B.M.R. Year 0 Exodus Part 02

• Posted by Sotek January 7, 2016 - Filed in TSC: Classics - 1,298 views

   

  

  

   

  Within minutes of departing from Ebonheart’s harbour, the small craft, the ‘Chun-ook’ steered to the south of Vivec’s palace. The palace looked just like any other ‘pyramid’ in the city of Vivec except for the many steps which ascended from the lower level from a bridge which was the only access point to the very top of the structure. On board the craft, the three girls along with Aruzzel watched with wonder and awe as they gazed up at the floating meteor which was known to the locals as the ‘Ministry of Truth’. It hovered about a hundred feet above Vivec High Fane.

  Quentarii was far from impressed with it but then she had a wriggling ten-day old hatchling to contend with. Sotek, the hatchling in question was once again going frantic to free himself from the blanket that he was wrapped up in. Small bone spikes adorned his head and were catching on the linen wrap making it hard for him to break free of the ‘web’. Quentarii managed to free his face from the sheet so he could once again look out and see the world around him. A soft ‘hsss’ informed her that he was now happy and far more content.

   

  As the boat sailed through the water, small waves lightly crashed against the hull. Every so often a somewhat larger one would rock the craft and a white spray of sea would rise up in a display of foam and sparkling droplets of water as they reflected the sun’s rays. Sotek’s head suddenly turned to his right taking half his body with it, nearly throwing him out of Quentarii’s arms. She held on tighter to him in reflex as she muttered under her breath.

  “What are you trying to do hmm? Have a look at the stupid rock like your sisters? No you want to see the water. Always the water with you… Oh!”

   

  She turned to see what he was trying to look at which she initially thought was the sea but when she actually paid attention to what held his gaze, she groaned. In the water, smashed on the rocks was a wreck of a boat. She wondered if he was looking at it or something else but as they drew past it, his head turned towards the stern of the boat so he could keep his gaze on the half sunken ship.

   

  While both ‘mother and son’ were watching the wreck, Aruzzel came over to them. However, he wasn’t much of a sea bearing Argonian and instead of walking along the middle of the boat he kept to the edge where the railing was.

   

  He was a few feet away when a larger wave struck the boat causing Quentarii to grab hold of the railing. She tutted at him as she regained her footing.

  “You haven’t spent a lot of time on boats have you? You’re rocking it!!”

   

  From behind them, the owner of the gondola, Nevosi Hlan, called out to him.

  “Sera, could you please keep to the walkway. This is only a small craft and I’ve yet to finish paying for her. Please… Sit down”.

   

  Quentarii huffed as she watched Aruzzel with disdainfully eyes. He seemed to be in a world of his own until she prodded him and pointed to a seat next to her. He awkwardly sat down but in doing so he trod on Quentarii’s tail.

  “Owww, you fool!” She slapped him on the leg as she tugged her tail away from him.

   

  His lips quivered slightly due to being reprimanded but he wisely kept those thoughts to himself. Instead, he pointed back to the owner of the boat, Nevosi.

  “Why does he keep calling me Sarah?”

   

  Quentarii chose to ignore him, instead she was looking out to the starboard side of the boat where a multitude of rocks could be seen jarring out of the water. Her mind kept thinking about the shipwreck they passed and the fascination which Sotek held for it.

  “Oh by the nines… Hey Little-Foot, if this fool walks about any more you might end up on a shipwreck of your own”.

   

  As if he understood, Sotek’s tail started thrashing about almost like he was exited with the possibility of them actually sinking. Aruzzel wasn’t so impressed, or happy.

  “Hey, I overheard that!”

   

  Almost blanking him, Quentarii gazed off in the distance where an island started coming into view.

  “You were supposed to…” She then smirked at him and gave him a playful shove just so he knew she wasn’t genuinely angry at him.

   

  On the island which they seemed to go around in a much larger semi-circle than what was seemingly necessary, a tall black tower stood out. It was build using dark grey stones that seemed to be almost metallic. The whole structure was covered in evil looking runes and patterns. Vele’nara who was watching the various slaughterfish swim about in the sea noticed that the water was getting deeper. So deep in fact that she could no longer see the bottom of the seabed. Even the various plants and seaweed had now disappeared from sight.

   

  Feeling far more curious than alarmed, she walked along the middle of the boat on the walkway towards Quentarii and sat down beside her. Before she said anything else, she leaned in front of her and Sotek so she could speak with Aruzzel.

  “See, the wangway don’t cause the boat to rock when you walk along it…”

   

  Quentarii burst out laughing as did Aruzzel. He smiled warmly at the girl and nodded at her.

  “Yes, but I believe it’s called a gangway. Not a wangway. But yes, you are correct”.

   

  Sotek paid all the laughter little attention. Instead his eyes were busy watching something else. His head darted forwards in an attempt to bite a green feather which adorned Vele’nara’s head. She lightly screamed as she saw the row of short but spiky teeth launch towards her.

  “No! Don’t bite me. I fed you an apple slice earlier!” Her voice faded off as she became transfixed with the black ruins. “There’s… I wondered why we were so far out”.

   

  Quentarii held her in her arm while she balanced Sotek in her other arm. She slightly nodded and spoke quietly so Vele’nara’s younger siblings wouldn’t be concerned.

  “Yes, you are right… There’s Daedra there. That place is called Bal Fell… It’s a Daedric ruin. Now you listen well young Vele’nara… This isn’t Blackmarsh!! There are dangerous places in Morrowind and none are worse than Daedric ruins. They aren’t places I want you or your sisters to go exploring in. Death lurks there so you keep a wide berth of them. Do you understand?”

