Board Thread:Roleplaying/@comment-3293219-20170228220646/@comment-3293219-20170306212845

Zakariah sighed and cracked the reigns of the horse, causing it to slowly pull them along as they rolled out of the castle...

A loud ‘smack’ emitted from the center of the Firewalker central training hut. A grand hall, that was almost bare as it existed only to train members of the Firewalker clan in the art of Pyromancy. Here unfolding the training session that would make Zakariah, a much younger version, a master of the art. Zakariah, despite not having many differences in facial features, looked a lot younger and fresh back then. His chin scruff beard was a lot neater trimmed and he didn’t look as tired or beaten down.

Zak yelped as the Grand Master’s Bo-Staff came into contact with his face, knocking him straight to the ground.

“Useless!” Grand Master Iro snapped, twirling the Bo-Staff around and putting it behind his back as Zakariah slowly lifted himself up.

“I’m trying but I just can’t do it!”

The excuses were cut off as the Bo-Staff was slammed down on the Dark Elf’s head, bringing him to the ground, with a thud and an ‘oof.’

“I’m sure the enemies of our clan will take that into consideration! I told you what to do, I’ve told you a thousand times and my patience has run out! It’s clear that you’re simply not trying, you need to ignite your soul, conjure the black soul fires inside it!”

“I... I told you, I don’t get angry.” Zak murmured before being smacked across the face, once again and falling back down to the floor. Now his jaw stung something fierce and the bottom part of his face stung furiously, to the point that it was almost debilitating.

“Then find something else! Find an emotion, latch onto it, I want to see that black aura by sundown or I might just beat you to death!” He slowly lifted his staff again, over his head. He wasn’t even using it properly anymore, he was using it like some sort of cane that you’d hit a child with, rather than an warrior’s weapon.

Zakariah flinched as he saw it come down, turning his head away and taking a sharp breath as he braced himself, however, he quickly found that he remained unharmed. The Grand Master grunted and stumbled back as his staff was pried out of his hand, Zakariah then saw a familiar looking Dunmer girl, swing her staff down at the elderly man’s legs, bringing him to his knees before smacking him across the back of the head with it.

Zak looked in horror as he saw the Grand Master fall onto his hands and knees, scowling as he did so. He somehow looked even more enraged than he did, when he was beating his pupil but his composure somewhat betrayed that as he slowly stumbled to it.

“Karliah...” He muttered, sounding quite firm as he turned around, seeing the stick get thrusted, just beneath his nose.

“Let’s get something straight, you old prick. Zakariah is my husband first and your pupil second, so every time you strike him, you strike at me and I don’t take it as gracefully as he does!

Understand!?” She quickly pushed the staff towards his face again, causing him to swat it aside, out of frustration.

“Clearly... I... Apologise.” The way he said it, it was like he was trying to pass a stone, he glanced to Zakariah with a vengeful glare.

“The Boy... Zakariah, is so close to becoming a practitioner of the Soul Fires and yet I just can’t get him to cast the spells.”

“That’s his fault is it?” Karliah asked, glancing down to her husband and kneeling down, she seemed somewhat shocked at how swollen his face was but Zak said nothing.

<p class="MsoNormal">“At this point? It is entirely down to him...” Grand Master Iro sighed, shuffling over to his chair and taking a seat on it.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Soul Fire, as the name implies, is flames ignited by the soul itself... It is like the Thu’um in some respects. It resonates inside all of our clansmen and only we know how to channel its energies... To find the soul, we must feel and to feel, we must go to extreme measures.

<p class="MsoNormal">Most of my pupils are easy to set off but Zakariah is...” He paused, looking over to the young Dunmer as he slowly turned to him, awaiting his analysis.

<p class="MsoNormal">“He is considerably disconnected with his emotions... He is too... rational, too resistant to anger.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Pfft... I would’ve told you that.” Karliah asked, with a faint smirk as she put her arm around him.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Don’t think he’s yelled at me once, since we got married.” She explained, looking up to the bruised face of her husband once again.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Well... I’d just rather solve the problem.” Zak shrugged before glancing down to his, slightly shorter, wife.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Hmm... May I ask, could I power it with love?”

<p class="MsoNormal">The old man twitched his nose, seeming suppressing something, Iro was probably on the verge of picking his stick up again and hitting the fool with it, just to shut him up again.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I mean... I don’t have any reason to be angry but I love Karliah... My love for her is stronger than my anger, surely.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Sounds corny.” Karliah said, with a smirk before ruffling his hair.

<p class="MsoNormal">“But sweet and... Not actually a terrible idea.” She said, looking back to Iro.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Hmm... A few have used other emotions to fuel it but... Fine, fine... we’ll try it your way. Look at Karliah and try to channel it, remember what I told you. You have to grab hold of your emotions and pull at them like threads, build a connection between your power and your very soul.

