Board Thread:Roleplaying/@comment-3293219-20140217201750/@comment-3293219-20140307211605

The Animal Spirit
The Black Argonian had been wandering County Cheydinhal for, what felt like, an age. His feet ached, he swore they were blistered but he didn't care enough to check.

Kaizen knew, exactly, what he was looking for but he wasn't sure where it was or if it truly existed. By the time Kaizen had reached adulthood, they were already extinct or close to it. The minotaurs, a once proud race, who dwelled in the Jerral Mountains, were hunted to extinction. At the end of the 3rd Era, several, brave, warriors partook in 'the great purge.'

Like the goblins and ogres, Minotaurs were complex beasts. They had their own, primitive, societies, they were not simple beasts. From what Kaizen had read about them, they were more complex than most people believed. They were intelligent enough to forge, or at least procure, powerful blunt weapons of good quality and there was evidence to suggest that they had a sort of tribal hierarchy. They resembled the goblins but they were nowhere near as advanced.

Unfortunately, they were different to 'the civilized folk' and, because of this, they had to go.

The 'civilized' people of County Cheydinhal banded together and using axes, hammers, spears, forks, scythes and torches, they managed to rid the land of their 'filth.'

In many ways, Kaizen empothised with them. Both of them were in the same boat now, the same waves had sunk their ships, indisciminate and uncaring...

But it wasn't empathy that caused Kaizen to seek them out; if he wanted to take on the Penitus Oculatus he would need soldiers. The Black Argonian had heard whisperings of Minotaur activity but he always dismissed them. Old wives often swapped stories about old threats returning, to bring death, destruction and excitement to their dull, bleak lives. He wouldn't be surprised if one of those tales was about him.

The Black Argonian looked to his left, seeing the hazy sight of Cheydinhal in the distance. Lake Arrius was slightly more in his range of vision, though only half of the lake was visible. He sighed as he was reminded of Petra, wondering about how she was doing, whether or not she'd function in a position of leadership. It seemed incredibly risky, leaving her in charge and Larius didn't exactly fill him with confidence. He was no fool, he knew that neither of them were fit for leadership but Petra had yet to prove this and thus it felt like the right decision.

Kaizen looked back as he heard something, in the bushes, up ahead. He swallowed and drew his mace and axe, wondering if the Cheydinhal guard were looking for him, combing the wilderness for his location. He then dismissed the idea as their Captain would be out of action for a number of hours, days or weeks and they didn't look smart enough to make executive decisions on their own.

The rustling stopped and whatever was lurking there had fled the scene, leaving Kaizen alone. He stood, weapons at the ready, he was prepared to face an inevitable ambush...

But none came.

Hmm, weird... He thought to himself. Surely they would have attacked by now... maybe they didn't plan to and they were simply watching him, studying him, to see where he was going or looking for obvious strengths and weaknesses. This unnerved him as an assassin; he knew what this could mean. He lowered his weapons and, slowly, crept forward. His boots crushed some twigs, underfoot, causing him to freeze on the spot as his spine shot up.

He stood still; his cold eyes were now scanning the forest, grip tightening around his weapons. The argonian sighed as his confidence returned and his paranoia faded away, leaving him alone at the center of the wilderness. He lowered his weapons as his mind cast back to Petra and the weight that now rested on her shoulders. The responsibility of leadership was bad enough but with no point of reference, she was pretty much on her own.

Kaizen shrugged off his concerns, easing the weight on his own shoulders as he began to shamble on. He had to find shelter before dark. Soon, he would return to Petra, with the promise of victory.



Days gone bye
It was a cold winter's night in Riften, Manja had spent the evening gathering gold from the gutter and she was pleased with how much she had found.

The nord had left Nish with the sleeping bag, hoping that her friend would have nodded off, by the time she got back. But, as always, he was sat there, waiting for her like an ever so loyal Goden Retriever.

Manja stopped to watch him from a distance; she rolled her eyes as he came into view. She couldn’t help but be very concerned about his self-helplessness. What would happen to him if she didn't come back? Would he be able to fend for himself? She knew that he was only just teenager and that he was new to life on the street but criminals don't care, in fact some like hurting children more than adults...

She approached him; dropping a bag of coins at her feet, startling the poor fool, making him jump, sending the covers of the sleeping bag flying into the air.

"Shit Manja!" The breton snapped as he put his hand on his heart.

"Pfft, you're so easy to sneak up on!" She laughed, taking a seat next to him and pulling the sleeping bag over her legs.

Nish stopped, to think for a second...

"Maybe you're just really good at sneaking up on people." He replied, trying to take the heat off of himself with a compliment. It was an old family tactic that his father had passed down onto him to avoid conflict, especially with the opposite sex.

"Nish, I was carrying a bag of coins that were rattling like crazy!" Manja snapped at him in response, completely overlooking his well placed compliment.

The breton just rolled his eyes.

Thanks dad...

The nord just sighed and shook her head, covering herself up in her sleeping bag.

"So..." Nish began, hoping to steer the conversation away from his own incompetence. "Sounds like you got a lot..."

Manja shot up, as if she had been waiting for him to mention it.

"Yup, some drunken nobleman dropped his coin purse, down the drain, the rookies got a lot of it and I cleaned up the rest." She smiled at her own accomplishment; the kids who got 'first dibs' probably didn't get half of it. Manja had been on the streets for a while and over the last two or three years, she had picked up a lot of experience a lot more than most of the kids her age.

Nish just sat in silence as he was conflicted as to whether or not he should say it...

"I-I could come with you next time." He offered, feeling guilty for not being as helpful as he could be.

Manja glanced back, with a pained smile.

"No offense but I doubt that you'd be much help..." She sighed as she buried herself into her sleeping bag.

"As long as you're sure..." Nish mumbled, glancing away, "I just feel bad. You go out, every night and come back with so much and I just sit here and do nothing."

Manja smiled and chuckled, faintly.

"You keep the sleeping bag warm!"

"Great, I feel so useful..." The breton muttered in response.

The nord rolled over and noticed that he was moping; she sat up and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"You give me a reason to come back here..." She whispered, trying to appease him.

"So I'm your husband now?" Nish scoffed, causing Manja to chuckle to herself.

"Nah, you're the wife."

"Huh?"

"I'm the bread winner, remember?" The nord giggled and looked up at the stars, "I wear the trousers in this household."

"I don't recall getting a white dress at the wedding..." Nish mumbled, looking over his shoulder.

"It was a nordic ceremony." She reminded him as she pulled herself down and put her back to him.

"Tradition dictates; that we get absolutely shit faced and never speak of it."

Nish smiled but tried to keep up his 'moody teenager' thing...

"Who'd we invite?"

Manja shrugged and thought about it for a moment. She didn't have any friends, other than Nish of course.

"I sent invitations to all the nobles. The Black Briars, Autumn Arrows... etc. None of them showed up though."

"More wedding cake for us." The breton smiled, always the optimist.

"Yeah, we were that hungry, that we ate the little bride and groom statues and you had splinters in your teeth for weeks." She giggled, unable to oppress the laughter as it grew louder and louder. She finally ended it, with a sigh, closing her eyes and imagined the frosting on the wedding cake, melting on her tongue.

They both lay there, thoughts swimming around their heads as they drifted off to sleep and the long silence commenced. They lay there for several minutes before Nish began to speak...

"Manja?"

"Yeah?"

The breton paused, hesitating.

"Do you think... we'll get married some day?"

This caused Manja to cough as she sat up, suddenly regretting her joke.

"Err... Nish? You know that I like you and everything but..."

He tutted and rolled his eyes, "I meant in general... to other people! Do you ever think about it?"

Nish failed to hide his annoyance at her confusion as Manja paused and thought about her answer. Truthfully? She'd never given it any thought...

"What brought this on?" She asked, nervously, as she didn't exactly anticipate the answer.

"I was... thinking. People like us? Do they ever grow up and get married? Have normal lives... houses, permanent, honest jobs and... Children?"

He paused as he began to wonder what he was getting at, though he didn't need to understand as Manja understood. She had thought this herself, many times...

She sighed and tried to think of a response, that wasn't 'I don't know.'

There was more silence before she finally inflicted her words of wisdom on him.

"Normality is overrated..."

Nish felt defeated, not knowing if she was joking or not.

"I..." He stopped, making sure that she was listening and happy to hear what he was about to say. "I don't know... I was just wondering if it was possible."

"Anything's possible Nish..." The way she said it, it sounded like she said it every day.

Nish began to giggle to himself.

"Even me getting married?" He asked with a smirk.

"Well..." Manja whispered as she closed her eyes.

"Someday, you might meet that special someone, who can't hold their ale and then who knows? You might just get her drunk enough to make her want to marry you."

"Gee... thanks..."

"That's what I'm here for." Manja beamed, much to Nish's annoyance.

Another long pause was cast over the two of them as they both thought on it. The nord glanced to her companion and noticed that he was deep in thought, this bothered him more than she realised.

"Don't worry..." Manja whispered, "You have a life time to sort this stuff out."

"I know...

I guess I just… don't want to end up alone..."

"You'll have me." Manja reminded him, with a smile. She noticed that he'd need more convincing.

She sighed and rolled onto her side, facing him.

"Look, just try not to drive yourself crazy with this stuff okay?"

Nish sighed as she finished, prompting her to cut across him in one last attempt to give him hope.

"Look, sometimes? We worry about things that we have no control over and we keep thinking about things, memories and our imagined futures as we try to remind ourselves of what has or could go wrong.

While you're doing this? Your mind isn't with you, it’s too busy focussing on what's bothering you and it’s just going to make you worry more or be more miserable." She sighed and looked up at the stars; she swore that she could make out the outline of 'the ritual' as a smile grew on her lips.

"Don't focus on the past or the future, focus on the now, where you can do good. Correcting the past and shaping your future."

She sighed and paused for one last moment, trying to summarise her point.

"The antidote to worrying? Is being in the moment..."

Nish thought about what she said, looking like he was hanging on, to every word.

"Did you get that from one of your books?" He finally asked, turning Manja's happy smile into a frown.

"No!" She snapped, through gritted teeth.

"Okay..." The breton replied, not sounding convinced.

"Talos, is it so hard to believe that I came up with something profound?"

Pro-wha?

"Erm, no..." He fumbled as Manja sighed again, she'd been rumbled and she'd have to come clean.

"Alright..." The nord sighed. "It was my mother..."

"Oh..." Nish whispered, rolling over to face her. She never mentioned her mother and often avoided talking about her, he knew that this was important to her.

"She never liked it when I worried...

Upset? Totally fine.

Anger, fear? Sure thing.

But worry? No... No way in Oblivion."

Nish looked at her with sad eyes; he often forgot that Manja had lost her family as well...

"Why?"

"Cause worry kills you Nish..." She looked up at the stars and sighed, "I've seen it... Mum spent years, waiting for dad to come home."

Nish glanced away, not knowing what to say.

"I won't let that happen to me." He finally whispered.

"Heh, you'll get married someday... I wouldn't make any promises, if I were you."

Her brother glanced back at her, with a look of surprise that he was unable to hide.

"Really?"

"Huh?"

"You think I could..." Nish couldn't finish as he was in shock at the fact that Manja didn't think that he was completely hopeless.

Manja chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"When did I ever say that you were hopeless?"

"I don't know but you were thinking it." He smiled as he rolled onto his back, suddenly feeling a lot better about himself.

