Ah, nothing was like a good Breton feast during the holidays. Alicia had come home to visit her family for the New Life Festival. It was the only time that the entire family returned home together. She made sure that she was able to come home even during the strenuous years of her training at the Mages Guild.
"Love is an action," she had told her trainers, "I must show love to my family through all things. I train to protect, and I protect because I love."
After Alicia's stand, the entire guild began to observe the holiday. They even encouraged the apprentices to go home and visit any family and friends they might have.
As a result, The New Life Festival was often referred to as "Alicia's Gift" amongst the younger generation in the guild. Time off from studies was especially needed during this wearisome war against Necromancy.
The month of The Evening Star had been a cold one. The wells were frozen, and the wood piles were low. But inside her home life was good. Her uncle played delightful music on his harp. His playing always started strong, but the quality dropped along with the level of ale in his tankard. The family huddled together around the fire after gifts had been exchanged. They were all smiles and the chatter was hysterical. Her mother had given her knitted socks that she wore proudly. She knew there would be no place for them when she returned to her duties at the guild. She noticed that her dog, Phaz, sat at the door impatiently.
"I'll let Phaz out." She said. She strode over to the door and opened it pulling her gown around her.
The cold gust blew in at an alarming rate. She stepped outside and closed the door to keep the heat in, "Hurry up Phaz, by the Gods, it's freezing out here." Phaz just stood near the door looking off into the woods. "Phaz, I know it's cold, but go already." The dog made a small whimper and turned to go back inside. Alicia's awareness jumped at the dog's unnatural behavior.
She whispered a life detection spell she had learned from Delphine Jend in Bravil, "halarv tok' masheirr faveir" Her green eyes glazed over solid white, and she began to look through the village walls.. through the trees.. yes, there was a presence here. She opened the door, and as Phaz bumped inside she used her little knowledge of telekinesis to pull her sword from the side closet to her hand.
The wind blew right through her gown as if she was wearing nothing at all, and her knitted socks held no warmth. She marched towards the woods with determination. Then stopped cold.
A foul smell assaulted her nostrils. A low groan could be heard and the snapping of fallen twigs in the woods ahead. A naked man with torn flesh and dark blood stained teeth raced toward her. “A zombie here?” Alicia held her hand high as it erupted in a ball of flame to push the darkness of the night away. The zombie hesitated a moment. A man in all black garment with red markings emerged from the woods. "Sharlon!" She recognized her old master. She hadn't seen him since he had left the guild. "Necromancer, you have no place here among the living!"
The necromancer laughed deeply, "I come in peace, my dear. I do not wish to bring death. I only need to visit your families graveyard."
"You will raise none of them to …." she gestured toward the zombie, "to be like this abomination in torture!" She was losing control of her voice. "Your little holiday took away my honor." he said. "Don't you see young battlemage.. how your protest made a fool of me among my peers." Her fear was overwhelming. The Necromancer only laughed harder,
"Don't you see? I want to give your dead family Alicia's Gift! After all, it is the New LIFE FESTIVAL!! IS IT NOT?!"
Alicia planted her back foot raising her burning had and holding her sword in a deffensive position. Her old master raised his staff horizontal and whispered a command that sent the zombie into a blind charge.
Breton Battle Mage vs. Necromancer
you may need to join the Elder Scrolls Elite Union in order to post a vote.
EDIT: In a best of 7 the union voted 4-2 for the Breton Battle Mage.
cont...
As the zombie came closer Alicia realized who this zombie was!
Her knees buckled and she screamed in absolute terror, "NOOOOooo!" She lost all concentration, and the fireball in her hand fizzled away. Everything became blurred by tears. To see her deceased brother's face again was bewildering. It was hard enough to say goodbye to him at the funeral. "oh... my.. my bruh..."
"Oh, do you recognize my friend now?", Sharlon interupted.
It was obvious that Sharlon had already been to her family's graveyard, but this wasn't her brother. This was his tortured flesh. She weakly raised her sword and blocked one of his heavy arms from landing on her. He continued his persuit as she stumbled backward in the snow.. she couldn't tear her eyes away from that face.
"He has been given a new life!" Sharlong boomed, "He has been given Alicia's gift.. your sweet brother has come home for the holidays.. AA HA HA HA!! He only wants to feel your embrace? Why do you resist him?"
It was too much.. she dropped her sword and through blurred eyes she raised her hands to embrace her brother. She summoned the most powerful frost spell she knew, and as she touched his back she could feel his skin split apart as it contracted in ice.
She held his frozen body for a moment before letting it drop back into the snow.
"You have done the unthinkable." Her voice sounded frail. The frost touch spell had taken so much out of her.
Sharlon didn't seem interested in talking any more. His black robes blew around him as he moved toward her with his staff blazing green. His first shot hit her directly and her mind seemed to go blank for a moment. her majicka had been drained completely. She grabbed her cold sword from the snow and pulled it up in time to block Sharlon's staff.
"I trained you well, but you are very weak. This may prove to be boring." His staff shot around his body in a blur hitting her 3 times. The last blow sent her face down on the ground. As she jumped to her feet she saw the bright contrast of her red blood in the snow around her.
Alicia's eyebrows turned down in a focused look. She drew herself up and pointed her sword toward the attacker. She spun toward him wielding the weapon in the old style forcing Sharlock on the defensive. Her mind began to tingle with the sensation of magika again as she attacked again and again and again.. stalling for the right moment. Sharlock finally took the bait and attempted to counter.
As he struck her sword with his staff she dropped it purposfully and grabbed his chest digging in with her nails. She began to absorb all of his majicka.. replenishing her own.. he twisted and turned in his robes as he felt the power leaving him.
When she let go his body dropped down .. fragile and old. His old body was so weak without magicka to fortify it. Sharlon coughed out in a whine, "Alicia.. I trained you.. listen to me" but her ears were like stone. He would not harm her family again.
"I must show love to my family through all things. I train to protect, and I protect because I love."
She took her sword up and removed his head.
Alicia stood alone.. with her hair and gown blowing away from her body in the cold wind and snow. She stared off into the distance... tears running down her cheeks... completely unaware of her environment.