<p class="MsoNormal">It’s like using a layer of muscle, instead of using a layer of fat to keep yourself fuelled. It’s using your heart instead of your head. Allow it to flow through you, until you feel its glow engulf you.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Zakariah nodded, turning to face his wife, with a deep breath, several in fact. He did as his Master told him, trying to find the source of it. He tried to take a grasp of it, tried to feel but it just... didn’t seem to work. He couldn’t grasp the threads, they were just too thin. He couldn’t tie the knots of the ones he caught and they flew away, sticking back to his soul...

<p class="MsoNormal">With a scowl, Zakariah gave up, looking away and scratching his head.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I’m sorry... I...”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Don’t be.” Karliah whispered, gently placing her hand on his shoulder and wrapping the other around his arm.

<p class="MsoNormal">“There’s no rush, you have all the time in the world...”

<p class="MsoNormal">She leant up and gently kissed his cheek before looking back to Iro, who simply shook his head in despair, she said nothing else to him as she took him by the hand and dragged him towards the front door of the hut. Not even bothering to say ‘goodbye’ as she tossed the Master’s staff to the floor. Zak found himself staring at the Master, trying to build up the courage to apologise as he was dragged off, back home.

<p class="MsoNormal">As soon as he stepped outside, he found himself sighing, letting his hand slip out of Karliah’s and fall to his side before he folded his arms and hung his head, sighing heavily.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I fucked that up, didn’t I?”

<p class="MsoNormal">Karliah looked back to him, glancing away before stepping forward and taking his hands.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Zak... Don’t take any of this too hard, okay? He wants the best out of you, so he pushes you... He just pushed you too far today, that’s all.

<p class="MsoNormal">You’re still one of our best Pyromancers, better than me anyway... Remember my examination? Took ages for Master Indalae to grow his beard back.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Ha, that was... actually quite impressive.” Zak said, bursting into a bit of laughter as he was taken by the hand and lead back to their hut.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Look, you’ve just had a bit of a shitty day... Sometimes, these things just take time, Soul Fires aren’t Easy to perform or else everyone would be able to do it. I would recommend a better teacher but...” She paused, opening the door. Master Iro was the Grand Master, owner of the temple and grand hall, he was the best Pyromancer in the village as is the bare minimum requirement to be a Grand Master.

<p class="MsoNormal">The door opened and the two of them shuffled in, rather awkwardly as the door was kicked shut behind them. Karliah quickly noticed how bad Zak’s face looked at the moment and found herself sighing.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I know what you need... What we both need.”

<p class="MsoNormal">She stepped forward, prying open a barrel of water and pouring its contents into a nearby bath, it was obviously taxing on her but it was better that she did it as Karliah was physically stronger than Zakariah.

<p class="MsoNormal">Emotionally to...

<p class="MsoNormal">She filled the bath before glancing back at Zak, looking to the steal tin bath before looking back to him.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Think you can heat it up?” She asked, given that he was the better of two at casting and controlling fire spells. Zak quickly nodded and dropped to his knees, pressing his hands against the steel base of the bathtub and emitting an orange glow as steam slowly began to emit from the bath.

<p class="MsoNormal">It didn’t take long for the water to heat up, prompting Zak to whip his hands away before it got too hot for their skin, he didn’t want it to boil as it would take too long to cool down. As he pulled his hands away, he heard the sound of Karliah’s robes hit the floor, landing in a heap on the floor, rolling off of Karliah’s back.

<p class="MsoNormal">Zakariah found himself looking back to her, seemingly taken aback by her naked form. It had been three years but it still felt new to him. After spending a childhood together, it was... odd, as odd as it was, seeing her on their wedding night.

<p class="MsoNormal">It wasn’t a bad odd, mind. Far from it...

<p class="MsoNormal">Zak quickly removed his robes, tossing them to the ground as the two of them climbed in together, sliding into the bath tub. She gave him a rather sleepy smile as she slid towards him and picked up a rag from the side, gently dabbing his face.

<p class="MsoNormal">He lay there, body submerged in water as he felt her gentle touch on his chest and the dabbing of cloth on his face. He closed his eyes and relaxed, feeling like he could almost fall asleep...

<p class="MsoNormal">How he’d give anything for those bruises, to be lay in that bath again...

<p class="MsoNormal">Happy...

<p class="MsoNormal">Loved...

<p class="MsoNormal">Whole...

<p class="MsoNormal">Alive...

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Zak glanced up as he saw the winding road of Kvatch, just to his right. He eventually pulled off, beginning his ascent...

<p class="MsoNormal">"Shit, hope the horse doesn't keel over and let the carriage go, I don't like the look of your chances if it does." He called back.