"Nah, you'll be alright. You'll find someone." Manja whispered as she closed her eyes and began to drift off to sleep again. Nish continued to watch her as she rolled over, going back to sleep, with her back to him.

"I hope so..." He whispered as she drifted off to sleep.

Manja opened her eyes and waited for him to drift off before she opened her hand, revealing Nish's ring that rested in the palm of her hand.

It was quite warn, several scratches on its surface, each earned through generations of love. The nord smiled as she read the inscription on the side.

Rielle...

Manja closed her eyes and closed her hand, tightening her grip on the ring as she pressed it to her chest with a smile.

"You will..."

I know you will...

-

Manja, slowly stirred from her slumber, the walls of her tent, quickly, blurred into focus.

Nish had gone and he had taken the stars and Riften’s cold air away from him, replacing it with that warm, Cyrodiilic breeze and the ring was gone from her hands.

Manja, slowly, began to sob to herself. Grabbing hold of her pillow and burying her face into it as she wept.

The Animal Spirit: Part 2
Kaizen continued to shamble through the Jerall Mountains, his goal kept him alive and the thought of returning to Petra kept him moving.

The Black Argonian was ever vigilant of the threats that lurked in the mountains. Every now and then, he'd hear the rustling in the trees of feel a scout's gaze. They weren't Oculatus or Legion...

Unless...

What if they were hoping that he'd lead them to what remained of the Dark Brotherhood?

He swallowed as he struggled on, this had been going on for hours now and he was growing more unnerved.

Why haven't they attacked?

The Black Argonian came to a halt, slowly, studying the area around him. He'd force them out of hiding...

"I know that you're watching! I can feel your presence; I know that you're cowering in the shadows."

No answer...

Kaizen's eyes continued to scan; he knew they were there...

Then he heard it, an obvious mistake, The Black Argonian drew his weapons, hoping to correct it.

"Come out, if you want to live!"

That's when he heard it, the sound of rustling above him and the snapping of several twigs. This acted as an alarm, a siren to alert him of the falling behemoth, which landed on the ground, in front of him, with a thud. The earth shook in recognition as the beast rose to its feet, towering over The Black Argonian.

Kaizen turned to face it...

He wasn't prepared...

He couldn't have been...

Kaizen was now stood, face to face, with a Minotaur.



The Ribbon Shards of Battle
Tabith's recovery was quite slow as she was bed ridden for several days. She had awoke, after a mere few hours but she wasn't able to walk for the best part of a week, relying on Nepht and Lalia to do everything for her.

She hated it.

Tabith loathed being useless. 'Dead weight' was, to her, the ultimate insult. Like her father, Helseth, she saw rest and aid as weakness and anything that would help her was just embracing that weakness.

Tabith was considering disregarding Nepht's advice and forcing herself out of bed and trying to shamble to freedom. She longed to get back to her desk, sit herself down and never leave as she dealt with the mountain of paperwork; she had accumulated over the last week.

However, out of love for Nepht and fear of Veneficus' wrath, the Guard Captain stayed bound to her sick bed for several days.

The dunmer felt, incredibly, stupid for falling for Kaizen's trap. All those men, who had entrusted her with their lives...

She damaged that trust and she nearly got them all killed with her carelessness.

"Should I resign?" She thought aloud. What if I got someone killed with such carelessness?

She gasped as the door opened. For the fraction of a second that she was awaiting the unknown, she imagined a conspiracy. A group of her subordinates had been planning to drive the, currently acting, Captain to confess her incompetence. Ready to use her own words against her, to put herself on the spot, forcing herself to be exiled from her duty.

She sighed with relief as she saw that it was only Nepht, she had returned to her Aunt's bed side, bringing sanity and some cereal with her.

She smiled, upon seeing that Tabith was awake. Her aunt sat, waiting for her to bring her, her breakfast. She looked well, a lot of colour had returned to her face and she was already up and sat up, by herself.

"Good morning!" Nepht managed to be upbeat and cheerful, while her aunt was bored stiff.

Tabith smiled, though it took a lot of effort to fake the smile and put her niece at ease. She appreciated the care and effort that her sister and her niece had provided for her but she was going out of her mind in this bed, it was, slowly, killing her.

The Guard Captain didn't blame Nepht of course but she felt more like she was acting as her jailor, rather than her nurse. Every time she sat up to walk, Nepth would push her back down, pulling the cover over her knees and demanding that she rested a 'little while longer.'

Tabith saw the need for it but Nepht could be incredibly stern on some issues, borderline stubborn...

She'd been raised well.

"Sleep well?" Her niece asked, noticing that she had gone into a trance.

"Y-Yeah..." Tabith muttered, "I feel great, actually."

Tabith took her breakfast and, slowly, began to eat; she noticed that Nepht had sat on the end of her bed, watching her.

Something was wrong...

She knew this, because Nepht was always up and about. Reading, writing or bothering Veneficus but today? She just sat there, staring at her...

"Okay..." Tabith muttered as she lowered her spoon. "What have you done?"

Nepht had been rumbled...

It wasn't what she had done but what she was about to do...

"N-Nothing!" Nepht snapped, protesting her innocence.

"I... wanted to tell you something."

Tabith paused, looking away and trying to guess as to what it could possibly be.

"Go on..."

"I wanted to...

I want to be an adventurer."

Tabith chuckled, pushing her bowl to one side.

"That's no secret Nepht, when you were a kid? You never shut up about it!

Every breakfast, lunch and dinner, the conversation was always the same. Always about adventuring, Daniel Howe and the adventures that you hope to have with him some day." She sounded fond of the memory, back when the only bad things that happened to Nepht was in her story books...

When she was younger, she'd get kidnapped by the evil hagraven queen and fattened up, until she was ripe to be eaten. Back then, Daniel would always save her but as she got older, she'd often die in the breton's arms or become a martyr of some sorts. That was Nepht all over, romanticising every detail...

"Yeah..." Nepht strained, hoping to avoid a nostalgic conversation, she had to get through this and there was no turning back.

"Well, I want to be an adventurer...

Today."

Tabith swallowed, hard. She didn't expect her niece to want to leave... Especially after her, recent, traumatic experience.

"What has your mother said about this?"

Nepht sighed and looked away.

"Well..."

-

"Are you crazy?!" Laliah snapped, dropping everything on the table and pulling Nepht away from the windows, away from the prying eyes of the neighbours.

"But mum!"

"No!" Her mother answered, giving a cold look.

"Azura's sake, Nepht! Last time you went out training, you ended up..."

Nepht scowled and looked away; she had to bring that up.

"Yeah and that wasn't even outside the county!" Nepht countered before her mother could mention the 'Larius incident.'

"Don't you see? There's danger everywhere! I'm no safer here, than I am out there, because if I don't go looking for danger, it's sure as hell going to find me!"

Laliah fell silent.

She... was right. Was she any safer here?

"When I think about...

That night...

Do you know what bothers me the most?"

Her mother shook her head; she hadn't spoken about it before.

"If I had died? I never would have seen the world, like I've always wanted to and I..." Nepht stopped to think about her next words. Did she want to tell the truth? That her existence had been boring, bleak and dismal, up until that moment?

She sighed at the thought of saying it, as true as it was...

"Mum, I want to see the world. I know that I'm ready! I know how to fight now, that scholar didn't stand a chance, not with the stuff that Ma...

Tabith taught me!"

Her mother sighed, her equipment was better than her old sword and shield. Veneficus' sword was a fine quality sword, even she could see that and Tabith knew a good shield when she saw one. Not only that but her skills have improved as well, Tabith had spent the last week praising her skills with a sword, always out of Nepht's earshot of course...

"Nepht..."

"Veneficus thinks that I'm ready!"

Laliah looked confused, had Veneficus put her up to this?

"I'm sure that Tabith will to!" The girl added, feeling like she had put her foot in it.

Laliah sighed, her mind was made up, Tabith would be the mediator.

-

"Yeah..." Nepth muttered, awkwardly.

"She suggested that I ask you..."

The Guard Captain slid under her covers.

What do I do? She tried to think of a reference to base her decision off of... this was her sister's child and her fate was in Tabith's hands.

What would dad do?

Tabith laughed as that was a dumb question...

He'd do what he did when she wanted to join the army as a, rosie cheeked, princess. Mother wouldn't have any of it and she had almost talked her out of it when...

She's going and that's that!

She's going...

And that's that...

Tabith was left in silence, holding the atmosphere hostage, while she made her decision.

"Your mother..." Tabith paused, turning to Nepht and smiling at her. "Is going to kill me..."

Nepth gasped as it hit her, she was unable to contain herself as she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around her aunt's neck and squeezed with joy.

"Thank you!"

Tabith smiled, breathing out as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment.

"Promise you'll be careful..."

"Of course!"

"And write home!"

"Yep!"

"And bring back lots of gifts!" Tabith laughed, trying to bring the mood up.

"What would you like?"

Tabith pull away and looked her in the eye.

"You know... Wine, exotic cheeses, the severed heads of your enemies."

Nepht giggled at the thought of having 'enemies' and of her 'vanquishing' them.

Nepht the vanquisher! She thought, giggling inside her head as the thought amused her.

"So... When will you set off on your grand adventure?"

Nepht was considering today, she could head up north and be in Riften in three days.

"Today..."

"So soon?" Tabith gulped. "You sure?"

"Yeah." Nepht nodded, pulling her map from under the bed.

"Going to try and reach Riften, for tomorrow."

"Riften... isn't that far." Tabith agreed, it was a sensible destination. It wasn't too far or too different, being the Cyrodiilic boarder.

"Then, maybe Whiterun." Nepht added, nervously.

"Okay Kiddo." Tabith smiled, handing the map back to her, being incredibly supportive, despite the sudden news. "Then go... Go and see the world, like you've always wanted to!" Tabith cheered as Nepht got up and gave her one last hug before her departure.

She got up and made her way to the door and as she placed her hand on the door knob, she found herself unable to turn it.

Be strong...

With that, Nepht opened the door and let it swing open; it creaked, loudly, as the corridor was revealed.

She took one last breath, drawing it out as she crossed the threshold, into the unknown.

From today...

I will be great.

A heaven of hell
Lott awoke in his cell, the nightmares echoing, around his head. The screams, inside his head, quickly moulded into the screams of the tormented souls who currently surrounded him.

"Sleep well?" Ganlas asked, tilting his head.

Lott groaned and leaned forward, burying his face in his hands, rubbing his fingers into his eyes.

"I'll... Take that as a 'no."

"How long have I been here?" Lott groaned in despair. He had lost track of the days, weeks... months?

In reality, it had only been three days but he had spent it slipping in and out of consciousness.

Ganlas shrugged, helpful as ever.

"It's... so loud!" Lott's face hadn't left his hands as he spoke, muffling his words.

"They'll settle down in a bit..." His imaginary friend whispered, placing his hand on Lott's shoulder. "You've got me at least."

This was true; he didn't have Ganlas last time...

Ganlas is a product of his imagination, the fruits of Elsinian's dark, twisted labours. The altmer appeared to him one day and informed him that his cell door had been left unlocked.

His imaginary friend had always been there for him, even though he wasn't real, the altmer owed him a great deal.

"Yeah..." Lott replied, still glum from the hopelessness of it all.

They looked away from each other, knowing that this could be the end, for the both of them. Lott almost died, several times, the last time he was in Elsinian's 'care.' Though this time, he didn’t care about that… He no longer felt fear and he no longer dreamt. He had lost all desire to preserve himself and, if he had the means to do it, he'd end it all on the spot.

