Board Thread:Roleplaying/@comment-3293219-20140623222942/@comment-3293219-20140626140516

Kaizen’s eyes slowly opened to the sound of a flickering fire, he looked around and noticed that he was in a small shack, a homely place that remained chilly, despite the roaring fire in the corner. He looked over to the fireplace before looking up again, at the window, seeing that it was starting to snow…

He got up and approached it, wandering across the small room, that most would call a ‘bedroom’ or even a ‘kitchen.’ However, it was obvious that this was the entire shack; the only piece of furniture was a wooden chair and a table as well. The place looked very minimalist as if it was the home of a hermit or a cynic but as Kaizen got to the window, he noticed that there was an entire village, just outside his door.

He didn’t recognise the place immediately but figured that it must be Solthstiem as the place was dark and in a season of permanent winter. The Black Argonian continued to watch, from the window as he looked for any signs of life but found that he couldn’t see any…

There were lights on but nobody seemed to be occupying the houses, like he was in a model village of sorts…

Cosy but lifeless…

“Enjoying the view?” Sigard asked, prompting the Black Argonian to turn around and face him, seeing his pale skin, red eyes and the circular crack in his forehead, from where he had been shot. Kaizen immediately began to feel uneasy, stepping back and ensuring that he had a clear getaway route.

“No need to be alarmed… If I wished to torment you, like I did your little pets, you would have woken up in a torture chamber and you would already be screaming…” The Nord informed him, gesturing to the wooden chair, that was surprisingly comfortable.

The Argonian didn’t react in any meaningful way before he made his way across the room, turning around and taking a seat in his chair.

“Somebody has a high opinion of his performance…” He grumbled, looking back to the fireplace as he watched the flames flicker, prompting Sigard to chuckle slightly, it was a rare sound that was almost unpleasant to hear as it made him feel even more uneasy.

“Well, no matter how good my ‘performance’ is, we both know that you’re not going to break. It took Samuel six months to get anything out of you. It’s obvious that you won’t break, no matter what I inflict on you…”

Kaizen looked over to the Nord as their eyes met, narrowing them slightly and nodding, somewhat glad that someone was finally able to see sense. Knowing this, he leant back in his chair, getting a little more comfortable…

“I would’ve thought that you’d use one of my memories as a backdrop…” Kaizen commented, glancing up to the window before looking back at him.

Sigard nodded before getting up, wandering over to the fireplace and staring at the flickering flames, almost as if he longed to actually be here. For a brief moment, Sigard actually appeared to be… Human…

“You’re a Skaal then…” Kaizen noted, sitting back in his chair, rather calmly, despite the intrusion into the sanctity of his dreams.

Sigard huffed, looking to the Argonian as if he was impressed, not many people would be able to identify a Skaal village, if they had never been to one.

“Not many people know of the Skaal, not even the people of Solstheim know anything about us.”

“Not many people read…” The Black Argonian replied, almost bitterly as he didn’t value this shadow dwelling coward’s respect.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Why am I here?”

<p class="MsoNormal">Sigard’s face dropped as he returned to his normal self, turning around and retaking his seat, opposite him on a bench, under the window.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I think that you know…” He replied, in his thick Nord accent, placing his hands on his knees and keeping his glowing eyes fixed on the Black Argonian opposite him. This caused Kaizen to sigh, he did know… He knew all too well…

<p class="MsoNormal">“You want the spear?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Of course.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Kaizen hung and shook his head, somewhat disappointed with Sigard for being so foolish, though some people will leap over any hurdle to reach power, even the hurdle of logic.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I would have thought that it would have been the first thing you did, as soon as you were brought back from the dead. I saw you go to Cheydinhal, predictable, you needed to re-establish your routes. You had some trouble with the Penitus Oculatus… Again, understandable that you prioritise them but you didn’t even send one feeler out for its location. Not one messenger or information source was paid to even look into the matter…

<p class="MsoNormal">Why?”

<p class="MsoNormal">Kaizen looked up, straight into Sigard’s eyes, which were almost blinding as they were bright and intense, due to the evil that dwelled behind them, not Sigard but the thing that held him.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Unlike you, I learn from my mistakes… That spear is where it belongs, in the past; I have no further use for it.

<p class="MsoNormal">I don’t where it is… Hopefully, someone with some sense saw fit as to destroy that bastard thing or at least send it into the deepest, darkest void that they could find.” As he finished, Kaizen’s voice sort of shook, wavered, ever so slightly. He quickly regained his hold over it but normally he had such a great amount of strength over his emotions or at least the way that he conveyed them, he seemed to be regretful enough for this thing to push through.

<p class="MsoNormal">Sigard didn’t react to his statement, instead he just watched, noticing the slight break in his voice as he spoke about his creation.

