). However, as the battle with Alduin neared and all of Tamriel hung in the balance, Lysona needed to learn this.

Opening the tome, Lysona began reading.

Lysona had only managed to dig through the first chapter by morning, but not because she was a slow reader. Spell tomes were notoriously difficult to learn from and understand, usually because they were written in an ancient language that scholars struggled to comprehend. Groaning, Lysona rose, nodding to the Greybeards, who had risen to see her off.

Stepping outside, she noted how the sun hadn't risen and thanked herself for not distinguishing the magically created light. The girl wasn't out, and truth be told, Lysona wasn't keen on leaving the girl here. Especially since she might have had something to do with it.

Argnier, the leader amongst the old men, picked up on her hesitance. "I will get your companion, do not worry." The old man left, traversing the guest hall until he found the sleeping girl. "Young one, awake. The Dragonborn is leaving now." He said, his bones creaking as he leaned down and shook her shoulder.

[Sardonyx]

Larissa was able to sleep soundly, even on something that wasn't her large queen sized bed, even if the child was out of her 'territory', she still slept like a rock. Although, she was exhausted, enough that she slept past the alarm that she place for herself, so when awakened, the ringer from her phone was still going off. She slowly sat up and rubbed at her bed with a groan. "Ngh...ooohh...owww...that was the worst sleep I've ever had..." she mumbled, before looking down at her phone and shutting off the alarm, putting it in her pocket. "I need to change my ringtone..." it was only then, when she heeded the words on Argnier.

"It's dawn?! Crapbaskets! I can't believe that I...!" but she had time to scold herself later, she soon shot up, nearly tripping as she got to her feet, put on her sneakers and ran out, screaming. "W-Wait up!! Don't leave me!!"

Lysona watched as the girl-Larissa, she reminded herself- ran out in a panic, yelling worriedly. Lysona caught Arngier's eyes, which seemed befuddled about something, trying to convey her thanks. It didn't seem to go through so she settled on thanking him when she came back. "Hurry up," She told the kid, waiting for her to catch up. She noted the small footprints left in the snow. The shoes the girl wore were strange too...

Shaking her head, she said, "Come here." Getting close to the girl, she applied a new warming charm. "This should keep you warm for a while. I'll reapply it soon." Although she suspected they would have already parted ways by the time it would be needed. "Now, let's go down the ten thousand steps." She said, starting the journey.

Lysona walked briskly along the poorly made path, sometimes breaking into a jog to cover some distance before slowing down again. It was a good four hours before Lysona decided to take a break. It wasn't for herself, but for the girl accompanying her. She wasn't sure if the girl could handle another six to seven hours without a break. "Are you thirsty?" She asked, creating a bubble of water which hovered on her palm. "We still have a long way to go." Fortunately they hadn't come across any problems yet. Although it did make Lysona suspicious, as there was never an absence of wolves in the area. Subtly, she casted a Life spell, searching for life besides Larissa and herself. The unease in her gut grew. There wasn't life anywhere close. Hopefully they would run into something further down. Even if it meant a fight, it would help Lysona relax.

[Sardonyx]

"C-Coming...!!" Larissa quickly tried to catch up, she was an excellent running, so in the snowy conditions, she was able to catch up with Lysona rather easily, at least that was one traits about her that was decent, she could move rather quickly without being tired.

She quickly felt how cold it was again, but the fact that she was running made her not notice until she came to halt and he almost began to shiver again, but once the warm spell was applied, she calmed. "T-Thanks..." she said, before blinking. "Ten thousand...?"

After four hours of walking, jogging and even running, the effects began to wear on Larissa, but she was wasn't 'dying', but her feet did hurt from the excessive movement however, and once Lysona stopped walking, clearly time for a break, she immediately dropped and sat in the snow to rest her feet. At the offer to water, she stood up with a nod. "Yeah, please..." she said, blinking as she stepped closer to the bubble of water to hydrate herself before the journey would continue. But then she decided to ask a few questions since they stopped. "Sooo...what does your title mean...I'd love to learn the significance...and would you prefer if I called you that or call you by your name...?" she asked, trying to make small talk while she could.

Lysona blinked, a bit surprised by the girl's inquisitive nature. You would think if she was this curious then she would know much more then she had been displaying. Although it could just be a case of over-specialization. In the end, Lysona didn't care much. She supposed she could explain some of it and then they could get going. "Dragonborn..." Lysona began. "A person with the soul of a dragon. Those cursed with this power have been known to be the ultimate dragon slayers. When a Dragonborn slays a dragon, they absorb its power, its soul, and become even more powerful than before. A Dragonborn is able to speak the language of the dragons, which to people like the Greybeards, is called a shout; similar to the way I stopped the blizzard." Lysona explained.