His nightmares were out done by the hell that he had to face, every day.

Sleep was now just practice, for when he becomes a corpse.

King of the outcasts
Kaizen had been following the beast for some time, it hadn't said a word, though this was expected as he doubted that it was capable of speech.

The Black Argonian stepped through the wilderness, still distrustful of the creature. Even without the ability to speak, it still lied to him. Minotaurs were not stealth warriors; someone else must be doing their bidding...

Or maybe they're doing someone else's...

Nevertheless, Kaizen was still intrigued. The minotaurs were alive as he had hoped and appeared to be doing well, his hopes of recruiting a formidable army were growing with every step as he paced deeper, into minotaur territory.

Kaizen was lead up the mountain side, noticing the cold air around him as his duster coat was blown about by the wind. It was as if nature was mocking his attempts to stay warm, a foolish endeavor, this high up the Jerall Mountain.

The minotaur was unaffected by the cold weather, even though he was shirtless. The fur around his legs, waist and hooves served as a natural pair of pants, that kept the mountain's natives warm in all weathers.

The Argonian glanced around as the land became more barren. His belief in the survival of the minotaurs grew stronger as they approached the rocky regions of the Jerall mountains, full of caves and other hideaways. The Black Argonian sighed with relief as he reached the summit, realising that he had been taken to their lair, a location that was so cryptic, that Kaizen could have spent the next ten years combing the mountain and never come across it.

Two more minotaurs could be seen in the distance, emerging over the lip of the cliff's edge, looking down on their 'guest.' As they saw Kaizen approach, they turned away, heading off to notify their commander.

Kaizen didn't care. As far as he was concerned, he was in no danger. The minotaurs were a near-extinct species, that lived in solitude in the hope of preserving themselves and protecting themselves from civilisation. They wouldn't risk revealing themselves to a human to declare war. If they wanted him dead, they would have tried it before, when they were ghosting him in the woods and if they saw him as a threat or an enemy, they would have left him,   cluelessly wandering the woods, until he went mad or gave up.

As Kaizen reached the higher region, he stopped to see the two minotaur scouts, from earlier, approaching. He noticed that they obstructed a third minotaur, who became visible as they stepped aside, allowing him to pass...

This one was their commander.

He was an elder minotaur, grey mane and a broken horn on the right side of his head as well as several scars on his face and body. The beast was, slightly, taller than the others, his feet thudded as they hit the floor. The commander wanted to get a good look at Kaizen before allowing him access.

He studied The Black Argonian giving a lot of attention to every detail. His scratches, wounds, scars, eyes, scales, clothes...

Scent...

They were all examined, thoroughly, from a distance.

"This one has been playing with fire..." The Commander said, much to Kaizen's surprise.

"Fought in a great battle..." Was he referring to his fight with Mikasa? Veneficus?

Both...

Pelinal?

The Commander sniffed him again, this time his reaction was different, he seemed surprised, almost as surprised as Kaizen was by this beast's ability to speak.

"A woman? Alpha male..."

Kaizen looked at the beast in confusion, was he able to tell that he slept with Petra, just by smell?

"Take him through!" The beast ordered, prompting the two scouts to step forward and stand by Kaizen's arms, boxing him in, in an attempt to intimidate him.

"And if he tries anything...

Kill him."



The love of the dead
The sun was at its peak, shining down on County Cheydinhal with all of its fury, as if the divines had sent the towns people their blessings. The bright sun glistened on the lake, turning its surface into a field of diamonds, song birds could be heard in the sky as they resurfaced during the midday heat wave. It was at this time of day that the headstones of Nish and Eilonwyn received one of few visitors. A nord woman scrubbed vigorously at the stone surface, cleaning the dried blood off of it, with a cloth and a bucket of water.

Manja had a frown, that had been brought on by the anger at the state of the graves, which caused her to scrub harder. What could have done this? Most likely animals or monsters, choosing the hallowed ground as their 'arena.' She hoped that the owner of the blood died, horribly. Only then, would it be worth defacing her brother's grave.

The nord sighed as she dunked her sponge into her bucket.

Don't be so bitter... She thought to herself, you don't want to be that person again, do you?

"Do you need any help?"

Manja scowled, feeling like she had been caught in the act. She turned around to see a familiar dunmer girl, standing under the same tree that she was stood under, when they met, a week ago.

"N-Nepht right?"

Nepht nodded in response, clutching her sword and shield.

"Y-yeah, could you fill up the bucket? Its not empty but I'd rather have it full."

Nepht nodded, with a smile.

"Sure!" The dunmer ran over to the bucket and picked it up, stumbling as it was much heavier than she anticipated. She carried it down to the lakeside and dunked it in the lake, submerging it in water before withdrawing it and running back to her friend. The bucket was so full, that it was overflowing and a lot of it poured out and splashed on her feet and legs.

Nepht placed the bucket at her feet, by Manja's side. She didn't notice Manja's annoyance as she scraped the blood off of the grave stones.

"Thanks..." She mumbled as she dunked her sponge in and went back to scrubbing. The dark elf girl walked around and saw what Manja was doing, trying to clear the graves of the hefty blood stain.

"What happened?" She blurted, though she instantly regretted it.

The nord sighed, heavily, as she took more water, from the bucket.

"Animals must have fought here; one died and managed to stitch up my afternoon as its final act of assholish behaviour."

Nepht shifted balance, from one foot to the other and folded her arms.

"Wouldn't there be a body?"

Manja didn't answer immediately; she pulled sponge down the grave's surface, managing to remove the stubborn bits.

"Not if wolves dragged it off..." The nord looked up at the sky, with a smirk. "Somebody has not been doing their job properly!" She yelled at the sky, mock annoyance in her tone. Then she looked at the amount of blood and remembered Agatha's methods of dealing with her enemies...

Or maybe she has...

Nepht ignored the outburst, assuming that it was aimed at the divines.

"So..." Manja sighed as she wrapped up, "what brings you here today?"

Nepht stood, silent, for a few moments, collecting herself.

"I... wa-am travelling..." She mumbled, awkwardly. Manja took a minute to figure her out.

"Living the dream, eh?"

Nepht smiled and giggled, softly, to herself.

"From today onwards, I'll be 'Nepht, the great mudcrab vanquisher!"

It was Manja's turn to giggle, she to found the thought of Nepht being a 'vanquisher' amusing.

"So... where were you planning on going?" The nord asked, grateful for the distraction.

"Riften!" Nepht exclaimed, she had been desperate to talk about it for a while.

"Riften? Heh... odd place for a 'budding adventurer' but it's your adventure."

"What's so odd about Riften?" The dunmer asked as she took a seat, next to Manja.

"Nothing... it's just that I grew up there, so I know how... 'colourful' it is- was." Manja had almost forgotten about the industrialisation. The city had practically been rebuilt and there was little of the original town left.

She wondered if any of the old town remained at all...

That bridge that she and Nish slept under using it to protect themselves from the drafts.

The market...

The Bee and Barb...

How much of her life had been removed by this plague of steel? Built on top of like a ruined temple from the first Era…

"You're from Riften? Wow!" It felt strangely exotic. Manja couldn't help but laugh at Nepht's amazement.

"Where did you think I was from?"

Nepht shrugged, Manja's accent was strange, she sounded like she was from Whiterun. The dunmer knew a trader from Whiterun, who visited, on occasion, when she was a kid.

"Did you think that I was from Bruma?"

Again, Nepht shrugged, she didn't know what to think right now.

Manja then put on her 'Imperial accent.'

"Or did you think that I was a debutant, from The Imperial City?"

Nepht, finally, gave in and burst out laughing. Manja's Imperial accent was spot on; it actually reminded her of the woman who runs the town's book store. There was a slight pause, in the wake of the laughter as Nepht wanted to ask her something.

"Manja?"

"Yeah?"

"Was your brother from Riften to?"

Manja glanced back at the grave.

"Yeah... We grew up together." Manja's tone shifted as the memories came back to her.

"I'm sorry..." Nepht whispered; for her question and for Manja's loss. The nord said nothing, feeling a sudden flood of sadness as she was taken back to that day, carrying her brother's broken body down a seemingly infinite flight of stairs as everyone's gaze was fixed on her.

Nepht had to say something… But what? Family was important to her and losing her grandfather was incredibly hard for her and her family. Nepht swallowed as she didn't know what to say, she couldn’t even begin to imagine how she felt.

"Do you... want to talk about it?"

"You don't have to..."

"You helped me, last time we met, it's the least I can do..."

Manja glanced up at her friend, with a smile. It was strange but she hadn't felt this way in a long time. The recruits were always afraid of her and C'laro...

C'laro was there but... he just wasn't very supportive.

"I... just miss him." Manja whispered, throwing her pride to the wind and hanging her head.

Nepht nodded in response, she missed a lot of people.

"That's normal..." She assured her, placing her hand on the nord's shoulder.

"I know, I'm just...

I just can't forget him." Manja sighed.

The dunmer nodded in response, tightening her grip on her shoulder, ever so slightly.

"You aren't supposed to..."

Manja knew that, Nepht was right but this didn't help her as she still felt so...

Lost?

Alone?

Manja gave up, seeing it as futile. There was a large hole in her life, one that could not be filled by anyone but Nish or someone else that she loved as much and there was no one else.

"You know what?"

Nepht shook her head, awaiting Manja's response to her prompt.

"I've just realised that you're going on an adventure, for the first time!"

"Y-Yeah... I said that..." Nepht muttered, "So?"

"So...." Manja tugged the string around her neck, revealing a feathered amulet, made of bone with black, crow's fathers stuck to its base.

"Tada!"

Nepht tilted her head, getting a better look at the amulet. It was a small pendant, made of bones with a red jewel at the center and black feathers around it.

"Here!" Manja insisted, taking it off and forcing it into the girl's hands.

Nepht took it, reluctantly; she didn't know what it could possibly be. The craftsmanship was unlike anything she had seen before.

"Wh-what is it?" Nepht stammered, her grip hadn't loosened. Manja just smiled, she didn't truly know, herself.

"It was my brothers." She explained, as Nepht put it on. "The witch, who gave it to him, told him that it would save his life."

Nepht tied the string and let the pendant fall onto her chest.

"Did it?" The dunmer asked, not really thinking before she spoke as it was a pretty stupid question and if it was taken the wrong way, disrespectful.

"I..." Manja stopped, she wasn't sure...

Was him surviving that impalement a coincidence? Did it grant him safe passage through Xeran's lair and keep him alive until the very end?

"I..." Manja stopped, she wasn't sure."It didn't in the end but I don't think that he wanted to live at that point."

Nepht glanced away, swallowing the words 'I'm sorry.'

"It's... still very pretty..." Nepht mumbled aloud, though she didn't, truly, think this. The crow feathers made it look ghastly, the bone mold managed to haunt her as well... in fact, just holding it gave her the feeling that she was being watched by unknown forces.

Manja burst out laughing at Nepht's odd concept of beauty.

"Well, it's always brought me..."

Luck?

Nah...

"Just... keep it as something to remember me by."

"How could I forget you? You're the most interesting person, I've ever met!" Nepht gasped.

Manja just smiled, that was likely to change, when she goes out on her adventure.

"Thank you... I... I don't know what to say." Nepht muttered exasperated by the woman's kindness.

"You don't have to say anything. Just promise me, that you'll have fun."