<p class="MsoNormal">“You never thought to check upon what happened to the artefact that you unleashed onto the world?” The Nord asked, sounding even more disappointed but that was okay with Kaizen, if the Nord’s respect had no impact on him, then his disappointment wasn’t going to have any either.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Why does it matter so much to you? What is it that you wanted me to do with it? You must know that I can’t open another portal, the one in Garlas Malatar was closed and I couldn’t reopen the damn thing if I wanted to.

<p class="MsoNormal">That spear is worthless now, at least as far as its original purpose is concerned and it’s far too unstable for most people to wield as a weapon.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Sigard cut him off, chuckling and shaking his head before leaning forward, letting Kaizen in on a little secret.

<p class="MsoNormal">“As one door closes? Another must open…”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Which means…?”

<p class="MsoNormal">Sigard relaxed, taking in this moment of knowing more than Kaizen did about the potential that the spear still had to offer.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Which means, that when The Divine Crusader and Umaril the Unfeathered were taken through the portal at Garlas Malatar, they must have reached another destination.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Yes, the skies of the Imperial City, everyone knows…” Kaizen paused, suddenly seeing what he was getting at before sitting up, with a shocked look on his face, he seemed… worried.

<p class="MsoNormal">“It’s too high up; you’ll never be able to reach it.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“You’re right but with a small boost of energy? I will be able to use the spear as a beacon and the Whitegold tower as a platform, sending the energies up into the sky and creating a second portal to… Well, the unknown.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Kaizen sat back and glared at him, his eyes widened as he gently drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair, wondering if this Nord was mad enough to actually attempt such a thing.

<p class="MsoNormal">“The portal… Is too unstable, you’ll lose control and this time? It’ll be even worse! If it reduced an ancient ruin to… nothing then imagine what it would do to the Imperial City! Imagine what it would do to the province or even Tamriel!” The Argonian got up, staring down at Sigard and seething as he build up the message in his throat, ready to drill it into his thick skull.

<p class="MsoNormal">“It cannot be done! I miscalculated; the effects of the portal are just too strong for the realm to take! The spear is a powerful weapon but it cannot be used as a conduit to Aetherius, it’s simply too unstable! The only thing that you can achieve, through doing this is the destruction of everything!”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Precisely…”

<p class="MsoNormal">“W-What?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Imagine, the most powerful energy source since the Warp in the West, releasing an untold amount of energy! Now, just imagine how powerful Tyranil could be, if he were to absorb that energy…”

<p class="MsoNormal">Kaizen glared at him, unable to hide the worry on his face as for the first time in his life, he felt…

<p class="MsoNormal">Fear…

<p class="MsoNormal">“That’s… Insane! Tyranil couldn’t take that, nobody could, he’d just keel over dead!”

<p class="MsoNormal">“The shadows shall protect him, like they did when he used the Spear of Bitter Mercy ten years ago.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Kaizen’s spine stiffened as he heard the last part of his response, somehow even more disturbed by it, he had figured that the Spear had been destroyed or locked away, surely Pelinal would have taken it to his grave, had it buried at the center of a large tomb at the very least but…

<p class="MsoNormal">Ten years ago? What mad man would uncover it? For what purpose?

<p class="MsoNormal">“Tyranil… Used the spear?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Yes… To an extent, he had it in his possession for a time, though he didn’t use it as a weapon as he was far better with the scythe.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Then he lost it? I’m guessing so, since you revived me, to go and look for it.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“And use it…”

<p class="MsoNormal">Kaizen folded his arms and shook his head, sighing heavily at Sigard’s stupidity as he retook his seat in the chair.

<p class="MsoNormal">“The last person to hold it was Corelas Adire, a Thalmor agent, who used it to destroy the Great Lord Vidron, destroying Tyranil’s plans in the process along with his own mind. Like all Thalmor agents, Corelas went underground and even if we did find him, he would probably be useless to us…

<p class="MsoNormal">Well… Useless to everyone but me…”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Since you can get inside his head?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Exactly…” Sigard grinned, getting up and approaching the Black Argonian, grinning as he stared down on him.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Sigard… You’re insane, that spear was a mistake, it should never have been made! Using it will only lead to unnecessary destruction!”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Consider it an added bonus…” Sigard muttered, raising his hand and crushing his fist, causing Kaizen to gasp and fall to the floor as if he was choking on something.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I’m sorry, did you really think that I would let you live? Now that I know that you’re pretty useless, I’ll have to terminate you, to correct my mistake…”

<p class="MsoNormal">Kaizen was barely paying attention as he clawed at the floor, his arms flailing wildly as he tried to keep a grip on his existence. The Black Argonian could feel Sigard’s hold tighten with every second. It was as if his windpipe had just been closed, pulled together…

<p class="MsoNormal">The Nord just grinned as he watched his enemy slowly die on the floor, grinning at the helplessness of him, the fact that he was about to die so pathetically made this all the sweeter…

<p class="MsoNormal">Kaizen thrashed in his bed gasping and knocking at the end table beside him and at the bed, if someone didn’t wake him soon, he would likely perish…