As if through cotton wool, as if a distant, barely audible mirage came a voice.
-…Deceased.
-Take it... guys!
- Hey, he's alive!
-Ness... carefully...
- ... hit him ... hard ...
-Living...
My mind was filled with fog, thick as smoke from a strong cigarette, but most often it was just darkness. A couple of times I even realized my position in the empty darkness, a couple of times I even understood what could be the reason for my being in it, a couple once it even seemed that I managed to escape from her sticky tentacles, a couple of times even opened my eyes to cast a vague look at the vague pictures of someone's house.
How long I spent like that only was oblivion knowns, it is difficult to calculate the exact time during the time of delirium generated by the subconscious in the form of disturbing dreams and hallucinations.
But after a while, I opened my eyes. "Ceiling": the only thought my brain decided to amusingly pick out from the total mass.
My head ached, and this pain was intensified by the disgusting pungent smell hovering around as if someone mixed ammonia and cow shit and poured it into my nostrils. Trying to open my eyes did nothing, something held my eyelids, something like glue. But that didn't matter until I tried to move, I never imagined that my body could be in such pain.
- Uuuuurgh! - the eyelids instantly became wet from the tears of suffering, and from the throat let out the loudest howl I could muster.
- Aaaaaargh!
-Here, have a drink, almost immediately someone's hands were pressed against my open agony mouth something with liquid, forcibly pouring the contents down my throat.
- This will help relieve pain, but it will take away your strength ...
I didn't listen, as the hot liquid in my stomach filled my body with warmth and my head with dope from which I wanted to fall into unconsciousness. It was better than
enduring terrible pain in the chest and right arm.
Darkness took my feeble consciousness into their abysses, away from the unkind reality.
The second awakening was still unpleasant, but much less so than the first, changes were immediately felt, stiffness, in the chest was tight and tightly tied with something, and the right hand was tied to the body, with only my fingers able to
move.
Opening my eyes, I realized that the light in the place, the house in which I woke up came from an open hearth in the center of the house, I myself was lying under the window, behind which flaunted two pale moons, and the opposite was another bed, now empty.
Second the fact that attracted my attention was the sound of something hitting each other wooden and chewing. Clearly, the owner of the house was having dinner.
-Bon appetit, - the mouth was full of the remnants of potion.
-You woke up - I did not see, but I heard how the owner of the house instantly put
side cutlery and rose from his seat to me.
— How do you feel? - a couple of seconds later, a tall man appeared in my field of vision. a golden-skinned elf, the Altmer was instantly recognized by me. He was old, his face was covered with a lot of wrinkles, and on the body, instead of my usual clothes, there was a dull brown robe, notably an Arkay amulet around the neck over the robe.
-It was as if I was chewed up and sput out,- he laughed weakly and strainedly, in fact
actually more for myself than for the old Altmer, I remembered how my
last memory and could imagine what happened to me. Nothing pleasant for sure. - My chest aches, my arm ... I don't feel my arm, my head hurts, and it feels like a cat has pissed in my mouth.
- No sharp pains when breathing?
No… I guess not.- At first, I wanted to give an instant negative answer, but
interrupted, listened to myself, and answered more confidently. - Possibly if
trying to get up...
-You should not get up,- the Altmer immediately broke me off.
-Got it, so what? I am not my own enemy. So what happened to me that I ended up here?
-Would you like to be somewhere else?
-It's strange to wake up in the house of the servant Arkay,- I fixed his eyes on the amulet on his neck - when I thought that I would not wake up at all.
-Arkay didn't want your soul,- the old man chuckled. -Maybe it's too
bitter for him?
-I think it's spicy, one that turns your stomach/
-Ah, then it's clear why the werewolf decided not to eat you, but only to chew,
if your soul is so not tasty, then what is the body? Poor animal, pulling in the mouth any poisonous muck from this then dies.
-I think the creature just bit off more than it can swallow, choked poor thing, - I'm alive and not even in parts, that counts as good news.
- That's exactly what he said - he choked, - the old man shook his head, - you were a lucky mage. you are very lucky that the men from the guard instantly rushed to the screams, that the girl you saved could tell them where to run, and that the werewolf didn't bite your arm in two and didn't continue tearing you apart, lucky that the claws only tore the flesh on the chest and ruffled the ribs, but did not tear the lungs and heart, and the guards found you and the werewolf before you bled to death.
-You were dragged to me when you already stood in the halls of Arkay with one foot. An amazing desire to live. I've seen people walk away from less, but you... I admit that your tenacity impressed me.