Nepht nodded in response with a smile, she planned to have the time of her life.

"Of course!" She cried as she felt the mountain breeze hit her face.

"It'll be so much fun! I'm going see so much, I'm sure!"

Manja stood up as the faint sound of song birds died down as they noticed the change in temperature.

"And..." The nord began as her dunmer friend stood up, "remember: I'm going to be here for a while, so if you ever need me, stand at this spot at mid day."

Nepht nodded, to acknowledge her offer, though she didn't have the desire to take it up now. It was always an option.

“Thank you, I'll remember that." Nepht nodded, with a smile, as she stepped away, straightening her back and getting ready to move on.

"Goodbye Manja! I hope that... Well, I just hope that you feel better soon."

"Don't worry about me kiddo." The woman beamed, putting her cloak on and pulling her hood up. "Now, go out there and kick some mudcrab arse!"

And with those, elegant, parting words, Nepht was off. She hoped to see Skyrim for the first time, by nightfall. In a few hours, she'd be sleeping on, or under foreign soil, the thought of such a trivial thing chilled her to the bone with excitement.

After a few minute of walking, she looked back to see Manja, stood patiently, waving her off like she was her second mum. Nepht smiled and nodded again, in return for the wave but Manja couldn't see it as she was so far away at this point.

Adventure, glory!

Daniel...

Here I come!



Traditional weakness
Kaizen approached the minotaur lair, accompanied by his armed escorts. Several minotaurs appeared, growling at their guest in an effort to intimidate him. The Argonian wasn't moved, he found it quaint.

Kaizen began his ascent, slowly taking in the animalistic atmosphere as he stood, waiting for his gracious hosts to approach him, from behind and 'encourage' him to pick up the pace with a sharp jab in the back. He decided to prompt himself, stepping forward, towards the mouth of the cave, where he would meet the leader of these beastly people.

The commander grunted, gesturing for Kaizen to enter the grotto. The Black Argonian gazed inside, feeling something that he hadn't felt in so long...

Apprehension...

Kaizen's feet did the walking, his brain no longer had a say in the matter as it would most likely submit to his reluctance. What dwells within these caves? What beasts could have the survived the centuries of persecution, that the minotaur people have had to endure?

Kaizen knew, full well, what it took for an outcast to survive in this world. When society deems you an invalid, you have two choices...

Survive or die.

And the survivors are never the people they once were as Petra will soon find out...

The Argonian, slowly, shuffled along, through the caves. The smell of the damp atmosphere was the first thing to hit him. He was familiar with the smell as the caves were his second home, back in the day. If a target was likely to wander the roads, then he would clear out a cave and sleep in it, waiting for a chance to jump them, when they eventually cross paths.

He heard the grunting and chanting of the beasts, the noise echoed throughout the caves as he approached. He knew that they had plans for him, if they had gathered an entire army to watch, what was going to happen next?

Kaizen was right. An arena of over 1000 minotaurs greeted him, with their growls and jeers. He was almost deafened by the thunderous cheering. Once again, he was an outcast but, unlike in the human world, Kaizen knew his place here...

It was in that throne, sadly, it was currently being occupied by a weak, old fossil.

Kaizen stopped before the king of the minotaurs as the crowd continued to cheer, the king gazed into The Black Argonian's eyes and tried to read the Argonian, in a similar fashion to the way that the commander had 'read' him before.

Kaizen knew this gaze...

He knew it well...

Right now, the king is trying to figure out his weaknesses. Kaizen didn't need to do it back, as it was obvious that his opponent was weak. He was old, for a start but it was more than that...

He wasn't just 'old,' he was feeble. The totem he carried wasn't for bravado, he needed it to walk and his men weren't cheering out of respect but out of fear.

Fear of who? Kaizen had established that the king was weak, it was obvious that the fear was truly of his lieutenants, they held the authority but the king still clung to the throne.

After studying him, the king slammed the base of his staff against the floor. To his credit, the old fool still had some strength in his arm.

Dust flew away from the point of impact, scattering away from his feet, as if it was afraid. Kaizen wouldn't be surprised, if he had paid the dust to move...

The cheering stopped and Kaizen became the center of attention.

"Argonian!" The king slammed his totem on the floor. His voice echoed, throughout the chamber.

"We know that you have been looking for our city!" He boomed, slamming his staff on the floor in a vain attempt to intimidate Kaizen.

His ‘reading’ had obviously failed…

“I presume that your scouts found me…” Kaizen replied, placing his hands in his pockets.

“Those ‘scouts’ caught you exploring our former territory, from the third era.”

“Yeah.” Kaizen confirmed, looking around, like he owned the place, he may as well get the feel of it as he will do soon…

“I was hoping to find you, to discu-“

“You have come here to finish us!” The King interrupted, causing the crowd to erupt into a chorus of jeering and growling as Kaizen was silenced. The Black Argonian persevered the insult for a few moments before raising his hand to quieten the crowd. It took a moment but the balance of power had shifted to him as the minotaurs died down.

“I assure you, I have not come here with any intentions of harming you or your people.” The Black Argonian ended by glancing around, meeting the eyes of as many minotaurs as possible before moving on to the next part of his speech. “I have come to you, in the hopes of forming an alliance with your clan.”

The King leaned forward, his ears had pricked up, he was intrigued…

“Speak to us, of your… ‘Alliance.”

Kaizen just glared, prepping himself for what he was about to say.

“Like you, I wish to reclaim my home, I’ll need support to do that and you need the rabble, down south, to disappear.” He paused, letting his harsh words sink in. “I’d say that we have common interests.”

The King stood up, his knee wobbled as he did but he was able to disguise it.

“An alliance with you?!” The King scoffed, trying to belittle the Argonian and remain calm as his authority was at risk of being undermined. “You are one man! You aren’t rich or powerful, you are just…”

“Driven…” Kaizen interrupted, pacing back and to.

“Ambitious…

Strong…”

The King stepped forward, unable to hide his rage   as he was called weak and apathetic by the stranger.

“That maybe the case Argonian but you are still one man!”

“True, that is why I came here.” Kaizen explained. “I know exactly what you people have been through, what you’re are going through now and the evil that you face, every day.” His speech was obviously aimed at the crowd. He had completely omitted the king from his target audience, he wasn’t worthy of salvation.

“You people are outcasts! ‘Imperfections,’ that have been cast aside and left to die!

The ‘civilised’ people have hunted you, like animals, literally pitting the whole world against you!” As Kaizen finished, he turned back to the weak, feeble Minotaur King with a look of disgust, the look that his eyes cast upon him was almost… pitiful.

“And even your own leaders are in on it…”

His audience gasped; even they understood the accusation, that had been put forward to their king.

The king was frozen on the spot, growling for several seconds. The rage build up, inside his chest, his fists clenched. An outsider had insulted him, this could not go unpunished.

“Silence! No one insults King Ogdar and lives!”

Kaizen just rolled his eyes, he was growing bored of this fossil already…

“You mean; nobody questions you and lives? Nobody asked why they have been reduced to simple beasts, living in the mountain with no culture or honour of their own! You have only lived this long, because you have been reduced to nothing but raw instinct. You haven’t kept these people alive, they simply exist and as their king, you should be the one who brings life back to your people, not just smother it out of them and keep them in this vegetative state!”

“Enough, kill this foo-“

“I can lead you away from that! I can give the Minotaurs more than this… rock! I can give you a home, where you can raise your young with clean water and security and without fear of disease or the constant threat of hunters, breathing down your necks! Tamriel is currently undergoing a revolution. Everything has changed and the things that haven’t? They’ll soon be destroyed, built on or burned…”

By now, Kaizen had truly stirred up the crowd; half of it was cheering him on, while the other half roared to defend their buffoon of a King.

“So I put this to you. This is your lives in the balance…

I ask you; would you continue to simply exist, with Ogdar? Simply waiting for the civilised people to come and unknowingly finish you off? A proud, might, race; destined to go out with a whimper, through no fault of your own. All, because of your weak leaders, who are crippled by   their cowardice!”

The minotaurs cheered again, it seemed that the majority of the beasts were in support of Kaizen at this point, he had promised them something that they hadn’t ever felt before… Something that hadn’t been in the grasp of the minotaurs in over 200 years…

Hope…

“Enough!” King Ogdar snapped, bringing his totem down with another, almighty thud. “I will suffer this, no longer!”

Kaizen laughed inside his head, shrugging as he did.

He’s got that right…

“No…” Kaizen replied, firmly, as he drew his weapons and turned to face him. “You won’t…”

The two of them circled each other, facing off as the crowd grew more and more restless, they all knew that someone was going to die tonight.

A gracious host
Lott was thrown into his cell again, gasping as he stumbled forward and fell on his face, his head missed his bed by inches as he fell to the floor. The altmer managed to save himself, with his hands; he made them take the full force of the impact, to avoid hitting his head on the stone floor.

The gate shut behind him, leaving Lott with his thoughts and to stew in his own misery. Lott felt Ganlas’ shadow cast over him as he stood up, gasping and panting as he was still exhausted from the torture.

“At least it’s over with…

For today at least.” Ganlas sighed, helping his friend onto the bed.

Lott looked up at him, with a look of despair in his eyes.

“How long do I have to keep doing this?!” Lott cried out, no longer caring about discretion or his dignity as he had lost it a long time ago. His imaginary friend just shook his head and knelt down, beside him.

“I don’t know… but, hopefully, it won’t be for long.”

Lott keeled over, landing on his shoulder on his bed with a sigh.

I just want to die…

“Do you think they’ll kill me?” Lott muttered, his voice completely devoid of emotion and life.

“I-I don’t think so…” Ganlas fumbled, not sure where he was getting at.

“I hope they do…”

Ganlas sighed, heavily, placing his hand on Lott’s shoulder and giving it a light squeeze. Lott opened his eyes and looked up at him, awaiting his attempt to appease him.

“Don’t give up, we beat them last time, remember?”

Lott just sighed in response. They did… but barely and he could never live through that again…

“I…” Lott began to well up again as he thought about what he was going to say.”I miss them…

Mikasa…

Nepht…

I miss having people in my life, I don’t… I don’t want to be alone anymore, I can’t take it!” He finished by clawing at his face, as the tears rolled down his temples and rolled onto his ears.

Ganlas looked away as he nodded, in agreement. He missed them to…

“That makes this harder…”

“No, it makes it better! You have to get out of here, because you have to see them again!”

Ganlas… Was right.

If Lott failed, he’d never see them again. He had to survive and get back to them, this would be his goal; get out of this god forsaken place and get back to Cheydinhal, start a new life and cherish every moment he had with them.

“Yes, whether they feel the same way or not, they are my friends.

I cannot

Will not…

Let them down!”

==The killer within==

Lucian had been walking through the wilderness for days. His inability to travel during the day was incredibly taxing, especially in his line of work as an assassin.

As the sun rose over Cheydinhal and shone on to the mountain’s surface, Lucian found himself, once again, in need of shelter. He scowled to himself as the sun’s rays hit his face, making his eyes glow and his skin began to tingle. It is a well known fact that the sun can weaken or even kill vampires. Lucian was fortunate as he only felt discomfort, when exposed to sunlight.

Waste of time, coming here… He thought to himself as he stopped trundling through the country side to gaze at his orange nemesis. Julie dodged a bullet, by getting out of this assignment, something that she gladly reminded him of as he left the sanctuary in Dawnstar, after he drew the short straw.

