16 Requiem

(2 days later)

The sun slowly rose over Jorrvaskr. Lucius's sweaty body dripped onto the hot slab below him. The black metal slowly twisted and curved, giving the metal a floral aesthetic that radiated a sense of calm and elegance.

Each resounding hit of his hammer struck the metal into its fated position. The form of a ring took shape, with a small holding for a gem. One of which Lucius had waiting by the anvil.

A group of footsteps came behind him, three, if his ears were to be believed.

But Lucius held his focus. Gruelling hours of no sleep or rest were poured into his first creation. One that not only had purpose and style but held the very essence of Lucius beloved memories. The ones he clung to when in the dark, the ones that kept him sane in wake of his newfound prophecy, calm on his fated path.

Intricate carvings graced the inside of the band, glowing a soft green that seeped through the ebony and dragonbone mix. Runic scripture carved itself onto the gem beside the ring.

A final clink of the hammer and a large glow reflected off the towering eagle statue above him.

'This better have worked.' Lucius thought.

"Eorlund! Look at this, you can ignore the magical runes but, assess the quality would you?" Lucius called out behind him, without his eyes leaving the ring. "I just need to put the gem on the ring and it's done."

"Are you making that for one of your girls, Lucius." A sweet voice questioned behind him.

"Hmm?" Lucius spun around, to see Ciri leaning on the rocks with Eorlund and strangely Aela with them.

"Um, i can explain… First, why is the wolf here?" Lucius asked, as Aela huffed with a side-on glare.

"Sundown two days ago, huh Lucius?" Ciri said.

"You weren't there either from the looks of it. Your fingers are covered in ash and…ingredients? Not to mention the bags under your pretty eyes." Lucius bit back. "Eorlund, could you please take a look before i collapse." Lucius asked with a tired smile, holding out the ring.

"Sure, lad." Eorlund took the ring. "It's great work for a beginner, i won't pretend to understand these engravings, but, it will serve you well if you care for it." Eorlund appraised Lucius's work.

"Phew~ Just what i wanted to hear. I spent all night on the runes trying not to ruin the rings structure." Lucius let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"If you'd entertain this old man. What do the glowing engravings do, boy?" Eorlund asked, handing the ring to a curious Ciri.

"They calm the mind when i get angry. I noticed whenever dragons, or the destruction they cause, are in front of me, i get too angry to think properly. A calm mind is a mages greatest tool, and all that." Lucius finished, waving a disinterested hand.

"And the gem?" He continued his questioning.

"Fuel for my intent. A focal point, essentially. It lets me cast my intrinsic magic easier." Lucius explained. "The metal for the crown is still there, old man."

"The death magic?" Ciri peaked up from the ring.

"Yeah~ Say it to the world why don't you. "Death magic" sounds a lovely subject." Lucius smiled mockingly.

"Pah! Who cares what idiots think, Lucius? Power is power, it's how you use it that counts." Ciri said tossing him the ring.

Lucius caught it with one hand." Can you help me put the gem on?" Lucius asked Eorlund.

"I'm still here." Aela's foot tapped impatiently, arms crossed.

"And i can't help but wonder why..." Lucius blankly stared at her.

"I want to talk." She bluntly put. "About our last encounter." She continued seeing his unchanging look.

"I'll go finish the ring while you talk. I don't mind." Eorlund said nudging Lucius.

"Just say it here, woman. Ciri, i'll likely tell anyway, and Eorlund is your own blacksmith. What's the problem?" Lucius declared.

"Fine. How did you do it?" Aela asked.

"Do what? Find out about the curse? Or, the fucking?" Ciri's head shot up at the last question.

"Wait, you two slept together?!" Ciri yelled in shock.

"No." Aela said to Ciri. "The first one. How?" She pressed.

"Easy. The smell, the eyes, the hair on your neck, and the fact you don't try to hide it either. I could list some more if you'd like. The major one being the reactions and you coming here to 'talk.'." Lucius plainly said.