"There hasn't been a Dragonborn in thousands and thousands of years though. I'm the first-known- Dragonborn to have appeared." There was much more to the story, but anymore information could put her in danger. After all, the Aldmeri Dominion would love to have their hands on any scrap of information about the dragon occurrences. Standing up, Lysona said. "Break over. Oh, and never call me by my name. It's dangerous." She said, helping the girl up, and herding her on. She was careful to keep the girl behind her. There was something not right about the lack of wildlife. The girl obviously didn't know this considering her...sheltered...nature, but Lysona was used to encountering packs of wolves and trolls every time she came up and down. Which made it nerve wracking that there wasn't anything around.

It was around three hours later when it happened. The two females were halfway down the mountain, trudging through the heavy snow fall, when Lysona felt something prickling at her senses. By instinct, she grabbed the Larissa and rolled to the side, barely managing to evade a powerful burst of lightning. It crackled, and Lysona's hair stuck up. Standing up, she ordered. "Stay down, don't let them see you."

Magicka danced inside her body, ready to be summoned at anytime. Spotting her enemies, she noted that there three, all dressed in dark brown garb with bone necklaces and other decorations around their chests. They were a mask, also made of bone, and Lysona could see red-eyes glaring through the slits. Which meant they were either vampires or Dunmer.

"You there." One called out, electricity sparkling at his fingertips. "You are the one they claim is Dragonborn, yes?" He asked.

Lysona considered the hostile assailants. Clearly they had a problem with her title. Why, she wasn't sure, but she didn't have time to question them. "That's right, who's asking?" She inquired.

He ignored her question. "Your lies fall on deaf ears, Deceiver! The True Dragonborn comes ... You are but his shadow. When Lord Miraak appears all shall bear witness. None shall stand to oppose him!" Then they attacked in unison, each using one a different element, ice, fire, and lightning respectively. Lysona, startled by the claim of another Dragonborn, barely remembered the summon a ward. The attacks dissipated and Lysona settled on finishing this up quickly.

Electricity danced in her palm. Raising her hand, a blue tornado, like the one she used against Alduin, but made of lightning was summoned, striking their forms and killing them on impact. Watching their bodies hit the snow, Lysona felt the unease in her stomach settle...for now. "Their dead. You can get up now." She told Larissa as she went to search the dead bodies. After a few moments of shifting through junk, Lysona found a folded up piece of paper.

Opening it up, Lysona frowned. "This complicates things." She murmured. There was apparently another Dragonborn in Solsthiem, which was apart of Morrowind's control. for some reason they wanted Lysona dead. Tucking away the paper, Lysona would contemplate this later. Alduin was her first priority, she would have to investigate this later. Turning back, she told the girl. "We're moving again. Let's go."

[Sardonyx]

Larissa listened to Lysona as she explained the information quietly, bit by bit the young girl absorbed it all. Before now she was still in a period of disbelief, but now, she was hit with child's curiosity, and wanted to know at least a little more of the lore of the land she spontaneously fell into. Not that she had any less desire to return home of course, but for, she didn't mind learning a thing or to, and if...no, WHEN she returned home, she would have a few stories for her friends.

Then they continued walking, mostly in silence as she spent the next three hours thinking to herself about what else was there to learn, she had always been a little of an avid reader, so to her it was as if she had just fallen into a novel and and she had always had a secret passion for learning the lore of fantasy. Although this was reality, not fantasy.

This was further sunk into her head as in the midst of her thought, she was snapped out of it and pulled to the ground by Lysona as they just barely evaded a streak of lightning that made Larissa heart race heavily. She didn't even had to be told to stay down, as she did so without complaint, and watched most of the battle that ensued with wide eyes as she let the heavy snow fall shield her further.

But when the coast was clear, she stood up and walked back towards the older woman. "I'm guessing that this Lord Miraak person is an imposter..." she remarked as she listened well to the conversation. "Although it looks like it's not all that relevant to you..." she then felt the need to pull out her phone and check the time. "It's been just over seven hours since we left..." she remarked, before putting it away. "I gotta conserve energy on this...I can't let it die while we're out here..." she mumbled, then she got behind Lysona again. "Okay, let's go..." she said, waiting for the leader of the duo to continue forward.