But, back to the matter at hand. Cheydinhal’s Dark Brotherhood sanctuary had been raided and stripped bare, by the Imperial Legion and then ransacked by the townsfolk. The Vampire felt useless as he could do nothing but watch as the unwashed masses descended on the sanctuary and began their witch hunt, it was rare that this happened to Dark Brotherhood sanctuaries but everyone knew that the nord in charge was pretty weak and she had little to no influence. However, hope still remained as Lucian saw someone leave the sanctuary. A Black Argonian had been seen, leaving the scene. Though the sight of a Black Argonian was odd to begin with, his manor was what troubled Lucian.

He seemed incredibly confident, more so than either side of the conflict should be…

It was as if he had won but he must have suffered heavy losses, he looked like the only survivor of a devastating attack and he lost his sanctuary.

Why was he smiling? Was he a traitor? To assume such a thing was dangerous, for both of you as it could get either of you killed, especially if you are wrong…

<p class="MsoNormal">Lucian’s trail of thought was, rudely, interrupted, when three bandits approached him.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Well, well, well… look what we ‘ave ‘ere… Pre’y boy’s got ‘imself lost.” The assumed leader mocked, he looked the smartest of the three, which wasn’t exactly an achievement worth bragging about… His two companions stepped around, revealing themselves from their hiding places, a tree and rock and they took their place behind him, like two obedient dogs. They were all nords, with Riften accents, most likely thieves’ guild rejects.

<p class="MsoNormal">Lucian wrapped his hand around his rapier, ready for the inevitability of one of them losing his cool as soon as the sexual decency of his mother was brought into the question and lashing out at him. A mistake that he would soon pay for…

<p class="MsoNormal">“A’right, ‘Pre’y boy,’ no blokes to impress ‘ere, just give us your purse or ‘andbag n get outta ‘ere…”

<p class="MsoNormal">The Imperial just glared at them, they couldn’t be serious, could they? His eyes just darted, looking at the broken fools in front of him, who had jumped into the deep end of a volcano…

<p class="MsoNormal">“That’s not going to happen…” Lucian replied, sternly.

<p class="MsoNormal">The nord frowned, shaking his head, in response.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Guess I’ll ‘ave to take it from yer cold, dead ‘ands…” The leader drew his mace as he finished his empty threat and his goons grinned and stepped forward.

<p class="MsoNormal">Lucian rolled his eyes, it was a cliché thing think and he loathed himself for thinking it but…

<p class="MsoNormal">He’d me more intimidating mudcrabs in his time…

<p class="MsoNormal">“Really now? I’d like to see that…” He taunted, drawing his blade and seeming very reserved. This should have been a sign that he was not to be messed with but since the entire group had an IQ of 20, between them, they still thought that they had a good chance of defeating the child of the night.

<p class="MsoNormal">Lucian’s rapier was a beautifully crafted weapon, that had aged wonderfully. It was blue steel, light as a feather with a large wrist guard to protect his hand and fingers. It was worthy of a Queen’s, royal guard.

<p class="MsoNormal">The nord just shrugged.

<p class="MsoNormal">“So be it.” He then lunged forward with a cry of rage, striking down at the vampire. An over projected attack, that Lucian, easily, dodged. He swung his sword horizontally, at lightning speed, left and right. Both strikes clashed with the mace, the latter almost knocked it out of the fool’s hand.

<p class="MsoNormal">One of the two goons decided to take his chances. He ran forwards, idiotically swinging his arm, to punch Lucian, with a deafening shriek. It was so obvious, that Lucian decided that he would show off a bit. He jumped back and with two flicks of the wrist, the nord fell to the floor, two, deep, cuts in his torso.

<p class="MsoNormal">The Leader went for another swing, striking down, vertically as he tried to avenge his fallen comrade. The Vampire was quick to react, dodging the mace and swinging his rapier at the nord’s chest, leaving a scratch on his left pectoral, causing him to grunt and stumble back.

<p class="MsoNormal">The third bandit tried his chances, hoping to restrain Lucian, by grabbing him. The Vampire, simply, jabbed his rapier forward and put the point of the blade, through the fool’s throat. The bandit gargled, choking on his own blood as he fell backwards, hitting the floor with a thud.

<p class="MsoNormal">The Leader crawled away, putting as much distance between him and Lucian as possible. Lucian knew that he had won, holstering his sword and walking over to the trembling nord.

<p class="MsoNormal">The Vampire’s heart was beating heavily as the killer within began to stur, bubbling his way up to the surface as he awoke from his long slumber. His footsteps had ceased as his soul fought his lust for blood and the thirst that he couldn’t quell, as the desire to kill overwhelmed him. After ten years, he would break free of this torturous sobriety and he would soon embrace the blessing that he craved.

<p class="MsoNormal">The sweet nectar of life…

<p class="MsoNormal">Blood!

<p class="MsoNormal">He no longer saw a person in front of him, it was a container, that carried the blood around and kept it fresh, until his was slaughtered and drained. Lucian could see every vein in his neck, arms and face, he knew which one would produce   most nectar.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Why are you lookin’ at me like ‘at? You wanna fuck me or sumfink?”

<p class="MsoNormal">Lucian just grunted in response, was this a genuine question, or was this the nord’s crude idea of humour?

<p class="MsoNormal">“No, your phallus is of no interest to me…” Lucian replied in monotone as he approached, his annoyance had been smothered, along with the rest of his humanity.

<p class="MsoNormal">His palms were sweating, he could still feel his humanity being choked by his lust for blood.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Look, you can ‘ave me coin purse!” The nord spluttered, holding his insultingly light coin purse, containing pittance as a peace offering.

<p class="MsoNormal">“No, I know what I want from you…” Lucian’s eyes began to glow orange as his fangs began to emerge from under his lips as he stepped forward, ready for the kill.

<p class="MsoNormal">As his foot touched the ground, in front of his, soon to be, victim, the Vampire felt a sharp sting on the back of his neck, along with a ‘clang.’

<p class="MsoNormal">-

<p class="MsoNormal">The assailant keeled over and fell to the floor, face first, with a thud and a terrified looking dark elf girl stood over him, clutching her shield as her knees trembled, due to the pressure of the adrenaline.

<p class="MsoNormal">Nepht trembled, her knees, hands and lower jaw trembled under the pressure of it all and her teeth began to chatter with nerves. She wasn’t the only one, who was afraid as the nord showed similar signs of fear.

<p class="MsoNormal">They stood, staring at each other for a brief moment; the atmosphere was still being controlled by the unconscious vampire, who still managed to fill them with unease as he ‘slumbered.’

<p class="MsoNormal">“Are you hurt?” The dunmer finally asked, earning herself a strange look.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Y-Yeah… I’m fine.” He stammered in response. “Well, a bit…” He pointed to his scratches “but it’s just a scratch.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Nepht smiled in relief, ignoring what the injured nord had said. She had done her good deed of the day and she could rest easy that night…

<p class="MsoNormal">Well… she could if she hadn’t just angered a crazy person. What could she do with him now? Killing him was out of the question but there wasn’t anything else she could do with him…

<p class="MsoNormal">Nepht glanced around, trying to find a solution as the nord just sat still, silent as he was still in shock…

Revelation
Lott awoke, in his cell, his eyes still sore from where he cried himself the sleep, the night before.

The altmer took two steps from his bed, his feet trailed along the floor as he was barely able to stand, let alone walk. He was barely eating enough to survive as his only meal was a minute portion, that his body often rejected, causing him to gag as he put it down and leave it and he wasn’t regaining the strength that he lost during his daily torture.

Lott felt as if he was right, he was going to die here… Hopefully soon, in his sleep, he’d pass away from the exhaustion and they’d dump his body into the mass, unmarked grave with the rest of the patients.

The altmer’s trail of thought was broken as his neighbour began to scream, in his sleep, causing Lott to jump out of his skin. He sat still, not thinking, feeling or reacting, until it ended and died down, allowing him to think again.

''What must that poor soul have been through? What must he be going through now?''

Lott’s heart was getting heavy as he found himself worrying about other people again. He no longer thought about his own fait… it was sealed, why worry about things that you can’t change?

But the others… the others still had a chance…

He was snapped into reality, by the sound of black boots pounding the stone corridor, outside of his cell as two orderlies arrived to knock some sense into his screaming neighbour. One of them stopped, outside of Lott’s cell, turning his back to the altmer and placing his hands behind his back, looking very official as his partner went into the cell and the beating commenced.

“This is your chance!” Ganlas cried, appearing from nowhere, “Quick, you can take him, through the bars!”

Lott turned with a worried look on his face. He wasn’t a killer, he couldn’t hurt a living thing if he wanted to, if his emotions didn’t overpower him, his lack of unarmed combat expertise surely will.

“I… can’t!” Lott whispered, he began to shake at the thought of callously killing a man, it really disturbed him…

“You can!” Ganlas countered, “You know how! Remember?”

“I…” Lott was about to say that he didn’t… but he did. Or at least, he felt like he could do it, if he wanted to…

Were these memories, from the man he was before?

As Lott dwelled on Ganlas’ words, his ears began to buzz and his head hurt, little pieces of information came flooding into his mind at an intense speed that caused everything to spin. He stumbled and fell into the wall, grabbing hold of a jagged rock, to support himself as the hours of brutal training exercises were brought back to him, the mind wipes he had received after Elsinian’s sessions were beginning to reverse. The horrible things he had done, during those sessions, in his ‘zombiefied’ state.

The Altmer was brought back to the world, by the screams, that echoed, throughout the asylum.

“Look at how much suffering he’s inflicting onto others!” Ganlas pointed out, “you must end it!”

Lott nodded with a determined frown. The, formerly, peaceful scholar stepped forward, his hands at the ready. He crept up on the unsuspecting guard, making sure that he was unheard. The Altmer was barefoot, so be he barely made a sound as he crept upon his…

Victim…

Lott placed his hands on the guard’s ears, wrapping his fingers around the man’s forehead and chin. From there, instinct took over, all Lott heard was a ‘crunch’ and the light of the man’s existence had been extinguished.

The Altmer gasped and stepped away as the guard’s corpse fell to the floor. He stammered as he raised his hands and looked down at them in shock, as if they were covered in blood. Lott’s stomach tightened as he was overcome by guilt.

“What…

What am I?

Ganlas?

What am I?”

“We need to get his things!” Ganlas cried, realising that it was a miracle that the other guard hadn’t heard it, over the sound of the beatings, going on next door.

Lott slowly looked up as his eyes began to glow and tear up. His friend was right, he couldn’t let this man’s death be for nothing, even if he didn’t die for a cause that he believed in, at least he’ll die for Lott’s freedom.

He stepped forward, his determination renewed as he, quickly, found the desire to leave this place and it grew stronger with every step.

Lott shambled out of his cell, grabbing at the wall, to keep himself standing.

“You can do this, you must…” Ganlas coaxed, clapping his hands together, to keep Lott awake and present.

Lott sighed as he looked up, seeing that the guard had left the poor soul’s cell. The Altmer felt like kicking himself, realising that he hadn’t noticed the screams dying down as a sign that the guard was done. The orderly, in his unique, leather, riot gear that bears the insignia of Elsinian’s institution.

The guard only saw Lott for a split second before the Altmer struck him down, with a powerful lightning bolt. The guard was sent, flying across the corridor and hovered over the ground for several seconds before crashing down and rolling along the floor, until he stopped dead at the wall.