"Don't tell anyone. Or you might have an...Accident." Aela smiled 'sweetly' as she turned and left.

"Oh, i'm trembling. Ciri, can you see me shaking." Lucius mocked, loud enough for the departing Aela to hear.

"Haha. Shut up." She said after a short laugh.

"The ring's done. I don't know if you need to do anything more to the gem." Eorlund said. giving Lucius his ring back.

"Thank you. Here." Lucius passed him a large pouch of gold.

"No need for this, but i'm still taking it haha!" Eorlund joked.

"Woah. Where'd you get so much gold, Lucius?" Ciri asked.

"The guards gave me all the dragons scales and bones. See the white parts of the engravings? That's dragonbone. I sold the rest for about 500 a piece. " Lucius happily said. "How did the alchemy go?"

"Pretty good, i have a lot to learn, but Arcadia had a huge book of notes and recipes i bought." Ciri explained, smiling happy that he remembered her endeavour.

"Nice, you can share that with your father too, right?" Lucius questioned rolled off his tongue as his hands glowed an eerie black.

"Yeah, that's partly why i learned..." Ciri drawled out, watching Lucius's actions.

"I didn't ask earlier, but. Can you go back to your world?...To your father i mean." Lucius asked, his hands hovering above the ring.

"I should be able to. It may take a few jumps." Ciri informed. "You got a name for the ring? Every good object needs a name." Ciri asked.

"I have some ideas, they're all related to calm or songs though." Lucius said.

"How come? Is it, um, because your mother sung to calm you?" Ciri carefully asked, not knowing if the subject was a sore one.

"You're right. Good memory." He stated as the glow grew. "I had a few in mind, i like Requiem the most." He said, hands touching the ring's gem and closing his eyes.

"That's a bit dark. no? A requiem is a song for dead people..." Ciri said, a little judgment in her voice.

Lucius focused on imbuing his magicka in the ring, letting the glow fade and turn the gem a deep black with deep green glows trying to break through. Letting the girl beside him wait for an answer.

"Heh, a good job she's dead then, huh?" Lucius heaved a light response, smiling sadly.

"Oh, i'm sorry." Ciri quickly said, realising her folly.

"Don't be, wasn't your fault was it?" Lucius said. "Seriously, it's fine don't worry. Now, No teasing or i'll pull the dead mother card again. Can you flash us up there." Lucius finished with a joking smile, pointing his thumb behind him the the towering mountain of ice and rock.

"I might be able to. I can see it clearly from down here so it should be fine." Ciri answered. "Wanna go now?"

Lucius placed his ring on his forefinger. His eyes flashed black with power for a moment. "Yup, ready when you are." He grinned.

'Oh, he won't be grinning for long.' Ciri thought sneakily.

Ciri held out her hand. "Hold on tight. Wouldn't want half a companion when i open my eyes." She teased.

He took her hand. "That was a joke right?…Right?!" He shrieked.

Ciri laughed as they disappeared in a blinding Viridian flash.

"Children." Eorlund huffed with a small smile.

.

.

.

A raging blizzard surrounded the vast peak of High Hrothgar. Winds howled and snow battered the ancient stone bricks of the voice's keep.

A dim flash revealed a brightly smiling girl and a vomiting elf.

"You bitch." Lucius cursed, ignoring the girls uncontrollable laughter.

"Come now, dragonborn. Your destiny with the hermits awaits!" Ciri said with her hands in the air, advancing to the steel doors of High Hrothgar.

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Guys. Stop swearing in your comments. I can't see, or respond to them...please.

I did a two day timeskip because no one learns in one day, bite me.

I have my plan for Middle-Earth set so i started framing a rough storyboard already.

Image of the ring for people who like that thing, just imagine the description on top of the image i guess.

(Image):

Maybe 3 chapters in one day...?

Have a good one.

Your "patently evil" Author.