   

  Vele’nara nodded along with a mischievous smile.

  “Yes ma!”

   

  However, if she thought that was the end of it then she was mistaken. Quentarii’s features hardened and she waved a finger at the oldest of the three sisters.

  “No! What do you say?”

   

  The girl looked up at her with a startled expression. She thought about what she had said then slowly nodded.

  “Yes, Quentarii”.

   

  Quentarii shook her head in a slow but deliberate motion from side to side. Her lips moved slowly as well as she spoke.

  “You are not listening child… What do you say?”

   

  Vele’nara paused as she gazed in her mother’s eyes. She gulped loudly as she realized what was expected from her.

  “Yes, I understand, Quentarii Walks-On-Fire-Water…” That was it. When Quentarii told her to stay away from the ruins she was laying down the law. It was carved in stone and was not to be disobeyed. Vele’nara didn’t often use her mother’s full name but when she had to she knew it was important. Not like, ‘no light tonight, early to bed’. Commands like that seemed to be in the rights of children and young adults to break and disobey. But this was different, this was law and there were no room for doubt or misinterpretation. ‘I thought you said I could have two sweet rolls’ wouldn’t cut it. Quentarii’s word here was to be obeyed.

   

  Vele’nara felt something which she didn’t feel very often. She looked at the ruins which had now opened out into what looked like a Daedric city. She felt afraid…

   

  She moved away from her mother and walked back towards her sisters then promptly sat between them. The Daedric ruins were behind them now but the two younger sisters hadn’t failed to see them. Kut’ara pointed over the side of the boat to the ruins as she talked to Vele’nara.

  “We’ll go exploring places like that”.

   

  Vele’nara wrapped her arms around them both and held onto her sisters tightly. She shook her head as the boat carried on it's way, leaving the ruins of Bal Fell behind.

  “No, we won’t!!”

   

  It was well into the afternoon when Quentarii sat the three young Argonians on a seat together for lunch. She divided up some cooked meat which caused Nevosi to turn his head in disgust but the three sisters tore into their meagre meal hungrily. Even Aruzzel couldn’t be sure as to what meat it was, no one asked but they were all grateful except for Nevosi. He muttered something about outlanders before pulling out a basket of food from the back of the boat and ate that instead.

   

  Between bites of his own food, Aruzzel sliced up one of the last remaining apples for the hatchling Sotek. He seemed ignorant to the food situation and sucked on the pieces before spitting them out and laughing as Aruzzel fought to feed him.

   

  Quentarii sat by herself with a Kwama egg for company. She slowly picked at it as her mind turned to the next few days. They still had a way to travel and supplies were running low.

   

  Her mind was pulled away from such trivial matters if such matters could be called trivial, by the sudden change of direction which the ‘Chun’ook’ took. It turned towards the north and slowed up as Nevosi carefully guided it between precarious rocks which seemed to govern the channel which they were now heading in. Aruzzel went to get up but the Dunmer shook his head at him.

  “No Sera! These are dangerous waters. Please stay where you are!”

   

  Aruzzel rolled his eyes and complained to the Hatchling in his arms.

  “I wish he would learn my name. I’m not Sarah. You call me that when you are older and I’ll scream”.

   

  This stage of the journey seemed to take hours with little headway to show for it. The three children all thought that they could swim faster than what the boat was travelling but once Kat’rini, the youngest of the three peered over the edge of the boat and saw several slaughterfish swimming nearby, she decided it wasn’t such a good idea and resumed sitting in her seat.

   

  After what seemed a long painstaking time, Tel Branora came into view. It didn’t look much, just two ram shackled huts were the only buildings dockside and the gangway of the harbor wasn’t looking overly well-kept either and several planks needed replacing. Further inland grew a massive wooden twisting tree which had several large pod like buildings attached to it. A ship, somewhat smaller than the Chun’ook lay alongside the gangway which filled Aruzzel with a sense of dread. Quentarii looked on with concern also but she had different things to worry about. Food was scarce and money were short. The three girls had started squabbling as well which added to her already troubled mind. The Hatchling was asleep in a basket, curled up in a green spikey ball. Occasionally his tail would flick over the edge then slide back inside.

   

  Once the ship came berth in Tel Branora’s harbor, the three sisters dis-embarked along with Quentarii who had the basket with the sleeping hatchling inside it while Aruzzel gathered their belongings. Before she done anything else, Quentarii sat by the dock and let the three girls wander about along the decking to stretch their legs and blow off some steam while Aruzzel sought out the owner of the craft to secure its use for the next part of their journey. A Dunmer woman was sweeping the deck of the boat so he introduced herself.

  “Hello, we’re trying to reach Vos and wish to hire your craft. How much would it cost?”

   

  She had an air of suspicion due to the Argonians attire but Nevosi flagged her down and put her fears to rest as he prepared for the return journey.

  “It’s all right, Nireli… They are from Blackmarsh. Not on the run… And they pay with gold”.

   

  Nireli waved back in a warm greeting to Nevosi before introducing herself to the Argonian.

  “As you have heard, my name’s Nireli… Nireli Farys. I own this boat, the ‘Spring’. Now I can’t take you all the way to Vos but I can take you to Sadrith Mora. You can get transport from there to Vos. The journey will cost 41 septims. Is that ok Sera?”

   

  Aruzzel threw his hands up in the air as he cried out in despair.

  “Sarah? Agghhh!”