Lott swallowed the guilt, it was bitter but at least it wasn’t in his mouth anymore.

He marched down the corridor, charging up a spell in each hand. The Altmer didn’t know where the exit was, he remembered little of his last escape from this God Forsaken place.

He stumbled out of the ‘curiosities’ wing and got ready to take on the next wave of goons. The corridor was like a dungeon, the stone in the walls were, mostly, jagged. It was almost as if the asylum was naturally formed, like a cave or a fort. Lott passed hundreds of cells, trying not to look any of the prisoners in the eye.

He couldn’t save them… any of them…

He was thankful for the sleeping prisoners, or at least he hoped that they were ‘sleeping.’

“C’mon!” Ganlas cried, rushing ahead at the sight of the door, up ahead.

Lott, quickly, rushed over to join him. His bare feet were aching as they had been cut to ribbons by the sharp stones that the floor, mostly, consisted of.

Ganlas stepped back, giving Lott a quick smile.

“Don’t give up, we’re so close to freedom!”

Lott heard what he had said but he didn’t acknowledge it, he was too hung up on the door ahead. Perhaps it was the recent developments in Lott’s recovery but Lott no longer desired to leave this place…

The Altmer wanted to find Elsinian and demand answers from him…

Maybe he’d kill him and end his evil forever.

Lott had already decided, the truth and eternal safety were more important than temporary freedom that would be granted, by escaping now. He charged the spells in his hands and stepped into the next room, the Altmer, immediately, gasped, seeing it for the first time.

One of many of Elsianian’s torture chambers, complete with several, ghastly, bloodstained, rusty tools. The room, like most other rooms in the asylum was stone but the stone there was red, from all of the dried on blood. The sight of it made Lott feel sick but he wouldn’t give Elsinian the satisfaction of acting like a human being, by gagging or throwing up. He took a few steps forward, the blood stuck inside his nostrils, disgusting him and chilling him to the bone.

He swallowed, hard, feeling the mouth full of vomit scrape the inside of his, the gravelly feeling of it made him feel terrible and he knew that he was just delaying it but his pride was at stake. He stepped forward, brought to a weak shuffle by his recent overhaul and the bitter taste in his mouth, stomach and soul.

As Lott reached the door, to the next room, more memories hit him, causing his head to buzz again. The Altmer clutched his head and groaned, stumbling to the floor as memories of lab equipment and this very room resurfaced.

''“Elsinian! The empire requires results! Not recreations of past experiments!” ''A voice echoed in his head.

“We need to ensure that the subject is stable before moving onto faze two.” Elsianian replied, even though Lott remembered next to nothing about him, his voice still sounded familiar.

He broke free from his epiphany, shaking his head, rigorously to protect himself from more flashbacks.

“C’mon Ganlas, we need to.”

The Altmer turned around to see that his friend had gone, vanished. He took a quick look around but he realised that he was gone and that looking for him was futile. He’d be able to find him, eventually.

Lott just ran on ahead, his feet pounding the stone steps as he made his way up the spiral, stone staircase, his feet hit every step as he was too focussed on Elsianian to care about skipping a few of them.

Lott knew where his room was, highest room in the tower.

Elsinian was that egotistical…

Lott was actually thankful for the good doctor’s swollen ego as it made finding the bastard easier.

Lott arrived at the door to Elsianian’s office, he threw his shoulder against it and burst inside, in case Elsinian was expecting him and had an exit to move to. The door flew open and Lott barged inside, blasting lightning at Elsinian’s desk to startle him and keep him still.

As the books and loose pages rained down from the ceiling, Eslinian’s chair swivelled around, to reveal a terrified Ganlas in strange attire.

“G-Ganlas?” Lott stammered, stumbling back and looking around for Elsinian, not sure as to what was going on. He stopped as he stepped on a crumpled sheet of paper, that had been, recently, knocked to the floor. It made a ‘crunch,’ under his heel, that caused him to look down at a document.

Its author was a ‘Dr Ganlas Elsinian.’

When deities collide
Kaizen and the minotaur lord circled each other for some time. The atmosphere was electric as the two sides of the crowd cheered, growled, roared and snarled at the two combatants.

Ogdar was the first to strike, lifting his staff, over his head and running forwards. The minotaur king drove it down, hoping to kill the argonian in one strike. Kaizen knew better, swivelling out of the way, quite elegantly as the minotaur king struck the stone, beneath his feet, sending dust and rubble flying into the air.

The Black Argonian squinted as the dust flew into his eyes. He stepped away from the minotaur as his eyes adjusted, trying not to rub them as he blinked, furiously, to clear them of dust. Kaizen was fighting a beast, so the key objective is to seem as inhuman as possible. Only then could he match the minotaur king’s brutish nature.

Kaizen decided to study Ogdar, so that he could check for any openings in the beast’s attack. He already knew about the weak knee but his old age might be a bigger factor, than he thought.

Ogdar tried a horizontal attack; he swung his staff, slowly, with great force. The swing would have shattered every bone in Kaizen’s torso, if it had connected but unfortunately for the tyrant, his arm was a lot stronger than his brain. Kaizen decided to show off, throwing himself back as the staff swung over his head; he felt the breeze of the staff’s motion brush against his face as it missed it by inches. Kaizen waited for Ogdar to finish his pathetic attempt to kill him before he threw himself upright, straightening his spine. He shot up and threw his arms wide and smirked, as the crowd erupted into thunderous applause at the spectacle.

Kaizen loved this, duelling, the cheer of the crowd, elevating his status from ‘combatant’ to the mantle of a God. The Black Argonian stepped away and went back to circling Ogdar, watching as he struggled to get back into his stance. The Old King’s eyes met Kaizen’s as he spun around, showing the Argonian something that he didn’t expect to see…

Fear…

The Minotaur king had accidentally shown his weakness, his eyes were soft, showing an old king, who knew that his days of rule will be cut short, within the next ten minutes.

Pathetic…

Kaizen approached the minotaur king, taking a tight grip of his mace and axe, if this beast was too weak to face him, then he’d just have to slaughter it like the swine that he was.

Ogdar hobbled over, getting ready to swing again but, once again, Kaizen was ready. This time the beasts swung at his ankles, the staff skimmed over the floor as Kaizen jumped over it, like a child with a skipping rope.

The Black Argonian wasted no time, waiting for recovery, he ran forward and raised his hand axe, ready to drive it into the beast’s head and end his pathetic monarch charade. However, to Kaizen’s surprise and dismay, Ogdar threw his staff on the floor as it landed, with a thud as he roared in fury and began to charge. The bull inside him had emerged, causing him to charge, head first at his opponent. He leant his head forward, hoping to ram Kaizen with his stone like skull and shatter every bone in his body. The impact would likely be more devastating than the totem, if that was to strike him. Not even Kaizen expected this, to give into his animal instincts… such desperation.

Kaizen’s first instinct was to jump out of the way but he managed to stem that impulse, oppress it as he took a tighter grip of his weapons. The Assassin charged forward himself, hoping to meet him half way.

To the crowd, it looked like the two of them were going to collide heads. This, of course, would not be a good idea as the force of Ogdar’s boulder-like skull would just shatter his neck or snap it like a twig, on impact. The Argonian waited for the last second before sliding, on his knees, under Ogdar’s legs, holding his mace out and striking the king’s gimped knee. Ogdar’s cries could be heard in every corner of the arena, it elevated above the crowd.

Kaizen turned around, his gaze was pitiless as he felt as if death hadn’t come for the old king soon enough. The Black Argonian would make up for lost time, stepping forward, with his hand axe raised. Ogdar, pathetically, tried to crawl away as Kaizen approached. The minotaur king knew that the end was here as Kaizen knelt down beside him and placed his hand on his back.

The fallen tyrant turned back to him, a look of sadness, regret and a longing to be spared in his eyes. He was thankful that Kaizen had taken pity on him, leaving him with his life…

He should have known better, of course, as Kaizen had little to no capacity for pity, especially towards fools like Odgar. Before Ogdar could insult the Black Argonian with his words, Kaizen drove his axe through the back of Ogdar’s neck. The crowd cheered as Kaizen was about to give them the bloody finish that they lusted for.

After hacking deep enough into Ogdar’s neck, Kaizen stepped around his dying body and stopped at the horns on the beast’s head.

This will be one for the history books…

The Argonian grabbed hold of the tyrant’s horns and began to pull. As brutishly strong as Kaizen was, he struggled to pull this beast’s head off of his shoulders, like he originally intended to. He couldn’t back out now, however, the crowd expected it and it would be humiliating to back out and break his first promise to them.

After what felt like an age, the last of the king’s stubborn tendens gave way, allowing Kaizen to tear the beast’s head from his shoulders.

Kaizen had forgotten to check if Odgar was alive before he started. He hoped he was…

As the king’s head was removed, the crowd erupted into thunderous applause and cheered as a river of blood gushed out of the former king’s neck stump, making a large pool of blood on the floor, around Kaizen’s feet.

Kaizen doubled over, as his back, shoulders and arms were aching, throbbing even. He felt like he had received one of Ogdar’s head buts as everything was killing him. The Black Argonian eventually, with a great deal of effort, straightened his back and presented the fallen king’s head to his people, causing them to cheer even louder.

The atmosphere was exhilarating as the minotaurs cheered and began to sing for their new leader and it just built up, more and more as Kaizen threw the severed head on the floor. In a rare case of excitement, due to a rush of adrenaline, Kaizen found himself throwing his arms into the air and began to cheer, basking in the worship and his ascension to godhood.

The minotaurs all bent their knees in response, adding more fuel to the inferno, that was Kaizen’s ego. Though Kaizen wasn’t normally egotistical, few would be able to resist being held on a pedestal like this, to be idolized, worshipped…

To be the center of a universe.

Kaizen lowered his arms and took on the praise, basking in the energy and showing a dark grin.

The empire’s days were numbered…

<p class="MsoNormal">==The Dark Pact==

<p class="MsoNormal">Nepth sat at her campfire, as it was the only source of light in her place of refuge.

<p class="MsoNormal">The Dark Elf was fortunate enough to stumble upon a cave, just a few feet away from the road, where she subdued the unknown assailant. In an amazing stroke of luck, she had managed to find a cave, that had been completely deserted. She had expected to find monsters or worse inside but to her surprise and relief, the place was completely devoid of life.

<p class="MsoNormal">Her luck didn’t stop there as someone had been living there before her. There were several bits of furniture, inside the cave, a cauldron, old dining chairs, a table and bed rolls…

<p class="MsoNormal">After her search for the inhabitants turned up empty, the dunmer assumed that they had moved on, some time ago, by the looks of it. Perhaps they belonged to those men that the Imperial attacked, in which case, they no longer needed it as two of them were dead and the third had fled, into the wilderness, to get away from the Imperial who attacked him. It was pointless dwelling on it. Nepht, throughout her life, had learned to count her blessings and never question them.

<p class="MsoNormal">The Dunmer sighed as she threw on a dress, it was far more comfortable and warmer than her armour and it was far more relaxing and easier to walk around in.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Lucian had been tied up in a chair, his wrists and feet were bound and his elbows were tied to the chair’s back. Every now and then, he’d stir in his sleep and Nepht would reach for her frying pan. The Vampire hadn’t woken up yet but he’d been out for several hours and Nepht knew that it was only a matter of time.

<p class="MsoNormal">She sighed, again and went back to her pot, she had managed to make some decent vegetable soup.

