Jinn listened with increasing horror at J’hasi’s explanation. He didn’t seem to notice or care about tracks in the snow—as far as he was concerned it only meant they went the right way.
“Wa-wasn’t there a w-w-a-way to co-control it.. pe-permanently? I tho-thought people we-we-went looking fo-for the curse t-to be powerf-full…”
Did those people know the risks?
And more importantly… did they care?
As the mer fell silent, he mulled what he just learned against what he saw. The raw, unstoppable power of the khajiit’s other form. Literally, if J’hasi’s story was as prevalent as it seemed.
“I—It mi-might be worth th-the risk…” he muttered at last. “No, it is! I ne-need to be st-st-strong…”
Esemi’s face flashed in his mind. He had to protect him. Had to make the world safe…
The Khajiit’s mouth pressed into a thin line, a slow sigh issuing through his nose.
“Supposedly the Ring of Hircine grants the ability to control it entirely, but when I came into contact with it, it wasn’t of any help.” All it had done was force him to shift right then and there. Despite greatly limiting the wolf’s influence in his head during those shifts, it too had proven to be yet another dead end. He swallowed, trudging through a thick drift up a small incline, noting that the area was starting to look a little more familiar. They had to be close to where he had stashed his things.
“I’ve only ran into a few weres that went looking for the curse. Most people are infected accidentally. It’s rare for those who go looking for it to survive an encounter with a were.” J’hasi’s gaze flicked down to where the frozen earth was torn up beneath the snow, scattered bits of sod littering the snow here and there. His brow furrowed, a small frown pulling at his lips.
“…why would you want this, anyway? There are other ways to become strong, and with far less risk of misdirected destruction.”
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