-I don't… don't remember anything after I rushed at the werewolf,- I admitted, -there is a huge hole in my memories with only rare scraps: the growl of the beast, his angry throwing, my hand inside his mouth, and my own cry when gave all the magic to the last drop in the "sparks".
-No wonder, the Altmer shook his head and handed me a bowl of watery porridge and a wooden spoon, at first I thought that he wanted me to take it, but he extended his hand further and stretching it over my body put them on the windowsill by the bed.
-Now let's try to lift you up a little and feed you.
I did not mind, in fact, I was even glad, to realize that I would live. I decided that hunger might begin to torment my stomach since there was no pain yet. Apparently
I can't just take it and wake up without any discomfort after another twist of fate.
The porridge lacked salt, but the right word was not in my position to complain. Having satisfied his hunger, he began to interrogate the old man, I was interested in why I ended up in his house, who treated me and in general, like a girl, and for good reason I rushed at the werewolf.
-The Daedric worshiper was finished off by the guards who came to the rescue, but you notably made it easier for them, you and the werewolf clung to each other like pincers, even more, likely it's you clinging to him, and he was just trying to tear you apart. Here are the guards who were able to plant steel in the back of the creature, but your magic notably patted the beast to of this, I saw a corpse, the whole mouth to shreds.
- How's the girl?
-What will happen to her? The child, however, was frightened, cried into her mother's skirt, and now running around with all the punks near the mother's tavern, forgetting about an accident that happened three days ago. Not even realizing the full extent of danger she was in.
-Three days?
-Three days ago? Oh, how long I was laying around with you - three days of life and severe wounds that are the price of the life of one little girl, as for me the price is small, but would not like to repeat it.
- With your wounds? This is not enough, I told you, an amazing desire to live.
But yes, I did a good job saving your life, I haven't been this tired in a long time.
-
Thank you,- I smiled at him expressing all my appreciation and gratitude.
-Hah, nothing young man, I'm even pleased after everything, it's nice to see that the old Runil is able not only to escort to the world of the dead but also to prevent those who are still early.
The elf's eyes were surprisingly soft as he looked at them and reigned in them a kind of peace.
-Still, it's amazing that it was the priest of Arkay who was busy saving me.-I admitted because this fact surprised me a lot. — Thought about a herbalist, an alchemist, or what magician, but not about the priest.
-Hah, I understand, - the elf chuckled, - but there is nothing surprising, Falkreath
not rich and, frankly, a dysfunctional city for merchants, which means here
people no matter how useful skills, such as magic, do not strive for restoration, moreover, in all of Falkreath, I am most familiar with magic, and this
albeit sad, but an indicator.
-I see,- I simply said, for there was nothing more to say, the silence was established. One second, two, three, and I decided to interrupt it, clinging to the topic.
-It would be nice to learn a little magic, you don't give lessons in the evenings?
Hmm, I suppose you want to learn about the school of destruction? - like without changing his tone, no emotions in his voice, but there was a feeling that if I answered "yes", then the Altmer did not would approve.
-Honestly?
-It would be nice.
-To be honest, it would certainly be good to learn the school of destruction, at least so that in the next such case I can stay on my feet, and not in animal teeth. But I don't really care what kind of magic to learn. I just love magic and due to the difficulties of life, I managed only recently to get the opportunity
to learn from it.
Destruction, restoration, conjuration, alteration, mysticism, illusion if it was up to my will, I would study them all at once. Right now, I wouldn't say no to some restoration lessons to speed up the recovery.
-Hmmm, the old Altmer held his gaze on me, he was clearly pondering, and weighing in his mind the pros and cons.
- If you were given a choice which school of magic would you study first?
-Conjuration,- I immediately answered simply because it is the school that I am most familiar with. On top of that, the master of the school of conjuration would have never been in my situation, he would either call on his body Daedric armor or performed a quick call of some Dremora so it could chop up the annoying werewolf.
-And why?
- Simply, in my opinion, this school is the most promising and deep, only
the school of alteration can rival it, and it reveals the essence of magic, it is good to explore the world of magic. And you can always call fire atronach to keep warm while you travel through the frosty Skyrim
-Wait… did you summon the Flame Atronach just to keep warm?- with
my interlocutor asked with a laugh and surprise looking at me.
-Not for myself, for a friend. As it turns out dunmer can't stand Skyrim's cold.
-Ahahahahaha! - the Altmer laughed heartily,
-Not funny,- I muttered resentfully, with no respect for the wounded heroes.
- No, it is very funny, - the mage wiped the moisture that appeared in his eyes and fell down with his ass on the bed opposite. - Okay, I'll teach you a couple of tricks that will be useful to you on your journey. And conjuration just happens to be my specialty.