<p class="MsoNormal">Well at least it smelled decent…

<p class="MsoNormal">She sat back and looked around at her new abode. It was nothing like home; dark, cold, dank and hollow… Completely devoid of life as the only sound that could be heard, was the occasional water droplet, that fell from the ceiling.

<p class="MsoNormal">She loved it.

<p class="MsoNormal">-

<p class="MsoNormal">Lucian opened his eyes, looking down at his knees. The throbbing from the back of his head had gone but he was still dazed and confused. His vision blurred as his eyes adjusted to the dark cave, even as a vampire, it took a few moments for him to get used to the dark. It was one of the few things that reminded him of his humanity.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Where?” Lucian glanced around, he was surrounded by stone, his hands were bound and he could detect human life ahead.

<p class="MsoNormal">“One human did this?” Lucian thought to himself in amazement as he glanced around once more, in an effort to detect more life. To his surprise, the human, elf or beast in the next room was the only one holding him captive. Whoever they were, they must be prepared as they definitely knew how to subdue or kill a vampire. Perhaps they were Vigilants   of Stendarr or Order of the Virtuous Blood. Maybe they are former Thalmor or Penitous Oculatus or maybe they’re…

<p class="MsoNormal">“D-Don’t try anything…!” A weak voice stammered, breaking his trail of thought.

<p class="MsoNormal">An idiot…

<p class="MsoNormal">Lucian looked up to see a Dunmer girl, who was barely an adult. She was clutching a frying pan and holding it up, defensively, ready to defend herself if he was to, somehow, spontaneously escape.

<p class="MsoNormal">Lucian glanced up at her, a look of confusion in his eyes, it was obvious that she was scared of him… A few   years ago, he could have used this to his advantage.

<p class="MsoNormal">But he wasn’t that man anymore…

<p class="MsoNormal">“I fear that I don’t have many options...

<p class="MsoNormal">Though, I meant you no harm to begin with.” He replied, he sounded almost as nervous as she was and in truth, he was, for the exact same reason.

<p class="MsoNormal">Nepht blinked, confused by the response. No threats? No demands? Not even a question? She stopped, in front of him, just out of his reach.

<p class="MsoNormal">Now what do I say? She snapped out of it, to see that her ‘guest’ was just sat there, patiently.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">“S-So…” Nepht bumbled, “who are you?”

<p class="MsoNormal">The stranger tilted his head, he didn’t seem surprised that she had asked him this but there were other questions and usually a couple of empty threats, which often came first.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I am Lucian… Lucian Locke… And you are?”

<p class="MsoNormal">Nepht froze, so well spoken and well mannered.

<p class="MsoNormal">“N-Nepht…”The girl stammered, earning her a puzzled look from Lucian.

<p class="MsoNormal">“No… surname?”

<p class="MsoNormal">The Dunmer looked away, her family rarely used their surname and that was only when Tabith signed royal documents.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Delressi…” She admitted, not thinking about the consequences of telling him her name. “Nepht Delressi.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Ah!” Lucian butted in, “I take it that you’re new to this game?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“G-Game?” Nepht mumbled, unable to hide her confusion.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Well, young, budding adventurers, like yourself, usually invent a ‘pretend’ surname to go by. Like a pseudonym…

<p class="MsoNormal">It makes you harder to track, if you happen to come across thieves or have a nasty run in with the law.” He explained, almost instantly, getting into the flow of the conversation as she lowered her frying pan. “It would also protect your family and anyone close to you.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Nepht, eventually processed this and nodded, feeling incredibly nervous.

<p class="MsoNormal">“So… your name isn’t ‘Locke’ then?” She deduced.

<p class="MsoNormal">Lucian’s natural smile dropped as he found himself impressed, he’d been rumbled.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Actually, it is.” Lucian sighed, “I no longer have a family to protect, so I’m free to go by my proper name.”

<p class="MsoNormal">The Dunmer suddenly felt sorry for him, she couldn’t imagine a life, without a family…

<p class="MsoNormal">“I’m sorry…”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Don’t be, they all lived to a ripe old age and died cen- years ago. I was just explaining that I was exempt from the rule.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Nepht continued to stare at the imperial, incredibly confused by his odd behaviour…

<p class="MsoNormal">“W-Why did you attack that man?”

<p class="MsoNormal">The Vampire paused as he thought about his answer, the shift in tone made things awkward for him…

<p class="MsoNormal">“I… Didn’t, he attacked me.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Nepht continued to stare, pacing around her prisoner with the same, confused, look on her face. Lucian followed her, with his eyes, for as long as he was able. He looked forward, after he had stepped out of his range of vision.

<p class="MsoNormal">“But, you killed his friends!”

<p class="MsoNormal">“I did…” Lucian nodded, “But it was in self defence and I gave them every chance to walk away, before they attacked me.

<p class="MsoNormal">They drew first…

<p class="MsoNormal">They struck first…

<p class="MsoNormal">They forced my hand…”

<p class="MsoNormal">He paused and looked over his shoulder at her; it took a great deal of effort to do so but it was worth it, to make eye contact.

<p class="MsoNormal">“My conscience is clear…”

<p class="MsoNormal">As he finished speaking, he paused, to gave her the chance to respond. All the while, he tried to think of where she was from.

<p class="MsoNormal">Windhelm? No she came from behind him on the road from…

<p class="MsoNormal">Cheydhinhal…

<p class="MsoNormal">“I don’t believe you; they had no reason to attack you.” Nepht snapped, feeling like her aunt on duty, with a prisoner to interrogate.

<p class="MsoNormal">Lucian sighed and raised his hands, if he wasn’t bound to a chair he would be tempted to get up and…

<p class="MsoNormal">He let his hands down and took a deep breath; she was just a silly girl, who wanted to play ‘guard.’ He’d let her have her fun and then she’ll probably let him go.

<p class="MsoNormal">“They were robbers, highwaymen, thieves, bandits. Wasn’t that obvious? Do they not have them in Cheydinhal?!”

<p class="MsoNormal">Nepht gasped and stepped back, how did he know? What did he know?

<p class="MsoNormal">She turned a shade of red as she, suddenly, realised that her reaction had given the game away. He could have been guessing, for all she knew and now he knew that she knew.

<p class="MsoNormal">Lucian sighed as he awaited for her inevitable breakdown… the one that most teenagers erupt into, when they get responsibility for the first time and screw it up. He kept quite as he was still aware of his situation.

<p class="MsoNormal">He had been tied to a chair and she looked eager to get her frying pan acquainted with his face.

<p class="MsoNormal">“So…” Nepht began, through gritted teeth. “What are you?”

<p class="MsoNormal">It was Lucian’s turn to freeze on the spot, his spine shot up as he was put on the spot.

<p class="MsoNormal">He thought about his answer, carefully, it was rare that he was identified as a vampire. “What gave me away?” Lucian asked, nervously.

<p class="MsoNormal">“The frilly shirt, gentlemanly attitude, even if you are a bit shy…” Nepht’s list sounded like she was ready with the ultimate ‘gotcha’ question.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I know a highwayman, when I see one.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Lucian sighed with relief, letting out a faint, nervous, chuckle.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I fear that you are mistaken I’m not a-“ He then paused for a second, a highwayman was better than a Vampire or and Assassin… In realisation of this, he threw his head forward and pretended to laugh, nervously. “Alright, you got me.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Nepht tried to hide her joy as she got a confession, it obviously showed as he smiled back to her but he looked incredibly uncomfortable doing it.

<p class="MsoNormal">“So…” She began, trying not to look like she was staring at him. She couldn’t help it though, he was the only thing in the room but at this rate, it looked like she was attracted to him. Upon realising this, she looked away as this definitely wasn’t true.

<p class="MsoNormal">“If you’re this ‘great highwayman,’ then why were you robbing those guys on the road?”

<p class="MsoNormal">Lucian sighed and rolled his eyes, hoping to get it into her thick skull…

<p class="MsoNormal">“They attacked me.” He grumbled, through gritted teeth.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Why?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“I don’t know, I didn’t stop to ask…” Lucian glanced around the room again, desperate to find a way out of this nightmare. Nepht turned away, feeling kind of stupid for not knowing what to ask. How dangerous could he be?

<p class="MsoNormal">“W-Were you going to kill that man?” She asked, nervously.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Yes.” His answer was blunt, remorseless.

<p class="MsoNormal">“W-Why?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Because, he would have killed me, if I had given him the chance.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“You don’t know that!”

<p class="MsoNormal">“You’re right but it’s not worth the risk.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Nepht fell silent.

<p class="MsoNormal">''At least he’s… honest. ''She thought to herself, with a concerned look, growing on her face.

<p class="MsoNormal">Lucian laughed at her ignorance and innocence, causing her to frown and take a tighter grip of her frying pan.

<p class="MsoNormal">“What? You think that murdering people is funny?”

<p class="MsoNormal">Lucian looked up and smiled.

<p class="MsoNormal">“You really aren’t aware of how evil people can be, are you? Did you think that man was just going to slap me on the wrist with his rusty mace and send me on my merry way?”

<p class="MsoNormal">Nepht fell silent and looked away, she knew alright…

<p class="MsoNormal">She knew better than anyone…

<p class="MsoNormal">Even if this ‘Lucian’ was a cold blooded killer, he was no Edgar.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I…”   She wanted to tell him about Edgar, about Larius, Dunlammus, Kaizen…

<p class="MsoNormal">“Know enough…”

<p class="MsoNormal">The Vampire recognised the pain in her voice and decided not to inquire further, he might upset her or worse, get her talking about it.

<p class="MsoNormal">“So…” He began, hoping that he was in her good graces now.

<p class="MsoNormal">“How about letting me go now?”

<p class="MsoNormal">Nepht went from surprised to angry, within the space of a second.

<p class="MsoNormal">“No! You’ve just admitted that you’re an outlaw and a killer!”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Exactly! I’m must be trustworthy, on some level, if I admitted all of that to you!”

<p class="MsoNormal">The Dunmer sighed and glanced away, not even knowing what to think anymore.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Look…” The Highwayman began, keeping his eyes fixed on her frying pan. “It’s pretty obvious, that we have, clearly, gotten off on the wrong foot. I’ve been pleasant enough, haven’t I?”

<p class="MsoNormal">He was right… he had been civil but that could all be an act, a mask that he could throw away as soon as she untied him.

<p class="MsoNormal">“O-Ok…” Nepht concluded, “But I want you to promise me something…”

<p class="MsoNormal">Lucian sat waiting, intrigued, “Sure…”

<p class="MsoNormal">“If you want to leave? I won’t stop you, you’re free to do so but just don’t hurt me or try to attack me.”

<p class="MsoNormal">The Imperial was surprised at the ‘please don’t hurt me’ attitude, surely as a teenager, she would threaten to ‘beat him back to Cyrodiil’ or something… Perhaps she was smarter than she looked.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I promise.” Lucian stated, making it very clear that he didn’t intend to harm her.

<p class="MsoNormal">Nepht sighed, not knowing if she could trust the word of this outlaw, she danced around releasing him for a few moments before throwing caution to the wind and stepping closer to him. It was no use anyway, she’d have to tie him eventually and if he was planning to hurt or even kill her now, imagine how bad it would be if she made him wait a week?

<p class="MsoNormal">The Dark Elf stepped around, behind the Imperial’s bonds to untie them. Lucian smiled as the robes were unfastened and slid off of his wrists. He could feel the ropes digging into the skin and he was glad to be rid of them. Whoever this girl was, she knew how to tie bonds… he began to worry about what she did in her free time.

<p class="MsoNormal">Nepht backed away from him, nervously. This was so stupid, right now, he was probably thinking of ways to kill her. Why did she let him go? The Dunmer raised her frying pan, ready to strike him, if he tried anything.

<p class="MsoNormal">To her surprise, his pleasant ‘façade’ hadn’t dropped. He stood up, rubbing his wrists and smiling at her. “Your st-stuff is over there.” The girl uttered, pointing to his satchel.

<p class="MsoNormal">The Vampire felt somewhat thankful that she hadn’t rummaged through his things; it was a rare bit of consideration that he believed to be extinct in this barbaric era. He walked over and gathered his things together, after retrieving his letters he took his sword and sheathed it before turning back to Nepht with a smile.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I suppose I should thank you, for not routing around through my things.”

<p class="MsoNormal">The Dunmer felt like smiling back but she managed to restrain herself. The satchel wasn’t hers, she had no reason to touch any of its contents.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I didn’t want to look, there might be private stuff in there…”

<p class="MsoNormal">Lucian just smiled in response, he was beginning to like Nepht but he’d never admit it.

<p class="MsoNormal">Nepht suddenly grew curious about the bag; it couldn’t hurt to ask… unless he plunged his sword into her belly in retaliation for her meddling, still her curiosity got the better of her.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I saw some paper… letters…”

<p class="MsoNormal">Lucian glanced over to her, looking somewhat worried.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I-I didn’t read them, I just put them back in your bag! I was… just wondering, what they were about.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Did you read them?” Lucian seethed, the first sign of aggression.

<p class="MsoNormal">“No, I would never.”

<p class="MsoNormal">The Vampire glared at her for several seconds before eventually accepting it, she didn’t look like she had read them. She couldn’t have read them or she’d know that he was an assassin and would have quizzed him about that instead.

<p class="MsoNormal">“I… thank you for respecting my privacy but I can’t tell you anything about the content of those letters.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Why?”

<p class="MsoNormal">“Because, if I did tell you?” He glanced over, a dark look in his eye. “I’d have to kill you…”

<p class="MsoNormal">Nepht stared at him, wondering if he was being serious. The Dunmer eventually laughed, nervously as she didn’t know how else to respond.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Okay… I don’t think it’s worth it.”

<p class="MsoNormal">Lucian ignored her, sniffing in the air as a new scent found its way to him…

<p class="MsoNormal">Cooking?

<p class="MsoNormal">It smelt like vegetables, possibly a soup or a stew.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Something smells good…” Lucian commented, glancing around the room, in case soup was somehow being cooked, under one of the stones.

<p class="MsoNormal">Nepht’s back shot up as she remembered; she’d left the soup on in the next room! The Dunmer pushed past Lucian and ran to her cauldron, tending to the food before it was overcooked and ruined.

<p class="MsoNormal">She knelt down, beside the cauldron and scooped up a portion, using her ladle. She grabbed one of the wooden bowls and poured the soup into it, getting a good whiff as the steam elevated, through her nostrils. She closed her eye and smiled as she took it in, it truly did smell good.

<p class="MsoNormal">Lucian stopped at the doorway, leaning against a wall as he watched Nepht take the first sip and smiled at the joy it gave her. From the looks of it, she had been looking forward to getting today’s meal. To his surprise, she turned around, she knew that he was there as she didn’t seem surprised to see him stood there and simply smiled at him. “Want some?”

<p class="MsoNormal">The Imperial looked confused as he stepped in, was she inviting him to dinner?

<p class="MsoNormal">“C’mon! Get a bowl! Nepht ordered him, playfully. “It’s obvious that you don’t plan to leave yet and I can’t manage all of this on my own.”

<p class="MsoNormal">The Vampire shrugged and joined her at the campfire; he grabbed one of the wooden bowls and helped himself. The Dunmer smiled as the soup hit the base of Lucian’s bowl, he scooped some of it up and began to sip it, elegantly, managing not to slurp like she and her peasant family did. She continued to eat as he did, happy that she had a guest.

The Vampire who came to tea
Lucian sat opposite his host, slowly and elegantly, sipping at his soup, whilst the Dunmer opposite him slurped hers down.

He found it rather amusing, not that he expected elegance from the girl but it was still a sight to see, though she had been living a cave for who knows how long, so her barbaric eating habits were to be expected.

Nepht was loving the soup, feeling incredibly proud of herself for getting it right, the first time. Not only did she avoid setting something on fire, she also managed to make it taste exactly the same as mums.

It was at this moment that she noticed that Lucian had been incredibly quiet, The Imperial was incredibly quiet before but…

“Is it okay?” Nepht asked, prompting him to look up, showing his confusion to her question as he wasn’t paying attention to her surroundings.

“The soup.” She added, clearing up the confusion.

“Oh… yes, it’s exquisite…” He was, obviously, exaggerating…

Nepht didn’t know what he meant but the smile on his face told her that it was a good thing. Something about him still had her on edge…

He seemed incredibly nervous about something. What could it be? Is he shy? Does he…

She swallowed, hard, at the thought of this…

Does he ‘like’ her?

Nepht then shook her head at the thought, if he does; it’s probably, because he’s still concussed or something…

“So… Lucian?” She tried to stall, thinking of a question.

“What made you want to be a highway man?”

The Dunmer then winced at her own question, she tried to save it but he had already answered before she could speak.

“The pension…” Lucian replied, showing some sort of resentment to her stupidity. Nepht laughed, nervously as she went back to her soup bowl.

“So… Nepht?” Lucian sat up and looked over to her as he mocked her approach but his question was 100% serious.

“What made you want to become an adventurer?”

The Dunmer hid her amusement of his mockery and placed her bowl on the floor.

“I just wanted to see some places, do some travelling…” She said, casually, to avoid seeming too eager.

“Ah… a traveller?

And what is it that you wish to see miss…?”

“Del…” Nepht stopped herself, taking the hint.

“Adlis… Nepht Adlis.”

“Adlis?” Odd name but he’d take it…

“Yeah… It was my father’s surname…” She explained, awkwardly.

“Oh, your parents are…?”

“My Father… Let’s just say that he wasn’t around. I never met him, not even as a baby.” She felt sad, talking about it, her father was the first of many to abandon her as soon as they got the chance…

He wasn’t the last…

Daniel, Mikasa, Bologra…

Nepht often felt worthless, unwanted. She had two major fears in life, being trapped and irritating others, without knowing it.

Lucian just nodded in response, noting her vagueness. He didn’t ask as he didn’t really want to know, he was just being polite.

“Well, it’s an improvement.” He decided to say, hoping that it wasn’t an insulting thing to say to her, he didn’t want to put her down further.

Nepht wasn’t listening as she was too deep in thought…

“Do your… Does your M- family know that you’re out here?”

Lucian asked, mostly out of curiosity but there was some concern.

“Y-Yeah. My mum and Aunt agreed.” She then paused, noticing that her aloof adventurer façade, slowly crumbling.

“Not that I needed their permission of course…”

Good save!

“Good on you…” He muttered, unimpressed and disinterested as he, elegantly, sipped some more soup. “Where are you going, rebel?”

Nepht wanted to giggle at the nickname but she managed to resist.

“Riften.” She admitted, picking her soup up, off of the ground. It was a lot cooler now and easier to drink.

“Ah… An… Interesting choice.” Lucian commented, taking another sip as he ran out of things to say about that shit hole.

“Y-Yeah…” Nepht mumbled, equally stumped.

There was an awkward silence as Nepht thought about the reasons and Lucian tried to guess what they were.

“So…” he began, “which one of Riften’s many charms brought you to the city?”

Nepht paused, cynicism aside, it was a good question…

“Erm… A number of things really.” She began, fumbling around for as many reasons as possible.

“It’s close to Cheydinhal but still quite exotic.”

''Should I tell him? ''She thought, as she looked away.

The Dunmer sighed and looked back at him, she might as well come clean and it’s not like cared anyway.

“I… also know some people there… or from there at least.”

Lucian nodded in response.

“Friends, that you want to look up?”

Nepht wasnted to say ‘yes’ but that didn’t cut it…

Daniel wasn’t a mere ‘friend,’ he was so much more than that…

He was her inspiration, role model, Icon…

In many ways, she idolised him… He was everything she wanted to be, he was the height of her accomplishment. Someday, she would drop into some kid’s hopeless and dull life and be living proof that you could be anything. That life isn’t what someone else tells you it is.

“He… Yeah, he is…” She finally faltered, looking up at him, suddenly curious as to where he was going.

“What about you? Where are you going?”

The Imperial sat back and cross his legs, trying to think of a good response.

“I was also going to Riften, outskirts, not the city itself. I have a package to receive.” He explained, trying to be as vague as possible.

Nepht tilted her head and thought for a second.

“Is it one of those letters?”

Lucian’s spine shot up, had she read them, or was that a lucky guess?

“Y-Yes…”

Nepht just nodded, feeling quite please with herself for figuring it out.

Lucian went back to watching the flames dance, it reminded him of a number of things… few of them could be considered ‘pleasant’ by most. There were so many memories that still haunted him, awakened and unleashed by the night…

Nepht, gently, took the empty bowl from his hands and placed them both on the floor, on the far side of the cave. She smiled and looked back over to him.

“Would you like to go to Riften together?”

The Imperial was snapped out of his trance, glancing up at her confounded by her proposal. Was this stupidity or kindness? Lucian didn’t know the difference anymore…

Bravery and madness…

Boredom and disgust…

It’s like all virtuous and vices are mixed on the same pallet.

She knew that he was dangerous and yet, she was willing to give him that chance.

Lucian’s gaze fixed on the fire, feeling pretty torn. Part of him wanted this, more than anything. He hadn’t spent an evening, let alone a week with someone, other than Julie, in over twenty years. But… what if that part of him, that wanted to go with her, was the part of him that wanted to tear her throat open with his teeth and feast on her blood.

Twenty years of isolation, blood bottles and routine. He felt as if he was ready to let people back into his life but what if he was wrong? The only friend he had, right now, was Julie and he hadn’t seen her for a while.

“I…”

“It’ll only be for a day…” She reminded him, kneeling up and feeling like a child again, begging mum for that special toy.

“If you get sick of me, you could always leave.”

Lucian laughed at her persuasive skills, to be fair this had convinced him, if it gets too much, just go.

But what if it’s too late?

“May I… sleep on it?” He finally asked her, glancing up and catching her eyes.

“Of course!” The dunmer replied, enthusiastically. She got up and pointed to his bed roll before walking back to her own.

The vampire was less excited to be sharing a room with a mortal. He simply shuffled over to his bedroll, got on his hands and knees and crawled into it. He looked back, over his shoulder, seeing the girl climb into hers as a smile drew across her lips as she got comfortable. The Imperial watched her for a brief moment, until she stopped moving and rolled over, facing the wall with her back to him.

He sighed and rolled over, himself, rustling, until he could get comfortable.

“Good night Lucy.” She giggled as she heard him settle down.

Lucian’s eyes shot open as he heard her ‘pet name’ for him.

“G’night… Nepht.”

Nepht smiled at the acknowledgement as she thought about the day and how crazy it was.

I finally have a companion!

She didn’t think that he would stick around for long but it was nice to have a friend for a bit…

“Watch out Shadow Man…” She thought to herself as she yawned, drifting off to sleep.